"I’m not sure what sol-weaving is," I said. "Well, let’s start with the basics," Avery replied.

"Do you know how to achieve an enhanced state?" Avery asked.

I nodded, and he continued, "How long can you maintain it?" "We can both achieve it for a few minutes without losing focus," I replied.

"That is impressive for newcomers who just got into limbo. The enhanced state is the simplest use of sol, which is a fairly broad concept. The most significant use of sol is in sol-weaving, one of its numerous applications. Sol is referred to as the energy of miracles and life. The part about life must have made sense to you, but what about the "miracles"? Sol-weaving is the reason behind its name."

Kei spoke up from behind me, asking, "What is this ‘sol-weaving’ that you speak of so reverently?"

"In order for you to understand anything more quickly, it is preferable to demonstrate than to explain." After responding, Avery walked over to Kei.

Avery soon turned his hand and moved it in the direction of Kei. To my surprise, winds rose around Kei as he was lifted off the ground. The air surrounding Kei began to whirl as Avery swirled his fingers. Avery eventually stopped, and Kei dropped to the earth with a thump. Kei had started revolving in the air like he was inside a washing machine.

"Sol-weaving, to put it simply, is the ability to exert willpower to transform the energy known as sol into something valuable."

"By using their willpower, a person can tap into the energy of Sol and shape it to their will. Sol is a vast energy that permeates the universe, and by weaving it, a person can create miracles and achieve feats that were once thought impossible." Avery explained.

"Does that imply that I can transform Sol into anything I wish?" I asked in awe.

"That’s where your ‘Nexus’ steps in. Your nexus is what links you to the sol in the atmosphere. You can only manifest your nexus, which means you can’t just transform ambient light into anything you want." Avery answered.

"Does that imply that your Nexus is wind, then?" I asked.

"That’s correct. To put it simply, I’m a wind-weaver." Avery confirmed. "What I just did was manifest the sol flowing around your friend into the wind and control it using my connection to it."

"Even though you can only manifest your nexus, how are you supposed to know what it is? Kei questioned me from behind me.

"What you are most familiar with is your nexus. The likelihood that something will become your nexus increases with your understanding of it. It’s not something that’s predetermined at birth; you have to figure it out on your own." Avery responded

"What would be, for instance, the most probable nexus of a professional swimmer?" Avery inquired. "Water?" I reacted.

"Exactly. It will be water since that person is the best at understanding water and has spent their entire life working with it. Thus, water is most likely their link to the ambient sol in the atmosphere." Avery highlighted.

"The most prevalent types of sol-weavers are water, wind, fire, and earth weavers because they are the basic elements and it is simpler to study and gain knowledge from these sources."

"A weaver of ice or poison, on the other hand, would be uncommon because these concepts are more complex than the fundamental building blocks and are challenging to fully comprehend." Avery finished.

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"So to sum it up, having a nexus and having a thorough understanding of how it functions are both necessary for being a sol-weaver. Things have a tougher time becoming our nexus, the more complicated they are. Is this correct?" I presented Avery with my understanding of his explanation.

"It’s true, but what I told you two about sol-weaving is only the tip of the iceberg. There is one more topic I want you to go over with me, and that is the three phases of sol-weaving." Avery started.

"According to their level of grasp and understanding of their nexus, sol-weavers are split into three phases."

"The first phase of sol-weaving consists solely of ambient sol in the atmosphere being manifested into your nexus. The majority of sol-weavers—about 90%—fall within this category."

"But can we manipulate it after weaving it?" Kei asked with a tinge of curiosity.

"That’s what I was getting to. You can tap into the second phase of sol-weaving after your understanding of your nexus reaches a particular stage. In this phase, weaving your nexus into reality becomes much easier for you, and you also have the ability to control it however you see fit. I fall into this category, along with 9.9 % of sol-weavers."

"The demonstration I just gave you involved second-phase wind weaving. I couldn’t spin your pal around if I were merely a first-phase wind weaver. I wouldn’t be able to control the winds; I could only create them around him." Avery explained.

"I see. If you, a paladin, have only managed to reach the second phase, the third phase must be something on another level.". I asked in a worried yet respectful tone.

"Only one weaver out of 1,000 really makes it to the third phase of the sol-weaving process. I’d estimate that there are about fifty in the ninth compound."

"But why do they seem to be so scarce?" Kei asked.

"As your friend mentioned, the third phase is on another level. When you are in the third phase, you have a level of understanding about your nexus that allows you to refer to it as a physical component of your body. Weavers in the third phase are capable of performing otherworldly feats. One of those feats is rever—well, I won’t get much deeper into it."

"With that, I have explained the idea of sol-weaving to you two. It becomes impossible to survive in the lower realms without this skill; therefore, I suggest learning it if you want to make it to the bottom of this otherworldly labyrinth." Avery concluded.

"I thank you for your time. "I bowed.

"Let’s get on to the major subject. Let me explain why I made the effort to teach you about sol-weaving."

The air surrounding us became strangely tense, and Avery’s demeanour altered to one of gloom. "When I looked at your friend Kei here, I saw evidence of an imperfect application of sol-weaving."

"Do you mean to say that I used sol-weaving?" Kei inquired in awe.

"You probably deployed it unconsciously when your body’s survival instinct activated while you were engaging with the bird. Yet because of your poor skill, there was a reaction that rendered you unconscious. The sol in your body seems to have diminished to a very small amount. This is a peculiar occurrence. In order to heal you, I had to transfuse external sol."

"Also, I’m not really sure what your nexus is. My understanding of what your friend told me you did is completely illogical. If you want a further grasp of it, you must find it for yourself." Avery finished.

"Thank you." Kei bowed.

"If your sol-weaving skill is poor, it can work against you rather than for you. While doing this, you must keep your attention completely focused." Avery gave advice.

"This recalls me that, just before he died, Reed employed an inexplicable skill when we were ambushed by those dark shape-shifting monsters. Clearly, that is sol-weaving. The backlash caused his arm to explode; therefore, he must have held it back because he couldn’t learn it properly." I deliberated to myself, but it was loud enough for the others to hear.

"Dark shape-shifting monsters?" Avery asked, his voice serious.

"I’ll go into more detail now." I described to Avery what had occurred that evening, concerning the attack on us and the deaths of Reed and his friends.

"I understand. I am sure now." Avery spoke to himself.

"Sure about what?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter to you. You, folks, can now relax, I suppose. We are now very close to the peak because the bird led us very high. The summit of this mountain can be reached directly from this facility. One benefit of this location, in my opinion, is that I can get here quickly after arriving here."

"You may depart when you’re ready. But I wouldn’t advise you to remain for too long because I don’t like company. I must emphasise how perilous these realms are. Those who have sought to pass past them have failed to do so. You have to be bold, yet wise and cautious. Do not undervalue the might and peril of the next realms." Avery replied.

As I looked at Avery, my mind was filled with a mix of worry and excitement. The concept of sol-weaving that he had introduced me to was both fascinating and intimidating. The thought of facing the challenges that awaited me in the following realms made my heart race.

This was going to be exhilarating.