EPISODE 21: THE TENTH RULE: 'HE WILL ATTAIN THE STRENGTH NEEDED TO UNLOCK THE ANCIENT SEALS' PART IV: KOLMNID; THE BASIC ELEMENTAL SEAL; THE PREPARATORY PHASE PART I: BALANCE; SIGILS: NATURES AND OUTCOMES
My Gramps continued to explain the properties of the Seal Of Endregen.
"One of the abilities granted by the Seal Of Endregen is the ability to utilize the skills and sigil of the Silver Reaper from Endregen, Rikishin. Another ability is the ability to utilize Interdimensional Gates" my Gramps explained.
"Now that I think about it, Mom's sigil possesses the ability to transform into Shinsei Ryuuenjinn, the Guardian Of The Kirisawa House Of Dream Knights and Keiran mentioned something like this earlier on so you can't be making this up" I said.
"You'll have to gradually get accustomed to the abilities granted by the Seal Of Endregen but for now, I'll begin to prepare you towards releasing the Seal Of Kolmnid" my Gramps said.
"The Seal Of Kolmnid?" I asked.
"The Seal Of Kolmnid is also known as the Basic Elemental Seal. To be able to release it, you need at the very least a literal comprehension of the Elemental Balance and elements in general. After its release you'll be able to utilize the Seven Predominant Elements of our homeworld" my Gramps said.
"Of our homeworld? Are you trying to imply that there are other elements outside our world?" I asked.
"That is true. Though most other elements are more complex versions of those that exist on our world" my Gramps explained.
"I see" I said.
"In our reality, the Seven Predominant Elements are Fire, Wind, Earth, Time, Water, Lightning and Light. These elements are divided into two major categories out of which a part fall under the category of Elements Of Generation and a part fall under the category of Elements Of Destruction. The Elements Of Generation include Water, Wind, Earth and Light. The Elements Of Destruction include Fire and Lightning" my Gramps explained.
"What about the Element Of Time?" I asked.
"You noticed that it didn't fall under any of the categories? Well Time is both an Element Of Generation and Destruction. It falls under both categories and can be helpful or harmful depending on how it is utilized. By studying history, you'll notice that there are periods of great progress and periods of great destruction. Time is thus a Neutral Element" my Gramps explained.
"Interesting" I thought about my Gramps' words deeply.
"Your current transformation in a sense connotes Time as well. Your cousin Mitsuki also shares an affinity for Time. People with this affinity often possess the most balance out of other affinity types since their deep comprehension of history grants them an immense knowledge of cause and effect and are also recognized as the wisest of all element users because they have a comprehension for both good and evil, positives and negatives. This knowledge can also be utilized either positively or negatively. But I'll set that aside for now" my Gramps said.
I sighed.
"For now, just focus on explaining the basics of the concept of Balance" I said.
"Indeed, I believe that would be the prudent thing to do. Even though the elements fall under antithetical categories, they share some traits in common. The elemental borders that govern their capabilities and limitations are not rigid or absolute but rather fluid and cyclical in nature. One element may possess the ability to transform into another element, to nullify the effects of another element or to amplify the effects of another element. In a sense you could consider some elements as 'parents', some as 'rivals' and some as 'comrades'" my Gramps explained.
I laughed.
"Sounds interesting" I said.
"But even antithetical or rival elements may share some common traits" my Gramps explained.
"How come?" I asked.
"Take Light and Darkness for instance. What is the property of Light?" my Gramps asked.
"It grants vision" I answered.
"And that of Darkness?" my Gramps asked.
"It takes away vision" I said.
"Exactly, though their effects are contradictory, they both revolve around the principle of perception. Fire burns, water cools but in the absence of either, life cannot sustain itself. Both are necessary in balanced quantities to sustain life. In addition to that the property of fire to exert heat can amplify motion. That of water to cool can reduce the intensity of motion. Heated atoms move much quicker than cooled atoms so in a sense both Fire and Water can exert influence over Time and one's perception of it. They can both also affect the intensity of motion. Without heat, there can be no motion. On the other hand, in the absence of coolness, the other extreme comes into play. Both Fire and Water are needed to give a balanced perception of Time. If you take Earth and Wind, Earth possesses the capacity to exert weight on objects through the principles of gravity and magnetism. Wind on the other hand possesses the capacity to diminish the weight of objects through the principles of flotation and aerodynamics. Their effects are antithetical but they both possess the ability to exert influence over weight. In the absence of either, life cannot thrive. We get our food from the earth and also need air to survive. Do you understand?" my Gramps asked.
"I see, their effects differ but the principles around which their activities revolve may not exactly be antithetical" I understood what my Gramps was getting at.
He nodded.
"What of Lightning?" I asked.
"Lightning is not exactly a basic element. It is a combination of Light, Sound, Heat, Water and Wind. However, there's a reason it's considered a predominant element in our reality. I'll explain that later but at the very least it's good that you're beginning to understand the concept of Balance" my Gramps said with a smile.
I nodded.
"Thanks to you" I said gratefully.
Meanwhile, Ciella sat in the second floor of the Old Library with Arlene who tutored her rigorously. Arlene sighed.
"Your next lesson may be a bit too much for you to handle, perhaps even a bit too frightening however, if you really intend to become a Dream Knight it's something you should know" Arlene said seriously.
Ciella gulped.
"I think I'm ready" Ciella said.
"A sigil is the manifestation of its wielder's identity so in a sense, it grows with its wielder till it achieves the status of 'Living Sigil'. In a sense, the process is quite similar to nurturing a child so the sigil possesses the capacity to become either a blessing or a curse depending on the predominant emotions focused into it by its wielder. You've heard of cursed items and the like as well as cursed weapons forged by craftsmen who focused strong negativity into their development. Well those tales aren't entirely fictional" Arlene said seriously.
Ciella gulped.
"When a sigil is developed positively, it transforms into a 'Living Sigil' that protects its wielder. When the predominant emotions focused into it during its development are negative, it can transform into a cursed weapon that possesses the capacity to harm its wielder through one or more debilitating status effects" Arlene said.
"Debilitating status effects?" Ciella asked.
"Just think of it as anything with the capacity to inflict harm. In other words, a sigil developed with ill intent possesses the capacity to turn into its wielder's adversary or to turn the Dream Knight into his own enemy. Of course, as humans, we all have a bit of good and evil within us so it is entirely impossible to develop a sigil completely devoid of either positivity or negativity and very impractical to attempt to do so since it does not accurately reflect our current realities. Just as long as the negativity focused into your sigil doesn't overpower the good, you should be fine" Arlene said with a reassuring smile. "You've heard of the events that transpired in Dream City nearly twenty three years ago? Well the monster that attacked Dream City was also a 'Living Sigil' so to speak but one forged from the combined evil of mankind's desires. The other 'constellation' that confronted it by augmenting all of man's positive desires and dreams into one was also a 'Living Sigil'. You could consider each of them a 'possibility' with regards to the final form your sigil will assume but possibilities also connote 'choice' which means the final outcome to a large extent is dependent on you" Arlene said.
Ciella sighed.
"Are you frightened?" Arlene asked.
"In all honesty, yes" Ciella admitted.
"Well, that's natural but you're not a bad person Ciella so you should have nothing to worry about. If there's anything you should fear, it's self-doubt. That's one of the major things the evil Nightmares San told you about earlier prey on. Once you overcome that, you'll be able to resist most evil Nightmares almost effortlessly" Arlene said.
"Choice huh?" Ciella thought nervously as she recalled our conversation from the time we first met.
"I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Ciella Solstice" she recalled her introduction.
"Let me guess, Ciella for 'Sky' and 'Solstice' for the two times of the year when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky determining the length of the day?" she recalled my question.
She recalled her laughter.
"You sure know a lot. My parents often said, when one looks out towards the horizon, the Sky and the Sea become one thus the Sea becomes an extension of the Sky. Concerning our family name, Solstice for my family simply means 'Choice'. In other words, you decide the person you want to be" she recalled the explanation she'd given of her name.
She also recalled the conversation we'd had in the field of Lunar Flowers just before the Solar Eclipse.
"The Lunar Flowers usually glow at night under the influence of moonlight. I thought it would be interesting to see them glow in the daytime for a change" she recalled my words.
"I see, so that's why you chose this place" Ciella recalled her words.
"Well…uh…a lot of people really love this place…" she recalled my attempt to defend myself.
"You don't need to defend yourself. I'm honoured you keep bringing me to such a sacred place" Ciella recalled her words.
"You're a good person Ciella" she recalled my words and smiled.
"Well, you're not half bad yourself" she recalled her reply.
"I guess I'll take that as a compliment" she recalled my words.
In my Gramps' Castle, I too thought of Ciella. I recalled the starfishes that appeared on the banks of Shining River beside the Lunar Flowers and Sunflowers.
"Wow! This is pretty amazing San! You may not have missed the Solar Eclipse after all. The Solar Eclipse was the one time the Sun, the Moon and Stars all shone at the same time. This field is full of Sunflowers and Lunar Flowers and now, there are even Starfishes! We're still witnessing the Solar Eclipse…but in another way!" I recalled Ciella's excitement and my smile.
"A girl from a land not my own whose name is tied to my fate huh?" I recalled the Second Rule.
I stared at my cape and armour, the flames and the water.
"The horizon, the place where the Sky and Sea become One huh? Choice…Balance" I thought as I recalled Ciella's words concerning her name.