Kurt spent weeks within the City Central Library, devouring every scroll and tome he could find on Astra Knowledge. The more he learned, the more he realized the true scope and complexity of the power he was trying to understand. It wasn't just about summoning energy; it was about tapping into something far greater, something ancient and divine.
He discovered the legends of the seven gods, the celestial beings who shaped and governed Eldoria. There was Sol, the God of the Sun, light, and radiant energy, the bringer of day and warmth, the source of life itself. Then there was Terra, the Goddess of the Earth, the soil, and all that grew from it, embodying fertility and stability, the grounding force of the world. Aether was the God of the Sky, the heavens, and the upper air, representing vastness and freedom, the unbound spirit of the world. Mareus was the God of the Sea, oceans, and all waters, commanding the tides and the depths, the ever-changing and powerful flow of the world. Ignis was the God of Fire, heat, and transformation, embodying both creation and destruction, the volatile and passionate heart of the world. Silvanus was the God of the Forests, wilderness, and untamed nature, the guardian of the wild, the protector of the natural world. And finally, there was Luna, the Goddess of the Moon, night, and dreams, governing cycles and intuition, the hidden and mysterious side of the world.
Each god, he learned, was associated with various types of weapons, imbued with their divine essence. Sol might wield swords of pure light, Terra could command staves that channeled the earth's power, Aether might control spears of swirling wind, and so on.
The process of obtaining these weapons was a sacred rite, a crucial step in a noble's training. After years of rigorous study in Astra techniques and knowledge, under the tutelage of a master, a noble could undertake a pilgrimage to a sacred site associated with their chosen god. There, through a combination of ritual, meditation, and a test of their worthiness, they would be granted a divine weapon.
Once the weapon was bestowed, the god would also share a unique enchantment, a set of words and gestures that allowed the noble to summon the weapon at will. This was the true purpose of the enchantments the nobles used, not mere theatrics, but a divine gift.
But even then, the books warned, humans could only wield a fraction of a god's weapon's true power. The raw energy was too immense, too volatile for mortal bodies to contain. To attempt to unleash its full potential would be to invite destruction, both to the user and their surroundings. These divine weapons were primarily tools of war, wielded by the nobility to defend their lands and assert their dominance. The side with the most skilled Astra weapon users held a significant advantage in any conflict.
Kurt read these accounts with a growing sense of wonder and confusion. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall into place, but one crucial question remained: how had he summoned a divine weapon? He had no noble blood, no formal training, no divine blessing. He had simply… willed it into existence.
The implications of this were staggering. Was he somehow connected to the gods? Did he possess a power that even the nobles didn't understand? Or was there another explanation, a secret he had yet to uncover?
His quest for Astra Knowledge had just taken a far more complex and dangerous turn. He was no longer just seeking to understand a technique; he was delving into the very nature of divinity and his own mysterious origins.