Dream Realm and Principles (Happy New Year)

A light screen popped up, and two light-gray prompts slid across the vision of Horn.

[Recording Ritual--Veil of Mist, Affinity: Moon, Cocoon, Silence]

[Recording Influence: Obscure Mist]

[Obscure Mist: Shore-Roaming Mist--The moonlight is hazy, the seawater is obscure.]

[Aspect--Influence: A certain echo, resonance, harmony; it will soon dissipate.]

[Aspect--Moon 2: Secrets are gentle; the night is even softer; the ocean whispers. Yet, listening is not always wise.]

[Aspect--Cocoon 1: Birth and death are the only two directions; between them, we find a meeting point.]

[Aspect--Silence 1: Mourn it, remember it, but never speak of it.]

[Aspect--Mist: "The door in the pupil comes before the black linen," this is the kind of thing scholars say. But what apprentices say is: mist is merely a particularly damp darkness.]

In this peaceful silence, only the voice of Emma seemed to come from a great distance, causing ripples even in the veil.

"Next, I will reveal to you the Eight Great Principles that support the world--"

The first is [Candle], the bright Candle. It signifies reason, seeking knowledge, radiance, and Enlightenment; it is also the principle most closely connected to the Dream Realm. "All colors appear more intense under candlelight."

The second is [Ash], the scorching Ash. It signifies technique, raging fire, destruction, reconstruction, and is linked to forging, change, and alchemy. "Fire is the harsh winter, yet it carries warmth. Fire is the warm spring, yet it consumes everything."

The third is [Edge], the sharp Edge. It signifies power, struggle, conquest, resistance, and is closely linked to combat, crisis, and violence. "All struggles begin at the Edge."

The fourth is [Heart], the unceasing Heart. It signifies life, persistence, constancy, laws, and is linked to the heart, music, and dance. "To protect the skin of the world we know, the unceasing heart beats endlessly."

The fifth is [Blood], the greedy Blood. It signifies desire, birth, pleasure, pain, and is linked to fresh blood, fragrance, and curiosity. "Food, color, and nature—those who indulge in them find no return."

The sixth is [Cocoon], the chaotic Cocoon. It signifies metamorphosis, intuition, passion, shelter, and is linked to forgetting, weaving, and secrecy. "When the cocoon hatches, what will you lose? What will you gain?"

The seventh is [Key], the opening Key. It signifies opening, revealing, connecting, dismantling, and is linked to wounds, portals, and keys. "Every key has its lock, every answer has its riddle."

The last is [Silence], the terminal Silence. It signifies death, silence, remembrance, the end, and is linked to falling snow, harsh winter, and fading away. "Death changes, white snow preserves."

As these principles entangle, interweave, and collide, they derive secondary principles, such as Moon, Honey, Attraction, Vault, Scale, etc., but only the Eight Great Principles have complete paths of ascension that lead directly to [Longevity], and even higher ranks.

Mortals who hold onto desire, practice the principles, and fulfill their life's work can gain the gaze of the Hours, receive the Mark, ascend the path, and eventually become immortal.

"The path is winding and difficult to walk, loss of control follows like a shadow, and one's life's work is often sought but never attained; there are always choices, and always regrets."

As Emma's teaching gradually came to an end, light slowly seeped from her eyes, dripping like water droplets onto the light-gray curtain, causing the shadows to shake violently. The gray grew thinner and thinner, like a sparse curtain of rain.

"Yet we are born destined to pursue radiance, just as sparks swirl upward."

With a weary sigh, Emma concluded with this sentence, allowing Horn to break free from the state of absorbing knowledge, the golden-red light in his eyes gradually receding.

On the light screen, at the bottom of the action box that had popped up at some point, the progress bar had reached the end. A brand-new card emerged, with a small countdown at the bottom indicating its duration.

[A highly productive lesson!]

On the black-blue card face, candles of varying heights were arranged unevenly, their bright silver illusory candlelight hazy, making the deep black night sky appear unsteady, no more real than a phantom dream.

[Secret Atmosphere: A sense of the bizarre lingers. (While this card remains, you are more likely to attract the attention of supernatural entities.)]

[Aspect--Reputation: "Many people worry about their reputation, few worry about their conscience."--Pliny]

"Then, I have one last question."

Finally having the opportunity to ask the question he had been pondering for a long time, Horn took advantage of the fact that the mist had not yet completely dissipated and asked sincerely:

"When I was granted the Mark, I caught a glimpse of a corner of great power. Are they the manifestations of the principles? Is there really such an entity that chose me?"

"Hmm, perhaps. An apprentice who steps onto the path with burning desire and catches a glimpse of the phantom of the Hour belonging to that path is considered to have excellent talent. However, the Hours do not refer to a single entity, but a collective term for the twenty-two great entities that adjudicate history."

Her voice was a bit weary, but her tone remained spirited. Emma relit the bright light at her fingertips and wrote a passage on the wall.

""The quality of the harvest, the rotation of the planets, the transformation of the furnace—all these are merely the results of the weaker achievements of the Hours' passions." Damaweng described the great power of the Hours with such strokes in the Dream of Descending Heavens and Expelling Evils."

"To some extent, they are personified principles. Some are lights descended from on high, some were once molded from flesh, and others come from completely different places..."

"Although they share a title, there are vast differences in the origins and distinct domains among the Hours. One of the nine great branches of knowledge, [Hour Studies], specializes in researching the laws, struggles, and aspects of the Hours. On these matters, the scholars of [Alexander of the Ashes] would know better than I."

"From the [Fool] to the [World], the stained-glass Tarot cards used for divination are often engraved with their secret names. Even mortals can catch glimpses of signs and omens inadvertently—though they are neither clear nor timely."

"Even their names have their sanctity or taboos. When using [Formless Secret Arts], invoking the Hours is a very common practice. For example, the ritual just now was an invocation of the Hour known as the Keeper of Secrets. By offering sufficient and appropriate sacrifices, their power can protect our communication and keep it a secret matter."

"Later, you will learn the names and symbols of those Dream Realm Hours in the memoranda published within the Prevention and Suppression Bureau that introduce the dangers of the dream world. Not all symbols of the Hours are safe, and in fact, there is no such thing as 'safe.' But remember, you must be vigilant against names and symbols other than these Hours; it is best not to even summon memories of them while dreaming."

"Because?"

"Because..."

When asked this question, even Emma, who had been keeping a straight face since the beginning, smiled and pressed her index finger to her lips, making a shushing gesture.

"As for the reason, it is also one of the dangers. It is still too early for you to know, at least not here."

Waving her hand, Emma used the light at her fingertips to disperse the remaining mist, speaking in a lighthearted tone that left Horn with the uncomfortable feeling of being cut off.

Let's explore the previous knowledge another time~

With a chuckle, Emma stood up, opened the doors and windows to ventilate, letting fresh air flow into the room filled with fragrance, and stretched happily.

The knowledge that carries weight has been taught; next, it's time for slacking off and chatting!