"Where is it that you have obtained this knowledge?" said the Collector as it clicked its mandibles in further understanding.

The specimen did not give the Collector information that was specific to its questioning, and this likely was due to the fact that she herself did not fully grasp what she had memorized.

She instead recited to the Collector simply what she had committed to memory in its raw form, but even this information was vastly more useful than anything the other humanoids it had interrogated had proffered.

The Collector did not see any knowledge as waste. It would sift through whatever she gave it, picking apart what was useful and storing the rest.

'That was…from…from The Elementary Study by Arjun the Wise. Published in 322 Post-Convergence. Peer reviewed by the Order. First circulated by wood block press, then in paper print, then-'

"A record of knowledge," said the Collector, halting the tide of drivel that came from her. It might have been fine with some levels of extraneous recitation, but it would have to steer her from too much rambling. "You have committed a significant degree of knowledge in these topics to your mind.

Are you alone in possessing this knowledge, or is it the norm among the rest of you tinkerers? Among this Order of yours?"

'I…think I am special. Was special. I learned so much from Thorian, he, ah, he was my teacher-,' She swallowed down a lump forming at her throat. 'Before they took him when they took me. He said I was special and that I learned so fast and got to know so much.'

The specimen grew quiet, processing her emotions.

The Collector clicked its mandibles. "The quality of information you give deteriorates when it is outside the boundaries of your memorized knowledge, it seems, affected as it is through unlocked emotions. Then no matter, I will proceed to more useful questioning.

I understand now the nature of mana and how it interacts with these bodily systems known as spirit roots. The presence of this thing known as a 'soul' or 'spirit' I will simply extrapolate as a primitive categorization of psionic signatures.

Now I will ask again, tell me this time the ties to the circuits inlaid within your bodies and the connections to 'gates' and 'gods'."

The specimen nodded, snapped out of reminiscing once she heard the Collector's voice. She tilted her head again and started to think again, taking some time to remember.

"Arjun says that when emotion fluxes, and when its flow is controlled, the Corepoint opens. When the Corepoint activates, the many spirit roots that all intersect upon it also awaken.

The initial burst of emotion used to activate the Corepoint is often called a Trigger, though it may go by different names in the other realms.

However, across all seven realms, even in Avesta, the elusive realm of astral waters, the fundamental mechanics of magic remain the same:

Draw upon the Trigger, open the Corepoint, then maintain an equilibrium of emotional output to control the flow of magical energy throughout the spirit roots.

For further teachings on the Trigger, see chapter 11 in book 2."

The specimen continued to recite from her memories, and in this regard, her mind was far superior to any of the conventional humans the Collector had encountered before.

"Now, merely using an emotional Trigger to activate the Corepoint allows the self to channel mana. In many ways, this is already enough for marvelous effects to be seen within the body.

By constantly channeling mana, exercising its flow in varying rates and methods within the body, the physical form may be vastly strengthened.

This is the essence of what those in the realm of Xin, the foremost masters of manipulating internal bodily mana, qi as they call it, call 'Martial Arts', or better known here in Terra as 'Tempering' or 'Body Strengthening'.

For many, this is enough, and even possessing the natural talent to open one's Corepoint is a rare trait seen in exceedingly few individuals.

Various studies in my peers among the Order and the Sundan Empire's Five Circles have attempted to pinpoint a direct percentage of the populace that are magic sensitive, but as of now, it is impossible to pinpoint accurate numbers as there are simply too many factors such as environment and upbringing that play into this statistic.

Still, it is safe to approximate that less than thirty percent of humans on Terra are magic sensitive, and among those, perhaps only half possess spirit roots in any appreciable quantity and quality.

But among sorcerers such as myself and those reading this tome, is the strengthening of the body merely enough? Why limit ourselves when the gods themselves allow us the miraculous means of shaping and forming mana to manifest visible effects upon the physical world?

This is where the principle of Connections and Gates come into play.

With the descent of the gods from Aetheria and the merging of all seven realms in the momentous event known as the Convergence, magic as we know it emerged. The normal mortal body cannot extend their spirit roots beyond their own physical forms, but the gods have liberated us from this limitation.

Specifically, the Gate-Connect Principle has revolutionized the way we can channel mana. The great gods above embody certain concepts or elements, becoming 'Gates' that allow mortals to link our spirit roots to, thus becoming 'Connected'.

Through a connection to a divine gate, one may channel mana in a way that corresponds to what that gate embodies.

Take the Fae that fly with their jeweled wings in the forest realm of Foraoise.

In devoting themselves to Grainne the Winged, goddess primarily of Love and also of beauty, union, swans, flowers and forests, the fae are known to charm the hearts of men, to form powerful bonds with each other, linking their roots even with other living beings, and twist all that is green and growing upon the earth to their will.'

The Collector sensed that the purple skinned specimen was about to recite memories that went off to another tangent. It did not mind so much this additional information, all of it would prove useful, but it still did not like to waste time.

It honed her memories down, focusing them. "By what mechanism is it that these spirit roots are capable of connecting to the gates these gods embody?"

The purple skinned variant blinked. 'Hm…well…let me see. That's another book…I think it was The Connection by Aislin of the Summer Court. Would it be in chapter five? No, it was nine.'

She started to recite, and her tone of voice shifted, mimicking a little the tone of the writer of this record of knowledge.

'Take your heart, your soul, all your emotions, all you who wish to become unbound and connected. Take those precious pieces that form heat and warmth within your chests and devote them in service to your god.

The Connecting ritual will be different from god to god.

For our beloved Grainne, it is in partaking of her rainbow scales, allowing her warm essence to fill our own wings. Other rituals may be harsher. In Xin, it is said that the stripe furred Hwarans must bind their feet to the earth for an entire year before they may connect to their earth goddess.

Regardless, it is not so much the ritual itself that matters, but the prayer, and prayers are uttered from the heart. So long as you devote yourself to your god during the Connecting, then you will become Connected.

Stripes of light will appear upon your body, and this, you will know and appreciate as a sign of your devotion. The further your devotion, the stronger your Connection becomes, and the more these stripes will grace the breadth of your fragile mortal form – a sign that you are blessed by the gods themselves.'

The Collector clicked its mandibles in irritation. "I see now. So it is that these 'gods' are simply a superior species that has enslaved your kind. They hoard gates, a primary function of this resource, this magic, among themselves, sharing it only among you lessers in exchange for devotion.

Useless to me.

I will not submit myself to any primitive, no matter how great they consider themselves, for my purpose and loyalty lie within the infinitely grander purpose of the Collective.

But this other magic, this 'body strengthening' and 'tempering' does pique my interest.

No doubt, this was what the other special humans utilized to grant themselves physical capabilities beyond their fragile biological means, and this comes solely from the merits of their own structure, not in some false veil of benevolence handed down by a 'god'."