Zero stared at his Nexus before him. It was the same as always, with floating glyphs that were surprisingly easy to see through.
"First thing about the Nexus. We don't know why we have it or where it came from. Most people in Era-Terre do not have it, or at least did not have it in the past."
Alice raised her hand to push a tuft of blonde hair out of her face. It did not do much, though, as her whole head was a mess.
"The next thing is: the Nexus is more of a tool than a super power per se. All of the Skills, Blessings, Curses, Boons, Classes, and Teirs you have exist separately from the Nexus. They are not two of the same. The only cross between the Nexus and your Spirit is Remembrances and Spirit Crystals. While killing something can drop a Remembrance or Spirit Crystal. It is the Nexus that makes it readily available in your Spirit Storage. Oh another note, your Spirit Storage can fill up, and you may be forced to abandon certain remembrances or carry them manually. Alrighty, any questions?"
For a reason Zero did not know, he raised his hand before he spoke, "Does the Nexus have more information on Blessings. Like the skills it comes with, or what exactly they do?"
This question also seemed to pique Caelum's interest, but unfortunately, it came with a disappointing answer.
"No, Blessings are rather vague. But you can add small notes on what a Blessing."
Alice glanced at their faces, then felt prompted to continue.
"The last thing about the Nexus it is fluid on how, and what, you want it to display. If you can imagine it displaying information in a way, it will do that. For example, I keep my map and Vie bar displayed on the top left of my vision most of the time. Additionally, instead of being displayed like a scroll, my information shows up like it's on a hologram. Oh… A hologram being floating, glowing words. Now you try, imagine your Nexus changes to fit your needs… or maybe start simple, change the color of it."
Zero didn't really need to change his Nexus as it already fit his needs pretty well. But he still decided to fiddle a bit. Reaching out, he grabbed the glyphs and pulled them around his field of vision. Then he looked at the dull color, and decided to change it into the color of the gem in Valiant Blade.
After some thought, his Nexus turned into a brilliant crimson color.
Next to him, Caelum was looking with wonder at the air around him. Zero could not see his Nexus, as it was not his own, but he could guess Caelum was trying to make his 'scroll' see through.
Alice gave the two curious boys plenty of time to fiddle, but eventually moved on to her next topic. This one did not include anything physical, but rather could be conveyed in just words. So the 3 packed up the Harvest Knat's body and walked West as they talked.
"The next topic is Vie, this is mostly for you, Zero. Caelum, you might know some things I don't, so feel free to interrupt."
Caelum nodded politely, but Zero doubted Caelum was even capable of interrupting people while they spoke.
"Vie is the mystical energy of this world. It's somehow connected, perhaps channeled, through one's Spirit. It's what powers your Skills and the Skills of your Remembrances. Note that: Abilities and Boons are exempt from directly using Vie."
Alice paused for a moment as she stepped over a puddle.
"Needless to say, when you are out of Vie, you can not use Skills. Also for some reason, you become a bit sluggish. Are you following Zero?"
"...Roughly. So, Vie is just the magic power someone can use?"
"I guess that's a simplified way to put it."
"How do I get more magic pow… Vie?"
"Why do you need more Vie? Uh… Nevermind. You get more Vie by increasing your Spirit Level and eventually Tier, I think. I don't know much about the Tier part, but for the Spirit Crystal, the higher your level, the more Vie you have. And to raise your possible level, there's one main way. Simply absorb as many Spirit Crystals as you can. It's a concept we call overleving. Basically, your Nexus will read something like 5/3 when you're overleveled. Then, your Spirit naturally levels out. That process makes it stronger, so instead of returning to 3/3, it might become something like 4/4."
"So it meets halfway?"
"Not every time, especially not when your level becomes too high. There's just a chance, and when your level becomes higher, that chance becomes less. Oh, and the Spirit Crystals give fewer levels the higher you are. So for someone at level 20 per se, a Seeker Crystal might not bring them to 21."
It was then that Caelum decided to add a piece.
"There is also a more peaceful way to improve the amount your Spirit Level can reach. You must connect your Spirit to the Vie around it. It is thought that Vie is everywhere, so when your Spirit connects to the world, it broadens and encompasses more. Do not be mistaken though, this only raises the cap for your Spirit Level and will not increase it directly."
Curiosity flickered in Alice's eyes, and she prompted Caelum for more information. This lasted a bit and was interrupted by a Harvest Gnat.
Zero managed to strike it down with just one blow and could not help but notice the gem in Valiant Blade would glow the faster his sword moved. Or maybe his sword was able to move faster when the gem was glowing.
It had to do with the Works of a Hero skill, since it used Vie, but Zero did not know the details.
The three drank their fill from the old Harvest Gnat, and Zero was given the Seeker Crystal, so he was now overleveld at 4/3. Then they left the old Harvest Gnat and continued with the new.
It was unpleasant to run into Chaos Beasts so often, but at least they had a steady water source.