Ash closed his eyes again, removed his hands from his lap and placed them on his knees. He made a circle with his thumb and middle finger and took a deep breath through his nose. He let the air sit in his lungs, feeling the energy form as the oxygen replenished his blood, before releasing the air in a controlled exhalation that mirrored the time of his inhalation exactly.

On the ninth cycle Ash hummed a perfect middle “C” note through his barely parted lips. The sound was almost below hearing, but it made the energy in his lungs and body malleable, and he gently guided it to the base of his spine, where his Root chakra resided.

Ash became the flow of air, the exchange of energy, and his Root chakra expanded to connect with the ground, and through it the trees surrounding him, which gratefully absorbed the gift of his breath, performing their own exchange before returning the altered energy to the air once again, the cycle repeating over and over, endless, only his breathing, the Root, and this eternal exchange existed.

With reluctance Ash broke the cycle, and he slowly disengaged from the trees, returned through the earth and into his Root chakra. From there he entered his lungs and finally into the steady cadence of his breathing. He opened his eyes to find Phoenix studying him.

Ash shook his head. “Sorry about that. Chakra meditation can become a little hypnotic.” He glanced at the sky and saw in horror the sun had climbed significantly higher, and he guessed at least an hour had passed.

Before Ash could apologize, Phoenix spoke. “Thank you for the gift of your progress. Perhaps when this is all over you could teach me this meditative state. It appears similar to what we refer to as the third level of meditation, but you are actively doing something.”

“Of course, Elder.”

“Are you able to sense danger when submerged like that?”

“Unfortunately, no. Grandpa says once more chakras awaken, things will change.” Ash didn’t go into any details however, since his grandpa started talking like a crazy person when the topic of awakened chakras came up. The old man sounded like he’d read too many comic books and his grasp on reality had disappeared. Ash avoided the topic as much as possible.

“What about emotions?” Phoenix asked. “Do you feel them in that state?”

Ash had never considered that and after a second of thought he responded. “This is going to sound dumb. I don’t think I feel my own emotions, but I can feel something like emotions when I use my Root chakra to view my surroundings.”

“Very interesting,” Phoenix said while standing. “In any event, what you called thoughtless meditation will be perfect.”

Ash stood as well.

Phoenix placed his feet shoulder width apart and crossed his hands, palms outward, under his navel. “This is called the ‘Closed Pose,’ and this,” the man slowly moved his arms outward away from himself and upward like tracing a large circle. It ended with the palms facing each other above the head, fingers pointed at the sky, “is the ‘Open Pose.’”

Ash copied the movements.

“These poses serve as a mental crutch to help you manage the flow of Spirit into your center. Eventually, you will not require them.”

Ash had a hundred questions but kept quiet.

Phoenix continued. “Spirit is rarely visible, but I’ll teach you a method to gather it from your surroundings and into your center regardless. It is unlikely you will sense your center for some time, which complicates this process.”

Ash nodded, letting the Cultivator know he understood.

Phoenix resumed his explanation. “Create a mental projection of your center and place it in your abdomen. Then, power that construct with a concept that will pull the Spirit to you. Do not use the most powerful thing you can think of, as the results could be catastrophic for both the surroundings and yourself. Start small and don’t advance until you’ve perfected your control. If you get in over your head, destroy the mental construct and assume the ‘Closed Position’ to stop Cultivating.”

Ash had a lot of practice creating mental images and placeholders for abstract concepts, so he didn’t think that part would prove challenging. Detecting and gathering the Spirit might be another story, though.

“The final thing I want to demonstrate is a fundamental breathing technique called Condensing. As the Spirit gathers in your center it will take the form of a cloud or vapor. To gather enough Spirit to construct a Core, you need to condense this Spirit into as tight a sphere as you can. Watch me.”

Ash studied Phoenix as he inhaled until his lungs looked full. He pulled in sharply with his diaphragm, before breathing out sharply. Three regular breaths later, he repeated the sequence.

Phoenix stopped demonstrating and spoke. “When you tense your diaphragm, focus the pressure inward, applying pressure to the Spirit in your center.”

Ash took a deep breath and followed the directions Phoenix had given. Intense vertigo, far worse than before, caused his stomach to turn violently.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Phoenix smiled. “Well, you’re a quick learner and we know your Condensing works. The dizziness from before and the stronger version just now come from trying to Condense an empty center. That will disappear once you gather some Spirit.”

“Should I practice the gathering now?”

“No, spend time reflecting on the best ways to gather Spirit, and then experiment. It’s a time consuming and personal process and the pressure of my presence will only interfere with your progress.”

“When will I know to stop?”

“I’ll check on you periodically. There isn’t any danger in continuing even if you’re ready for the next step, so don’t worry or stop.”

Ash gave Phoenix a deep bow. “Thank you Elder, for this knowledge. I will work hard on it.”

“I know you will,” Phoenix replied. “Do you have any questions before I leave?”

Only about ten thousand, Ash thought, before asking his first. “Do I need to hide this process?”

“No, I’ve already confirmed small amounts of Spirit exist in some here, and the methods to gather more, likely taken from the Infernal Realm’s practitioners, are not uncommon. Spirit in your center should not draw any attention.” Phoenix paused a moment as if debating with himself, before speaking again. “Your chakra meditation has no equivalent where I come from, which is surprising and shocking. Your chakra techniques are something you should hide for now, in my opinion.”

“I will. What is the purpose of all this? To cast spells and make my body stronger?”

“Yes and yes. The benefits to your health and durability will increase with every Fortification tier you advance.”

“How does that work?”

“Once you gather enough Spirit, I’ll help you form your Core. Then you’ll learn the poses, breathing techniques, and methods to Fortify the twelve portions of your body.”

“Twelve, like in twelve Meridians?”

“Exactly so. Each Meridian is associated with a section of your body.”

“And the tiers?”

“The details you can learn later. There are three major divisions. Your first goal will be to reach Copper Fortification. There are four steps in this Metal tier. The tier after that contains four gems and the last four are divine ranks.”

“Divine? Like gods? Like the little Bruja?”

“Yes, just like that.”

“You can become a god? Are you a god too?”

Ash realized he might have asked a terribly personal question. Something that wasn’t ever asked or discussed. He opened his mouth to apologize but Phoenix raised a hand.

“It’s okay. You’re right to realize that details of your spiritual network should be kept secret. Even more important is to keep your connected Meridians secret as it reveals an immense amount of information on your capabilities and makes you vulnerable. Those discussions are years away.”

“Thank you, Elder.”

“To answer the question though, any number of connected Meridians allows you to reach the pinnacle of the Gem tier, but you need seven or more to transition into the Divine tier and godhood.”

“How common is having more than six connections?” Ash asked.

“It is very rare. Perhaps one in a billion, and those will almost certainly only have seven connections. Each added connection becomes even rarer.”

That shocked Ash, and he realized the commercials about Meridian testing and people’s lives changing for the better, like they’d won the lottery had greatly exaggerated the likelihood of that happening.

Ash thought back to earlier that morning when Phoenix had checked Ash. The Cultivator had been shocked because he’d sensed Ash had the potential to become a god someday.

“I have more than six, don’t I?” Ash asked.

Phoenix nodded gravely. “You do.”

“Seven?” Ash asked.

“As the connections increase, so does the rarity, but to make sure you understand let me give you some references. Your planet might have a dozen with seven connections. To find a person close to ten connections you’d need a densely populated galaxy. Eleven—a cluster of galaxies. All twelve Meridians connected to your center might happen to one person in the entire Universe every million years. These people are called Axioms.”

“That’s a lot of planets.”

“Trillions upon trillions.”

“And my number?”

Phoenix swallowed hard, and his hand trembled again. When he spoke, it was a whisper. “Twelve. All of them. You’re an Axiom.”

Ash’s Throat chakra verified the man wasn’t lying. Ash touched his chest. “Twelve?”

“Now you understand why the goddess has taken an interest in you, and why hiding those connections is crucial. In reality, an Axiom’s power doesn’t fully emerge until their spells transition from using Spirit to consuming essence, and that will take centuries. Until then, the number of connected Meridians is a poor indicator of power.”

“Centuries? That’s a joke, right?”

Phoenix shook his head. “Everyone here is like a plant without water, and your lifespans show that. The rain has arrived now, and even non-Cultivators will live hundreds of years. Cultivators will measure their lives in millennia.”

That sounded insane, but Ash’s Throat chakra hadn’t detected the least bit of dishonesty.

“To finish my thought,” Phoenix said. “I have six connected Meridians which makes me one of the most powerful people in the Universe, but a clever Cultivator with only three connections could still best me in a fight if their three Meridians were a good counter to my six. Never underestimate another Cultivator. It might take a thousand years before you become unstoppable.”

Ash thought about his aging grandpa. “I understand. Can I show this technique to my grandpa?”

Phoenix smiled. “Of course. Before I leave, I want to answer your original question better, as we got a little off track. You asked about Cultivation’s purpose. Every Cultivator will give you a different answer and as they grow older their own answer will likely change. For me, Cultivation provides the power to create my own path. It represents freedom. For you, one path is divinity.”

Ash stood mute, once again forced into silence by the immense revelations.

“I can sense your grandfather rousing, so the time has come to part ways. It was a pleasure to meet you. May the True God watch over you.”

Ash bowed. “Thank you, Elder Phoenix, for the teaching and information.”

When Ash stood from the bow, Phoenix had disappeared.

Ash strode back to the house so he could check on Grandpa Pine and thought about the current state of his life. The idea that this Spirit energy could turn someone into a god seemed farfetched, but the arrival of a seven-year-old goddess and her gringo fire mage made him take it seriously.

One of the most curious things was that despite Elder Phoenix’s power, he’d known nothing about chakras. How could that be?

Ash cursed himself as he’d forgotten to ask two other questions. He’d wanted to know what Phoenix had meant when he’d said, “now that your world has Spirit again.” When did the earth have it before? The other question related to Meridians. What did they do? Did he need to find them like he had his chakras? He sure hoped not. He hated looking for stuff inside his body.

As the house came into sight, Ash considered how crazy the world had become in the last week. Hopefully, the worst was over.