B3 Chapter 367: Warm Haze, Finale

Animus. The aspect of the soul. It had eluded him for so long — a mystery that had remained just out of reach.

He’d felt a few reverberations from that truth, but there’d been nothing conclusive — nothing strong enough that he could begin to narrow down what it related to. He’d gotten a slight indication that it was broadly related to his other Aspects.

That didn’t surprise him — not with the deep interconnection he could now feel between Mentis and Corporus.

And here he was, neck deep in a Crucible with an Ascendant offering to explain more to him, right as he was about to enter a trial that would see him to ignition.

Kaius grinned up at the floating form of Xenanra. “I’m ready.”

She nodded, her dress trailing over the glass as she hovered through the air to float in front of him.

“The trial itself, as I’ve mentioned before, will be different since you have yet to ignite the Aspect. It won’t be a radical change, since it is largely an expansion of goals. The same circumstances that aid you in fully embodying your Aspects are the same as those that help you to ignite it in the first place.”

Kaius nodded. That wasn’t out of the realm of what he had expected. Really, both of his trials had been similar to the initial conditions through which he had ignited his Aspect, except expanded and intensified to an incredible degree. He could see it taking longer — since he would need to feel out his resonance, but hopefully it wouldn’t be any more challenging.

“Will it change the victory or forfeiting conditions?” he asked.

While he’d sooner find himself dead than waste an opportunity like this, it did seem a prudent question to ask.

“Slightly,” Xenanra replied. “You can leave the trial once you have achieved ignition, at no penalty, but that would be a waste for someone of your strength. Embodiment is the true prize of the Crucible.”

He’d wondered about that. Embodiment had proven illusive and incredibly arduous to achieve. Without the extreme stressors he’d been placed under, just how long would it take to achieve naturally?

Was it necessary to move on to the next step of the Path? He certainly hoped it wasn’t — so many otherwise promising talents would inadvertently hobble their potential simply due to not knowing it even existed. It was one thing if a team who was too weak to attempt to gain entrance to a Crucible to intentionally skip it, or make the decision to delay their rise to the second tier — but to be blocked unwittingly?

It seemed…wasteful. He frowned.

“Embodiment — it wasn’t mentioned in either the information packet I earned from an Honour, nor was it in the phase change notification. Is it mandatory to reach the next step of the Path?” Kaius asked.

“No,” Xenanra replied. “Even in fully integrated societies where attempts to walk the path are not so uncommon, I would say that most don’t embody their aspects — at least not now. It is something of a badge of ability and potential. For one, few have it in them to prepare so thoroughly — even when they don’t have the time constraints you hold yourself to. For two, few can. The process is arduous, and one that requires more will and insight than it does strength.”

“But you really don’t need it?” Kaius pressed. “I’m willing — I just worry for those who might not have the strength to reach a place such as this.”

His concern for the growth of wider society seemed to please Xenanra. Her expression warmed, and she shook her head encouragingly.

“No — technically, the only requirement to refine is that at least one aspect is ignited in the first tier, and all aspects are before you commence. Of those that embody, most stumble across it while undergoing refinement. The problems come later. Each step coincides with a tier — and completing that step comes with benefits if you do so before your next class evolution. If you don’t ignite all of your aspects in the first tier, refinement will be a struggle. Even if you simply fail to embody, there are issues. Refinement might come just as easily — if slower until you finish that process. However, the step after that will be slightly harder, and it becomes harder to complete to the highest degree, which will roll into your next step, and so on.”

Xenanra paused for a moment — adjusting, though she leaned on nothing but thin air.

“Eventually, the problems will grow so great that you will hit an impassable wall that other, more thorough walkers of the Path stroll straight through. It is a creeping detriment — while you don’t need to be perfect to Ascend, you need to be far better than most can ever dream of achieving. All that aside, there are additional benefits to embodiment, but those are the focus of your final trial. If you make it there, that is.”

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He didn’t get it — she’d mentioned that most people didn’t even attempt embodiment. If all it took was more time, why wouldn’t they? Even if it the greatest draw backs came later, they did come.

“Why would people not at least try? It seems…short sighted. Defeatist.”

“Most people are, Kaius. More than that, embodiment is incredibly difficult to achieve in the first tier without strength — many could try for their whole lives and not reach it, if they even ignite their Aspects in the first place. The immediate benefits are slight, and the long term costs only matter for those who intend to progress the Path to its terminus. Struggling with embodiment is seen as somewhat of a sign that someone is not cut out for ascension in the first place — they spend their time on other things, and make do with walking as far as they can before they fall off. Obviously, if you can do it, it is worth it — it does aid in aspect refinement, and has a number of other effects that accrue as you rise through the tiers.”

He sighed in relief — that took some of the worry out of it. An optional benefit, for those that were putting their all into a bid for ascension. At least it meant that others would still be able to progress if they moved forward without knowing of the option to go the extra league for long term benefits.