It was a strange feeling, to come into consciousness and feel nothing. No energy, no pain, no emotions, even my body felt empty, as if I had expended all my energy. My mind, however, was at ease, but this was the first time I had ever felt like this.
My amber eyes struggled to adjust to the light, yet they seemed to give a slight glow to my surroundings. The room I had in the palace.
I glanced around recollecting what I could, and nothing was out of the ordinary. “Huh? How long was I asleep?" I said aloud to myself with a stretch out of the soft silk sheets that lined my bed.
Without much thought or concern, I made my way to my basin of water to clean off my face and get dressed for the day, yet it wasn’t till I reached the courtyard, where it seemed Theitus and Altear watch the fluid martial movements of Isabelle while she commanded Elements to dance around her.
The three of them had yet to notice my presence but seeing them caused a smirk to creep upon my face, one rarely seen by the three of them, even I was surprised. It wasn’t till Isabelle herself halted every motion of her body and magic, still there was no greeting only a face that seemed to be conflicted and, in some way, glad to see me standing there.
I didn't need to say anything as my smirk seemed to linger on, before my gaze wandered to the others who had taken notice of my presence, moments after her.
“…Kazu! What are you doing hiding in the shadows? Come on, join us!” Theitus exclaimed with laughter and his arms spread wide out to me.
“Hurry up, Kazu-kun~. You’re finally awake, we’ve all been waiting for you! Even Isabelle here,” Altear said with a giggle while Isabelle kept her attention adverted, nervous and seemingly embarrassed by Altear's teasing.
It was hard to say what exactly had changed, but the atmosphere seemed a bit more comfortable, and it was more like I was just a part of their family now, or maybe I just wasn't paying attention before.
In any case, I approached them with the usual easy stride before joining in on their lively atmosphere and was patted on the back by Theitus, who clearly was proud of what I had accomplished.
“… it seems I overslept a bit, I think,” I said flatly, which Theitus and Altear only laughed at in response.
"Ha! Two weeks worth of rest is what you deserve, after all that," Theitus said with a grin. "You completely went beyond my expectations. I spent last week monitoring your condition and checking in on you often, it seems you needed that rest to recover," Theitus explained with a soft laugh.
"Is that so?" I mused, which was interesting to hear, "thanks, I guess. It's good to be back," I said which brought another round of laughter from Theitus and Altear.
Theitus then, glanced to Altear with a smile, “Altear continue Isabelle’s training, me and Kazu have some things to discuss," he said, waving me to follow along after Altear gave her acknowledgment.
The two of us made our way to the nearby cushions, we’ve been using for our training. Once we were seated comfortably Theitus, had a grin upon his face.
"It seems that the Esoteric Restrictions and you had a close encounter while you were assisting Isabelle with her breakthrough. although your success was clear to see. I couldn't help but be surprised by your will, the way you controlled yourself and your Esoteric Restrictions," Theitus said with a laugh before continuing. "… but you heard the voices within your mind, didn't you?" Theitus asked, which left me to nod in agreement.
"It was... strange. I felt like I wasn't myself, but in a way, I was in control. I knew everything, and I simply did what I had to. I can't explain why, it just was," I answered truthfully which seemed to intrigue Theitus even more.
"I’ve mentioned before that your Esoteric Restrictions had experiences and memories that allowed you to know things, and how to do things that you couldn’t possibly comprehend, but the control you had over yourself gave me all the reassurance I needed to know, you can control the Esoteric Restrictions to a certain degree," Theitus said, with a bit of excitement in his voice. “… I never did answer your question when we first met about why you know things that aren't there but now, I’m confident to explain them to you," Theitus explained as he brought his palm to his chin in thought. “Indrath brought you here in a way to accomplish a goal to gain a control over the Esoteric Restrictions. Which would ultimately lead to you mastering both Zenki Ryu and magical energy. To my surprise when you proposed the idea of helping Isabelle, I thought you’d be consumed by the Esoteric Restrictions without my Mana Art controlling the balance of your mind, but I was wrong. You managed to maintain yourself and, in that hour, you not only helped Isabelle but yourself… you took the first step toward a complete understanding of Zenki Ryu and Magical energy," Theitus explained with a slight smile. “Congratulations Kazu," he said with laughter.
It was quite a lot to take in, but I understood what he was saying, but there was more to it than that and Theitus didn’t hesitate to tell me, like his respect and trust in me was now as clear as day.
“I told you the experiences that your Esoteric Restrictions were simply a collection of memories, but what I never explained was that these memories belong to you, Kazu. You are the one who lived them. Indrath wanted to keep you from understanding that in case those memories led to your demise. I can’t say they won’t but, in a way, I feel like it's necessary for you to know this," he said with a pause as he seemed to gather his thoughts before continuing. "… but you still don't know much about yourself or your past. I’ve been avoiding it but that may be the reason why you have such an understanding of the Esoteric Restrictions. However, I still believe in time, you will remember who you were without the intervention of being told or showing you, you should be the one to remember to allow yourself to adjust to those memories. you have to, in order to create your future and decide what that is for yourself," he said which brought me to a silence.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
There was a truth behind everything, about my memories, a past life, and who I was before, and here I sat unsure what to say but I had no reason to doubt what Theitus had said. In a way, I felt a sort of acceptance that was enough for me to come to terms with it even if the emptiness inside me felt heavier than ever. And it only was soothed by them, as if knowing this growing bond we shared together, eased the weight pressing down on me.
"Heh… Indrath would have been a lot more strict with that approach," I remarked with a lousy attempt at humor, despite the indifferent look always present on my face
Theitus did laugh and nod in agreement. "He would have been. But we're here now. Altear and I will support you in any way we can to help you find yourself," he said with a smile. “I’m glad you are the person, you are, Kazu" he added as if implying that I wasn't the same person from my past life, but the words were genuine regardless, and they meant the most to me.
“… Yeah, thanks," I remarked which brought another round of laughter from Theitus, one that seemed to echo in my mind before this large man patted me on the shoulder and stood up with me.
"Now then, how about we begin your new training? You’ve become a lot stronger than you were before, and it's time you come to know your own strengths," he said with a smile, one that left me to give a smirk of my own before he began to explain my next steps.
From there I took a step forward knowing much more than I did before. Questions of myself often lingered in my mind as days began to pass by, but the days here in Mythral had become something that kept my attention.
I learned about their past, Theitus told me many stories of his time when Mythral was a part of the mainland and he served under their god, the Tian Sovereign, although this being certainly sounded like a Monarch to which many on the mainland still revere and served.
And yet, Theitus didn’t even consider relating the two things, he said that Mythral was a place that was so far removed from the mainland, that its history and those who lived here were a completely different people in their own right.
I didn't question it too much, but I also didn’t mind hearing Theitus talk of these things, truthfully in a way I felt responsible for their past. Although, there were some things he didn't mention and that of course revolved around my past life and who I truly was.
It didn't matter if I wanted to know or not, I wouldn't force Theitus to tell me and if by chance I did recollect who I was before, then so be it.
Even if time did pass Isabelle and I had yet to say much to each other, although her glares and rude remarks had ceased which was an improvement for the most part, and it wasn't like I expected us to get along, but we would at least acknowledge one another.
Her training had also advanced greatly. I could say for a fact she now had the potential to become one of the most powerful and skilled combatants in Mythral.
And as these days passed, she wasn’t the only one who had made some progress. My own skills and knowledge were becoming more refined, and it wasn't just about how much I was learning and training. My Esoteric Restrictions seemed to be more than I thought, as time went on and I was beginning to see the process behind what they truly did.
Their strength wasn't a simple mana art or cultivation technique. It was an amplification of my very being, something that was inexplicable and beyond what most could comprehend but to me, it was as simple as the flow of water.
With this new discovery, I found myself more in tune with them. I knew the Esoteric Restrictions as well as I did myself. With each day, I was able to manipulate and use my abilities better than I had before. I didn’t require Theitus to cultivate anymore, since the day I helped Isabelle with her breakthrough. More than often, I was in that state of mind while cultivating, with the only difference being I was there refining myself, alone with echoing thoughts.
A feeling I had yet to grow used to, but that didn't stop me from progressing. I was already able to fully utilize Zenki Ryu and had reach the Fifth stage.
To understand these stages was simpler than what I thought and wasn’t all that different from the mainland’s power structure, in a way that made it clear that this system existed to train the most powerful, after all, magical energy was far more superior than the limitation of physical energy that existed with mana essence.
The Awakening of magical energy, which I practiced with Indrath which allowed me to sense and manipulate magical energy.
Foundation Building, focused on refining and strengthening the foundation of Magical energy, laying the groundwork for me to use Zenki Ryu, as intended.
Martial Insight and Elemental Attunement was a step I practically skipped altogether, with my Esoteric Restriction, I already understood how to manipulate physical energy and had awareness of my body’s strengths. Isabelle was currently within these stages.
Absolute Control was perhaps the hardest stage, since it required me to create a complete balance between my mind, body, and the Esoteric Restrictions, but that's what Theitus helped me achieve. This stage focused on mastering Magical energy, gaining precise control over it to manipulate and wield magic within and externally, in return granted unparalleled control over this energy that consisted of the fundamental building blocks of this world.
Soul Integration, the stage I was now in, was by far the most complicated and yet, simplest stage, where cultivators become one with their magical energy that courses through their bodies. This fusion results in an intimate connection, enhancing their mental and psychic prowess, and the ability to freely shape the magical energy of the physical world. It often sounded easy considering my Esoteric Restrictions we’re capable of doing these things. But it wasn’t since there were so many things I had yet to understand about myself to achieve it, and not to mention it required the use of my core, which was sealed.
Lastly there was Ascension Attainment, a stage that transcended mortal limitations, the very peak of all cultivation, and a level of attainment that not many could reach. In fact, I've only seen Theitus and Altear achieve this stage, possibly even Indrath too, considering it granted Immortality and the ability to manifest the power known as a Mana Art, or simply put, it was the gateway to Summoning magic.
Regardless, my progress carried on in the Fifth Stage, and I was much stronger than I was when I first came here.