Book 5 chapter 14

Zee was walking through the academy grounds amidst a crowd of students when a man simply appeared from thin air in front of her. A small burst of his aura was all it took to convince everyone to give them a wide berth.

Still, it wasn't enough to send people running. In fact, a lot of students looked excited, whispering amongst themselves. After all, it wasn't every day that you got to see a peak celestial warrior in the flesh. Zee was of a different mind than the curious onlookers, and she scowled at Julian.

"Did you have to make a spectacle of yourself?" Zee asked, gesturing to the onlookers.

Julian gave the nearly two dozen students watching them a dismissive glance.

"What? Are you embarrassed to be seen talking with your grandpa?" Julian asked in a hurt tone.

Zee winced at his words, noting the surprise on many of the students' faces. Months of careful deception ruined by a few simple words.

Well, the cat was out of the bag now.

"What do you want grandpa?" Zee asked, already knowing his casual revelation would cause her no end of trouble.

"I just wanted to stop in and see how you are doing," Julian said with a half smile.

"I am doing fine," Zee replied, shifting nervously.

Her curt reply made Julian pause.

Seeming unhappy about the crowd of spectators, Julian made a gesture. Space warped around her, and she was suddenly somewhere else.

"That's better. Now there are no pesky people to spy on our conversation," Julian said, waving to the freshly plowed field they stood in.

On one side of the field was a sprawling forest, and the other a small farm house. She had no idea where they were, but was interested in why he took them to this field. She was well aware of the stringent requirements to teleport someone like he just did. Julian's casual use of spatial manipulation had always been impressive, but now it was more so than ever. Three months of Master Anton's lectures had impressed upon her just how difficult his casual display was. 

Julian had just pulled them both through a brute force gate, and hadn't even caused a ripple in space. According to master Anton, that was borderline impossible. And yet, Julian did it just as casually as breathing.

It was impressive, but she was still mad at him handing her over to Glendale. Folding her arms, Zee scowled at the man.

"So, what brings you here, grandpa?" Zee asked.

Julian sighed, running a hand through his straw brown hair. "I just got back from my mission to several border planets, and thought I would stop in to see how you are doing. Also, I discovered something that might interest you. While I was away, I met with three separate strike groups of young scions from the Ashary. They didn't admit it, but I suspect they are searching our borders for keys to the eternal throne," Julian said.

"The Ashary are here, in the Lorocan empire?" Zee asked, her heart skipping a beat at the news.

"Yes. With the emergence of the eternal throne being only a decade away, now is a great opportunity for juniors like you to test yourself and seek opportunities. As you know, finding a key to the eternal throne can grant power. And I suspect that the Ashary are only the first. The other A grade forces and their subsidiary won't sit by and let opportunity pass them," Julian said.

"Sounds like it's going to be a war on our doorstep," Zee said with a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Julian nodded. "For now it's just the juniors like you that can benefit. But as the emergence draws closer, celestial grade cultivators will come into the mix. The Lorocan empire will need to step up to the challenge or break under the strain," Julian said.

Zee was a bit disturbed by his proclamation.

It sounded like the Lorocan empire was going to become a war zone. It was not a pleasant thought. Zee had been involved in too many wars already, and wasn't happy this one could rip her home apart. She didn't want to get involved in another war, but Julian seemed determined to get her killed. Or he was trying to make her stronger it was hard to say. In either case, Zee wasn't happy about it, which showed on her face, in the form of a cold glare.

Noting her cold expression, Julian took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"I brought this up because I wanted to make sure you understand the threat of what's coming. The only reason I sent you with Glendale was because I wanted to make sure you are strong enough to survive the upcoming war," Julian said, his tone apologetic.

Zee sighed. She might be mad at him, but she could at least understand his position. Losing friends was hard enough, she couldn't imagine losing her family. Julian had already lost his wife, which was why he was so protective. It felt like he had been trying to kill her when he sent her with the bone lord, but it had all been to protect her.

She cracked a half smile. 

"You don't need to worry about me grandpa, I won't die in the war. After all, who would be around to cause you headaches if I did?" Zee asked.

A smile tugged at his lips, the smile lighting up his face. "You are probably right," Julian laughed. "But still, It's about time we had the talk," Julian said.

"The talk?" Zee asked.

"Yes… You have been venturing down a dangerous path. Don't think I haven't noticed you continuing to use those taboo rituals," Julian accused.

"I have been careful. I only use Dern as the focal point, and I make sure no one can see me use them," Zee said defensively. 

Julian waved an accusing finger at her. 

"Be that as it may, you are affecting your path. Don't you know that using energy repeatedly makes you attuned to that energy? Even if you don't get taboo, channeling soul energy with your rituals will have long-term side effects. You are already pursuing the concept of gravity, space and spirituality. Adding the concept of the soul to the mix is madness," Julian said.

Zee cocked her head.

"Why should it matter? It's more avenues of power to keep me alive. Isn't that what you want, for me to get stronger?" Zee asked. 

Julian vehemently shook his head.

"That is short term power. You need to think long term. Forming a core in the D grade will be impossible. Space, and the Soul are all lost concepts. They are broken peaks that you cannot climb the normal way," Julian said.

"But you are a spatial cultivator, and you are doing just fine. You are extremely powerful. If I pursue two concepts of equal power, won't I be even stronger when I reach your grade?" Zee countered.

Julian scowled. 

"Trust me Zee, forming a core, and then an inner world based on the concept of space is hard enough. Adding in gravity, spirituality and the concept of the soul is too much," Julian said.

"Why don't I just build a core based on space then?" Zee asked.

Julian massaged his temples, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Do they teach you nothing in the academy? You already have a spark of compression, which is based on the concept of gravity. Your spark of ebb and flow is spiritual, you have an extremely potent spatial affinity, and you have been dabbling in the concept of the soul. Worst of all, you have been doing it for years. Don't you know that you are changing your very nature?" Julian asked.

Zee blinked in confusion. "You are going to have to explain what you mean by that," Zee said.

"The concepts and the skills we choose shape us. Channeling specific types of energy through our bodies shapes our very nature. It's why you need to be careful. Splitting your attention between too many concepts will make it impossible to push through the higher grades," Julian said.

Zee felt a stab of concern.

"Is grasping four concepts and using them to form a core in the D grade really impossible?" Zee asked.

Julian sighed. "Nothing is impossible. But the concepts you have are each difficult on their own. Melding them all together into a workable core is madness," Julian replied. 

His words did not deter Zee, in fact, they made her conviction only deepen. No power was ever given for free. Her path forward sounded difficult, but as Julian said, nothing was impossible.

"I don't want to discard any of the concepts I have been cultivating. They are all necessary," Zee replied, her tone determined. 

Julian sighed, looking a bit frustrated.

"I should have expected that. If you are insistent on continuing despite my warnings then you need to keep a few things in mind. The concept of space and the concept of the soul are not conventional. Natural treasures will be of little help aside from deeping your affinity. You will need alternative methods like your soul ritual, and understanding the laws of reality to advance," Julian said.

"You mentioned infusing my concepts into an inner world. Is that possible for me right now?" Zee asked, in a slight change of subject. It was something she had been curious about for a while, and now felt like a good time to ask.

Julian cocked his head.

"I don't know. Your situation is complicated. Your soul is already heavily taxed by your fragmented inner world, so you need to be very cautious when making changes to your inner world," Julian said.

She nodded. "My inner world is full of energy. It feels like it's ready to evolve, but I am not sure what to do to evolve it," Zee admitted. 

He hummed thoughtfully.

"Show me," Julian said.

"How do I do that?" Zee asked.

He appeared next to her and placed a callused hand on her shoulder. Zee hadn't noticed before, but she was almost as tall as he was now. She wasn't sure how to do what he asked, but a moment later she felt a small jolt against her mental defenses. 

Julian's mental probing was nowhere near as subtle or powerful as Mellic. If she wanted, she could have easily rebuffed his attempt.

Instead, she let him in. Zee had a lot of practice navigating her mental space, so she could easily guide his strand of consciousness to the cage in her mind.

With little effort she dragged him inside her inner world. They both appeared on one of the main islands next to the towering spire that pierced the clouds. The tower's ominous shadow loomed over them, with a raging storm of energy crackling overhead.

Next to her, Julian looked around, his ghostly expression thoughtful. 

"How unexpected... You were not kidding, your inner world is ready to evolve," Julian said, his voice echoing in her mind. 

"Is that a good or a bad thing?" Zee asked. 

"It is definitely a good thing. Right now, this place is a pale shadow of a true inner world, but that doesn't mean you can't improve it." He gazed up at the storm in the sky, watching the arcs of blue and violet amidst the roiling black clouds.

His curious expression was hard to read, but somehow, she could tell he was speaking the truth. 

"Do you know how I can take that step? How can I strengthen my inner world?" Zee asked.

"I have several ideas, but I fear they might do more damage than good. Your path of progression is not normal. Having an inner world at E grade shouldn't be possible, and yet, here you are. Not only that, but just look at the clouds above. Your inner world already holds all four of your concepts. Now that I can see it for myself, I honestly don't think you have much of a choice but to push forward. Your path is already set in stone," Julian said.

If she was being honest, Zee wasn't too bothered by that. She hadn't been willing to get rid of any aspect of her cultivation, so his words changed little. 

Hearing that she would have to walk this path alone without much aide was a blow, but not a big one.

She had come this far by herself, so she wasn't too worried. Still, just because he couldn't help with her inner world, didn't mean he couldn't help with other aspects of cultivation.

"Grandpa, I have been wondering something," Zee said.

"What is it?" Julian asked, still looking around her inner world with curiosity. 

"You have mentioned lost concepts, and broken peaks. What does that mean?" Zee asked.

Julian's curiosity fled, and his gaze locked with hers.

"Ahh, that. My knowledge of that subject is incomplete. What I do know is that space, time, and the soul were the first concepts to emerge during the creation of the universe. It is said that before Time, Space and Soul, there was nothing but the void, and the abyss. The birth of our universe created seven more planes of existence, leaving us with the nine we have today," Julian said.

Zee knew of several planes of existence already, like the Null, Tundra, plane of suffering, spirit plane, or the Abyss, but hadn't heard much about the others. 

"And what does that have to do with the concept of space being part of a lost concept?" Zee asked.

Julian snorted.

"It matters because the three lost concepts are scattered adrift, spread through the myriad planes. Therefore, grasping even a spark of these concepts is impossible. The only way to advance is by comprehending every facet of the lost concept. As you get close to the peak, every step forward will be met with struggle. I know this better than most. For me, the only hope to advance is to seize the eternal throne, which is a long shot," Julian said.

Zee sighed. "Well, that is just perfect. I always wanted my path to be significantly harder than everyone else to advance," Zee replied. 

Julian laughed, and his serious expression fled.

"Look at the bright side. If you ever reach the Celestial grade, you will be a terror in combat," Julian said. 

Zee smirked. "The C grade is only the start, I am going all the way to the A grade. Just wait Grandpa, before you know it, I am going to get stronger than you," Zee said.

Julian burst out laughing, "Keep telling yourself that kiddo. I'm not going to just wait around and let you catch up," Julian said.

His tone was teasing, more of a challenge than anything. Zee knew he was only saying that to push her, but still, she wasn't going to back down from the challenge.