The Erratum-Chapter 45: Flourish

Cetas sat down behind Jones, watching him cleanse the vegetables in a barrel for about 10 minutes or so.

The storm raged on, pouring down striking droplets that bounced off the wind veil covering the Cetas and the others.

Despite that, Cetas felt eager to learn more about being a Zealot. A few moments from now, he would unlock his first Flourish and choose between the three Origin Zeals.

After Jones had finished his task, he dried his hands and made his way towards Cetas.

Cetas stood up and faced him, his eyes brimming with a sparkle as an unknown feeling emerged from within his heart.

Was it anticipation? Nervousness? Anxiety?

It was neither.

Rather, what Cetas felt was.. excitement.

"Come, Cetas. This is not a proper place to unlock your first Flourish. Let us head to the wagon, perhaps the fewer distractions, the better the experience would be for you."

So, the two of them headed towards the wagon, taking only half a minute to traverse through the wet grass beneath.

Along the way, Jones already talked to educate Cetas on the fundamentals of Flourish.

"As Zealots, the determinant for our strength lies between two aspects: Zeal Level and Flourish."

Already familiar with the former, Cetas focused on his ears to listen more attentively.

"As you may have already known, Zeal Level pertains to a specific threshold that a Zealot has already attained. They are grouped by what we call as Stratas, wherein, each specific Zeal Level corresponds to an according Strata."

"Zeal Levels can be divided into: Spark, Seeker, Bringer, Spire, Sage, Paragon, Empyrean, and Consecrated One. Each growing stronger and possessing attributes that can: manipulate the world, grow beyond human limits, or perceive horrors that transcend the Physical Realm..

"Either way, it is solely based on the Zealot’s path that they tread upon. The possibilities are quite endless in the world of Zeal, it is all down to creativity and fate."

Reaching the wagon and heading inside, Cetas took a seat on one of the edges. Curious about Jones’ last word, he asked:

"Fate?"

Jones nodded, "Indeed. Fate is what controls our very lives, paves the paths of our destiny, and weaves the strings of reality."

"Furthermore, the existence of Verdisis - the God of Fate - does not control the tapestry of the world. Well, upon further introspection, there are two aspects to Fate that were taught to my brethren in Reverie."

"The controllable kind and the natural kind.."

Questions arose in Cetas’ mind.

Verdisis? Reverie?

Thinking deeper in his mind, the blessing of the Historian activated and made him familiarize with these terms.

Verdisis is the God that presides over the continent of Verdigian. They are revered as the Deity of Time, Controller of Reality. It is said that prayers to Verdisis are always heard as Verdisis always untangles the strings of fate and weaves it to serve their loyal followers.

However, it is all but a belief created by the people of Verdigian, though..

Whether Verdisis truly controls Fate or not, it is all ultimately religion.

Even the Helios Church exaggerates a lot of myths about the God of Power!

Perhaps the Gods of the world were but mere idols that people believe in to give themselves comfort.

No one knew for sure.

Moving on, Reverie is the continent west of Helios, separated only by the Sunset Sea.

Most of Reverie was made out of deserts and sands, only a few regions are abundant in greenery.

Hence, the culture of Reverie seemed very different from the other continents. Well, most of the cultures from other continents but the ones in Reverie were widely regarded as drastic.

Moreover, the God that the people from Reverie worshipped is the God of Dreams, resembling the sands and vast history of the continent.

Jones was from a place as such. Cetas didn’t know how he came across Skadi and the others but he suspected that they met on a chance encounter.

Nevertheless, Cetas let Jones continue upon his words.

"The controllable type of Fate, as per the words of my brethren, is the Fate that we encounter in our daily lives."

"From eating simple food, traversing through the cities, and even choosing to walk rather than run, all of these can be controlled by those that possess an attunement to Fate. In the myths of old, we were told that the God of Fate can control an individual’s course in life, however, of course, they could never take control of the world’s natural Fate."

"Natural Fate pertains to the concepts that we living beings have no strength to stop.. Death, Seasons, Life, Karma, and the Natural Law of the world."

"Symbolically, one may perceive controllable Fate as strings that can be intertwined and pieced together to form a tapestry. Whereas, natural Fate is akin to the sands of the desert, guided only by the winds and nature itself - nature being the world around us."

"Controllable Fate is the divine will of the Gods, while natural Fate is the will of the world itself."

Jones leaned forward, supporting his chin with his hands. His emerald-green eyes glimmered in the darkness caused by the stormy skies.

"Now, why is it necessary for you to know this? Well, I do believe that distinguishing Fate itself is important to being a Zealot. More importantly, Zeal itself is a kind of Natural Fate." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Cetas tilted his head to the side and asked, "So is it the will of the world that determines our path as Zealots?"

Shaking his head, Jones rejected Cetas’ query, "Not precisely, it is still the will of the Zealots that determines their own path. I’ve mentioned creativity and fate, did I not? Creativity lies within the mind of the Zealot while Fate controls the uniqueness of our Zeal.."

"What does that mean?" Cetas inquired.

"Well, I believe you are already knowledgeable about the existence of Unique Zeal, yes?"

Cetas nodded his head.

"That said, creativity lets us make the opportunities and opens the pathways to the existence of Unique Zeal. However, it is the will of the world - Natural Fate - that judges us if we are worthy of such.."

"So it is only by sheer luck do we unlock Unique Zeal?" Cetas queried.

Jones raised his eyebrows, answering in an indigenous tone, "You can perceive it that way yes, however, these words of mine aren’t grounded yet. They are but mere theories that the scholars of my culture had spread across Reverie. They are quite well-crafted though.."

Without any further questions, Jones grinned and continued.

"So, in unlocking your Flourish, it is best to be creative in choosing your Origin. If you seek to tread upon the path of an Elemental Zealot then choose accordingly. It is up to the will of the world to give you the best-suited element for you to wield."

Standing up, Jones leaned his hand on Cetas’ head, "Now.. to unlock your very first Origin Zeal, you must tap within the aspects of your Zeal. Close your eyes."

Cetas did so accordingly, slowly closing his eyes, turning the world pitch black.

Then, he heard Jones’ gentle voice.

"To tap within your inner Zeal, you must first gain focus and steady your breath to regulate your blood flow. Let loose, Cetas, you are quite tense."

Hearing this, Cetas relaxed and let his breathing become naturally regulated.

Performing deep breaths with long exhales made Cetas focus on the situation.

Then, Jones continued:

"In the earliest days of the Zealots, gaining one’s first Flourish can be considered, for the lack of a better word... easy.. It is after becoming a Seeker - Low-Level Acumen - that one struggles to seek their Flourish."

"Thankfully, your power hasn’t been tapped yet. Breathe in and let Zeal traverse through your body."

Confused by this, Cetas opened his eyes and asked, "But how?"

Immediately, Jones reprimanded him, "Ap! Close your eyes."

Cetas sealed his eyes, but was still curious, "How?"

Sighing Jones’ shoulders drooped down, "Cetas, your body is already naturally inclined to sensing your Zeal. Let go of your thoughts and be one with mind and nature."

Nodding Cetas, cleared his head and instinctively became connected to his mind.

His breathing became natural, his body firm but loose, and his blood flowing as clear as a river.

Then, Cetas felt as if he had returned to the depths, rocking his body due to its tremendous pressure.

He felt the wagon shake in an intense manner, almost making him lose control. As if the entire wagon had been sunken at sea, the cloth-covered roofs collapsed and fell towards Cetas.

Liquid engulfed his entire body, the onyx scales acting accordingly as it entered his very blood flow.

Then, he heard a gentle voice echo amidst the depths, "Focus, loosen your mind and body. Feel the Zeal encapsulate your entire being."

Cetas sank down the depths, the light around him turning darker and darker. Within a moment, everything in his surroundings were pitch black.

Nothingness penetrated the seas, leaving only Cetas in the middle of a lonely blackscape.

This.. is my soul..

Cetas heard a gentle whisper once more..

"Good, by now you must’ve entered your Soul. The place you’re currently in is the layer between your mind and Zeal. Think of it as a thin membrane covering the existence of your Zeal."

The whisper abruptly stopped, then.. it became faint, "Descend deeper into your Soul.."

Cetas didn’t let any thoughts run in his mind. He let go of his thinking and continued to sink down the lightless depths.

As if the whispers were but a mere faint breath, Cetas almost couldn’t hear what they said.

"You won’t see or sense anything.. Feel.."

Less than 5 seconds passed but Cetas felt that he had already descended for hours.

He sank down slowly as his arms and legs gave in to the treacherous depths.

The pressure brought upon by being underneath slowly lessened, Cetas’ body becoming lighter and lighter.

It almost felt as if his entire being had become.. fluid.

Perceiving nothing at all, the light in Cetas’ mind flickered.

This is it.. my Zeal..

A whisper resounded in his surroundings, so faint that it only echoed inside his mind.

"Once you feel it. Reach."

Reach?

"Cetas.. you must reach for your Zeal.. Take this to note, you are your Zeal. To reach for it, you must reach for yourself.."

Cetas’ senses went blank, letting only his Zeal be perceived.

To reach for my Zeal, I must reach for myself?

Utilizing his instincts, Cetas instilled a natural thought upon his brain.

I must.. reach for myself.

Suddenly, the world around Cetas seemed to flow slowly. The lightless depths gently trembled and made their way towards him.

His dark-blue hair flowed, turning left and right as the tides shifted uncontrollably.

Then, the liquid around Cetas stayed perfectly still as if time were stopped around him. Within two blinks, they convulsed and whirled around him.

Forming into a dark torpedo, the water around Cetas made its way towards him, turning illusory as they entered his body.

As if Zeal itself entered Cetas’ body, his body surged with great energy..

Beyond the plane where his Soul existed, Cetas garnered Zeal in order to reach himself.