[ Astral Royal Castle - Royal Garden ]
<< Prince Chronos's Point of View >>
After a few minutes, I was led to the Royal Garden.
In the middle of the palace courtyard, a massive table had been set up, groaning under the weight of an incredible feast. The aroma of freshly cooked food wafted through the air, mingling with the sweet scent of blooming flowers and the warm sunshine that drenched the space.
A variety of dishes had been laid out, each one more mouthwatering than the last. There were platters of succulent roasted meats, dripping with juices and garnished with fragrant herbs.
Sitting by the exquisitely crafted round table were Grandmama and my two sisters. They shifted their gaze onto me, noticing that I had arrived. I stood there in the moment, embellishing the subtle warmth of sunlight on my skin, taking in this picturesque view.
It was only my third day in this foreign world, but so far so good.
"Come baby brother!"
I heard Athena calling for me excitedly. Still feeling a little proud of myself for being able to walk, I strutted toward the table and climbed onto one of the free chairs. However, my line of sight fell beneath the table, I was but a toddler!
I placed both hands above me on top of the edge of the table, but just as I was about to stand up, I could feel the chair levitating upward. Three bright loving smiles and a full spread of delicacies came into view.
"I see our baby Chronos has recovered from the side effects from the PBS and Basic Update already," Sister Sophia nodded in approval.
"Sister Athena explained what PBS was yesterday but what is Basic Update?" I asked curiously, partially distracted by the cornucopia of food calling out to me.
Athena cut in, " The Basic Update is the transference of some very basic data regarding the family a child is being born into, Sister Sophia and her army of nerds came up with it a few decades ago, rather unnecessary if you ask me."
Sophia frowned, contradictory to her angelic calm appearance, she slammed the table and retorted passionately, " The technology is still at its infancy but give me a few more years and we'll be able to upload entire books, even martial techniques... It will change the whole of Tertius!"
Rolling her eyes, Athena smirked, "Pfft ... you're already one of the richest people in Tertius, why are you trying so hard to hoard more Aeons?"
"Aeons?" I interjected.
"Aeons are our currency, it is what makes the world turn, the most beautiful thing across all of the lands!" Sophia stood up, slowly but dramatically waving an arm, eyes beaming before falling straight back into her seat.
"Enough! I didn't spend hours preparing this meal to hear all this jibber-jabber!" Grandmama chided before looking lovingly down at me.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
I scanned the delectable variety of food, the table was almost groaning under the weight of the spread.I could feel my mouth watering in anticipation. The food looked almost too good to eat, each dish a work of art in its own right.
A slight frown appeared on my forehead as I asked,
"Can I eat all this? I mean I am just a few days old...."
Grandmama chuckled in her reply,
"Silly boy, you're a Tai Kong and an Astral! Don't compare yourself with the lower life-forms in the PBS, you were born with unprecedented talent and an astonishingly refined form! Come come eat, this meat is of a Divine Beast from Telluria ... and this is Zephyr Fish from the Rivers of Time.... And this... "
Grandmama continued to introduce her dishes and though I had not the knowledge to understand most of what she was saying, it was obvious that the ingredients were prized treasures.
As I took my first bite, I could feel the flavors exploding on my tongue, a symphony of tastes and textures that were both familiar and exotic.
The sun shone brightly overhead, casting a warm, golden light over the entire scene. The gentle rustling of leaves in the breeze provided a soothing background music to the crunching of bread and the clinking of silverware. It was a perfect morning, a moment of tranquility and indulgence I had never experienced back on earth.
As I continued eating, a tear trickled down my face, this was all so foreign to me. I could not remember the last time I had teared but I felt a lump form in my throat. I looked around the table again and saw the love and warmth that emanated from my new family.
The value of the dishes were irrelevant, but each dish was a testament to the love of a caring family - one I never had before. It was a bittersweet moment, a reminder of all the time I had spent alone, but also a promise of a brighter future, one where I would always be surrounded by the people I loved.
As I secretly wiped away my tears, I felt a sense of gratitude and hope well up inside of me. This meal was not just a feast for the body, but also for the soul, a reminder of the power of family and the beauty of sharing a meal together.
Our hearty meal continued amidst laughter and jubilance. I could feel different refined energies pouring into my being. Half-way through the meal I realized that I started glowing a golden hue.
It must have been a hilarious sight- a newborn with the glowing body of a three year old burying himself in a table of scrumptious food.
It was as if I had just eaten food from the gods, and the power coursing through my body was palpable. My limbs trembled with energy, and my skin seemed to glow with a faint, otherworldly light.
I gazed up at the sky, I could feel the world around me come alive. Every sound was amplified, every color more vibrant, every scent more intense. I could feel an indescribable coursing through my veins, filling me with an indescribable sense of energy and strength. I stared at my tiny palms and blurted out absentmindedly,
"What's happening to me?"
Athena giggled and replied,
"The breakfast Grandmama prepared today is made from the rarest of ingredients, they have been specifically chosen to strengthen your physical form and boost your potential in the Form Stage…"
"Form Stage?" I asked curiously, wiping my mouth and sitting in full attention.
Sophia then started to share the development of cultivation in this world. The first of which is the 'Form Stage', it encompasses the development of the physical form of a being and its mental acuity. It is also one's introduction to Dimensional Energy.
They are the energy particles that fuel the foundations of our world. By learning to control it, a cultivator is able to both channel it internally to augment their bodies, or manipulate it to form attacks.
The second stage is known as 'Core Stage'. After a being is satisfied with the development of their physical and mental forms, cultivators as we are called, can choose to break through to the Core Stage. The quality and potential of their cores are heavily impacted by the level of work put into during their 'Form Stage'.
Their augmented bodies form a metaphorical womb and with their mastery of dimensional energy, a cultivator bridges a connection from their metaphysical existence to materialize an existence core in the physical world.
This is also when cultivators awaken dimensional sigils. These sigils are a mark that signifies a being's natural affinity to specific types of dimensional energy. This opens a path of specialization for a cultivator.
Next, is the 'Principle Stage'. This is where the majority of cultivators' progress grinds to a halt. Principles are the profound laws that govern the workings of our world and the universe. Fully comprehending and gaining control over Principles allow cultivators to use and manipulate the Principles they control.
This essentially gives them the ability to manipulate the very fabric of nature. It is because of this stage that Dimensional Sigils are such an important indicator of the path a cultivator should delve into. There are a multitude of different principles ranging from simpler ones like the Principle of the elements (Fire, Water, Earth and Wind) to more complex ones like the Principles of Life, Death, Space or Time etc etc.
You can view our physical world and the metaphysical world as two sides of a mirror, and our core is the gate that bridges the two worlds. It isn't that a cultivator is limited to the Dimensional Sigil they are born with. However, while it is relatively easy to gain affinity with certain types of dimensional energies in our physical world, gaining access to their metaphysical counterpart is another matter entirely.
The mastery of a certain principle requires full control, understanding and synergy of both the physical and metaphysical aspects of the specific type of dimensional energy.
I sat there listening intently, every single detail of her short lecture imprinted into my mind.
"Both Sophia and I are at the Pinnacle of the Principle Stage, this happens to also be the ceiling of cultivation imposed upon the laws of Tertius! " Athena boasted.