Maz and Rubicon continued honing their Zen state, getting closer and closer to the thin membrane of the Fifth Dimension. They could see the threshold waving at them invitingly, and as days passed, they were no longer impatient with the process.
On the other hand, Kazmir was starting to show up less and less, spending most of his time outside. The two had no idea what Kazmir was doing, but they understood how little they could offer to him at the moment.
So, a month passed.
At this moment, both Maz and Rubicon had mastered how to enter a state of Zen within 95 seconds. Actively at that. To cross the threshold, the time must be further reduced to 90 seconds.
On this night, both had succeeded.
...
Boom! Boom!
The gate to the Fifth Dimension swung open. In their mind's eye, Maz and Rubicon saw a tide of a million intersecting colors washing over their bodies like a tide. It was like a warm breeze, cozy and soothing, caressing their souls with tender care.
It felt like a mother's embrace and the long-lost sensation of shelter.
As the sensation washed over them, they instinctively desired to dive further into this wonderful sensation, much like an addiction. However, Kazmir's voice touched their minds ever-so-gently, a dragonfly skimming over water, "Zen..."
The two immediately focused their minds, casting aside all distractions and entering a state of Zen. It was pure talent.
To struggle against the body's instinct of seeking pleasure and comfort right on the edge after crossing the extraordinary threshold—not many can achieve it. This was also a test.
This is a crucial stage where one receives a Gift from the Fifth Dimension; a talent that would serve as a foundation—the core for future growth. Those controlled by instinct create Gifts tailored to that instinct.
It's not bad, but instincts are often misleading as they are influenced by a person's upbringing and limited experience. Especially children. Although many sages and masters proclaim the decree of following the heart, achieving the path. Who can say for sure that the heart doesn't lie?
Hence, the only method to delay the inevitable and not receive a Gift upon crossing the threshold was to enter a Zen state. No thoughts, no desires, no mind, and no heart.
Only the elite can do this, and once they fully understand their limits and desires after crossing the threshold, the Gift generated then would be the ultimate foundation.
As the two entered Zen simultaneously, the baptism quickly ended. Right now, both of them had successfully crossed the threshold into the world of the extraordinary.
When they opened their eyes, they flashed with a gleam of spirituality.
"Congratulations," Kazmir smiled at his two subordinates. "Your first task was to enter a Zen state within ninety seconds. Your second task is the opposite—maintain a Zen state for ninety seconds."
"Aren't we going to get our superpowers now?" Maz asked with a tilt of his head.
By the side, Rubicon nodded her head three times, repeating a "Hm! Hm!" with each nod.
"Too early," Kazmir shook his head. "In this extraordinary world, talent comes in second place in terms of priority. Willpower always plays the key role. With Willpower, you can determine your fate and direction of growth, instead of relying on luck and pure chance."
Kazmir drew an octagon in the air and said, "The Fifth Dimension's Gifts fall within eight categories of specialization: Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusions, Necromancy, and Transmutation. Gifts are fixed upon manifestation, which means your growth trajectory is predetermined, and all you can do is hone and expand your skills with your Gift as the core."
Kazimir waved his hand, and a sphere appeared in his palm. It was pitch-black, and countless specks of light were in a constant state of flux inside, some brighter than others, with two stars glaringly conspicuous with their brightness.
"My Gift," Kazmir started, drawing their attention. "Emblem of Loyalty, falls within the Divination category, and it draws upon prophetic abilities that allow me to gauge people's loyalty and devotion towards myself. The higher their devotion, the higher the spiritual feedback I receive as the anchor, which is the direction of my ability's future growth."
As Kazmir finished talking, he dismissed his Gift and patted Maz and Rubicon on their heads with a smile. "My future path is to control this Forsaken City in the time of chaos to carve a bastion of existence and recognition for us. Thus, I held back my primal instincts and created an ability that aligns with my goals. You two should do the same, but only after you can maintain a Zen state for ninety seconds and grasp the implications of the Mystery Pentagon."
Although it was Kazmir doing the talking, and this was the first time they saw him explain and talk so much, Maz and Rubicon didn't mind. However, the two were smart enough to infer the direction of each category from the name alone.
Maz was already focused on the Necromancy category, while Rubicon had her eyes set on Illusions.
Kazmir didn't know in which direction their talents would develop, but he knew it would take them at least half a year to maintain their Zen for ninety seconds. The human spirit is limited in capacity. The strain of forcefully entering Zen was already a momentous task, let alone maintaining it afterwards.
In any case, Kazmir wasn't in a rush. Time was on his side anyway. While the two little guys practiced, he was spanning a web of connections all around the lower blocks.
With the Emblem of Loyalty, he was very selective and secretive with whom to trust, whom to guide, and whom to help. At midnight, he would consume a significant amount of his spirituality to further attune his own spirit with the Zen state.
His goal was simple: by the time the main plot started, he wanted the ability to not only enter and leave the Zen state at will, but also to keep it active in a constant state.
Whether walking, talking, eating, or even sleeping... His Zen must remain active at all times.
Only in a Zen state would one be connected to the Fifth Dimension to receive continuous baptism. Although the effect wasn't as significant as the first time, this was the only method to refine one's spirituality and, by extension, their aura. Hard work can only hone the body; only Zen can hone the mind.
...
The shuttle of time went by.
Jan 1, 2012.
In a hidden location near the perimeter of the lower blocks, Kazmir sat on a low rock while observing the slaughter fest below. Rubicon stood behind him, also watching with interest.
Maz stood on the edge of a ring, arms crossed. Before him was a horde of over forty people, frantically trying to either fight back or escape.
In their midst was a gray corpse. It had a decent build, clad in armor, and held a long halberd in its muscular arms. Death aura twisted around its body and cast a shadow over its features; only a glaring red light could be seen in place of its eye sockets.
Maz's ability, Hundred Corpse Refinement Tower, is a small colleseum where he tosses in the corpses of those he killed personally. Once the number of corpses reaches 100, a battle to the death occurs where one corpse feeds on the remaining 99 to nourish itself, thus completing its first corpse transformation.
This is the first level, the Red Corpse. The second level, the Yellow Corpse, requires the sacrifice of 100 Red Corpses. It can only go on, but Maz's spirituality can only support the existence of a Red corpse for now.
The slaughter raged on. By the time Maz's spirituality was teetering on the edge of collapse, the last man was killed.
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
Kazmir grinned, his canines gleaming as his white hair danced wildly in the wind.
"Your ability is great! However, don't neglect your personal strength; although the hundred refinement can guarantee high-quality combat power in the long run, it'd be even better if the base material were just as outstanding. If your strength can't keep up, this ability of yours will only rot and rust in your hands."
Maz crossed his arms behind his head, exposing white bandages that wrapped from his forearms to his elbows. His messy black hair, dead fish eyes, and pale skin that reeks of death gave an ominous aura.
It can't be helped, he spent most of his time for the past three years among corpses to bring his ability to the peak. He treated the corpses with his bare hands to the point where his skin had turned gray from excessive deathly aura.
"I know," Maz replied in a voice lacking all enthusiasm. "You said something about a war happening soon, right? I can get my hands on plenty of high-quality corpses by then."
"Just be patient," Kazmir jumped off the rock, landed by Maz's side, and roughly ruffled his hair. "The big and fat politicians are more anxious than you can imagine. It should happen any moment now."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The trio looked into the distance where mushroom clouds rose high in unison. This was the beauty of nuclear weapons in full glory.