Mwah, Chapters should be coming out faster now since book 1 is done! If you like the series consider dropping by my patreon! Book 1 is pretty much posted. Just gotta finish the last chapter and a half or so. (My patreon is only 5 dollars for all access)
Isolde | creating stories, video games, and other forms of entertainment. | Patreon
My vision shifted as the world twisted and turned. The scene of the old man lying in a puddle of blood blended together into a brilliant scene that exploded then fell away. In those fleeting moments, I felt my memories merge ever so slightly, and everything fell into place. I was from Earth, but I was also from here, the world of Tenith. Even though Earth was my home, this was where I was truly born and truly died.
The shards of reality gusted around me as they slotted themselves back together, revealing the plain that I woke up in. The gentle gust of wind danced in the air, and the shifting of hundreds of trees caressed my ears in an endless symphony.
Now everything felt right. I felt more me, and I had a better understanding of what had happened. But even though I did, there was some lingering doubt in my mind. Something that the old man had said to me really just stuck in my mind. It was about how my fate was seemingly sealed. Just what was going to happen?
“I was wondering why this pill came here.” A voice that I recognized as my own, split the soft gust of wind as easily as a blade. My eyes shot up towards the woman who stood across from me. Her black cloak danced on the wind, and the mask that she wore was in her hand that hung down by her waist.
Her eyes were like seas of emerald flames that roared like a hurricane. Boundless power radiated from her body, and it caused even the air to bend before her majesty. Yet even though it all, I wasn’t scared. No, this was me. She was me, and I was her. We were the same. “What kind of pill is it?” I asked as my eyes quickly landed on the hand that she had presented to me.
In the center of her palm sat a pill that was the color of freshly spilt blood. It pulsed in the rays of sunlight like a twisted heartbeat. My eyes rested on the sight of it for a few fleeting moments, but I only ended up drawing a blank.
“It’s a pill of Esoteric Mortality. By all accounts, it’s rare. In fact, in all my time, I’ve only seen this pill a few times.” Her face twisted slightly as she passed the pill over. It fell from her palm into mine, and it felt like a giant ten-pound weight fell into my hand.
“Well, what do you use it for?” I asked as I rolled the pill around. The vibrant sanguine energy reached out in the surrounding and caused my blood to become restless.
“It depends. Usually, you can use it to increase your blood essence and life span. But..” As she spoke, her wheat colored skin paled. “Or you use it to step into true body cultivation.”
“Hm? I thought I was already doing that with ki?” I asked as I rolled the pill around my hand. The light broke through the exterior and cast blood red shadows across my hand.
“Yes, but this is a step deeper than that. True body cultivation is something that anyone can use. The first catch is, start it during your mortal transformation. The second catch is that it is beyond expensive to advance in. By the time I inherited Asteria, it was extinct. I just happened to find some scrolls on how to start. But I had already progressed too far for it to matter to me.”
“Can you tell me about it, then?” As I rolled the pill around, a few pieces finally slotted themselves into place. This pill was waiting for whoever came to kill that old man. It was fate breaking through a boundary that was left behind. But for what?
“I know little. All I know is that it’s a set of hidden meridians. There are eight in total, and the scroll I found alludes to another set just behind that.” She paused for a moment before she opened her eyes and made a quick gesture with her hand. A table rose from the ground like a zombie would from the grave. Large strands of grass blossomed, and quickly twisted themselves together into a chair for each of us.
“Why did it go extinct?” Curiosity flickered through my chest and my other worries fell away. The pursuit of knowledge usually overrides most things, and this was no different.
“It was expensive. Not to mention the requirements for it were so specific that it fell out of practice. Myrillion was one of the last to walk the path. But even he found it too expensive to delve near the end.” She shrugged as she gracefully walked over to the chair she created and sat down. Her black cloak fluttered in the soft wind, and a few strands of her hair danced along with it.
“I see.” There wasn’t much for me to say about it all. All the information I had told me everything that I needed to know. Myrillion was one of the most powerful people in the world. If he couldn’t afford to walk down this path, then what hope could I?
“But maybe not all hope is lost. Take that pill and use it to open the gate of healing. It will allow you to contend with foes a few steps higher than you, and it should be exponential in your growth. Perhaps in the coming years, fate may yet allow you a few more lucky chances.”
Lucky chances, huh? That sounds a little frustrating. Why did I need to rely on a fluke of fate in order to get stronger?
As I thought that, I saw the light red lips of the other half of me twist into a smirk. “Sometimes, Cali, it’s best to let fate have its win. You both benefit from it.” The tone in her voice conveyed that she was teasing me, and I didn’t mind it all that much.
“I just don’t like the idea that my life isn’t my own to control it all.” I shrug as I sat down in the newly formed chair.
“Fate is a temperamental thing. Your choices shape it, but sometimes, it makes its own path. When it does, it’s easier to go with the flow than to swim against it.” The emerald fire of her eyes flickered as she mirrored my movements and sat down across from me.
I nodded my head in response as I clenched the pill. A Lot of the confusion that I had long since vanished, and in its place was certainty. I was still me, and that was all that mattered. “Anyway, if I wanted to pursue body cultivation, where should I start?”
“Well, realistically, you have seven options to start with. But in practice, it’s safer to say six.” She brought her arms up to the table and quickly interlaced her fingers.
“Why? What makes the other two so special?” My interest piqued once more, and a flash of excitement filled me.
“Well, the gate of death is out of reach. As that requires the inverse of this pill. The other is the gate of pain, as that requires the gate of healing to perform to its fullest potential.” She pulled her hands apart and waved one. Underneath it, a scroll appeared from thin air and unraveled itself.
I reached out, and I took the scroll and read through it. There wasn’t much in the way of information in it. It was just an overview of information about what the inner gates were and vaguely about what functions they performed. “I see, so each gate affects a distinct part of the body in a certain way.”
“Correct. The gate of view is relegated to perception. The gate of wonder to speed. The gate of pain to strength. The gate of healing to regeneration. They are all unique, yet they are all interlinked with each other. When one is empowered, they all grow. But the catch is the first one you choose will serve as the foundation of your future.” As she spoke, she pointed to a few of the gates on the scroll.
“The others are all potent in their own right. But each has their own drawback and what not. For example, The Gate of Pain will grant you explosive strength at each opened gate, but at the cost of your body if you take it first. The gate of wonder will make you faster than you can ever dream of, but you will lack vitality. Though, that also requires some level of understanding body cultivation. Which, mind you, I’m lacking. It’s just theory crafting at this point.” She explained as she pulled her hand back.
I see, because this was such an obscure art, that settling down one specific thing was going to be difficult. Even at a glance, I could tell what she was talking about. It wasn’t hard to connect to the dots with even the vague amount of information contained within. I quickly drank in the information about the other four gates that she didn’t mention. There was the gate of limit, which was defensive in bone structure and what not. The gate of view was also in the same vein, but extended more towards flesh. The Gate of Death was a pure strength boost, but not in the sense of either life or regeneration. Which was a strange one to say the least.
But I fully understood where she was coming from. Perhaps, the best bet to start would be the gate of healing, so at least that way, I can recover quicker in a pinch. But if what she said is true, then does that mean I could postulate that doing the rest afterwards would be harder? I strummed my fingers across the surface of the table as I worked through my choices on the matter.
Though the more I think about it, the gate of healing would be my best bet. If the information contained within was true, I could do that first, gate of limit, gate of view, then tackle the others shortly after. It felt like the right path, so hopefully it worked out as I had planned. But we shall see.
“I will start with the gate of healing, then.”
She nodded her head and stood up. “You can take the pill here, then. But before we do that, we have to discuss your role as a goddess.” She extended her hand, no doubt beckoning for the pill. Without hesitation, I passed it over to her. So now, I get to learn how to be a goddess, huh? This should be fun.
Mwah, Chapters should be coming out faster now since book 1 is done! If you like the series consider dropping by my patreon! Book 1 is pretty much posted. Just gotta finish the last chapter and a half or so. (My patreon is only 5 dollars for all access)
Isolde | creating stories, video games, and other forms of entertainment. | Patreon
My vision shifted as the world twisted and turned. The scene of the old man lying in a puddle of blood blended together into a brilliant scene that exploded then fell away. In those fleeting moments, I felt my memories merge ever so slightly, and everything fell into place. I was from Earth, but I was also from here, the world of Tenith. Even though Earth was my home, this was where I was truly born and truly died.
The shards of reality gusted around me as they slotted themselves back together, revealing the plain that I woke up in. The gentle gust of wind danced in the air, and the shifting of hundreds of trees caressed my ears in an endless symphony.
Now everything felt right. I felt more me, and I had a better understanding of what had happened. But even though I did, there was some lingering doubt in my mind. Something that the old man had said to me really just stuck in my mind. It was about how my fate was seemingly sealed. Just what was going to happen?
“I was wondering why this pill came here.” A voice that I recognized as my own, split the soft gust of wind as easily as a blade. My eyes shot up towards the woman who stood across from me. Her black cloak danced on the wind, and the mask that she wore was in her hand that hung down by her waist.
Her eyes were like seas of emerald flames that roared like a hurricane. Boundless power radiated from her body, and it caused even the air to bend before her majesty. Yet even though it all, I wasn’t scared. No, this was me. She was me, and I was her. We were the same. “What kind of pill is it?” I asked as my eyes quickly landed on the hand that she had presented to me.
In the center of her palm sat a pill that was the color of freshly spilt blood. It pulsed in the rays of sunlight like a twisted heartbeat. My eyes rested on the sight of it for a few fleeting moments, but I only ended up drawing a blank.
“It’s a pill of Esoteric Mortality. By all accounts, it’s rare. In fact, in all my time, I’ve only seen this pill a few times.” Her face twisted slightly as she passed the pill over. It fell from her palm into mine, and it felt like a giant ten-pound weight fell into my hand.
“Well, what do you use it for?” I asked as I rolled the pill around. The vibrant sanguine energy reached out in the surrounding and caused my blood to become restless.
“It depends. Usually, you can use it to increase your blood essence and life span. But..” As she spoke, her wheat colored skin paled. “Or you use it to step into true body cultivation.”
“Hm? I thought I was already doing that with ki?” I asked as I rolled the pill around my hand. The light broke through the exterior and cast blood red shadows across my hand.
“Yes, but this is a step deeper than that. True body cultivation is something that anyone can use. The first catch is, start it during your mortal transformation. The second catch is that it is beyond expensive to advance in. By the time I inherited Asteria, it was extinct. I just happened to find some scrolls on how to start. But I had already progressed too far for it to matter to me.”
“Can you tell me about it, then?” As I rolled the pill around, a few pieces finally slotted themselves into place. This pill was waiting for whoever came to kill that old man. It was fate breaking through a boundary that was left behind. But for what?
“I know little. All I know is that it’s a set of hidden meridians. There are eight in total, and the scroll I found alludes to another set just behind that.” She paused for a moment before she opened her eyes and made a quick gesture with her hand. A table rose from the ground like a zombie would from the grave. Large strands of grass blossomed, and quickly twisted themselves together into a chair for each of us.
“Why did it go extinct?” Curiosity flickered through my chest and my other worries fell away. The pursuit of knowledge usually overrides most things, and this was no different.
“It was expensive. Not to mention the requirements for it were so specific that it fell out of practice. Myrillion was one of the last to walk the path. But even he found it too expensive to delve near the end.” She shrugged as she gracefully walked over to the chair she created and sat down. Her black cloak fluttered in the soft wind, and a few strands of her hair danced along with it.
“I see.” There wasn’t much for me to say about it all. All the information I had told me everything that I needed to know. Myrillion was one of the most powerful people in the world. If he couldn’t afford to walk down this path, then what hope could I?
“But maybe not all hope is lost. Take that pill and use it to open the gate of healing. It will allow you to contend with foes a few steps higher than you, and it should be exponential in your growth. Perhaps in the coming years, fate may yet allow you a few more lucky chances.”
Lucky chances, huh? That sounds a little frustrating. Why did I need to rely on a fluke of fate in order to get stronger?
As I thought that, I saw the light red lips of the other half of me twist into a smirk. “Sometimes, Cali, it’s best to let fate have its win. You both benefit from it.” The tone in her voice conveyed that she was teasing me, and I didn’t mind it all that much.
“I just don’t like the idea that my life isn’t my own to control it all.” I shrug as I sat down in the newly formed chair.
“Fate is a temperamental thing. Your choices shape it, but sometimes, it makes its own path. When it does, it’s easier to go with the flow than to swim against it.” The emerald fire of her eyes flickered as she mirrored my movements and sat down across from me.
I nodded my head in response as I clenched the pill. A Lot of the confusion that I had long since vanished, and in its place was certainty. I was still me, and that was all that mattered. “Anyway, if I wanted to pursue body cultivation, where should I start?”
“Well, realistically, you have seven options to start with. But in practice, it’s safer to say six.” She brought her arms up to the table and quickly interlaced her fingers.
“Why? What makes the other two so special?” My interest piqued once more, and a flash of excitement filled me.
“Well, the gate of death is out of reach. As that requires the inverse of this pill. The other is the gate of pain, as that requires the gate of healing to perform to its fullest potential.” She pulled her hands apart and waved one. Underneath it, a scroll appeared from thin air and unraveled itself.
I reached out, and I took the scroll and read through it. There wasn’t much in the way of information in it. It was just an overview of information about what the inner gates were and vaguely about what functions they performed. “I see, so each gate affects a distinct part of the body in a certain way.”
“Correct. The gate of view is relegated to perception. The gate of wonder to speed. The gate of pain to strength. The gate of healing to regeneration. They are all unique, yet they are all interlinked with each other. When one is empowered, they all grow. But the catch is the first one you choose will serve as the foundation of your future.” As she spoke, she pointed to a few of the gates on the scroll.
“The others are all potent in their own right. But each has their own drawback and what not. For example, The Gate of Pain will grant you explosive strength at each opened gate, but at the cost of your body if you take it first. The gate of wonder will make you faster than you can ever dream of, but you will lack vitality. Though, that also requires some level of understanding body cultivation. Which, mind you, I’m lacking. It’s just theory crafting at this point.” She explained as she pulled her hand back.
I see, because this was such an obscure art, that settling down one specific thing was going to be difficult. Even at a glance, I could tell what she was talking about. It wasn’t hard to connect to the dots with even the vague amount of information contained within. I quickly drank in the information about the other four gates that she didn’t mention. There was the gate of limit, which was defensive in bone structure and what not. The gate of view was also in the same vein, but extended more towards flesh. The Gate of Death was a pure strength boost, but not in the sense of either life or regeneration. Which was a strange one to say the least.
But I fully understood where she was coming from. Perhaps, the best bet to start would be the gate of healing, so at least that way, I can recover quicker in a pinch. But if what she said is true, then does that mean I could postulate that doing the rest afterwards would be harder? I strummed my fingers across the surface of the table as I worked through my choices on the matter.
Though the more I think about it, the gate of healing would be my best bet. If the information contained within was true, I could do that first, gate of limit, gate of view, then tackle the others shortly after. It felt like the right path, so hopefully it worked out as I had planned. But we shall see.
“I will start with the gate of healing, then.”
She nodded her head and stood up. “You can take the pill here, then. But before we do that, we have to discuss your role as a goddess.” She extended her hand, no doubt beckoning for the pill. Without hesitation, I passed it over to her. So now, I get to learn how to be a goddess, huh? This should be fun.
