Noah quickly contacted Thirty-seven, who appeared in a matter of minutes. The automaton then controlled the formation so that the energy radiated by the flares would flow into other parts of the dimension.
"Are you sure about this?" Thirty-seven asked. After all, that was the darkness that Noah had poured for weeks inside the cubical formation.
"Yes!" Noah shouted as he stood on the verge of the formation. "Just let it happen."
Noah's memories of his past life weren't helpful in that situation. He didn't study the stars enough to affect the procedure without risking to disrupt the natural evolution of his darkness.
So, he had decided that it would let his "Breath" regulate itself. Noah felt confident that its laws would force it to act according to his needs.
The flares became less intense as the less dense darkness flew away from the formation. The collapse of the star continued though, and it eventually stabilized when it reached a small spherical form.
Silent seconds passed as Noah, the automaton, and June inspected the small sphere that had replaced the massive star.
The sphere was so dark that their eyes found it hard to define its edges. It was as if light couldn't even come near that form, which made it appear as a black orb that distorted the air around it.
However, Noah had familiarized himself with his higher energy in the last period. He could understand that the same type of energy made the sphere, even if it appeared far denser than before.
The surface of the sphere remained still. Not even a ripple ran through its shape. Still, it floated on its own, and the trio could feel the intense gravitational pull around it.
Noah suddenly took a step forward, ignoring the surprised glances that landed on its back.
The gravitational pull became stronger as he neared the minute star. Yet, he was a hybrid in the upper tier. Enduring that traction force was something that he could do with a bit of effort.
His mind started to expand as he neared the floating sphere. More insights on the laws of creation appeared in his thoughts under the influence of the higher energy.
Noah decided to slow down his advance at that point. He didn't know how many enlightenments the sphere could provide, but he felt that it was better to focus on them before interacting with the result of his procedure.
Thirty-seven and June watched in silence as Noah took small steps and many breaks as he walked toward the little star. His eyes would often be closed too since his focus was on his mind.
Noah spent half a day like that, slowly nearing the most stable result that his procedure had been able to produce.
However, he eventually reached the sphere, and that was when he decided to touch it.
Noah's fingers stabbed the surface of the star easily. It was scorching, and it wasn't solid at all. Instead, it seemed made of a dense gas that acted as if it was a liquid floating in the air whenever someone affected its shape.
Noah felt even more insights on the laws of creation fusing with his mind and becoming something similar to soft instincts as he kept his hand inside the fist-sized star. He needed an entire day at that time to exhaust the enlightenments that his higher energy could provide.
'I see,' Noah thought as he retracted his hand. 'Improving the outcome of my forgings is just a side effect. This energy hides far more, but I'm still unable to see it.'
Noah had begun to evaluate that hypothesis since his various experiments with the Instabilities and other disposable weapons. His higher energy seemed to have a specific purpose that he had yet to identify.
Nevertheless, Noah didn't worry about it. He was bound to discover that. The issue now was to find a way to carry it around without risking leveling cities.
The star had become slightly smaller than a man's fist. His initial idea had been on point, and adding more darkness had led to a natural compression that didn't require any of Thirty-seven's methods.
'Even if I manage to carry it around,' Noah thought, 'How can I avoid setting up a similar environment to refill it every time?'
That was a major issue than Noah wanted to solve to make his new power suitable for battle.
Having to resort to training areas and formations to refill his stash of higher energy was too troublesome. Noah wanted something that became part of his power, not a tool that he could use only after a long preparation.
The truth was that Noah had an idea that would solve the issue. Still, that was another reckless idea.
"You won't like it," Noah said to June as soon as he came out of the formation and picked his inscribed notebook to contact Elder Austin.
The Elder arrived a few hours later and lost himself in the sight of the small star floating inside the cubical formation before focusing on the two cultivators. Thirty-seven had left in the meantime since Noah didn't need him anymore.
"What is it, Prince?" Elder Austin asked with a curious tone.
It was rare for Noah to contact him since Elder Julia handled most of the matters concerning the higher-ups of the Hive. Yet, Noah was the Demon Prince, and his recent achievements made all the Elders of the Hive feel indebted toward him.
June felt curious too since Noah didn't reveal the reason why he needed the Elder to move forward with his experiments.
"Elder," Noah spoke, and his expression started to reveal his usual coldness even when he conversed with friendly faces, "I need your help to remove large patches of skin and muscles."
Elder Austin had reached the liquid stage of the fifth rank in those years, and he had already helped Noah in a similar situation. Still, he couldn't help but release a loud curse when he understood that Noah didn't lose his self-harming attitude.
On the other hand, June didn't immediately understand what was happening, but the Elder's unwillingness gave her some hints. Also, Noah followed with more details.
"Don't worry, Elder," Noah said as he tried to reassure Austin. "I only need you to skin the entirety of my back, and maybe part of my chest too. I don't need too many muscles, just enough to reinforce the organ."
"What organ!?" Elder Austin shouted. "And what only!? You can't ask me to skin alive the second-most important figure in the whole Hive!"
"You accepted to pierce my dantian last time!" Noah replied. "That was far more dangerous than this. I won't die even if you happen to hurt a few internal organs in the process!"
"This doesn't reassure me at all!" Elder Austin shouted.
Noah and Elder Austin continued to discuss right in front of June, who remained silent as she accepted what was happening. A smile appeared on her face when she saw her lover arguing to convince the Elder to hurt him.
She didn't like the idea of seeing Noah's wounded, but she couldn't help but admire his ruthlessness.