Trapped Souls (2)
A soul undergoing baptism during cultivation is undesirable because it is too powerful, which would result in requiring too much energy for sustenance. Additionally, the laws embedded into the soul are tainted by the comprehension of the being.
The best option would be mortal souls at the moment of death. The baptism would be done by the universe itself, so the laws would be more complete.
At the moment of death, if the soul is still present in the universe, the galaxy would pull it into its soul sea.
Planets, galaxies and planes all undergo cultivation, it is just very different from that of most beings. The planets accumulate energy from the galaxy and refine it while embedding the laws into the core, which is what determines their levels. A galaxy generates energy for the planets to use and 'understands' laws within its dimension. The higher the levels of energy and laws, the higher the state of the galaxy.
Cultivation for planets and galaxies is interdependent. A planet evolves using the energy and laws provided by the universe. Should it reach a point where it is capable of supporting life, it prompts the galaxy to form a soul sea. Different from the soul sea of a cultivator, that of a galaxy connects all souls created within its limits. The souls are born within a planet and stay in that state until the moment of death.
During death, the soul is baptized by the laws of the galaxy within its soul sea. The soul, however, loses all its memories and growth and deteriorates. However, it becomes purer and more complete. Of course, the soul is incapable of containing all the laws so it usually leans towards fate, luck and its innate nature. The process could take countless years or even a moment, depending on the soul and the laws in its origin planet. After baptism, the soul is transferred to a planet that could support its growth or rather a planet that is more attuned to the laws it comprehends.
Such is the nature of life and death, a continuous cycle that takes and gives in equal measure.
The orb possessed the power to interfere with the laws of the universe and interrupt a baptism. However, the baptism should have begun before it could be interrupted. But, the processes should not be more than 80% complete and the core personality and memories of the soul should not be tampered with. It was a delicate process that required lots of luck, billions of computations and a lot of energy.
Dragged from the jaws of death, Kate was exhilarated. She and 1,999,999 other mortals were beyond thankful for the being that saved them, all the while ignorant of their cruel fate. Of course, consent had to be given for there were souls that truly wished for the embrace of death.
When she regained her senses, she was in a white space. There was nothing within this space except that light that made it possible to know that it was white. Within that space, she regained her senses and spent more than ten minutes just enjoying that feeling.
Sensory deprivation is harsh and unfortunately, you can only ever understand it after going through it.
"Uhm… Anyone?" She probed after she was done enjoying herself.
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"So, can you explain what is going on?" She ignored the issues with the voice.
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"Yeah, I got the message. I am asking what that is?" She was getting anxious. Something about this didn't seem quite as she expected. In those novels she read, the characters would receive an eager briefing about the System and its powers and what they were expected to do. Here, all she got was a cold reception.
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"Hold up a second, did you just mute yourself? Why can't I understand that part? Also, what do you mean through which? It sounded more like I was a tool to do your bidding than an actual recipient of the system."