Chương 80: Chapter 2.17: Three Times Three

"Three Forms, Awakenings, and Steps," Favius repeated. Urania sniffed.

"Well, the three forms are obvious, aren't they?" She looked at Sirrana.

"All shifters are born as humans. Next they can become hybrids." She looked at Favius.

"Do you remember when we watched the Mountain King's parade on the way to the Sea King's court during the equinox?" Favius's expression soured briefly, yet he composed himself.

"Kind of," he replied. Urania sniffed but continued.

"Finally, powerful shifters can turn fully into animals, right?" She straightened, practically radiating an expectation of praise. Favius nodded along. Well, she pretty much summarized what I knew about shifters. Sirrana moved her head from side to side.

"Well, the only actively wrong thing you said was that all shifters start as humans." Urania's eyes widened, and even Favius raised an eyebrow. Brutus groaned.

"Are we really going to discuss that vermin first thing in this lesson?" Sirrana shifted her head.

"Ovinius Kestrelo, I would ask you to be civil when speaking about my cousins in blood."

"Vermin?" Favius inquired. Sirrana nodded in turn.

"The progression your sister mentioned, human to hybrid to animal, is by far the most visible. Yet most shifters are of bloodlines that reproduce rather..." She paused.

"... enthusiastically." Brutus sniffed.

"Rats, rabbits, cats, and their like. As I said—" Favius practically heard the word vermin. The Magnicultor swallowed. Urania's eyes widened.

"So those rumors are true? Cats can actually understand us?" Favius couldn't help himself and snorted before he froze. Well, that orange cat I've seen around the estate, is it actually... Brutus made a cutting gesture.

"No, no. The truth is that the closer a shifter's animal form is in terms of weight and shape to a human, the more functional the shifter is in general." Sirrana nodded.

"Indeed. We, as one of the raptor lineages, like all avian shifters, are an exception to that rule because extraordinary intelligence is inherent to birds. But usually something is lost when a human attempts to assume a small form." Brutus nodded.

"In Celtia, we worked with cat shifters. They're usually born as animals. With the right rearing among humans, some number of them will in time develop the ability to understand and even to communicate. Only the most powerful among them may become hybrids."

"So small animals get born as animals, and big animals as humans. Got it," replied Urania. But Sirrana chuckled.

"Not quite. Many large shifters, especially large whales in the oceans or elephants and bears, also tend to be born as animals." Brutus leaned forward and grinned at Urania.

"Kraken shifters are another example of that." Sirrana sniffed.

"Oh, please. Those are just Lireni sailors' yarn."

"Kraken shifters?" An atavistic shiver ran down Favius's spine. I do actually know what lives in the deep sea on Earth, and with magic, spiritual beasts... He swallowed at a vision of wet, speckled tentacles engulfing a ship with malign intent.

"You do not know that," said Brutus.

"Aquatic shifters outnumber humans along the coast, and they know far better than us what dwells in the wet abyss." Sirrana sighed, and Favius cleared his throat.

"As fascinating as that is, if the progression of shifters is not based on the forms, what is it based on? You use the term Mutator for us, and I remember Brutus calling Aelia an Elder."

"Indeed." Sirrana nodded.

"Like cultivators," she looked over at Brutus, "we shifters recognize and acknowledge titles in five stages. A Mutator..." She gestured first at Favius, then at Urania.

"... is merely someone who possesses enough shifter blood to express mutations at birth."

"But I am a Novus," Urania interjected. Favius narrowed his eyes.

"If I remember the text I read, Novus is a term for any member of a shifter clan." Sirrana nodded, giving Favius an appreciative yet crookedly scarred smile.

"That is the most common interpretation. But technically, a Novus is any Mutator inducted into the mystic traditions of a shifter clan."

"So," Urania continued, "if shifters acquire forms from either the animal or human direction, then... An Elder is any shifter who has mastered one of his other forms."

"Exactly." She smiled.

"Born hybrids are rather rare, but even for them the framework works." Brutus nodded.

"This leaves us with the discussion of Ancients and Primordials. Care to guess what they are?" Brutus studied Favius, but Urania jumped at the question.

"Well, an Ancient is obviously a shifter who has mastered two alternative forms. And a Primordial..." She trailed off. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Favius nodded along yet narrowed his eyes. It's not a clean power ladder like the cultivation system, but the obvious guess is...

"A Primordial is an especially powerful shifter." Sirrana nodded.

"Very good. Now, would you care to guess how such extraordinary power might be acquired?" She smiled alongside Brutus. Favius scratched his head. Well, it could be a novel method, but she clearly thinks I can guess this. And knowing this world, there is only one correct answer.

"Cultivation," he replied.

"Exactly," said Brutus.

"Generally, any Ancient who has primarily cultivated shifter insights and has reached the rank of Magnicultor or Transcensor is considered a Primordial."

"That name sounds ominous," whispered Urania. Favius couldn't help but chuckle, but the mirth died on his lips the moment he saw the faces of the adults.

"What..." he trailed off.

"Indeed," Brutus spoke.

"The Primordial shifters ruling the lands of the Nile and the Warring States of the Three Rivers possess certain abilities that many would consider..." Brutus seemed to shiver for a second.

"... unnatural." Sirrana tensed. Something heavy hung over the room. Something not quite present. The potential for fear. Favius swallowed.

"But Aelia is still our clan's Matriarch without being a Primordial." Sirrana chuckled nervously.

"Young cousin, there are less than a handful of Primordials in the Republic. In fact, only two I am certain of. Compared to the East, our shifting traditions are considered shallow." Urania frowned.

"So our clan doesn't even have Ancients?" Sirrana's good eye flicked over to Brutus, the scarred side of her face twitching.

"Let's leave that discussion for later, yes?" Favius nodded along, but his thoughts were racing. Only two confirmed Primordials. Well, shifters in the Republic... ah, of course.

"The Onarchs, the priest-kings of Lirene and Rexion." Favius spoke into the silence, and the last remnants of the creepy air faded away.

"Let's move on. The three awakenings."

"Indeed." Sirrana nodded.

"I believe you are aware that a shifter's bloodline manifests through mutations." Urania nodded eagerly.

"Yes. They're kind of like insights, just for shifters." Sirrana made a sour face, and Brutus chuckled. He was first to speak.

"You've got to admit, Nyctara Negero, that the comparison is rather apt." She let out a long breath and looked at the two children.

"Ovinius Kestrelo does have a point. Yet, little cousins, be careful about conflating cultivation with becoming a shifter. The difference—" She sniffed and shook her head.

"No. That is for later." She smiled apologetically.

"The Three Awakenings. Do you already know the three times when a shifter's blood stirs?" Favius narrowed his eyes. When a shifter's blood stirs and they gain mutations naturally. Well, Aelia talked about this.

"I'm guessing it's birth, puberty, and..." He trailed off. Sirrana nodded.

"Maturity. When you reach your second majority and become a full man in the eyes of the law. At each time, the blood shall stir and bestow your beast spirit's gifts upon you." She looked at Favius, then Urania in turn.

"The Matriarch told me that while the Young Lord has great potential, his only current mutations are the ones I can see." Favius nodded.

"Indeed. And again, please do call me Favius." She sighed.

"Very well." Urania leaned forward while Favius considered all he had learned so far.

"How does a shifter actually..." She twirled her hand in the air.

"... shift?" Sirrana let out a deep breath and looked first at the children, then at Brutus again.

"This is something that—" Brutus snorted.

"They spend a bit over a week gorging or purging themselves while sleeping as their flesh transforms." Sirrana glared at him and swallowed. Favius's eyes widened. A week? That's a long time. Shouldn't a shapeshifter transform within moments? Well, maybe werewolf myths from Earth aren't the best guidance for how this will work. The three others continued bickering about the terms of transformation, but Favius wasn't listening. But that is strange. There's magic here, but...

Well, I don't really know enough about what casters can do, but for cultivators and shifters it's almost as if the magic can only bend the laws of nature, not outright break them. Something for later. Sirrana knocked her blade catcher against the table, the ringing sharp yet melodic. Favius took a sip of his cooling tea, enjoying the piney peppermint.

"As for the last point..." Sirrana picked up the thread of conversation after drinking herself.

"The three steps are the key to everything. Where a cultivator advances toward knowledge through proposition, process, perspective, and participation..." She paused and raised her cup, gesturing first at Urania, then Favius.

"The acquisition of mutations... The practice of transformation..." She looked at Brutus.

"Even the cultivation of the shapeshifting arts themselves..."

"They are driven through the triumvirate of instinct, artistry, and embodiment."

"As for what those entail..." For the third time, she looked at Brutus.

"That is something I would rather not divulge right now." Brutus nodded.

"And I do not believe that would be necessary. Rather..." He smiled at Favius.

"I believe it prudent to discuss the fundamental difference between the cultivator and the shifter. Children, do you care to venture a guess?" Urania paused, an olive held a handspan from her mouth. Favius clicked his tongue. Well, when uncertain of the answer, win time to think.

"Cultivation is the virtuous pursuit of perfected insight." He gestured at Brutus.

"You said that is what is required to challenge the heavens." Urania nodded along.

"Yes, and insights are..." Her eyes flicked to the ceiling.

"... circling the cultivator like the moons of the world."

"A sufficient summary," nodded Brutus.

"One might say that the cultivator aspires to the heights of the divine." Favius nodded and ran his hand along the side of his owl eyes. He smirked as Urania followed his gesture. That's true. This grand rhetoric about muses, fate, and cultivation, it's all grandiose. But shifters, they are... His gaze shifted from Brutus to Sirrana. Secretive. And this mentioning of the spirit within your blood.

"Shifters," Favius began, "are more internally focused. A cultivator reaches up, but a shifter reaches..." He paused.

"Within himself?" suggested Urania. Favius snapped his fingers.

"Yes, exactly." Sirrana smiled broadly.

"Indeed, indeed. Any mortal might seek the grace of the gods through cultivation. Yet if you are not born a Mutator, there is no possibility of becoming a shifter." Brutus raised two fingers and grinned wolfishly.

"At least in the Republic." Sirrana closed her eyes and let out a long breath.

"Can we please not?" she asked. Brutus chuckled and gave her a long look in turn.

"Maybe we could. But often it is good to put all the relevant cards on the table. Wouldn't you agree?" Sirrana responded with another glare, and Favius furrowed his brows again. He's messing with her. I mean, it's not as bad as a Cassian situation, but... He studied her injuries and her blade catcher. The story she told about being wounded in the line of duty... He all but said that she is withholding some secret. Sirrana deliberately turned her head to the children.

"Well, leaving that aside." She snapped the fingers of her good hand.

"To summarize our previous discussion, the cultivator looks upward and follows destiny."

"A shifter..."

"A shifter does not seek to refine himself. He only seeks to become what he truly is. To manifest his deepest identity." Favius hummed, repeating the words in his mind. His deepest identity. Well, it almost sounds shamanic. Art, identity, a great spirit. That reminds me. He raised two fingers in the manner of the locals.

"If the lesson can't go further with Brutus here, could the two of you answer me a question?" The two adults nodded in unison, and Favius swallowed.

"On our way to Cindrath, Brutus mentioned that there are entities, spiritual beasts..." He pointed at a stack of sweetmeats on the table.

"... beyond the realm of Transcensor. And you mentioned the powers of Primordials." He looked between them.

"Can you tell me: What are the ultimate limits of power? How far can magic go?"