The Masters and Students sat in an inn in the village they initially came to when they arrived in the Continent Of Thunderstorms.
"We finally took down Raichuu. That's six generals so far" Master Fencer said with a sigh.
"And we've obtained six out of the Seven Elemental Seals" Harry said.
"But how are these stones supposed to seal Souryu away? I get that if Souryu went to the extent of leaving them in the possession of his generals in essence guaranteeing that the only way to reclaim them is to defeat his generals, then they must be important. You don't go through that much trouble to guard something that is worthless" Buern said.
"I agree with you on that one Buern. And if the rumours about Souryu's dramatic increase in power after the defeat of his generals are true, then he is also trying to ensure that he regains his power even if we do reclaim the stones" Harry said.
"I recall what you said before Harry, after we witnessed the alignment of the worlds. You said the power to seal Souryu away may not necessarily dwell in the stones themselves but the stones may be symbolic references to the power to seal Souryu away" Josec said.
"What did you mean by that?" Estelle asked.
"It's just this feeling I've got. For now, I think we should probably return to the Hidden Phoenix Village" Harry said.
"Why?" Estelle asked.
"I intend to review the Common History Of Jo-lan" Harry said.
"I see" Josec said.
"What?" Buern asked.
"There may be clues in the Common History Of Jo-lan that may point us towards Souryu's vulnerabilities" Josec said.
"If we review the Crimson Phoenix's ancient battle against Souryu, we may find some clues" Harry said.
They discussed their plan with the Masters.
"We'll come along with you" the Masters said.
The Masters and Students opened their Books Of Jo-lan. The Students noted something odd. In their Books Of Jo-lan, their locations were recorded as positions in the Hidden Phoenix Village which was the island they had undergone their training in. However, surrounding the island were various other islands, quite numerous, each unique in shape and structure; that did not appear to have been recorded in the Book of Jo-lan before.
In the next instant, the Masters and Students found themselves in the Hidden Phoenix Village. They were met by the three elders of the Phoenix Clan. The Students stared out to sea and saw many new islands.
"These islands were not here the last time we were in this Village" Buern noted. "Or is it just my imagination?"
"No, it's not your imagination Buern" Victor Vern said.
"But how is that possible?" Buern asked.
"The Book Of Jo-lan is a complete work, a finished story that unravels itself through lives. In other words, any event that occurs in the lives of those connected to the Book Of Jo-lan affects the Book Of Jo-lan in very much the same way adding a new chapter to a tale causes the entire tale to grow. These new islands represent the effects of new lives that are now bonded to the Book Of Jo-lan. When a new life bonds with the Book Of Jo-lan, the entire Hidden Phoenix Village grows and new locations as well as new discoveries arise as a result" William Fenix explained.
"But how did this happen?" Jason asked.
"I can only imagine that this event must have been triggered by the distribution of the Books requested from the Phoenix Clan's Hidden Library. Those that received the Books must have begun to bond with Jo-lan and gradually achieved a level of awareness that made them conscious of the existence of this Hidden Village. Over the past few months with regards to your world's time, all sorts of people have been studying here; doctors, engineers, scientists, musicians and interpreters of literature as well as some kings from the physical world. They've gradually began to bond with those that share similar interests with them and have formed various societies that study the art of Jo-lan as well as its applications in their various fields. Why don't you rest for today? Tomorrow, you can visit some of these islands" the elders informed the Masters and Students.
So, the Students and Masters rested for the night. The following day, while the Masters conversed with the three elders, the Students explored the new islands.
"So Josec and Buern have finally mastered the Light's Wound Limit Break?" Master Ayumi suddenly asked the three elders of the Phoenix Clan.
"Well, I wouldn't say they have mastered the Light's Wound Limit Break just yet. Right now, they have a theoretical understanding of the technique and they possess the basic skill needed to utilize it. Josec possesses the Eyes Of The Phoenix and Buern possesses the Talons Of The Phoenix. Aside from that, the two complement each other very well and their teamwork is almost flawless" William Fenix informed the Masters.
"I see, so they intend to bypass their individual limitations by utilizing the technique as a Dual or Delta Type Technique?" Master Pheisl asked.
"That was actually the idea of the Successor to the Mind Of The Phoenix and so far it appears that it might work. They will have to learn how to utilize the technique through actual combat" Lucas Bane said. "But how did you know that they might need the Kommeno Syndesmo in future Ayumi? You are not from this world. Normally, you shouldn't even be influencing events here and what happens in this world should be of no concern to you".
"I didn't. I only acted under directives from Ryu. What you said is indeed true. I normally shouldn't concern myself with the affairs of other worlds but I also realized that if these directives came from Ryu, then it might be a very serious matter" Ayumi said.
The Students had finally arrived on the first island. They explored it and came to the realization that this island was actually a very vast library. On this island, they met various interpreters of literature.
"This is quite an interesting place" Harry noted.
"Josec! Harry! Buern! Estelle! Jason! You're finally here. We wondered when you'd pay us a visit within the Book Of Jo-lan. Most of us here had almost no experience in the art of Jo-lan when we first discovered this Hidden Village but we've spent many years within this realm and have gradually began to come to a comprehension of Jo-lan and joki. The Common History Of Jo-lan is a very valuable resource. We've spent our time analyzing the History Of Jo-lan and documenting it. This island is a result of that effort. We're also very interested in your adventures. I'm Tome by the way" one of the interpreters of literature greeted.
"Don't tell me you want us to narrate everything to you. It's quite a long tale" Josec sighed hopelessly.
Tome laughed.
"No, you don't need to do that. Just shift details of your adventure you're willing to share into the Common History Of Jo-lan index and we'll all be able to view it" Tome laughed.
"WHAT?! YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO THAT WITH THE BOOK OF JO-LAN?!" Harry exclaimed in shock.
Buern had a funny look on her face.
"The things we keep learning about Jo-lan" she shook her head in amusement.
Josec opened his Book Of Jo-lan and flipped its pages. There was an index for the Common History Of Jo-lan and an index for the Unique History Of Jo-lan. Josec marked details indexed in the Unique History and shifted them into the Common History Of Jo-lan index.
"Pretty nifty huh?" Tome said with a laugh.
"You don't say…" Harry said with a funny look on his face.
"I've shifted these details into an index entitled 'Successors Of The Phoenix Clan'. As thanks for your cooperation, I have also moved certain details concerning our reflections and findings with regards to the Common History Of Jo-lan. You should find them in your Common History index under the titles 'The Crimson Phoenix Of Jo-lan and Souryu', 'The Art Of Jo-lan' and 'The Three Founding Families Of Jo-lan'" Tome said with a slight bow.
"Thanks for everything" he said and walked away.
As Tome departed, Josec noticed a huge bridge begin to extend from the island towards the Horizon. Another extended towards the forests.
"Look!" Estelle pointed.
"The Bridge extending towards the forests is headed towards Silas' domain" Jason nodded.
"The one headed towards the Horizon is extending towards Kerberos', Hieron's and Marina's domain" Buern noted.
"Why do you think that is?" Estelle asked.
"The elders of the Phoenix Clan said any event that occurs in the lives of those connected to the Book Of Jo-lan affects the Book Of Jo-lan in very much the same way adding a new chapter to a tale causes the tale to grow. I think these Bridges appeared because I shared details in my Unique History with the interpreters on this island and they in turn shared details of their Unique History with me. These Bridges are probably indicative of the link established between our histories" Josec said.
"Then why are the Bridges extending into our domains as well?" Buern asked.
"That's because the five of us have been journeying together so in a sense, even our Unique History is a shared history amongst us five. By sharing my History, I may have inadvertently shared yours as well" Josec noted.
"I see" Harry realized what Josec was getting at.
Next, the Students journeyed to another island. This island appeared to be a vast factory. On this island were many scientists and engineers. They were met by one of the engineers.
"Hello Harry, Josec, Buern, Jason, Estelle" an engineer greeted.
"Hello" the students greeted.
"What have you folk been up to lately?" the engineer greeted.
"What are you saying? We recently implemented the Mutating Several Layered Zone Of Absolute Defense and defeated Raichuu. Since then, we've spent a week in the Continent Of Thunderstorms. Since you guys have been spending that time in the Book of Jo-lan, we should be asking you what you've been up to lately" Harry said with a laugh.
"If you're that curious, we'll tell you. We've been working on expanding the capabilities of the Mutating Several Layered Zone Of Absolute Defense" the engineer said.
"Expanding the capabilities of the Zone even further? Is that even possible?" Buern asked.
"Well, the nature of the Zone itself suggests that it is possible. A Rainbow converted into a ripple and eventually resulting in what resembles a flower" the engineer said.
"They probably mean the Dragon Zone" Josec thought.
"How do you intend to achieve this?" Harry asked.
"I'm sure you've noticed that the Bridges appear whenever we shift details in our Unique History into the Common History Of Jo-lan?" an engineer asked.
Harry nodded.
"You know our bond with the Psychorages is also the source of our power right?" the engineer asked.
"Wait a sec…you don't really mean…?!" Harry exclaimed in surprise.
"What is it?" Josec asked.
"I believe the domains of our Psychorages are in a sense the source of our individual strength as Jo-lan Warriors. By establishing pathways between these domains, it becomes possible to share our joki with our allies and thus amplify their strengths" the engineer said.
"WHAT?!" Josec, Harry, Buern, Estelle and Jason exclaimed in shock.
"Do you realize the implications of this? It means even when we are in the physical world, by channeling our joki into the Book Of Jo-lan, we can flow it through the Bridges within this realm into the domains of our allies to amplify their strengths. It also implies that it becomes possible to perform fusion psychorages with allies regardless of our location in the physical world and the distance amongst the parties involved. This ability has a great impact thus on our capacity for advanced formations" the engineer said.
Harry's heart pulsated.
"Hieron?" Harry thought.
"I see, so the current Phoenix Clan is capable enough to conceptualize the Nerves Of The Phoenix. I am impressed but I will watch them for a while longer before taking action" Hieron's voice spoke within Lucas Bane's Mind.
Lucas Bane nodded silently as the Masters and elders continued their discussion.
"We're currently developing devices that could be installed in the domains of every Jo-lan Warrior to act as receptors for the transmission of joki from our allies. These receptors will be connected to the ends of the bridges within each domain. It can be accessed via a special index in the Common History Of Jo-lan entitled 'Augmentation Of Allies' Abilities'" the engineer said with a laugh.
"Pretty impressive!" Harry exclaimed in excitement.
"Yeah, the fact that travel within the Book Of Jo-lan is much easier and faster than travel in the real world also makes this all the more fun!" the engineer said.
From then on, the Students spent time exploring the other islands as well.