Xenanra’s pure white, six-dotted eyes flicked straight to him. A smile spread across the Ascendant’s face, revealing her pointed fangs.
The soft silence that followed them since they had entered this strange realm seemed to amplify, until Kaius could hear nothing but the pounding of his own heart.
A single finger on the Ascendant’s hand twitched. Kaius felt an ineffable power swirl and twist through the air around him. It brushed up against his Authority for a bare moment, bringing with it a sense of pressure. But it was so quick that he didn’t have the time to explore the sensation.
There was a pop of displaced air and a hollowed-out and steaming wooden mug appeared at eye level — standing as solid and still as if it rested on a granite table.
Kaius looked at it quizzically, before he choked back a laugh when he saw that Porkchop’s mug was just as small and dainty as his own. How in the hells was he supposed to even grab it?
Xenanra twirled her fingers, gesturing for them to take their drinks.
“Laugh it up,”
Porkchop flicked his ear, mentally prodding him towards the stud that glimmered at its base. A moment later, a ghostly hand of mana snaked out from it, and snatched up the floating mug.
Kaius rolled his eyes.
Holding her own cup, Xenanra smiled as she brought it close and breathed deep.
"This is, strictly speaking, not necessary, but it is a custom of my people to share a cup of thras before an important teaching is shared between elder and student. So drink deep, and we may learn."
They raised their cups slowly, curiously, to their lips.
As Kaius felt the hot drink hit his tongue, he was surprised by how mundane it tasted. Foreign, but without the tingling bite of alchemical reagents.
It was a simple tea — sweetened by something similar to honey and full of herbs.
"Good. Now we can begin.”
Xenanra set her cup down, slowly turning the handle towards the fire. A moment of ritual, or an old custom, perhaps?
"The Aspects Triumvirate are old. One of the oldest things we’ve seen evidence of, and something independently discovered by many a world, even preceding the System."
Her words were matter-a-fact, like she was commenting on the weather — but they rocked Kaius all the same, resonating through the quiet temple like a thunderclap.
The Aspects — or at least the pillars that supported them — had been placed into their soul by the very System itself, so how could they be older than it?
"However,” she continued, “Pillars are not so primaeval. From the observation of newly integrated worlds, we occasionally see that they have something analogous to the path. Not identical to ours, but reminiscent. Always, the first step is tied to the same triad — body, mind and soul."
Across the circle, Ianmus stirred. “Wait, so—”
She gestured for him to continue.
"From what Kaius mentioned about his encounter with Ekum, our world had spellcraft and mana before the System arrived. Were we one of these worlds?"
Xenanra shook her head.
"No. Worlds without mystic energy are the most common, followed by those with mana, and occasionally something like health or stamina, or something odder. Rarest are those with the natural conditions to allow for something more elusive: the stable accumulation of essence. Those are the most fascinating to observe, for they are where you find things similar to the path."
Pausing, the Ascendant reached for her cup again, taking another measured sip.
Kaius remained frozen the entire time.
Essence — something he had wondered about for so long. It was a mystery; mentioned in the descriptions of ocular skills like his and Kenva’s, and a dozen other hanging references that many a System scholar had obsessed over.
He had his suspicions that it was the bright points of energy that had appeared during Aspect ignition, but it sounded like it went deeper than that.
Finished with her tea, Xenanra repeated her earlier actions in reverse — almost ritualistically aligning her cup at the mid-point between her and the fire.
Xenanra slowly twirled her finger through the air — her tea stirring itself in time with her movement.
“As I was saying,” she began, “from what we’ve observed, some worlds do have something like a Path. None as strong, stable, or accessible as the System’s own creation, but… they exist.”
The steam from her tea drifted between them, mingling with the wafting smoke of the fire.
“The first major step is always the triumvirate — a revelation and empowerment of body, mind, and soul. Linked, yet separate.”
Kaius’s brows drew together. That matched with what he had found during his experiences in the crucible. Each of his Aspects was individual, but it was impossible to deny that they were all grounded in linked truths about his identity.
“Of course, there are differences. The System is without equal. Its pillars are a far more stable and digestible way of creating and supporting the Aspects; it greatly increases the number of people who seize them successfully.” She gave a faint shrug. “Though their complexity all but requires the System’s direct intervention to create.”
Porkchop flicked an ear. “So the System’s just… better at it?”
“Incomparably,” Xenanra agreed. “But what is universal — in our Path and in every other one I know — is that the triumvirate is a foundation. The start of authority.”
Her gaze settled on each of them in turn. “It quite literally makes you more real; grants you influence over everything your Authority it touches.”
More real? The idea snagged in Kaius’s thoughts, drawing up memories of when the world had seemed sharper, heavier, under the weight of his progressive Aspect embodiments.
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“What Authority is, and what it’s used for, grows complex at higher levels,” she went on. “For now… just know it makes the world more likely to listen when you flex your will and intent. Our lesson will focus on one technique that makes use of that. A supremely important one.”
Xenanra turned, locking eyes with Kaius. Her gaze all but nailed him to the spot.
"Because of one oddity in your number, I will add one thing — Authority inherently plays into many higher truths. One of which can be seen in great runes. You’ll find that with your Aspects completed, you’ll be ever so slightly more resilient in the face of VOS — able to tune into smaller facets of its being, or, when the time comes, to survive larger pieces of the whole."
Kaius grinned. That was fantastic news.
His final class skill had proven to be a challenge to use effectively. It was potent — that was the problem. The insight he had been granted into that mysterious… rule of law. It was overwhelming, far too large for him to even grasp a scrap.
From the sounds of it, this authority would give him a natural resilience he otherwise wouldn’t have — one he suspected might even let him make more complex use of the ability as he began to master it. Though he doubted something like that would happen soon — likely not at all during the next year, considering VOS itself was a power more suited to an Ascendant than to his own hands.
Xenanra gave him a satisfied nod before looking around their circle and taking a long sip of her steaming drink.
"It really has been too long since I’ve been able to taste this. It is ceremonial — one that would be improper for me to partake in outside of these specific circumstances."
It was another humanising insight into the god-like being.
Xenanra didn’t quite treat them as equals — closer to the power difference between a man and his liege, or a student and their teacher. Yet… it felt improper. A mundane level of deference, one less than she deserved.
The Ascendant herself seemed to care not one whit. Despite no doubt having heard his thoughts, she ignored them in favour of continuing with her lesson.
Xenanra’s gaze swept the circle, and for a moment the fire seemed dimmer, shadows pulling long.
“Back to aspects,” she said at last. Her voice was calm — but in it was the weight of an age that made Kaius’s skin prickle. This was someone who had taught lessons like this before the first stone of Deadacre had been laid.
“Cycling,” she went on, “rests on three things: your pillars; the authority they’ve started to build within you, and essence.”
She let the word hang there. Porkchop’s ears twitched, but he stayed silent.
“Essence is as personal as it is potent,” she said. “Every living thing generates it — but in most realms, it degrades quickly, bleeding away into stable energies like mana. Useful and powerful, but lacking in raw brilliance.”
Kenva shifted, exchanging a glance with Ianmus. “So it’s like how a mage loses their connection to their mana once it's fully dissipated into the environment?”
Xenanra’s six white eyes softened in something that might have been approval. “A crude metaphor, but surprisingly apt.”
As she flicked her finger, Xenanra’s cup spun towards her, before it slowly hovered into her grip. “The essence you produce is unique to you — as much a part of your identity as your face or your voice. In its natural state, this generation is infinitestimal. With aspects, and the authority they bring, it is both increased and stabilised. In times of stress, when your aspects flare, it grows great enough to be notable. If you have embodied, and come into tune with your Authority, it is possible to feel this welling essence — and influence it with intent, though your control will be faint given your meagre reserves.”
Kaius swallowed — if essence truly was the same pinprick of energy he’d felt during aspect ignition, it was something that had felt like barely contained lightning. Powerful, but temperamental.
"When Refinement comes," Xenandra continued, "essence forges your foundation, making it as solid as adamant, so that everything built atop your pillars stands unshaken. Slack in your diligence, and you’ll have one of plaster instead.”
Porkchop snorted, grinning teasingly at their ranger. “Here that? Less time playing around jumping through hoops, more time working.”
Kenva kicked his shin.
Xenanra ignored the exchange, her gaze shifting between them. “Refinement requires essence. Without embodiment, Refinement is an unconscious process that is lengthy and cumbersome. Yet even if you attempt to help the process along, you won't get far without technique.”
“Cycling is that technique. When mastered, it allows you to stimulate essence generation and Refine it to the highest possible degree”
The fire popped between them. For an instant, Kaius thought he saw the flames lean toward her.
To so openly outline what they would have to do in the next tier was beyond his expectations. It would be yet another advantage that they would have over others who had not bested a Crucible.
And yet, the Ascendant had not said they must keep this knowledge to themselves. They could bring this to the Guild if they wanted. Encourage those who followed in their steps to push for crucibles — every additional powerhouse they could help develop would save lives as the integration progressed.
"Sorry," Ianmus interjected, "but you said that the aspects already increase essence production. Why would we need to stimulate it in the first place, even if we knew how to do that?"
Xenanra’s lips curved faintly at Ianmus's question, like a teacher pleased that a pupil was starting to see the edges of the truth.
“It’s rather simple to explain,” she said — and when she spoke, the fire seemed to quiet and dim.
“Essence generation is not fixed. Nor is the influence of your aspects. In times of great strife…” Her gaze moved from Kaius, to Porkchop, to Kenva, each in turn. “…as you all very personally know, they flare. They burn hot and bright, and in that intensity, essence is born.”
Porkchop huffed. “So all we need to do is keep nearly dying?”
The Ascendant’s six white eyes flicked toward him, and even the badger leaned back a fraction. “Without embodiment, yes. That crude method — endlessly throwing yourself into peril — is the only way most can flood themselves with essence. With embodiment, you recognise it’s happening, and you can guide it. The threshold for stimulation lowers, and each iota of essence generated is used more efficiently.”
She took a slow sip of tea, letting the warmth curl in the air between them.
Then she leaned forward, the grin on her lips sharp enough to cut. “Cycling, however, lets you Refine manually. It squeezes every possible drop from the insights you gather after hardship.”
Silence settled. Kaius felt the truth of her words in his bones.
Porkchop broke the tension, his curiosity honed and focused. “What else can we use it for? I’m guessing it’s not just some passive force of empowerment.”
“Later,” Xenanra said, “you will use it for far more. But right now, you’re infants with embers, not stars. You lack the structures, the Authority, to do anything of real consequence. For now, you will use it to refine — and to fuel the changes your next tier will bring.”
Porkchop’s growl was almost a purr. “If it means I can do the kind of absurd nonsense you and Ekum pull off, I’ll wait.”
“That’s the spirit.” Xenanra laughed softly, then she clapped — the sharp sound cutting through the ritual energy that suffused the temple. "We need to get you cycling. As mentioned, the first step is to stimulate essence production, so that you may learn to grapple with how it feels inside you, how to manually direct it and eventually, utterly control it."
Kaius frowned. Hadn’t she just said they would need to be pushed to the very brink to do that?
"Oh, could you imagine? No. Not at this stage. Cycling requires thought, care, and control. If we were forced to lean on moments of great strength to stimulate your natural production, it would be almost impossible to learn.”
“It would?” Kaius asked, confused. “But you mentioned worlds with natural essence often develop their own form of the aspects — how would people discover them in the first place?”
Xenanra nodded, drumming her fingertips on the side of her cup. ”It is somewhat of a failure of the System’s pillar method, compared to the cruder but more intuitive options I have seen elsewhere. Though that could well be by design, considering the system’s desire to regulate who may achieve cycling.”
She shook her head. “No, we will be using the other option."
"Which is?" Ianmus asked.
"Environmental essence pressure. It will weigh on your authority and instinctively cause your aspects to flare in an effort to push back. Controllable, repeatable, and — at least with me here — safe. It is not, however, comfortable."
Kaius groaned. He supposed nothing was ever easy.