Lesley never liked the cold, winter was not his favourite season, never had been. When he lived in Fasaurus, with his family, he'd always wear thick clothes, till he looked like a walking marshmallow. His grandmother found it funny, his mother found it exasperating and his dad... He didn't know.
But, as he walked through the Wilderness of the Undeparted, it's mist licking his bodice, he felt chills in his spine. Actually, not his spine, his soul, like his soul was walking in a chilly breeze. It was surreal, infact everything had been surreal so far.
The Obsidian jade whip in his hand felt real though, as did the ground under his feet and the cloak on his body. To think, this was all happening in his soul, Lesley sighed, when he gets out of here, he would sit down with Mel and think of a plan for growing stronger and preparing for the Plane's ascension.
"Damn this place is weird." Lesley looked at the trees around him with curious eyes, walking up to one. It was a gnarly black tree, that looked like a hollow husk, with black green veined leaves. Lesley reached up to touch it.
"Gross!" Lesley shivered as he felt it's bark, it felt like rotten flesh. Squishy and mushy like sun baked waste. "What is this thing?"
[The tree has high levels of necrotic Aether. It's not a normal tree from your world.]
"Phix!" Lesley looked behind him and saw a small green spark, the size of his thumb, floating in the air. Like a flickering ember it floated down to Lesley's shoulder and rested there.
"You said you'd be asleep for a week, how are you here?" Lesley asked him.
[First off, I am not a male, at my power level, gender becomes irrelevant. Secondly, I was talking about Soul communication, when you spoke in your physical body.]
Phix still had a calm tone, and despite his tiny size, Lesley could hear his arrogance. The ember moved to his other shoulder and seemed to look at the whip in his hand.
[Lych gave you his Soul weapon?]
"Oh? This? No, he gave me this ball of green fire and told me to shape it into whatever weapon I want." Lesley replied," What is a Soul weapon?"
[You don't hesitate to use me, I see ]
Phix spoke with a petulant tone but answered his question.
[Soul weapons are usually magical treasures born from a Power's Soul essence and heart blood. They are linked to the owner, able to grow and adapt with them like a limb. Yours was made from Lych's Soul essence and your heart blood, which makes it a dual Soul weapon I assume.]
"Okay, I think I understand." Lesley strapped his whip like a belt.
[There's no need for that. If you want, just wish it away and when you need it, will it back into your hand. It's an extension of you, so it will obey.]
"Okay," Lesley focused and the whip vanished in a puff of green smoke, and formed a whip insignia on his right wrist," a tatoo?"
[Lesley, focus. I know you are here to get a undead summon, so I came to help, otherwise you'd have wandered like a fool and got yourself necrosized.]
"You mean the turning into a wraith thing that Lych mentioned? What is up with that? How can I get hurt in my own soul, isn't this supposed to be my safe space?" Lesley felt a bit miffed when Lych said that and vanished into a statue.
[I understand that Bloodline interface has made this seem like it is a video game, but it is not. You are in a Law domain, the Reanimation domain to be exact.]
"Wait, so this isn't part of my soul? This law domain?" Lesley started walking as he talked to Phix.
[It is part of your soul. As a spiritual cultivator, you possess an inner Law domain that is made of your Main law and minor laws.]
"Law domain? I think I need you to explain the difference between Spiritual and Physical cultivators, because I'm getting confused." Lesley sighed and gave a small cough, the air here was weird.
[Very well, let me explain the difference between Physical and Spiritual cultivation. Spiritual cultivation is about taking Aether to form an Aether Sea in your Soul space, and using your Main law and minor laws for spells. Physical cultivation is about taking Aether into your body to form an Aether Core, and to use your Main law and minor laws to strengthen the body.]
"Okay, but what about this Law domain here, what's it about?" Lesley looked left and right and took a guess, the mist was getting annoying.
[A Law domain is the manifestation of your cultivation laws in your Soul space. Unlike the Inner domain for Physical cultivators, which is a storage space for the Aether core, the Law domain is where you perceive your laws to grow stronger. This place is Reanimation made real, with everything here made of the fundamental concepts of your laws.]
"Okay...do all Spiritual cultivators have one?"
[Yes, they do. The Law domain is the manifestation of the laws upon your soul. You are meant to learn about your laws here, till they are under your control. ]
"What do you mean under my control?"
[Spiritual cultivation aims to control laws, whilst Physical cultivation seeks to build a body of laws. A spiritual cultivator is weaker than a physical cultivator in physical attributes but surpass them in Aether manipulation.]
"Why am I doing both? Couldn't I just stay a Spiritual cultivator? My Aether core is already cracked." Lesley sighed as he turned left, still clueless about where to go.
[Spiritual cultivators are good at long distance combat, but are physically weak. You do not strike me as someone who doesn't want to be a combat fighter.]
"Yeah, fighting long distance battles would be boring again and again. But, you're wrong, long distance or short distance, as long as I win, it does not matter. Why do you think I made my Soul weapon like this? A whip and short sword, for both long distance and short distance fighting." Lesley jumped over a tree root," That aside, I'm guessing the fact I'm a duo cultivator also has to do with my Main and minor law."
[Wrong. Both the law of Reanimation and Reincarnation have paths for Physical and Spiritual cultivation. Many laws do, whilst few laws only allow a singular path of cultivation.]
"Okay, fine. But, how big is my Law domain? Judging from the distance of those towers, maybe a few miles."
[Those towers are a part of your ability, [Undeath Trials] but not of your concern yet, remember your objective is to gain an undead summon. I can tell you, the stronger you become, the better it will be, so move along.]
"I'm moving along, but besides cultivation, is there other ways to become stronger?" Lesley gave a small cough, feeling parched for some reason.
[Yes, but they are not your concern. At present, there are no Powers to contend with near you. You should focus, and grow stronger.]
"I am trying ." Lesley looked left and right, but everything looked the same." This place is confusing, I swear I've walked past that tree five times now."
[You can try to use [Primordial Perception] to understand what is happening. It can show the concept within Aether.]
"I can still use my abilities in here? Cool. " Lesley's eyes glowed green as he used his ability on the Aether mist. The grey mist turned greyish green , like sickly poisonous gas. Lesley saw something stranger though, as he followed the source of the mist.
The mist was coming from under the trees.
"What the heck? How are the trees spewing this mist?" Lesley moved toward one tree and used his [Primordial Perception].
[
|•|
Name: Miasma Tree
Species: Undead Flora
Title {s}: N/A
Rank: Mid level Plant Zombie
Class: Trapper Plant
Main law: Decay
|∆|
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES:
Strength: 10
Agility: N/A
Stamina: N/A
Vitality: 20/20
|∆|
MAGICAL ATTRIBUTES:
Spirit: 30
Zombie Core: Grey {Neascant}
|∆|
UNDEAD ABILITIES:
[NECROS THORNS| Level 2]
[WRAITH BREATH| Level 5]
[LIFE SENSE| Level 2]
|•|
]
"What the hell? This thing...these things are...all-"
[Undead. Yes, they are. This might be a good time, to show you something bad.
|•|
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES:
Strength: 25
Agility: 30
Stamina: 54/55
Vitality: 35/38
Sanity: 85/85
The miasma is slowly digging away at your Vitality. I suggest you find a solution. Now.]