“First, you need to awaken your aspect,” Mokkal said, his voice steady yet imbued with a sense of gravity that made my heart race.

“And how do I do that?” I asked, my curiosity piqued but laced with apprehension.

“Through rituals. Every aspect is unique, so is every ritual too. You awaken your aspect by simulating the spirituality within your body. This can be done in many different ways, the most common being consuming something rich with spirituality.” He paused, his gaze drifting momentarily as if recalling distant memories. “People who have transcended aspects and are walking on the corresponding pathway can directly inject spirituality into you. After that, it should take a few days for your body to adjust to the changes caused by awakening an aspect.”

“What do you mean by transcending aspects?” I pressed, eager to understand this complex world.

Mokkal leaned forward slightly, his one eye glinting in the dim light of the room. “Every aspect is unique, but it still falls under some authority and has a corresponding pathway. You could say an aspect shares partial authority with a pathway or that an aspect has an affinity with a pathway. After transcending your aspect, you can walk on the corresponding pathway.” He gestured with his hands as if mapping out invisible lines in the air. “Pathways are fixed; at the third step of a pathway, it splits into three parts depending mostly on your personal affinity. For example, on the time pathway at the third step, you either gain the ability to speed up time, slow it down, or stop it altogether. You can obtain those abilities later down the line.”

“Personal affinity?” I asked, trying to wrap my head around the intricacies of this new information.

“Blessing, curse, or sacrifice,” he replied matter-of-factly. “A blessing usually enhances oneself; a curse weakens others. Having an affinity with one doesn’t mean you can’t use the other—just that its moves will be weaker.”

“And what about sacrifice?” I inquired further.

“It’s the most rare one,” Mokkal explained. “If you don’t have an affinity for it, you can’t use it at all. But if you have an affinity for sacrifice, you can wield both blessing and curse at the same level. It means you can sacrifice something for something else.”

I absorbed this information like a sponge, my mind racing with possibilities. “How do I find out what my personal affinity is?”

“Only after transcending your aspect can you find that out,” he stated simply.

“Is there anything else I should know before awakening?” I asked, feeling a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

“No, not for now,” he replied, his tone serious.

“Can you help me awaken my aspect?” I ventured cautiously.

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Mokkal hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly. “Maybe,” he said thoughtfully. “I was at the second step once—but that was a long time ago.”

“...Was?” My curiosity peaked again.

“Indeed,” Mokkal continued, his voice taking on a reflective tone. “During the early last century, I participated in the War for the King of Arcan. I don’t remember most of it, but from what I know, somewhere near the end of the war, I saw something I shouldn’t have and suffered tremendous backlash that took me to fourth rank and robbed me of my sight and memories from that time to this day.”

War for the King of Arcan? First i've heard of it. Robbed him of his sight? He sure doesn’t seem blind to me.

Having thought of that, I instinctively looked at his one eye—sharp and perceptive despite his claim. Noticing my gaze, he sighed and said, “Ah this... this was given to me by a very special friend... no, not a friend; he was more like a brother.”

“Ah... I see,” I replied slowly. “And what do you mean by fourth rank?”

“When you awaken, you become a fifth rank,” he explained patiently. “The ranks go on until rank zero; after which you reach the third step of your pathway. While I'm at fourth rank now, thanks to this eye I can access half-second step powers.”

Who was his friend to give him such an eye!?

And what would happen if he had two of those?

As if sensing my thoughts swirling in confusion and awe, Mokkal offered to help with my awakening—a gesture that filled me with both hope and trepidation.

The atmosphere in the room shifted immediately; a palpable pressure enveloped us as he placed his palm on my back. The warmth of his hand seeped through my clothing and into my skin like sunlight breaking through clouds on a cold day. A burning sensation blossomed beneath his touch and quickly spread throughout my entire body like wildfire.

Just as it seemed he was going to stop there, an unfamiliar sensation began to form around my heart—warm yet electrifying—before traveling upwards toward my brain and then down through my right hand. It felt like a current coursing through me as it continued its journey until it passed through every part of my being.

At some point during this overwhelming experience, Mokkal had removed his palm from my back and settled into a chair across from me. His expression remained focused yet calm as he observed me intently.

The room felt charged with energy; every breath I took felt heavier than before as if laden with unspoken possibilities. My heart raced as strange images flickered behind my eyes—visions of swirling colors and shifting shapes that danced just beyond reach.

“Congratulations,” Mokkal said finally, breaking through the haze that enveloped my mind. “You’ve awakened.”