Jack sat in the lotus position focusing on his breathing. The two male druids that were guiding him out of the forest had led him until the sun had set completely.
As soon as the last ray of daylight had faded, they had stopped walking and made camp for the night. It actually made a certain sense to Jack that the tree folk weren’t all that active at night.
They had not covered much ground, as the light had been waning before they’d even started.
They had approached Jack in the field and gestured for him to follow. For some reason, neither of the beings said a word to him. He didn't know if they had orders not to talk, or if they just didn't feel like it.
He glanced over to look at them sleeping up against a tree trunk. His attention was immediately drawn to the wooden antlers that rose from the head on the left like hair. This was the only druid that had payed Jack any attention earlier.
Again when they met for the second time, Jack saw not aversion in his eyes, but curiosity. It was difficult to determine the age of these beings, and he wasn't about to cut him in half and try to count the rings, but Jack would guess that he was on the younger side.
The other one was taller and had short spikes of bark covering his head. He looked to be considerably older with gnarled bark on his face and body. In this druid's expression, there was an obvious mistrust. It was clear that he was carrying out a duty that he did not enjoy.
Jack didn’t hold that against him. As far as he understood it, humans had come to this world thousands of years ago and conquered it. He probably wouldn't care for humans either if he were in this druid's roots.
He closed his eyes, allowing his mind to be pulled into Zachias’ simulation. When he opened them again, Jack was standing on a field of strange blue grass looking into a sky full of red, green, and blue moons. He wondered why Zachias always chose to simulate this particular field.
“So the Spirit Realm. Is this the part where I get a new body?” Jack asked with humor.
“A new body?” Zachias said perplexed.
“You know. When my body gets purified and purges a bunch of smelly, black ooze. When I sweat out all the toxins at once.”
Zachias looked at him skeptically with one hairless eyebrow raised and the other lowered. “Just how many toxins do you think you have? Do you believe your body is half toxin?”
Jack shrugged. “I guess I just thought that is how these things go. I expected advancement to purify my body until it was perfect.”
The giant blue warrior sighed. “Your body will be slowly purified and improved for as long as you advance, but toxins are made of matter. They will be broken down into qi and added to your spirit.
“However, you will never have a ‘perfect body’. Even the most powerful beings in the Cosmos are still absorbing qi and adding to their strength. Self-improvement is not a destination you reach, but a never-ending journey.”
Jack could see that there was probably something profound about that statement, but he didn’t want to accept it. “Sounds like it’s just another fucking dragon to chase.”
Now it was Zachias’ turn to shrug. “You need to learn to embrace the bitter to taste the sweet.”
The fortune cookie wisdom was getting on his nerves, and Jack wanted to change the topic, so he asked about something else.
“Why is it called the Spirit Realm anyways? It sounds like you’re about to take me to the Soul Society.”
“It is called the Spirit Realm” Zachias began, ignoring Jack’s bad jokes as usual, “because it is the stage in which a warrior builds their spirit.”
Assuming that he was in for a lecture, Jack sat down on the simulated ground and allowed Zachias to continue.
“A spirit is made up of two component parts. You already know that one is the aura. It is a cloud of qi that hovers in and around a being. Because you are in the Mortal Realm, you have had to project your qi to manifest your aspect. When you advance, your aura will become permanent.
“The other component of the spirit is the core. It is like a marble of solid, compressed matter with a hollow middle and small veins or channels running through it. Your core is the storage space for most of your qi as well as the control center for your aura.
“It sits at the exact middle of a being’s body. There is much more qi contained in this small mass than in the rest of the body and spirit combined. The core is also the anchor point for the aura. Like planets around a star, your field of qi will orbit your core in every direction forming a sphere around yourself.”
Jack nodded along trying to make sure he would remember everything. “And after I advance, I’ll be able to use techniques like the ones you showed me?”
After Zachias had demonstrated what techniques could accomplish, Jack had been excited to get started. With a few exceptions, the knowledge and abilities that Zachias had given him hadn’t had much of an appeal to Jack.
He didn’t care one way or the other about immortality. Living forever sounded all kinds of tedious, and he really just wanted his people to be safe and happy. If they could all live forever together, that would be fine with him. However, if they all died and Jack lived on indefinitely, that would be his nightmare.
As far as the superpowers went, Jack looked at them the same way he did sports. They were fun to play with, but he could live without them if he had to.
Technique, on the other hand, this was something that greatly appealed to Jack. He had always been a sucker for anything involving technical skill. It was what he loved about all of his hobbies.
“You will still need to experiment and find what works best for you” Zachias warned. “I can teach you the fundamentals and theories behind technique weaves, but it will ultimately be up to you to put it all together. Even if you walk the same road as another, your steps will be slightly different from theirs. Every path is unique.”
“Okay wise master” Jack said sardonically. “But is it really that easy to just advance to a new realm? Don’t I need to build up my foundation first or something?”
Zachias chuckled condescendingly. “You have not even started on your foundation yet. Think of it like this. If you were building a house, all you have done in the Mortal Realm is collect the necessary materials. Qi, chakra, the mind’s eye, these are the things you will use to build. Now that you have them, we can start to lay your foundation.”
Stolen novel; please report.
Jack narrowed his eyes slightly. “But I’ve had those things for months. Why did you wait so long to tell me?”
“There was already too much to learn. I did not want to overwhelm you. Also, you needed to refine your chakra first. Even now, it will be difficult to advance with what you have currently.”
“So, what stupid hoop do I have to jump through this time? Achieve enlightenment? Harmony with the Universe? What fresh New Age bullshit do you have for me today?”
Zachias waved dismissively. “None of that. You must only design and form a core.”
“I’m assuming that it’s not as simple as it sounds” Jack said.
“It is actually not difficult to begin the process. But you will only have one chance. This is the first level of your foundation. It has to be perfect if you want it to be sturdy enough to support the rest.”
“Man, you are just gonna keep going with this construction metaphor, huh?”
Zachias gave a noncommittal half-shrug. “Everyone uses it.”
“So if I mess this up, I’m just done? There will be no way to advance?” Jack didn’t care for that idea. When it came to screwing things up, he was an absolute natural.
For some reason, this question seemed to anger Zachias. His eyebrows drew down and together and his voice sounded even deeper than usual.
“Of course not. There is always a way forward if one only has the will to find it. Defeat is a choice. Even death will not stop the truly determined.”
As he said the last sentence, he gestured down at his own mentally fabricated body.
Jack wasn’t normally one for motivational speeches, but these words resonated with him on a level that he couldn’t understand. He knew that they would rattle around his head for a long time to come.
He wanted to say something snarky, but he couldn’t find the words so he just nodded silently.
“However” Zachias continued. “If you do fail to advance properly, the chances of attaining the power you need to protect your family will drop astronomically.”
“So it’s best if I just get it right the first time” Jack stated nervously.
“Obviously” the blue behemoth replied. “Which is why I brought you into this simulation tonight. So you can practice.”
Jack nodded. “Okay. Let’s get started then.”
Zachias reached towards Jack with one arm palm up. He gestured for the human to come over.
Jack thought Zachias was commanding him to approach until he found himself lifting off the ground and hovering in the air. He was unwillingly carried over to the big warrior, spun around to face the same direction as Zachias and then dropped back to the ground.
Then, acting as if nothing had happened, Zachias began teaching again. Jack was baffled as to why the alien had moved him like that. He didn’t know if it was impatience or some kind of fucked up power move but it was certainly confusing.
“The first thing you will need” Zachias said, “is a gathering array.”
Jack quickly forgot about the strange use of telekinesis. “Oh damn. I think I left that in my other pants.”
“An array is simply another name for a fractal. Runes, wards, scripts, etchings, symbols of power, these are all different words with the same meaning” Zachias taught. “A gathering array is merely a shape that is used to collect ambient qi.”
Zachias pointed at the ground which began to change. The thick blue grass disintegrated and the dirt turned black and hardened like asphalt. A ripple expanded from where the heavenly warrior pointed and left a perfectly flat and level floor behind.
White lines appeared on the black ground forming a circular pattern about thirty feet in diameter around them.
Jack looked at the intricacy of the pattern with dismay. If he was expected to memorize this, they were in for a long night.
He walked around studying the fractal while Zachias explained the basic theory behind its function. The gathering array was made up of multiple sections.
The outer layer was a repeating pattern of triangles that pointed in towards the center. Inside that, was an infinite helix that formed a circle around a small blank spot in the middle. Two lines curved in from either side of the helix pattern and reached towards the empty spot in the middle as if waiting to be connected.
Zachias spent several hours going over the theory with Jack before giving him time to practice. He would simulate the actual feelings and sensations that Jack would experience during his advancement.
Most of the night passed with Jack in the simulation. Early in the morning, he began to feel his hair standing on its end. It took Jack a moment to realize that this feeling was coming from his real body.
When he opened his eyes, it was to see a wooden face just inches from the tip of Jack’s nose. A pair of curious, evergreen eyes were staring at him by the dim light of the stars and moon.
Startled, Jack jumped backwards barely managing not to shout. The druid with the wooden antlers was standing in front of him and leaning forward at what seemed to be an impossible angle like Michael Jackson.
When Jack looked at the bottom of the being’s legs, he saw that his roots were dug into the dirt like an actual tree.
He was about to say something, when he heard a languid, male voice in his mind.
“My apologies” the younger looking druid said. “I did not mean to startle you. It is just, I have never met a human before. Do they all have skin as smooth as yours?”
Jack almost answered out loud, but when he glanced at the larger druid’s sleeping form, he thought better of it.
“Well, they can’t all be as good-looking as me” Jack jested. “But didn’t you see the one who gave me this in her human form?” He gestured at the complex tattoo on his left side. “Her skin looked a lot smoother than mine.”
The wooden man looked at the tattoo with reverence and then nodded. “I had never seen her in that form before today. I had never even heard her voice. She has been in a deep meditation since long before I was born.”
“No wonder she was so grouchy” he thought back. “My name is Jack by the way. It’s nice to meet you.”
Even though they had roughly abducted him, Jack couldn’t help but like this being. The druid had a kind face and a naturally calming presence.
“I am called Emrys.”
“Of course you are” he replied. When Emrys looked at him questioningly, Jack added “never mind.”
They sat silently for a moment. Jack glanced at the sleeping druid again. He looked back to Emrys and decided to ask him a question. “How do you two feel safe sleeping here with no wards or watch? Aren’t you worried that you will be attacked?”
Emrys looked on the nearest wooden giant fondly. “The trees would warn us if we were in danger. Is it not the same for you?”
Jack shook his head no and gazed at the evergreens around them. He wondered what their voices sounded like.
Zachias must have been paying attention, because he chose that moment to project a thought to Jack. “You could learn to listen as well. It is merely another use of your third eye. Not an ability exclusive to the druids.”
The last thing Jack needed right now was more learning material, but he filed that fact away for later. The ability to hear the voices of the trees was intriguing to him.
Emrys took the silence as his cue to ask a question of his own. Jack was sitting on the ground with his arms wrapped around his knees and the young druid seemed to copy him. His smooth wooden face took on an expression of wonder as he leaned forward toward Jack.
“How did you get to the middle of our forest? You are the first human to venture that far in a very long time.”
Jack considered whether he should refuse to answer or even lie, but when he looked into the eyes of the gentle giant, he realized that he did not wish to deceive Emrys.
He was not ready to share all of his secrets, such as the existence of Zachias or his special physique, but he did tell him the truth about why he came to Olympus.
“So you jumped through a hole in your world to come to this one? This Arthur must be a good friend.”
“Yeah he is alright. I mean, all human men are fucking savages, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth the trouble. I think you would like him.”
Emrys smiled and nodded. “I hope I get to meet him then.”
Jack thought the odds of that meeting were fairly small, but he kept that to himself. He had something else on his mind.
“How far away are we from the nearest civilization? I don’t want to be the ‘are we there yet’ guy, but you know, I am in a bit of a hurry.”
The tree being scratched his wooden antlers and then shrugged his shoulders. “I have never been outside of this forest. We are showing you towards a village just beyond our clan’s domain.”
“A human village or a druid village?” Jack inquired.
“Neither” Emrys responded with his slow and casual accent. “A fomorian village.”
“Fomorian?” Jack asked.
Emrys nodded. “Yes. One of the native peoples of this world. Although, I believe your kind call them ogres for some reason.”