Beyond the Veil

Including Friday, Richard spent a full three days deciphering the remaining two pages of coded text in Appendix C.

Friday night went most smoothly; the vocabulary covered by the reference chart was still sufficient.

He only needed to apply the substitution rules, then make minor adjustments to the word order based on context, and most sentences would emerge.

By Saturday afternoon, after returning from the antique shop, it became much harder.

The further Appendix C went, the deeper the layers of code nested within it.

Some words had been substituted twice—common words were first replaced with Old Latin terms, then the Old Latin terms with religious terminology.

The reference chart Mr. Hutton had given him only solved the first layer. For the second, he had to consult the etymology of religious texts himself.

Fortunately, with [Scholarship] enhancing him, he broke down word roots far faster than an ordinary person.

He spread the Church Latin Etymology Manual he had borrowed from the library across the table, pressing Appendix C down with his left hand while flipping through etymologies with his right, several trains of thought running through his mind at once.

By Sunday, it grew even harder. The final half-page of coded text used a different encryption method.

The encryptor had broken whole sentences into fragments, then scattered them among other sentences according to a certain pattern.

It took him nearly two hours to grasp the pattern: take every seventh word and string them together to reconstruct the original sentence.

Seven was a significant number in many occult contexts.

Perhaps whoever had written this coded passage was trying to hint at something to the reader.

When the final line had been copied onto a sheet of white paper, Richard set down his pen, his fingers faintly numb.

He arranged his drafts in order and read through the restored text from beginning to end.

Appendix C was divided into three parts.

The first part stated a fact in an exceptionally restrained academic tone.

Beyond the known material world, there existed a world behind The Veil.

If the visible world were compared to a house, then the world behind The Veil was the plumbing hidden within its walls.

The people in the house walked across its floors and lived in its rooms.

They could hear the occasional sounds from the pipes, but most would never investigate where those sounds came from.

All phenomena the world called "supernatural" were, in essence, seepage from The Veil.

The voices sensed by mediums, the moving pointer on a God-Descending Disk, the filth driven out during exorcism rituals—all pointed to the same thing:

Something had leaked over from the other side of The Veil, or someone from this side had reached through and touched it.

At the end of this section, the text became especially cautious in its wording:

"The realm behind The Veil is not homogeneous. The closer one is to its surface, the gentler the power that seeps through, and the easier it is for humanity to understand and use.

"But The Veil also possesses depth. The deeper one goes, the more its rules deviate from common sense."

"Among existing records, the accounts left behind by practitioners who explored the deeper layers are exceedingly rare, and their wording is mostly vague, contradictory, and full of fear."

"The sole consensus is this: something is waiting in the depths."

"Perhaps they have been waiting all along."

The title of the second part was: On Three Types of Breathing.

The text first clarified a concept: among all known starting points for supernatural cultivation, breathing was the oldest and most fundamental.

The reason was not complicated.

Breathing was the natural passage connecting the physical body to the world behind The Veil.

Whenever air entered the lungs, an infinitesimal amount of Aether flowed along with it.

Pneuma—Aether, also translated in some texts as Spirit Breath.

The text described it as a seepage from the other side of The Veil, dispersed throughout the air.

It was colorless and odorless, and no instrument could detect it.

Mr. Hutton's statement in class that "instruments do not lie" took on another meaning here.

An instrument's inability to detect something did not mean it did not exist.

Ordinary people could not perceive it throughout their entire lives. It entered their bodies with every breath and left with every breath, coming and going without a trace.

But trained people could intercept, guide, and store Aether within their bodies during breathing.

That was the essence of the Supernatural Breathing Technique.

The text listed three known major categories of Breathing Techniques, providing a classification framework and basic information, but it did not teach specific cultivation methods.

The first type: the Golden Path.

This category of Breathing Techniques pursued order and balance.

The origins of the Golden Path could be traced back to the Temple of Asclepius.

It was an ancient Temple of the Healing God, and also one of the earliest medical schools.

Because it originated from medicine, the Golden Path was characterized by safety and stability.

Most legitimate supernatural organizations treated the Golden Path as their preferred entry-level option.

The second type: the Blood-Burning Path.

Long before the Empire was founded, groups known as "Witchers" had been active in the forests and marshlands of the northern Western Continent.

The text recorded that Witcher training began at the age of twelve.

Apprentices had to repeatedly alternate between holding their breath and explosive breathing in icy winter water, until their bodies learned to force Aether into their blood vessels automatically at the edge of suffocation.

Many apprentices did not survive their first winter.

By the age of the Empire, the old Witcher traditions had been incorporated into the formal system, but their essence had not changed.

The text assessed it thus: "Practitioners of the Blood-Burning Path often shine brilliantly in their prime, yet few enter old age in peace."

With the third type, the Abyssal Path, the text became extremely cautious.

The first two Breathing Techniques, whether gentle or violent, essentially operated on "this side" of The Veil.

A person stood on the shore and reached into the water to draw it out. It was merely a matter of how much they took.

The Abyssal Path, however, required practitioners to actively submerge themselves behind The Veil, diving entirely into the water to breathe.

The text used a grim analogy:

A person who lit a lamp in the darkness could see everything illuminated by its light;

But at the same time, every pair of eyes in the darkness could see that lamp.

The deeper one went, the brighter the lamp became, and the more eyes would see it.

When Richard reached this point, he realized he had not turned the page for quite some time.

His heart was beating much faster, and the veins at his temples throbbed.

The information about Breathing Techniques had brought him more than the first part's broad description of The Veil.

The condition for breathing advancement on the panel—"Learn a Supernatural Breathing Technique"—was no longer an abstract concept hanging in the air.

It now had specific classifications, traceable historical origins, and a clear logic of cultivation.

The Golden Path, the Blood-Burning Path, and the Abyssal Path—three roads lay before him, each with its own advantages and drawbacks.

Although Appendix C did not teach any specific cultivation methods, it at least proved one thing: Supernatural Breathing Techniques had records to consult and trails to follow.

As long as he followed this lead, he would eventually find a specific Breathing Technique.

He turned to the final page.

The third part had no title, only a passage whose tone had become somewhat personal:

"If you have read this far and decided to continue onward, then remember one thing."

"On this path, the most dangerous enemy is not the Evil Beings behind The Veil, but your own desire."

"Everyone who steps behind The Veil faces the same temptation—deeper, farther, more."

"Aether is more addictive than marijuana, and the knowledge behind The Veil will consume you."

"And as your strength grows, it will give you the illusion that you can keep walking like this forever, that taking one more step deeper will do no harm."

"Those who can stop before temptation will ultimately survive."

"Those who cannot will become new Wandering Souls."