Steps of Evolution

The large lecture hall gradually filled with the voices of the students waiting for the lesson to begin. Corin sat in his seat, his arms crossed loosely. Despite the confusion around him, his thoughts kept drifting back to yesterday's discussion about the paths. He hadn't given much thought to the task at hand, but had formed his own theories.

When the door opened, the conversations suddenly fell silent. Professor Dorne entered with his usual effortless authority and placed his bag on the massive desk. His gaze glanced around the room once, then he cleared his throat.

"Which one of you has found the connection?" he asked directly, without greeting.

A moment of silence. Then a single hand went up in the back row.

Corin looked up. It was her again.

The student who had already distinguished herself with her knowledge in the last lesson had spoken up again. She was calm, confident, as if she knew she had the right answer.

"It goes back to what you said last hour, Professor," she began.

"Path Bearers live and die with the constellation. They strengthen the domain through their resonance. The more of them there are, the more stable the constellation's existence. The same applies to the other direction. If all Path Bearers die, the constellation loses its connection to the world. Without them... it fades."

Dorne nodded with satisfaction.

"A well thought-out answer," he said. "But that's not the end of it."

He put the chalk aside and looked at his students.

"Then does that mean that a constellation continues to exist as long as there is still a single Path Believer?"

Silence.

Corin watched as some of the students looked at each other uncertainly. Was that a trick question?

The student in the back row seemed to hesitate this time. No one spoke up.

Dorne smirked.

"Interesting," he muttered and let his gaze wander around the hall.

"No one? You should know by now that simple answers are often deceptive."

He waited a moment, but no one answered. Then he shook his head slowly.

"One Path Bearer alone is not enough," he finally explained.

"They follow and bear the path, but they don't carry it to such an extent yet. They can't carry a domain on their own. They are like the brick of a house. They are the building block but nothing more."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"Without a stable Domain and without Path Bearers to nurture its power, a constellation cannot survive. It loses its influence, fades away, until eventually it exists only in ancient legends."

With a slight jerk, he took a piece of chalk and wrote a word on the blackboard:

The Forgotten.

"A constellation that no longer has any followers is forgotten. And what is forgotten eventually ceases to exist."

A murmur went through the hall. Corin felt something tightening inside him. Forgotten paths...

His thoughts wandered back to his own situation. His connection to the ravens, to his path, had always felt strange. Was his path one of the Forgotten Ones?

'Viviana said it is very rare and little is known. But still, the constellation is recognizable in the sky.

He forced himself to focus on the professor again. The room was filled with a hushed tension. The words about the Forgotten still hung in the air as Dorne slowly glanced around the room. Satisfied with the silence his statements had left, he picked up the chalk again.

"Before we delve into the steps that can build or destroy a domain, we must first clarify another foundation," he began in a calm voice.

"We need to discuss the individual stages of the pathways further."

He turned to the class.

"Does anyone know what the next stage is?"

A student in the front rows immediately spoke up. "The Path Herald."

Dorne nodded. "Right."

He turned around and wrote the title on the board with bold strokes. Then he continued:

"Path Heralds are a truly powerful level of development. They are rare in free cities like Veyna, at least in official registers. Many of the heads of families are likely to be at this rank."

Corin leaned forward a little. Heads of families? Dorne made a meaningful gesture with her hand.

"History describes them as living ambassadors of the Path. Which why it sometimes comes to confusion with the second Rank. Their connection to the constellation is so deep that they can influence not only themselves, but also those around them."

A low murmur went through the hall.

"You can often feel the path they represent in their presence. It's as if the essence of the constellation flows through their existence, some would say they color their world with it."

Corin straightened up involuntarily.

'I've heard that before. That is also why Viviana and the Patriarch or even the Dean had such a presence. They have to be at least Rank 4 then.'

He remembered stories from the slums, rumors of nobles whose mere presence could condense the air, as if space itself reacted to them. At the time, he had thought it was superstition.

Dorne continued unperturbed.

"A few Path Heralds spoke of dreams about their constellation. Dreams in which they received visions or messages. Some claim that this is the purest form of resonance."

He let his words sink in for a moment.

"But that's not all."

Dorne picked up the chalk again and drew a circular structure on the blackboard.

"Due to their deep connection, Path Heralds are able to leave echoes of the domain. These manifestations cannot be compared to real domains, they are not stable enough to exist permanently."

He looked around the room.

"But they can activate Blessings for a short time. A glimmer of power, even outside a domain."

A murmur went through the ranks.

Corin felt his heart beat faster. So that means...

Dorne looked at his students.

"The real question now is: if a Path Herald can already leave echoes, what comes next?"