CHAPTER 21: DOMAIN ASPECTS

Standing in the brightly lit courtyard, Hermes and the others stood in formation, impatiently awaiting the end of the lecture.

The frigid wind had done its job of numbing their bodies. It was mind-boggling to them how Battalion Commander Ming Xue stood there without showing any signs of care when faced with such a chilly environment.

"Next is the Technology Domain, which was formally known as the Advancement Domain in the old texts. Many misunderstand how this Domain operates as well, thinking that it mainly revolves around using external weaponry."

"However that is not entirely the case. And the creation of those weapons is also not how many envision it to be. Just like how the Knowledge Domain can hold all Elemental Affinities, the Technology Domain on the other hand handles none of them."

"The Technology Domain is unique in that it has no Affinity with any elements. It instead holds another power that is not mystical in nature, but physical; The ability to manipulate matter itself."

'Matter itself? Interesting...'

Ming continued his lecture in a cold and monotone voice.

"This world has both a spiritual and physical nature to it. The Technology domain handles the physical. With it, one can rearrange atoms, create alloys, and conjure weapons out of their arrangements."

"Using these abilities, Celestials of this domain tend to cluster into three categories or Archetypes. That is Sentinel, Cyborg, and Engineer."

"Sentinels can use their matter manipulation to conjure weapons, tools, and other devices as they please. They also have powers over magnetism and can simulate the Thunder element using matter manipulation to create plasma. However, this is usually very advanced. Only those at Stage 6 and beyond usually hold these abilities."

'Hm... I can now probably assume that Viktor is in the Cyborg Archetype.'

"The next Archetype is Cyborg. They are very similar to Sentinels in their ability to create and conjure matter, however, the way they do it differs. Cyborgs unlike Sentinels have higher control over their conjurations. This means they can precisely create things that are small in nature like nanomachines for example. They can also rearrange their body parts into other materials."

"With this higher level of control, they tend to use their powers to enhance their bodies instead of using their abilities to conjure external objects. With their higher control also comes longer usage time. You see, most conjured items from the Technology domain disappear back into their original molecular structures after a certain period. Sentinels are only able to keep the things they create for short periods."

"Cyborgs on the other hand can keep the matter they conjured for longer periods, effectively making sure their bodies are always mechanical in nature. The only downside to this however is how long it takes to conjure such machinery. They take way longer to conjure due to how much precise control is needed."

'Knew it... I have always wondered how Viktor's bionic arm that shot out those plasma lasers worked. It was a conjured mechanical part. In that sense, could the Mutant Devil Wolf itself be a holder of the Technology Domain? I have always been curious how it had such a sophisticated system for its mechanical wings...'

With a stern and calm voice that reminded Hermes of one of his professors back on Earth, Ming continued.

"The last archetype is Engineer. Unlike Sentinel and Cyborg, Engineers hold the power to keep their creations forever intact unless broken purposefully. This is a highly regarded ability that allows them to not only arm themselves, but their allies. It is very similar to the Knowledge Domain's Artificer, but instead of dealing with Stellar Artifacts, they deal with Physical machinery and technology. Items conjured by Engineers, are usually called Quantum Gearworks."

'Interesting... Could the rifle I used during the conflict with the mutant be a Quantum Gearwork? I can't say for sure...'

"Their abilities are vital to our survival. Most of the defense mechanisms installed around the City were created by Engineers. This is because if something breaks, we will not need to gather materials to fix it, we can instead have a new part be conjured to replace the one that is broken."

Looking around at the shivering cadets with his indifferent eyes, Ming nodded his head slightly and changed the topic.

"Now that you are briefed on what kind of possibilities exist out there for you, we will need to test out your talents to see which category you fall under. Although we already have a general idea on the subject due to the data we collected during your examinations, proper testing still needs to be conducted to accurately assess the path you will take."

"It is important to know this information beforehand because the Elysian Monoliths will direct you towards a challenge that fits the qualities you are best at. If you are not properly prepared beforehand, failure during the dreamscape challenge is almost imminent."

In the distance, 2 officers walked towards the crowd, each holding a tablet. Seeing their distant figures, Ming nodded in their direction and then turned to face the cadets.

"Alright, I have finished my piece. Clarisa and Jake over there will call out your names and bring you to our Celestial training fields. Your test during the Cosmic Force Affinity portion has already told us which domain you fall under. They will bring you to the respected area to find out about your Archetype."

Suddenly, Ming looked at a certain cadet within the formation, shocking everyone.

"You. Follow me, you are already a Stage 1 Celestial. You do not need to go with the rest of them."

The man he was speaking to was none other than Hermes. Feeling the stares all around him, Hermes quietly stepped out of the formation and walked towards Ming's direction. He was still apprehensive about the man, so he decided to keep his head down the entire time.

In the corner of his eye, he could see Kevin's face which was strangely shaped like an 'O' out of shock. Seeing this Hermes couldn't help but smile and shake his head slightly.

"I forgot to tell him..."

...

Walking down a quiet corridor inside the Guardian Regiment Barracks, Hermes followed Ming from behind, not daring to say anything.

Other than feeling the chill in the air, the awkwardness was suffocating. Suddenly, the silence was broken by Ming's monotone voice.

"I heard about you from Commander Arthur. I will bring you to his office."

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"Yes, sir."

Hermes replied in a disciplined tone. Without turning his head back to face him, Ming continued to walk forward in silence as they both reached the familiar wooden door he had seen once before.

Knock, Knock!

Ming Xue knocked on the door and a crisp and commanding voice was heard from behind it.

"You may enter."

Not holding back, Ming turned the knob and entered with Hermes in tow. Bright yellow light suddenly hit his eyes as the view of Arthur's wooden desk filled with papers and monitor screens presented itself before him.

Stopping in his place, Ming stomped his feet and straightened his back. With his right fist closed, he thrust it onto his chest swiftly. This was Sanctuary City's army salute. In a resolute and cold voice, he declared his intentions.

"2nd Battalion Commander, Ming Xue, reporting back as promised."

Arthur's stern eyes met his as he slowly nodded.

"Good, you can both sit and wait for me to finish my work."

Without saying anything else, both Ming Xue and Hermes sat opposite each other on the sofas. Slowly, silence encompassed the room as time continued to pass endlessly. It was as if the room was frozen in place, the only thing proving such a claim to be false was the sound of keys being pressed on a mechanical keyboard.

After ten minutes of waiting patiently, Arthur lifted his head away from the papers on his desk and stood up. Moving towards the sofa that Ming was sitting on, Arthur seated himself next to his chief officer as both looked in Hermes' direction.

After a minute of silence, Arthur's stoic and slightly wrinkled face slightly shifted as his mouth opened to speak.

"As you know, you are already a Celestial of the Knowledge Domain. However, it seems clear by now that you do not know your own archetype or have any fighting experience. After learning about each one, you have probably noticed by now how you seem to hold abilities from multiple archetypes."

Hermes nodded his head in confirmation. After listening to Ming's lecture, he was confused about where he fits as a Celestial. His abilities seem to encompass both that of Mystic and Martial Master. Seeing how eager Hermes was for an answer, Arthur looked to Ming who was sitting quietly to his side and spoke in a stern voice.

"It seems that Ming hadn't informed you about Domain Aspects."

Hermes tilted his head to the side in confusion, "Domain Aspects?"

"Indeed, although Celestials of a certain domain tend to fall into certain archetypes, this is not as strict as it may seem. Domain Aspects are a higher form of archetypes in which a user holds multiple archetypes at once."

"For example, If someone holds the abilities of an Artificer and a Mystic, that person holds the Rune Forgemaster Aspect."

Hermes nodded his head in excitement. "Interesting..."

"Yes. As for you, It seems you hold the abilities of both a Mystic and Martial Master. You would fall under the Enchanted Striker Aspect."

"Just like you, both I and Ming over here are Enchanted Strikers. Our elemental affinities however differ."

Seeing an opportunity to ask, Hermes did not hesitate to take it.

"I apologize, but I am not very informed on the subject of elements. How many mystical elements are out there?"

Arthur nodded his head and answered the question in a crisp and calm voice.

"In the world of mysticism, there are 7 categories and 14 elements in total. They are Fire/Light, Water/Ice, Earth/Nature, Thunder/Wind, Mind/Soul, Corruption/Dark, and Space/Time."

"Just because an element belongs to a category, does not implicitly mean they can be interchangeable. For example, our old texts show that Celestials of the Death Domain can have affinities with the Corruption, Dark, and Soul elements. The soul element belongs in a category with the mind element but they have no access to it."

"The same thing applies to those in the Knowledge domain. We can hold affinities with any of the present domains and use them to create spells if we are Mystics. But because of how many possibilities the knowledge domain holds, two Celestials will have drastically different affinities."

"For example, I hold affinities in the Fire, Light, and Thunder elements. Ming Xue on the other hand has an affinity with Corruption, Soul, Dark, and Space."

'No wonder I feel so afraid of him. His affinities all sound scary...'

Ming Xue nodded his head and continued on behalf of Arthur.

"As an Enchanted Striker, I can coat my weapons with mystical elements to create drastic effects. For example, if I include cosmic force to power a sword strike coated with the Corruption element, I can make your body decay on the spot."

His cold voice echoed in Hermes' ear as the hair on his back began to stand up.

'Remind me to never offend this guy...'

Noticing Hermes' expression, Arthur decided to add some words of comfort.

"This however does not mean it has no counters at all. For example, our records show that Celestials in the Longevity domain usually have affinities with the nature element which naturally counters the corruption element."

"Another way would be through dimensional suppression. If you are in the same domain as your enemy, you could just suppress their cosmic force to prevent the corruption element from affecting you."

"There are a lot of counters to this however as dimensional suppression is not completely effective if you are not in the same Archetype or Aspect. This is because the suppression effect only works on abilities you own. So if you are a Martial Master, your suppression won't really affect someone who is a Mystic. At the same time, your elemental affinities also matter. The suppression may work, but it might not be entirely effective if you have affinities in other elements than your enemy."

"This is why Dimensional Suppression is usually seen as not a very effective tactic in combat. The variety of opponents you will face will make it hard for you to find someone you naturally counter."

"Usually, the best and easiest way to counter someone who wields powers of corruption is to completely get rid of the corrupt area. If your arm gets hit with it, just mutilate it and the decay should not be able to spread. If it hits an area you can't get rid of, the best solution would be to kill your opponent before you completely decay into nothingness as Cosmic Force stops working once the user no longer exists."

Hermes froze on the spot. His back was now completely drenched in cold sweat. Arthur's words of comfort did not work! Completely Uneffective!

'I will never offend Ming Xue...'

'I will never offend Ming Xue...'

'I will never offend Ming Xue...'

The words repeated in his head many times. Hermes had spent about a week and a half inside Sanctuary City and had completely forgotten how harsh this world is. Hearing Arthur's words made him think a lot about his future survival. It was as if a bucket of cold water was poured on his head, waking him up from his fantasies.

'I can't continue being relaxed and complicit due to how peaceful it's been so far. Mutants hold no regard for human life. I need to make sure to keep my guard up at all times and to take the training offered at the Guardian Regiments seriously...'

Arthur noticed how ineffective his words were silently sighed to himself and changed the topic.

"Either way, the topic of elements is not something you should worry about currently; Stage 1 Celestials do not have access to Ethyria after all; back to the main topic. The reason we brought you here is exactly because of your Domain Aspect. From the first day I met you and found out about your special abilities, I already knew that you were an Enchanted Striker."

"Because of this, I have decided that from now on, I will be taking you on as my direct student; Ming will also be your personal teacher. We will be in charge of instructing you on both martial arts and mystic arts respectively."

Hermes' jaw plummeted, his mind racing to absorb the revelation that had just been delivered upon him; the man before him was the commander of the entire army and one of the strongest Celestials in the city, someone that many people would probably beg to teach them anything. And now, he had become his student unknowingly. Seeing this, Arthur decided to reaffirm his claims.

"We will first find out what weapon suits you best and then your official training with us will begin today."

END OF CHAPTER