t took Luna roughly a day to recover from what appeared to be a soul attack, one triggered by her older self. However, during that time, she wasted no effort.

Inside her mental space, she worked diligently to reconstruct everything she could remember from the vision, specifically, the library supposedly located beneath the massive castle.

Her sharp memory played a vital role in helping her recall the complex symbols etched into the inscriptions her older self had been studying. And with the help of the boundless concept of Imagination, she managed to recreate the space with impressive accuracy, capturing every detail she could.

At present, she sat at her desk, tucked away in her room, with a pen in hand and several sheets of paper she had requested earlier. Luna had taken the initiative to write down her thoughts, hoping to organize her mind while navigating the rules of this realm.

"The library has information about the Creator. Does that mean the Visionaries are interested in the Creator and His powers?" she wrote as her first thought, then paused, biting the tip of her pen in deep concentration.

Now that she was convinced Aaron Phillips shared a connection with her master, Storm Rider, Luna began to view things from a new perspective. The Visionaries were likely at their Sixth Gates. And as far as anyone knew, ascending beyond that point was currently impossible unless one managed to break the curse of fate.

'Is there another loophole?' Her eyes lit up as the thought struck her.

Without hesitation, her pen flew back to the paper. She scribbled the words, "The Creator is the loophole," and circled the word Creator several times.

"Much as I want to, I can't go around searching for this library under the castle. Or even ask about it immediately. I need to blend in first, become one of them, then ask about the library," she whispered to herself, laying out the plan aloud.

After a brief pause, she wrote her next thought:

"The Saint Class centers around actual magic from the old world. This means that the Astral Vigil focuses mostly on mastering control over the world around you. Raiden mentioned that Anna is close to the Saint Class. That means she's also unknowingly nearing true sorcery."

This led to the next question… who or what is Anna's master?

"A descendant of a survivor like Feng?"

She jotted the line down and stared at it for a full minute. It was a strong possibility, especially considering the Age of Heroes. The Divine Realm had reached its peak during that era. It was, in fact, so great that the servants saw that era as a full threat to the order they had created, leading to the creation of a curse that broke cultivation.

'This is a lot.'

Eventually, she gave up trying to guess Anna's master through speculation alone. If she wanted the truth, she'd have to go through Anna herself.

Raiden had explained that Anna hadn't yet recovered from entering the Dreaming or from facing the Keeper of the Lake. Apparently, no one was supposed to look at the Keeper directly.

With nothing more left to write, Luna conjured a faint spark and burned the sheets she had scribbled her thoughts on, reducing everything to ash.

'I don't think they'd like the idea that someone's already figured out this much about their world.' Her gaze drifted to the inscriptions she had scribbled onto a separate sheet of paper.

When the final paper was burned, Luna took a moment to tidy her reading desk. Once everything was in order, she changed into her sect attire—an elegant robe patterned with star motifs—and prepared for her first official day in the Astral Castle. True to its name, the castle hovered like a citadel in space, anchored to nothing, suspended in the cosmic void.

Below it stretched a breathtaking expanse of land known simply as the Dreaming.

Luna stepped out of her room, exiting the Eastern Wing where most of the juniors resided.

Using the map that had come with her uniform, she followed the indicated path through the winding halls. After rounding a corner, she entered an indoor garden bathed in soft light, where several other juniors were already waiting—each standing in silence, awaiting their assigned Watchers.

None of them were Aaron Phillips's candidates, of course. These were members of the clan he had founded here in the Dreaming. All of them were Ascenders, some walking the Qi Path while the rest were on the Zenshi Path.

There was no sunlight here, only the haunting glow of stars suspended in a twilight sky that never changed. They cast a soft, silver luminescence over the strange and beautiful flora.

The air was still, heavy with the surreal weight of a dream, and scented with something Luna couldn't name, like memories brushed with moonlight.

But more than that, the garden throbbed with powerful essence. It was so potent that Luna instinctively severed her link to the ambient essence to avoid being overwhelmed.

At the center of the garden stood a towering, leafless tree. Its bark was deep black, like charred velvet, and from its thick branches hung glowing fruits shaped like delicate teardrops.

Around it, flowerbeds spiraled outward in sacred patterns. The petals shimmered in colors the waking world could never name. Some of the flowers opened and closed with the rhythm of the Qi in the air, their movements like a silent song only the spirit could hear.

It didn't take long for Luna to realize the truth.

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This tree was the source of the overwhelming essence.

'Incredible…' she thought, awe briefly stilling her thoughts.

"Does it resemble the Mildrith?"

The voice startled her. Raiden had appeared at her side, eyes locked on the tree, wearing the same reverent expression.

"You know about the Mildrith tree?" Luna asked, her voice low and curious.

"A gift to the gods, born from blood to hold the Blood Tower," Raiden said with a soft giggle. "Well, Lunaris, I know the Mildrith. I've actually seen it. It's a shame the tower vanished. I would've loved the chance to study it."

He shifted his tone. "Anyway, how are you feeling today? I see the color has returned to your face, Lunaris."

"Much better," Luna replied with a faint smile. "What is this tree?"

Raiden's expression turned thoughtful. "I'd be lying if I said I truly knew. When I joined this place, I was told it's somehow connected to the corpse of the Heart Goddess."

He waved a hand in front of his face as though he was clearing the air. "But anyway, I brought you here to show you where you'll begin learning to command essence properly. Normally, we start with combat training, but… well, you're already more than qualified, according to the Nightmare you faced a few days ago."

"What about Anna? And my sister?" Luna asked, the first thoughts to break through as she recalled the Nightmare's words.

Unlike her and Anna, Lena was still undergoing the Trials. Luna might not see her sister for some time because the Trial of Hearts was said to last a full month.

So, as much as Luna longed to speak with her sister face-to-face finally, she knew where her focus needed to be now: on the problems at hand. On the assignment she'd been given.

"Anna's still recovering," Raiden said. "Looking directly at the Sovereign of the Lake did something to her. Also, she won't be joining you here. She's walking the False Path, and because of that, her connection to the world is… different. She doesn't communicate with it the way you do."

Upon hearing that, Luna could only nod.

"What do you mean by commanding essence?" she asked, raising her hand as essence immediately gathered into her palm. "I can already do that."

Raiden shook his head. He lifted his longer finger and explained, voice calm but precise. "What you're commanding is essence as weak as you, Lunaris. That kind of essence can barely form a fireball… let alone create any meaningful attack."

"Essence as weak as me?" she echoed.

He nodded.

"Qi is life. And life comes in different forms—weak, strong, neutral, and divine. The essence of this realm is divine, which is why it has that bluish-purple hue. And before you ask, yes, all Divine Qi has a definitive color. Even yours will gain one once you purify your soul."

He paused, then gave a short chuckle. "I've trailed off from what I was trying to explain… what I meant to say is that that essence is weak, just like you. That's why it responds so easily. Can't you feel the difference?"

Luna focused again on the energy in her hand. At first, it felt identical to the surrounding essence. But when she extended her reach just a little further, she began to notice something—some of the Qi here felt… different. Denser. Far more potent. And harder to touch.

Raiden caught the shift in her expression and smirked.

"When you fought the Nightmare, you called upon white lightning using the Elemental Catcher. Your desperation at that moment allowed you to draw on stronger essence—effective essence."

She quickly dismissed the essence gathering in her hand and reached for the stronger Qi. Nothing responded. There was no sparkle, not even a glint of light to show that it had acknowledged her call.

'So a Saint is someone who can control the stronger essence and use it to create powerful attacks. Why didn't she share this detail with me?'

Clap!

The sharp sound of Raiden's hands clapping startled everyone in the silent garden.

"Now that I've given you the details, I guess I should let you be," he said. "I am your Watcher. If you need me, whisper my name—and I will appear."

'That sounds like you're watching me every moment,' she thought.

"Alright," she sighed.

"Good luck… Fightin'!" Raiden cheered, flashing her a bright smile before walking away. On his way out, he exchanged greetings with fellow Watchers, each overseeing and guiding their own students through similar lessons.

Once he was gone, Luna turned her attention to the strange tree and approached it. She sat cross-legged before it, drew in a long breath, and closed her eyes slowly, trying to reach into the deeper layers of her awareness.

'This will be easy with Balance on my side.'

She thought.

Luna began by reaching out to sense the stronger essence in the air. It was rich, primal, and distinctly different from the kind she was accustomed to.

Once she finished identifying its presence, she extended her will toward it, hoping to draw it closer. That's when the trouble began—her Soul Gate reacted violently, and a weak form of backlash struck her.

'What the…?'

She tried again. And again, her Soul Gate rejected her attempt, this time with an even stronger backlash. A wave of dizziness followed as the potent essence clashed with her own.

'This feels very similar to how Razchar's essence rejected me.'

Blood had already begun dripping from her nose. She wiped it away and sat in silence for the next thirty minutes, thinking deeply about how she could approach the issue from another angle.

If her will alone wasn't enough… then what exactly was missing?

'Think, Luna. Think back to the fight against that Nightmare. What did I feel?'

"I was desperate. Was it the strength of my will?" she whispered to herself again.

To test it out, she extended her Will—this time with more force. The stronger essence reacted immediately, growing even more intense and rejecting her with greater ferocity.

Luna felt the resistance but pressed on as if it were nothing. The pain of having her soul invaded was searing, but she didn't sever the connection right away.

She maintained the forced connection for three more minutes before her limits gave in. As tears of blood streamed down her face, she finally cut the connection.

When she opened her eyes, Raiden was standing in front of her. Being a Saint, his uniform was far different from hers. It was a deep violet-blue, styled with more stars and a belt around his waist with the number three, which stood for Saint.

"You've been here for five hours," he said, his tone a mix of amusement and concern. "I'm guessing you thought you could force your way through it with sheer will."

Luna wiped the blood from her face. "Isn't that the whole point?" Luna said, her tone halfway between sarcasm and exhaustion

"Will is important if you're commanding essence as weak as you. However, sorcery demands more than that." He waved at her. "Come with me."

Luna pushed herself up despite the dizziness and followed Raiden out of the Garden.

"Do you know what Qi is?" Raiden asked as they walked. He didn't look particularly old. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, yet he gave off the vibrant presence of someone much younger, full of energy.

"Energy of all living things. It's around us and exists everywhere," she answered.

"You're right," Raiden nodded, then continued with what he had meant to say. "Humans, gods, demons, cursed creatures… all of us are prone to Black Ether infection because we possess Qi. Zenshi is dangerous because it clings to the Qi in our bodies, replacing it completely. That's why the False Path is so dangerous."

'Is there a way of leaving the false path then?' Luna wanted to ask. But she kept it to herself. She was not ignorant, and she knew the complications that came with following the false path.

"To connect to the world, you must learn that you are one with it. You must be in Balance to achieve anything in Sorcery. Will leads to imbalance; that is why I don't recommend using it. I couldn't tell, so I had to show you that true sorcery is what you get when you're in Harmony with the world."

He led Luna to what appeared to be a pavilion with a single Cherry Bloosm tree growing in the center.

"What is this place?"

"This is where you will understand Balance," Raiden answered. "It is time we begin your training as the Inheritor of The Supreme One's lineage."

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