Makun stared at the words.
It clicked directly. Everything was logical.
It made sense that if the Source was the beginning of all, if everything that existed were fragments of that Source, then the goal was to return or touch upon that state of wholeness.
Makun was someone who always asked himself questions. He liked analyzing. He liked deducing. And he had to be sure he was on the right track.
The book gave him knowledge. The information was precious. The path was set.
Return to the Source, it said.
However.
Who wrote the book?
What agenda did this person have?
From his life experience, Makun knew everyone had some type of agenda. Someone writing such knowledge surely had their own agenda.
Also, Makun paused.
Zuri spoke about the Hollow Court. Did they have the same belief? Or did they view mysticism as something else?
Was this goal of wholeness an ideal, or was it achievable?
If it was achievable, then why were families so attached to the world?
Also, if it was an ideal, then why were they scared of the population knowing the truth of the world?
So many questions crept up in Makun's head.
Only way to answer was to continue reading.
He slowly turned the page.
THE ANSWER
Now that you know the goal of a Mystic: to return to the Source, to become whole, free, and complete. The question that comes must be:
How?
How can I achieve that goal?
How do I become whole?
How do I transcend the divisions that separate me from infinity?
The answer is quite simple:
Bridge the gap between the Source and yourself.
That is what we call reconnection.
But simplicity does not mean ease.
To reconnect, your spiritual energy (the frequency and vibration at which you exist) must match that of the Source.
You must resonate with the infinite.
You must shed the density of flesh, the limitations of matter, the illusions of separation.
You must ascend.
Makun's hands trembled slightly as he read.
Spiritual energy. Frequency. Vibration.
The words felt familiar now. Like pieces of a puzzle he'd been holding without knowing what picture they formed.
I am sure you are curious about what spiritual energy is.
I am sure you wonder how to advance.
So let us begin.
SPIRITUAL ENERGY & ADVANCEMENT
To ascend the tiers is a matter of spiritual energy.
Every practitioner possesses spiritual energy. The substance of the soul, the connection between flesh and The Deep. As this energy grows, refines, and expands, the practitioner ascends.
But the path is not equal for all.
Birthright grants access to knowledge hidden from common seekers. Bloodline provides teachers, resources, and protected sanctuaries for cultivation. Fortune determines whether you stumble upon a mentor or die alone in ignorance.
The children of mystical families begin their journey with maps. The rest must chart unknown territory.
Yet once awakened, all paths converge on the same truth:
Comprehension.
Regardless of birth, wealth, or advantage, without comprehension, there is no advancement. A noble Initiated with every resource may stagnate at Tier 1 Grade 1 for years, while a desperate commoner breaks through to Apprentice in months through sheer understanding.
The Source does not care about bloodlines.
It responds only to those who bridge the gap.
Makun paused, jaw tight.
So the powerful have advantages. Of course they do.
But once I'm awake...
He kept reading.
But how does one increase spiritual energy?
Through comprehension. The act of understanding reality's hidden layers, of seeing truth beneath illusion, of bridging the distance between yourself and the Source.
Each moment of true comprehension expands your spiritual energy. Each breakthrough peels back another layer of The Veil within you.
But comprehension cannot be forced. It cannot be bought. It cannot be stolen.
It must be earned.
The text shifted, listing four methods:
THE FOUR PATHS OF COMPREHENSION
1. MEDITATION
The inward journey. Through stillness, focus, and discipline, the practitioner empties their mind and allows truth to surface naturally.
In meditation, enlightenment comes as sudden clarity. A realization about the nature of reality, the structure of The Deep, the mechanics of spiritual energy itself.
This path is favored by those with patience and access to safe spaces.
It is slow. Methodical. Safe.
But in the early tiers, it is the most reliable.
Advantage: Mystical families provide meditation chambers, guided techniques, ancestral wisdom.
Disadvantage for the common mystic: Must find safe locations, develop techniques through trial and error, risk interruption.
2. RITUAL
The practical path. Through action (sacrifice, invocation, ceremony) the practitioner manipulates spiritual forces and observes the results.
Rituals can be Light (offerings to ancestors, purification ceremonies, acts of creation etc..) or Dark (blood sacrifice, soul binding, sexual deviations, acts of destruction etc...).
What matters is not morality, but result.
A successful ritual that reshapes reality, even slightly or show reality for what it is at the deepest state, grants comprehension of HOW reality can be reshaped. And with that comprehension comes spiritual growth.
The more complex the ritual, the deeper the comprehension.
This path is favored by those with access to knowledge and resources.
It is faster than meditation.
But it is dangerous. Rituals can backfire. Entities can deceive. Sacrifices can corrupt.
Advantage: Bloodline mystics inherit ritual texts, components, and supervised practice.
Disadvantage for the common mystic: Must piece together rituals from fragments, afford expensive components, risk catastrophic failure alone.
3. LIVED EXPERIENCE
The experiential path. Through surviving hardship, facing entities, walking The Deep, and enduring trials, the practitioner comprehends truth through direct confrontation with reality's hidden layers.
Near-death sharpens the soul.
Entity encounters teach the nature of power.
Astral journeys reveal the structure of existence.
Battle, loss, triumph. All forge comprehension.
This path favors the desperate, the hunted, and the fearless.
It is the most unpredictable.
You cannot plan when enlightenment will come. You can only survive long enough to receive it.
Many die on this path.
But those who live grow fastest.
Advantage: Available to all. No resources required. Only survival.
Disadvantage: Highest mortality rate. No safety net. Comprehension comes at the edge of death.
4. EXTERNAL RESOURCES
The material path. Through consumption of spiritually potent substances (pills, potions, roots, blessed objects, entity essence) the practitioner absorbs refined spiritual energy directly.
This is the rarest path.
True spiritual resources are hidden, guarded, or monopolized by powerful families and factions.
And even when found, they are dangerous.
Consuming unpurified entity essence can corrupt the soul.
Absorbing energy too fast can shatter the spiritual core.
This path is favored by the wealthy, the desperate, and those willing to risk everything.
It is the fastest method.
But it is the most costly. In money, in risk, and in what it does to the practitioner's humanity.
Advantage: Bloodline mystics have access to tested, purified resources. Guided consumption. Safety protocols.
Disadvantage for the common mystic: Nearly impossible to find. Extremely expensive. High risk of death or corruption when consumed without guidance.
Makun read it twice.
Then a third time.
Four paths.
Meditation. Ritual. Lived Experience. External Resources.
He didn't have a meditation chamber. Didn't have safe space. Barely had a roof over his head last night.
He didn't have ritual texts. Didn't have components. Didn't have money for any of it.
He didn't have spiritual resources. Couldn't afford them. Wouldn't know where to find them if he could.
But Lived Experience?
That he had.
Twenty-three years of bad luck. Eviction. Job loss. Now hunted.
Near-death sharpens the soul.
He'd been living on the edge his whole life without knowing it.
Entity encounters teach the nature of power.
The presence. The feminine voice. She'd broken his chain.
Battle, loss, triumph. All forge comprehension.
He was already on this path.
However How could one could one convert such experience into spiritual energy, Were all of his experiences wasted?
Also, was one path all it took. From what Makun understood depending on the resources available one could switch between paths.
That meant Meditation was beginner friendly, Not risky but the higher someone climbed, the less efficient it was.
That was when You had to switch, Rituals or potions could be helpful. However, these were available to a short number of people. The book spoke about Bloodline Mystics.
Surely Those Rich Families. Makun Thought
He closed his eyes. Took a breath.
The cold morning air bit through his jacket. His stomach cramped from hunger. His head throbbed from the book's drain.
But he understood now.
He couldn't compete with bloodline mystics in resources or knowledge.
But he had to surpass them if he needed to break those chains.
He opened his eyes. Looked down at the book.
The page glowed faintly. Energy still trickling from him into it. Slower now. Manageable.
He needed to keep reading. Needed to know more.
But his body was screaming at him.
Hunger. Exhaustion. The hollow feeling in his chest from the book's drain.
He couldn't collapse again. Not here. Not in the open.
Makun closed the book. Slowly. Deliberately.
The glow faded. The drain stopped.
He slipped it into his bag and stood.
He steadied himself against the bench.
$13.50.
Enough for food. One meal. Maybe two if he was smart.
He looked around.
The industrial zone stretched empty in every direction. Cracked pavement. Rusted containers. Abandoned factories.
But down the street, maybe half a mile, he saw it.
A diner. Neon sign flickering. OPEN 24 HRS.
Makun slung his bag over his shoulder and started walking.
One step. Then another.
Food first.
Comprehension later, When he got some energy.