Years ago
Above the layer of cotton clouds stands a royal palace, its white marble pillars and the ambience speak volume of the divinity behind its construction. If one looks closely at the foundation, he will be awed with the gigantic floating island in the middle of a web of other floating piece of lands. The lush fauna and flora all pulsate with life and divinity, their glowing veins fill the space with various colors and at some crowded spot, elemental manifestation occurs at random and worse, spatial and temporal rifts opens and closes pulling and pushing patches of ancient and future plants onto the present. Animals are not with the traditional limbs and torso but with 4D shapes so they are living along the three axis of space and the sole axis of time.
Behind the gate of the palace, there exists thousands upon thousands of floors, each expanded beyond the physical limits and reached the size and scale of worlds and planets with their own inhabitants, climates, weathers, geographical characteristics... But one floor remains the most hidden, the most elusive from all the angles and even the majority of Arch Angles in the realm of Heaven. The room itself technically does not exist on this plane of existence but rather is located in the void outside of all space-time. Temporal and spatial locked through solid divinity chains, the room is bound to the realm of Heaven and pulled along the realm's trajectory through the void and clouds of ether like a satellite following a mother planet.
The inside of the room does not share the brightness and glamorous of the other floors. No, the place is cramped, dark and filled with seals and runes forged under a secret agreement with the Demons, something sacrilegious and unfaithful to the teaching of the All-Father. From the figurehead of the Dawn Army come solidified divinity in the form of thick ropes wrap around the outside as a piece of cloth, covering any holes and cracks allowing for an escape. From the Demon King and his seven Sins come the sacrificial rituals and material for countless binding, weakening and siphoning seals to be made. The agreement has been reached after "that", an incident forcing the All-Father and Demon King to combine force to handle. Now inside the room holds one of the four responsible for the event.
"...You again...Haven't we done with the questions?"
A middle-aged man whose grey eyes are filled with wisdom and cunning and whose ears are elongated. Despite his bare body being exposed, His noble demeanor contrasts greatly against the grim situation he is in. With chains restricting his hands and feet, with bleeding wounds showcasing bones and bruises across his entire body, he still keeps his head high and stares back at the one he is talking to. The three corpses inside the room do not help to relieve the tense atmosphere but nevertheless, it is not confrontational or violent. It is merely a meeting between the winner and the losers.
" I am not all that powerful as I am still constrained inside this framework. I have to admit ... you four have exceeded me in that regard."
A teenager whose grey hairs and blackhole eyes emits the feeling of wisdom and omnipotent. His muscles, despite hiding behind the thick robe, are filled with life and divinity. His eyes only give a glance to the three corpses and now are locked onto the pitiful state of the High Elf.
" I am tired of everything, the war against Hell, the maintenance of the world and the plague of Death. The transcendental laws are absolution to me but ... there are loopholes. "
" Don't you fear the agreement will break with your action? That Demon King will not spare your excuses."
" Let her come and slice my head off my body, I am not that afraid of Death either. And beside, the void will aid you in your reincarnation. All of you have already received its blessing since that day and besides, they will not know of our dealing. "
All-Father takes out a graphite stone tablet. The High Elf knows what the object is and begins laughing hysterically. Then, just as sudden as it came, the laughter stops. Silence once again rules the space. After a few minutes, he can only whisper.
" ... So ... next time then?"
" Next time."
All the runes and rituals begin to unravel and reattach themselves to the stone tablet. The entire floor crumbles under the pressure of the void outside. All-Father has dismantled the links binding the place to Heaven. As the distance between the dimension and the realm increases, the protection drops and the void eagerly erases the rooms from existence. The All-Father has already left, in his pouch four vials with protection against the cognitive hazard of Death.
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" Luka, why are you requesting knowledge of the Beyonders? It is already taboo enough for me to be storing the information despite following All-Father's order. "
"Just curiosity, isn't that enough?"
"... Fine...Here, return after reading, I will notify All-Father of your action. That is one of the requirements."
" I am grateful for your willingness in lending me this."
" Get awa..."
"Doze off already? I know the class is boring since we are discussing the initial premise but can you please not sleep this blatantly?!"
A sharp scream wakes everyone inside the class. Theology session is now about the tales of the origin of the world. With no exciting new information from the already boring story told times and times again with every version or reprints of the Solaris Index, every students have either taken a nap or have been doing their own things in the afternoon breeze. The teacher, one member of the Solaris Church with the rank of Grand Priest, is the one who wakes everyone up. She is dressed in a traditional nun outfit, around her neck is a basic necklace with the symbol of the 8-side star on top of her chest. Her amber eyes scan around the classroom before shutting and a sigh can be heard below.
"I know that the tale and the story is boring as most of you are looking forward to spending your time using holy power. But to cultivate that power, you will need to learn some basics and most of them are in tales like this. So just bear with me for a few class then we will move onto the exciting part."
She then finishes with a whisper to herself.
" But learning how to heal will need medical knowledge so you will still be bored."
Groans of agreement can be heard from the students. Aside from a minority of students who are truly dedicated to the teaching of Solaris, most attend the class to learn the how to utilize their innate holy power for healing, enchanting and reinforcing. One characteristic of holy power that pushes it to become top tier power is its universality. Without hindering other source of power like mana or aura, holy power acts as a universal buffer for all of the powers, even demonic aura is often paired with holy power to create explosive effects. So aside from cultural and religious reasonings, learning how to handle holy power is an overall advantage for those lucky enough to have adequate volume of the thing.
Janus is the same; his goal is to learn healing and enhancing weapons with holy power. He did not expect this level of boredom but nevertheless, here he is waking up from a nap. He remembers hearing a conversation but nothing more lingers on his mind except for the name: Luka. Keeping himself awake by pinching his thigh, Janus can only absentmindedly listen to the lecture while his mind runs around the name trying to find more memories related to it. The name is familiar, but he does not understand how something he has never heard of can be familiar. When his mind utters the name, his aura core flares up slightly, heating the environment.
Janus then takes controlled deep breaths to calm his agitated core, his eyes still on the things in front of him. The highly-sophisticated wooden table is said to be made from oaks and birches near holy sites to passively enhance holy power efficiency and the floor is tiled with blessed slabs of granites to provide maximum comfort. Decked out with various paintings and sculptures depicting scenes in the Index, the classroom has the similar atmosphere to that of the grand cathedral in the capital city. The droning of the teaching of the teacher is not registered inside his brain as he has already finished looking through the Solaris Index weeks ago. He only signed up for the theology class for its usage of holy power, not this kind of bring-and-tell session. Hiding the disappointment inside his heart, he begins to listen half-heartedly to the lecturer. After an hour of QnA and monologue from the nun, she gives each students a basic assessment test, which Janus and everyone finish in matter of minutes. The nun seems to also know this as she takes back all the paper after 5 minutes, takes a glance at every paper before switching to holy power manipulation.
"We are now going to do some basic holy power manipulation. I and another instructor will help you in learning some proper techniques. He is already at the training ground waiting for us."
The nun quickly takes off, the sound of her soles getting farther and farther from the classroom. No sooner has she finished the sentence and got away, the class chases after her figure, abandoning the boring classroom as if inside that space exists a dreadful monster. The vacant classroom is not so vacant as one still remained, a man with blond hair and an eye patch over his left eye, the one with a long scar running to his upper cheek.
" Hmm... Just a normal class. The pope will not like this news. The prophecy is still unclear and we needs to pull out the future "traitor"... Let's leave it to future me."
The man evaporates into light particles, leaving no trace of a presence inside the classroom. On his mind now is the prophecy and its content, the demand from the pope and the remaining issues for his stay inside Rhea Academy: he has to fond a convincing enough reason to not be obliterated by Shura when she begins her annual check.
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" I have something to admit to all of you. If you want to use higher level healing incantation, you will need anatomical and medical knowledge. So... boring reading session will still be mandatory... but we are not here to discuss the boring nitty gritty. We are here to try some basic blessings and incantations. "
" It's true. While she may tackle auxiliary applications of holy power, I am responsible for combat using holy power. ."
" Ah... Stop appearing out of thin air again! Students, this is Mister Anderson, you can call him Anders. Just as he said, he is responsible for combat-related usages of holy power. You will first go through him before getting to me and my healing lessons. Off you go, don't be worry of injuries, I will heal you myself."
Every student is now standing in a training ground, their eyes staring at the scarred man standing behind the nun. She has already gotten to a comfortable bench on the perimeter of the ground, leaving the stage for Anderson.
" As you have already been introduced, I am Anderson, a holy knight under the Solaris Church. I believe that I am qualified enough to teach you combat techniques using holy power. Now I will be going through the common stages and classification for holy knight.
The stages are ten in total, with each stage being separated further into level. The 1st to 3rd stage is mainly about the quantity of holy power. We often call this the Initial Stage. Then a qualitative change in holy power will happen, leading to the fourth and fifth stage, we call these two stages Master. Then the following two will include both qualitative and quantitative change; their name being Grandmaster. Finally, above that is the Demigod level. One of the Demigods is a member of the Solaris Church despite not influencing any decisions. Her name is Loreal The Half Angle, but we usually call her Loreal The Sweet-tooth as she can often be found in dessert shops around the continent. That is just public knowledge and she even writes a book about desserts each year or something.
You also needs to know that holy power is somewhat of a heritage. So some may start at the 2nd or 3rd stage instead of the common 1st stage depending on their parentages. Hell, most Saints and Saintess start at 4th and further stages just for being born with the blood of angels flowing inside their veins. So do not be discouraged. This is important so I will repeat one more time. Do not be discouraged by the lack of holy power in comparison to your peers. Keeping yourself positive will do you wonders on your path.
For most people, the initial amount of holy power is low, higher than that of normal human. Everyone has a residue of holy power inside themselves as the side effects of something happening eons ago but nevertheless, more is still more. To cultivate this power source is quite simple actually. The first method is through diligence and practice. Keeping your mind clear and devoted to a single purpose and learning techniques of absorbing holy power from the atmosphere are what I will teach. The second way is through inheritance. Holy power can be transferred from the dying to the living through a ritual offered in most competent churches. Remember that the process must be consensual from both sides as Heaven will be overseeing the contract. There are other paths but we deem these two paths to be the most probable. To find the others, read more, simple?"
" Yes!"
" Good, now we will be teaching you the basic breathing techniques, the Solaris Way, and then some basic buffs."
What follows is fifteen minutes of theory teaching and one hour of practicing. At the end of the practical hour, everyone is proficient enough to maintain the breathing techniques while doing a jog. Janus is among the fastest ten in reaching this point and he has inquired Anderson if maintaining the technique while sleeping was possible.
" Of course it is possible, it is something hard to train for since you have to make an instinctual habit of maintaining it but it is easier than learning some advanced combat techniques. I will actually touch upon this on your second year but nevertheless, you can begin with this habit each night by practicing the breathing technique while closing your eyes and meditating. Else you can try other exercises while maintaining the techniques. Or you can try our training method!"
" ...What is it?"
" Holy knights apprentices will be undergoing extreme training, pushing oneself to near-death exhaustion each day until you are able to learn nonstop breathing. Want to give it a try, I am willing to invest time for future member of the Holy Knight Division."
" Ugh... No thanks. "
" What a boring student but you have thought of this, is your holy power reserve not adequate enough? From my sensing of your holy power, it is eager, lively, full of fire and at utmost importance, overwhelming. Your reserve is large enough to rival that of second years. "
" Just curiosity. And besides, what is your opinion regarding using both aura and holy power?"
"Hmm... While some may think that we holy knight are purely using holy power, actually we use both aura and holy power. Aura is not banned and is actually compulsory when you want to study more powerful techniques. Holy power is a bit inert so to boost our power furthermore, aura usage is mandatory. Our aura techniques is developed based on holy power techniques so the color is radiant white like that of holy power. "
" Thank you for explaining to me, Mister Anderson. "
" No problem, we are getting to basic buffs so just train on your own and wait. You will enjoy what you are going to see. "
Janus returns to the second method. He tries to keep the technique going while going through the spear techniques he has learnt. Who knows how difficult it is to consciously control two things at the same time? Janus is the one. No one pays him any attention as he has moved to a secluded spot with a silent nod from Anderson.
Doing spear moves while maintaining proper breathing pattern, that is hard. A single swipe with the head, which usually takes less than a second, now takes almost half a minute to combine with the Solaris Way. One good thing that has come out of the whole thing is that Janus is getting used to the burning sensation in his core every time he overexerts himself. The Solaris Way promote fiery characteristics of the practitioners so familiarizing himself to the feeling is something he will have to do sooner than later.
Other students are trying to find their own way of buffing themselves, the theoretical side is adequate but the practical side screams inexperience. While others are moving the holy power around their body to reinforce the muscles and skins, Janus is more focused on weapon enhancements. Outputting a constant stream of holy power to the blade through the handle of the cheap spear he bought for 3 silver coins, Janus tries his best to keep the flow going, his steps and swings following the habitual move sets he has learnt but the unfamiliar webs of holy power plus aura hinders his muscle memories. Theory tells that the optimal combination of aura and holy power for close combat is 7 parts aura to 3 parts holy power with slight adjustments accordingly to the fighting styles.
"Hard, but not as hard as when I was still being the porter for a mercenary group. Let's do it again."
Keeping himself steady with a wide stance, Janus begins to swing the spear he was taught years ago. No flashy shine or sudden burst of light from the blade or body, what follows is practical and accurate. He starts with a spear spin. Keeping the holy power flow steady, he reinforces the shaft while increasing the rotational speed. Before long, the head is whizzing in a plane in front of him, the shaft now acts like a makeshift shield for incoming projectiles. After a few minutes of maintaining the speed, Janus slows down and flexibly switches to another form. With two hands on the handle in the traditional posture, he stabs in front of him, the sharp edge cutting through the empty air as if something is there in his mind. Not limiting to a single angle of attack, Janus switches the plane of the head, the incoming angle, the weight of each thrust, and the swing of the handle in the gaps he creates while switching.
"Imagine veins growing inside the wooden shaft and through the metallic head... and drilling into the hollow space inside the body."
Janus mutters the tip he received from one of the seniors who is also taking theology classes. Holy power is not particularly stored in any organs. If aura is stored in the dantian around the stomach and mana is stored in the Circles around the heart then holy power is distributed around every cells of the body.
"Imagine yourself like a water balloon and a hole is poked into it. Release the water..."
Thinking that way, Janus begins to feel the holy power edging across the wooden part of the spear, the warmth from the holy power heats up the shaft to a comfortable temperature. He tries to let more holy power to flow through the wood but it seems the wooden shaft is saturated and is letting the excess holy power into the surrounding air. After a few minutes of conscious stabbing, Janus retreats to a trunk and sit down beneath the branches. Sure, his remaining holy power is still going strong but he has grown tired of throwing it away to the surround air.
Laying the weapon on top of his thighs, Janus touches one end and tries to control the already unleashed holy power. He can only control what remains inside the first 3 centimeters from his contacting fingers, leaving the rest to the turbulence of the world.
"Everyone! Get back here. We are going through basic blessings in a minutr."
Janus knows who Anderson is referring to. Around half of the class has already gone and done their own things. Janus has not paid them any mind and furthermore, he cannot even sense them using his aura just yet. Infringing in others' business is the fastest way to kill yourself back in that place, that is what Janus believes to be the correct way of life even when he set foot to Rhea Academy, the place rumored to be filled with youth and liveliness. Well then, it is his time to come back.
" I am now going to demonstrate the basic blessings' you can bestow onto yourself or your weapons. First let's begin with our weapons."
Anderson takes out a small knife, the one often used for vegetable and fruit cuttings. He then throws it toward a nearby trunk and the knife barely lands blade first into the hardwood, digging just a little bit of wood out of the tree.
" As you can see, that small knife I have just throw is weak, flimsy and not very dangerous to a particular monster. Now I will apply the blessings to it."
Anderson quickly takes back the knife from the trunk before bringing out his cross from the inside shirt. On the cross is a pieace of saphire, judging from the color it must be of extreme purity. As time goes on, the saphire begins to glow periodically a gentle blue glow. Checking for any faults, Anderson then throws it toward the same trunk as before. With the aid of the bestowed blessings, the knife slices the wood like butter and only stop when the handle collides with the woody surface resulting in a little rebounce.
" The jewel signals that there is a high concentration of holy power somewhere near. As you can see from the time I was preparing, how many blessing did I bestow upon this knife and the effect of them can be guesstimated through this piece of saphire. So I have granted this little fruit-cutting knife here enhanced sharpness, hardness, and weight. Now take and feel the difference from this normal one. Knowing clearly what you are looking for when bestowing blessings is the requirement for them. "
He let the students study the blade not without a control one as he brings out a box of knives with the same size. Janus is curious enough to pick up one and begin. Truly a kitchen knife, but Anderson has enhanced it to this level. The sharpness is indeed different as Janus can easily make a deep slice mark in a tree branch. The durability is also sonething else as he has been bending it like a piece of rope but cannot break the metal.
" Here, you can touch it."
" T-Thanks!"
Janus decides to throw the knife away to someone else who needs it. He is looking at a bunch of students crowding around Anderson. The man is someone he has conflicted emotions about but he is qualified to teach, that is sure. Janus has already flinched when he met him for the first time. That smiling face only reminds him of the Slumbing Clown.
Welp, he still needs to come back. Time is ticking.
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" It seems he does in fact manage to escape everyone... Wonderful display, don't you agree?"
A husky voice rings out inside the claustrophobic room, a room often used to let multiple performers apply cosmetics before a show. There are plenty of people, inded, but none dares to speak out against the blatant sarcasm of their inability to capture a single kid.
" How about our business? It is surely more important than some little thief, isn't it?"
" Yes Sir! It is growing steadily but the royal dogs are sniffing closely to all our front businesses. We have reroute the production flow to enter the port from others continents. But that has come with reduced profitability. Is it good, Boss?"
" Good good good... it is good indeed. Let's us begin our nightly excursiosn now, the clock is still swinging."
The man picks up a mask from the table in front of him, a clown mask that has been his companion all the times.