"Let us begin."
When the Empress of the Sands spoke those words, and her aura swept out across the Oasis, the giant pool of fresh water froze, becoming a solid stage.
Out of the ice, a hundred pillars arose that shone with a dazzling power of space, as well as the quintessence of ice.
A collective gasp rang out as portals opened near each of the pillars. Out of each, two people walked out. One of those people was a retainer of the Empress, while the other was the contestant they had scouted.
Gilgamesh and Wahvu looked on as the contestants were guided to the area directly in front of the Empress. One hundred young men and women stood before her, under the gaze of millions of spectators.
Once they were all gathered, the retainers stepped away. At that point, the entire area started to rise, creating a rectangular center stage large enough for all of them. Lining the center stage were bright white runes, each containing a different kind of power.
Just by looking at them, it was impossible to tell what kind of power filled them.
The Empress stood, then slowly levitated over to the stage, standing in the middle.
"These are our contestants," She said in a soft voice, accompanied by her powerful aura. "Step forward and be introduced."
Gilgamesh eyes were suddenly clouded by a wraithlike shade, but he himself did not realize. No one realized, since no eyes were on him.
After all, to those people present, one glance at Gilgamesh was more than enough. His clothes were tattered and torn, barely covering him, and his hair was a bit overgrown, dirty and wild. He looked like a total vagrant.
No one wanted to stare at such a vagrant-like person.
Gilgamesh watched as each of the contestants stepped forward and were introduced by the Empress.
"Redas Ta'lrien, Sand Lion Territory..."
"Zolomon Wunrun, Quicksand Domain..."
"Helal Barakat, Sandstorm Academy..."
Each of the contestants stepped forward to the center of stage and got their chance to stand side by side with the Empress.
When they were all finished, she flew back over to her throne, but did not immediately sit.
"Each of you was informed of the process; you know how this tournament is to proceed- and who you are to fight."
The contestants nodded.
At that point, the Empress sat down. As if some kind of force made them aware that they were now allowed to begin, the first two contestants stepped out.
Gilgamesh heard the amalgamation of conversations around him, and also fell into thought at the sight of the battle ensuing on stage.
True energy created spiritual images of natures, and with those natures manifested, the contestant summoned powers and abilities that Gilgamesh had never seen before.
His eyes sparkled, and the spectral essence that appeared in them started to become clearer.
As everyone started focusing on the battle, less and less eyes lingered on the Empress. As she sat back in her throne, getting comfortable, her eyes also attained a strange hue. Intently, she focused on the battle while taking slow breaths.
...
On the stage now, the twelfth battle was nearing its climax.
Mera Iaele, a young lady with leather armor and numerous scars, brandished a sword of energy, while behind her appeared the images of her natures of true energy. A river of blood swam in the air, looping around her as it raged in a chaotic stream.
Clouds of blood rain descended, looming over her as though she were caught in a perpetual storm of crimson. At the same time, a giant droplet of blood appeared, bursting in a splash of blood that fell upon her body, providing a specialized energy that furthered her battle strength.
More and more images of water-related phenomena appeared around her, each of them correlating to the idea of blood. In the end, the spectators counted a total of five true energy natures before they vanished.
It was evident that her inherent nature, whatever it was, was of quite a high quality-- and also related to blood.
Her opponent, Myka Ren, was tall and gangly with dark features, looking sickly. The images of his natures were all strange.
A tombstone releasing a steady stream of wailing souls, each of which turned into usable true energy of an unknown attribute. A single red flower, with petals on which were anguished faces of tormented souls.
There was even a shovel, digging constantly, as if it wanted to unearth the many trapped souls that were buried.
He, also, had a total of five natures of true energy.
As they battled, Gilgamesh noted that their cultivation bases were not at all represented by the true energy they showcased. It felt like, they themselves were actually limited by how much of the power of those natures they could control.
True energy was just being manipulated constantly, guiding those natures in how they were to behave; whether to defend or switch to offense.
As more and more fights ensued, Gilgamesh came to realize that here, cultivation itself was nothing but a culmination of natures, and depended on how well you could refine and control those natures.
True energy natures were forced to align with one's inherent nature, slowly allowing the individual to unlock their inherent nature.
By superimposing upon one another, and further building up power that reflected the inherent nature, the natures of true energy could then be used to make the final push of the awakening realm, and unlock the inherent nature.
From that point on, Gilgamesh guessed that it was just a matter of constantly refining those natures, and further growing the inherent nature. [T/N: That's a lotta natures.]
It was a bizarre spectacle to behold- in Gilgamesh's eyes, at least- and it steadily opened his eyes to the truth of the Library.
The more he watched, the further and further he drifted from reality. He fell into a state of pure enlightenment, seeing nothing but those true energy natures. He observed wholeheartedly, entirely interested.
Not because he cared about cultivation, or about power. Neither did he want to gauge just how powerful those young talents were.
It was all just curiosity.
Curiosity, once acted upon, led one's mind to begin wandering how something worked. How something could be-- could exist the way it was.
A desire to understand, once expressed, could cause even a flawed mind to go into overdrive.
What, then, would happen to the mind that was the epitome of perfection?
As Gilgamesh pondered upon the essence of those true energy natures, secrets opened themselves up to him. In an instant, as his vision became filled with the wondrous workings of true energy in the Beginningless Library, an unsolicited tear slid down his face in a silent creep.
In that tear, was nothing but pure amazement. Pure joy at the sight of a grand marvel.
Gilgamesh peeked into the essence of true energy and its many natures, and came to many understandings. The fights continued, and he continued to observe.
At this point, the light in his eyes was fully solid, no more seeming ghostly and unreal, but entirely corporeal. Whatever that light was, it only reached its pinnacle state after he completely lost himself to enlightenment.
Only once he lost himself completely in his curiosity and desire to understand. Gilgamesh was not even aware of anything. All he knew was that he was lost in thought, pondering those natures.
As answers came to him, questions bombarded him. The cycle could go on forever. It was impossible to know how long he would stay like this for.
______
"Would anyone like to challenge our victors?"
Gilgamesh twitched as he snapped back to reality.
[T/N: Author said that was intentional btw.]
His eyes immediately dimmed, returning to the usual red, and he shook himself just a bit. He had no idea what had happened to him. All he remembered was losing himself to thought.
When he looked around, he saw the Spritual Oasis as he remembered it, only the sky seemed slightly different. He did not notice at first, though, since his attention was taken by the Empress of the Sands standing on the stage.
When he saw her, she was staring right at him.
In her eyes, he saw a keen light. As though she wished to approach him right then and there.
Gilgamesh almost jumped, mainly because he was already startled from coming out of his sleep-like state. He turned to look at Wahvu, only to realize that the young lad was not near him.
He saw a bunch of people that he did not know, whom he paid no mind to. sitting where Wahvu once was, he noticed there was an old man in regal attire, with two young children about Wahvu's age; a boy and girl.
Gilgamesh glanced at the Empress again, but she was no longer on the stage. Someone had challenged the victor, and they were preparing to fight.
"Excuse me, good sir," Gilgamesh got the elder's attention, "but have you seen the little boy I was sitting with?"
The elder seemed startled, and he looked at Gilgamesh with wide eyes. Soon, though, slight traces of relief shone through in those eyes, and the old man's stern expression melted away. The children that were with him looked between him and Gilgamesh with interest.
"You... You finally came to..."
Sniff!
Gilgamesh blinked.
"Huh?"
The old man chuckled and wiped his eyes. The sheer excitement of the moment was a bit much to him. "How ironic that you would ask for the little boy you were sitting with. Don't you recognize me?"
Gilgamesh faltered, and he leaned back a little bit. When he looked at the old man again, he thought that some of his features were a bit familiar. Looking at the children next to him, he realized that they looked an awful lot like...
"Wahvu...?"
The old man let out a stifled laugh, "Yes! It's me, Wahvu!"
"A thousand years... You haven't moved from that spot in a thousand years! This is already another tournament entirely!"
If Gilgamesh was not already on the floor, he would have been floored by that information.
"I'm Wahvu Erridas. I am now an Elder of my Sect, and have come to the Spiritual Oasis with my grandchildren."
Gilgamesh tried to smile, but it was a weak and crooked one. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he had been lost in that strange state for 1,000 years.
"When I left you last time, I thought you were meditating or something, but your eyes were wide open. It was most bizarre, but I soon forgot all about it. I worked hard, and managed to become a Seven-Star Awakened in the end. I guess I was underestimating myself a little by aiming for six."
Gilgamesh listened, while also looking at the world around him. The Desert had not changed at all, neither did the Spiritual Oasis. The only difference was...