CHAPTER 25: SPIRITS, ELEMENTS, AND MYSTICS

A flood of emotions encapsulated Hermes' presence in the room. Feelings of awe, wonderment, curiosity, and excitement danced in his stomach like butterflies. Awaiting Arthur's explanation, a large smile that reflected his inner thoughts radiated across the warm, atmospheric office space.

"The Spirit World is a very mysterious place. It is a realm powered solely from Knowledge-Type Cosmic Force, or Knowledge Force for short."

"In some olden texts and ancient tablets, it is believed to be the originator of all elements. Spirits of different kinds that represent the different elements exist within; all of them have wills of their own."

"When a Mystic or Enchanted Striker reaches Stage 3 Celestial, they can unlock an archetype skill called [Spirit-Vision]. As the name suggests, it will allow you to peer inside the Spirit World."

Hermes nodded swiftly, an exuberant smile plastered on his face. As a follower of science, learning about an entirely new dimension of reality intrigued him. How could he not be excited to see things that none of his colleagues back at the research facility would ever have the chance to see? Noticing the excitement Hermes was showing, Arthur sighed and continued his mysticism lesson.

"Spirits are not entirely friendly, however. Some are malicious, and others have quirks of their own that may or may not harm others. It is important to exercise caution when using [Spirit-Vision]. This is because most spirits hate the idea of someone looking at them. Others even view it as you challenging or disrespecting them and will try to attack you."

Hermes nodded once more, the smile on his face continuing to radiate positive energy; Arthur's warnings had no effect on his excitement! Seeing this, Arthur sighed once more and rubbed his temples. Observing the worry on his face, Hermes decided to reassure him.

"You do not have to worry, Commander. I will definitely heed your words." The grin on his face betrayed his intentions completely. Seeing a dead end in the conversation, he decided to reignite it.

"So does this mean that one's elemental affinity has something to do with the spirits?"

Arthur nodded slowly, "Correct. Your elemental affinity has to do with which spirits you contract with. The process is extremely difficult. Otherwise, everyone would be running around with all the elements at their disposal."

"... Is it really that difficult?"

"Yes. Spirits, just like any other being in this world, have their own dimensionality, so they tend to favor not only the strong but also their own desires. It is also extremely risky since you are trying to basically create a friendship out of a stranger who is stronger than you. You have no idea if the spirit you are trying to make a contract with is benevolent or evil."

"If you are lucky, the most they will do is reject your offer. But if it's a malevolent spirit, it may sign the contract with you on unfavorable terms and try to take over your body. It could also just kill you and go back to whatever it was doing."

'Interesting... I wonder how these spirits even exist at all. Are they just ghosts? And how do they have authority over the elements? So many questions but so few answers...' Hermes knew that Arthur's knowledge on this subject had to be limited. Even still, he wanted to obtain as much information as possible.

"Say, you mentioned that spirits have dimensionality. Does this mean that they have different levels of strength from each other?"

Arthur nodded in confirmation. "Correct. Ranks exist among the spirits as well. It's important to mention, however, that a Celestial can only contract a Spirit in the Celestial stages. A spirit that belongs to a higher realm than a Celestial will be too powerful to handle. Your body would probably explode if you tried."

"Spirits, you see, speak a language of their own which is called Feynorian. I know what you are thinking right now, it won't work..."

'Huh? It won't? Why...' Hermes just had the idea of learning Feynorian using [Lesser-Lexicon], however, it was crushed before he even had the chance to mutter it.

"The reason why it doesn't work is a mystery even to us. Many Mystics have tried before and failed. It could be that, as suggested by the name of the skill, it is only a lesser version of it. Higher realms could probably create qualitative changes to the skill to allow users to learn it."

"... I see. So then how does one contract a spirit if we cannot even communicate with them?"

"Who said we can't communicate? In fact, it is they who can communicate with us. All spirits can speak in Luminaric as well as other languages."

"Interesting... So where does Solari fit into this picture? Don't we need it for casting spells?"

Arthur nodded slightly and rested his cheek against his palm. "Good question. To answer this, we must first learn why Solari works when we cast spells with it. The reason is simple: Solari invokes the powers of the Spirit World and channels them into reality."

"You see, Solari is actually not that ancient of a language, and it's mostly used by human mystics and enchanted strikers. Solari, Feynorian, Draconic, Eldronian, and many others all originate from a common root language. We call this the 'Ancestral Tongue'. The original name has been lost to time."

"Because of the cultural differences between the many races that exist in the Universe, different variations of the 'Ancestral Tongue' were created. The differences are so wide, it's hard to even correlate them. The only thing they all have in common is their ability to invoke the powers of the Spirit World and channel them into reality."

Hermes began rubbing his chin. Although he always had many questions regarding the origins of Solari, the one that puzzled him the most was the name. Why would a language used when chanting spells be named after the solar system? After hearing its origins, his doubts began to clear. It all made sense. Why would humans not name the language of magic based on their ancestral home?

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

After further ponderance, another question popped up. Where does Mortuus fit in with all of this? This was the language that Kel'thus had specifically mentioned to be the language of the dead. He decided to ask the question directly to Arthur.

"Say, does Mortuus also share a common root language with the rest?"

Arthur's brows furrowed. A look of puzzlement plastered his face as he voiced his confusion in a husky voice.

"Mortuus... Where did you learn of that? Mortuus is the language of the dead. It is directly tied to another realm of existence called the Underworld. Unlike the Spirit World which is encompassed by Knowledge Force, the Underworld is solely based on Death-type Cosmic Force or Death Force for short. Our oldest records mention that one must be dead to learn that language."

'Dead? But I am alive... It could also be that [Lesser-Lexicon] gave me the ability to learn it. One of the limitations of this skill is that one must hear the language before being able to learn it. Arthur has probably never heard anyone speak in Mortuus before.'

Hermes decided it was best to change the topic. He knew that Arthur was a busy man. Asking him about insignificant things will only waste this precious opportunity.

"Since one gains [Spirit-Vision] at Stage 3, does this mean I cannot contract a spirit until then?"

Arthur nodded his head in confirmation, "Correct, this is why elemental affinities are a useless topic for you. Focus more on practicing with your gunblade before delving into the enormous subject that is mysticism. Contracting is also not recommended until Stage 4."

"Sigh, but doesn't this mean mystics are entirely useless before Stage 3? They cannot cast anything without the elements..."

"Indeed, mystics are not good combatants before reaching Stage 3. At Stage 2, they unlock [Knowledge-Storage] and [Lesser-Divination]. Their abilities are mainly used for support."

"[Lesser-Divination]? Divination as in with tarot cards, astrology, and whatnot?"

"Correct. Most mystics enjoy using pendulums as it's easier to receive an answer."

"Interesting... Is this ability also related to the Spirit World?"

"Indeed, it is. The skill works by linking your Knowledge-type Cosmic Force with that of the Spirit World. The Spirit World you see is an amalgamation of all the information in the cosmos. So one can use it to obtain answers to their questions."

Before Hermes could interrupt him, Arthur spoke once more: "However, this ability is not completely infallible. How you pose your question as well as whether your opponent can suppress your abilities can pose a serious risk to your answers."

"I see... Then what about [Knowledge-Storage]? What is that all about?"

Arthur leaned back into his chair as he cast his gaze towards the ceiling.

"[Knowledge-Storage] is exactly as the name foretells. It allows you to store any piece of information you like inside and access it later. It's kind of like a computer hard drive."

'Interesting... With this ability, one doesn't have to completely rely on their memory. If only I had this ability during my Physics with Calculus class... I should probably ask him what this Ethyria thing is as well...'

Before Hermes could ask any more, Arthur stood up from his seat.

"Alright, My free time is over. If you would like to learn more about the Spirit World, you can visit our Military Library. There is a book there called 'Spirit World Chronicles'. We do not know who wrote the book; an author isn't mentioned; however, it offers a lot of insights on the Spirit World and Ethyria."

"Great! Where can I find the library? There is a lot of other information I would like to seek."

"It's in Section A. However, you need to visit the supply room in Section C first. You still haven't received your military uniform yet."

"Ah? You're right... Speaking of which, how long was I past out for?"

"... It's been 8 hours."

Hermes' jaw dropped to the floor. He thought that maybe he had just overexerted himself and needed some time to recover his cosmic force for an hour or so. Suddenly, memories of his last moments returned to him. A pool of blood, shredded clothes, and skin covered in mangled flesh. He remembered it all...

"I remember now... My injuries were very severe... Did you guys use the Nano-Biotic machine on me again?"

"Correct. Angelica put you in there for five hours. It was enough to heal your injuries; however, your cosmic force had still not completely recovered by then. I told her to bring you to my office to lay down."

His hair stood up; Arthur's words sent a shiver down his spine. Hermes decided not to even mention it again, afraid that Arthur might bring up the price of using the machine.

"I see... I guess I must thank her for patching me up."

"Yes. Also, make sure to pick up your gunblade from the forgery room in Section A. Although Ming held back a lot, a few nicks appeared on it. It's been repaired for you, so you can go pick it up."

"Yes sir," Hermes stomped his feet together, straightened his back, and thrust his right hand onto his chest: Sanctuary City's army salute. After paying his respects, Hermes turned around and headed for the exit. The long-winded corridor he was used to by now came into view.

In the Guardian Regiment barracks, there are three main buildings and two courtyards. Because the barracks are positioned at the end of Sanctuary City's ravine, most of the buildings are carved into the Martian regolith. This makes them highly protected from any air invasion while simultaneously offering lots of room that would usually not be available if placed elsewhere.

The three main buildings are named Sections A, B, and C, respectively. Each one houses many important facilities.

Section A holds many valuable spaces for the Guardians. This includes the forgery, armories, military library, mission board, command center, clinic, and even the Elysian Monoliths. Because of this, security protocols are strict for those who enter and leave. Cosmic Force signatures are made sure to be detected at every entry point.

Section B, on the other hand, is mainly used to house the offices of higher-ranking personnel. It is also the place where the majority of the training facilities are located. This includes shooting ranges, arenas, and gyms.

Section C is where the amenities are placed. Cadet dorms are all stationed in this main building. Other than that, it also boasts many entertainment facilities to keep the morale of the soldiers high. A soccer, basketball, and tennis court all exist there. There was also a cafeteria, a coffee shop, and even a nightclub. Hermes, however, was still unaware of all these advantages that the Guardian Regiments offered.

He had still not completely grasped the ins and outs of the place. The most he had seen was the clinic in Section A where Angelica would work and the way to reach Arthur's office in Section B.

Seeing the young cadet step outside of his office, a slight twinkle appeared in Arthur's eyes. His face remained stoic and impossible to read, but it was apparent that within, a turmoil of emotions was brewing secretly.

"Astrid..."

END OF CHAPTER