In reverence, James placed both of his hands to his chest and closed his eyes. Sonar followed suit, with Astra copying their movements a second later.
After James finished praying to the God of Dreams for protection, guidance, and Astra's success, he began to speak about the contents on the holographic screen.
"Before we start the ritual, there must be some things said first."
"So, I'll start with you, Miss Astra. The Dominion of Dreams have already given us quite a bit of information on you."
"I'm going to cut to the chase. Apparently, you were from Vytheris and got involved in an accident. This accident has proven you to be someone qualified for the Dreamlanders."
"You're not a mutant, or a hybrid. Yet, you have superhuman strength and excellent mind capabilities."
"You have no bad intentions and appear to have a kind—almost sacrificial heart."
Astra didn't react outwardly. She was a little confused as to how she could be considered 'almost sacrificial' when she is quite a cautious person, but she didn't question it.
Sonar, however, increasingly got shocked as James spoke. He still tried to remain apathetic, but his facade was breaking.
"She's a lot more impressive than I thought…well, no wonder she would be able to join the Dreamlanders so quickly…" Sonar thought while giving side glances to Astra.
James gazed at the holographic screen, changing the contents of the hologram with just a thought.
"Now, I know you want to know what those terms mean."
"Mutant is a human being who was born through artificial, experimental or otherwise classified means. You can consider them as people who were created in a lab. Half-mutants are beings who are humans but turned into mutants, or they had descended from a human and mutant who bred. It is important to note that there is a huge difference between a mutant and a mutation."
"Hybrids are just beings who are the descendants of the offspring of humans and other human-like species. Such as elves, vampires or mermaids."
Astra already knew that such beings existed in this world, so she didn't react to the mention of them. She was well aware that this was a world that belonged to a fantasy—filled with fantastical and supernatural beings.
James continued.
"These beings are usually much stronger than the average human. Because of this, certain laws were placed regarding them for all major countries. Some laws were the Unregistered Civilian Act which specifically targeted unregistered human-like species, or the Pure Human Act which forbade human-like species and humans to breed with each other without registration. This caused a few disputes thousands of years ago, but things have calmed down since then due to those laws relaxing."
"Well…no wonder there were disputes. Those laws sound strangely discriminatory." Astra almost clicked her teeth as she criticized inwardly.
The hologram changed its screen once more.
"Next are these essential terms. Celestial, Dreamer, Protector and Dreamweaver."
"Celestials are just beings who are able to manipulate Ethereon. I'm sure you already know what that word means. Sonar and I both are considered Celestials. Both of us are Dreamers, though I am of a higher rank than him."
Sonar instinctively jumped up to the mention of his name. This was because he was beginning to drift off to sleep.
James didn't mind, and continued explaining.
"'Dreamers' are the specific part of the Dreamlanders that fight against threats and Anomalies. They are a part of the lower echelon, and are divided into four ranks."
"Rank 4 through Rank 1. Rank 4 is the weakest, while Rank 1 is the strongest."
"As for the Dreamweavers, the principles are the same, however they are the higher echelon. They are divided into three ranks, similar in succession to the Dreamers."
"'Protector' is a temporary term for a Dreamer. It means that the Dreamer in question has the potential to become a Dreamweaver—whether through natural talent or through hard work. The way to become one is to apply for one. Usually, the minimum requirement is that the Dreamer has to be at least the level of a Sentinel."
"However," James casted his gaze towards Astra. "The higher ups—those in the Dominion…they specifically gave you that status. Heh, and you're not even a Celestial."
"That's an exception…you're clearly someone special." James' voice went deeper and grew softer when he said this.
"What are the benefits of a Protector?" Astra asked curiously.
James looked back at the screen.
"Well, the pay is the same and everything else is the same for your respective rank. The benefits come from the status. As in, you will be assigned to certain missions that will allow you to become stronger quickly under the gaze or guidance of a Dreamweaver. You will also be under the watch of the Dominion, and are more likely to use higher level weapons."
"That almost sounds unfair…" Astra added.
"No wonder Zero over here was jealous…" Astra restrained herself from looking at Sonar.
"True, but it also comes with a lot of responsibility. It's temporary, and it lasts three years before one becomes a Dreamweaver. If you fail to reach this goal, you must wait five more years to apply again. Once you apply and you're accepted, the Protector status lasts one year. If you still fail to become a Dreamweaver, you can never apply for a Protector again—unless another Dreamweaver of rank 2 and above suggests it."
"So I have three years left. Lucian seems to have a lot of confidence in me…" Astra sulked inwardly.
James sighed.
"Well, I only have about a year left until I become a Dreamweaver. The good thing is that I just need to increase my rank once to become one, but I've been stuck in this position for two years. It is incredibly hard to become a Dreamweaver. Actually, it's incredibly hard to advance as a whole…most people stop at Ember or Sentinel."
"Anyway, I'm going off on a tangent. You see, most people usually wait until they become a Vanguard before they apply, like me. Yes, this makes your suggestion even more extraordinary." James rubbed his forehead with his fingers.
"What do the terms Ember, Sentinel and Vanguard mean?" Astra asked.
"Great question." James took his fingers from off of his forehead and looked at Sonar, whose eyes were closed. "Dreamer Leo!" With a smile, he raised his voice to call out to Sonar.
"Ah!" Sonar jumped up. He nervously smiled and scratched the back of his head. "What's the matter, Captain?"
Lowering his voice, James calmly replied.
"Tell Dreamer Sera about the ranks."
Sonar cleared his throat. He tried to look towards Astra, but he had struggled to do so.
"Well, when you become a Celestial," His voice was measured and low, while also being somewhat sluggish and dry.
"The first rank is Awakened. Then it's Ember, Sentinel, Vanguard. These are the ranks of the Dreamers. Then the ranks of the Dreamweavers are Exarch, Pillar and Paragon. This is in an order of strength, so basically, the Awakeneds are the weakest while the Paragons are the strongest."
"Awakeneds are usually newbie Celestials, while Paragons are the cream of the crop, veteran Celestials. Keep in mind, heh, this is only general, since some Celestials can be stronger than others while not being as experienced as them."
Sonar held his right hand to his chin as he looked at the screen—which now displayed the contents of the Celestial ranks.
"Now, if you're wondering how strong each of them are, I'm happy to tell you." A wry smile crept on his face, but he still struggled to look at Astra.
"Awakeneds are not much stronger than regular people. In fact, if they're not careful, they can easily lose to a normal person. Especially if that normal person has a weapon. An Awakened's power is like a convenient tool in certain situations rather than a weapon or a threat."
"Embers are when Celestials can be considered truly superhuman. They can very easily beat dozens of people at once. However, this is quite a sudden increase of power from Awakaened. Hence, if one isn't cautious, they can lose their sense of self. This makes them turn into monsters as a result."
"Is that why it's called Ember? The person who coined these titles has a poetic naming sense…" Astra added inwardly.
"Sentinels are much stronger than Embers. I don't have a proper comparison, but they're probably on the level of an armed police unit. Yes, this includes the weapons that they have."
"As for Vanguards, they're even stronger. I can say that they can be compared to an armed military unit, including the Ethereal-infused tank that belongs to each one."
"Why is he describing the strength of a Celestial like that? What does that even mean to have power compared to an armed police unit or an armed military unit? There's too many variables to consider to properly visualize it…" Astra inwardly criticized.
"I get the concept though. Embers can defeat dozens of regular people, Sentinels can defeat dozens of police officers, Vanguards can defeat dozens of military personnel…" Astra mentally envisioned a chart in her head.
"Hmmm. Mia is an Awakened, since she just became a Celestial. That bastard, Omar, was likely an Ember."
Sonar gave a breath of relief as he continued to stare at the hologram.
"As for the higher ranks, I'm not sure how strong they are, since I've never seen them in battle. They don't give us a breakdown for the strength levels of a rank either."
"I can only guess that they are extremely strong, though." Sonar then nodded at James, signaling that he was finished speaking.
James waited for a second, which gave the room a short silence. Astra intently looked at James, waiting for him to speak.
He sighed and said, "That's a good attempt, even though you didn't explain it how I wanted you to explain it. But anyway. I don't mind. I appreciate it," He shot a teasing smile at Sonar.
"You never told me to explain it like that, though…" Sonar narrowed his eyes, but never spoke his thoughts.
James cleared his throat.
"Those ranks are called the Celestial Strata. The names of those ranks were passed down for Eons, dating back to the first humans, those that became Demigods. So, all countries and their organizations use them. This even applies to other planets and alien civilizations." James explained on Sonar's behalf, looking at the hologram.
Astra's pupils dilated slightly when she heard the word 'planets'.
"Though, like the Dreamlanders, other organizations would have specific names for those ranks. For example, Dreamers, Dreamweavers and their divisions of these ranks." James elaborated.
"Furthermore, Rank 4 Dreamers are Awakeneds, Rank 3 Dreamers are Embers and so on. This also applies to Dreamweavers: Rank 3 Dreamweavers are Exarchs and it continues on like that."
"Also, as a piece of info, Captains are Rank 1 Dreamers, while Vice-Captains are Rank 2 Dreamers. As for the Dreamweavers, it is a little different. There is only one rank for the leaders of their respective groups, which are Rank 1 Dreamweavers. They are also not called captains, but they are called Ministers."
Astra placed her hand on her chin.
"What about Saints? Are they also a part of the Strata?"
"Great question. And yes, they are. They are part of the Mythic Strata, the classification of those who have godhood." James responded with a smile.
"They only have two ranks: Luminary and Saint. They are the leaders of the Dreamlanders, and the leaders of similar organizations in the major countries."
"As for the specifics of becoming one, I don't have the approval to know. But I do know that they are usually born into one by being the children of a Deity or Demi-deity. If not for that, then they are either cultivated into being one by those of a similar level, or have lived for hundreds or thousands of years to reach that state." This time, James didn't press any button on his wrist because his hologram didn't contain information on the Mythic Strata.
"As expected, Lucian and Kayla are that strong…I wonder if they were nurtured by their respective deities…"
"As for Loken, he seems to be below their level. If I had to guess, he's a Luminary. Still…that's someone who has godhood inside of him." Astra praised Loken in her head.
Curious, Astra asked another question—one which she was wondering about the entire time.
"After I become a Celestial, how do I get stronger?"
James changed the contents of the hologram again.
"There are two ways of becoming stronger after you become a Celestial."
"The first way is called 'Refining'. After you advance to an Awakened, Ember, or any rank, you must refine that rank before you advance again. If you don't refine your rank, your body won't get adjusted to the sudden ethereal power being injected into you, resulting in a mutation. A mutation, as I've mentioned before, is just when a Celestial—or even a non-Celestial in rare cases—loses control of themselves and their self-awareness."
"As you refine your rank, you will become stronger and gain more powers and techniques. As your rank increases, the harder it is to to refine your rank."
"Now, refining depends on the person and their rank. Usually, the way to refine has to be deduced by the user. This is because wielding Ethereon is all about self-awareness. The more one understands themselves, the smarter one is, the faster one will refine."
"The good thing about this is that this means that despite there being only six dimensions, the applications of those dimensions are boundless and depend on the user. The only restriction that the user has at a high enough level are their respective domains of their dimension." James explained in an informative tone.
"So even though one may be of the same dimension as another, their powers might not be exactly the same since the application depends on the user. Though, because the powers between those two users are in the same domain, they'll have similar power sets?" Astra followed along, listening attentively.
"Correct. This means that despite Sonar and I being from the same dimension—Dreamscape—we won't exactly have the same application of the powers of Dreams, Illusions or Subconsciousness, which are the domains of Dreamscape."
Astra nodded, understanding the explanation.
James pressed the point of light on his wrist again.
"The second way is called 'Advancing'. This is when you fully refine your rank and advance from a lower rank to a higher one. Each advancement deepens your understanding of Ethereon and gives you a higher capacity to manipulate your respective dimension. Unlike 'Refining', there is a fixed way to advance. There are a few ways to do so."
"First, and this is the safest way, Advancement Artifacts. These include but are not limited to: ethereal fragments, dimensional shards. These objects, like orbs, help you advance. However, finding an Advancement Artifact that corresponds to your subsequent rank is quite hard. The good thing is that once you find your Advancement Artifact, all you have to do is a ritual similar to the one you do to become a Celestial. Of course, these rituals get harder as you advance."
"The second way is to pray to a God. Not a Demigod, but a God. The way this is done varies depending on which God the user wants to please. This is the most dangerous way, as the Gods most likely to respond to such prayers are mysterious Gods. These Gods are malevolent and only seek to corrupt to get more power, so this way is the most dangerous."
"The third way is to use technology that uses Ethereon to create an Advancement Artifact. This way is quite rare, as one needs deep scientific and engineering knowledge to do so."
Astra's pupils dilated as she heard the words that came from James. However, they immediately constricted as she heard his next words.
"Actually, even if one has that knowledge, finding a piece of technology that corresponds to your usage of Ethereon is extremely difficult—more so if you're looking to advance. It'd be better if you just created an Ethereal Artifact from it."
James said apathetically, unaware of the emotional rollercoaster he made Astra go through.
Continuing, he said, "The last way to advance are potions. Currently, I have little information on this, but apparently Westoria has found a way to mimic an Advancement Artifact using potions from all types of ingredients. As for what ingredients they are, no one but those who dabble in Magic and Mysticism knows. Sigh, I still don't know how they've made themselves to be completely hidden from the rest of the world…"
"Perhaps Westoria is a continent full of dangerous, fantastical beings? If Loken, someone who has godhood, was likely from Westoria…what does that say about the other people in there?"
"Perhaps it's hidden to protect the rest of us? No, what am I talking about…" Astra felt as if she was rambling, but she still theorized regardless.
"Okay, I understand." Astra closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "But I'm a little curious about using technology to get stronger…what if someone under the domain of Science and Physics tries to advance using that way?"
James stopped looking at the screen and made eye contact with Astra. After a second, he turned his head back up towards the hologram.
"I'm not sure. Perhaps it would increase the chances of working, perhaps it wouldn't. I don't have any information on that unofficial dimension." James replied bluntly.
Astra sulked inwardly.
"Sigh, I have to ask Kayla about that then…"
Putting aside those thoughts, she asked another question.
"What are Ethereal Artifacts exactly?"
James pressed the point of light on his wrist, changing the contents of the hologram.
By this time, Sonar wasn't even pretending to sleep. His eyes were closed and his head pointed towards his lap. James didn't want to waste any more time, so he didn't scold Sonar about it.
Astra didn't care.
"Ethereal Artifacts are objects that naturally or artificially have Ethereon in them. Their application varies. Some can be purely offensive or defensive, some can be fantastical or magical in nature, some can be used for transport, some can be used for rituals, some can even be alive and show living characteristics." James continued.
"Living characteristics…the dimensions can give non-living things life…" Astra made a note of that point in her head.
"For the Dreamlanders, we mainly use offensive and defensive Ethereal Artifacts," James said, his voice still low and deep. "However, we have all sorts of Artifacts that we can use for a variety of situations. Though, sometimes they aren't necessary for some missions."
"Sadly, since these artifacts are usually dangerous, they have to be sealed. Usually, they are sealed inside a Dreamlander headquarters in their respective cities, or a Dreamlander base inside smaller cities. For higher level artifacts, they are sealed inside realms that are created exclusively by a Mythic Strata."
"As for how they are sealed, they must be sealed inside of something called the Moonlight Vault. The Dreamlander required to seal them has to be on the level of a Dreamweaver or higher, depending on the danger level."
"How dangerous can these artifacts get?" Astra asked curiously.
The contents of the hologram changed, revealing a list.
It read:
Tier 8 Ethereal Artifact: Harmless. Does not require sealing. Application is usually for aesthetics. Most technology that uses Ethereon falls under this rank. Any Celestial can come into contact with this artifact.
Tier 7 Ethereal Artifact: Minimal harm can be done. Requires sealing on extremely rare instances. They are usually used for convenience purposes. Can be sold in some markets. Any Celestial can come into contact with this artifact.
Tier 6 Ethereal Artifact: Some harm can be done to the user or to other people. Very rarely results in death. Requires sealing on rare instances. These are banned from all markets, however can be sold in the dark market. Awakeneds must not come into contact with this artifact.
Tier 5 Ethereal Artifact: Considerable harm can be done to the user or to other people. Can result in death if the user is not cautious. Requires sealing whenever an anomaly is found (whether large or small). Can be sold in some dark markets. Embers and below must not come into contact with this artifact.
Tier 4 Ethereal Artifact: Immense harm can be done to the user or to other people, and has a range that can affect dozens of people. Can result in death even when the user is cautious. Requires sealing immediately. Seldom found in dark markets. Sentinels and below must not come into contact with this artifact.
Tier 3 Ethereal Artifact: Will result in death to the user and to other people, and has a range that can span city blocks. Requires sealing immediately. Vanguards and below must not come into contact with this artifact.
Tier 2 Ethereal Artifact: Will result in death to the user and to other people, and has a range that can span across a city. Requires sealing immediately. Exarchs and below must not come into contact with this artifact.
Tier 1 Ethereal Artifact: Will result in death to the user and to other people, and has a worldwide range. Sealing must be done by a Celestial on the level of a Luminary and above, and it must be done before it makes contact with the outside world.
Tier 0 Ethereal Artifact: Will result in extinction events across civilizations, and has an interstellar range at the minimum. Sealing must be done by a Celestial on the level of a Saint, and it must never make contact with the outside world.
ERROR Artifact: Must not be looked at, described, or named. No description of its effects are available. This artifact must be annihilated if possible. If it is impossible to do so, sacrifice it to the Demigod.
Astra read this attentively.
After one second, she looked down at James and asked,
"What's with the 'Error'?"
James' expression turned serious.
"Those Ethereal Artifacts are less 'artifacts' and more dimensional anomalies. They shouldn't exist in the universe."
"Merely knowing about them can cause a deep sense of corruption or an immediate loss of self. It is something that you cannot look at, know about, or describe. It is entirely incomprehensible for mortals."
"Yes, it is more accurate to say that they are concepts rather than artifacts, if anything."
Astra's eyes widened, her expression showing a sense of shock and confusion.
"Concepts…then what happens if one of them goes rogue? Are there any that aren't sealed?"
James paused for a second.
"I don't know. Only those on the level of a Saint have access to that information."
"Though it is possible that the Demigods Themselves have a few in their possession."