— The first way is to realize the power of the universe. Awareness of the causes of the emergence of energy from chaos. Acceptance of chaos energy. The Keeper's voice sounded steady and measured in the cool silence of Cedar House's majestic laboratory. Zuhair decided to bring up the Manuscript himself. He wanted to know about the three paths of perfection that Arsun had mentioned in passing, and decided to ask the Guardian for more details.
— What does chaos mean? And what is the energy of this chaos? I don't quite understand. Until these days, my knowledge was very limited.
— Chaos is a primordial source of energy. With the fact that you are absorbing ether, you are absorbing a piece of chaos energy. The more of this energy you have, the stronger and wider your sea of reason becomes. You become a part of this chaos. It is a primordial energy, a primordial force. The realization of this power leads to the acceptance of the truth of the universe. Truth designates the universe to the limits of the meaning of existence.
— The meaning of being?
Zuhair was trying to grasp the concept of what the Guardian was talking about. He could not imagine how infinite the universe was and the forces that could move galaxies and entire star systems. Being in the maskhab of the Guardians of the Purifying Fire, he could not even imagine the scale that was unfolding before him now And that this maskhab was so small and primitive by the standards of the continent, and after seeing Neberum and encountering experts like Arsun, not to mention the venerable Irikhtey, he only now began to realize that the path of humanity does not end after a short earthly period, and that immortality is not only a myth, but also a very real achievement for those who could achieve it with desire and perseverance. The guy's thoughts were interrupted by the Guardian, who continued to explain the essence of the universe and the power of energy.:
— This is an understanding of the causes of the origin of all things. In ancient times, people, as well as many other forms of intelligent entities, believed that the origin was recreated by a great being, who was called God, Deity, or Creator. The interpretation of the very existence of God did not differ at all from the current capabilities of such persons at a similar level. People worshiped, prayed, paid homage, and cordially believed that their every act and action was under the close control of this powerful creature. And you probably already know that divinity is being presented in a slightly different way nowadays. After all, there were and still are clear boundaries of the known universe, which identified existence itself. And the most interesting thing is that none of the current powerful of this world knows what lies beyond the boundaries of this existence. The boundaries are marked, and beyond them is a "Veil of Emptiness." Few people know what lies behind this "veil". This is beyond our comprehension. There are other laws of space and time. It is known that the Enmishi are close to the "Veil of Emptiness" and there were even entities from this tribe who managed to visit those places and also managed to return. The conclusion comes from all this. This conclusion leads to the second way.
It was strange that the Guardian hadn't told him about this before. Zuhair wanted to get to the bottom of what Mr. "M" was saying.
— You are talking about the ways of truth. And what does this path mean by itself, Venerable Guardian?
— The path is a destination. Fate, to put it simply. Each of us has our own purpose, our own path. Something that we should be ready for from birth, when our fate is determined. We are unknowingly preparing for our journey. And this path is predestined in advance and is designed individually for each of us. And in the same way, each of us is born to fulfill our destiny.
Destiny. This is a strange understanding that has been causing Zuhair's thoughts to be in such a mess for several days now. In a short time, he felt what a hectic life was like, with a lightning-fast change from measured and mundane routine to a more reckless image of co-existence with the greatest being in the person of the Guardian and a change of different environments, which included a change of body shell. Constantly getting into trouble, he began to think that if he had been on Arat back then, he would not have found this very Manuscript on his way, the spiritual embodiment of which was now hanging in the air in front of him. He sometimes seethed with impotence in the face of such trials, which threw him into the abyss of chaos and confusion, a life that had hung in the balance more than once lately. And if this was fate, or some kind of illusory destiny, then he didn't need it for nothing. There was a sense of an invisible puppeteer's presence. He was angry at the very realization that he was being manipulated or that someone could control his life at will.
— Is it really impossible to change fate? Go the other way. He asked his heated question directly, although inwardly, he already knew what the Guardian would answer.
— Even if you change your path, you will not be able to escape from what fate has ordained. For example, if you decide to suddenly change Neberum to another planet, or return to Arath. And even if you suddenly decide to just disappear or die, it will still be your path. And unfortunately, nothing will change in your destiny. All your actions lead to a predictable result, namely, the outcome prescribed by your path. Everything is preordained.
— How can you find out about the correctness of destiny or destiny? We can't find out if the destiny has been fulfilled. And for that matter, I didn't want to go down that path. I didn't choose him. I didn't want to become the enemy of so many powerful experts. Dozens of clans and maskhabs have announced a hunt for me. My life has changed dramatically for the worse since meeting you. And I didn't want to be killed, or to die saving my life, at the hands of the only person I considered a friend, and even that turned out to be an enemy. I lost my girlfriend in the heat of battle and I don't know what's wrong with her at the moment, whether she's alive. As a result, I lost my own body, taking over the body of an innocent young man like a parasite. I didn't want all this. But after the current events, I have accumulated even more mysteries and questions about the past and incomprehensible memories that do not relate to my life at all. And I'm trying to find explanations for these incomprehensible events. I want to understand if there is a connection between everything that is happening to me now and all the events that are unfolding around us. Is this really the purpose? I don't blame you, Venerable Guardian, for all this. Anyway, it was my choice. But sometimes it seems to me that I am being guided to one choice or another. Indirectly and imperceptibly, someone is trying to solve everything for me. I feel someone's invisible hand.
— It's definitely the hand of fate. — smiling at the "pun", the Guardian said, and after a moment he asked seriously:
— And what would you like from your destiny? How would you manage your path if you were the force that can control destiny? I am interested to see your opinion on this matter because everyone in this life has a path of self-discovery and self-development, which is closely related to the destiny of fate and independent of everything that happens, which covers our entire life path. Self—development is a natural process in everyone's life. But only the path of self-development is different for everyone personally. He can influence your choice and the important decision you will make someday. You have to understand that self-development is inherent in us. It's like instincts that are passed down through generations through the genetic code. And everyone has their own desires related to self-knowledge. What are your desires, what motivates you? Are you guided only by survival reflexes?
— If you want to know my innermost desires, venerable one, then I will tell you.
Recently, I really wanted to know about my real parents. And lately I've been trying to figure out who they are, the people who disowned me. Who were they? Why did they leave me? The man who raised me like his own son revealed the truth only before I left my father's house and went to study at the maskhab. He was the one who became a real father to me, despite the fact that he confessed to finding me on his doorstep. It doesn't change anything for me. He is my father, who shared all my hardships and joys with me, who raised me by giving me his love. Over time, I began to look for valid arguments to justify the actions of my biological father and mother. Sometimes I was angry, and sometimes I felt sorry for them. When I got a little older and joined the Guardians of Fire maskhab, I gradually began to discover inexplicable traits and mysterious sides in myself. After a while, when I had already settled into this clan, I began to notice some physical changes in myself. Not to say changes, but rather deviations from generally accepted norms. I started to feel like I was different from the others. First, I began to see images and visions from another life that had absolutely nothing to do with me. I observed paintings in which people unknown to me were present. They were strong personalities, I would even describe them as heavenly beings. In these visions, which I observed from the side, visited me suddenly and unexpectedly, I began to learn something from my other life. It was like I split up, died, and was reborn. But after coming out of the trance state that I fell into suddenly and at the time of these visions, I began to intuitively realize that all the answers were related to the loss of my parents. And I never stopped looking for at least some information about them. That's why I started looking for the Manuscript, to find out at least something about my parents. As an external novice at the Purifying Fire Mosque, I also heard that the Manuscript, which at that time everyone was looking for like crazy, could do almost anything. A kind of wish fulfillment that will fulfill your every wish. And I had only one wish, and in addition to that wish, a lot more questions. And now that I have this unique artifact with me and the strongest soul that represents this Manuscript and also coexists with me, I can't miss this chance and not ask. You can help me, right?
— I can only tell you one thing. Your parents had a good reason to do that. And I think it's too early to judge them or their actions. And what you've told me about your visions tells me only one thing, about real reincarnation. This is a rare gift, and it is available only to a select few. You have really experienced rebirth, and these visions mean that the memory of your past life is gradually returning to you, and soon you will find it completely. And you might be interested to know who you were in your previous life.…
The conversation between Zuhair and the Guardian was interrupted by the sudden intrusion of a stream of power. The power that spread out possessed pressure and a strong dense energy. The force was followed by a voice. The aura of this sound range could only be heard by Zuhair. It was a spatial communication magic that was used by heaven-level experts:
— Misak, this is Kumus! You must visit the library storage immediately. In two galactic days, a council of five clans will be held in the Manshur mosque. After the time has elapsed, you must prepare and learn the skill of restoring the soul and body in order to complete the ritual. The repository contains manuscripts and information about this technique collected from all over the galaxy. I've given orders about you. And they're waiting for you there. So, don't waste your time and start learning. You have to be ready to take the test. I won't remind you how important it is to me that you win the ritual. I'm counting on you, kid.
The aura of the voice and the intense pressure disappeared as suddenly as they had appeared. "The conversation with the Guardian will have to be postponed," Zuhair thought with annoyance. After packing up hastily, he left the mansion and headed to the library storage.
The territory of the Manshur clan was unusually crowded. The unusual phenomenon of vivacity resembled a hive of disturbed bees, as if someone else had decided to appropriate all the labors in the form of honey and nectar, leaving the hardworking insects without reward, wreaking havoc in their systematic lives. But what appeared to be chaos at first glance was actually a coordinated action. Novices, scientists, military personnel, almost everyone was scurrying about their urgent business and errands, which had increased in recent hours. Someone moved through the air, and someone stood on a self-moving platform, of which there were many on the territory of the clan. It was unusual for Zuhair to see these magical abilities mixed with the technological wonders of progress. He also knew that all this fuss was related to the latest news about the failed Lanurian mission to Taras. The very name Taras, which has been heard often lately, was a star system consisting of three planets, which was called by this name. This populated system fiercely resisted the new colonizers and the stage of diplomatic negotiations began to turn into an aggressive form of capture, which was usually practiced by Neberum. Due to the change in the star's orbit, Neberum used a counting system of calculations to indicate daylight and darkness. It was already the second galactic day, which, by universal standards, amounted to thirty-six hours, taking into account Jungwald's time meters, there was no concept of day and night on the planet. The continents of Neberum were illuminated by the light of the protective shield, which created semi-luminous dusky ripples. It seemed like early dawn was coming all over the planet and the sun was trying to rise, but it couldn't do it in any way. And all this twilight atmosphere gave a mysterious look to the surrounding picture. For Lanurians, this was a common occurrence, but for Zuhair, who was used to the natural cycle on Arat, like a sunny hot day or a cool dark night, it was a rarity. The Lanurian planet itself represented the victory of technological progress and the natural power of intelligent beings over the mighty forces of the airless universe. For many millennia, the planet was controlled by giant mechanisms that could direct it, like a huge spaceship, to any point in known space and squeeze into any orbit where a yellow dwarf was present. These mechanisms began to be implanted into the core of the planet's core millions of years ago, when they realized that Neberum was fading away and soon the mother cradle of the Lanurians would become a lifeless piece of an asteroid. Then the Stargazers clan assumed supremacy over the planet and was able to introduce a strict policy to save Neberum. In addition to the gradual disappearance of the ozone protective layer and the penetration of deadly radiation rays into the atmosphere, the planet was dying from overpopulation and complete depletion of resources. By uniting all the clans into one powerful empire, the Stargazers clan was able to create a protective artificial layer in the sky above the planet, enveloping it like a spider web of arichalcum threads, practically reviving Neberum from the ashes. And Neberum shone like a phoenix with a powerful fiery force. It was the unification of all clans under one clan that helped stop internecine wars on the planet and direct all forces and resources towards progress and prosperity. But with Neberum's depleted resources, the dawn and rebirth of its former power were impossible. And then, for the sake of survival, it was decided to look for other planets with sufficient reserves of valuable minerals, water, and of course arichalcum, which was always lacking, since the protective threads of this rare metal were constantly undergoing wear. The structure of the core's technical stuffing has been created for many years, and has changed and improved each time. The apogee of these improvements was that the planet could move independently of the magnetic fields of the universe and, resisting gravity, could change its orbit to free flight in space. At the same time, Neberum could carry a huge load in the form of galactic stars consisting of four satellites. These satellites, which differed from each other in size and natural features, were once captured and attached to the orbit of the Lanurian planet. More recently, Aratus was supposed to join this collection of satellites, but for the first time in the history of the Neberum wars of conquest, something went wrong.
At the time when Zuhair was heading towards the object of his search, the thoughts of the Guardian, who was pleased with the situation, went on as usual. And he, smiling, thought about what no one could have imagined at the moment, that the source of all the troubles and failures of the Lanurians during the expansion of Aratus was currently heading towards the bibliotheca. To be fair, he had to admit that he hadn't realized it himself yet.