The chamber was basked in soft violet moonlight that appeared to come from an endless distance, the faint gray fog following the curved patterns of the walls.
Kaelyn soundlessly stepped to one of the books that floated like stars as her multicolored eyes gazed at the inscriptions in the walls.
Even though she didn't know the language, she still understood what it meant.
"Savers of life, even when we face death."
She stopped staring at the walls as she cast her gaze down at the floating book. It had no name on it, but she subconsciously knew what it was.
She grabbed it and turned towards Astra, who was watching silently the entire time.
Kaelyn's apathetic voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"I heard about how you failed the ritual that was supposed to make you a Celestial of the Second Dimension."
Astra didn't say a word, she only nodded as she stayed seated on the air—turning toward Kaelyn like she was in a rotating chair.
"Since you're going to try the ritual again, it's best you know some of the fundamental basics of Ethereon." Kaelyn continued as she opened up the book and flipped through its pages.
As her eyes stared down at it, she asked: "What do you know about Ethereon?"
Astra breathed a little deeper as she answered Kaelyn's question.
"I know that it is the boundless and infinite energy source that permeates through all of the dimensions, and throughout the entire universe."
"It is a supernatural source, and can be used in many different ways and applications depending on the user through refinement. This is because its usage and understanding depends on the level of self-awareness the user has."
"It is used to power society, but it can also be manipulated on an individual level through a ritual, giving beings great power…" Astra said, but she was interrupted by Kaelyn's words.
"And great power corrupts greatly." Kaelyn said, her voice stoic.
Astra didn't react to this interruption. She only listened attentively as she noticed the mood's subtle shift.
"That is the reason why it is so important to have self-awareness using Ethereon." Kaelyn stared emotionlessly at the book as the tone of her voice never changed.
"When beings come into contact with great power, they lose part of themselves."
Kaelyn paused for a second, and then continued.
"When those who don't have a proper understanding of who they are come into contact with the unknown and the ethereal, the unknown will be all they understand, consuming them."
"No matter what, dealing with something great is bound to change fundamental aspects of who you are as a human. It is unavoidable."
"The most important thing to understand about this source is that it is the very thing that makes you understand why you're human."
As Kaelyn's soft voice battered the inside of Astra's ears, she couldn't help but feel a sense of isolation.
It was the type where one stood alone as they watched the others enjoy their own company—something that was foreign to the isolated one.
Kaelyn closed the book as she examined the outside of the normal-looking book.
"This was written by the Emperor of the Dravaran Kingdom in the Transitional Eon, Seridan Von Theron."
"A wise and powerful man beyond his years, almost forgotten by history."
Seeing through Kaelyn's reasoning for mentioning this, Astra's eyes widened slightly as she almost anxiously asked:
"What happened with him?"
Kaelyn sighed.
"He was corrupted, falling victim to the same consequences he once warned others of."
Astra's eyes twitched as she immediately followed up with another question.
"Is this something you guys normally say to new Dreamers? Or is this specific to me?"
Kaelyn stopped looking at the book as she locked eyes with Astra.
"It's a bit of both. It is protocol to inform Dreamers who fail a ritual the consequences of not understanding yourself."
Astra gave a dry chuckle as she shrugged.
"It's as I suspected…James most likely informed her of what I said to him when the ritual failed." Inwardly, her thoughts were confirmed.
Nodding, Kaelyn then placed the book back in the air as it drifted off near the walls—being absorbed by the dreamy and ambient landscape.
She approached a floating platform that held a book, and then opened it. It was like she already knew that this book was the one she was looking for, despite there being dozens upon dozens of books inside the chamber.
"Before we begin the stages of the physical training," Flipping through the pages once more, Kaelyn spoke. "Let's go through some fundamentals of Ethereon application."
Without waiting for Astra, she continued as she stopped flipping the pages of the book.
"What do you know about the connection between Ethereon and the six dimensions?"
Astra didn't hesitate to answer, saying, "Ethereon is the infinite energy source that powers and permeates through the six dimensions."
"As for its applications on the Celestial level," She elaborated, making sure to stay on topic. "Celestials are able to use the powers of their respective dimension through how they choose to manipulate Ethereon. This causes distinctions in the applications of how the Celestial wants to use the powers of their dimension."
Kaelyn nodded, immediately asking a follow up question.
"Do you know what that means?"
Astra placed her hand on her chin for a second as she figured out the answer.
"It means that it's possible to use Ethereon without being a Celestial of a specific dimension?"
Kaelyn smiled as she looked up at Astra.
"As I expected, you already knew the answer."
"But yes, you are correct. It is possible to use Ethereon like that. Likewise, it is also possible to be a Celestial of a specific dimension and apply Ethereon without using that dimension."
"For the former, it is extremely hard to do so. Your body has to become ethereal, and there is no known way of doing that aside from rituals that connect you to a specific dimension. Of course, there are exceptions. Such as connections to mysterious Gods, or Westorian potions…but no one outside of that continent knows how they work."
"For the latter, those situations are only really used for activating rituals and holding or using Ethereal artifacts. Maybe you can use it for combat or whatever you want—that is up to you as a manipulator of Ethereon." Kaelyn informed.
"But using it that way is much harder than using the connection you have with your dimension, no?" Astra asked, her hand still on her chin.
"Yes. It drains your Ethereon a lot more and is a lot harder to control." Kaelyn elaborated. "Which is why using it in that way is only best for small tasks."
"Drains your Ethereon?" Astra questioned inwardly. "Even though it's an infinite energy source…interesting. I'm assuming that she means that the more you use Ethereon, the less control you have to tap into it."
"It's like using a probe to extract energy from a star. But instead of the star losing energy, the probe itself gradually degrades the more it draws from the stellar object."
"Also." Kaelyn's eyes widened slightly as she had a sudden realization. "A big mistake is using Ethereon manipulation to imitate the powers of other dimensions. Unless you've done a ritual or are using an Ethereal Artifact, doing so is incredibly dangerous and can result in a mutation."
Astra nodded as she 'rotated' herself, like she was on an invisible platform.
Inwardly, she thought:
"This is a little strange to me. If the dimensions are facets of reality, then why are you able to use supernatural powers that are outside the control of the dimension? Shouldn't your Ethereon manipulation still fall under a certain facet of reality—the dimensions?"
Immediately, her mind thought of a reasonable answer.
"No, that's a wrong way of thinking. You are only able to apply the powers of a dimension through Ethereon—not the other way around."
"In other words, through Ethereon manipulation, you are able to apply the powers of a dimension. And since you already have made an ethereal connection with a certain dimension, you are able to use the powers of that dimension. This also means that, in a way, you become one with the dimension…"
"This also explains why using other dimensions can make you mutate. It appears to violate the Law of Self-Awareness…" Using her naming sense as a scientist, she came up with a rule to describe a vital aspect of Ethereon.
"In any case," Kaelyn continued from her previous words. "When you retake the ritual and become a Celestial, you will get to apply all this information practically."
"In doing so, you will learn the different types of rituals and how to activate them—with or without a dimension. Some require certain ancient languages, so you'll also learn those. On that, you will also learn how some artifacts interact with certain dimensions, and how to use them effectively. Then, you will also learn about preventing a mutation for yourself and for others." Like a teacher explaining a syllabus, Kaelyn began to list off the information she plans on informing Astra about.
Astra didn't mind—in fact she had a quiet longing for an experience like this.
Continuing, she said, "All of this information will help you be more familiar with Ethereon, and by extension, help you be more familiar with who you are as a person."
After a few seconds had passed, Kaelyn broke the ambient silence with the closing of the book on the platform.
"Okay, now that the basic information has been laid out, it is time for you to be trained physically."
"That sounds quite cryptic, doesn't it?" Astra asked.
"That's because it is." Kaelyn replied immediately. No emotion was present in her voice.
"It was intentional." She continued, matter-of-factly.
Astra didn't respond. She just continued to curiously look at Kaelyn.
"Celestials have a superhuman body and superhuman senses." Kaelyn didn't waste any time as she paced herself around the chamber, the flickering lights of the inscribed languages echoing her movements. "And as such, a lot of conventional and natural methods are ineffective against Celestials. This applies even to Awakeneds."
"This is exactly why Rogue Celestials—or Rogues, are so dangerous. They are even more dangerous outside of the cities, which is why there won't be that many missions assigned to us that deals with the outside."
"Now, even though you're not a Celestial," Kaelyn stopped as she gazed at Astra. Astra made sure not to show any cracks in her composure. "Your body is still superhuman; it's on par with that of an Ember."
"So, we will go through the same training—the same physical tests—that an Awakened Celestial will go through. It will train your physical as well as your mental aptitudes."
Kaelyn shook her head as Astra saw her lips curled up in a way she hadn't seen from her before.
"No. Your training will be even harder than that of an usual Awakened."
Keeping the strange smile, Kaelyn continued as Astra narrowed her eyes, sensing the mood change. Even she was surprised at the speed of how quick it was.
"It's time to begin."
"Good luck."
Kaelyn's voice faded almost instantly as darkness enveloped around Astra.