(Author's words: I apologize for the heavy chapter. For those who don't find it interesting or difficult, you can wait for the next chapter. Such chapters will be rare, but sometimes they are necessary).
POV Thanatos.
Thirty minutes have passed. In that interval, I had sex one more time with Nemesis while taking a shower. Then she started telling me about cultivation and why it was so important to maintain vaginal chastity.
— So because of me you can't cultivate now? — I was genuinely upset.
— Not quite like that! I can cultivate, but it will be very difficult to develop a pedigree after destabilizing the negative energy in my body.
— Is there no way to stabilize you?
— It is possible, — she nodded, but then she explained, — But you have to evolve by paired cultivation. The problem is that you're too weak for me as a cultivation partner, and I won't be able to progress in developing my limits for a long time. But I'm not too upset about that. In fact, I liked the way you took me by force, hehe...
I smiled sadly and stroked my sister's hair, which smelled like fragrant roses. Time couldn't be turned back, so I had to accept what had happened.
I also realized that Nemesis was on the path to cultivation long before I was. I'm not sure now that she's only 32 years old. But asking a girl her age - it's a deadly and suicidal thing to do.
By the way, I'm not sure if I'm an Earthling at all because of the many words I've heard from Nemesis' mouth.
I asked my sister how it was that I gained superpowers immediately after the alien invasion. She kindly explained to me how it worked.
As soon as the spatial cracks began to appear, not only various monsters but also alien energy burst into the world. By meditating and absorbing the monster nuclei, you can get on the path of a cultivator.
The first stage of cultivation is quite simple and his progress is counted by the number of formed Stars around the cultivator's soul:
First Star - marks the emergence of superpowers, abilities based on a natural predisposition or strong bloodline.
Second Star, Third Star and subsequent Stars strengthen the cultivator's physical, mental and natural parameters.
At the moment of the formation of the Tenth Star around the soul, the second stage of evolution takes place, which transforms the Ten Stars into one cluster.
Thus appears a First Star System, reaching which one can, with a small probability, acquire a new ability, which will supplement and strengthen the primordial power of the First Star itself.
The Star System also has ten degrees (orders), which add up to one hundred stars (100 stars).
After the Star System, the third stage of soul evolution is the Stellar Nebula. It is radically different from the other two stages and is accompanied by a difficult inner test. But when the cultivator passes the test, his body will become qualitatively better, and all characteristics will improve. Also, the cultivator is sure to acquire an ability that enhances the primordial power of the First Star itself.
The Stellar Nebula also has ten degrees (orders), which total to one thousand stars (1000 stars).
There are higher stages of evolution after the Stellar Nebula, but Nemesis said it was too early for me to look that far ahead. Yes, and it would be difficult to cultivate at a fast pace on this planet after reaching the Stellar Nebula.
— So the energy from the alien world is so saturated and dense that some begin to become cultivators without meditation and core absorption? — I asked interestedly.
— Yes, but that only happens to the most brilliant people. You are special, little brother, so don't worry about your fate. You have a great future, and I will support you in it! I probably won't even be the only one supporting you along the way, heh.
I nodded my head silently, trying to process gigabytes of useful information.
After thinking for a while, I showed Nemesis what my power looked like. A small ball of energy formed around my palm, which I sent into the wall of the room.
*Explosion*
There was a small explosion that instantly destroyed most of the wall.
— Sis, what is this power, and how do I properly control it? How to meditate properly.
— AH, that power! Did you... God... — Nemesis grabbed her mouth and immediately wrapped her arms around my hand, from which a red blob of energy emerged.
— Is something wrong? Am I wielding something bad or terribly weak? - I scowled as Nemesis checked the integrity of my arm.
Nemesis nervously swallowed her saliva and shook her head, — No, Thanatos. It's such a dangerous and rare power that I now understand why we had to do this to you...
— WE? — I managed to catch my older sister in a verbal mistake.
Nemesis chose to ignore my question, and answered instead, — The power of Chaos. Primal, uncontrollable, and damned dangerous! My superpower was just the popular chemical element oxygen - *O*. I have developed my power on other kinds of gases, their different forms, and can also control some oxides if I concentrate well. But cultivators with the power of Chaos are usually hidden and taken under their wings, because they can violate the laws of the universe, existence and all existence. If they refuse to have protection and a patron, they are killed while they are weak.
I sighed dejectedly, — And what should I do with this dangerous force?
— Learn to coexist together, manage each other and steer them in the right direction. Sit in the lotus pose, and I will tell you how to enter your own soul space, — Nemesis grabbed me by the shoulders and lowered me to the floor.
I took the right pose and closed my eyes, waiting for my sister's instructions.
— Okay, now pick up one or more of the nuclei that will be the source of the absorption. I can give you...
— Oh, I have one blue core! — Said I, and then got up from my seat and went to my bag. I pulled out a blue core and showed it to my sister, — Would that work?
— Huh, I love you brother! — Nemesis pounced on me and kissed me voluptuously on the lips.
— Ugh, what happened, older sister?
— When did you get the core of Second Star monster? Did you do it yourself?
— Right after I woke up, I had a hard time defeating the strange zombie. Turns out he had Second Star...
— I didn't train you for nothing! You are well prepared, — rejoiced Nemesis.
When I settled down next to Nemesis, she gently helped me into a lotus pose, emphasizing the importance of a leveled spine and a firm base.
In a soft and soothing voice, Nemesis began to explain to me the art of meditation, — Imagine the lotus pose as a path to stillness, where the physical body finds harmony, allowing the mind to calm and the soul to reveal itself. You are male, so your inner energy exudes a positive aspect, whereas with women it is negative.
As I closed my eyes, Nemesis encouraged me to take a deep, deliberate breath to then exhale the essence of life and any tension or distractions that might interfere with my inner journey.
With each breath, I sought to let go of the outside world, turning my attention to the inside of my soul.
Nemesis gently guided me toward my goal, — My beloved brother, imagine your soul. Imagine the glowing ball of light in your chest, the essence of your own being. Explore the contours of your soul, discovering the layers of thoughts, emotions, and aspirations that lie beneath the surface of your personality.
I followed her advice. Slowly an extremely realistic picture of a white sphere began to emerge in my mind, but then it all collapsed in an instant, and I experienced a terrible headache, — A-AHH! SISTER!
She immediately grabbed me and began to soothe me while I suffered unbearable pain.
— Thanatos, what happened!
— I-I was in a lot of pain. The picture was so realistic, but then everything collapsed...
— Oh, I was afraid of that, — Nemesis said with a fake smile, — I have to tell you some information about the soul that you are not supposed to know at this stage of cultivation. But otherwise you won't be able to enter your soul.
— Why can't you tell me, — I wondered, rubbing my throbbing temples.
— This is what needs to be learned the moment the cultivator transcends the Stellar Nebula stage. In fact, the soul is composed of many constituent elements, which are dictated by the laws of the universe and the creation.
I nodded at her words, — I'm listening to you carefully! Even if it is difficult for me to perceive the information, I will try to do my best to understand the structure of the soul.
— Good. To begin with, I will show you how the Vial Soul is structured so that you can absorb information more comfortably. That is, Soul is actually inside vessel.
I saw in front of me a projected picture of the Vial Soul that Nemesis had made by compacting different gases in the air. The picture was very clear and understandable.
— The first thing you should familiarize yourself with is Vial Soul - Inherent in all sentient beings. In monsters, the vessel is the nucleus, which may evolve into a soul in the future. The Vial Soul consists of: Shell, Inner Volume, Energy, Thought Essence, and the Soul itself. From the outside, the vessel is seen as a small ball of light in the center of the being's brain, but the cultivator himself can only see his soul in the interior of Vial Soul.
I tried to get into the subject, and assiduously analyzed what was happening, — Hmmm, I see. So all the magic is created inside the vessel, and it holds the mixture together?
— That's not quite right. It's the Soul itself that holds it all together, but I have to tell everything in order. The next aspect is the Shell of Soul - formed with the body. From birth it is virgin, to which corresponds the pink hue of Vial Soul, which increases the effectiveness to the development of the limits of the soul and the power of the pedigree, as long as the soul has chastity in the physical body and Thought Essence. The property of innocence is affected by intimate interactions with the opposite sex, from kissing on the lips to sexual intercourse. For the most part, only girls are affected by the development. Sometimes only during the loss of vaginal virginity, and sometimes from an innocent kiss on the lips. It depends on the pedigree and methods of cultivation.
I seemed to be slowly parsing out the information, starting to get into the nitty-gritty of it.
— What comes next is something that can be absolutely mushy and nonsensical. Inner Volume of Soul - formed along with the body, it has a greenish tint. It has the property to increase in volume depending on an uncountable number of factors. Necessary for the formation of its new small vessels. The laws of nature can be formed in them, which have not been mastered before or they have been lost, stolen. So this is what I was talking about. I can control not only oxygen, but also ozone, hydrogen, methane, and many other gaseous elements. However, I still cannot control water directly, because it is an integral chemical compound. But the Stars that swirl around Vial Soul are a tool and conduit to the accumulation as well as the formation of small vessel sources.
— This is fucked up! Why do I need to know all this now? My head is going to explode! — I began to complain as my brain began to boil with high fever.
— That's why young cultivators are never told what the soul is! This information can even kill in a moment of meditation! But since you have a severe headache when you enter the inner space of Vial Soul, you have a rare case. You need to know this beforehand, or you will never curb the power of Chaos.
Nemesis began stroking my head, trying to reduce my rejection of the incoming information.
— The next thing is what intelligent beings and the soul itself live on - Energy, accumulated in the course of life's journey. The quantity, quality and varieties of energy do not depend on Inner Volume. Its quantity can be infinite, increasing its density so as not to exceed the size of Vial Soul.
I asked the Nemesis, — Hmmm. How is the Energy of Soul different from the one inside the little vessels in the Inner Volume?
— A simple question. Year after year, the Soul Energy is drawn little by little from absolutely everything. Literally, including the energy from the little vessels themselves. And it has no limits or restrictions, unlike the Inner Soul Volume, which is directly dependent on the cultivator's body and pedigree. The conversion from temporary storage to permanent storage, very roughly speaking. And it doesn't happen quickly.
— The next not unimportant concept is Thought Essence (Thinking Substance Soul) - the mind, the memory of a sentient being. It has a greenish tint, and in the vessel it is concentrated in the form of a spiral with six tails. If there is a physical body, it is concentrated in the brain cells, but can exist without it, hiding (clinging) between the Energy of Soul and the Soul itself.
— It's very complicated... So, what's left? — I started acting like a cranky child as I had to memorize complex concepts and many aspects of the Soul.
Damn that stupid Chaos power! I hope my suffering will be worth it.
Nemesis stroked my head soothingly and pointed her finger to the center of the projection, — And that leaves the concept of the Soul - the central core of Vial Soul to which all other parts of the soul are attached. After the final death of the cultivator, the Soul remains in the vessel for reincarnation. The Soul is absolutely impossible to destroy - an immutable tiny particle of the universe.
— So cultivators are immortal?
Nemesis tapped me on the forehead and refuted the silly question, — No, of course not. Though the Soul is reincarnated, but the memory is completely assimilated: Soul is cleansed and processed in the *Limbo* dimension, which I definitely WILL NOT tell you about!
— But you've already told me so much that I could become a guru of spiritual practice, ha-ha-ha, — I laughed, for which I received a painful slap from my older sister.
— You're only 17 years old, and I'm still your caregiver! So don't sass a grown woman.
— And you had sex with an underage little brother, — I expertly pointed out, which made Nemesis blush to her ears.
— Don't scold me for strong and deep love, pervert! It happened at the moment of the Apocalypse! The world has changed, the rules and laws have changed. Come on, that's it... meditate! If you don't get inside Vial Soul, I'll pull your eyes up over your ass.
I kissed my sister lightly and took a lotus pose with a sigh.
Well, I hope this information proves useful! And I'll be able to get to my Vial Soul.