“Spherits…” I uttered in realization.
“Correct. It’s only natural a Spherit Folk would be able to tell,” Air said.
The countless dots sparkling like stars in what looked like outer space were in fact Spherits, going back and forth between the core and the world’s surface. They broke down the souls of the dead and brought them here, where they were further broken down into Air that fed back into the world.
This was the natural law of this world, and this place was what enabled this function. It was a truly strange place, where everything started and ended.
“Let’s get started, then,” Air said, announcing the training was about to begin.
“Okay!” I said.
“Oh, I’m getting excited! Train me however you will!” Lord Revireus looked absolutely pumped up.
“Good.” Air nodded, pleased with our willingness. “I’ll give each of you a task. I’ll come check on you when it becomes evening on the surface, so work on it until then. Holy Woman, you first.”
“All right!”
I can’t just sit still while I’m here!
I placed the slime on my shoulder and approached Air.
“Your control of your power is based on how well you can recognize the Stella’s power inside you,” he explained. “At the moment, you have no grasp of how powerful or large the Stella is.”
“Erm… Grasp it… Okay. But how can I…?” I asked.
“Place your hand over the stone on your forehead, where the Stella is contained, and try to sense it. A human or demi-human wouldn’t be capable of it, but Spherit Folk can wield the Spherits’ power. With this, you’ll learn how to control the Stella in the process of manipulating the Spherits. If you learn how to control the Spherits here in the divine realm, you’ll be able to use the Spherits’ powers to effectively disperse the Stella, blocking its effects on the minds of others. The Stella and the Spherits are all a part of me, and the Spherit Folk are a race with the inborn capacity to slightly control the Stella, which was born from me. This is why when your Spherit Stones evolve, they become Stones of Daybreak that can grant any wish.”
“So that’s why…”
A species with the power to manipulate god’s power… I guess I was born into an absurdly powerful race. That’s now extinct…
“Wield the power of the Spherits as if it was your own. The Spherit Folk have that authority. But of course, if you aspire for more than that, you’ll have to accept appropriate responsibilities,” he informed me.
“What do you mean, wish for more than that?” I asked.
“I mean considering deification. If you deify through using my power, you’ll become my minion. You wouldn’t have the same freedom those who deify on their own enjoy. You’d be forced to obey me without question.”
“What?! Ew!”
So this means that if I deify, I’ll definitely become Air’s minion! Not that I want to become a god…
“Revireus, you come with me,” Air said, turning to him and ignoring the shocking truth he left with me. “I’ll need to test your current strength for now.”
“You got it!”
“Holy Woman, you practice sensing your power here,” Air said to me. “It’s not an easy task.”
“All right!”
I would be training in my own way, while Lord Revireus would be undertaking martial training under Air. The slime was sitting on my shoulder, and for some reason, other slimes inhabiting the divine realm started gathering around me.
Whoa, there are so many slimes like this one here. But they’re all smaller than the one Air brought me… Maybe my slime is considered big among its fellow slimes?
But then I realized I was being distracted by the slimes and forgot why I came. I needed to train and learn how to control the Stella!
Air said I should learn how to sense the Stella within me, right? And to do that, I need to learn how to sense and use the power of the Spherits first.
Sensing the Spherits wasn’t at all difficult for me, though. I was used to taking in Air from the atmosphere to replenish my mana, and that enabled me to sense the elements of the Air that were similar to me. It’s said that Spherit Folk incorporated the Spherits into their bodies, so if I sensed something similar to me in the Air, it had to have been the Spherits.
“Whoa.”
As I focused, I could see tiny, thread-like red lights all around me. Those were Spherits.
“Wow…”
The space-like night sky that spanned above me undulated with red and white lights. Was it reacting to my mana?
“Spherits, please lend me your power.” I brought my hands together in prayer. “I wish to sense the Stella residing in my Spherit Stone. Please, give me your aid.”
The red lights started coiling around me. It didn’t feel unpleasant, but rather like the red, faint lights were moving to protect me. It felt warm and encouraging.
As that happened, I was able to grasp a stronger image of the Stella residing in the stone in my forehead.
It’s so…big. Or rather, intense. It’s nothing like what I imagined.
It was truly a powerful force, much too dangerous for mere humans to wield. But it was fine-tuned to be used by one person, a woman.
A power for Lady Akari’s use alone.
And since I’d accepted it, it was beginning to change its nature to take the form of a power suited for me.
So that’s why it’s getting stronger. This power was originally meant for Akari, but it’s adapting itself so I can better tap into it. That’s why I can use more advanced levels of it. It’s developing for me, even now!
I groaned. I could understand this much, but I still wasn’t able to grasp its full image. I could tell it was a great, powerful white force, but that was all. It was as complex as a maze, too inescapable and difficult for the mortal mind to grasp. It was nothing like ordinary Air—
It’s probably divine power.
I learned to sense its presence, but its sheer size and span left me lost and confused.
This is definitely going to take a while…
As I continued trying to focus, without much success, Air showed up and told me, much to my surprise, that it was evening time. Time really did go by before I knew it…