Upper Physical Domain
Ellie meticulously rehearsed the words she intended to convey to her mother, "Marcy", as they ascended the mountain toward her cave.
Meanwhile, Al was ensnared in contemplation, his mind a labyrinth of thoughts. Cesar, on the other hand, strolled in close proximity to Jin, their conversation revolving around the fragments of knowledge they possessed on cultivating Will.
Nearly two months had elapsed since their departure, and now the five had returned, their steps leading them once more to the cavern of Marcy.
Within the cave's depths, they discovered Marcy exactly where they had left her, seemingly untouched by the passage of time. As if roused from a serene slumber, Marcy's eyes slowly opened, an air of unhurried tranquility enveloping her. "Back so soon?" she remarked, her voice a steady stream of calm.
Addressing her mother, Ellie's nerves entwined with her words, rendering her voice hesitant.
Her mother, who once felt familiar, now appeared an enigma. "Um, Mom, there's something I've been, I mean we've been pondering… collectively," Ellie spoke, her uncertainty palpable. "We were wondering if you might help us enter the Mental Domain as fast as possible. If there's a way."
Marcy's expression flickered with a mild surprise, a ghost of a smile gracing her lips. "Perhaps. However, truth be told, you don't need a teacher, but rather a place where you can cultivate in peace. Cultivators always take for granted how important a cave is to us," Marcy replied.
She motioned for the group to trail after her and explained. "The teachings are universal and simple, so you will learn that no teacher is necessary."
With purposeful steps, Marcy led them beyond the confines of the cave. Night's embrace enveloped them, yet the cave's interior offered a gentle luminance.
She turned to the five of them. "Dig yourselves a cave, just big enough for you to fit, directly below mine. When you're done, come and get me."
For about a week, the five of them dug with their bare hands, using Agnethes Titan's Will to move large stones. Jin's lightning helped loosen stones from the mountain. Al used his twisted knife and Cesar his spear as picks while Ellie did what she could, moving dirt with her hands.
Eventually, they finished, with dirt covering their robes and bloody hands. They went to get Marcy, who was very pleased with their work. She led them to her library and handed each of them a book.
Then, she pulled out three light stones from her robe, which illuminated brightly, and gave them to Ellie, Cesar, and Jin.
"Simply overflow your A.R.C. with your Will, and it will start to fill your body. When it's half full, you'll experience a body refinement, and that's how you'll know you've entered the upper trigram of the Physical Domain." Marcy explained, smiling.
She added, "Alright then, see you all in about 15 years. That's probably how long it will take the most talented among you to reach the upper Physical Domain."
With that, Marcy walked back to her stone platform. The five of them stared at their books, then at each other, somewhat confused.
However, Cesar broke the silence by running out of the cave shouting, "Hahaha, I'm going to be the first to enter the Mental Domain!" The rest followed him, sharing the determination of their captain.
In a matter of moments, Al had bid farewell to Agnethe and found himself enveloped in the solitude of his own cave. Unlike cultivators who's Will was deeply rooted in the energy plane, those on the material plane possessed the uncanny ability to see in the darkest of shadows.
Al settled into the embrace of his cave, as Marcy had instructed, and to his astonishment, the pages of the book before him where empty the book was blank.
"Nice! Why give us a book at all?" Al mused placing the book to the side. After several hours, he had slipped into a meditative state, his focus homing in on his breath, and he began to explore the contours of his A.R.C. (Autonomous Revolution Converter).
His Stubborn Will began to swell within him, and he immersed himself deeper into the sensation. Gradually, he lost himself in the ebb and flow of his memories, his mind drifting back to his childhood school days.
In his reverie, he recalled his closest friend, Mark, and the endless misadventures they had shared, often borne from Al's inherently mischievous nature. However, before Al realized it, he had succumbed to daydreaming, and the swelling within his A.R.C. seemed to evaporate like mist in the morning sun.
"Mhhhh, I need to find a way to navigate past these wandering thoughts," Al pondered, his gaze shifting to the empty pages of the book. He closed his eyes once more, seeking to flood his A.R.C.
Unfortunately, similar thoughts resurfaced, as if etched into his consciousness. Al opened his eyes, a flicker of annoyance tainting his resolve. It appeared that any progress he made was swiftly slipping through his grasp.
"What if..." Al whispered to himself, seizing the empty book and turning to the first page.
Using the canvas of his mind, Al envisioned transcribing the very thoughts that danced through his consciousness. Initially, aligning his mental imagery with thoughts inherently intertwined with visuals posed a challenge.
Yet, within the confines of the cave, time became his ally, and his thoughts the ink he pressed on the pages. He infused the empty leaves with his imaginary musings, flipping through the book's expanse until his journey led him to the final page.
A wave of old ache surged within him, a dormant pain that he had believed to be reconciled long ago. Closing the book, even though the pages retained their emptiness, he sensed they had been filled with a weighty ink, as if bearing the indelible traces of his emotions.
Al found himself unburdened by awareness of time's passage within the enveloping darkness. Time's hold seemed non-existent, its meaning eluding him.
Once more, he embarked on the task of overflowing his A.R.C. And this time, his thoughts remained aloof, a distant stream untainted by the waters of his meditation. As his A.R.C. swelled, he intently fixated on the sensation, until a subtle internal pop resonated within him, audible only to his own perception.
"Ohh, so this is why," Al mused, recognizing the purpose behind the endeavor. As his Stubborn Will surged forth, it cascaded into an expanse akin to an infinite well, a receptacle for his overflow that seemed like an endless expanse.
Time drifted by, an unfamiliar current, as Al held steadfast to his focus. His concentration intertwined with his rhythmic breath, the two becoming an inseparable dance.
Every rogue thought or disturbance disrupted the stream of his A.R.C., prompting him to begin anew. Fortuitously, the Stubborn Will that had overflowed into his physical being remained intact, securely nestled within the confines of his consciousness.
However, despite his best efforts, Al continued to fill the empty book Marcy had bestowed upon him with thoughts that intruded his progress born from his mind.
As time unfolded, Al's beard and mustache slowly grew, it was the only reminder of the passing of time. In this state, Al was like a statue, existing solely on the breath of life, needing neither food nor water.
Al's thoughts, once concrete, began to ascend into the realms of the abstract, and soon, they no longer intruded on colored his mind certain colors.
His Stubborn Will, flowed like a relentless cascading waterfall, however it approached a bottleneck. Yet, his Stubborn Will persisted surging forward, as if heedless of the impending obstruction. Time had become an elusive concept, slipping through his grasp as he wrestled with the bottleneck.
Then, a peculiar sound disrupted the silence. "Gulp." Al's body produced an unusual noise, akin to an air bubble bursting in water. He found himself drenched in a strange, oily watery substance that enveloped him like a shimmering film.
Al reached up to touch his now-lengthy beard, his fingers caressing the unruly growth. "Well, it seems like a good time to see how everyone else is doing," Al remarked, standing and venturing outside of his cave.
The sun's rays, once familiar, now pierced his vision, causing him to squint. As he scanned the surroundings, he realized he stood alone, momentarily debating whether to approach Agnethe's cave.
"I shouldn't interrupt them if they haven't finished yet," Al decided, recollecting the arduous journey it had taken him to surmount the bottleneck.
Instead of heading towards Agnethe's cave, Al made a deliberate turn and walked toward the nearby beach, the solitude around him like a tranquil cocoon. "Am I the first one to emerge?" Al wondered as he strode onward, eventually reaching the sandy expanse.
With a decision settled in his mind, he waded into the water, a cleansing baptism to rid himself of the oily film that clung to his body. The noonday sun blazed above, casting its brilliance upon the world.
Turning his gaze downward, Al's reflection greeted him, and he emitted a shocked cry. "How long was I in there?" he pondered, his eyes narrowing at the reflection that stared back. His face had aged, bearing a maturity he hadn't recognized before.
A long beard and mustache adorned his features, transforming him into a figure resembling his father, albeit slightly darker and with facial hair cascading down.
A thought ignited within him, and he reached for his knife, meticulously shaving away the newfound growth. Following this act of grooming, he swam back to the shore.
As the sun's warmth embraced him, Al embarked on his journey back to the mountain, his steps carrying him toward Marcy's cave. With caution and a sense of anticipation, he ventured into the cavern's depths, his senses attuned to the unexpected.
What Al discovered within Marcy's cave left him profoundly astounded.
Cesar sat alongside Marcy on her elevated platform as she offered him instructions. "You're the last one in your Phantom Seed to enter the upper Physical Domain, even though your girlfriend, Agnethe, beat you to it," she casually remarked.
"Still, 14 years to reach the upper trigram of the Physical Domain is impressive," Marcy added, causing Al to nearly choke on the shock that coursed through him. "I figured at most 5 years had passed... 14..." Al thought, his mind racing to comprehend the time that had elapsed.
Marcy continued; her tone unyielding. "I figure your phantom seed has absorbed incredible amounts of spiritual mist. So, stepping into the Mental Domain should take you another 14 years."
Desperation clawed at Al, and he suddenly dropped to his knees, his plea earnest. "Please, Miss Marcy, you're an Immortal. I don't have 14 more years to spare, and my friend might already be dead. We came to you for help in the first place because of her. You have the power to free her; please don't let this all be in vain."
Marcy regarded Al, a brief pause hanging in the air before she cleared her throat, breaking the awkwardness. "You underestimate the Church and overestimate me. Even if all of you enter the Mental Domain, the chances of attempting to break into the prison of Mt. Kali are impossible," she stated, her resolve unwavering.
Al, disheartened but not defeated, turned to Cesar and her, pointing a finger at Cesar. "Don't go changing on me, Captain!" he shouted, though Cesar remained in a state of deep meditation. Al left Marcy's cave and descended towards the caverns below, his thoughts consumed by the weight of the revelation.
A sudden thought tugged at Al's heart, causing him to reconsider his previous resolve of not disturbing his friends. He altered his path, now veering towards her cave. It had been years, virtually a lifetime, since he had last laid eyes on her.
Silently, he stepped into his girlfriend's cavern, where he found her in a state of meditation. Her blonde hair had grown to reach her feet, lending her an air of heightened maturity, her beauty now adorned with a refined grace.
"What do you need, Al?" she voiced, her eyes remaining sealed shut. Her words made him briefly consider slipping away unnoticed, but he summoned his courage and confessed, "I miss you," his voice a soft whisper that lingered in the air.
Agnethe's response didn't come immediately. After a pregnant pause, she opened her eyes, her gaze meeting his. "When I embarked on this journey, my mind was inundated with memories of my family and plagued by fears. Yet, after letting go of them, your presence endured. It wasn't until I let go of that attachment that I was able to attain my breakthrough," she explained.
Drawing closer, she stood before Al, her hand brushing against his cheek, her tears a testament to the emotions that stirred within her. "I'm sorry, Al," she whispered, her voice a fragile note. Turning away, she resumed her meditation.
Al recognized the unspoken truth—a farewell—lingering in her words. He left Agnethe's cave, his steps carrying him toward his own sanctuary. A whirlwind of thoughts churned within him, and suddenly, his cave, with its tranquil solitude, felt like a comforting haven.
Soon after, his gaze fell Ellie who was exiting her own cave. Her movements were odd, she began to scale a nearby tree, eventually settling atop a branch, her face turned towards the sun's brilliance.
Intrigued, Al followed her, his steps quiet and deliberate, until he stood beneath the tree, his gaze fixed upon Ellie as she stared unflinchingly at the sun.