I sat down across from the cloaked figure and sighed. "I drank the potion and became a Doomweaver. Though I received some clarification on what it means, I still can't...properly understand"
"That's the essence of it" They replied with a smile.
"What?"
They let out a low chuckle, before reaching under their desk and taking out a long, mottled scroll. They unwrapped the item and rolled it along the table, allowing me a clear view.
"The Apocalypse Pathway is one of the fifteen pathways that control this world. Every Pathway, whether malevolent or prosperous, must be utilized to its fullest extent in order to properly digest it."
"So...that means?"
They looked up at me, their gold-rimmed glasses reflecting my eyes. "In order to advance, you must become what the potion wants you to become. In a way, it's like acting."
They pointed to a portion of the scribe, one that contained the worn image of a creature with horns and wings. It soured above an ancient city, one laced with fire, calamity and chaos. I stared at the photo, my face cooling down a little.
"Doomweavers are those who impose calamity upon others in small bursts. For now, the most you can do is spill a drink or tip over a lamp. But as you get stronger...you'll be able to do things such as that." The whole duration of their explanation, their bony finger swirled around the image of the burning city.
"So...if I want to digest my potion, I'll have to...cause chaos?" I felt my stomach twist into a knot.
"Yes." They replied, smiling.
"What if I don't cause chaos? What if I...don't be like that?"
They leaned forward, gazing at me with their invisible eyes. "Then you'll suffer backlash."
"Backlash..." I repeated the word under my breath. So not using powers related to calamity would result in backlash?
I looked at the hooded figure, leaning back in my chair. "What abilities will I gain? I can't cause calamity by myself as a regular person."
Just then, the air around me cooled, almost in a tundra-like fashion. An invisible breeze washed over me as the figure leaned even closer. In my pocket, the Blood-Moon Charm was buzzing frantically, as if warning me.
"The first ability at your disposal is difficult to explain, but it's some kind of aura that displaces others around you. They'll be weary of your presence."
Hearing this, I was taken aback. "Is it controllable? I don't want anybody I know being scared." I felt my stomach twist in my gut.
"It is, but it's more prone to activation when your emotions are difficult to control."
"Like...a breakdown or something?"
They nodded their head slowly. "Exactly like that. Other cases exist too, but your emotions are yours to dictate."
"I see..."
Countless scenarios began to sound in my mind. What if I accidentally activate this ability at dinner and everybody is afraid of me all of a sudden? Afterwards if it went away somehow they'd all be weary of my presence. Catherine would most likely sense I consumed a potion without her consent and get angry at me.
"Your next ability is one that allows you to sense oncoming calamities."
Just then, my vision seemed to saturate. Around me, everything slowly became more vibrant glossy, almost in a static-like fashion. The hooded figure extended their left hand and pushed a thick book onto the floor. It landed on the stone ground, but it made no noise. I looked around, confused and dazed. A surge of confusion, accompanied by a tiny frantic burst washed over me.
As suddenly as it began, the sensations stopped. When my vision returned to normal, my heart jumped in my chest when the book hit the floor with a dusty plop. The hooded figure was in the same position as they were in the hazy, dream-like state.
"Was...that it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I still felt slightly disorientated, slowly swaying side-to-side in my chair. Strangely, the Blood-Moon Charm didn't activate.
"Did you see the book fall twice?"
I nodded my head with certainty. "I did."
"Then that's your perception as a Doomweaver. You can sense and cause small calamities. After you fulfill a specific requirement, you can properly advance after you receive the proper ingredients from me."
"Ok...good to hear, I guess." I gave the cloaked figure a shaky smile.
They nodded their head as I began to depart, but their hand snagged the back of my coat. "Wait."
I looked back at them, slowly wringing myself free of their grip and nodded my head. "Yeah?"
"During the Blood Moon is when all calamities increase ten-fold, that's the ample digestion night for you."
"I keep hearing about that. It's supposedly a night where everyone has fun and goes crazy, but how is that "ample for digestion"?"
The figure let out a low chuckle as they rapped their hand on the edge of the table. "Where your eyes refuse to wander, where your mind refuses to go, are the secrets of the world. They're always close nearby."
I let out a low grumble as I turned around to face them. "I would like proper clarification, please."
"Are you content with knowing such secrets?" Their voice suddenly gained a slightly dangerous edge, silently warning me.
"I...would like to. As long as it doesn't corrupt me like my friends say it would."
They chortled again, pointing at the sigil on my forehead. "You've already accumulated defensive preparations yourself, so learning of such dangers won't have negative effects."
"Ok." I sat down at the table and rested my hands on it. I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose and sighed.
"What's everything you know?" I asked, my voice taking a serious edge as I leaned in a little closer. I wasn't as hesitant as before.
"First off, I suppose you've heard of the dangers that lurk in the shadows? Such as demons, wraiths and gargoyles?"
"They were brought up before by someone I knew, but I could retain that information without suffering anything."
That's only the first part. Everyone knows about those creatures, it's in common children's legends."
Just then, they made air quotes. "Don't wander out of your house after sunset or the wraiths will snatch you and eat you."
They lowered their hands, and their mouth twitched downwards into a frown. "During blood moons, primordial spirits tend to gain some lucidity, allowing them to possess and take over people, often altering their thoughts and desires to fit the will of the deity they serve."
"Deity?..." I had briefly heard the term, and the moment I said that, I felt a powerful surge of fear course through my body; it was powerful enough to prompt me into fleeing the scene.
"Didn't you hear the Myth of Life? "His" genitals and other bodily organs became the monsters, mutants, and demons. The Primordial Creator's fraction became these demons."
"Then...what about the deities? The ones that aren't known by the public?"
"That information would kill you in the pitiful state you're currently in." Their voice gradually lowered as they spoke.
I suddenly felt the buzzing of the Blood-Moon Charm in my pocket, it was much heavier and greatly amplified than before. I removed the object from my pocket and held it up. The crimson jewel of the pendant was shaking and trembling violently, as if threatening to break loose of the charms hold.
"Why is it reacting like this? The subject was barely brought up."
"Even slight mention of deities corrodes the soul. But if you drink a Pathway potion you'll be alright for the most part."
"I have this charm you gave me...and I drank the potion. Why's the charm reacting if I'm doubled in protection?"
"It's...difficult to explain. The Blood-Moon Charm acts as a placeholder while the Pathway is insufficient for the most part."
"Insufficient?"
"You just used one of its abilities a few minutes ago, it's slowly regaining its spirituality as we speak right now."
They tapped their hands on the edge of the table. "If it weren't for the Blood-Moon Charm, your body would have suffered negative effects, even if it's a small sickness."
"Then why did my friends not receive anything bad if deities were of the discussion?"
Just then, their lips curled upwards. "Because they hadn't used their abilities yet. Your spirituality has been weakened for the moment, meaning you're more vulnerable to spiritual and mental attacks."
They pointed towards a diagram on the wall. It was plastered on mottled, torn paper. "One's spirituality is like a gauge. The more you use it, the more of it you deplete."
They took a breath before continuing. "There are many ways one can lose spirituality, and many ways one can replenish it."
"Like how?"
They turned back to me, smiling. "Cogitation, meditation, reflection."
"Go on..." I felt my interest peak.
"Cogitation is what we'd call "raffinement de l'âme." Thinking deeply about something, or simply focusing on something spiritual can either deplete or regress one's spirituality to its previous state."
"Thinking about what things? Like thinking about demons and Gods can make you weaker?"
"Yes. And thinking about more positive, regular, and normal things is enough to return it to a healthy level."
The cloaked figure reached under their table again and took out a thick, black book. "Meditaiton is the process of tranquility of the soul. It's not forcing yourself to visualize nothing or anything like what you've probably heard from heretics. It's focusing your attention on one thing, one thing in particular."
"Isn't that similar to cogitation?" I asked.
They nodded their head. "The two are extremely similar, but also different in many ways."
"Meditation is focused on one thing, while cogitation is simply a state of primal distraction of the self."
Hearing this, I nodded my head after receiving direct confirmation. "And what is reflection?"
"First of all, what's a mirror?" Their raspy voice sounded again, asking a question.
"Shouldn't you know?" I felt a pang of confusion hearing this.
"Answer the question, boy." Their voice suddenly gained a serious, almost impatient edge. Around me, the air seemed to begin to boil, and I felt the urge to remove my clothing.
"Fine..." I took a deep, shaky breath.
"It reflects your image back at you. It's a simple device."
"That word, reflects...what does it mean?"
"I...don't exactly know how to define it." I felt a pang of disappointment swell in my gut. Upon hearing my answer, the cloaked figure uncharacteristically smiled.
"Then that's something to reflect on."
...
I was dismissed from the tent after a few more things were clarified to me. They instructed me to write down my thoughts and reflections for a week and return to them, along with supplying an ample report on any mystical side effects I could be feeling from the slow digestion of the Apocalypse potion.
After returning to the Parterre de Fleurs, I saw Ayumi, Shinso, Olivia, Mr. Ryujin and Aizawa all sitting at the small dining table, all eating breakfast. Shinso's gaze flickered over to me, and his eyes told me the pain he had previously felt in his stomach had dissipated overnight.
"You're late." He told me.
"I apologize, I was out taking a walk." I approached the table and sat down. Since I had already eaten a small breakfast before I left, I didn't feel like eating again. After a short while, Ayumi turned to me and smiled.
"Carter recommended we find places to work outside of here."
I hadn't realized Carter was at the table among the rest of us. He had just finished his oatmeal, and he shoved the bowl away from him with a smile. Shortly after, he began speaking.
"It's not smart for us to stay in the same place all of the time. We could get hunted down by official enforcement organizations. Getting normal occupations will deter suspicion amongst us."
"Official enforcement?" I asked.
"The Mother Nature church, along with the rest of the churches in Seraphis Kingdom have official organizations of official Metas, ones who are dedicated to protecting the public from supernatural threats, and...hunting down people like us."
Hearing this, I was slightly stunned. "Why haven't you been hunted down yet?"
"We simply don't use our abilities in public, and rarely in private."
Just then, the orange-haired man grabbed a nearby paper, tossing it to Ayumi. "See who's hiring. There's more copies over there." Carter pointed to a corner, where a large stack of papers could be seen.