Notes

Transcendence



Chapter 10: "The Visitor and The Uninvited"
[Sixth to ?? Sections]

[SIXTH SECTION]

"Oh, pardon me," Bea said. "I must have taken you by surprise, Shiro-chan."

"H-How do you know my name?" Shiro asked, his voice slightly uneasy.

"I know your father. He is a Miraku. A strong and kindhearted man. How is he, by the way?"

"H-He's doing great."

"I see. Good to hear that. Also, I know this is too late, but... I'm sorry about your mother," she said, offering her condolences.

"Uhm... it's okay, Bea-san. Thanks," he murmured, lowering his head.

Bea studied him for a moment before asking, "How is your adoptive mother taking care of you?"

"She's doing great as well."

"Good. Kindly send my regards to them when you return to your homeland."

"I will—" He suddenly stiffened. "Wait. You know where I—?"

"I do," Bea cut him off, a knowing smile on her lips. "No need to ask. I might pay her a visit sometime. After all, she was my apprentice—your adoptive mother."

Shiro's breath hitched. 'Bea-chan was Nina-chan's master?!' His eyes widened. 'No wonder Nina-chan was ridiculously strong!'

Bea’s nose twitched slightly, catching the scent of his surprise. "Shiro-chan, you seem to be in deep thought."

"Oh! I just learned that now, about my adoptive mother being your apprentice before. I'm really surprised," he admitted.

A hint of amusement glimmered in Bea’s golden eyes. "I can tell from the look on your face that she's been a strict mother to you."

"E-Eh? I can't deny that," Shiro admitted, rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed.

Bea chuckled. "I can also tell that she disciplined you very well. I hope you do not annoy her by being too troublesome—I know how she looks when she's angry."

"I know that!" Shiro's voice suddenly rose in protest before he could stop himself.

But his confidence wavered as memories resurfaced.

To him, Nina’s anger was nothing short of hell itself. Just recalling the sound of her voice sent a gut-wrenching feeling through his stomach.

(Flashback)

"Shiro," Nina called his name—not a shout, just her normal voice. Yet, an eerie chill ran down his spine. Her aura was downright terrifying.

"Y-YES!" The younger Shiro flinched, his whole body stiffening as cold sweat formed on his back.

"If you cause any more trouble, I will not go easy on you." Nina's voice was steady—calm, but drenched in a suffocating pressure.

"Y-YES! I understand!" His voice cracked, pitched in panic as he instinctively obeyed.

(Flashback ends)

"...Uhhh," Shiro muttered blankly, the color draining slightly from his face. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple.

Bea picked up his scent again—this time, fear. 'Well, I guess Nina did raise him well,' she mused, chuckling awkwardly. 'Maybe I shouldn’t ask him more about her.'

Deep down, she also noticed something—Shiro had never once mentioned Nina's name. She had a feeling it was intentional. Whatever the reason, she chose not to pry further.

Across the room, Mei watched Shiro with narrowed eyes. 'I always knew Shiro was fearless, but now I see him fidgeting?' Her fingers twitched slightly. 'Is his adoptive mother really that fearsome to him?'

Meanwhile, their classmates had their own murmured reactions.

"Bea-san knows the G-Ranker and his father?"

"So, we now know he lost his mother and was raised by an adoptive mother."

"Damn, he had it rough."

"Also, can we ignore the fact that Shiro just flinched when they talked about his adoptive mother?"

"Oh yeah, and Bea-san said she trained Shiro's adoptive mother."

"Which means his adoptive mother must be crazy strong!"

"What the hell?!"

"Damn it! We should find out more!"

A student suddenly raised their voice. "Bea-san!"

"Yes?" Bea responded, turning to them.

"Who are Shiro's parents?"

Shiro’s eye twitched slightly. 'Huh? Why did they just ask that?' He felt a subtle wave of irritation creep up.

Bea, however, remained composed. "That's for Shiro to answer, not me," she replied simply.

"Ehh?? Why? We want to know—"

"Oi," Siri’s voice suddenly cut through the air like a blade.

The student stiffened. A silent pressure settled into their chest as Siri's golden eyes landed on them.

"Don't pry into someone's life," she said, her tone calm, yet carrying an unshakable weight.

The student swallowed hard, breaking eye contact. The anxious energy around them faded as they gave a small, reluctant nod.

Bea sighed lightly. "Good grief. Please ask only questions that I can answer."

"Y-Y-Yes, Bea-san!" another student called out, quickly shifting the topic.

"Yes?" Bea turned to them.

"About Ancient Rituals... is it possible for us to master them?"

"Yes, always," Bea answered without hesitation.

"If we master them, can we use Ancient Arts?"

"Yes. Learning the Ancient Rituals gives you access to the Ancient Arts," she replied, a flicker of passion in her voice.

"Will we get stronger as we master the Ancient Rituals?"

"Yes—very," she said, holding up a single finger for emphasis.

Another student hesitated before asking, "Why is it difficult to master both the Sun and Moon Rituals?"

"Each Ritual has its own ways. When you perform the Rituals, you need precision, patience, and self-preservation because you will be tested by the Ancient Gods. Think of it as a trial—to transcend and obtain their powers," she explained.

"Obtain their powers… The powers of the Ancient Gods?!" one student gasped. "That's so cool! It's worth learning!"

"Indeed," Bea agreed. "However, depending on which Ancient Rituals you’re mastering—be it the Sun Rituals, Moon Rituals, or both—the difficulty of the challenge varies. If both, it will never be easy, and you’ll likely fail in the process."

"Fail in the process? In what way?"

Bea’s gaze sharpened slightly. "When I say the challenge varies, I mean that the Ancient Gods will test you based on yourself."

"T-The Ancient Gods themselves?!" one student blurted out in shock.

Bea let a small pause hang in the air before she finally spoke again.

"I want to ask each and every one of you something," her voice was still serene, but there was a newfound weight to it. "Why do you want to learn and master the Ancient Rituals?"

A hush fell over the class. Some shifted in their seats. Others furrowed their brows, deep in thought.

Bea waited patiently, her golden eyes scanning them one by one.

What would their answers be?

(More on the next section...)
[End of Sixth Section of Chapter 10: "The Visitor and The Uninvited"]









[SEVENTH SECTION]

Bea stood still, waiting for Siri's students to respond to her question. Why did they want to learn and master Ancient Rituals?

Shiro remained silent, the only one in class who didn't participate. As a Miraku, he had already been learning and mastering the Ancient Rituals.

One by one, the students spoke up.

"I-I want to be strong! Stronger than anyone!"

"Mastering Ancient Rituals would make you so cool!"

"It makes you look powerful!"

"It would be a great addition to my abilities."

"As a noble, learning Ancient Rituals would be an honor."

"I agree! Once I’ve mastered them, I want to show them off to my friends and family!"

"Yeah! They’d be thrilled!"

More answers followed, each one echoing the same sentiments.

'Those answers...' Shiro exhaled slowly, his fingers tapping lightly against his arm. 'They are...'

Bea finally spoke, her voice calm yet firm. "Dear students... I appreciate your answers. However..." She let a beat of silence pass. "...those are not good enough reasons to learn and master the Ancient Rituals."

"Huh???" The students exclaimed in unison, confusion spreading across their faces.

Bea then turned her gaze to Shiro. "What do you think, Shiro-chan?"

'Eh? Me? Why me??' He stiffened slightly at the unexpected call-out.

He glanced at Siri, who remained seated nonchalantly, as if the situation didn’t concern her in the slightest. Yet, the subtle nod she gave him was unmistakable—he could say whatever was on his mind.

"Haahhhhh..." Shiro let out a low sigh, scratching his head before finally turning to his classmates. His expression was unreadable, but his voice was steady, sharp, and unwavering.

"You guys are selfish."

A wave of reactions immediately followed.

"Huh?!"

"Wha—What do you mean, G-Ranker?!"

"We're not selfish!"

"We just wanna learn Ancient Rituals!"

"Don’t be ridiculous!"

"Just because you’re mastering them doesn’t mean you get to talk like that!"

Their complaints came one after another, voices overlapping in frustration.

Shiro, unfazed, let out another sigh as he turned slightly away. "What a pain in the neck..."

His classmates quieted, watching as he slowly turned back to them.

"Think again. Why do you want to learn Ancient Rituals? Is it for power? For fame? For image?"

A silence hung over the room as his classmates exchanged hesitant glances, shifting uncomfortably in their seats.

"If that's your reason, then you’re not cut out to learn Ancient Rituals in the first place."

Some students opened their mouths to protest, but Shiro didn’t give them the chance.

"Learning Ancient Rituals isn’t about power, fame, image, or whatever selfish thing you’ve imagined. It’s about oneself. It’s about faith, discipline, virtues, and great effort." His gaze was unwavering. "If you’re wondering why I’m learning the Ancient Rituals, there are a few reasons..."

A brief pause, then Shiro began.

"One. Since I’m a Miraku descendant, it’s a family tradition to learn, master, and pass down the Ancient Rituals."

"Two. I was born with an extremely fragile body, and unlike all of you, I wasn’t blessed by the Modern Gods with powers and abilities in the blink of an eye. I literally started from the bottom—being the weakest."

"Three. I want to be strong, just like you guys said. But not just strong—I want to be better. The teachings of the Ancient Rituals have guided me well. It’s like communicating with the Ancient Gods and becoming one with them."

His classmates listened, no longer trying to argue.

Shiro continued, his voice unwavering. "I didn’t obtain the Ancient Arts easily. I went through relentless practice, no matter how fragile my body used to be. If you perform and hone the Ancient Rituals, you surpass your limits as you progress."

A voice spoke up.

Sumi, the B-Rank Assassin, leaned forward slightly. "By performing... how exactly do you do it? For example, if you perform Sun Rituals?"

Shiro glanced briefly at Bea.

"Go ahead, Shiro-chan," she allowed, curious to hear his response.

Shiro nodded, then resumed.

"If you’re learning Sun Rituals, you need to practice during the daytime. If you want to master it and progress to the next level, you must initiate the Sun Ritual Trial and perform the Ritual Dance."

"Ritual Dance?" Sumi repeated.

"Yes. You must perform and maintain the Ritual Dance from sunrise to sunset—nonstop."

A stunned silence fell over the class before—

"NO—NONSTOP?!" A student blurted out.

"From sunrise to sunset?!"

"That’s impossible!"

"I don’t think I’d last an hour!"

Shiro remained expressionless. "That’s not all. The difficulty increases the longer you keep up. One of the most difficult points is during noontime—when the sun is at its peak."

Mei suddenly spoke up, her tone cautious. "Shiro, what happens if you reach your limit and stop midway? You fail, right?"

"That’s fine," Shiro replied. "You don’t force yourself past your limit. If you do, you’ll collapse. The Ancient Gods bless you depending on how long you manage to perform the ritual. However, if you complete it from sunrise to sunset, you receive full blessings from the Sun Goddess. The same process applies for Moon Rituals and the Moon God. There’s no rush in mastering the Ancient Rituals."

Sumi narrowed his eyes. "Then... since you’re mastering both Sun and Moon Rituals, does that mean..."

Shiro answered before he could finish. "I perform the Ritual Dance from sunrise to sunset for the Sun Rituals, then from nighttime until the next sunrise for the Moon Rituals. Nonstop."

"HUUUH?!!" A student yelped.

"How can you maintain that all day and night without a break?!"

"Is that why not even all purebloods can master both Sun and Moon Rituals?" Sumi, though surprised, asked in a calmer tone.

"Yes. For a descendant mastering both, they are the only ones who perform the Ritual Dance during eclipses. Last year, there was a solar eclipse, and I successfully performed the Ritual Dance."

"Is it more difficult than non-eclipse times?" Sumi asked.

"Correct," Bea answered, then patted Shiro’s head. "Shiro-chan, you may be young, yet you’re already this well-informed. The fact that you even performed a Ritual Dance during a solar eclipse—an impossible feat—proves your capability."

She turned to the rest of the class, her expression unwavering. "Performing the Ritual Dance during an eclipse, especially a Solar Eclipse, is beyond difficult. You must perform both the Sun and Moon Rituals simultaneously. The pressure and burden increase exponentially as you progress. It’s as if the Ancient Gods themselves are pressing down on you, testing you to see if you can transcend and receive more of their blessings."

"Ughhh!" One student groaned, clutching their head.

"That sounds way too impossible!"

"Now I don’t think I can master even one Ancient Ritual!"

"So you have to perform a Ritual Dance all day and all night nonstop?!"

"But it’s worth it, right? Once you master it, you gain the blessings of the Ancient Gods!"

"We all saw how Shiro beat Reno yesterday with an Ancient Art!"

"Yeah! That bright red flame was insane!"

Their murmurs filled the air, a mixture of awe, doubt, and amazement.

Then, Shiro’s voice cut through.

"So? Are you still going to take this lightly?"

His serious tone silenced the class.

What would their answers be this time?

(To be continued...)

[End of Seventh Section of Chapter 10: The Visitor and The Uninvited]









[EIGHTH SECTION]