Craig's eyes snapped open. A clear blue sky, with white fluffy clouds appeared in his vision. He raised his head and body slowly in a bewildered manner, his vision dropping to level with the world. He looked around, realising exactly where he was after taking in the scenery.
A platform, four pillars with overhead beams, a square pool filled with lotuses and flowers and herbs as far as the eye could see. This was... the world within the Divine Lotus. He was back here again for a second time. He didn't know how he got here, but he did.
He remembered Avanelle saying to him to focus on the power within his heart if he wanted to return. He had done so... twice. The first time when he healed Greymont and then again when he spread the power within his body. He had assumed once he focused on it he would be brought here but that wasn't the case. So why was he brought here now?
"You certainly have a death wish, don't you?"
Avanelle's voice came from behind, catching his attention. He turned around, her bewitching figure and image appearing in his sight. Wasn't she a spirit? Why did she have a change of clothes? He wondered as he studied the long green dress she was wearing. Well it did make sense, after all she created an entire world, didn't she?
Casting away his ridiculous thoughts, he replied. "I suppose I did something wrong then? What happened to me just now?" He asked. He was aware of everything that happened, up until the moment he collapsed to his knees.
At first when he began drawing on the power of the Divine Lotus he felt a cold dampening sensation, then a rush of infinite power. His mind went from overthinking to a sense of blankness. All his emotions seemed to have faded away and all that was left was pure confidence and an urge to defeat Rakan.
He continued to automatically draw on the power of the Divine Lotus as he fought. It was unintentional and just happened by instinct. The more power he drew, the more focused he felt and the more serious he became. Unfortunately, at the latter end, he suddenly felt an overwhelming sensation of pressure, followed by a sense of weakness in all his muscles and then, he collapsed.
"Your body couldn't handle the pure power of the Divine Lotus and so you were about to Implode." Avanelle explained, with a disapproving gaze.
"Implode?" Craig felt a chilling shiver.
"Yes, crumble from within, but then you would also eventually explode. I would also die along with you." She sighed, "I suppose I can't blame you as I didn't explain anything to you."
"Does that mean you saved my life yet again?"
"It certainly does. If I hadn't transferred the energy buildup into your companion we would be dead." She replied.
"My companion?"
"The wolf, Greymont, wasn't it? He'll be thanking you when you get back." She smiled assuringly.
"He'll be... thanking me?" Craig considered what she meant. Transferred buildup, thanking him? He had the idea that he'd probably be stronger. Did that mean he could potentially give others power ups? Or maybe only Avanelle could. Regardless it was a satisfying idea.
"He is a Transcendent after all. All Transcendents crave the power to evolve." Avanelle stated as a matter of fact.
Craig was surprised by her remark. "You know about Transcendents?" He asked. How good would it be if she knew what he wanted know?
Avanelle gave him a puzzled look. "Why wouldn't I? The main cause of conflicts back then were those bastards." She said bitterly. "If I didn't see you save that wolf's life I wouldn't have decided to transfer anything over to him. You'd better be careful, Transcendents are nothing but trouble." She explained.
Craig nodded. "Alright, I'll take your word for it. Can you tell me about them?" He asked, filled with curiosity. This was something he'd been looking into since his childhood, never finding an answer until Greymont and Rakan. Now that he knew they were real, he had to find out as much as he could. For the term 'Transcendent King' was tied to his future.
"The transcendents? Shouldn't you be more concerned about how to control your new power and how to not accidentally kill yourself... and me?" She asked in return.
"Well, yeah I should be I suppose, but figuring out what Transcendents are is also important to me." He replied as he stood up from the ground.
Avanelle raised an eyebrow. "Figuring out what they are?" She mused momentarily then said. "It does kind of seem like you're in over your head. Do you truly not know what Transcendents are?"
Craig shook his head. "All I know is that they're animals that have evolved and gained intelligence and magic. That's it, that's all I know. And I only recently learned it from the wolf, Greymont." He spread his arms open to show his cluelessness.
Avanelle pondered briefly. "Now that you mention it, I haven't heard the elves mention Transcendents for a very long time. Since I've been in a single place for so long, I only know as much as I've eavesdroped. I'm truly curious about the current state of Terramis."
Craig smiled as he rubbed his chin. "You know of the past which I'm curious about and I... kind of, technically, know some things, about the present." He said awkwardly. "We could help each other out."
"Sounds like you'd barely be able to tell me anything." She pursed her lips with a mocking gaze.
Craig laughed awkwardly. "What can I say, I've been living a rather Isolated lifestyle. I don't particularly pay much attention to the ins and outs of society." He stated honestly.
Growing up, he spent most of his time reading books, generally about hunting, alchemy and magic. He barely read any historical texts related to society as they would always bore him. The rest of his time was either spent helping his father with alchemy or training to be a hunter. He never paid attention to anything else really.
It was only when he joined the Bandit Brigade he had gained some knowledge about the state of the kingdom. The Brigade was mainly after changing the powers that be, so their goals revolved around the King and his court. The structure of the Imperial capital was something Craig knew all too well.
But that was it, he was clueless to almost everything else. He knew next to nothing of the interaction between the races, save for the fact that there wasn't much interaction. He knew nothing of the Trade system, treaties, important leaders and personel of other kingdoms, nothing.
As he tried to collect the things he knew together, Craig's brows creased as he realised he truly knew nothing about the structure of Terramis. No wonder he knew nothing about Transcendents.
What had he been doing with his life all this time?
Drinking, hunting, mischief and procrastination.
These four words seemed to echo in his mind as if his own awareness was letting him know the answer. He suddenly frowned. What kind self realisation was this? A feeling of guilt toward his young aspiring self welled up inside of him.
He had lost his drive ever since the destruction of the bandit brigade. Afterward, he was devastated when his hunting group was completely slaughtered. He lost himself at that point and never felt much desire to change back to his prior self.
Yet, just now he felt a sudden burst of enthusiasm he hadn't felt in years. A need to cast away his depression and build himself up. A need to make a difference again.
Craig stood blankly, lost in his thoughts momentarily. A dim glow was slightly visible around his body, almost as if he was sparkling.
Avanelle looked at him with an astounded expression. "This... Is the State of purity. He's cleansing his heart of burdens and impurities." She muttered in excitement. "I didn't even mention it to him yet he somehow grasped it already? Amazing!" She was truly amazed by the feat.
She kept her gaze fixed on Craig as he absentmindedly, stared onto nothingness. He remained like this for a long time.
He didn't know what he was experiencing was the so called State Of Purity. As his thoughts circled one topic after another he felt himself somehow letting go of the past. His past mistakes, failures, and other burdens just seemed to melt away.
Time ticked by, until he suddenly snapped out of his reverie and regained presence of self.
He looked at Avanelle with a slightly questioning gaze as he squinted his eyes. Yet he didn't ask anything, pondering on his sudden change in his overall mindset. To him It felt sudden, as if he'd only momentarily dazed off, but in reality he'd been in that state for about an hour.
"Welcome back." She said to him with a brilliant smile. "To think you would achieve the State Of Purity this quickly."
"State Of Purity?"
"Yes, a mental state capable of wiping away a person's burdens and emotional trauma." She replied.
"Is that why I suddenly feel so... light?" He muttered, directing a question at himself as he rubbed his chin in thought.
Avanelle nodded. "The state of Purity can only be achieved when you're in here. Your consciousness is in its purest form here which allows your mindfulness to reach an astonishing level. When you achieve that level, the energy of the the Divine Lotus will be activated and aid in cleansing your emotional heart."
She shook her head in puzzlement. "The normal process required you to spend a lot of time meditating and practicing mindfulness. I really don't understand how you could achieve it this quickly. This wasn't even quickly, rather it was instantly." She explained.
Craig listened attentively and understood why it was surprising. If Avanelle couldn't explain it then he certainly couldn't. All he knew was that he was feeling a whole lot better than he was recently. His concept of just existing because he was still alive had vanished completely.
He'd escaped death again and again and again. He'd only focused on the pain and misfortune of it and had never considered that maybe he remained alive because he was meant to do great things. This sudden shift in his perception gave him a lot of things to consider. Especially things that had yet to become reality. The upcoming future in which he had a major role to play.
"I guess I'm just lucky." He said, smiling. "Or maybe it had something to do with me nearly imploding?" He surmised.
Avanelle had also been thinking the same thing, but she had no way to prove it. She had another assumption, "It might most likely be because the Divine Lotus is strongly linked to your heart. In truth, although it could link anywhere within your body, the most optimal location would be your mind. I had intended to transfer the energy to your head but the process was disrupted when you were teleported by that fairy Priestess."
"I see." Craig mused on the possibility. Maybe it was due to its link with his heart.
"Well in any case we should just be glad that you were able to purify your heart. Having said that, I actually have something I wanted to talk to you about." Her expression suddenly turned apologetic. "Allow me to apologise to you for not letting you know right away."
"Um, o-kay..." Craig wondered what she was getting at.
"I'm sorry for selecting you to carry this burden." She said apologetically. "More accurately, I'm sorry you were selected to carry this burden."
"What are you talking about?" Craig exclaimed. "If you hadn't saved my life I would be dead. There's no need to apologise for anything. Whatever burden it is that you carry, is now also mine to carry as well." He spoke honestly from his heart.
Avanelle smiled bitterly. "Before you agree all willy nilly you should listen to what I have to tell you." She paused and extended her right arm. The normal look of her arm unravelled and revealed a sinister looking arm riddled with black marks that were releasing streams of dark misty energy. This condition extended all the way up to her shoulder where it seemed to be stagnant yet slowly creeping.
Craig was taken aback by the revelation and with a concerned gaze he looked Avanelle in the eyes. "This is?"
"Corruption energy." She replied.