Chapter 4: Awakening
woosh
Lucian passed through the spatial barrier, arriving before a small, almost empty room. A person fully covered in a purple cloak was sitting in the middle of the room with a dimly lit light bulb flickering above him. It created a weird, mysterious atmosphere.
Before him lay a small table where a dark crystal around 4 feet tall was placed on it.
Come here. He commanded with his aged voice.
Lucian hearing his words stepped forward, arriving before him. He felt an invisible pressure scrutinizing him from head to toe, warning him not to try anything funny or else he might regret it.
He understood that the person before him was a comsologer, an awakened being who studies mana, the foundational power of an awakened.
Cosmologers are eccentric beings. They don't care about worldly affairs and usually immerse themselves in uncovering the secrets behind mana. They are a key pillar of any organization, considering most of the mana-related techniques are derived from them.
Lucian patiently waited for the cosmologer's command. He understood that beings like that don't care much about mortals like us so he kept his mouth shut.
Place your palm on the crystal's surface.
Lucian nodded, stretching his hand towards the crystal. He gently touched the crystal feeling the coldness emitted by it.
The dark crystal reacted to his touch, suddenly emitting a blinding light. The cosmologer expecting it just stood there while Lucian was caught off-guard by the light. The dark crystal glowed and inside it was the miniature version of the whole cosmos itself with countless stars, celestial bodies, galaxies, etc.
Hmm? Interesting.
Lucian shut his eyes tightly, fearing he might lose his eyesight from such intense light.
A few seconds passed by,
[You may open them.]
Suddenly, an angelic voice resounded near his ears, grabbing his attention. An incredibly light sensation passed through him as he felt like floating above space.
His eyes slowly opened, scrutinizing the surroundings around him.
He gasped at the view before him.
An incredibly beautiful woman lay before him with golden blonde hair, golden eyes that looked like the sun itself, and a divine halo above her that displayed her unfathomable nobility and purity.
[Nice to meet you, Lucian.]
Her ethereal voice echoed itself, jolting him awake from his reverie.
He took deep breaths, trying to calm his intense heartbeat. He opened his mouth to respond but couldn't find the right words so he simply nodded his head, accepting her greeting.
[You need not be nervous.]
She remarked, a sweet smile gracing on her face. Thankfully, she had toned down her divine aura else Lucian might have turned into a mindless idiot, charmed by her beauty.
[I am Solara.]
She introduced herself, gaining a curious look from him.
Solara was the name of the planet that they were inhabiting. It meant 'of the Sun' otherwise 'the bringer of Light' in their language.
[Yes, I am the planet's consciousness. Umm…more like the projection of its consciousness.] She replied, confirming Lucian's thought.
Can you read my mind? He blurted out, finding it quite scary. Reading someone's mind was a terrifying ability. It meant you had complete information about that said person which indirectly meant you also had complete control over them.
[Yes, I can. I don't have much time left so, Listen carefully.]
She seriously reminded, locking into his eyes. He swallowed hard, nodding his head.
[Congratulations, You are qualified to harness cosmic energy. Cosmic energy as the name suggests is the foundational energy of the entire cosmos. It is too grand and powerful to be handled by a mere mortal but thanks to the star's blessing, You have gained the qualification to utilize them.]
Cosmic Enegry? Star's blessing? Lucian asked with a confused expression.
[It's related to your birth.]
My birth? He replied but Solara didn't explain further.
So, is cosmic energy like mana? He changed his question after not getting any answers.
[Mana is a mere imitation of the cosmic energy. It was created by Spirit Lords through their attempt to replicate cosmic energy. Cosmic energy is far more powerful than that. Any more questions?]
Spirit Lords. He thought, curious of them.
[Cosmic energy grants you the ability to utilize all elements.]
Lucian's face instantly lit up upon hearing her words. Utilizing all elements meant he wasn't limited to a single element like fire, water, ice, space, etc like others but instead, he could use them all.
Mana grants the user the ability to awaken a single element and sometimes dual elements but it stops there. To awaken more than two elements, certain risks are involved. Lucian however could multiple elements without any drawbacks through cosmic energy.
He could already imagine himself, rewinding time, teleporting, spamming fireballs and ice spears, etc.
[Before you get overexcited, Let me remind you that Time, Space, Fate, Luck, Destiny, Chaos, Order,etc doesn't fall under the elements category. They are the laws created by the cosmos and to utilize them, you would have to understand the laws itself.]
His face became a bit downcast hearing these words. It's alright. Spamming multiple elemental attacks is cool enough. He consoled himself.
[Now, To harness the cosmic energy, The first step is to condense a starseed in your sea of consciousness. It is a bit similar to Mana Awakening but also different. Unlike Mana Awakening, where you form a solid starseed inside your sea of consciousness. You will be forming an illusory Starseed for cosmic energy.]
She clasped her hands, creating a futon before Lucian.
[Let's start.]
He nodded his head and moved forward, arriving above the futon.
He sat in a lotus position, quietly listening to her explanation.
[First, condense a Starseed using your spiritual will.]
The method for starseed creation was commonly available everywhere and you have to memorize the method before awakening ceremony. So, Lucian just followed the said method.
Lucian concentrated deeply on his mind, browsing through the method that he had memorized before.
After browsing everything, he followed the consciousness method and materialized before his sea of consciousness.
The consciousness method as the name suggests is a technique that allows the user to enter their sea of consciousness through observing their inner mind.
The consciousness method was created by our ancestors to allow future generations to awaken their powers successfully. It's a common but must-learn technique as it drastically increases the chance of awakening similar to Starseed creation method.
Lucian entered his sea of consciousness, curiously gazing around.
It was a grand library with various books placed on each side of the bookshelves in an orderly fashion. These books were memories from his childhood to this point.
Usually, the sea of consciousness's shape describes the said person's personality trait.
A grand library as their sea of consciousness meant they had high intelligence and wisdom. Other shapes include weapons, paintings, landscapes, etc. Different shapes have different meanings and traits.
He roamed around the library, amazed by its sheer size and its ability to amass his memories as readable books.
Focus. He reminded himself, getting rid of the distractions. He was in his spiritual form floating around the library like a genie.
Lucian held his hands high, transmitting an intense spiritual wave around his sea of consciousness. He gathered his spiritual will above him, under his intense focus, and started condensing them. Wisps of his spiritual will floated above him, attaching themselves to each other.
Spiritual wills were the flames formed from your experiences, desires, wishes, goals, and obsessions. They reflect your personality and your intentions.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, a small seed formed above his head pulsating with his spiritual perception.