Secrets of the Universe

Chapter 203: Spirit Roots, The Ancient Practice, The man, and The Existential Planes

'Interesting,' Jake thought.

His mind processed what he just saw, 'It is probably the highest I would ever see in a while.' 

'Is this what a Dark Celestial means? A potential beyond most beings. One that surpasses deities, reaching a level unidentified by mortals.. This is too interesting,' mused Jake.

He already had an inkling of her talent from the fact that she was born with a cultivation base of [Realm 3].

The mystery of Kaleyx became larger in his eyes. 

Jake could be said to have an origin on par with Kaleyx, but that was all..he couldn't back the origin with action, but she could.

She was able to recognize him as a Son of Chaos, while Jake wasn't able to do the same.

What was a celestial?

His guess was that it was a mighty race. That much was gotten from its name.

What was a fallen celestial?

Going by the angel theme, he could decipher it as the opposite of a 'pure' celestial. A sub-race of celestial that had fallen from its graces.

What was then a dark celestial?

It should be a species of this fallen sub-race that possessed a certain forbidden power. If Kaleyx was truly one, then the power is the [Negative Element].

However, those were all his guesses.

Probably seventy percent(70%) of what he said was false, but they gave him an idea.

Meanwhile, he had nowhere to start about himself. 

What was a Drakoi?

What was a Phaent?

'This is not the time,' Jake shook his head.

Since he didn't have the answers, he would ask Kaleyx, who seemed very knowledgeable, but for now, he had other things at hand.

Jake looked at his arm as he still felt the stinging pain ringing in his body.

He understood it was a side-effect of using the [Spirit Device].

Supposedly, the device measures one's talent by checking their [Spirit Root], which was situated in the brain.

It was quite technical.

The [Spirit Root] wasn't actually located in the brain. It was a spiritual concept and could be found in one's mindscape.

However, the physical representation of a [Spirit Root] was in the brain.

It was akin to the famous pineal gland, which was rumored to be the seat of the soul. 

In truth, the [Spirit Root] is a physical manifestation of one's affinity with [Spirit Essence] and therein, [Elemental Spirit Essence].

So, when one talks about talent, it is just the affinity of an individual.

It meant everything.

It meant the exact potential, revealing how far one can go on the warrior path.

This is because to improve one's state of being, one needs to have a stable relationship with [Spirit Essence].

This type of energy would subtly evolve one's being. This is how the cultivation realms were formed.

They were the fastest, most stable, easiest, and most proven way to reach this evolution.

He had no idea of when this practice began, but it started way before even most races gained intelligence.

After trials and errors, it became important to races that aspired to evolve to a higher state of being.

In fact, it was said that there were multiple cultivation realms, but they were eliminated after many discoveries were made.

He was sure that in this era, more cultivation realms would still be shaved off.

Jake's mind spiraled as he thought of the many things that would happen to this ancient practice.

He couldn't help but become intrigued at the advancement of this universal heritage.

.....................

After putting a stop to his sporadic thoughts, Jake focused back on his surrounding.

It was still silent as Kaleyx laid on her bed reading a book from his desk.

He looked at his own share of books and sighed, 'Still no results. Perhaps, I should..'

He turned his head to glance at Kaleyx, "What do you know about the existential planes?"

His words caused Kaleyx to face him and wrinkle her nose.

She focused on him for a few seconds before she spoke out with a smile, "Well, that is something I don't hear every day. It appears there is actually something you don't know."

Facing her taunts, Jake sighed, "Just tell me."

He prided himself in being the collector of all knowledge. Yet, he had no idea what an existential plane was.

"Alright. Alright. Existential planes, huh?" Kaleyx crossed her legs in a sitting position on her bed.

She went deep in thoughts as she hummed, "Once upon a time, there was a soul who left the world of souls. There was a baby, who was welcomed to the land of the living. There was a child, who was blessed by the spirits of the spirit realm. There was a man, who tapped power from the ethereal realm. There was an old man, who in his pursuit for immortality, tried to make a contract with a being from the outer realm but failed. Finally, there was, once again, a soul who was banished to the plane of hell!"

Her song rang melodiously in Jake's ear as he found himself understanding the hidden message and content.

Once Kaleyx was done with singing, she explained, "This is a song from my 'mother'. It explains the structure of the world, and while it isn't accurate, it gives an idea of what the world actually is."

She deciphered the lyrics of her song, "The first line concerns the origin of all living beings. They are said to come from a plane called the world of souls."

"The second line introduces the journey of the soul to the physical plane."

"The third line illustrates the plane of a mystical race called spirits and their relationship with the physical plane."

"The fourth line explains the source of mystical power, which in this song, is said to have come from an ethereal plane."

"The fifth line portrays the man. He didn't want to die so he sought help from beings in planes outside his dimension. Alas, he failed."

"The last line directly relates to the fifth line. It explains that the man's actions were considered forbidden and because of that, after his death, he was sent to a punishing plane called Hell."

"Note, these are not in any means accurate," Kaleyx warned again.

She went on, "Existential planes are just like the names connotes, planes. A formation of planes forms a dimension and a formation of dimensions forms a world."

She kept her words concise, "This world is not as you see it. Have you ever had the feeling that there is someone beside you, but when you look you don't see anyone?"

"Do you recognize the feeling of breathing an air that transcends space and time? What of the feeling of being in a different place that you can't recognize, but at the same time, not being there?" Kaleyx introduced.

"Get to the point," sighed Jake.

He was familiar with all that Kaleyx was telling him. That was why he was asking her.

"You see the planes are like plates that revolve around...just like the solar system. Sometimes, some very perceptive can feel this occasional movement of planes, but most of them only feel it once in their lifetime," explained Kaleyx.

She brought out a blank slip of paper from her [Spatial Ring] and started scribbling some unknown things as she spoke.

"The plane we see, feel, touch, smell, hear, and interact with is the physical plane, mainly called the Mundane Plane. It consists of physical bodies and is home to ninety percent(90%) of the races in this dimension. It also serves as a sort of nucleus for the dimension, connecting to all the planes," divulged Kaleyx.

Jake could see that she was drawing something.

He wondered what it was.

"The other planes are categorized into two. The elemental planes and the abstract planes. The Elemental planes are planes that embody the origin of elements, while the abstracts planes are planes that originate from a force rather than an element," explained Kaleyx.

She scribbled further.

"The power of element that actualizes in the physical planes actually comes from the elemental planes. [Spirit Essence] and [Elemental Spirit Essence] are released to the physical plane from their different planes. They are then sustained here and reproduced by the power of the physical plane. However, they don't retain most of their original quality, making them a lesser form of energy than they should have been," she went on.

As she spoke, she scribbled.

At the same time, she immersed Jake in a world of his imaginations.

He tried to visualize her words and couldn't help but be completely immersed.

[Spirit Esence] was the only form of energy cultivators could use. 

[Elemental Spirit Essence] was a higher form of [Spirit Essence].

Yet, they were never pure. Now, he knew why.

From the produce of moving to the physical plane and getting reproduced, it was no wonder that they would be tarnished by the murky breath of the mundane plane.

Ultimately, the mundane plane wasn't the best place for the energies to migrate to.

With his energy vision, Jake told a rare look at his surrounding.

It was only now he truly saw the impurities of the energy around him. 

Surely, once one breaks out from their ignorant self, they gain true sight.