Chapter 6 : Brahman

Chapter 6: Brahman

In a silent room, Conrad flipped through the pages one by one. The natural sound of turning pages filled the occasional silence. Looking outside, Conrad noticed it was raining. It was already cold, but the sudden downpour made the temperature drop even further.

Raindrops clashed against the road, breaking the silence of the night. The chilling air drifted through the window in fleeting bursts. Outside, trees stood bathed in moonlight, their wet leaves glistening like silver. Dim lights from nearby houses shimmered on the slick, gray road. A lone carriage creaked along, its wheels slicing through puddles with a soft splash, moving unhurriedly under the faint glow.

Conrad was lost in a daze when he noticed Anira emerging from his shadow. She appeared as usual in her corset dress, but something was different. It was deep red, complementing her crimson eyes perfectly. She stood there without saying anything.

I am not sure what her deal is.

"Anira, is there anything you wanted to discuss?"

"No, my lord."

"..."

Despite the constant sound of rain outside, the silence between them was the only thing Anira and Conrad focused on.

Come on, say something. Your great master is not good at conversation with girls.

"My lord, would you like some coffee?"

What? Who would make that? Do you want me to wake my sister up?

"I learned to make it when I was in a country called Zenithia," Anira explained, sensing Conrad's puzzled expression.

"Zenithia? Where's that?" Conrad asked curiously.

"It's directly north of Freya, part of the Aisa Continent."

"Alright, I'll review my notes before you return. Make sure to prepare two coffees. I want you to drink with me—otherwise, forget it."

It's getting cold. It would be troublesome if Anira caught a cold. Also it would be a little weird drinking coffee all alone.

"Yes, my lord. I will make it quickly," Anira said with a faint smile.

Why is she so happy just making coffee? Well at least she feels much more easier to converse with that smile of hers.

Anira remained standing, gazing at her master. Noticing her lingering presence, Conrad asked:

"Anything else?"

"No, my lord." She turned slowly.

"Anira," Conrad called out, as if remembering something.

"Yes, my lord?"

Running his fingers through his hair, Conrad said while looking elsewhere, "You look beautiful in that dress."

"..."

After Anira's departure, Conrad returned his attention to the book.

The more I read, the more I'm amazed by how this world works. They've figured out the fundamental building block of reality, what they call Brahman, which can be measured in BU units. It's like the smallest particle that makes up reality itself.

The theory was introduced as far back as the second epoch. Few records remained from that time, but several archaeological expedition teams had confirmed one thing through their research: Adam first discovered Brahman. His theory proposed that Brahman was infinite energy that living beings could harness. This was later refined and partially rejected by a researcher from the fourth epoch.

Adam was correct that Brahman was a fundamental unit of reality, but it was widely rejected by many scholars that Brahman is infinite. Sir. Philipmaac in his book about the thesis stated 'Brahman being infinite adds unnecessary complexity, It is much simpler and consistent with our observations to assume it's finite'.

In the fourth epoch, someone proved that Brahman obeyed the conservation law:

Conservation law: Brahman cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. It can interact with space, matter, energy, and consciousness.

Conrad was getting a headache from processing all the information, but his determination to understand this new system drove him forward. This new subject ignited his curiosity to its peak.

As he continued reading, Conrad took careful notes.

Brahman is the primordial essence from which all things are made. It exists in a state of superposition, embodying infinite potential but remaining inaccessible to ordinary beings. To access Brahman, one's body must act as a field, capable of resonating with its energy fluctuations. 

However, this connection is obstructed by natural restrictions—limitations imposed by the physical world and the untrained mind. Through intense rare circumstances, these restrictions can be overcome, allowing individuals to synchronize with Brahman. When this happens, the superposition collapses into a usable form, granting extraordinary powers. People who have overcome these restrictions are called Tier 0: Brahman inheritors.

Any living being with supernatural abilities are called an Essentia (plural: Essentarii).

Conrad set down his pen. This is a lot to take in. This book truly is a treasure—without it, it would take lifetimes to figure out any of this. It might never be achievable.

Just as these thoughts crossed his mind, a glass appeared before him. Anira, in her red dress, stood very close. He can even see through her dress, Conrad's eyes were drawn towards little cleavage, he felt flustered, he wanted to retreat immediately but a sweet scent made his eye's unable to move away from the snowhite skin of Anira.

Conrad looked up slightly. "Anira, can't you at least knock?"

"Should I knock, my lord?" Anira asked with innocent eyes.

"No, forget it."

Conrad paused, then continued, "Anira, you can pass through walls, but how do these physical objects pass through as well?"

"It's one of my abilities called teleportation."

Conrad was shocked.

Dude, that's so unfair. Why are you so OP? And it's not even your only ability—wait, how many do you have?

After reading several chapters, Conrad was certain of one thing: performing any supernatural feat was incredibly difficult. Each step had specific rules.

She must be a prodigy. I'm sure of it. She's probably one of those people who are like 'oh, it's so easy' and then proceed to do university-level mathematics at age twelve. Why do I feel like crying?

Whoever sent me to this world, I'm going to rip you apart if I ever meet you. Why isn't there a cheat system for me? Am I just a side character watching from the sidelines?

Sipping his coffee, Conrad calmed himself. Anira stood beside him, drinking from her cup. Outside, the rain was slowing considerably. Night sounds emerged from every corner, though some insects disturbed the night's elegance with their untuned melodies.

"So you're an Essentia, right?" Conrad asked, turning to Anira.

"Yes, my lord."

"How did you become who you are?"

According to the book, there are two ways to become an Essentia: through pret possession or by inheriting it from one's parents during birth. Both paths carried significant risks. Because of this, Essentarii usually avoided pregnancies. Pret possession, on the other hand, had a survival rate of 30% at best.

"I don't know, my lord," Anira said, as if gazing at some distant memory. Her crimson eyes held a poignant expression.

Her condition seems unique. There's no mention of Essentarii becoming permanently invisible. That would violate the fundamental laws of Brahman. Maybe I am just a noob who doesn't know advanced concepts yet that's why it seems unique to me.

"Anira, how do you like your coffee?" Conrad changed the subject, noticing her melancholic look.

Holding the coffee cup with both hands, Anira met Conrad's eyes with a warm smile. "I like it."

Damn, you beauties are always lethal poison to men like us. This is dangerous territory. I shouldn't dwell on it if I want to survive in this world.

Conrad felt flustered.

"Actually... I have a question after reading this book," he said, changing the topic again.

After a brief pause, he continued, "How did I become a Tier 0: Brahman inheritor?"

After waking up, I didn't do anything special, so how did I automatically become an Essentia? It makes no sense. From my memories in both lives, I never had any interaction with the supernatural.

"I don't know, my lord. All I know is that when I first met you, you were already at Tier 0," Anira answered, looking somewhat confused herself.

"Anira, reading the book is helpful, but I'm struggling to connect the practical applications with the theoretical explanations," Conrad admitted frankly.

Honestly, I've been trying to do something supernatural for minutes now, but nothing's happening. I feel like a normal human being as usual.

After a brief pause, Conrad continued, "I want you to train me. According to this book, there should be an instructor to guide you, but I don't have that luxury. I'd like you to teach me these things every night."

Anira listened attentively, then responded with a caring smile, "As you wish."

"Tomorrow is Sunday, and you're only available at midnight. We also need to fight the Oddity tomorrow night. I think it's best if we start now," Conrad explained.

"Yes, my lord."

"My lord, we can't train inside this room. While I could theoretically create a barrier to block outside interactions, I believe we have a better place for training—one that can completely erase our presence, even from beings above our stages."

"What? You mean to say we have such power at our disposal?"

"Yes, my lord. It's actually the gift from you I treasure most."

Conrad's confusion deepened.

Anira took a step back and spoke in an ethereal, otherworldly voice, using a language only Conrad could understand. It wasn't Heraphant, Polyphant, Monoglif, or any other language from this world. The words carried an unknown sensation, a mystery with infinite layers:

"By mine lord's will,

A world that none should ken,

A world cloaked in nameless mist,

A world governed by The Eye,

A world yclept Arcane Veil."

Suddenly, their surroundings transformed. A dark world materialized before them. No sound existed, as if silence was the only law here. A dense mist pervaded everything, like a living entity that had existed for eternity.

Conrad stood stunned, recognizing this scene.

Isn't this the place we were trapped in before?

"Anira, is this..."

"Yes, my lord, this is exactly what you're thinking."

"So you've figured out what this place is?"

"No, my lord. I only know I can access it at will. This was the new power I mentioned before."

Why do you have all the cool abilities? Beautiful, mysterious, and powerful. Are you perfect or something?

Conrad felt a mixture of sadness and jealousy.

Suddenly, a thick book materialized before them: "Basic Guide to Brahman."

"Oh, so you can bring objects here?"

"There are some restrictions, but I can manage with smaller objects under specific conditions."

"Interesting," Conrad didn't hide his fascination.

"First lesson, my lord: in the supernatural world, nothing is truly infinite. Things may seem unfathomable, but everything is built on small foundations and restrictions. The victor in a fight between Essentarii is determined by many factors, but one crucial element is how well one can decipher another's power mechanics, known as Scripts."

"Second lesson, my lord: do not believe everything that book or matter of fact any book about Brahman says or proposes. I would remind you, we living beings are just not capable of understanding the truths of the word. Why is it the way it is? Brahman is just the name we gave it in pursuit of understanding the supernatural. Over the course of humanity we may have figured out many things but still we encounter events and phenomenons that are unexplainable by our systems. In the third epoch the Idea of Brahman was even rejected by many. There was even a whole system called Tantrordo Heahmagia that was somewhat different from Brahman's explanation of our world. There are still many people in this world who follow different systems about the supernatural all together." 

I should keep that in mind. Not everything can be explained or follow rules even if we have systems and theories. 

"Anira, you're incredibly knowledgeable. I'm truly grateful to have you as my teacher," Conrad complimented sincerely.

Anira responded with silence.

Come on, don't stay quiet. It makes me sound strange.

The duo remained silent for a few moments. Anira asked: "My lord, can you sense your Brahman within?" Anira asked, already knowing the answer.

"Huh, I don't..."

Before Conrad could finish, he felt something inside his body—a sensation he'd never experienced before.

What is this feeling?

A tiny warm sensation arose within him, like a candlelight without illumination inside his body. It has fluctuation and vibration.

"The Arcane Veil can enhance your affinity toward Brahman. For example, it can elevate me to upper tier 7 or low tier 8. For you, my lord, it can provide sensations typically felt by low tier 10, even as a tier 0."

Tiers functioned similar to levels, though not strictly as power rankings. They were more akin to classes of mastery and affinity—comparable to the difference between a first-year and third-year college student. It wasn't necessarily about one being more brilliant than the other, but rather about knowledge and practice at different stages. Sometimes the distinctions were subtle. The UG provided clarification for tier classification in Chapter 10: Tiers.

"My lord, what you're feeling is the Brahman particle after its superposition property has been removed."

She continued, "First, you need to manifest it outside your body."

Okay, but how? I can feel it, but do I need some kind of mantra or invocation?

Conrad stood motionless, uncertain.

Anira blinked, her expression unchanged, then vanished from her position and appeared behind Conrad instantly. He froze for a moment before feeling a gentle touch on his hands.

Anira held his hands from behind, bringing them together in a meditative posture. Conrad struggled to focus, distracted by her scent.

Am I being perverted? I don't know. Yes, it's Conrad, not me, Dev.

Forcing himself to relax, Conrad felt a small warm sensation emanating from within. In his hands, he detected a faint heat, so subtle it was almost imperceptible.

"So this is Brahman."