207: Concealed Discovery

Concealed Discovery

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Upon hearing this question, both Glaive and Geneva looked at Apollo silently. Even though most people held this same question, rarely did they voice it. After all, this was a sort of taboo topic for one simple reason. 

"Theoretically, no. However, it is also looked down upon as the ultimate shame," Glaive after giving the matter some thought. As he recalled, Apollo didn't come from a higher family, so there was no way he was privy to certain matters that shouldn't be addressed. Nevertheless, since this was a space to learn, Glaive didn't mind answering the question to the best of his abilities.

"For what reason?" Apollo pressed on. Now that he found out there was a stigma surrounding this topic, he became all the more curious to find out more about it. He couldn't just leave his curiosity partially satisfied. 

"Well, in order to accept a new Spirit, especially if you have yet to attain the Soul Emperor Realm, which some also deem the Spirit Emperor Realm, you'll have to sever the ties with your old Spirit," Glaived answered.

In return, Apollo pondered for a moment before asking a follow-up question, "What's so bad about that? At that point, shouldn't the cultivator have made use of all his Spirit's usefulness?"

"Well, yes. But, you must remember, once under contract, your Spirit is an extremely loyal being. And, the drawback of severing the contract is immense. You can't forget you are bounded by the soul. Thus, should you do this act, you'll virtually destroy a part of a Spirit's soul. That's something that doesn't rejuvenate," Glaive responded.

He then added, "If the Spirits of the various worlds catch wind of your discarding acts, they'll all refrain from forming contracts with you. At that point, you'll lose your viability as a Spirit user. While you can still advance in cultivation, you'll always be at a disadvantage."

Similar to Apollo, other students were shocked by this information as well. However, Apollo's curiosity ran deeper. Something was gnawing at him and it had a lot to do with Azridan.

'If Spirit's are unable to heal their Souls, then how can Azridan do it? There has to be more to it. Even though Salem pales in comparison to Fuhrer, when I fought him, I'm sure his body is on par with the Ifrits. It's just partially sealed. In other words, the Spirits should be on par with the Demons. Yet, they can't perform that act? Rather than that being true, I think Spirits hide some of their ability,' Apollo mused.

Meanwhile, Glaive saw his expression and proceeded to reveal even more information, "Be that as it may, I must also let you know that the stronger a Spirit becomes the harder it is to sever the contract. This is due to the fact that as they grow stronger, the bond of your souls solidify and it becomes hard to distinguish the difference between the two. In short, you guys continue to become one."

"What about Heroic Spirits?" Apollo questioned. Back at the selection trial, he recalled someone mentioning something about a Heroic Spirit. Apparently, this was a Spirit that had undergone an awakening. If so, then the Spirit shouldn't be the only one to benefit.

"What exactly are you asking, young one? There is a lot of information pertaining to Heroic Spirits. You have  to be a tad more specific if you seek an answer," Glaive responded. On the other hand, Geneva rested her hand on her hip with a faint smile.

'I see why Irauk likes him. He's curious and also asks the right question. Typically, a freshman wouldn't inquire about a Heroic Spirit. Unlike a regular spirit, it can only be  born through a single process,' Geneva inwardly praised.

"Then let me change my question. Heroic Spirits, how exactly are they contracted? I've heard that they rarely appear," Apollo questioned once more.

"Ah, that. Well, first let me tell you more about the Spirits. Like I said earlier, Emilia is a low-class Spirit. Before reaching the Heroic level, there are two more barriers to surpass, the middle-class and high-class category. What happens here isn't the propulsion of ability but rather the increase in the purity of the Soul Force.

"Once the purity has crossed a certain boundary, the Spirit can then weaponize their Soul Force to enter their Heroic State. Also, this is the only way the world will allow a Heroic Spirit to be born. It had been tested, Heroic Spirits from their world are disallowed from crossing over to Astarat. Before doing so, they had to forcefully revert to a high-class Spirit," Glaive revealed.

"Then, does that mean the Heroic Awakening is weaker here than in their world?" Apollo questioned. By now, he was fascinated with the information Glaive presented. After all, this was the first time he learned of this. Not to mention, he also wondered if these restrictions fell upon the demons he needed to contract.

Unbeknownst to him, a demon had never been contracted before. Thus, this was an untouched topic that only he would be able to shed light upon. There were no outside sources for him to refer to. His situation was both unique and a novelty.

"Partially but not truly. A portion of their strength is simply sealed away. If they were to leave Astarat, it'd be released and they would return to their original potential. However, the reverse seems to be something taxing for the world to perform. After restricting a number of Heroic Spirit and a Legendary Spirit, the world is rather weak so to speak," Glaive responded with a heavy expression. It was clear that the invasion had something to do with the weakened state of Astarat.

It appeared the damage caused by the Terrors ran deeper than normal people were aware of. Vital areas of Astarat suffered some damage than they've been trying to repair for eons. But, their own ways to combat the threat also damaged the planet as well.

To summarize, utilizing Spirits was a double-edged sword. Since it was a lower world, the threshold of power containment was minuscule at best. In fact, even the world's guardian, the Empyrean Dragon didn't reside on Astarat. It was merely a projection circled above Pangea Island. 

His true body existed just outside the spiritual barrier of Astarat. As he maintained a certain distance, he posed no threat to Astarat's defensive ability. But, that also meant how much he could intervene was limited.

"So Normal, Heroic and Legendary; these are the classification of Spirits? And, going by the way you phrased your words, I'm guessing there is, or maybe even was, just a single Legendary Spirit. What would happen if another Legendary Spirit was to be born?" Apollo leaned forward, resting his chin on the back of his palms.

"The omen would then befall us. But, that's enough about Spirits. What's important now is that you elevate to the middle of the Spirit Apprentice Realm. Your Soul Temple must be stable enough to withstand the backlash of containing a Spirit's Soul Force. Typically, a Level 8 Spirit Apprentice would suffice," Glaive informed. 

Without pause, he began to stride around the room. He instructed every student to engage in the soul forging practice learned during the last session. Once they all did so, he inspected them for certain signs.

Then, he appeared next to Geneva, "A few of them already show signs of the type of Spirit they'll contact. However, that boy Apollo, he isn't showing anything. What does this mean? Is he unable to communicate with the various Spirit worlds? Or, could it mean his Temple conceals all activity?"

"No, you're incorrect. I can sense his flucuatiion and they're very violent. In fact, they're so violent, they're elusive. That's why you can't sense them. What he is doing is touching upon a different fundamental boundary," Geneva stated while folding her arms in thought.

"If that's true, then what boundary is he touching upon?" Glaive asked. The more he inspected Apollo, the more he found his understanding to be lacking. This led him to believe that there was a possibility Apollo could contract a special spirit.

"I believe his element is inherently mixed into his mind. In other words, the type of spirits this boy can interact with is predetermined. Furthermore, I think it matches his body. Regardless of mind or body, he is emitting the same fluctuations," Geneva muttered. However, she concealed her voice so only Glaive could hear.

"Wait, Headmaster, are you saying?" Glaive's eyes widened in shock.

"Correct, I think this boy's body has attained innate harmony. Although it isn't on the level of the fabled practice, he'll advance with virtually no bottlenecks. That is, if he practices the right methods. Should he venture outside of his strong suit, he'll experience issues. That is both his strength and weakness," Geneva nodded in admittance.

In response, Glaive fell silent. If it was true that he reached innate harmony, then that meant both sets of his meridians melded as one. But, according to the writings, that was a painful process that has appeared since the progenitors first established this practice.

"It's like this youth was born to follow a paved path. The question is, is that what he really wants?" Geneva muttered to herself while making a decision. 'He'll first attend that place.'

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