All ten stood quietly at first, staring up at the towering obelisk. Farrynelle spoke first.
"Wait. Let me make sure I heard that right. You're saying that even if I reach the next Enlightenment Level ahead of schedule, I still have to wait until the year ends?"
Sireth Marevas turned toward her.
"Correct. If you complete the First Trial in for instance, three months and Enlighten into the Second Enlightenment by the fourth month, you will still wait the full thirteen-month year."
Xander blinked. "But why? That's just… inefficient. If we're strong enough, why not let us keep going?"
"You misunderstand. The Gecisia Trials are not a race. They are a crucible. Enlightenment is not about proving strength once. It is a transformation. It rewrites your soul, body, tether foundation, and your Divine Core. The remaining months are not punishment. They are stabilization time to become what you awakened into."
Elyonari raised her hand lazily. "So then what do we do with the rest of the time if we're already done?"
Sireth gave a small nod of respect. "An excellent question. If you complete your Trial before the year ends, the remaining time becomes yours. A gift from the Goddess of the Trial, you might say. You may train, reflect, explore the island or even rest. Use it wisely."
Eldrigan looked unconvinced. "No offense, but this sounds like bureaucracy disguised as discipline."
Sireth's lips quirked in a barely-there smirk.
"You're free to believe that. But rush your ascension and your divine body will splinter from within. We've seen it happen. The soul may race ahead but the vessel must keep up. This rule has prevented catastrophe more times than I can count."
Denisia narrowed her eyes. "What happens if someone fails their trial?"
This time, Sireth's voice turned colder.
"If you fail to complete a Trial within the designated one-year window, you are subject to what we call the Penalty Cycle. You are forbidden from participating in any new trials or Enlightenment attempts for two full years."
They all stiffened.
"You may stay on your current island for healing and reflection. Or you may return to Spheraphase to prepare your mind. But either way, your Divine progression is locked. You are in stasis."
A chill passed through the group. Even the wind died down for a second. Adelasta, who had remained silent, finally spoke.
"So if someone's close to failure… there's no grace period?"
Sireth turned to her fully. "There is none. The trial ends when it ends. You will either ascend... or regress."
Narisva, standing with her arms behind her back, nodded solemnly. "It makes sense. They don't want people collecting titles without embodying the meaning behind them."
Vastarael tilted his head slightly. "And what if someone just… doesn't Enlighten, even after completing the trial?"
Sireth nodded as if he had been waiting for that question.
"If you pass the Trial, but do not Enlighten by the end of the year, you are not allowed to move on. The Obelisks will not open to you. You must remain and train until your soul resonates with the next Enlightenment stage."
"So passing the test isn't enough?" Peroncerea asked.
"No. You must pass the test and ascend in soul. Only then may you proceed. Trials test your external mastery. Enlightenment transforms your internal truth. Without both, the journey stops."
Natalis, the other Andelaris twin, crossed her arms. "And just to be clear, no repeats of a passed trial?"
"None. Once passed, a Trial cannot be retaken. You are not here to relive your victories. You are here to climb."
Vastarael rubbed the back of his neck. "And no doubling up?"
"Correct again. No Divine may undertake two Trials at once, nor swap their Trial assignment. The sequence is sacred. Each Trial aligns to a specific Enlightenment Tier and its spiritual lesson."
He looked directly at Vastarael now.
"One Trial. One Year. One Enlightenment.
Break the cycle and be banished."
The finality in his tone left no room for argument. Xander asked his question.
"And how many Divines are doing this now?"
"Currently, there are 70,835 registered Divines undergoing the First Sacred Trial on this island," Sireth said. "You are not alone in this. Nor are you special."
That humbled even Narisva a little. Sireth paused and looked toward the sea. No one said anything for a while until Vastarael, finally asked.
"You've told us about the process, the structure but not the meaning. You call them the Gecisia Trials but what does Gecisia actually test? What do the Twelve Levels really represent?"
Sireth Marevas, tilted his head slightly.
"You're asking the right question and most never do. You want to understand the Gecisia Trials, so I will tell you what few ever hear. There are twelve levels to Gecisia that every Divine has."
He spread out his hand slowly, as if weighing invisible truths in the air.
"They are called the Twelve Attributions, which are cosmic identities that define what Divinity is at its core. Every single Divine in existence draws their power from one, or sometimes a blend, of these twelve. Each one belongs to a Divinity Class, tied to the four great Classes of all Divine power. And each class has three Gecisia Levels."
"First, there is Conceptual Divinity. These are the most dangerous, most mysterious of all Divines. They alter perception, logic, time and truth itself. They bend the laws, not just of nature but of reality."
Sireth walked slowly, one step per name.
"Conceptual Divinity has three Gecisia Levels. Gecisia One is Causality. Gecisia Two is Ideation and Gecisia Three is Niversa, which is anything not related to the other two."
"Spiritual Divinity is the second class. These are the ones who grasp the weight of soul and spirit because they feel every second of it They also have ."
"Gecisia Four Vitalis, Gecisia Five Mortanis and Gecisia Six Animas are related to Spiritual Divinity."
"Elemental Divinity is the third. Elemental Divines channel the primal forces that shaped the elements., Gecisia Seven Noreq are mutant Elementals and anything non-traditional. Gecisia Eight Elementa and Gecisia Nine Tyrine are the others. Tyrine is the extreme states like Ice, lightning, crystal, magnetism and so on. This class requires advanced refinement, not just brute strength."
"Physical Divinities are last. They are Divines because they are walking weapons and living machines of divine muscle and instinct. Gecisia Ten Kinetikos, Gecisia Eleven Durassian and Gecisia Twelve Morphis are related to this."
He turned back to Vastarael now, standing directly before him.
"You asked me what Gecisia means but what you really asked was, what makes a god? Well, Gecisia shows what kind of Divine you are. Enlightenment shows how powerful you've become."
They all thought deeply to this.
"A Morphis-type at Seventh Enlightenment can destroy a First Enlightenment Causality-type. Because Gecisia defines the quality of your power. But Enlightenment defines your mastery of that power."
Adelasta looked over to Vastarael. Elyonari folded her arms tightly. Narisva's usual cocky posture was more contemplative now.