Chapter 4: Chapter 4: The Path

Chapter 4:

The path

As soon as my hands made contact with the crystal sphere, a surge of energy erupted through my body. The power swept through me, pulling my consciousness away from my body and into somewhere…else.

Opening my eyes, I found myself in a white room that seemed to stretch on forever in all directions, with no walls or borders in sight. The space seemed so vast and as far as I knew it was endless. The only definitive thing I could see was the vague outline of a walking path that stretched out in front of me.

As I took inventory of my surroundings, a sudden realization struck me; I was completely bare, my clothes nowhere to be found. My hands moved reflexively to cover myself, but the gesture felt meaningless in this great vast emptiness that I could only assumed was the spiritual realm.

At least, I hoped thats where this was. If I were actually naked on stage in front of the whole town, I doubt my path would be the first thing on their minds.

Not sure what else to do, I stepped onto the translucent road, hoping it would lead me to where I needed to go. The priests always spoke of the Choosing Day as taking steps onto "The Path," but I hadn’t expected it to be so literal.

I had no sense of time as I walked. Had minutes passed? Hours? I couldn’t tell. The only thing that broke the endless monotony of the expanse was a vague, dark shape in the distance. I couldn’t tell how far away it was but I gradually let my steps lead me that direction.

As I focused on the dark spot in the distance, I suddenly felt space twist as if in accordance with my will, and my next step carried me the great distance directly to the dark shape in an instant.

Disoriented by the sudden shift, I paused to steady myself, my mind scrambling to catch up. Did everyone go through this on choosing day, or was it just me?

“Hello there, Samuel. I was wondering when would find your way here.?

Startled by the voice, I looked up to see who had spoken. In front of me, an old man in a black cloak sat cross legged on the path, his posture relaxed as he sipped from a polished wooden teacup.

“Tea? Here? Is that… allowed?”

The old man’s face was gentle and his eyes were warm with quiet amusement.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, a human meets an mysterious stranger in the spiritual realm, and of course, the first thing you question is the tea.” He took a slow sip before continuing, “Personally, I thought you’d be more concerned about your nakedness. But yes, this is tea, mint tea, to be specific. Would you like some?”

Even here, in this strange place, I felt my face flush with embarrassment. The old man chuckled, clearly amused, before gesturing toward a neatly folded set of clothes resting on the path nearby.

"Those are for you. Once you're dressed, we'll share some tea and have a chat."

Surprisingly, the clothes fit perfectly. They matched the old man's attire almost exactly, a simple yet well made set consisting of dark cloth pants, black boots, a black linen shirt, and a hooded black cloak. It made me feel like some sinister figure as the path all around me was a pristine white.

The old man gestured to the ground beside him as he poured me a cup of tea.

"I hope you don’t mind mint. On the path, it always seems to hit the spot, at least in my opinion. Cultivation would probably disagree." He smirked, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "She prefers honey in her tea, she has a bit of a sweet tooth.”

I struggled to process what the old man was saying, everything was happening so fast. I mean, who talks about a goddess as if they were on a first name basis? Finally giving in to my curiosity, I couldn’t hold back any longer. I felt like a child with too many questions, so I just blurted it out.

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"Are you talking about the goddess Cultivation?"

The old man smiled and nodded as he sipped his tea. “Yes, we have a rather close working relationship, though, she would be embarrassed to have herself referred to as a goddess.

Occasionally we get together for a cup of tea and conversation, it’s nice to gossip and see what going on in the world every now and then.”

A working relationship? That carried some pretty heavy implications. I wasn’t sure I was ready to ask the next question, but I had to be certain about who I was speaking to.

“So who are you exactly? It’s obvious you’re someone important but I’m not smart enough to figure that out on my own.”

The question lingered in the air for a long moment before the old man responded.

“That, Samuel, is a difficult question to answer. I have been called a great many things across many different worlds, ever since the first spark of life took root in the depths of existence. To you humans you know me as The Path, to the elves I am The Gardener, to the dwarves I am The Great Smith. Every culture for countless generations has referred to me in some manner or another.”

I sat in shocked silence. The Path.. I had always thought the path as a thing or a place, not a …someone.

The old man chuckled softly as he set down his cup. “You are correct in your thinking, The Path is a place, it is a thing, but it is also, me. For now, you may refer to me as you’ve thought of me. I am simply an Old Man that you’ve met along The Path.

My body went tense at the realization that the Old Man was somehow aware of even my private thoughts in this place. A chill went down my spine, how on earth was I supposed to keep my thoughts under control especially in a place like this.

I looked up from where I was sitting and found that the Old man had already stood and was offering me his hand. When I took it, he pulled me to my feet with a surprising amount strength. Despite his frail appearance, I could feel the endless power in his grip, an insurmountable force beneath his aged exterior.

“Samuel, would you do me the pleasure of walking with me for awhile” he asked, as he began to stroll down the path. “I’d like to discuss some things with you.”

I walked beside the old man for what felt like ages. He asked me many questions as we walked; he asked about my family, my hopes, the things I enjoyed, the things I hated, stories of my childhood, and even my plans for the future. I couldn’t help but answer all the questions openly, as despite the strangeness of this encounter I felt completely at ease as I shared these things about myself.

As we spoke, more and more questions began to enter my thoughts, but something in my gut told me to be patient, to wait before giving them a voice. So thats what I did, for all my ignorance I knew better than to push for answers from a being as powerful as this.

“I’ve asked you a great many questions now Samuel, so please, tell me what’s on your mind.”

At his invitation I just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.“Do you talk like this with everyone? I was expecting to just make a quick decision, ya know? In and out, quick and easy, but I feel like I’ve been here longer than usual. Not that I’m not enjoying the talking with you Mr. Path,…sir?

The Old man laughed, causing his voice to echo throughout the endless expanse.

“I’ll admit, I’ve taken some liberties with this encounter. Normally there is little fanfare and the choices are made rather quickly. Occasionally, though, one of the domains, the gods as you called them, might take notice of a promising youth and offer their blessing.”

I nodded thoughtfully at that, though I didn’t understand the details of how all of this worked. It made as much sense as it could I supposed.

“So what about you specifically? Do you often speak with people?

The old man stopped walking and turned to face me.

“No, Samuel, I do not, and I have not for a very very long time.”

A solemn look crossed the old man’s face before he continued.

“I normally stay out of the affairs of the physical world, as I do not have any desire to control the lives or choices of any who choose to walk The Path.”

“So why start now? Did something change?” I asked, unable to control my curiosity.

The old man regarded me for a long moment, his gaze was intense, as if he were weighing my very being before he spoke.

“Samuel, tell me, what do you know about the cycle of life and death?”

I shook my head, perplexed by the question. How on earth was I supposed to know the details about something like that. I know that everyone eventually dies for various reasons, but as for what happens after that I had no idea.

Despite my ignorance, the Old Man continued with a voice full of patience and care; like a father explaining the truths of the world to a child.

"When a life ends in the physical world, the departing soul releases several distinct forms of energy. As it crosses into the spiritual realm, the soul’s sentience, if any is present, is threshed and sorted among the domains. What remains after that threshing, the chaff, is pure potential, raw soul energy stripped of identity and memory, free from the burdens of sentience. This essence is then cast into the Sea of Souls, where it mingles and eventually coalesces into the seeds of new life. These seeds take root in the vessels of your world, giving rise to sapient life, monsters and all manner of other creatures.”

He let the words settle before continuing.

“Those who walk The Path use it to forge their souls into something greater. So when they pass from life to death, they contribute more back to the cycle than they took upon the conception of their life. In the simplest terms, the cycle of life and death is merely a redistribution and accumulation of potential that spreads throughout the existence, allowing planets, stars, and other wonders to exist."

The old man paused again, his eyes locking with mine. “Now, Samuel Garner, let me ask you, what do you think would happen if that cycle were disrupted?”