After regaining consciousness, Elyon took in the three individuals beside him, seated to the right of the orb.
Next to him was a person in elaborate attire with golden hair and a tall stature, likely a noble girl or a rich merchant's daughter, Elyon guessed, though their face was unclear.
To the orb's left, the first person wore a triangular hat and a leather cape, with a saber and pistol at their waist—a navy officer or a pirate?
The second person on the left was unmistakably a clergy member, dressed in a black robe adorned with a holy emblem of scales and a book, a follower of the God of Justice and Order.
The other three seemed to have reached similar conclusions about each other. Elyon, in his common shirt and bandaged arm, was probably the only enigma, his occupational background not easily deduced.
After about ten seconds of silence, it was Drake who broke the ice, addressing the orb.
"May I ask, esteemed entity, why have you summoned us here?"
The orb seemed to shift, the mouth-like arc forming words. "Merely an experiment. The last one took place over five thousand years ago, and now it's time for new changes to begin."
So your mouth can speak, Elyon thought to himself.
Five thousand years? That spanned from the Silver to the Bronze Age.
Drake was taken aback, realizing the orb was at least an angelic being, for not even demigods were said to live through millennia.
"Why us?" Elizabeth asked this time.
"Your mission is to usher in a new era of change, not just by your identities but also as destined by fate."
"Where is this, and who are you?" Martin, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke up.
A voice from Dunland? Despite his efforts to hide the accent, it was still there, Elyon noted.
"This place? Different mythologies have different names for it. In the East, it's called the Supreme Heaven or Takamagahara. There are also names like the Pure Land. In the West, you might call it the Origin or even the End. As for me, simply put, I'm the librarian here."
"And are all of you transcendent beings? I've heard from my guards about the miraculous powers of various transcendents. Locked up at home every day, surrounded by hypocrisy when I do venture out, I yearn for adventure and crave freedom before my family arranges a marriage for me."
Elizabeth's royal blue eyes sparkled with restless energy, and her speech quickened, becoming almost incoherent with excitement.
Elyon grew surer of his guess; this young lady was indeed from nobility, her life's path preordained with political marriage.
"Miss, please calm yourself. Look at my left arm; it's the price paid for awakening to become transcendent."
Martin looked at Elyon's suspended arm, puzzled. "Does awakening require a price? I was baptized at eight, slept that night, and woke up transcendent."
The lucky one, Elyon thought with a silent sneer.
Drake took note of the meeting's attendees, thinking to himself. A rookie transcendent and one without even a clue. Except for this little priest, who woke up transcendent — not quite a god's favored, but close.
Why did this entity gather them? Well, I should at least act experienced and maintain some authority.
"Lady, typically, awakening to transcendence requires a life-threatening stimulus. Of course, the military and religious factions have potions made from transcendent materials that greatly increase success rates. And a few lucky ones are directly blessed by powerful beings."
Drake glanced at the orb, considering that if it wished, awakening to transcendence might be straightforward.
"However, seeking external assistance usually comes with a price. For instance, if you rely on military potions to awaken, you cannot avoid being bound to serve in the military."
Drake remembered he had been one of those selected for an awakening experiment at the naval academy.
Out of twenty, half awakened successfully, seven or eight experienced no effect, and two disappeared the next day.
Natural awakenings were indeed rarer than drug-induced ones, which had higher success rates, though the cost was rumored to be a future sacrifice.
Natural awakeners had a higher chance of becoming demigods, which was why Drake, despite seeking the path to demigod status, had willingly answered this summons. Even if he didn't want to, he had no choice with this entity. If need be, he'd play along with these youngsters.
"Distinguished librarian sir, are you ready to fulfill your previous promise?" Elyon remembered his transformation into a transcendent and expected the orb to fulfill its word.
"Yes, you have two opportunities to ask."
Elyon pondered briefly before posing the question that seemed most valuable to him.
"Respected librarian sir, what is the true nature of transcendent power and magic?"
The room fell silent. This question was fundamental to the realm of the transcendent. All eyes were on the orb, awaiting its response.
"This query exceeds your contribution, but considering it's the first question, I shall answer," the orb paused, surveying the room.
"Simply put, magic is essentially a resonance with the Origin. This world can be divided into four realms."
"So many?" Elizabeth was surprised; her understanding of the world only extended to what she could see.
"The Material Realm, which is everything you physically interact with daily, including the sun, moon, stars, and all the natural landscapes."
This was easy for everyone to grasp.
"The Stellar Realm, an independent space outside the Material Realm. Once you become saints, you can voluntarily detach your spirit from your body and enter here. It's also where souls without a physical form, like lost spirits, reside."
One step away from that realm, Drake was aware of its existence but had never ventured within.
"The Ether Realm, where beings like angels can utilize laws to carve out independent spaces within the Stellar Realm, a realm with tangible magic properties."
Elyon thought of the gods' divine realms, which were probably within the Ether Realm.
"The Origin Realm, the source of transcendent power, what you call magic, and what the East Continent refers to as immortal energy. It exists in a different dimension from this universe."
"And what exactly is magic?" Elyon was getting impatient; the orb was still not providing a clear answer.
"The unique physical forces of the Origin Realm projected or resonated in the Material Realm is what you utilize as magic. When you use magic, it's actually a new energy produced by the collision of the Origin and Material realms."
Elyon believed he understood and explained, "So, magic or immortal energy is just a special kind of energy, distinct from kinetic or potential energy. Because magic results from the combined effect of the Origin and Material realms, only the spirit can harness it, correct?"
"Yes, since the spirit leverages power originating from the Origin Realm, every use imposes a burden on the spirit."
"Is that why every transcendent has to pay a price for using their abilities?" Elyon inquired.
"In simple terms, that's correct. Now, let me explain what it means to be transcendent," the orb affirmed Elyon's understanding.
"Do you know the biggest difference between transcendent beings and ordinary people?"
"The ability to use magic?" Elizabeth ventured a guess.
"You've confused the cause with the effect," Drake, the most experienced transcendent, pointed out the mistake.
"Every intelligent being is composed of a body and a spirit, but most ordinary people are unaware of their spiritual existence," the orb paused, then continued.
"Transcendents are those whose spirits have been activated under sufficient stimulus, thereby using the spirit to wield magic."
Elyon asked, "Is the classification of transcendents based on the extent of magic use and the development of the spirit?"
"Different systems have different criteria, but generally, what you said is accurate."
"What does it take to become a demigod?" Drake couldn't resist asking.
"Your contribution is insufficient for such a question. Please complete a task and return," the orb replied mechanically.
"Besides making history-changing events, what else counts as a contribution?" Drake pressed, eager to know.
"Sharing knowledge, or collaboration in assisting historical change also counts."
Hearing this, Drake felt elated, realizing he could earn his way among these newcomers.
Elyon considered his second question carefully, knowing he couldn't ask anything too extravagant.
"Librarian sir, what exactly is my awakened ability?"
"Are you referring to your active or passive ability?"
Elyon hadn't realized there were two.
"Both, please," he said, seizing the chance for a bargain.
"Your eyes have awakened a composite ability, one of 'Magic Sight' and 'Weakness Sight,' which allows you to see the magic attributes of different elements and to perceive the weaknesses of objects or beings."