A light screen popped up, and two pale gray notifications swept across Horn's field of vision.
[Recorded Ritual—Veil of Mist, Affinities: Moon, Cocoon, Silence]
[Recorded Influence: Gloomy Mist]
[Gloomy Mist: Shore-Roaming Mist—moonlight hazy, seawater dim.]
[Aspect—Influence: A certain response, resonance, or harmony, which would soon fade.]
[Aspect—Moon 2: Secrets are gentle; the night is gentler still; the sea whispers. But listening is not always wise.]
[Aspect—Cocoon 1: Birth and death are the only two directions. Between them, we find a point of convergence.]
[Aspect—Silence 1: Mourn it, remember it, but never speak of it.]
[Aspect—Mist: "The door in the pupil comes before Pitch-Black Flax"—that's the sort of thing scholars would say. Apprentices would say: Mist is just a particularly damp kind of darkness.]
In this tranquil silence, only Emma's voice seemed to come from a faraway place, sending ripples across the veil.
"Next, I'll reveal the Eight Great Principles that sustain the world—"
The first was [Candle], the bright Candle. It signified reason, the pursuit of knowledge, Radiance, and Enlightenment, and was the Principle most closely connected to the Dream Realm. "All colors look richer by candlelight."
The second was [Ember], the blazing Ember. It signified skill, fire, destruction, and rebirth, and was associated with forging, transformation, and alchemy. "Fire is the depths of winter, yet it bears warmth. Fire is the height of spring, yet it consumes everything."
The third was [Edge], the sharp Edge. It signified strength, struggle, conquest, and resistance, and was closely associated with battle, danger, and violence. "All struggles begin with the Edge."
The fourth was [Heart], the ever-beating Heart. It signified life, continuance, permanence, and order, and was also associated with the heart, music, and dance. "To protect the surface of the world we know, the ever-beating Heart pounds without end."
The fifth was [Grail], the greedy Grail. It signified desire, procreation, pleasure, and pain, and was associated with blood, fragrance, and curiosity. "Food, color, sex—some drown in them and never return."
The sixth was [Cocoon], the chaotic Cocoon. It signified metamorphosis, intuition, passion, and shelter, and was associated with forgetting, weaving, and secrets. "When the Cocoon hatches, what will you lose? What will you gain?"
The seventh was [Key], the unlocking Key. It signified opening, revelation, connection, and disassembly, and was associated with wounds, doors, and keys. "Every key has a lock, and every answer has a riddle."
The last was [Silence], the final Silence. It signified death, silence, remembrance, and the end, and was associated with falling snow, winter, and disappearance. "Death transforms; white snow preserves."
The Principles intertwined, interwove, and clashed, giving rise to secondary Principles such as Moon, Honey, Attraction, Vault, and Scale. But only the Eight Great Principles had complete paths of Ascension, leading straight to Longevity and even higher ranks.
Mortals held fast to their desires, followed the Principles, and performed great deeds. Thus they might earn the Hours' attention, bear their Mark, climb to the summit of their path, and ultimately become immortal.
"The path is winding and hard to tread; loss of control is never far behind. Great deeds are hard to come by, and every choice brings regret."
As Emma's lesson drew to a close, light slowly seeped from her eyes, falling like droplets onto the pale gray curtain and making the shadows shudder violently. The gray grew ever fainter, like a thin veil of rain.
"Yet we are born to pursue Radiance, just as sparks spiral upward."
With a weary sigh, Emma ended on those words. Horn emerged from his knowledge-absorbing state, and the golden-red light in his eyes gradually faded.
At the bottom of the action window that had appeared on the light screen at some point, the progress bar had reached its end. A brand-new card appeared, and a small countdown at the bottom revealed how long it would last.
[A highly effective lesson!]
On the dark blue-black card, candles of varying heights stood in uneven rows. Their hazy, silvery light made the deep black night waver, seeming no more real than a dream.
[Secret Atmosphere: An uncanny feeling lingers. (While this card remains, you are more likely to attract the attention of supernatural beings.)]
[Aspect—Reputation: "Many people worry about their reputation; few worry about their conscience." —Pliny]
"Then I have one last question."
At last, he had a chance to ask the question he had been pondering for some time. While the mist had yet to dissipate completely, Horn asked earnestly:
"When I was given my Mark, I glimpsed a fraction of a great power. Are they manifestations of the Principles? Is there really a being who chose me?"
"Hmm, perhaps. For an Apprentice to set foot on a path with such fervent desire and glimpse the shadow of the Hour associated with that path is a sign of exceptional talent. But 'Hours' doesn't refer to a single being. It's the collective name for the twenty-two great beings who pass judgment on history."
Her voice was somewhat weary, but her tone remained spirited. Emma rekindled the light at her fingertips and wrote a passage on the wall.
"'Good and bad harvests, the rotation of planets, the transformation of furnaces—all these are merely the results of some of the lesser achievements born of the Hours' passions.' Damaweng used those words to describe the Hours' might in Dream of Descending Heavens and Expelling Evils."
"To some extent, they are the Principles made flesh. Some descended as light from on high, some were once shaped from flesh, and others came from entirely different places..."
"Though they share a title, the Hours have vastly different origins and entirely distinct domains. Hour Studies, one of the Nine Pillars of Great Knowledge, specializes in researching the Hours' laws, conflicts, and aspects. On these matters, the scholars of Alexander of the Ashes would know more than I do."
"From the Fool to the World, the stained-glass tarot cards used for divination often bear their secret names. Even mortals can glimpse faint omens and portents by chance—though they're neither clear nor timely."
"Even their names can be sacred or forbidden. Invoking the Hours is a very common practice when using Formless Secret Arts. For example, the ritual we just performed invoked the Hour also known as the Keeper of Secrets. If you offer an adequate and appropriate sacrifice, that Hour's power can protect our conversation and keep it secret."
"Later, you'll learn the names and symbols of the Dream Realm Hours from the Prevention and Suppression Bureau's internal memorandum on the dangers of dreams. Not every Hour's symbol is safe—not that 'safe' has ever really existed. But remember, you must be wary of names and symbols beyond those Hours. It's best not to call up any memories of them, even in your dreams."
"Why?"
"Because..."
Asked this question, even Emma, who had kept a stern expression until now, smiled. She pressed her index finger to her lips in a gesture for silence.
"The reason is itself one of the dangers. It's too early for you to learn about it. At the very least, not here."
With a wave of her hand, Emma used the light at her fingertips to disperse the remaining mist. Her cheerful tone left Horn feeling as though she had stopped in the middle of a story.
I'll explore the knowledge from earlier another time~
Emma chuckled twice, then stood up and opened the doors and windows to air out the room, letting fresh air flow into the space filled with fragrance. She stretched happily.
The weighty knowledge had all been taught. Next came the time to slack off and chat!
Before you continue