Seated at her desk, Dorothy carefully examined the ancient parchment scroll adorned with complex markings. Clearly, during the battle with Muhtar, this scroll was the key behind his sudden power surge – he had invoked its contract for aid from Bamigura, the Martyr Beast, at the cost of a third of his soul. "Bamigura the Martyr Beast… a divinity-tinged entity dwelling in the inner realms, seemingly akin to that Haimohois worshiped by the Abyssal Church. It inhabits the edge of reality or the inner world, a powerful presence below godhood that can make covenants with mortal sects and grant them aid in exchange for sacrifices." As Dorothy pondered such beings as Haimohois and Bamigura, she only lingered briefly on the thought before focusing again on the Soul-Contract Scroll spread across her desk, musing on how it might be of use. "This thing can contract with a divine creature. I could theoretically contact Bamigura and see whether it’s willing to form a new arrangement with me, but I know next to nothing about it or any ties it may have to the Savior’s Advent. That’s too risky to attempt blindly… "Still, it’s possible to erase the existing text and re-inscribe a brand-new pact with another high-tier entity from the inner world. If I manage to get on good terms with one in the future, I might arrange a mutually beneficial deal. But for now, I don’t even know any powerful inner realm existences… so it’s not immediately useful." With that line of reasoning, Dorothy set aside the contract scroll for the time being, planning to study it in detail later. She turned her attention to further war spoils, having already inspected all the mystical items, and next came the mystical texts. In Muhtar’s collection, Dorothy found two texts preserved in the form of old beast-skin scrolls. Carefully unfolding the first, she discovered a manuscript titled “Essentials of Ascetic Commandments,” a compilation of fundamental teachings for Beyonders on the Ascetic Path. Its content provided Dorothy with deeper insight into this bitter ascetic route. From this scroll, she learned that Ascetic Path novices at Black Earth rank was called “Ordinance Monk,” White Ash rank was “Commandment Adept,” Crimson rank was “Commandment Enforcer,” and Gold rank was “Commandment Presider.” Respectively, these corresponded to “commanding oneself, commanding mankind, commanding one’s foes, and commanding a nation” – a progression extending from internal self-restraint outward, from oneself to others, from few to many. Unlike some other Beyonder paths, the Ascetic Path also demanded rigorous tempering of one’s mind and spirit. While still a Black Earth-rank Ordinance Monk, a trainee had to choose several personal ordinances (commandments) to strictly adhere to. Their fulfillment not only played a key role in the ascetic’s advancement ritual but also determined which commandments they would be able to impose at Crimson rank. For instance, the manual detailed two such ordinances: “Curb Harm” and “Deny Fear.” Curb Harm: The practitioner must endure all manner of trials without resorting to harm. They must resist the urge to retaliate even when facing mosquito bites, venomous snakes, or blatant provocation, never fighting back despite personal suffering. Through intense psychological and physical trials, they learn to suppress every impulse to cause injury. Once they’ve “commanded themselves,” they can later “command” others and even “command” enemies. At Crimson rank, this blossoms into the maddening reflection commandment, and at Gold rank, it evolves into an even more potent malice-based ability. Deny Fear: Similar in concept – the practitioner undertakes perilous, self-punishing regimens while refusing to flee, e.g. meditating on an icy mountain with little clothing or going without food for months. Surviving this punishing training without dodging hardship perfects the vow. At Crimson rank, it morphs into the compulsion preventing enemies from escaping or dodging in combat. Essentially, at the Crimson rank, an Ascetic’s abilities revolve around using the commandment they once imposed on themselves to now constrain their enemies. “First command oneself, then command others.” Additionally, the training process strictly disallowed reliance on any mystical powers as aids. The ascetic must truly endure the suffering. Cheating was forbidden, or the practice would be void. “Ah, I see… The Ascetic Path focuses on self-restraint, then extends that discipline outward. That explains why Muhtar never used a ‘no-breathing’ commandment. He himself couldn’t survive without breathing, so he never mastered that. If you can’t do it yourself, you can’t impose it on others,” Dorothy reflected. Scanning the text, she concluded each Commandment Enforcer might have distinctive ordinances depending on their training. Because time and the human body’s capacity for torment were finite, most adherents ended up with only one or two perfected commandments by the time they hit Crimson rank. “All the same,” Dorothy concluded. “Since these powers revolve around restricting the foe, they’re largely defensive or passive. In isolation, that can be unbelievably frustrating to fight against. But if Muhtar had possessed a strong offensive path like an Elementalist, Vania wouldn’t have lasted. In a group scenario, though, an Ascetic’s powers are terrifyingly effective.” Closing the manual, Dorothy felt oddly thankful and gathered the newly gained spirituality from reading it: 9 points of Lantern, 7 points of Silence, and 5 points of Revelation. Next, she opened the second text, also inscribed on beast-skin. This one included illustrations along with the script. At a glance, it seemed to be a copy of an older piece of artwork. Entitled “Copied Wall Mural of the Lord Enlightening the World,” it was done in fine-line style upon the parchment. The picture depicted a long-haired, bare-chested, handsome, and muscular man with a laurel crown. His eyes were blank or pupil-less, and his expression neutral as he gazed straight ahead, arms outstretched. Around him was the radiance of a solar halo, while in each outstretched hand he held an object. In the man’s right hand was a scepter, while in his left, he held a crescent-shaped scimitar. Flanking the sun wheel behind him stood two small figures. Beside the scepter was a young boy with short hair, dressed in a robe with its hood pulled back. He stood beside the radiance with an expression of reverent admiration as he looked up at the man within the sun wheel. The boy stepped forward with arms spread wide, seemingly about to enter the radiance and embrace the man. His facial features bore a faint resemblance to the man’s. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦 On the side of the scimitar stood a young girl, quite unlike the boy. She didn’t look toward the sun wheel at all. She stood quietly in place without making any grand gestures. Her robe’s hood was properly worn, covering the upper half of her face. Her mouth was expressionless, and her smooth hair flowed straight down from under the hood past her cheeks and all the way to her waist. Her calm demeanor contrasted starkly with the boy’s. Beneath the trio was a world map, depicting several continents Dorothy recognized—the New Continent to the west, the Ufiga Continent to the south, the Frozen Northern Continent, and the Main Continent in the center—all beneath the feet of the three figures. Surrounding the map and figures were many inscriptions. Dorothy immediately recognized the script as Imperial language. Laying the scroll flat across the desk, Dorothy studied it carefully, her expression tinged with fascination. Clearly, she had been completely captivated by the image the moment she saw it. After gazing at it for quite some time, she exhaled slowly and began pondering the contents of the scroll. At this point, Dorothy had a subconscious feeling that the image depicted in the painting was far from ordinary. “This image... is it depicting the True Radiant Lord? Or perhaps the Radiant Savior? Judging by the sun wheel backdrop and the title Muhtar specially noted, it seems so. But then—who are these two children?” Staring at the scroll, Dorothy’s heart was full of questions. She had seen many divine portraits from the previous era, such as the illustration of the Goddess of Abundance found among Darlene’s belongings. That painting portrayed the goddess and her four attendant deities, each with distinctive traits that clearly corresponded to the Chalice path branches. Similarly, in the Duke Barrett research archives, there were banners painted by rebel forces during the Wind King Rebellion in Pritt centuries ago, featuring the Moon Emblem and four knightly insignias. But this scroll was different. It didn’t depict one main deity and four attendants—it showed one main figure and only two companions. Not only that, the two were children, and there were no clear signs of them being Lantern-related divine servants. Neither the Holy Mother nor the Holy Son archetypes seemed to match, which was puzzling. If the main figure was indeed the True Radiant Lord or the Radiant Savior, then aside from His traditional divine entourage, who else would be worthy of standing at His side? “The text on this scroll is Imperial, meaning the painting was likely created during the Third Epoch Empire. That would suggest the man depicted is most likely the King of Light. Judging by the label, the Savior’s Advent Sect likely equates the True Radiant Lord and the Radiant Savior with the King of Light. Although they share many similarities... can they really be regarded as the same being? “And then there’s the matter of the objects the man is holding… a scepter in the right hand, and a scimitar in the left. That combination feels strange. In the art styles of the Radiance faith, scepters are common—but scimitars? They’re almost never seen…” As Dorothy focused on the two items held by the central figure, her confusion deepened. From Muhtar’s notes, she knew this image was a reproduction of a mural from an unidentified ruin. Religious murals like this weren’t casual artistic expressions—their carvings were incredibly precise. Every element held symbolic meaning, and if it appeared in the art, it was meant to convey something specific. There were no frivolous details. And among religious iconography, what a deity held in their hands was especially important. These items were often at the very core of what the painting sought to express. Therefore, the presence of the scimitar could not be meaningless—it must carry deep significance. In the mystical knowledge Aldrich once gave her, Dorothy had learned that the scepter was the most prominent symbol of the Lantern path. A radiant scepter represented the torch, the sun—focus, guidance, power, and the unity of faith and authority. This was why scepters frequently appeared in Radiance-themed religious art. But a scimitar? That was different. The curved blade didn’t just fail to appear in Radiance art—it generally symbolized something wholly incompatible with Lantern ideals in mysticism… Gazing at the beast-hide scroll, Dorothy’s expression grew ever more serious. Her attention slowly shifted away from the divine figures at the top of the painting and settled on the map below—something she had initially overlooked. The map only displayed rough outlines, with no detailed locations marked. Compared to the figures above, it seemed much more rudimentary. At first, Dorothy simply wanted to check whether the map labeled any significant places or preserved ancient Third Epoch names. But after scanning the map and finding nothing of note, she prepared to shift her gaze back to the divine figures—only to notice something peculiar. Frowning, Dorothy stared hard at the map—specifically, the left side, the eastern portion of the Main Continent. The more she looked, the stranger it seemed. After studying it for a while, Dorothy mentally retrieved the world maps she had memorized for comparison. And then, suddenly, she realized what was off. The map on this scroll showed the Main Continent as significantly larger than the current standard maps! The other regions looked normal, but the eastern section of the Main Continent was vastly expanded. The Main Continent on this mural’s map was almost one-third larger than on modern maps.