Narisva asked the last question.
"So how exactly are we supposed to know which Gecisia Level we're tied to? We can't exactly guess 'oh I'm probably a Nine' and wing it, can we?"
Sireth Marevas gave the smallest of nods.
"That's what the Obelisks are for. You do not choose your Gecisia Level. You do not guess, hope or imagine it. Your Divine core knows. You simply have to make contact."
He turned his back to the group and walked toward the Obelisk, his oceanic armor glowing faintly with his steps.
"The moment your palm touches the Obelisk, it will read your divine signature and it will inscribe your Gecisia Level across its surface in your aura color. This will determine the nature of every Trial you face here. You may all go one at a time."
He paused at the edge of the Obelisk's base, his harpoon humming.
"So, who will go first?"
There was a long moment where no one moved. Then Farrynelle stepped forward without hesitation.
"I'll do it."
She strode up to the Obelisk. Vastarael watched her, his arms folded while Xander stood nearby, already proud. She stopped at the base of the Obelisk. It loomed above her like a monolith of fate. Without hesitation, she pressed her palm against it. The Obelisk lit up in blinding blue light streaked with white lightning. Runes spiraled up its structure, ancient letters rewriting themselves into a language none of them had ever seen, but somehow… instinctively understood.
Electric pulses ran through the grooves. A crackling energy surged into the air, vibrating the air itself around them. The word appeared, inscribed in pure electric blue along the center of the obelisk:
GECISIA LEVEL NINE TYRINE
A gust of wind rushed past the plaza, and as the light faded, the Obelisk dimmed again into dormancy. Farrynelle stepped back with a grin.
Sireth turned to her.
"Tyrine of Gecisia Nine. You are of the Elemental Class. You walk with the forces of Lightning. Every trial from Nymarith to Aurakhalis will respond to this Attribution."
He stepped forward slowly.
"That means your challenges will not be physical alone. You will be tested in how you harness extremity. Tyrine is about control in chaos. You will face trials that collapse, mutate, and scatter."
Farrynelle gave a small smirk and cracked her knuckles. "Perfect. I was starting to get bored anyway."
Xander chuckled from behind, clearly both proud and amused.
"She's gonna break the islands at this rate."
Sireth ignored the comment. "Next."
The others looked between each other now. The spark of challenge had begun. The Obelisk waited.
One down. Nine to go.
And the next to touch it would reveal just how vast, complex, and unpredictable the Gecisia spectrum truly was. The shockwaves of Farrynelle's Tyrine revelation were still tingling in the plaza air as Elyonari stepped forward. Vastarael could sense her mind was already racing.
"I'll go next."
The Obelisk towered before her, indifferent to identity or lineage. Elyonari raised her right hand and placed her palm gently against the ancient surface. There was a pause then the Obelisk flared but brightly.
A rich, radiant green engulfed the entire monolith. Runes bloomed from the base all the way to its tip, all pulsing in rhythm.
GECISIA LEVEL SEVEN NOREQ
The moment the words appeared, silence fell.
The Noreq Attribution are the mutant elementals. Meaning that they can use any elemental form depending on how powerful they actually are. And it was actually surprising. Most, even Vastarael, assumed she would have landed in Elementa, Gecisia Eight. After all, she had full command of nature and the World Tree's vitality. Gecisia Eight aligned with Earth, Water, Earth and Air.
But Noreq?
She removed her hand slowly and stared at the glowing letters still lingering in the air, her brows slightly furrowed.
"Gecisia Seven? That's... lower than I thought."
Sireth Marevas stepped forwardm
"Gecisia is not an insult. It is not a rank or insult to lineage. It is the quality of a soul's current function, not its legacy. You are not Elementa, Elyonari Mintheris. You are Noreq."
She turned her head slightly toward him, her arms crossed now.
"So… mutant elementals. That's what I am?"
He nodded once.
"Not 'what' you are. What you have become. You may have been created as the perfect daughter of Mintherenia but your soul has since evolved. Or diverged."
The Obelisk was still glowing faintly. Elyonari looked back up at it, the light playing across her hair.
"That explains a lot, actually. Lately, my powers haven't followed normal nature rules. I made a vine that grew fire last month. And a fruit that bled water."
Narisva raised an eyebrow. "And you didn't think to mention that before?"
Elyonari shrugged faintly. "I thought it was... stress."
Vastarael chuckled from where he stood.
"Your definition of stress is everyone else's definition of divine mutation."
She smiled faintly and stepped back from the Obelisk, slipping her hands behind her back.
"It's weird. I thought I'd feel ashamed. But now that I see it, Noreq fits. It's unstable... but it's mine."
Sireth nodded slowly.
"Noreq Divines often face one of the harshest transitions. Your trials will reflect mutation, instability and unnatural balance. They will force you to use chaos to create order. But if you succeed, you become one of the most flexible Divines in the world."
She gave him a short bow out of respect. "Thank you."
Farrynelle gave her a fist bump as she passed, whispering, "Still nature's finest."
Vastarael smiled inwardly. She handled it well. Two trials down. Eight remained.
Xander Fedres rolled his shoulders as he stepped forward. He glanced over his shoulder at Farrynelle, who winked at him. He didn't smile but his eyes lit up.
"Guess it's my turn."
He placed his hand firmly against the towering blue Obelisk. And just like that, the Obelisk ignited.
A deep, ashen white glow surrounded the pillar. It wasn't gentle. It spread with slow, unyielding authority, like a body that had adapted to its limits and then crushed them.
The Obelisk boomed with clarity, almost shaking the ground beneath them.
GECISIA LEVEL TWELVE MORPHIS
The words glowed for seconds.
A sharp whistle came from Denisia. Narisva leaned forward slightly, and even Vastarael arched a brow.
"Morphis?" Natalis said aloud. "That's the last of the Twelve Divine Attributions."
"It fits," Farrynelle muttered, nodding.
"Yeah," Narisva added, "Morphis is all about biological restructuring, bodily evolution, adaptation to combat... you've literally trained your body to perfection. Divine muscle memory."
Xander blinked once, slowly pulling his hand away from the Obelisk.
"I mean… thanks, I guess. But I don't shape-shift. I don't do mimicry. I've never even altered a muscle or shifted my height."
Sireth Marevas elaborated more.
"Morphis is not about flashy transformations. It is about response. Your body, your cells, your divine flesh, they adapt to your needs, even if you're unaware. The more Enlightenment levels you attain, the more conscious control you will gain."
That struck something in Xander. He nodded, more to himself than anyone.
"That explains why I heal faster when I fight stronger opponents," he murmured.
"And why your movements evolve without anyone teaching you," Farrynelle added. "Every time you spar, your style shifts. You react."
Vastarael crossed his arms, watching intently.
Morphis at Gecisia Twelve.
It made sense. Xander wasn't the type to talk big or show off his strength. But when it came to adapting under pressure, he was untouchable. No Divine had seen him panic or fall into predictable patterns. His battle instincts were always a step ahead.
He was even better at him in adapting to an opponent's attacks.
Xander stepped back from the Obelisk and gave the others a single nod.
"Guess I'll have to learn how to turn into a bear or something," he said dryly.
Farrynelle snorted. "You're already one."
"I was thinking panther," Denisia muttered with a smirk.
Xander sighed and stood beside them again, but Vastarael saw it. His hand was briefly clenched. He was proud.
Sireth raised his harpoon again. "Next."
The Obelisk dimmed slightly, ready for its fourth answer.