Chapter 44: Treasure of knowledge

"Those young races are still immature even after a hundred year. Considering their beastial creators, l guess it made sense. But to think they dare wage war knowing the White unition is near. They could only blame themselves when the great winter come, let's see how long they will last."

Trying to forget his displeasure and direness of his situation, Zyro switched his mind to a different topic. Depter words were always intriguing. From how magic works to an old man grumpy blabbering hold significant information that he never heard before.

Out of curiosity, Zyro asked. Partially to keep conversation flowing and maintain the sage harmless mood.

"Why do you call the northern races native and the South race young?"

When he came to know what Mages really are, the elves, dwarfs, animas and demons come along which inhabited the North, and for some reason, Depter refer to them as natives of this land. On the other hand, the four races here were called young. Which flummoxed Zyro.

Seeing the knight fully recovered as if nothing dire happened a while ago and ready for a proper conversation. Depter smiled. He didn't want to talk to a depressed person.

"Because it is what it is. Mages, elves, dwarfs, animas and demons was already inhabiting the Northern land before the Goddess came and saved us from extinction. But those six wrenches only appeared amidst the peaceful rule of the Goddess."

Zyro's question was answered. It's simple - The Northern races is older while the southern beast races were younger. But how?

Noticing his perplexed silence, Depter added.

"Hmm... Considering how much time had past and the chaos the great war brought. This knowledge were probably forgotten or hidden. Anyway, If your wondering how the Gricks and others were birthed. It's because those defiled beasts made them... Probably with the use of fourth stage bless."

Somehow, even though the old man keep answering his questions. Zyro's becoming more and more confused. What do he mean made them? Then again, this wasn't earth.

"What's fourth stage bless?" Zyro asked.

Depter was silent for a moment.

"Don't tell me a dreadful dark knight like you don't know what stages are?"

Zyro sincerely nodded.

The sage sighed.

"Those beastial races don't even know how to distribute this knowledge fairly or did they forgotten about this? Anyway, you know ascension marks? It begins at Alpha, in that mark, you'll be empowered physically. In the second mark - Beta, it will be your soul. At third - Gamma, it's your minds turn. However, what will happened if the 3 main components of living beings: Physicality, Spirituality and Mentality was enhanced, what do you think is next?"

Once again, Zyro was astonished at the dept of Depter knowledge. Not only at magic, but also in Marking. At first, Zyro thought that Marks constantly empower individuals every aspects as they ascend. However, in truth, it enhances living beings main aspects at a pattern. Physical, spiritual and mental. Physical refer to the body that allow us to walk this world, while mental is responsible to our consciousness. Spirit, also a representation of soul was still vague, but one thing is certain in the news Zyro heard in earth. It's that, soul do exist. It was proven in an experiment aimed at eternal youth.

It wasn't impossible. Human body mature by consumption of nutrients as they live. So they tried stoping this growth process, surprisingly, they succeed. However, even though the subject body didn't supply nutrients in growth anymore, maintaining their youth. They still weaken and died in the span of 100 years.

Another proof is revival experiments. When biotech reached transcended stage, enough to fix every functions of corpses and bring them back to living conditions. Although, their heart is beating, blood circulating and all organs work same as living people. Still, they remain dead, like empty shells without it's hosts. Many theories and experiments supported the existence of souls, as well.

Zyro ponder at Depter question.

'Body, soul, mind. This three greatly rely of each other. If this three main factors were already enhanced, what's next?'

"...It restart to physical empowering?"

The sage chuckled.

"No, the thing is. Ascension doesn't redo until the fourth mark. So, what do you think we get?

A Bless! Specifically, in the four mark. The bless you'll get is an item called soul gear. It could be a weapon, accessory or anything. But not random, because soul gears form depends on the wielders characteristics. This is why there's staging. Mark 1 to 4 is the first stage, namely Warrior. So we also called an First Mark Alpha as a First tier Warrior and second mark Beta a Second tier Warrior and so on. Every ends of stages, you get a Bless and it's different each time. Do you understand."

In Zyro's understanding, Marks gave miraculous blessings on each ends of stages. In the first stage, it's an item reflecting their wielders as tailored made weapons or whatever comes out to satisfy their preference. It was indeed magical. However, it doesn't end there. The following stages were the same at enhancing the three factors but gave different blessings at the end. Those blessings was undoubtedly miraculous. What Depter is trying to tell him, is that. It was one of those bless that allowed Grick and the others to create their own races.

Zyro nodded.

"Yeah. I think I get the idea... so what comes after stage one?"

Indeed, what comes after that? If Mark 1 to 4 is renowned as first stage, namely Warrior. Then what's 5 to 8, 9 to 12 and so on? Now, Zyro's wasn't conversing for leisures sake. As the saying goes, (Knowledge is power) although, Depter might be lying, it's better than nothing.

"Stage two is Master, that's when we get blessed abilities at the fourth tier, which is also 8th Mark. Next to that is the Mighty stage, followed by Epic. Epic is the rank of the Six monsters that created the beast race inhabiting this land now."

'So Warrior, Master, Might and Epic...' Zyro thought before suddenly frowning. His utterly sure that there's four Devine beast but Depter just said there's Six.

"Ah, Isn't it four?"

"What do you mean four? I may be old, but my eyesight clearly saw that there are six of those abominations! Oh, now that you mentioned it. I remember that Gorge didn't join others in creating their own races." Replied the Sage with confidence.

"So your saying there's six Devine beast, and five beast race?" Zyro seek confirmations.

"Devine?" Depter laugh "Where did those savages got the audacity to call themselves Devine's. Correction knight, we the Norths races are the real Devine's. Those young brutes are merely immature races that allowed to exist because of the goddess grace at that time. And yes, there are six, apart from those you knew, Gorje and Crest was with them. Gorje was the weakest of them, so that's probably why that monster wasn't able to create a race. As for Crest, I'm sure that thing have a race but I don't know what happened to them after the war, maybe they went instinct or.... Haha, don't tell me that those idiots actually went past North in search for Camelot."

Just like that, the old sage and the dark knight idly converse in the lonesome underground ruins. Zyro had many questions about the past, so as Depter about the present. Time went by as they talk, till exhaustion caught to Zyro. Before meeting the Sage, he had dealt with arduous tasks that endangered his life and was now being hunted by the Gricks. Trapping him in this ruined chamber besides with a mysterious sage that offer unknown threats.

Noticing his reluctance to rest, Depter comported him.

"Fear not knight, I pose no harm on my guests. So sleep comfortably. And judging your reason for getting in here... Your avoiding the wandering Gricks outside, aren't you? I'm still wandering how you got here, but you shouldn't worry that others will notice the entrance you use because of the spell."

His face covered by a helmet, Zyro silently stare at him with sleepy eyes, before gaining courage to ask.

"Can I ask what kind of spell is it?"

Zyro already had solid guess, but he rather ask for confirmation.

"It's just a concealment spell, a rather powerful one, actually. It lower the state of existence of those effected by it, so to others. The hole you entered through didn't exist... Are you sure you really just saw it and go in without doing anything special?"

Depter had inquire him how he got here a couple of times and Zyro answered truthfully. Yet, the old man remained dubious about it.

Not like he didn't knew, Zyro had some feasible theories how. But refuse to share for privacy sake. Furthermore, both of them hide crucial things and didn't trust each other.

The language of Gods bend logics by its words. If the weakest spell on made of three words or less. How about powerful spells that concealed them? Zyro wouldn't be surprised if an entire law declaration was written using language of Gods. That said, does spells have unlimited ranges? He doubted it.

If Zyro guess how the concealing spell is written. That'll be, "Hide this areas existence to others or degrade, existence from the world." Of course, that's merely a guest of Zyro who lack indepth understanding of magic, surely the spell was more complex than that. The point is, the spell ranges at maximum will be planetary, meaning the spell will hide this area from the rest of this worlds living beings. Which doesn't include Zyro whose from outer space. Hence, he could see and enter this place unhindered by the potent veiling enchantment.

Feeling the unbearable fatigue urging him to rest, Zyro had no choice.

The next day, he safely woke up. Dim radiance of sun light streamed from the hole above. It was another day.

On this day, Zyro luckily found something Depter own, a weapon at that!