Way of the Knights

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"The method of how will depend on you. We used different methods during our turn and its a unanimous decision that we will not interfere with whatever you decided upon. What matters is the result. If you could gain all of their acknowledgement, then you'll naturally know where to search for the throne."

Inos told him more details but it still didn't make things any less complicated for Raven. 

The matter of gaining the acknowledgement of 998 Spirit Entities appeared extremely arduous to him. Raven had no idea where to begin or how to begin. 

"Well, don't stress to much about it. You're in no time limit anyway. So long as you live you'll have chances, once you finished the task, then there's only a handful of people in the Divine Realm that could block your path. For now, let's get away from this place and go to the other locations here." Astrid suggestion, earning a nod from Raven. 

Raven released a long exhale and walked away from the stone steele. The two were now leading him towards the other locations of the palace. His mind was still a bit reeling from the revelation just now but just like they said, he has time. So long as he lives, he'll get his chances. There's no point on worrying about it right now. 

Three walked for quite some time before they arrived at another door, due to Inos and Astrid being in their soul form, they weren't allowed to open the door. Only Raven, the current holder of the crown could enter interact with the doors without suffering any kind of punishment. 

Knowing this, Raven stepped forward and pushed the doors open. Once he stepped inside, he felt some sort of connection within his psyche getting clearer. The moment he stepped inside, he arrived at a rather familiar place. 

It was a vast field filled with rich greenery and has a clear blue sky. He was surrounded with tall and vibrant trees as well as some furniture and things that he had seen before. 

"This is…Eden?" Raven asked, unsure if the name he uttered was correct.

Inos and Astrid looked over to him and nodded, confirming that his guesses were correct. 

Right, this place is the Eden where Raven had his 7th Transformation and where his Avatars were located. The feeling he got earlier was the connection with him and his Avatars. It's been a while but due to him not having proper access to the interior of the palace, his connection with his Avatars were also suppressed by some kind of unknown force. He could still feel the connection and the thought links were still there but since Raven left them here, he can't get them out. 

However, now that he's granted access here, he could now freely enter and exit this place as he likes. 

Aside from his clones, there are also other resources here that's left for him. One of them were the meditation mats where his Avatars were currently seated. Those mats could help accelerate his thoughts and calm him and his avatars down. 

There's also the massive ball of Equinox Waters, the same waters that he used to finish his 7th Transformation. So long as he's here, he could use these waters to replenish his missing energies, allowing him to freely test out as many skills as he could possibly learn. 

There are also fruits and ingredients here that he could use to concoct something incredible. There are also other devices here which are currently blocked by a seal, preventing him from interacting with them for now. However, it's safe to assume that once he becomes a True Heir, everything here will belong to him. 

"This Eden is specially created for training purposes. This place is going to be one of the most important places you'll visit often on your path towards the top. However, you have to understand that the resources left here are finite. The things you can use right now, you naturally can use at your own discretion, but remember that if you're not careful, you'll eventually ran out of them. So keep that in mind."

Astrid's warning was a welcomed one. Raven was thankful that she said something since if she didn't then he would definitely be confused in the future. Of course he'll eventually know about it but knowing it earlier is better. 

"The things that are sealed for now will eventually be unsealed once you've met the appropriate conditions to unseal them. Don't worry too much about them, you'll naturally be informed about it when times comes." Inos stated, "Well then, since there's not much to see here, let's move on." 

Raven nodded and left Eden shortly after with the two guides on tow. The large doors of Eden closed after they exited. From then on, the two once again lead the way towards the next destination within the palace. 

The three didn't go that far. They arrived at the next location shortly after and when they did, Raven once again opened the doors for them and stepped inside. 

As soon as he took the first step inside, the world around him changed once more. Instead of being in a vast starry skies, walking on a milky way road. They arrived at a large vast place filled with numerous hills and mountains. 

Raven could feel a stifling pressure sweeping towards him as soon as he entered, thanks to his indomitable will and strong spirit however, he could more or less ignore this pressure like it was air. 

Each hilltop or mountain peak had a different story to tell. He could see some sort of altar on each one, making him think that there must be somethings hiding within or beneath those altars. 

"This is another important location, Partner." Inos stated, "During my turn, I found myself frequently visiting this place you know?"

"Care to tell me more?" Raven asked since he truly has no idea what's so special after this place.

"This place is called the Scripture Graveyard." Inos stated, causing Raven to raise an eyebrow. "You'll eventually understand once you experience it. Why don't you try climbing one of the smaller hills?"

Raven was confused at first but decided to do so anyway, he knew that Inos won't do anything that would completely endanger his life, additionally he truly was curious to find out more so why not? 

Under the watch of the two, he climbed one of the smaller hills nearby. As he found his way towards the hilltop, he couldn't help but start having a strange feeling in his chest. 

It was as if someone or something was trying to connect at him. Because it felt very foreign, Raven resisted at first. But once he gave it more thought, he eventually lowered his guard and allowed the foreign entity to connect with him. 

Once he did, his vision immediately blurred. Upon realizing it, he was already feeling something incredibly profound. Hums and tunes were ringing on his ears, they started hushed but got louder and louder at one point, so much to the point that they were echoing on his ears.

At one point, Raven became absent-minded. He failed to realized that he was already humming the tunes echoing so loud on his ears. This deepened the connection until slowly but surely, irregular fluctuations were being released from his body. 

Raven was still somewhat aware of what's happening. A speck of consciousness were left on his body but all it could was to watch as the whole process went on. 

Eventually, this tiny speck of consciousness grew larger and clearer as time goes on. It came to the point where Raven was now fully aware of what was going on but he could still find himself humming the tunes that were now gone. What's weird is that, even though the tunes was gone, Raven had the idea that he could still hear them, he was even chanting it right now. 

But what truly surprised him the most is that, he could feel something changing within him. He had no idea what but he's certain that something changed. 

After some time, Raven stopped humming the tune and was now standing at the very peak of the hilltop. Once he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see that his surroundings were entirely different. 

The other hilltops and mountain peaks were still there and he could still see the altars, but everything was much clearer than before. Additionally, he could also see some unfurled scrolls releasing different fluctuations and colors. 

"This is what the Scripture Graveyard truly looks like." The voice of Inos sounded next to him. 

Raven unconsciously looked over to his side but he was met with another surprise. 

"Y-you…" Raven stuttered as he saw a clear image of what Inos and Astrid truly looked like. He was seeing them, not in soul form but incredibly lifelike. 

This came as a huge surprise to him. It had to be known that Raven could vaguely see these two before, he could only see them as soul remnants but now, it's different.

"You can see us clearer right?" Inos confirmed, "Don't be surprised.. This is what happens when you gain the blessing of the Oracle's Hill."