Two days later, Kade was walking the streets of Karthas, something he’d made a habit of since his arrival. He wanted his life on Iros to feel normal, and he knew that would never happen if all he did was rush around, fighting monsters and swinging from magic chains. He found that he enjoyed the walks now that the sights were less exotic. He’d taken to wearing a long black coat and withdrawing his chains so as not to flaunt his status as a potential Keeper, and now that people no longer stared at him wherever he went, Karthas was slowly beginning to feel like just another city.
There were oddities, of course, and he couldn’t go too far without spotting someone that wouldn’t have passed for a typical human, but even the unusual was becoming commonplace as he was exposed to it every day. The strange, colorful architecture had faded into the background for him, and the shops selling monster parts were now just butchers to his eyes. He’d even made a few acquaintances and even friends in his wanderings, and was grateful that at least part of each day had become peaceful.
His responsibilities to the Academy had turned out to be relatively limited, not just because of his personal circumstances, but also because Keepers were expected to be self-motivated, and disappearing for training or studying with non-academy masters was commonplace. While there was never a shortage of lectures and professors ready to help eager students and those farthest from Awakening, many of those closest to becoming full Keepers were rarely on campus at the same time. Kade has posed some questions to Keeper Selina on the subject, as he had expected something far more regimented when he’d first learned of the Academy.
“It largely falls to the nature of Awakenings, Ascension, and reaching Primus,” she’d explained as they walked through the lush campus. “Reaching Secundus and beyond are fairly strict in their requirements, and those thresholds tend to be great equalizers in terms of raw power among the Awakened.” Kade considered her words, and what he knew about his own unusual path to power.
“I suppose I can understand some of that, at least. Awakening your Soul Core can happen in a lot of different ways, at different times, and a lot of people have made sure I understood exactly how rare it is to acquire all your Bonds and Ascend so rapidly. But Primus is still confusing; the most consistent answer I seem to get is that ‘I’ll know when I’m ready’.” Selina nodded and smiled in sympathy.
“I was given the same answer when I was newly Ascended, and I remember being equally frustrated. You’re correct about the first two stages, as the barriers to progression are largely dependent on acquiring Bonds from monsters or Elders. Primus is more complex as it’s effectively a stabilization of those early, volatile changes that our bodies and Souls go through.” Selina paused as they came to a small pond, where she sat on a bench and picked up a nearby stick.
“This would normally have been covered in class long ago, and it helps to have a visual aid.” She drew a number of small circles in a random pattern in the dirt, and Kade sat next to her, watching curiously. “Each circle is a piece of your power,” she pointed at them in order as she spoke. “First you Awaken your Soul Core, which is a highly variable source of strength which can grow in unpredictable ways. Next you transform your body, forming bonds, and becoming something more than just a Child of Korthos.”
Kade interrupted, “I was told when I took my bonds that it made me like an Elder, but it was implied that the explanation was reductive because of my lack of experience at the time.” Selina smiled, nodded.
“It would be more accurate to say that the Bonds made your body into something that the Elders would recognize. Yes it brings your physiology closer to their own, but our bodies are just extensions of our Souls, and our Souls will always be what Great Korthos made them. It’s what truly separates us from the Elders and their desperate lust for destruction and dominance, and what gives us the power to ascend to levels of power they could never equal.
“It’s actually possible to form bonds yourself, though it would take thousands of years unaided. We believe that’s how the first Keepers came to be, shortly after the Calm began. But again,” she indicated the circles, “that’s only part of what brings your strength. You must also choose a Path, as that will temper your Soul and guide it toward greater heights. But that’s three entirely separate sources of power, each with the enormous potential to be embraced or squandered. Have you heard of the Purists?”
Kade searched through his memories, his short time on Iros having introduced so many new concepts that at times it was challenging to keep them all straight. “I don’t believe so, but I could be mistaken.” Selina waved a hand dismissively.
“You’ve likely met some without even realizing it, as they rarely announce themselves as such. They aren’t precisely at odds with the Keepers, but their choices do cause friction, which you’ll understand after I explain. Purists don’t believe in Trials, as they–I would say quite fairly–don’t wish to put themselves under the power of any Elders, even those as accepted as Karthas. Instead they focus the entirety of their wills on embracing a single aspect of power–most commonly their Soul Cores, but many others focus only on Bonds.”
Kade was confused by this, but he felt he could understand their hesitance. He still felt like it was something akin to madness that he needed to put his life and fate in the hands of the very same Elders he was meant to hunt and destroy. “So they’re content to just be weak forever? If they don’t choose a Path, they won’t have access to abilities, or any of the other benefits that come with a vocation.”
Selina let a small smirk show, “If we’re lucky, Keepers will live a very long time, allowing us to make great gains in understanding our own strength, but we will always be splitting our focus. Your bonds have turned your body into a vessel for remarkable might, but what Elementalist will focus on martial arts when they can hurl lightning bolts? You’ve only just begun to realize the potential of your Soul Manifestation, but there are others which are far more deadly from the very start.
“While you will spend an unknowable amount of time trying to make your Warrior Path work with your chains, and then even more time trying to incorporate any additional vocation into the mix, some Purists will do nothing but train their Soul Powers.” She could see that Kade was struggling to keep up, and paused for a moment. “We’ve strayed quite a bit from our discussion on Primus, so let me give an example, then we’ll turn back to the matter at hand.
“You fought alongside Brother Graves, surely you were made aware that he has Awoken Oblivion?” Kade nodded his ascent. “You may not be aware of precisely how rare that is, but that isn’t the point. Oblivion is a terrifying power, as it touches not only on destruction, but with a clever mind and a tempered Soul, it can also touch on time and space as well. Graves has chosen the Path of a healer, but he also heals with his Soul Powers.” Kade did a double-take at that.
“How can you heal with Oblivion?” Kade asked in shock and confusion.
“You’d be better served to ask him–though I doubt he’d answer. My understanding is that he essentially unmakes wounds. He sends every trace of them to Oblivion, then uses his more traditional healing Path to repair any lingering damage from the contact.” Kade’s eyes widened as he considered what he was hearing. “Now you begin to understand the power of a Soul Core. It’s not bound by the hard rules and limitations of Elder-given Paths. Instead its only limitations are the creativity and power of its wielder.
“What would Graves be capable of in ten thousand years if he did nothing but strengthen his Soul and explore the potential of Oblivion? The Purists seek to answer that very question, and their Soul Powers are often extraordinary to behold.” She let Kade absorb this information for a moment, then tapped the circles she’d drawn with her stick to get to his attention.
“I hope you’ll think to the Purists for inspiration as you explore your Soul Manifestation in the future, but for now let us return to your Path, which is that of the Ancients. As I was saying, you have several newly growing sources of power inside of you, and each can progress independently. This tends to lead to enormous power disparity among those who’ve yet to reach Primus, as some may have tempered their bodies or Soul Cores for decades while waiting for the Bonds they need, or the will to take their first Trial.”
She dramatically drew a single, larger circle around all the smaller ones. “Then comes Primus, which effectively unifies your Soul into one cohesive power. It’s why Primus is considered the first step, despite there being numerous requirements to reach it. Right now your overall strength would be almost impossible to quantify. How can one compare your chains to your agility? Or your abilities to your mana reserves? Primus brings order to this chaos, as it’s a Soul Transformation to match the body transformation brought on by your Bonds.”
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Selina looked at Kade and saw she was losing him, then went back to her drawing in the dirt. She drew a separate, large circle, “You need to understand that your Soul has limits, and normally the only way to increase those limits is time, and exercise. Using one’s Soul will strengthen it, but it’s an extremely slow and arduous process. Soul Core Purists need an enormous amount of time to grow more powerful for this reason, and their strength instead tends to come from the number of Soul powers they manage to acquire. But understand this: every type of power you command is ultimately coming from your Soul. Be it your abilities, your Soul Manifestation, or even the strength of your body as it’s channeling the power of your Soul directly into your muscles.”
Once more she paused–ever the teacher–waiting to see what connections he would draw on his own. At last Kade spoke, “So if my Soul has limits, and all my powers can grow…presumably they tax my Soul to a greater extent?” He saw Selina smile and nod, so he kept going. “So if my Soul power is limited, and one of my abilities gets too powerful, it may stop growing?”
“Far more than that, I’m afraid. If you reach your limit for any reason–most commonly because of a combination of powers, they will all stop growing.” She punctuated this by drawing three equal circles inside the larger one representing his Soul, filling it entirely. “This is the reason that Purists can exist at all, since they will normally only have a single source of power utilizing the entirety of their Soul, and it’s also the reason why a Keeper must continue to walk the Path of the Ancients to break through their limits.” She moved back to her first drawing and continued.
“Attaining Primus will both illuminate the first barrier, and expand it considerably. This will be especially important for you, as you already walk two Paths. Most wait until their Soul is more expansive before taking on such a burden, and you will need to Ascend much more quickly than most.”
Kade felt some alarm at the news, “Wait, so because my Soul is already on two Paths, the strain is higher? How close am I to the limit? Should I be worried?” Selina smiled reassuringly.
“These limits are less restrictive than you think, so you needn’t worry about running into them any time soon. To your other question, however, you’ve found the problem that Primus solves: there’s no way to tell what your current strength is compared to your limit, not without the tempering that Ascending provides. It’s why you’ve been given the unsatisfying answer of ‘knowing when it happens’, because until you reach the limit, it could be years away or moments. Individual souls inevitably vary in their limits as well, so there are dangers in over-training without consideration.”
“What do you mean?” Kade asked.
Selina absently scratched out her drawings as she gathered her thoughts. “Attaining Primus is most typically done by completing a Trial, like so much of our growth. But as you witnessed with young Salarus, the nature of those Trials can vary widely, and they are meant to push you to your limits, that you might break them. Imagine you trained broadly, and even acquired a third Path–not impossible, though certainly not recommended. The power of your Soul would be split numerous ways, and at best one of your Paths might be at a third of the strength of a more focused Awakened. If you faced a Trial designed to push a peak-Warrior to the brink of death, what chance would you have?”
Kade considered, but something still wasn’t sitting right for him. “But the variety and adaptability of three Paths would surely make up for that deficit, wouldn’t it?” Kade was growing used to the reaction that Selina had to his comment, as he was increasingly certain that adaptability was almost taboo in this world, and he even wondered if his bracer wasn’t translating it properly at this point. Still, she answered, even if she was dismissive.
“I understand your thinking, but I believe your understanding of the Trials is limited. Karthas might just drop a big rock on you that any peak Warrior could lift, and you would be crushed like a bug.” With that she smiled, stood up, and left Kade staring at the pond in mute disbelief.
Kade was still frustrated with the conversation, even days later. He was glad to have a more solid understanding of what it meant to become Primus, and questioning others had led to hints that each step of the Path would grant other boons as well, but Selina’s reaction still irked him. He’d seen numerous different responses when he mentioned adaptation or variety, or similar concepts, but they were uniformly dismissive, some to the point of disdain, and he couldn’t understand why.
As his developing combat style was taking shape and embraced these concepts to the extreme, he had started to address the oddity more directly. He’d begun with the other professors and Keepers at the Academy, but had found them even more dismissive than Selina had been. He’d moved on to students next, and found them more open to the concept–especially since his unusual effectiveness in his recent duel–but it was almost like he was speaking a different language.
He came to realize that Selina’s comment about the ‘big rock’ was actually a surprisingly accurate summation of how the Keepers of Karthas approached combat. Everything was a big rock, and you needed to be strong enough to lift it, or break it. Kade had finally taken to speaking to the common people about this strange attitude, and today was no exception. His walk had taken him to one of the nicer taverns in the lower city, and importantly one rarely frequented by Keepers.
He was trying–for the third time–to explain his question to someone Kade was starting to realize was far drunker than he appeared, when a voice spoke out next to him. “Why are you so obsessed with this question?” the man said, sounding genuinely curious, not mocking or angry.
Kade turned and saw that someone had quietly joined him at the bar, and was slowly sipping a drink, white staring straight ahead. His appearance stood out only slightly in the bar, as he was wearing some kind of armor under a brown travel cloak, though the dark leathers wouldn’t attract much attention. He had short, deep red hair, and a neatly trimmed beard that stood out against tanned skin. He was obviously Awakened, as Kade had gotten used to the feeling of being near one–like static electricity crackling against his skin, but he was also sober enough to speak, so Kade shrugged and turned his attention to the newcomer.
“I don’t think I’m obsessed, but I am certainly curious. Plus I put a lot of effort into being cocky, not arrogant, so if the whole world keeps telling me I’m wrong about something, I think it’s worth understanding why.” The man just kept sipping his drink, and Kade had almost turned back to the drunk when he finally spoke.
“People don’t like to talk about it. I’m surprised someone hasn’t shut you up out of politeness by now.” He took another sip of his drink, still not making eye contact. Kade was excited, however, as this was the most anyone had even been willing to acknowledge his question, and it was starting to feel like some kind of conspiracy.
“Well, unless that’s what you’re planning, I’m going to keep asking.” Kade replied stubbornly, his chains uncoiling slightly as he spoke. He didn’t think this man was actually threatening him, but he also couldn’t put aside the certainty that the red haired stranger was dangerous.
At last he looked over at Kade, and deep purple eyes seemed to appraise him. “You’re the new one, aren’t you? The Awakened who survived Chaos Sickness?” Kade nodded slowly, having long ago accepted this description–even if he wasn’t certain of its accuracy. The man stared at him for another moment, then stood up abruptly. “This isn’t the place for impolite conversation,” and he strode toward the door.
Kade only hesitated a moment before throwing down some coins and rushing after him. When he emerged into the busy street, he saw that the man hadn’t waited, but also hadn’t rushed off, and Kade caught up to him in moments. When he tried to speak the man made a silencing gesture, and Kade grew increasingly uncomfortable as he followed. Was he being led to some kind of ambush? Had he truly been insulting people with his questions without realizing it, and now would pay the price? Kade found himself too curious to give up though, and prepared his chains for a quick getaway instead.
The man guided him into a section of the lower city that Kade hadn’t seen before. It was more quiet, but not deserted, and strangely they began to hear sounds of fighting as they progressed. At last they went down a small alley, and Kade was certain this was when the other shoe would drop, but instead it opened up into a fairly open area behind a number of buildings. A crowd was gathered, cheering on an enormous man and an even larger woman who were beating on each other relentlessly.
Kade followed the cloaked figure to a relatively quiet corner where they could still see the combat, but could also hear each other easily. The man still didn’t speak, simply watching the match, and Kade followed suit, not sure what else to do. The fight was brutal, as the opponents just exchanged increasingly devastating blows, one after the other, both clearly at least Bonded given the strength and damage they were doing. After what seemed like forever, the man finally hit the larger woman with an uppercut strong enough to send her flying from the small arena, and the crowd burst into applause. Money exchanged hands, and Kade realized where they were. At last the man spoke.
“So you have a problem with this?” he said vaguely.
“The gambling? No. Awakened being wasted on prize fighting…I’m sure there’s people more capable than I am of deciding what to do about that. The fact that we fight Elders of unimaginable power with roughly the same level of strategy as these guys wailing on each other? Honestly: yes.”
At last the man gave a reaction, as a small smile touched his lips. “So you wish to know about the Great Madness.” Once more he made direct eye contact, the sense of being measured still strong. “You ask dangerous questions, Master Kadeus.”