Neophytes

"... That should be the 'Node Nectar' required to break through the boundaries of a mortal to become a 'Neophyte' and then a 'Nodesmith."

A Node Nectar? Neophyte... A starting stage? And Nodesmith is the next stage?

"I-I lost my memories when I woke up. Can you tell me about that?" I said to him as I faked my expression.

"Drop the act, brat. I know you didn't lose your memories... But it seems like you really don't know about Nodesmiths." There was a silence between the sentence as he seemed to assess me.

As expected of an old man who lived for possibly a millennium. He immediately knew I was faking it. Dante sighed in his head as he scratched his head.

"Let me explain it to you. Node Nectar is a nectar made from the Essence of several creatures in the depths of the world, such as the Abyssal Shrieker, Cryptic Drifter, Molten Veilspawn, Umbral Lurker, and many others. They are creatures corrupted by the Miasma released by 'Someone' in the Underground. The Node Nectar can also be made with Elemental Crystals, Moon dew, Catalyst herb, and some other materials by mixing them in a specific proportion and then finishing the process with the use of a Sap of the Naniyan Tree."

Someone? That too in the Core of the world..... It must be a powerhouse.

"Who is this someone that you mentioned present deep below the World?"

The old grandpa became silent for a few seconds and said with a sigh,

"A very long time ago, during the 'Epoch of the Celestial Accord,' the beginning of the world took place. This was the period where deities roamed the universe. In our world, there were also several deities like the Celestial Weaver, Radiant Guardian, The Timekeeper, Eartheshaper, Verdant Guardian, and many others. This was an explosive era where several world-ending battles took place."

"Several deities made their own kingdom and wanted to establish control over the other. As a result, many battles took place in this Era. The diety in the core of 'Celestia' is nothing but one of the deities who lost their kingdoms in war."

"According to the prophecy of the deity — 'The Great Illuminated Sage,' there would be a period where all the deities would regain the power they lost and wage war on the existing deities and begin the 'Era of Doom.'"

This! A battle between Gods! Era of the Celestial Accord... Era of doom. Scary...

Dante felt his scalp tingle. He couldn't help but ask,

"When would the Era of Doom start? It isn't in the near future, right? Also you mentioned that the dieties are going to wage war on the existing dieties...Since they are weakened, why wouldn't the dieties just attack them to finish them off? "

"..... Nobody knows for now when it would begin. It might be in the far future or it might be very close.....The answer to the second question something that even I don't know. "

Even he doesn't know when it would start and why didn't the dieties kill the Fallen dieties.....Man, where the hell did I get Transmigrated!! There's literally a chance of a war between deities! That too can happen anytime! My luck is really bad. Dante couldn't help but curse out in anger. After a few moments, he became silent as he thought to himself.

If I want to see my parents once again, I would have to take chances in this world... Becoming a Nodesmith? If that's what it requires, then so be it. I would become a Nodesmith. But I also need to be cautious in this strange world. This is not my previous world Earth where almost everyone was friendly. This is possibly a world full of schemes, politics, and tragedy.

As he thought to himself, the voice of the old man continued.

"Since you don't know what a Nodesmith is, let me tell you. Nodesmith is a person who has opened all the 'Nodes' in his body to overcome the boundaries of a human body and has full control of them. The journey of humans discovering nodes is both vast and mysterious."

"Legend has it that when the Heaven and the Earth mysteriously converged in the 'Convergence Epoch,' Humans came into existence. This was the period that happened a long time after the 'Era of the Celestial Accord.' In this period, Deities didn't roam the world anymore apart from the Fallen deities that were 'sleeping.' The deities that won the wars and grew in power now lived in their 'Divine Realm' with their kingdoms but they could still exert their influence on the World of Celestia."

"After a long period of time, Humans finally discovered the way to overcome their boundaries. That is to open their Nodes that were encrypted on them by Heaven. So they began to discover how to do it. After thousands of years, they stumbled on a mysterious structure."

"According to the Ancient Records, when humans were discovering how to open their nodes, they stumbled upon a ruin on the Continent— 'Umbra Dominion.' The ruins were later known as the 'Ruins of the Lost Ones.' The structure was shaped like a castle and was decaying and corroding. The walls on the Castles were mysterious symbols and inscriptions that finally allowed humanity to know how to open the nodes. It has been known that the method to open the Nodes in the the present time is different compared to the past. The reason had remained unknown until now as to why the method of opening Nodes changed."

"After opening the Nodes, a person becomes a Neophyte. A Neophyte is a person who has just opened his Nodes and is trying to control them."

"A Neophyte consists of 3 Stages. Someone on the 1st stage is called Embryonic Neophyte. In this stage, the Neophyte has recently unlocked their Nodes and is in the process of adapting to the newfound Essence— Vitralis Essence that originates from the 'Origin' and abilities. The color of the Vitralis Essence at this stage is silver."

"A Neophyte on the 2nd stage is known as Awakened Neophyte. At this point, they can harness and channel the Essence more consciously, utilizing it for various purposes. The color of Vitralis Essence changes to Azure blue at this stage."

"A Neophyte on the 3rd Stage is known as Evolving Neophyte. It represents a stage where the individual continues to refine and evolve their control over the opened Nodes. They explore advanced applications of their abilities, honing their skills and adapting to different situations. The color of the Vitralis Essence changes to Golden at this stage."

"... You don't have to worry about Nodesmiths. They are all very different. You will know if you can become one as well." The Old man explained everything with some pauses in between and said as he chuckled a little at the end.

Convergence Era, Neophyte, Umbra Dominion, Strange Castle, Deities...

I then took a whole minute trying to digest the vast information given by the Old man to me. Suddenly, he interrupted me,

"Oh, I forgot to mention one thing. As I have said before that Humans have nodes that are encrypted on them by Heaven. By doing this, They are going against the will of Nature and Heaven. As a result, There are strange occurrences when someone rises in ranks or when someone becomes a Nodesmith. When Someone advances, they must face sometimes their darkest fear, tribulations, or something entirely different."

"This is something that is random and done by the heavens to punish people who go against the will of Heaven. If you are not able to resist, then you will suffer greatly. You will become a monster, lose your intelligence, and would roam endlessly in the realm of the 'Abyss.' This is also known as the 'Eternal Curse.' This is something that is not very powerful when someone becomes a Neophyte but when someone tries to become a Nodesmith, it would be very strong. After becoming a Nodesmith, there are also several stages, and when someone tries to advance, it would be stronger than before each time. This is also the period where most Nodesmiths perish."