"Truth was the revolution. Knowledge is the revolution. Enlightenment will be the revolution."
― Matshona Dhliwayo
***
A vast and empty world floated in the plane between the dream realm and the spirit realm, composed of endless swirling and ever-shifting fog that transitioned from corporeal to incorporeal. And nestled in the heart of the dreary space, there lay a ruined cathedral of a long-lost deity.
The walls of the ancient monument gleamed with an otherworldly brilliance suffused with ancient mystery and unsaid secrets.
The central hall of the chapel was illuminated by the dim radiance cast by the flickering candles placed halfway on the arched pillars which supported the entire structure.
And on the platform at the end of the hall, there sat an old, embroidered table whose length could not be ascertained. Its frame seemed to be made from the darkest jade that swirled in hypnotic and mesmerising patterns, which could shatter the mind of any mortal if stared at for too long.
This was the elusive headquarters for the rebels, traitors and heretics from the four ruling races of Yan-Ahar. This was the headquarters of the most vile organisation that had ever been founded on the planet, the 'Mag-daha'.
After an innumerable period of time, the candlelight began flickering wildly, and blurry figures seemed to appear at the chairs neatly arranged around the high table.
The figures lacked any distinguishing features, and their faces couldn't be seen properly, regardless of the investigative methods.
Even the diviners from the top five provinces of all the empires would be hard-pressed to find anything substantial from these figures.
Well, they would have a better chance at divining about their emperors than about this place and the figures present here.
After the figures became corporeal, only their eyes could be seen properly, and no other feature of theirs could be distinguished.
A few seconds of silence passed, then, seeing no one else willing to speak, one figure with crimson red pupils spoke languidly.
"So, how is the progress for our future endeavour going?"
The other figures shifted, then looked at the speaker. Just as one of the figures was about to answer, another voice coming from his left cut him off.
"I've delivered the contingency measure to Twelfth and Third over there; the strategy remains the same. First, we locate and mark the targets and then proceed with the plan as discussed."
The female voice said in a calm tone while pointing to two of the other figures on the table.
Hearing the voice, the two figures being pointed out nodded in affirmation and decided to discuss the fine details of the upcoming plan.
The person called third spoke evenly, "This is the final preparation for what is about to come. It would be better if we went through the plan once again to iron out any small flaws."
Seeing nothing wrong with what Third said, all the other figures present hummed in affirmation.
Then, seeing no refutation, the person with red pupils said languidly with a tone of solemness.
"Very well, this is our last meeting before the organisation accomplishes the purpose it was built for thousands of years ago. This is the last time we will hear from each other... forever. This will be our last move on the chessboard of our planet; whether we win or lose will depend on our determination to do whatever it takes to win."
Hearing the tone of seriousness in the red-eyed man, all the other occupants sharpened their gazes and focused on the man with straightened backs.
The man waved his hand, just as he did so, the fog floating around the vast space trembled and whooshed straight towards him. A few seconds later, when enough fog had gathered around him, it flattened out into a dark ball between his palms, which took the shape of a planet, their planet.
"This is our home, Yan-Ahar. And these are the parasites that have taken over what belongs to us."
On the vivid image of Yan-Ahar, four blinding red dots ignited on the four continents of the ruling races. These dots gradually outlined the figures of four beasts; namely, a dragon, a phoenix, a roc, and a qilin.
"As you all know, ascension, cultivation or refinement of any being follows strict laws decreed by the heavens, but these rules aren't as inflexible as one might believe. These four parasites are the proof of that."
The man spoke with barely hidden fury.
"The zenith of how much a being can refine itself depends on the planet they live on and how much essence the world has, but if someone strong enough targets a world in its budding phase and tries taking the world essence for itself, the world can't develop properly. The laws of that world would be incomplete; as a result, the residents of the planet could only hope to ascend even one more rank."
The man pointed at the occupants after that.
"That is precisely our situation right now, we are weakened and could only be lapdogs to these tyrants, hoping that we won't step on their tails and displease them, else they eradicate our races."
Hearing the man's words, the people present shifted uncomfortably; their eyes gradually getting chillingly frigid due to rage and a sense of helplessness creeping from the depths of their hearts.
Letting out a sigh, the man continued. "Fortunately, the situation is not unsalvageable. "
Hearing that, the occupants' eyes calmed as they remembered their final move against their oppressors.
"Around 20,000 years ago, we were lucky enough to discover the ruins from the depths of the dark sea. These ruins were from a long extinct race that worshipped no gods or devils, but... mana itself."
Feeling the man's tone carrying a respectful edge, even the most indifferent ones showed slight admiration towards the projection of the long-lost race.
"From the level of infrastructure and mana treasures we've found down there, it's a huge possibility that this race was on the cusp of achieving the realm beyond the 'soul' realm, the same realm as these tyrants who portray themselves as our guardians."
"From what we've gathered, they were only half a step away from reaching this realm. The failures they've experienced could be monumental for us because the last documented experiment gave them the combat abilities of the next realm, but the surge of power didn't last."
Finally recognising the man's intention, the assembly of figures continued to listen attentively.
"From our own experiments lasting the past millennia, we've finally discovered what is the crux of the problem and how to solve it in part."
"The process of cultivation or refinement is just as its name suggests. It means to refine oneself and tend towards perfection, and from the previous realms, we have continuously refined ourselves and sought enlightenment."
"The next step in this natural process should be to impose your own will onto the world and bend it to your whims. Although your control might be lacking, as you refine your soul, body, and mind continuously through the passage of time, your will will become heavy as a mountain and oppressive as the very heavens themselves."
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[A/N]
Comment your thoughts down below, what you liked and what displeased you.
Gimme the reasons, too, else how would I improve?
See ya'll.