The quiet vineyard stretched before Klein once again the next morning. Dew glistened on the vines, and the sun had only begun to peek over the hills, casting a pale gold across the rows of grapes. Klein leaned against a fence post, flipping Paros between his fingers, his thoughts circling around what he'd witnessed the day before.
Lucien's meditation, the way the air seemed to bend around him—it hadn't looked like simple training. It was power. Real power.
'Paros,' Klein started. 'Explain cultivation to me.'
The coin glimmered faintly, and Paros' voice hummed in his head. "Cultivation, master, is the process by which living beings absorb the world's mana and store it within their mana core. This core—"
Klein interrupted with a sigh. 'Yeah, yeah, I know that much. I'm not a total idiot. What I want to know is what's unique about this world's system. There's always something. A twist, a hierarchy, a weird cosmic scale.'
Paros chuckled softly. "Impatient as ever. Very well. In this world, cultivation is measured by stars."
'Stars?'
"Yes. The number of stars represents your rank. A beginner—one who has only just learned to feel mana—is called a One-Star Cultivator. As one refines their core, enhances their body, and deepens their connection to mana, they ascend through the stars. The peak, the apex, the level closest to godhood itself, is the Ten-Star Cultivator."
Klein nodded slowly, intrigued despite himself. 'So ten stars is godhood. Got it. What about the middle?'
Paros' tone shifted to something a little more reverent. "When a cultivator surpasses Five Stars, they gain the title of Transcendent. It signifies that they have broken free of the mortal shell—that they have become one with mana itself, much like the elves, the dragons or other high mana beings of this world."
'One with mana, huh?' Klein thought, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"They no longer merely absorb mana," Paros continued, "they live within it. A Transcendent can absorb mana a thousand times faster than any human, and store ten thousand times more within their core. Their senses sharpen beyond natural limits, and even the world's laws begin to bend faintly around them."
Klein let out a low whistle. 'That's… insane.'
"Indeed," Paros agreed. "And among humans, there are few who have ever reached that stage. In fact, your friend Commander Lucien? He is a Six-Star Cultivator. A Transcendent—and the first one in this kingdom in over six hundred years."
Klein straightened instinctively, glancing toward where Lucien still sat near the oak tree, motionless and radiant in the morning sun.
'Six stars...' he thought, his mind flashing back to the shimmering energy he'd seen swirling around the commander. 'That explains it. No normal man moves like that.'
Lucien's eyes opened then—bright, sharp, and startlingly clear. His gaze landed on Klein immediately, as if he had known the boy was there the entire time.
"Klein," Lucien said, his deep voice carrying easily across the vineyard. "Come here."
Klein obeyed, stepping closer until he stood a few paces from the seated commander.
"You've been staring at me for quite a while," Lucien said, a faint grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You're curious."
Klein rubbed the back of his neck. "I just... wanted to understand what you were doing."
Lucien chuckled and rose smoothly to his feet, the movement almost too graceful for someone so broad-shouldered. "Cultivating. You'll be able to do it yourself someday."
"Someday?" Klein asked.
"When you turn fifteen," Lucien explained, brushing the dust from his armor. "That's when your medriens—the channels that carry mana through the body—open up. Only then can your mana core awaken and begin to draw in the energy of the world."
'So there's an age limit,' Klein thought, slightly disappointed.
"Every human must wait for their awakening," Lucien continued. "It's the kingdom's way of balance. Children without open medriens cannot handle the strain of mana flow. Try too early, and it could kill you."
Klein's expression tightened, but he nodded. "Makes sense."
Lucien looked him over with a faint smile. "Don't look so discouraged. You've got time. And when you do awaken, you'll have your own path to walk. Cultivation isn't just about strength—it's about connection. Discipline. The bond between your will and the world's flow."
'Sounds poetic,' Klein thought dryly.
Paros chuckled quietly. "He's not wrong, master. But you prefer shortcuts."
'Obviously.'
Lucien adjusted the hilt of his sword, then turned back toward Klein with a grin that felt equal parts challenge and encouragement. "Tell you what. Before that day comes, let's see what kind of reflexes you have."
Klein blinked. "What?"
Lucien stepped back a few paces and drew his blade halfway, the steel gleaming in the morning light.
"You've seen me cultivate," the commander said. "Now, let me see how you fight."
Klein's heart thudded once in his chest. The air between them seemed to tighten.
'He's serious,' Klein thought.
"Oh, he's more than serious," Paros murmured with amusement. "He's testing you."
Lucien raised his sword fully, the tip resting lightly against the ground. His smile deepened. "Let's spar, Klein."
The vineyard went silent except for the rustle of leaves. Klein's hand instinctively went to his spatial ring, feeling the cool weight of Whisperfang calling to him.
'A spar with a transcendent... this'll be fun,' Klein thought, his pulse quickening.
Paros' laughter echoed softly in his mind. "Or suicidal. Either way, entertaining."
And as Lucien lifted his blade in salute, the morning sun caught the metal, scattering light across the vines—like stars about to collide.