"Divine Energy?" Astra repeated even more confused now.

"Hmm," Arielle nodded, "Solar energy is what humans during the age of the gods knew as Divine Energy."

"It was an energy accessible only to priests that bore the mark of the gods, which, at that time, was extremely rare."

Nox absentmindedly took another cookie handed to him by Ayla as he listened to the headmistress's words.

Apparently, during the age of the gods, humans who were granted those markings acted as the medium of the gods.

They were capable of things considered unnatural for mortals of that time, which made them go as far as being considered demigods.

According to Aurielle, SE was just divine energy that humans of this time didn't understand.

"If the gods were to ever return," she continued, "this would be seen as an insult to them, since no mortal had ever tapped into divine energy without their permission."

She paused for a short while and looked at the duo who were attentively listening and then to Ayla before chuckling.

"Though I doubt they'd be able to do much if they do return."

Nox had no idea what she meant by that, but he didn't ask, least he interrupted the lesson.

"Now, only a few in Aureum know about the fact that solar energy is divine energy," she paused, "namely, the Transcendent ranked Solar knights."

Astra placed a hand on her chin, mostly trying to put two and two together, "does that mean in order to become a Transcendent rank, you'll have to somehow cause SE to act as divine energy, which is what it truly is?"

"Exactly," the headmistress said with a smile, "for you to reach Transcendent rank, you must first stop thinking of solar energy as just a type of energy, think of it as an energy that makes up the entire Aureum and even the universes that holds it."

"And how do I do that?" She asked again, for as long as she could remember, she had been trying time and time again to move to the next rank.

She had absorbed SE past the threshold of what her core could handle, but still she never seemed to breakthrough.

That was one of the reasons why she had been going to Eclipsed infested zones, and challenging one rift after the other.

That was even what she was doing during her 'vacation' when it was interrupted and she was asked to respond to the Eclipsed in Zone 9.

Rifts were also the reason he brought Nox to the academy since she saw a similar pattern to his necklace in one of the rifts she couldn't clear.

But that was for later, right now, she closely listened to the headmistress's response.

"That, I can't say," The headmistress answered with a smile as she watched Astra's face got a bit darker, but she added, "because it's never the same for everyone."

"What does that mean?" Astra asked, a frown still on her face.

"Some gain this understanding through enlightenment," the headmistress answered, "others through what they dubbed 'divine retribution', so you just have to figure out yours first."

"What about you?" Nox asked, "how did you figure yours out?"

"Mine?" the headmistress smiled, "it just came to me."

Astra paused at the answer, she just realized that the blind bat was showing off but she didn't try calling her out.

Her blindfold was off which meant she would be sent into that void with just the simplest of glances.

"So why is divine energy reducing your life force?" Nox asked again, pulling them back to the main point.

"You see," Aurielle started, "the priests of the past always had protection from the gods whenever they used divine energy, which meant they could do it as much as they liked."

She paused to make sure they were still following, before continuing, "but us humans of today don't have the same privilege, so everytime we tey tapping into divinity, an equivalent exchange is done."

"Which in my case," Aurielle added, "it's my life force but only when I interact with the strings of Fate or try to change the course of certain events."

"I see," Nox nodded.

With her words, a couple of things finally made sense to him. One, Lorenne went after his heart since it produced SE and she claimed she needed it to ascend.

And two, the Wendigo Eclipsed also basically did the same.

He was sure some would say he was lucky to have ladies chasing after his heart, but it wasn't in the way he wanted.

But he hadn't mentioned that part during his summary of the dungeon so Astra had said nothing about that.

"Now then," Aurielle said, "would you mind if I took a look? At your heart I mean."

Nox looked at her for a while before nodding. He already had his heart in the hands of one woman, what difference would it make for another to look at it.

Aurielle's pupils started glowing and the cogs within start spinning, soon, she and Nox were now back in that empty space.

Slowly, she walked forward and gently placed a plan over his chest and soon, he something go through it.

"This might hurt a bit," She said.

He didn't have the chance to ask what she meant, when he suddenly felt something wrapping around his heart.

"This doesn't feel so—" it seemed he spoke too soon as the pain finally hit.

He couldn't even scream as his legs gave out and he fell on his knees. The headmistress stood over him her pupils glowing brighter and he felt the strings got tighter on his heart.

The breath left his lungs and all he could now feel was burning, "s-stop.."

Was the only thing he managed to let out, but she neither stopped nor did the pain get an less.

"stop..." He whispered again and again, the result was the same, the strings just kept getting tighter.

"STOP!"

with his words, the entire space they were in shook and an explosion of SE happened in his heart, causing the strings to snap.

Nox's eyes were now glowing golden but no mind was paid to it as he slowly caught his breath and waited for the pain to subside.

Aurielle was surprised for a while before she sighed and smiled, though she expected what just happened, it was not at this magnitude.

It seemed the kid was getting closer and closer to what he truly was....which was a good thing since time was quickly running out.

"Well, I've got good new and bad news, which would you like to hear first."

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