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Upon hearing this question, both Glaive and Geneva looked at Apollo silently. Even though most people held this sa question, rarely did they voice it. After all, this was a sort of taboo topic for one simple reason.
"Theoretically, no. However, it is also looked down upon as the ultimate sha," Glaive after giving the matter so thought. As he recalled, Apollo didn't co from a higher family, so there was no way he was privy to certain matters that shouldn't be addressed. Nevertheless, since this was a space to learn, Glaive didn't mind answering the question to the best of his abilities.
"For what reason?" Apollo pressed on. Now that he found out there was a stigma surrounding this topic, he beca all the more curious to find out more about it. He couldn't just leave his curiosity partially satisfied.
"Well, in order to accept a new Spirit, especially if you have yet to attain the Soul Emperor Realm, which so also deem the Spirit Emperor Realm, you'll have to sever the ties with your old Spirit," Glaived answered.
In return, Apollo pondered for a mont before asking a follow-up question, "What's so bad about that? At that point, shouldn't the cultivator have made use of all his Spirit's usefulness?"
"Well, yes. But, you must rember, once under contract, your Spirit is an extrely loyal being. And, the drawback of severing the contract is imnse. You can't forget you are bounded by the soul. Thus, should you do this act, you'll virtually destroy a part of a Spirit's soul. That's sothing that doesn't rejuvenate," Glaive responded.
He then added, "If the Spirits of the various worlds catch wind of your discarding acts, they'll all refrain from forming contracts with you. At that point, you'll lose your viability as a Spirit user. While you can still advance in cultivation, you'll always be at a disadvantage."
Similar to Apollo, other students were shocked by this information as well. However, Apollo's curiosity ran deeper. Sothing was gnawing at him and it had a lot to do with Azridan.
'If Spirit's are unable to heal their Souls, then how can Azridan do it? There has to be more to it. Even though Salem pales in comparison to Fuhrer, when I fought him, I'm sure his body is on par with the Ifrits. It's just partially sealed. In other words, the Spirits should be on par with the Demons. Yet, they can't perform that act? Rather than that being true, I think Spirits hide so of their ability,' Apollo mused.
anwhile, Glaive saw his expression and proceeded to reveal even more information, "Be that as it may, I must also let you know that the stronger a Spirit becos the harder it is to sever the contract. This is due to the fact that as they grow stronger, the bond of your souls solidify and it becos hard to distinguish the difference between the two. In short, you guys continue to beco one."
"What about Heroic Spirits?" Apollo questioned. Back at the selection trial, he recalled soone ntioning sothing about a Heroic Spirit. Apparently, this was a Spirit that had undergone an awakening. If so, then the Spirit shouldn't be the only one to benefit.
"What exactly are you asking, young one? There is a lot of information pertaining to Heroic Spirits. You have to be a tad more specific if you seek an answer," Glaive responded. On the other hand, Geneva rested her hand on her hip with a faint smile.
'I see why Irauk likes him. He's curious and also asks the right question. Typically, a freshman wouldn't inquire about a Heroic Spirit. Unlike a regular spirit, it can only be born through a single process,' Geneva inwardly praised.
"Then let change my question. Heroic Spirits, how exactly are they contracted? I've heard that they rarely appear," Apollo questioned once more.
"Ah, that. Well, first let tell you more about the Spirits. Like I said earlier, Emilia is a low-class Spirit. Before reaching the Heroic level, there are two more barriers to surpass, the middle-class and high-class category. What happens here isn't the propulsion of ability but rather the increase in the purity of the Soul Force.
"Once the purity has crossed a certain boundary, the Spirit can then weaponize their Soul Force to enter their Heroic State. Also, this is the only way the world will allow a Heroic Spirit to be born. It had been tested, Heroic Spirits from their world are disallowed from crossing over to Astarat. Before doing so, they had to forcefully revert to a high-class Spirit," Glaive revealed.
"Then, does that an the Heroic Awakening is weaker here than in their world?" Apollo questioned. By now, he was fascinated with the information Glaive presented. After all, this was the first ti he learned of this. Not to ntion, he also wondered if these restrictions fell upon the demons he needed to contract.
Unbeknownst to him, a demon had never been contracted before. Thus, this was an untouched topic that only he would be able to shed light upon. There were no outside sources for him to refer to. His situation was both unique and a novelty.
"Partially but not truly. A portion of their strength is simply sealed away. If they were to leave Astarat, it'd be released and they would return to their original potential. However, the reverse seems to be sothing taxing for the world to perform. After restricting a number of Heroic Spirit and a Legendary Spirit, the world is rather weak so to speak," Glaive responded with a heavy expression. It was clear that the invasion had sothing to do with the weakened state of Astarat.
It appeared the damage caused by the Terrors ran deeper than normal people were aware of. Vital areas of Astarat suffered so damage than they've been trying to repair for eons. But, their own ways to combat the threat also damaged the planet as well.
To summarize, utilizing Spirits was a double-edged sword. Since it was a lower world, the threshold of power containnt was minuscule at best. In fact, even the world's guardian, the Empyrean Dragon didn't reside on Astarat. It was rely a projection circled above Pangea Island.
His true body existed just outside the spiritual barrier of Astarat. As he maintained a certain distance, he posed no threat to Astarat's defensive ability. But, that also ant how much he could intervene was limited.
"So Normal, Heroic and Legendary; these are the classification of Spirits? And, going by the way you phrased your words, I'm guessing there is, or maybe even was, just a single Legendary Spirit. What would happen if another Legendary Spirit was to be born?" Apollo leaned forward, resting his chin on the back of his palms.
"The on would then befall us. But, that's enough about Spirits. What's important now is that you elevate to the middle of the Spirit Apprentice Realm. Your Soul Temple must be stable enough to withstand the backlash of containing a Spirit's Soul Force. Typically, a Level 8 Spirit Apprentice would suffice," Glaive inford.
Without pause, he began to stride around the room. He instructed every student to engage in the soul forging practice learned during the last session. Once they all did so, he inspected them for certain signs.
Then, he appeared next to Geneva, "A few of them already show signs of the type of Spirit they'll contact. However, that boy Apollo, he isn't showing anything. What does this an? Is he unable to communicate with the various Spirit worlds? Or, could it an his Temple conceals all activity?"
"No, you're incorrect. I can sense his flucuatiion and they're very violent. In fact, they're so violent, they're elusive. That's why you can't sense them. What he is doing is touching upon a different fundantal boundary," Geneva stated while folding her arms in thought.
"If that's true, then what boundary is he touching upon?" Glaive asked. The more he inspected Apollo, the more he found his understanding to be lacking. This led him to believe that there was a possibility Apollo could contract a special spirit.
"I believe his elent is inherently mixed into his mind. In other words, the type of spirits this boy can interact with is predetermined. Furthermore, I think it matches his body. Regardless of mind or body, he is emitting the sa fluctuations," Geneva muttered. However, she concealed her voice so only Glaive could hear.
"Wait, Headmaster, are you saying?" Glaive's eyes widened in shock.
"Correct, I think this boy's body has attained innate harmony. Although it isn't on the level of the fabled practice, he'll advance with virtually no bottlenecks. That is, if he practices the right thods. Should he venture outside of his strong suit, he'll experience issues. That is both his strength and weakness," Geneva nodded in admittance.
In response, Glaive fell silent. If it was true that he reached innate harmony, then that ant both sets of his ridians lded as one. But, according to the writings, that was a painful process that has appeared since the progenitors first established this practice.
"It's like this youth was born to follow a paved path. The question is, is that what he really wants?" Geneva muttered to herself while making a decision. 'He'll first attend that place.'
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