Iris spent the next 10 minutes going over the Mana Scripture, leaving Murai to wonder about it, as she did what she could and thought of it in her head.
Why Ceila even gave her this opportunity to view such a treasure of unclassified rarity was more than questionable.
Any kind of relic from the Shattering War was absolutely something that any Church wouldn't take for granted. It was something worth having in the secret depositories or the underground vaults.
Iris was sure this was something along the line of extraordinary, and it was on the uppermost floors of the First Pagoda. Thus, it was precious, since the further the floor went the more valuables would be stored there. That went apart from the underground, where the dangerous artifacts dwelled.
Tuskan explanation of her gifts from Ceila was brief if it can be described as such. He did not mention any war or unclassified information. In fact, he didn't tell their name, but worth.
This Mana Scripture was following the name of Seven Profound Pills. It was a secret treasure meant to follow the traditional path of priesthood but there was something within this scroll that was unlike the normal kind. It was an Intent put forth by the scripture, following something hidden that the maker or writer intended.
It was a technique or a partial method of magical technique that was part of the heritage of the Sharadar Goddess, and while the Path itself was lost, its Magic wasn't. It was classified as supporting magic, meant to depict healing and other supplementary things. It went with Alchemy as well, Pill making, and all kinds of weird techniques.
Iris clutched her mouth, furrowed her brows, and lost her vision in the scripture. The other hand gently hold the soft paper, while the scripture itself wasn't anything long, it sure felt like she could read it for weeks.
Her eyes were long lost in the stretch of the Intent, and so was her soul. She was mesmerized by the fact that she could read something like this, and she wasn't afraid even though she didn't consider herself anything special. Apart from the Gift that Vermillion gave her, she had nothing to her name whatsoever.
Iris was yet to hold anything that she considered "defining" of fate. Embarking on something special was her dream and hope, so seeing this scripture that Ceila gave her, was unordinary.
Suddenly, like a jolt of lightning that struck the earth, Iris's head shook, and she screamed in pain, letting her head away from the scroll.
She began to struggle as if something was clutching her mind from the inside out. It wasn't anything comforting, nor something she wanted to experience, but it felt powerful enough to not let go of the scripture and its Intent.
Though, it wasn't something she could maintain for longer, because the intent of this scripture was too much for her. After all, such scrolls weren't meant to be viewed by beginner priests, but by high-ranking priests, or mages prone to its powers.
The Intent was the cause, and it viewed her in delight. The following technique was floating from within the scripture as intended. It was trying to discern the readers, finding something special and well-behaved. A host perhaps, or a worthy reader? A talent worth of the Seven Profound Pill?
Iris could only guess it, or perceive the answer from the little what she was feeling right now.
Why would such a treasure be let into the hands of a beginner priest of a low level was beyond her senses, but there was no way she wouldn't give it a try.
No way.
Iris had no time to ask questions about being afraid, but Murai was different. He didn't like her struggle. It was useless in his opinion to discern the inevitable failure. It went against the common sense of his vast experience.
It wasn't worth moving a mountain when one couldn't move a river.
S-should I act? Help? he thought and considered his choices. My mana is getting to the point of good stability, but why is she struggling so much? Is this... not her that is the problem? A forceful intent put forth by the writer? Does it want to put all of the information to the reader, or is it something that is too vast or complex? What was Ceila thinking, or what is it even?
Murai clutched his beak as he watched her from the bucket. He had some ideas to stop everything, but all of them involved his Will and force which could also endanger her.
In the end, he chose to wait, accepting that Iris's stubbornness kept struggling. It was his interpretation, while Soul Read provided him a slight hint that she was still fine, albeit hurt and struggling in her unyielding spirit of interest and curiosity.
She remained to clutch the head with her left hand, and the scripture was in her right hand.
Turning herself into a ferocious dancer, Iris ended up stumbling from the chair, where her movements became a bit chaotic. She was trying to stabilize herself by being stubborn without letting the scripture from her hands.
The moment she will let go, this chance will be gone.
It was digging... The Intent was forcing something on her. A force of... something greater than she wished for?
Seven Profound Pill - Chapter 1 seemed like priesthood material or Alchemical knowledge. Perhaps it was Sharadar's knowledge itself? Her Will or technique?
Iris had not once felt the pressure of the Will of the Battleworld or anything else. She was not Blessed, nor Gifted yet, and she held no special advantages. She was a regular human, turned into a priest by her own effort and talent.
She was gritting her teeth, forcing herself to sit on the ground. This technique was just paper. A piece of something regular, or so she wished to think. It was obvious that it was hiding something she didn't expect.
Like most Mana Scriptures, which were a bit similar to the Tomes in terms of context, Iris began to seek the answers amidst the pain. It wasn't her first time going through the scripture, but it sure was her first to seek something precious like this.
Her proper stubborn restart in her tries started with feeling the intent by a couple of words at a time. Then full sentences, until the intent was screaming to her soul.
Discerning the Intent was difficult, yet amidst this shock, Iris remembered the teaching Ceila gave her.
Even the strongest efforts could become a tool against the chaos, and oneself.
Becoming calmer, and letting the matter flow without a care in the world is a true state of purpose.
Calmness amidst the storm. Breathing calmly like a breeze.
Those were her words, and Iris knew them since she recited them out loud from time to time. It was making her mind calmer, where she was finding tasks in hand too hard, or out of her touch.
This was precisely the situation, but tenfold more difficult to remain calm.
Letting the matter flow naturally by her own calmness? Was it something she could do?
Iris can try, so she retracted her left hand, grabbing the scripture with both hands. Straightening her back, she stopped her struggling face to appear calmer on the exterior. It was the first step. The second was to become calm inside as well, which wasn't anything easy.
She managed to stop the pain by following the calming breathing and discerning the pain as a momentary thing that will pass. Getting a hold of herself was a matter of time.
Taking a deep breath, Iris put the scripture above her head, and let things flow naturally.
That was, to make her mind relax, and let go of fear, pain, and anxiety of seeking something greater than herself. It was a state that a mage should know, yet she was a beginner, gifted a tremendous chance. No wonder she was shocked at first, but she found the right path and firm ground alongside her Will.
Minute by minute, her face was turning serene, while her mind was discerning the meaning of Seven Profound Pills.
It became clearer. Chapter 1 was about a Medical Technique. Something that any doctor would love to see, but no regular one would understand it. Mana was part of it, as well as the intent that used to belong to an extremely powerful being.
“A God's Gift is like a treasure made from Heavens. Its usefulness depends on the wielder, while this... This is an opportunity and no treasure. A tool for one, a technique that can become something better.” She recited the meaning she found out loud. It was calming her to hear her own words. “One gains nothing but knowledge of how to perform certain things, but in no shape how to succeed. It's like... yea... It's Mana Tome for any mage, but its content is like its origin. Unclassified and out of the norm. Pills. It's that ancient topic. Seven Profounds. Seven chapters. Seven pills. A last Pill to extend life, release the soul, make an Avatar, and form a brand new body. Ridiculous stuff!” Iris shouted the last words, shoving her eyes open as the Intent ended its pursuit. It hit her head, shoved deeper inside, and rested in.
She was awake at last, and her mind was never so clear before.
There was no change in herself in her fundamental structure. There were no noticeable mana improvements, but perhaps her whole being felt more refined. Calm could be a part of it, but this Intent was her chance. Her feelings about her soul weren't stranger, or stronger.
She was still herself, but the Intent of this scripture made her perceive things differently. Maybe it was about the perception or a Will that she began to seek, while it was yet to manifest in a more noticeable manner.
Murai watched something like this happen many times. A sudden clarity followed the inevitable stubbornness and hard success. Such feelings were special in their way and he saw that Iris succeeded in becoming something greater.
That was a simple growth of a person undergoing chance, catastrophe, and chaos. Iris understood the meaning of what it meant to be a priest or mage, but something that came before, or after, wasn't something she was yet to know.
Unfolding the scripture back to its previous appearance, Iris got up to her feet.
Now, she was feeling good after she let herself wash in this Intent, but the start and the process were anything but that. It was painful like being shouted by hundreds of Ceila's. The beginning and following times were that, but now, she felt like it didn't even happen.
“That was strange...” She mumbled and wondered if what just happened was her fault or something she should feel happy about.
Alas, she remembered where she was, and what she was meant to do. Noticing Murai's curious face, poking out of the bucket, she took the seat back at her seat.
“Yeah... Sorry for waiting,” she said, sounding apologetic for some reason. “This is Sharadar's Scripture. Seven Profound Pills is the name of what this scripture is about, and it is old beyond common means.” Iris explained.
“Sharadar? Hmm... I see.” Murai thought happily after finally hearing it. Putting forth his clever use of his quill, he wrote.
What do this Intent and Scripture entail?
Iris briefly mentioned all positives of what she learned, but even that took almost 5 minutes. Then, she moved to the Pills themselves, and the medicinal technique she suddenly comprehended. The whole situation held quite a unique concept of mana, shaping life, blood, and all kinds of ways that were anything that Iris knew of.
In a sense, it was an ancient kind of Priesthood that she realized was under her grasp, and she can follow this Path for now.
Each importance of the Profound truths led to 1 Pill each, making this Seven Profound Pill Scripture, seven chapters long.
The first chapter was about the body and healing. The ending results and peak of this chapter would allow the creation of the Second Life Pill. It was a pill created by a ridiculous amount of vitality, including a rare kind of material.
For now, Iris couldn't even imagine thinking about it, but the Intent spoke for itself, revealing everything regardless of her shaken Will to imagine the power of all those profound truths.
This way, she learned everything as if she was a bystander, but she watched how this intent developed her soul instead. It was an as strange tactic, yet it worked marvels.
The calmness of being like a bystander worked wonders, and Murai nodded at her sheer willingness to get this to great success.
“I think this is something I can help you with. It was like... as if This was a Tome. It put so many things into my soul...” Iris said, clutching her head in a try to remember and feel her headache. “Is this how it should feel like? Those feelings of undergoing a flood of intended memories and feelings. It almost feels as if I am no longer myself, yet I know I am. If I will get lost in that, I will lose myself. Is that right?” Iris stated her confusion, hoping to get some help from Murai's vast amount of experience she thought he had.
In fact, he knew precisely what she was talking about. It was just a ridiculous case of being washed over the ridiculous technique, followed by her even more steady efforts.
Iris skipped a lot of parts and it was a miracle she was able to hold on for so long. That, Murai liked to see. It immediately put Iris in his good book.
Murai watched her with a better outlook, understanding that she may be special in something after all since Vermillion was interested in her. One way or another, it couldn't be something bad for him, so Murai began his hints to her worries in written form.
It shouldn't be like that all the time. It will calm down later. For now, you are confused because of your lackluster emotions. It's normal. You are what? 17? You did more than enough for your age and talent.
The Intent of something extraordinary was putting a certain amount of itself to yourself, making a mess of your feelings, ego, and internal thoughts. It was like a Push of Will against your soul. That was why it was so painful for you. It will calm down after a good sleep, or meditation, or it depends on your mental fortitude.
Someone with a big Will would cease all of this forced intent away in thought, letting only the important stuff inside their mind. That, or they wouldn't get shaken at all, and instead used this pain as a furnace to strengthen themselves. You did something similar, albeit with smaller efficiency.
Tomes works at the same principle, but this Seven Profound Pill is ridiculous. I don't know why Ceila made you do this. There must be other ways to let me heal, so why she did this is beyond me.
Reading it all, Iris also didn't understand why, but this intricate technique wasn't anything bad to her. Sure, it was something beyond herself, reaching the realms of gods, but she managed to perceive it.
The fact that she was able to comprehend it to a certain extent was already surprising to her, even though a lot of pain was involved in it.
Frowning, Iris was somewhat unhappy about Ceila, but only a little. She still had her own mind, so what she could do wouldn't necessarily fall under
her influence.
She wanted a better life, but it was exactly the opposite way how Murai viewed this matter. Iris wasn't interested in the road of greater power. There were others for that.
How she became an orphan, was more or less, influenced by these people, so Iris became aware of a lot of things even when she was young. Though, it all went to shit, when the Cetralis Kingdom attacked her former nation Palia Kingdom, obliterating it in a matter of a single day.
Both of her parents died back then. She still remembered the sight of the war and blood. She remembered it much better since she was 8. Fortunately, Timmy was only 3 years old, so he wasn't as influenced by that Holy War. He didn't remember specifics, but what came afterward was nothing better.
What he was, aware of was the aftermath, while he become older to see the world that wasn't that pleasing. He had his sisters to follow, and that was enough for him.