Soul Pathway was special, very different from the other pathways. One didn't need to practice hard or force themselves past their limits to advance.

No, quite the opposite.

One needed to understand themselves, accept their true self or change it then accept. They needed to dig deeper in their own soul and assimilate with it.

Then, they also needed to attune it to the world. Not the way Mages did, but in a much higher way. That was the reason why Soul Pathway Practitioners were so highly valued and respected.

They understood the world far better than even Mages, which also often led to them losing control. Many people are simply unable to bear the truth of universe and oneself.

But that was the path of Soul. To understand oneself. To understand the world. Then, to wield the power of consciousness and use the world itself.

The first step to this was awakening Sea of Consciousness, as that was the very foundation about whole pathway was based on.

Then, they needed to learn to enter it willingly because one could only properly cultivate Soul Pathway in their Sea of Consciousness.

There was a reason Circles were used to denote rankings in this pathway.

It wasn't easy. People took over a decade just to do that, but Aegon had always been able to do that. Perhaps, because he always had only himself by his side so he understood himself a lot.

He told everything to Kai, who would teach him for the next one year.

"I see. So, you are Second Circle Cultivator," Kai said, after listening to everything. "The man is impressed, my goodman. But he also has a question for you."

"I will try to answer the best of my capabilities," Aegon said, wondering if it was related to life or something deep.

"No, it isn't difficult to answer," Kai smiled. "The man is just curious to know why you chose the Academy?"

"Oh, it's that," Aegon understood his question instantly. "There are some complications and I don't want to face them yet."

House Valeria was hailed as the strongest House for a reason, as they also had the largest number of Soul Cultivators and also the strongest ones.

Safe to say, training under them was heaven for any Soul Cultivator. As their heir, Aegon was supposed to get the tutelage of finest Soul Cultivators from House Valeria.

But he had only visited there a single time to pay respects to his grandmother's tomb. There, he learned about the complications of being their Heir, so he decided to wait for a while before inheriting it properly.

"I see. Being free is certainly a good way to learn more about oneself," Kai said. "Then, shall we start your practice too? What do you seek to learn and do through Soul Cultivation?"

That was an important question. Unlike Mage and Knight, who seemed limited, the Soul Pathway was the definition of limitless, just as the world was limitless, just as one's consciousness was limitless.

They could do what Knights could do and same went for Mages. Just the way they do it was different.

The possibilities were endless, so one needed to focus on their goal otherwise it could lead to disastrous consequences.

Aegon had already thought it over for a long time, so he replied without any hesitation, "Two things. Beast Master and Runemaster."

"The most common one," Kai noted calmly. "Then, you a need more practice rather than Cultivating Soul alone, my goodman. Both require experience and understanding of the world more than oneself."

He raised his thin hand, which looked frail but Aegon knew it could shatter a mountain easily.

"The man will not mess with your foundation as a Beast Master. That's something the House Valeria takes pride in and are best in," Kai said calmly. "Learn from them. What I will teach you is Rune mastery."

Then, Kai stood up and said, "Follow me, my Goodman. The man does not want to disturb his students."

"Yes, coming," Aegon said softly, knowing Kai could hear him easily.

Then, he stood up, gave one last glance at the students before walking away. They must be currently inside their Sea of Consciousness, trying to reach the Island in middle of that vast sea.

The control over the waters of that sea was used to determine one's rank in Soul Cultivation. And it was always in circles, like a round area of focus with one's manifestation as the centre.

'It really is like a game. The Map is already there, but you need to unlock more to get access to those areas. But it's also confusing. Does that mean everyone has a equal soul, just that it depends on how much they can control it?'

Aegon wondered, as he finally moved inside the tranquil wooden palace. It gave a comforting feeling to both his soul and body.

Entering a room, they took seas on mat with a table in between them. Soft lighting surrounded them with incense adding serenity to the atmosphere.

"Considering you are a Mage, the man is assuming you already have deep knowledge on Runes." Kai said, as he made tea and poured for both of them. His movements smooth and eye-catching.

"I won't say deep, but yes I have some basic knowledge," Aegon nodded.

"Then, it should be easier to explain, my goodman," Kai smiled. "You must have learned some basics on Rune Mastery too, but the man would like to explain from basics."

"Please do so."

"Runes are the Language of World. That is something everyone knows," Kai began his explanation. "A Mage uses that language to force their desire on the world. It's demeaning to the world."

Aegon pursed his lips, as he also felt like that sometimes.

"What Rune Master do is something similar, but not so in barbaric way," Kai said. "The man is not hypocrite enough to say we do not force the world, but we are slightly better as we politely ask the world to do that."

He raised his hand, as a layered Rune Formation began to form before them. Unlike a Rune Sphere, it was shaped in circles and gave a vastly different feeling.

"What RuneMasters do is ask the world to do their bidding rather than ordering it. That is why they use the World's Essence directly to carve the Runes. That is perhaps the biggest difference between A Mage and RuneMaster."

The Rune Formation came alive as their tea grew hot, steam swirling up slowly. Kai smiled and took a sip of it before continuing.

"The man can go on to show how Rune Master treat world better, as it is not different than our sea of consciousness, meaning ourselves. But it is pointless. One should always remain true to themselves and their beliefs. What RuneMasters do is just a different way of communication, even if it is a gentler way of it."

"It's like the difference between a Slave and a Servent," Aegon said.

"Exactly, my Goodman. You understand it. The world is not our slave," Kai smile brightened up. "Anyways, if you want to become a RuneMaster, you need to learn to communicate differently."

"Use the Essence directly?" Aegon asked.

"Indeed. Use your Soul Power to get access to the World's Essence, then write your intentions using the Runes so that the world understands it." Kai said. "That is the way of RuneMaster."

"So, they're basically Mages, but with a different source of energy because of which the world reacts differently," Aegon said, narrowing his eyes. "Is that way Rune Formations last longer? Is that why Runes aren't erased?"

"Indeed. The world will erase any and all foreign change, but what RuneMaster do is fool it to believe the world did it," Kai said. "The world won't erase something made through it's own Essence. One doesn't erase their own self."

"I see. So Rune Formations are just Rune Circles in a way?"

"You can say it like that, goodman. The main difference being the time taken to create both. Rune Formations can take months to create depending on the complexity."

Aegon grinned upon hearing that, "Then, it just makes things easier for me. It's the same language, so I don't need to do twice work for it."

"The man would suggest the goodman to be careful of his endeavours," Kai warned, but his voice remained calm as ever. "There has never been anyone who was both Mage and Soul Pathway, so the world might confuse you and label you as a virus."

Aegon grimaced.

How could he not understand his words?

If a man sometimes treated you as slave and then sometimes as servent, even you would be confused. And nobody knew what the World would do if it got confused.

"Can you help me?" Aegon pleaded.

"My Goodman, you are intelligent. Why don't you think about it for a moment? What is the solution?" Kai asked, sipping his tea peacefully.

But it left Aegon's mind swirling in questions.

How could one fool the world?

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