-Back at the Gateway site-

“Argh … it fuckin’ hurts.” A now very thin and sickly looking Fatty Alan crawled out of a small ditch at the field where no more than a few days ago James and his two companions had awoken. He stared at his surroundings and then at the starry night sky and then at his bloodied jumpsuit.

The night was dark and moonless, which in this case was very unfortunate for Fatty, seeing as the two moons are usually always on opposing sides of the planet. Fatty, being no astronomer, missed his chance to recognise the entirely different night sky and remained completely oblivious to the strange glow of the stars in this world.

Most odd and the thing Fatty most definitely should have picked up on, was that on this night all the stars twinkled in an orderly and seemingly rehearsed manner. Their twinkling started from the most northern star which would shine a little brighter then dimmer as the closest star south of them then shined and dimmed.

This process repeated until it looked like a Mexican wave of stars shining as it swept across the sky. Then it would go through endless reiterations of this trend from north to south.

Fatty having no interest in such things gave no attention to the peculiarities of the night sky, which if he’d observed, may have chosen differently from his pending action.

‘Where the hell am I? Something happened on the base. Fuck, I said it didn’t I? I’ll bet they had some monster locked away in that lab. It must have got loose. How the fuck did I get here though?’ he thought to himself.

Glancing around he noticed a floating light moving through the tree line in the distance. Thinking it was someone with a torch, he struggled up and moved towards that unknown light.

It wasn’t long until he passed the tree line following the light into the forest and the direction of the huge mountain James had noticed on his arrival.

-Gau Clan Mansion-

Whoosh! James shot out of bed feeling great. For the first time since as far back as his memory served, he felt good and didn’t feel like sleeping more. Gentle sunlight filled the room and birds sang as the refreshing smell of early morning dew filled his nose.

Through the window he could make out the courtyard, in the centre of which was the ‘ice slushy’ pond and beyond that the beginnings of a forested landscape with cobblestone and dirt paths leading in and out of the tree line.

As perfect as this scenery was, James’ mind was distracted from it, and filled with hundreds of conflicting thoughts. As much as they talked with Elder Gau yesterday the majority of questions were forwarded by the very science minded Dr Skay and a good deal of them even the Elder couldn’t answer.

Some of them the Elder didn’t even understand, and James made no effort to comprehend, instead focussing on things he thought mattered more. However, the greatest source of his conflicting thoughts was his growing suspicions.

From what he could deduce, in this world cultivators were kings and anyone who didn’t cultivate or had no spirit energy, himself for example, had no choice but to acquiesce to their betters. Moreover, even though commoners could seek out a meagre existence working in fields or other mediocre jobs, they would never truly be successful in this world.

Regardless of their endeavours, they would never amount to anything. The strong ruled the weak to accumulate resources and the feeble served the mighty for protection. Not just to be protected by from other strong cultivators with less than noble ideals, but also to be protected from nature itself.

“Humans aren’t the only cultivators in this universe.” James remembered this phrase said by Hao when Skay was questioning something regarding plant and animal life.

‘Not the only cultivators, good god, does he mean even a household pet can gain the strength of a godly being?’ James squinted slightly trying to see if the singing birds in the forest had supernatural powers. Other than perhaps being a little bigger and a bit more colourful looking, they perfectly resembled lorikeets and seemed just like Earth birds.

Though this was cause for concern, it wasn’t his most vexing issue. ‘Why? If the strong rule the weak and us mortals are but ants to cultivators, for what reason did they bring us here?’ This was James’ most immediate thought in this situation.

Although he hadn’t considered it before, now that he understood the nature of people in this world he couldn’t help wonder just what this Gau clan wanted and grew even more suspicious of them.

It wasn’t long after this thought that a middle-aged man wearing grey robes with a black embroidered sword and anvil on his left chest threw open the door and strolled into the guest room. After looking at James once he assumed a somewhat domineering posture with his hands on his hips and chest stuck out looking down his nose.

“Let’s go scum!” With a derogatory remark thrown out he turned and started marching out of the room paying no mind at all to James. James displayed no expression assuming his trademark dead fish eyes and hurried out to catch up to the Gau Clan disciple.

James could tell at a glance this fellow was certainly not as amiable as Hao and made no attempt to converse with or question him at all. He’d almost find this posturing amusing if he hadn’t just been considering how suspicious the Gau clan’s actions were.

After moving through the mansion, he found himself back in the main hall. Seated at the main table was Elder Gau who looked markedly older and somewhat stressed. Behind him was the figure of Hao standing there as always with an odd expression on his face as he stared at Skay. Even the servants in the hall looked somewhat bemused.

As opposed to everyone else’s strange expressions and the Elders rapid ageing, Dr Skay looked 10 years younger and had a blistering smile splitting his face as he rapid fired more questions followed by enthusiastic mutterings and the now oddly rare cursing.

James started to wonder if the Elder had been trapped here all night answering questions, or rather, trying to respond to questions, seeing as Skay’s inquiries were vastly more complicated than yesterday’s.

As James walked forward, he remembered a conversation yesterday regarding etiquette in this world and clasped hands to bow to the Elder and taking a chance to interrupt Skay.

“This Junior greets Senior Gau.” Seeing James arrive, Elder Gau’s face lit up like he’d seen a lifeboat while drowning at sea. Seeing this James put on timid expression and began to ask of Elder Gau.

“Elder I have a few questions I’d like to ask you.”

Hearing that there would only be more questions, the Elders face tensed, and he looked warily at James. Seeing this James chuckled inside.

“If the Elder hasn’t time, I’ll let you get back to your discussion with Dr Skay.” Said James throwing out a pleasant smile. Elder Gau’s face worsened further before an involuntary cry of “No!” erupted.

“Cough!, I mean feel free to give young Skay a break and ask a few question.”

‘A few I might actually understand.’ He thought to himself.

James face showed an odd expression when he heard Elder Gau refer to Skay as “young”. Seeing this expression Skay chuckled and jumped in to explain for James.

“Cultivators don’t age … or rather they age incredibly slowly. Mind boggling no? I’ve got a few theories about this but at present can’t confirm anything without further understanding of this ‘spirit energy’.”

When saying ‘spirit energy’ Skay actually made quotations with his fingers, as if to mock their total lack of understanding and suggest it had nothing at all to do with something as intangible and superstitious as a spirit.

“If I had to theorise a reason then it probably has something to do with a reaction between…”

James stopped listening at this point as Skay started to launch into what James could already guess would be a very long explanation on Skay’s billion thoughts of the subject. Instead, he wanted to focus more on what exactly the purpose was in bringing them here.

James wasn’t particularly shaken up by the probable likeliness of all other humans on Earth being dead. Nor was he concerned with finding a way back to Earth. James had no family and few people he called friends, most of which happened to be on the base when all of this mess started.

Although he wanted to take a moment to process the complicated feelings he had and although he wanted to break out into hysteria and panic, he refused to.

He was curious as to how Jessy was, especially seeing as she had apparently bounced back in the last three days, but again he chose to conceal his worry even from himself as he focused on his one true goal. Survive!

Thinking to this point, James interrupted Skay’s continuous dialogue again as he dove to the root of his paranoias. His face became serious as he looked back to the Elder’s mysterious starry eyes after taking a seat at the table.

“Elder Gau, you’ve mentioned that had anyone else found us we’d be slaves. I could accept that you’re clan may just be filled with endless good intentions and soft hearts if this were Earth. However from what you’ve told us of your societies operation, as commoners we’ve no right to or are even deserving of your good will. I’d like to ask why you rescued us and more importantly, what are your intentions?”

Though he tried to say this in a composed and severe tone, his inner heart was quaking in fear. He knew that if their intentions were anything but pure he could do nothing to stop them. Xanzu alone seemed powerful enough to slap him to death with a wave of the hand.

Although Xanzu was worrying and James could detect nothing but malice from him, he wasn’t as concerned with him as he was with his father, Hao. This anxiety was fed be various … recent traumas.

Hearing James’ question Elder Gau showed a surprised expression.

‘These Steppers are truly impressive. They just arrived, and one of them is already challenging me on things beyond even my knowledge and understanding of our world. This other junior appears to be well centred and according to Hao has peculiarly good dumb luck. He’s quite shrewd though to already be questioning our intentions. Hopefully, he isn’t a problem later.’ After this brief moment of thought, Elder Gau nodded, and his face resumed the slight smile and amiable face he had when they first met yesterday.

“Junior your question is a fair and pertinent one. Let me first ask, how old are you?”

“Twenty-five.” James replied.

“Well as you’ve just discovered, spirit cultivators in this world age slower than commoners such as yourselves. Here, many people start their training at fifteen or sixteen years of age. Although the period before your thirty has the fastest growth for early cultivation stages, it is not an ironclad rule to start cultivating before this period ends.

“Countless numbers of commoners have broken through the first spirit barrier from every age. Even senile old men have breached this barrier and wrested back a chance at life.”

The Elder’s gaze grew strange again as he glanced at Skay who was busy mumbling and drawing strange equations on his black tech-pad seemingly paying no attention to this discussion.

“As I said yesterday, it’s rare for commoners to come through a random Gateway, but it’s not unheard of. Moreover many people, whether regular or cultivator, who passed through such as you did have affected the history of our world because they have come from a universe not usually connected to Ascension Star. More aptly because they have brought knowledge of cultivator techniques and differing views of the natural laws with them from their own universe.”

Taking this pause in the Elder’s words Skay chimed in with blazing eye’s. “Boy, they rescued us because they want our knowledge to help them advance their own understanding of what they call the ‘natural laws’, which are just what they call the laws of physics and mathematics and chemistry and basically all our scientific rules. We’re here to teach them science!” Skay’s face distorted as it became fanatical and a maniacal laugh escaped his throat.

“HaHAhaHaa. Boy just imagine it. From what I understand, this entire world is devoid of our commoner science. Though they have a vast number of magical techniques, they don’t have our view or understanding. Everything they do is developed by a cause and effect trial by error, recorded and then passed down through the generations. Most of them don’t even understand how exactly they’re affecting the world, they only know that throwing some spirit energy around in a certain way, they do!

“When they develop their magic, it’s through endless repetition like learning to shoot a gun. They find out how to hold it and aim it and shoot it and load it, but very few develop the knowledge of how it actually works inside and more importantly…”

“Ahem!” The Elder could tell Skay was just rearing up to an even longer tirade so jumped in quickly to escape that eventuality.

“As he says, we brought you here to learn about your world. Once we have learnt about these science, you all will be given a place in the city to live and enough riches to live how you please. My Gau Clan at least knows to pay a debt of gratitude and are aware it would be more productive to learn from you in a friendly environment.” At this point, he fell silent letting James process this.

James cupped his chin frowning slightly as his brain went into overdrive. ‘Interesting. So they rescued us to learn about our universe.’ James cast a sidelong glance at the Mad Doctor Skay who looked ready to once again engage the poor Elder Gau.

‘Well, they couldn’t have gotten luckier than to pick up that madman if all they want from us is to pick our brains. Something doesn’t sit right though. Why would he clarify that cultivation can be done at any age? Furthermore, why would he bother explaining about their world so much if all they want is for us to teach them about our world.

‘Even odder is that before we came here how could they know our world developed sciences to understand the mysteries of the world?’ Throwing a suspicious glance at the Elder, who appeared to be showing the most innocent expression he could conjure, James grew even more bewildered.

‘If what Dr Skay said is true and their world has no truly advanced technologies, then how are we even communicating? Surely such a cosmic coincidence can’t occur.’ James stopped his thoughts for a moment to ask about the communication. Before the Elder even got the chance to answer Madman Skay interrupted again.

“Hahaha, boy you’re not as dumb as you look! You’re right, genuinely mysterious don’t you think? I’ve been informed that every major city in this world has a ‘Monolith’. Not only does it implant this world’s common language as your primary language in your mind, it even inserts measurements like distance and time.

“Although you still have the English language locked up in that fart factory you’ve been calling your brain, you won’t be able to use it inside the influence of the Monolith. Everything you’re thinking and saying is in an entirely different language. It just seems like it’s your native dialect to you in your head.”

James’ face went white as he thought of the implications of this “Monolith”.

‘Mind altering? What else could it have put in my head? Perhaps Mind reading also!? Good god, what kind of degenerate invented such an invasive contraption? More importantly than that … If it’s reading my mind right now who the fuck’s controlling it?!’

Seeing James reaction Skay smirked. “Just imagine what such an advanced device this must be. I suspect whoever invented it was likely a Stepper from a similar or even more advanced universe like ourselves. You shouldn’t worry too much about it now, after all, there’s nothing you can do to change it yet.”

Seeing James reacting oddly the ever present Hao chimed in. “If you’re concerned about losing your past language you needn’t fret, once you leave the influence range of the monument, your primary language will revert to your original tongue. You also won’t forget the common language so you shouldn’t worry over that either.”

‘Worry?! Fuck worry, I’m fucking freaking out!! GET OUT OF MY HEAD YOU PERVERSE FUCKS!!! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT…” For the first time in a long time, James couldn’t assume a placid bored expression when the situation changed so dramatically.

Instead, his face progressed to an ever more pale and panicked expression. In fact, his face was so white now, he looked as if he’d been painted white.

Seeing this change, everyone had weird expressions. After all, no one had ever seen someone react like this to the Monoliths. Mostly everyone would show some surprise or have little to no reaction at all just assuming it was entirely natural for this world to have mind altering Monoliths. After a moment like this, just as the Elder was getting a little worried, James shot up to his feet.

“How far do I have to go to escape the Monolith?” His face looked somewhat savage, and his eyes shot with blood as his face made a rapid recovery from white then going to the other extreme of an angry red.

“Escape? Hmm … well, the Monolith’s effect here expands out to about 35km more or less.” The confused Hao supplied an answer for the somewhat stunned Elder.

Never had the Elder seen something like this in reaction to a Monolith. He himself was a Stepper and had heard about the Monolith on his planet before escaping to Ascension Star, so he had no delusions about it as James did.

What he and everyone in the world didn’t know, was the Monoliths could indeed read minds, only they weren’t connected to anyone. Instead, they were controlled by Ancient Spirits that were forged into the stone of the Monolith and had been created by an even more ancient cultivating Stepper in combination with some the greatest sages to ever live on this planet.

They built them with a single goal. To illuminate miscommunication and open discussion, as well as to eliminate the need to learn every other universes language.

There was a long and complicated love story in regards to this astounding turn of events. Regrettably, that too was lost in the long history of this world. The Monolith’s themselves were the only remaining lifeforms with knowledge in regards to this mystery. Everyone else for millions of years has lost all knowledge of their origins, only knowing that they granted to the people the now considered common language of Ascension Star.

All of a sudden James blanched and jumped as if someone had just poured ice down the back of his jumpsuit, then like an obedient child sat back on the cushions took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. Then with a serious look stared at the confused Elder.

“What is the oath of the heavens?” James finally asked out of nowhere.

“Oh? The Oath you say?” The Elder showed his surprise and then chuckling shared a look with Hao.

“You must have heard some things from the servants, but only cultivators truly understand the oath. The natural laws of heaven and earth have many unusual aspects. It can bind a person’s very soul to the meaning of their words making it a death wish to break them.” The Elder paused and didn’t seem to plan on elaborating further.

Hao then decided to fill the gap. “The less conviction a person has in their oath, the greater the feedback from the heavens if it should ever be broken. For those with extreme conviction in their oath, at best they will retain a little of their cultivation and life but never be able to raise their cultivation again, to a cultivator this is essentially the same as being permanently crippled. For those who utter words with less or no conviction then at best they will still be breathing after they break an oath.”

Hao’s face then darkened. “At worst an Oathbreaker won’t just kill themselves, but have a curse fall on their bloodline and anyone as far removed as five or six generations. However, that also varies with the oath itself.”

Then after a pause, the Elders mysterious look at James intensified when he finished with. “Should you ever choose to try and cultivate and make an oath to the heavens you too will understand how all encompassing it is. Only cultivators are bound by this law of the heavens though because it requires spirit energy to swear an oath, commoners like yourself can make whatever oaths they like to whomever they like and face no retribution.”

Finished speaking on the matter he waved a servant over with a tray of cups and teapot then proceeded to drink from a freshly poured cup.

James took a cup by sheer habit as his mind raced then stopped to a halt as he decided ‘Fuck’it! Now’s not the time to worry about that issue. I should worry more about the Gau Clan’. After placing his cup down, he came to a decision based on everything the Elder had spoken of today. He put on his poker face and decided to directly ask the Elder.

“Did you bring us here in the hopes we can cultivate and create powerful magic for your clan?”

James question stumped the Elder as he and Hao shared a conspirators glance with each other.

“Oh? Hahaha boy, you’re quicker than I thought.” Skay chuckled as he looked up from his pad and as if meeting James for the first time gave him an appreciating glance. If all those hints dropped by the Elder hadn’t been like a flashing neon sign saying ‘You should cultivate!’ then James should dig his own grave and jump into it if he couldn’t piece this much together.

The Elder gave a wry smile and chose to begin explaining.

“You’re not entirely wrong. Learning the history and knowledge of another universe takes time, and worse still is difficult for us older cultivators to apply to our practice. Especially now that we have already travelled our own path down the road of cultivation for so long.

“It’s not as simple as just learning some things and applying them to your training. Cultivation is more a method of developing the spirit. We’ve already trained our spirit in our own path, and unless we destroy our cultivations and start again from the beginning, then it’s much harder to take others knowledge and change our own cultivation methods. You will understand why once you start to cultivate your own spirit.”

Hao then jumped in to answer the next incoming question James had. “Although learning practices from other methods of training are hard it’s not impossible. The decision to encourage you to train with our clan was after you were brought here.

“Truthfully when we picked you up we’d no intention to educate you because you’re so much older than we generally begin training disciples. Nevertheless, your character was strong in the face of my spirit pressure, you’re luck and fortune look to be quite good, and your world seems to have methods of understanding the natural laws that we’ve never heard of or imagined. Had you not mentioned it we would have tried to subtly guide you towards it.”

James began to ponder for a time, cupping his chin in his hands again.

‘If I don’t start cultivating then I remain a commoner. I don’t think that would be too difficult. With my knowledge as an electrician, I can easily create electricity and other commodities related to my trade. Though it would be hard and very much a roughshod jump by comparison to my world’s standards, I suspect I could make a comfortable living off it from other commoners.

‘However, it’s not every day that you get the chance to become Superman. Although I’m sure Superman didn’t skip-jump to fly. Additionally, I’ve no intention of being such a good citizen, rescuing cats from trees and saving the world and such. More likely I’ll cheat, steal and dupe everyone I meet. After all, money is king, or was king, I’m uncertain in this world. My parents always warned me I was a bad influence on my brother. I bet he’d love it here… ‘

Shaking himself from his reverie that had veered off into a dangerous and depressing direction, he returned to the important part of his inner monologue.

‘More important than becoming a superman is survival and based on the few disciples of the Gau clan I’ve directly interacted with, commoners don’t get treated well by cultivators at all. If I remain as a mortal instead of chasing the power of a god I will always be at the mercy of others.

‘An ant under the feet of elephants. I can’t accept that! I’ve got this chance to become strong. So strong I can take what I want, crush who I want and fuck who I want! Now it all depends on just how much this chance will cost me.’

Some of James truer nature emerged in his thoughts, and a dangerous glint flitted through his eyes as he looked between Hao and Elder Gau then asked his final question before making this life changing decision.