The silence in the warship stretched for a few moments after Kaelith's last words. Adrian sat quietly, his body had healed, but his mind was still piecing together the chaos of what had just happened.
The image of Veythar's dual domains, space and corrosion intertwined, lingered in his mind like a haunting afterimage.
Finally, he asked the question. "Kaelith… how did you and Veythar wield two essences?"
His tone carried genuine curiosity, "Affinity is fixed at birth, right?"
Kaelith looked at him, one brow arching. Then, unexpectedly, she smiled.
"Ah, this is truly amusing." Her voice softened, "I forgot, you've never stepped into the frontlines. You wouldn't know."
She leaned against the console, arms folded loosely across her chest.
"And to think you've comprehended multiple concepts without ever knowing this… that alone shows what kind of prodigy you really are."
Adrian stayed silent, listening closely.
Varik shifted slightly beside him, equally absorbed.
Kaelith continued. "What the galaxy knows, the things you read in the Net, or learn from empires, is all limited. What most believe… are the things the Empires allow them to believe."
Her gaze drifted toward the viewport, toward the stars beyond.
"When a soul is born, it resonates with a concept. That's what we call affinity. It's a reflection of one's nature and the environment that shaped their soul."
She gestured vaguely with one hand.
"That resonance makes it easier to comprehend that specific concept, to cultivate, to bloom an essence seed, to grow."
She raised a hand, conjuring faint threads of flame and frost, her twin essences dancing together.
"But if a fire user tried to learn water, their soul would find no harmony. The resonance wouldn't exist."
"Even grasping a planetary-level water concept would take centuries. What a water affinity user could learn in a year, a fire affinity user might take them a thousand years."
Adrian nodded slowly.
Kaelith's expression darkened slightly. "That's why the galaxy believes affinities are fixed. They don't even try to comprehend another."
"They're like beings trapped at the bottom of a well, staring up at the sky, believing that small circle is the whole of existence."
The metaphor struck Adrian He'd seen it himself, cultivators clinging to their singular path, never questioning.
Kaelith's tone deepened. "But… thousands of years ago, some climbed out of that well."
"In the early eras of the demon war, many of the strongest Stellars had reached their limits. They had comprehended everything their concepts could offer, every truth they could find in our galaxy."
"Yet they couldn't grow further. The war demanded more, and their own essence betrayed them by stagnating."
"So, some tried something different."
Adrian leaned forward slightly, drawn in.
"They reached for what was not theirs. They attempted to comprehend new concepts, alien to their souls."
"Most failed. Some spent thousands of years just to grasp the basic planetary level of another concept. Many died chasing that path."
She paused, her expression unreadable.
"But a few succeeded. Even if it took millennia, they at least mastered the planetary level, and were in a stage where they could use natural treasures and bloom another essence seed."
"That's how the first dual-essence wielders were born."
Adrian absorbed every word, his mind racing through implications. So it wasn't impossible, just brutally difficult.
Kaelith's eyes sharpened. "There were also some true prodigies among them, rare beings who comprehended a second essence in mere centuries, not tens of thousands of years."
Her tone shifted, grew somber.
"But most of them vanished into the frontlines… not just to fight, but because the frontlines are filled with opportunities, anomalies, and things that defy even the galaxy's logic."
Adrian nodded slowly, processing everything.
Suddenly, so many things made sense, the empire's indifference when he revealed his second essence, the lack of chaos after the arena. In their eyes, he wasn't unique. They already knew such things were possible.
Kaelith met his gaze, her expression unreadable. "I can't reveal everything now. You'll understand when you step into the frontlines."
"And Adrian, don't think whatever concept you wield is invincible. For now, it's unidentified, but so were all others once."
"Every concept in the galaxy was once unidentifiable, unknown, until someone spent centuries to understand and catalogue it. There are still many that remain unnamed, discovered by wanderers, soldiers, and madmen who never lived long enough to record them."
Adrian looked down at his palm, the faint echo of his Source pulsing beneath his skin. Others think this is just another unknown concept.
But he knew what his affinity's worth. The origin itself. The foundation beneath all things.
Kaelith continued, "You're young, you have time. When you step into the frontlines, these will become normal. Dual essence wielders, even triple, aren't myths there. They're just part of the chaos."
Adrian tilted his head slightly, absorbing the implications.
"So don't waste your time thinking you're unique just because you can wield multiple concepts."
Adrian exhaled, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I won't."
She nodded. "Good. And one more thing, don't reveal your third essence, life, yet."
"Even on the frontlines, there are veterans who've spent thousands of years to barely reach a third essence. You're still too fresh, too easy a target. Hide it until you're strong enough to defend it."
Varik stood silent beside Adrian, but his mind raced.
"Three essences? No… four, Space, Life, Fire… and that unknown one."
His pulse quickened. What kind of being could his lord become?
Kaelith's voice dropped, almost to a whisper. "I've seen many prodigies who thought their brilliance would protect them. It didn't."
Adrian sat in silence, her words sinking deep into him. He'd already seen it himself, Veythar, a dual-essence Stellar, had nearly killed him.
Power without mastery was just noise.
She turned to the viewport, the blue-green planet glimmering below them.
Even Kaelith felt astonishment ripple through her thoughts at Adrian possessing a third essence. It showed how much potential Adrian truly had.
She could already judge Adrian's character from what she had seen till now. If someone like Adrian grew up, he could bring a major change to the galaxy, not just to the human race.
And that was why she even saved him and spent this much time explaining all this.