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"Activate it and I'll guide you."
She said.
Though I hesitated, I closed them and hoped nothing bad will happen. Not when Ela's here. I forced myself to concentrate, clearing my mind until there's nothing left but me and myself.
There was no darkness, even though my eyes were closed. And that's a good sign. The only sign I need to know I can visit the higher plane.
I opened them, pink motes blurred my vision. They're were colliding with each, bouncing off aimless. My vision was totally obscure. The motes were everywhere to the point I think they're in my eyes.
"Are you there?"
She asked, faint ripples spreading outwardly form the motes.
'What was that?'
"I am."
I replied.
"But the visibility is really poor. I can't see anything but pink."
"Close your eyes once again."
I followed, and she proceeded as though she could see through the motes
"Now try pretending they're not there before opening them."
'Just pretend they're not there. That's easy.'
The moment I opened my eyes, the pink motes dimmed. They didn't fade, they can't. They dimmed to the point of translucency, and I was able to see almost clearly, if I ignored the translucent pinkish motes all around.
"The motes are called Energy. Energy is an Existential Force present within all Planes of Existence."
She explained.
"Should I talk about Energy and its Fragment, the Planes of Existence, or the Reality of above us? Choose one and choose wisely. Choosing the wrong answer will disrupt the order of how you should know things."
She said, calmly awaiting my answers.
'As Existential Forces, they are responsible for shaping the Planes of Existence, and the Reality above us follows. But still, I need something I can grab straight ahead.'
"The Planes of Existence."
I answered.
"That's good. You didn't fall for the trap. Before we begin, do you feel stressed when or after using Etherium?"
"I don't know. The last time I did it went bad. Currently, I'm not feeling anything."
"Ok. Turn off the view just to be safe."
(Yeah, it's a view. That view allows you to see the blueprint of existence.)
Activating and deactivating the view is only present to the user. No one around you can see the change because there are none.
"I'll explain all there is to the Planes of Existence, regardless of whether it applies to Stars or not.
The first and the lowest on the list is the Elemental Plane."
We don't often use elements, but when we do, they are drawn from the Elemental Plane, where the purest form of these elements exists.
"It's the source of all elements: water, fire, earth, air... You name them."
"Elements huh, they don't sound strong."
"For some of us, they're not. For some fragile species out there, they are godly powers."
When some elements ascend, often through Elemental Augmentation, they draw the unfiltered aspect of that element and are capable of binding it with aspects like divinity and darkness.
A perfect example is azure lightning, used by Azure Stars. They are pure form of lightning with high concentration of azure energy.
(Azure energy is a branch of star energy that only Azure Stars can harness.)
Those Elemental Ascendants on Star Island draw upon the purest forms of their elements, with variants arising through Asteri's experiments and other factors such as psychological or spiritual factors.
"What's next in the hierarchy?"
"The Physical Plane,the solid reality we experience each day is shaped by the concepts themselves. Take this ocean for instance. It has it's conceptual form. It's pure and truest form that exists somewhere beyond what we can see."
She gestured into the empty space, hinting at something hidden beyond the limits of sight.
"So everything has a conceptual form that leads to its physical manifestation?"
"Yes."
"Do I have a conceptual form?"
I asked, my curiosity always taking the lead.
"Not as an individual. There are archetypes for humans, animals, for living beings in general. At some point, all of us share the same archetype of Star, but there is no archetype of Antares. However, there are Arts capable of binding or separating an archetype from its physical manifestation."
"Cool!"
I exclaimed enthusiastically.
"Will I get to learn it?"
"Probably, yes. Next is the Astral Plane, a metaphysical plane of existence often associated with higher vibrations and, at times, spiritual beings."
It is said to be where the soul wanders during sleep or astral projection. It's populated by angels, demons, spirits, and other immaterial entities.
"It's irrelevant to us, but keep it in mind."
"Alright. What does it feel like to sleep?"
I asked, curious. As a god, sleep was irrelevant for us.
"I've never tried, nor have I thought about it, so I wouldn't know."
"I wonder what it feels like."
I murmured softly. For a moment, a thought came into being.
'What if I get to become a mortal and fell what they fell? As a god, I should be able to find the out without losing my divinity.'
And with that, a path to catabasis was forged, the descent of a god to a lower state, under a single condition, without depotheosis.
(:)
"Next is the real home of spiritual beings, the Spiritual Plane."
Ela's voice snapped me awake.
"A higher plane of existence where spiritual beings reside. It is a place of divine connection and universal consciousness that transcends the physical reality. If you have a soul and your physical body dies, without reincarnation and rebirth, your soul will end up here."
"There's a time limit, right? Like how long a soul has before being delivered to the other side."
"It depends on the laws present in said realm. If the soul can be stored, then it's preserved. And if reincarnation or rebirth isn't part of the law, the soul will be transported.
If you're talking about how long the soul has before reincarnation or rebirth, that also depends on the law. In a world that prevents a soul from advancing, the souls of the deceased remains in the Physical Plane, but it can't be detected because it's a lower Plane.
The Spiritual Plane is not a single realm but many.
Souls drift into one of its branches:
Afterlife, the gathering place of all who have died. From here, paths diverge to Heaven, Hell, Limbo, Purgatory, Underworld, and lastly, Eternity.
Eternity is not a location but a state of existence of the Spiritual Plane. The end of all ends for souls, where even death doesn't follow them. Every living soul must encounter at least two of these realms. This is the fate for humanity and other entities."
"I feel a little bad for them."
I said, but there was no hint of sadness in me.
"Don't be. It's a fate, they just have to accept it. If they manage to break free from their constraints, then they'll be free."
"Where do those who don't have souls go after death?"
I asked. I know Stars aren't spiritual beings. So what happens to us after death.
"It depends on the process of their death. Some death extinguishes their soul or their essence, which means they'll be shut down completely. No sound heard, no light to see, no mouth to speak, and most of all, no sense of self. Just absence."
'I've felt that once. Aya, no, the First Ethereal Light did something similar to Entares.'
"You're talking like you've experienced it."
"I'm talking because I know it."
"..."
There's no point in dragging this further. I remained silent.
"What's next is out of physical form. A metaphysical plane that serves as the first level of abstraction. Active Etherium, I'd like to show you something."
Without wasting time, I did it. I'm back to that view again.
"I'm not sure if you'll be able to see it, but just keep it active for now."
"Is there a limit for what can be seen in Etherium?"
"Yes. It depends on how strong the person has a connection to Existence itself. This connection will filter what they should be able to see.
Some perceive only a single Plane, while others experience Etherium as if it were the Physical Plane. Some can sense the intangibles, and others go even further. It varies, but I have good news for you."
"What's that?"
"You were able to see Energy from day one. That's an extremely rare feat, and it's a good thing."
(It wasn't a contradiction or a mistake. She said it so that he'll ask such questions and I can tell you all about it.)
"Look ahead. What did you see?"
"Everything's normal except for the translucent pink motes."
"Can you see what's floating above the ocean?"
She asked, and I looked.
At first, I saw nothing. Then, as if it were meant for me to witness, something began to take shape. Gradually, the haze cleared, and I saw it.
The horizon folded into itself, and I could see an infinite ocean suspended in the sky, its waves cresting upward instead of downward.
"That's..."
"An archetype."
She answered.
"The water up there isn't wet. It's the essence of fluidity itself. Welcome, to the Conceptual Plane of Existence."
I turned, and wherever my gaze fell, something new emerged. It was as if another plane had been layered over the Physical Plane, or perhaps the reverse.
"The Conceptual Plane, the place where abstract concepts and archetypes exist independently of physical reality. It is a place where thoughts and intellectual constructs reside. Can you see that?"
She spoke, drawing my attention back to her. Pointing above her head, she asked, and I followed her gesture.
I saw it.
A vast network of glowing threads stretched into infinity, endlessly branching and reconnecting. Each one hummed with a faint, living light.
'That's weird...'
Then, a ripple moved across the glowing web, the threads reacted, bending inward, weaving into a fleeting shape.
For a moment, the endless web condensed into a single image: two strands tightening, forming hands that stretched toward… me? Another thread curved like a smile, shimmering with playful intent.
That's when I realised Ela was thinking of tugging at my cheeks. This wasn't words, nor pictures—it was the raw architecture of thought itself, shaping the idea before it ever reached her the physical reality.
"The conceptual form of thought?"
(Remember, archetypes ≠ conceptual form. Archetype is the eternal & metaphysical essence, you know, Platonic Forms. Conceptual form is the mental abstract of that essence. These two makes up the Major Concept. Both can be perceived in Etherium. Just take note._.)
"Yes, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."
She reached out and tugged at my cheeks, fingers warm and insistent.
"E… stowp…"
I struggled, half-heartedly, my voice muffled by her grip.
"You're so cute when you're like this."
She giggled, releasing me at last.
I rubbed my cheeks, which were tinged red but entirely painless, and felt a strange comfort settle in the warmth of her touch.
"Archetypes and thoughts..."
"That's not all there is."
She replied. And that's when I realised the boundless river of letters and glyphs, flowing endlessly in all directions. Some characters are familiar, like the alphabets, while others look alien to me, every possible system of communication blending.
Since alphabets are present, numbers too aren't exempted.
"Worlds too?"
"In Etherium, nothing can be hidden regardless of form or existence. It's just a matter of which plane they exist in."
Just as I was listening to her, I caught sight of a faint pink mote. I looked up the concept of thought and examined it. I saw something. Just what was it?
I strained my eyes and scanned the whole concept. That's when I saw it.
A translucent, almost invincible thin line connects the archetype to Ela's head. The boundless river of letting, too, has that thin line. I looked in closer, and the archetype blurred, highlighting the thin line linked to a tiny lump of similar force.
It seems like that translucent dot was the source of the thin lines. Right above it was a faint pink line linking the dot to the pink mote. This is...
As I listened to her voice, a faint pink mote flickered at the edge of my vision. My gaze lifted toward the vast expanse of the archetype of thought, and something stirred within its shifting patterns.
'What was that?'
I asked myself. If Ela is paying attention to me, she'll know I'm onto something. Whatever that was, I'll find it.
I narrowed my eyes, straining them until the hidden detail revealed itself. It was an almost invisible filament, a translucent thread so fine that it seemed ready to dissolve into nothing. It was hidden, waiting for me to notice it.
Just like how I ignored the pink motes earlier, but this time, it's drawing my attention. It wants me to see it.
The thread tethered the mote directly to Ela's head like a secret bridge of thought. The boundless river of letters itself ran through that single fragile line.
I pressed deeper, focusing until the said archetype blurred around it, pulling the thread into clarity. At its root pulsed a translucent dot, a hidden source of the line's existence.
And above it, glimmering softly, a delicate pink filament stretched once more, this time connecting the Dot back to the mote. They weren't just there I realised, they were revealing themselves to me, drawing me into an epiphany I was never meant to miss.
"Energy and Its Fragments?"
"Correct."
She answered.
"These translucent dots are the Fragments, carrying out their duties to make sure the system is working perfectly. For example, the dot connecting to the archetype is called Neosis, the Energy Fragment of Consciousness, Awareness, and Thought."
Before we think, Neosis gets to work, crafting our thoughts before we even think of them. As we do that, Neosis forms a link with the Fragment of Speech, Vocydrix, and applies our voices into reality.
"If a deaf person can utilise the Fragment of Speech, then they will be able to understand what we say without the need to listen. I'll stop right there. Our topic for today is the Planes of Existence."
She said, drawing me back to the topic at hand. But I couldn't help but think how vast and unknowable Existence really is.
The Planes of Existence are just views, planes of different purpose. Yet, Energy and it's Fragments are more fundamental. I can't wait to know more about the world we live in.
(There you go, Antares's first curiosity about the world he lives in. Said that in the synopsis if you could remember:)
"As you can see, the archetypes, ideas, concepts, and thoughts are all the dots working on them."
"How does it shape the Physical or Spiritual Planes though?"
"It's simple, but it may be a bit complicated for a young Star like you."
"We don't always get to learn the easy way. I'm ready."
"Ok. Pause me when needed so I can give you a break or drop the topic."
I drew in a deep, childish breath, puffing out my chest.
"I won't back down."
"Alright."
She said, eyes gleaming.
"Keep your eyes open and watch carefully. For instance, if I want to create a planet…"
(What she's about to explain is basically the blueprint of existence behind the scenes.)
To be continued...