The forbidden realm.
Once called the void realm, flourishing under the void Monarch as her named region.
Now.
If one understood and could illustrate the meaning behind the monarchs' heaven defying power. It would undoubtably be by the named regions they have under them.
With freshly manicured nails i carefully leaf through the crisp pages of the book in my hand.
As not many may know, these regions are the source and life blood of a monarch's power. However there had always been an unwritten rule, one which keeps a balance among the monarchs and even keeps pseudo-monarch's in check.
-Even though the word rule is used it was used to imply more of a limitation.-
Monarchs generally had a limit of condensing only one innerworld. Which directly has an influence on their named region.
Through many decades of accumulation of primordial hou, the ceaseless cultivating of the holy spark mysteriously bestowed on the first monarchs brought forth an innerworld within them. An ethereal replica of the higher realm only made possible through nurturing the holy spark with their primordial hou. However, that, in time also changed.
The ethereal soon gains mass through the mysteries of hou and thus it is no longer possible to maintain their inner world within them. And so with the holy spark as it's base they would release their innerworld. Allowing it to become a region rooted in the dragon realm as a new holyland ripe with life and potential. But more importantly, maintaining an intimate connection with its Pseudo-Monarch.
The flame region is one such example and so is the iron region.
"What does this have to do with me?" I gazed at the old man as he had been monitoring me as I read out loud. I was reluctant to continue reading.
The soft evening wind that passes through the windows makes it so the large room was always comfortable.
"If you're trying to cheer me up then you're doing one hell of a job!" I added with sarcasm laced words.
"This old man just sees value in granting you new opportunities." He hinted at the book which he had given me.
No doubt he wanted me to continue.
I sighed. Then wearily and without any heart, I continued.
This new landmass rife with decades of stored and compressed hou allows the pseudo-monarch's to tap into the life-vein of the dragon realm.
This same power allows them to undergo the change from half monarch to Divine-Monarch.
The name of this power brought forth after decades of cultivating, nurturing the holy spark with primordial hou and cycling it thousands of times is called sagestar- energy or sen-ho. This new power, incomparable to the primordial hou becomes the new base of their cultivation.
It's a power which grants them the ability to turn their illusory innerworld to reality, essentially climbing the stairway to becoming divine-monarch.
Cultivating the Dragon-realm itself.
With this the old man demonstrated. Calling my attention to the energy held within the upturned palm of his hand. "This, young Era, is what is referred to as primordial hou, the origin of all variants of hou in the dragon realm. In this state it is element-less and pure."
Within the confines of his palm rested a radiant mass of violently rotating energy. The waves rippled across the room moving the heavy furnitures away and ruffling our clothes and hair.
The luminous and repelling nature of the energy reminded me of the territory gate.
A memory I wished to forget.
"Come young Era, I'd like for you to refine this energy."
I slowly got up from my nest of pillows and with some difficulty placed my hand on the glowing orb of light which hovered above his palm.
Yet the moment my slender fingers touched it , it became solid. Hardening like ice ceasing it's activity's before shattering and falling to the floor in pieces.
The old man marveled at this.
But this only recalled dread to mind, bringing back the rage of hundreds of cultivators who had hopes of leaving the forbidden realm.
Hopes which I had thoroughly destroyed. Similarly by crystallizing the territory gate.
I had asked why the people here didn't simply go around the territory gate since, surely there were other ways to leave the forbidden realm.
I sighed recalling his answer.
"To try that would mean certain death for anyone who tried."
I still hadnt recovered anymore of my memories. And I'd been with the old man now comfortably calling him uncle for over month now.
"Young Era, there are two things I'd like for you to turn your attention to."
The old man had left me here ever since he protected me from the mob and brought me to his home.
Only returning a few days ago.
His aids were mortals and friendly enough, teaching me strange methods to increase one's beauty with items bought from the market.
Things like painting one's finger and toenails or even one's lips using bright colors.
They even insisted on teaching me how to be more feminine. Not that this was something I needed. But they insisted on it saying that it would be a waste of my natural beauty otherwise.
With their kindness I didn't want to seem ungrateful and instead found myself humoring them.
Even surprising the old man on his return.
"Are you listening?" He asks. "I know this may not seem important to you but bear with me for a moment, this directly relates to breaking the the veil over the territory gate."
I nodded while confirming that I was actually listening.
"Uncle, From what was in the book, the Pseudo-Monarchs were able to turn primordial hou into solid mass only after countless decades of secluded cultivation. So how am I able to do it so quickly?" And I don't even have an inner world or the holy spark."
"I was only able to confirm it after countless days of conversing with the other masters of the forbidden realm." He shook his head. "But essentially even though I don't know why, there has been one before who had a similar predicament."
He slowly walked over towards one of the books the aid had given me and picked it up.
It was a book about the void monarch.
He held it up to face me "She did."
"The void monarch?" I stated in disbelief. "But wasn't she a monarch who had cultivated for thousands of years? Wasn't she one of the monarchs blessed with the holy spark?
He shook his head, "No, she was never granted a holy spark. Furthermore, she was somehow able to condense two inner-worlds and sensed that she was close to producing a third."
He sighed before continuing "The other monarchs sensed this and felt threatened by her power and thus they banded together to kill her. But her strength was far beyond what they had anticipated."
He paused.
"Well?" I asked my curiosity now stirred.
He continued.
"They realized that they couldn't kill her without suffering detrimental wounds themselves. The stalemate lasted for months and even thought there were five of them present. They could not harm her single handedly." He seemed visibly upset for a moment.
"It's only because the human realm's Pseudo-Monarch got wind of it and tried to help that she ended up sacrificing her body to protect him, only managing to retain her spirit."
"Wait… why would the void monarch sacrifice herself to save a pseudo monarch?" I asked my confusion evident.
The old man fell silent while he pondered something. Maybe he hadn't intended to tell me but slowly he continued.
"…The human realm was relatively young at this point. It's inhabitants few in number and it's collective powerhouses even less. But still even though the other monarchs new nothing of the relationship between the earth realm's Pseudo-Monarch's brother and the void Monarch herself. That information could be easily extrapolated should he be captured.
And thus, she protected him and the secret he kept the only way she knew how. She banished him to the earth realm and sealed it herself. This costed her a great deal of her divinebody's Sen-ho."
"But that's hardly reason enough for her to sacrifice herself!" I exclaimed with A little more effort than I had intended.
"The reason, why she wanted to keep that information secret was simply because. In the earth realm was her hibernating soul-clone and in its womb was her daughter. A miracle and the one thing more precious that her own life."
"W… what? Where was her lover then?" I huffed. "He should have been protecting her!"
The old man shook his head.
"That's so unfair!" I stated feeling tears form after I had plopped back down on my nest of fluffy white pillows.
Why am I crying?
I hardly knew of her.
"Young Era, this old man wasn't trying to upset you."
"Then why? Why would you tell me a sad story like that?"
"Because you need to be aware of your own potential and the dangers that come with it."
"What if I don't want to be strong?" I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand.
The old man looks away for a moment and then sighs. "Era, I know that right now it must seem like the life of those who seek power is nothing but an accumulation of despair."
I turn away from him.
He placed a hand on my shoulder. "I may have placed a large burden on you without realizing." He inhaled and exhaled before continuing. "But your survival, even if you don't manage to free this old man, your survival is my hope and in this vile world the only way to ensure your survival is for you to be the strongest. Because strength doesn't only destroy, it guides and it protects too."
-Strength… protects?-