Chapter 15: True to Form (4)

Chapter 15: True to Form (4)

Last time...

You will come to discover what that means for yourself, I am sure. But power does not come without its price. Elder Yang sighed, and for the first time, seemed truly tired and burdened. Tell me, Sylar. Have you heard of a Tribulation?

-x-x-x-

Only if were talking about the common definition.

If only that were the case, Elder Yang said, shaking his head. No, Sylar, a Tribulation is what any cultivator wishing to pursue the dao will inevitably face before they may achieve a Revelation.

He stood up, paced over to his study table, and withdrew several sheets of parchment before returning to his seat. Body and Spirit, he said, drawing two separate symbols to represent them. Successfully beginning to cultivate each is what we term the First and Second Comprehensions respectively.

Sylar nodded. This much he had surmised for himself as well.

Come to think of it would you not have undergone a Tribulation yourself? Elder Yang questioned, his brows furrowed. I have, ashamedly, not yet achieved a Revelation in my spiritual cultivation, but I would have thought that you might have already faced one and emerged triumphant, given your insights into the Spiritual Arts.

Sylar frowned. The closest he could think of would be his Diviners Sight but that had come through long years of exposing himself to the manifestation of spells of Divination, and the warping of his mundane senses as a result of the energies released by Fate Essence. It had been a long, gradual process. Though he didnt know what exactly a Tribulation entailed just yet, he assumed from the mundane meaning of the word that it referred to a single climatic event.

There is a possibility, he admitted. But I highly doubt that we are talking about the same subject.

Oh? He seemed intrigued by the possibility, but continued with his explanation regardless.

After one achieves the First Comprehension, continued cultivation of qi into the dantian imbues the forces of the natural world into their own body, he explained, and as he spoke, began to etch fluid brush strokes that coursed toward the circle that represented the body. It is then just on the cusp of a Revelation that one faces a Tribulation.

He began to write a series of four characters. Sylar had read them just short of two weeks ago, the day he had returned from the Demons Pass. By the time he wrote the second, Sylar already knew what it was going to be.

It was an excerpt from the Daodejing. Four simple characters, with a number of different possible interpretations.

Contradict the dao, and be brought to an early end, Sylar said, even as Elder Yang finished the last of his brush strokes.

It had been a confusing statement to parse. The dao was an abstract concept by pure semantic meaning, he knew that it referred to a way or a path, and reading contextually, referred to some sort of natural order and ultimate quintessence of the universe. Yet, it was not a thing that could be named or understood.

Indeed. Elder Yang peered at him with appraisal. You have been reading of our customs, it seems.

Only a little, Sylar denied, and returned to the topic at hand. Is this what a Tribulation is? Some form of punishment for a slight against the dao?

Elder Yang smiled mysteriously. Ah, but can the Heavenly Dao be slighted? he asked. You have read the Daodejing. Do you recall what is written in its fifth chapter?

Heaven and Earth are unmerciful;they regard all things as straw dogs, Sylar recited. The sage is unmerciful; he regards the people as straw dogs.

That is one translation, yes, and there are many sects who hold that Tribulations are a form of divine punishment for defying its will, and for daring to ascend beyond the limits of mortality, Elder Yang said. He pointed to a pair of characters. But equally could you not read it as such? Heaven and Earth are impartial; they regard all things as straw dogs.

Sylar frowned. Tongues only provided one possible translation, and even without the intricacies of the language, he highly suspected that the nature of the dao that the cultivators so pursued was contentious enough.

There is no reason for the Heavenly Dao to deliver punishment because one yearns to draw closer to it. The dao encompasses all, and one single individual no matter how powerful or wise is far beneath its notice, Elder Yang said. The dao simply is.

Sylar conceded the point. Besides, he was still questioning the veracity of the text, and engaging in a circular argument over a topic he knew virtually nothing of would be the pinnacle of arrogance.

Why does it matter, though? he asked. This Tribulation happens regardless.

Oh, but it matters. One turns a Tribulation into an act of petty punishment against a far inferior being, while the other rationalises it as a necessary part of the journey of cultivation. There was a piercing look in Elder Yangs eyes, one that he had been subjected to many times by his own former master. I choose to believe that a Tribulation is one aspect of the dao. An unsurmountable truth; a natural result that comes hand-in-hand with the cultivation of qi that precedes it. The body is finite by nature, Sylar, while the dao is infinite. To achieve more to become more one must encounter a Tribulation and break past ones former limits.

A punishment to endure, or a challenge to overcome. It was a matter of perspective, Sylar supposed. He preferred Elder Yangs point of view than the alternative, but if he was being frank, he wasnt too bothered by the distinction. Whatever the dao was some omniscient entity, a hidden truth to the universe that bound all together, a nonexistence, or some other concept entirely he was interested in the concrete and measurable.

Fair enough, he said. But what happens during a Tribulation?

Just as there are a thousand paths that could be tread to achieve unity with the dao, no two Tribulations are ever alike, Elder Yang said. All that is common between them is that it tests the cultivator across all aspects of his being. More than just body, spirit, or mind, it is a challenge of mortality and all that it encompasses. Most who reach their first Tribulation successfully overcome their former limits, but with each passing Tribulation, the next becomes more formidable yet.

He seemed lost in thought, a forlorn expression on his face. Tribulations are difficult to describe, he said. On the cusp of Revelation, a cultivator glimpses directly into a small piece of truth, a single fragment of the whole that is the dao. From there, it varies, and no two are ever alike.

Some tribulations present themselves directly. The Revelation itself is laid bare before the cultivator. Yet, how long can the mind endure as it tries and fails to comprehend the Revelation that they sorely wish to know? he said. Then there are those who find themselves alone amid a desolate landscape, as horrors of all shapes and forms press down against them. How long can their resolve last, as their strength gradually wanes against their infinite numbers?

His next statement came with just a crack to his voice. And to yet others the Tribulation plays upon their deepest fears and doubts. It lays bare their greatest inadequacies and dreads, ones that they might not even know existed, and exposes their cracks in them. The dao and the Tribulation knows the cultivator better than they know themselves. How can they possibly defeat an enemy that cannot be defeated by might alone? How can they muster the conviction to stay their path, as they risk losing everything to a single mis-step?

Sylar remained silent. To the side, Guanzhong had his head lowered sombrely. He didnt need to ask the question explicitly to know what the Elder had faced.

These are but a few examples of the innumerable ways they present. Some pose little challenge at all, while others can break even the greatest of masters. Some test their mettle in martial combat, and some push the limits of their mental fortitude to its breaking point. There are a thousand paths of cultivation, and equally, a thousand forms for a Tribulation to take, Elder Yang said. And for each, there are a thousand ways by which one may fail to surmount the obstacle in their path.

What happens, if you fail a Tribulation?

Qi Deviation is one possible outcome, if the cultivators core snaps in the midst of a Tribulation, and disperses all the qi that had been held within it while caught within the chaotic energies of a Tribulation. Yet others forever lose their sanity, their wills unable to bear what they had witnessed in the Tribulation. He gave a sad smile. But the most common outcome and some would say the most fortunate happen to those who turn away before the Tribulation fully manifests. They flee, and retain all that they have previously achieved but they shall never again be able to progress past the bottleneck. Their road of cultivation would end there.

So this was what had happened to Elder Yang. He was powerful, of that Sylar had no doubt but he was now forced into stagnation.

Is there no way to return to challenging it? he questioned. Surely if, as you say, there are a thousand paths to the dao, there must be a way to circumvent the bottleneck and continue onward?

Perhaps there is, Elder Yang agreed, but once more, his expression was laced with a hint of grief. But I have searched for more than twenty-five years, Sylar, and in all that time of meditation, I have found no way forward. Attempting to cultivate as I had done only results in the dispersal of excess qi, no matter the technique that I commit myself to. I have read all the sacred scrolls of our sect, and even consulted with our sister sects of the Penshan Alliance. Of all the cultivators in the same position as myself, none have ever found an answer.

Sylar fell silent.

Is there nothing that I can do to help? he asked softly. Surely there is something that can work.

It was only then that it struck him. The others werent keeping their distance just for Quanhaos sake.

It was also for their own.

Even the Elder, who he now knew had no known means of continuing in his cultivation, dared not draw too close. He took a hesitant step forward, but then winced and flinched, withdrawing almost immediately, choosing to stand about a metre away.

Keep watching over Spellsight, she told Guanzhong, disgruntled. The bumbling idiot would blindly walk his way into an inferno if you let him leave your sight for a moment.

Stay close to us, Sylar, he said, his voice solemn. And Ling thank you.

Ling?

It was subtle, and before his cultivation of Fate-Fate, he would have missed the brief instant that Xingling had appeared taken aback by the term of address. Instead, she schooled her expression, and moved to stand beside Shurui.

What was that about? Sylar asked quietly, though he too observed Quanhao.

It was my mistake. I should have kept my eye on you, Guanzhong said. Elder Yang didnt get the chance to say this earlier, but a Tribulation isnt just dangerous for the cultivator undergoing it. It wont harm Quanhao, but for anyone else, proximity to a Tribulation Storm can upset the qi that one has cultivated. Staying close for a prolonged time can cause Qi Deviation, or worse.

Is the Elder safe, then? he asked, concerned, and whispered in a lower tone. Even if his cultivation is blocked wont this disperse what he still retains?

The difference in strength between them is too great. The Elder can withstand a Storm of this level, and perhaps even Xingling and I can make it a bit closer, since we have achieved the Second Revelations as well. But anyone else He hesitated. You and Qiyu, especially. You two must not draw close.

Qiyu was standing just behind Shurui, and there was a primal instinct to keep a distance when faced with the unknown energies being emanated. It was a force that instilled a sense of power and caution, but was altogether different from the sickening ambient Necromantic energies that had weighed down upon him back when he had ventured into the Lichs stronghold in Nimbria.

Perhaps a pressure was the closest term he could use to describe the unknown waves of power that he felt. Even here, about twenty metres away from Quanhao, his hair was standing on ends.

How long will he be like this? Sylar whispered. Quanhao had calmed somewhat, but his eyes were shut tight in focus, and there was an occasional grimace.

No one can say. It can be a matter of minutes or days. Sometimes, it can be weeks before the Tribulation finally ends.

Will he be alright?

He has to be. Guanzhong was staring unflinchingly at his friend. Quanhao will get through this.

He lapsed into silence, observing Quanhaos every movement. Some of the crowd had dispersed by now, but his group of closest friends remained. Qiyu moved to stand beside him, wavering slightly, and he brought her to stand slightly further away from the Tribulation Storm.

The trickle of Essence never once abated. A sluggish stream of Earth, Water, and Spirit flowed listlessly out of Quanhao, but remained imperceptible to the senses of his soul.

A single hypothesis came to mind, but it was one he couldnt test and even if it were true, he would have no idea what it all would mean. If he were to raise it in an academic discussion with any mage, hed be laughed at, and proclaimed an idiot.

Yet what else could it be? He tried to think of an alternative hypothesis, but all others that came to mind were unlikely, given what he knew of Essence Theory.

His conjecture was thus: somehow, during the process of a Tribulation, a cultivator established a direct connection to the Planes Beyond. They became a temporary Nexus of Power, not unlike the weaknesses between Planes that saw Essences bleeding into the Material Plane, though the rate of Essence being released from out of Quanhao was orders of magnitude lower than a true rift.

Yet some things didnt quite fit. As far as he was aware, no Nexus spilled forth more than a single type of Essence.

Still, this was the closest conjecture he had that fit what he was seeing.

But if so

Where was Quanhaos consciousness right now?

-x-x-x-

A Primer on the Elemental Planes for the Neophyte mage

IV. Earth

The Elemental Plane of Earth is, perhaps, one of the simplest to describe.

Rocks. Stones. Lots of them. Perhaps some sand here and there.

Yup, thats pretty much it.

Oh, what was that, dear student? You wanted more? Well, you should have just said so! Here is an explanation that is a little more concrete!

get it? Concrete? Because its made out of rock products?

Now that I have your attention, dear reader, let us proceed with the actual primer!

For this Primal, the Nexuses of Power where the veil between the Material Plane and the Elemental Plane of Earth are weakest tend to be located in sites with geological activity. Among the realms of Resham, perhaps the best known are the Sundered Depths, and the Tenebrous Caverns. Earth Essence spills forth in great number from these rifts, and as you will already know from the previous Primals, circulates in the ambient environment to be fashioned into spells.

The environment is warped in the vicinity of these Nexuses. Here, anything that contains even a remote trace of earth or stone behaves strangely. Even a reasonable distance from the epicentre, one may find the very earth shifting, melding, fusing, and grinding, never once settling into stillness. Closer to the rift, the surrounding environment is imbued with some aspect of the Elemental Plane, and one may discover perhaps ores containing the prized adamantine. Should you discover such a vein in the future, dear student, please do remember your former master, and send some of the fortune you are sure to receive my way!

Like the other Primals, the Elemental Plane of Earth sorely lacks diversity. It is a land of beings made up of stone, stone, and more stone.

The primary denizens of the Elemental Plane of Earth are, of course, the Earth Elementals. These range from small, ant-sized lumps of sentient coal and pebbles, up to their larger Mud Elemental kin, and all the way to the ancient Adamantine Elementals. In the past, about three centuries prior to the writing of this text, a sentient Aspect of Earth had emerged from the Tenebrous Caverns and caused much devastation to the land of Kalathurn in its rampage, but was stopped by the efforts of the two reigning archmages of the time.

Several other beings have also been described to be found within the Elemental Plane of Earth. However, there is still much disagreement in the scholarly circles as to whether these are indigenous to the Plane itself, or forms of biological life native to Resham that were inadvertently twisted by the spilling of energy and Earth Essence in the vicinity of a rift. Nonetheless, Gargoyles, Basilisks, Crystal Scorpions, Sand Sprites, and more have all been described to exist within the Plane of Earth.

For further information, I would encourage seeking out the Bestiary penned by Spellsong Firefeather, or perhaps the memoirs of the Archmages who resolved the Tenebrous Crisis.

[Transcribers notes: This text was the third draft created by Sylar Spellsight six months following his establishment of the first Nimbrian Academy of Essence Studies, as part of a series of primers on the Elemental and Transcendental Planes. A grocery list is written on the back of this sheet, repurposed by Sylar Spellsight three years after its creation.]