Elias's body stiffened under the weight of his brother's revelation, before dismissing it with a casual wave. "Haha... What do you mean by that? Me? An Apostle? Nah no way, that isn't possible"

Elias then paused for a bit, before suddenly scrambling towards the book with shaky hands.

Lars floated at the side, watching his brother leaf through the book with immense speed and precision.

Elias's face mirrored a multitude of expressions as he flipped through its pages, moving from doubt to urgency and finally—bewilderment.

He slammed the book shut, before sinking into his seat listlessly. He looked like a man who had just been told that his wife was pregnant when both of them hadn't even yet done the deed!

He turned towards Lars, his expression as If desperately asking how all of this could be possible.

Lars shook his head helplessly, his face also mirroring troubled expressions.

He lingered for a bit, before asking Elias, his brother, an important question.

"Do—do you feel any different?"

Elias pursed his lips, before turning towards his brother with a bitter smile. He had just found out that he had somehow miraculously become an Apostle, at least 3 years before the normal schedule and without doing anything at all, feeling any different was the least of his worries!

Lars awkwardly cleared his throat, realizing how weird his question must be given the present scenario. "What I meant to say was, are there any immediate changes to your body? The textbook doesn't go into much detail on the changes that occur after unlocking the first divine seal, but I'm sure they must be relevant, given that it is basically a curtain opener and the most important step towards the divine path for mundane people.

"Due to our spiritual connection, I can subtly sense a strange energy resonating within you, the type of energy that makes me feel wary and apprehensive of probing further. Let's first have you check what it is, before we lay out any further plans of understanding the mystery underlining all of this."

Elias listened to his brother speak before coming to a strange realization of his own.

His body, which was previously weak and fragile after he had regained consciousness, was now energetic and pulsing with life as if the maddening ordeal had been nothing but a secluded daydream.

His muscles and bones no longer ached when he tried to move them, but instead pulsed with newfound strength and power beyond what used to be his own. His dichromatic eyes in front of him were as clear and deep as the night sky, the dried-up blood at its side being the only clear indication of the nightmarish pain he had once experienced.

His skin was now as smooth as fine silver, free from any embellishments and further enhancing his already stunning appearance. Even his hair looked much more deeper and darker, as if it had been soaked in a tub of glossy black ink.

Elias squinted his eyes at the changes present in his reflection, as he suddenly felt like he was looking at a newer, much more improved version of himself.

He looked like he had been reborn anew, as if the clear waters from the spring of creation had washed away any form of impurity present within his body.

Lars had also come to notice these changes, with the expression on his face turning helpless as he continued to size him up.

'What the hell? Why does it feel like this guy has suddenly become more attractive? He was already an attention magnet before, I didn't need it to get worse!'

Lars felt aggrieved. He didn't know what sin he had committed to get stuck with such an attention grabber. This wasn't the type of life he had wanted!

Elias didn't notice the changes to his brother's expression and continued to assess his body. He felt active and energetic, a stark contrast to his state after he had just awoken a couple of minutes before.

This speed of recovery stunned Elias, causing him to be quite guarded and careful.

‘The textbook didn't say anything about this type of drastic change, but I cannot rule out the possibility of this being normal as the book only contained the basic need-to-know information for first years. Since I can't detect anything currently wrong with my body, I think I will leave investigating this till tomorrow, when I can gain access to more extensive knowledge on the topic.’

Elias gently ran his hands through his hair, his face bearing a look of contemplation, ‘Even if these physical changes seem drastic, don't they seem quite bland for an Apostle? From what I know, stepping into this stage grants you access to divine and mystical abilities, allowing you to perform miracles that go against the standard laws of nature and science. The book doesn't say how I can sense these changes.

‘Hmm... Logically, the supernatural changes should be related to the Wisp of Blessings, since it is the holder and original source of the change itself. Doesn't this mean that sensing them should be proportional to sensing the wisp, since they are directly related to each other?’

Elias thought for a bit, feeling like his logic was quite sound. ‘Well it doesn't hurt to try. If It fails, I can just wait till tomorrow to check the History Department's archive for the right method.’

Elias then shared his discovery with his brother, with the latter showing his clear support, as he also felt that his brother's thoughts and logic were quite sound.

Elias then steeled his mind in preparation for any type of shocking discovery, before once again sensing for his Wisp of Blessing while feeling his body getting submerged in an ocean-like feeling.

Elias suddenly felt a vast amount of information burrowing out from within the silent and gentle wisp, imprinting themselves onto him as if it was a vital asset of his very soul.

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Elias hesitated for a bit before focusing on this information, causing a string of words to suddenly take root in his mind.

Focusing on them, they read;

'Life and death are the start and end to one's fateful journey... but what would happen if the soul yearns for both, yet can give up on none.'

Elias paused for a bit, suddenly feeling like the phrase was quite familiar.

'I feel like this isn't the first time I've heard these words. Ah yes... I think it also announced itself right after I unlocked the first seal. This seems to play into its importance and relevance to my advancement, but what could it possibly mean?'

Elias thought over the riddle, feeling like its contents were quite confusing. He decided to focus back on the string of words, leaving any further contemplation for later.

Echelon of Faith: Apostle of Irregularity -

'On the day of the second creation, which was also the nexus of the first calamity, the first six were born, carrying with them the authority of a new world. These six heralded the dawn of a new age, and were further praised as beacons of light within the darkness. However, unbeknownst to all was the silent birth of a seventh, forgotten in slumber while awaiting the one who shall one day gain its acceptance.’

Welcome, second follower of the one that represents all that is abnormal.

Apostolic Seat: Apostolic Deacon -

Congratulations on unlocking your first seal. You are now one step closer to the absolute contradiction.

Wisp of Blessings: First Seal - Dion Deacon

'Seer of that which should not be seen and wielder of that which is formless'

Innate Blessing: You are granted the ability to peer at the true forms of the world, as well as manipulate them to your will.

Runic Invocations : [Finger Lines], [Identification], [Paranormality].

Trial of Faith : [Trial of Dion]

Tribulations of Faith: You are allowed to witness the true makeup of this pure but unholy world, but that in itself comes with a price... a painful price.

Trial Qualifications - Become recognized as a representation of contradiction by at least one hundred different people, the concept of Irregularity itself and then your true self.

The wealth of information present within the wisp stunned Elias, causing him to feel as if he was experiencing an avid hallucination.

The young man felt word after word burrow into his mind, as if attempting to leave an imprint forever embedded into his very soul, causing him to never forget its contents.

Elias reigned in his thoughts, before attempting to understand what was resounding within him.

'This entire situation feels too eerie and strange. Why does it feel like I've embarked on a path that should not be threaded on?'

Elias felt his heart palpitate slightly, a testament to his feelings of urgency and slight fear.

'The title of Apostle of Irregularity doesn't sound like any of the official Apostolic Paths present within the Orthodox churches. From what I know there should only be five of them, five which pertain to the faiths of the five orthodox deities. This title sounds so much like an outlier, as if it isn't supposed to be present in the current system.'

Elias then focused on the mysterious phrase accompanying it, his astonishment clearly evident. 'This phrase is also bizarre as well, as if it holds the truth to some unsung tale hidden within modern history. It slightly reminds me of the five orthodox deities, but seems a bit illogical as this phrase references seven beings instead of five. Does that mean that there were other gods aside from the five we know today?'

Elias thought about it, but couldn't quite pinpoint any other divine beings aside from the five orthodox deities. Besides the outlawed religion of death, Elias wasn't even aware of there being any other type of unorthodox faith.

This was quite significant, as he felt like that phrase would be quite important to him when it came to unraveling all the mysteries surrounding this uncanny echelon.

'I haven't even unraveled the mysteries surrounding my dream yet, and I already have another one dumped onto my plate. Sigh... Surely I can't be the most unlucky person within the three kingdoms right?'

Elias felt helpless. He didn't understand why all these unraveling mysteries started peering their heads from the shadows for the past two to three days.

The last three to four years of his life had been relatively peaceful, with him enjoying an averagely steady life.

Why couldn't they reveal themselves little by little over the years instead of dumping it on him all at once? At least then he would have ample time to sort out each of them without the added urgency.

Sighing, Elias focused on the next batch of illusory words resounding within him, shuddering at the designation 'The one who represents all that is abnormal.'

Elias thought about it and concluded that this must be the main culprit behind everything that had been happening to him, as his life could only be regarded as 'abnormal' within these past three days.

'No way... Did I unknowingly get connected to some hidden evil existence? Just reading out this title sends shivers down my spine, I don't want to know what lofty presence would be so enigmatic as to earn such a title. And now I'm supposedly connected to them, isn't my peaceful life basically over?'

Elias felt blanched. He could already see all his plans crashing in front of his eyes, with his life deviating from his preferred schedule. He sighed and sighed again, a testament to how helpless he currently felt.

'No, no let's be positive about this. Who knows, maybe this unknown figure might just be a deity that thrives on good, it isn't wise to judge a book by its cover’

Shaking his head at his own attempt at empty self-hope, Elias focused on the next string of words, particularly the Innate Blessings and Runic Invocations.

Elias was a little bit confused about the contents of the Innate Blessing but found himself suddenly referencing it to the swirling black mists of light.

'No way... Are those swirling lights the world's actual form? If what I'm seeing here is true, then that means that it is the case. Then does that mean I can now control them at will? Seems like I'll need to experiment a bit after I get back to the physical world.'

Elias moved his gaze towards the Runic Invocations, his gaze shimmering with a mix of fear and interest.

He focused on the string of words pertaining to the three 'abilities' under it and found another series of everpresent words worm their way into his mind.

Finger Lines: This runic invocation allows the designated Apostle to manipulate the true forms of the world, molding them into strings that can be used for versatile purposes limited only to the imagination of the Apostle. The strings are essential tools that exist to be wielded, their rigidity depending on their wielder's determination and will.

Identification: This runic Invocation opens up the true nature of the world to its Apostle, allowing them to gleam Information pertaining to anything that hosts this true world energy. This sight can be both holy and sacrilegious, allowing its wielder to peep at the unseen. This true sight can be used five times per Runic Invocation.

Paranormality: As both the seer and wielder of this hidden side of the world, this runic Invocation blesses you with true resonance when in contact with anything that is made up of this energy, allowing you to control and possibly subjugate them. The length and extent of control are dependent on the wielder, as well as the makeup of what is being controlled. The difficulty of control is higher in beings with life and intelligence. Paranormality can be used three times per runic Invocation.

Elias slowly read each line, feeling that each ability was more strange than the last. He tried and failed to make sense of the words within his head, particularly about the nature of the ability titled 'Paranormality.'

As he was about to move on to the next string of words, Elias felt a quack ripple within him, carrying with it a pulse of pain that suddenly overwhelmed his mind.

He reflexively felt that he had maybe overstayed his welcome, causing him to once again stimulate the feeling of falling backward, leaving the illusory sea with only the presence of the radiant and gentle wisp of light.