Divine Apostasy Book 12 - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

“Almost done,” Pine said, ending the uncomfortable silence. He interlocked all his fingers except the pinkies, which pointed upward. He rested his hands on the top of his head and hummed a high, airy "B," for a few seconds before focusing back on Ruwen. “Let the vibration ripple through your skull. Violet light illuminates the chakra, not to provide enlightenment but to sharpen the mind like a blade honed for thought. The Crown is linked to the brain’s vast web of ideas and the spark of understanding. To Awaken these pathways, you must clean away your muddled thinking and stubborn biases, releasing them with steady breaths. Only then can logic and clarity elevate your thoughts.”

Ruwen had already Activated this chakra while dealing with the sudden revelation of Outerverse factions and quests. It had felt like his brain broke. He decided to confide this to Pine.

“I Activated my Crown chakra a few months ago,” Ruwen said. “It happened after a massive revelation during a stressful fight for my life and the life of my friends.” He left out this took place in space as he fought the Realm Zipper that threatened to unravel the Creation and Destruction Realms from the Material Realm.

“I haven’t described any of the traumatic ways a chakra can Activate or Awaken,” Pine replied. “Those methods can leave a chakra Activated but severely damaged and unusable. It’s like cracking an egg with a sledgehammer. It works, but the risks don’t justify the method.”

“It seems fine, although I need to find a way to quantify all this.”

“That is good to hear. Activating the Crown is difficult for most. Only the Divine chakra is harder.”

Ruwen sighed. “I say this all the time, but it’s true.” He unlinked his hands and tapped his temple. “I have a lot going on up here. If you have any specific ideas to help me Awaken my Crown I would appreciate it.”

Pine considered the question for a few seconds. “Try breathing deeply for five seconds. Don’t focus on the air filling your lungs. Instead visualize the inhalation as pulling violet light from the heavens, through your mind, and into your lungs. The light destroys useless thoughts, harmful ideas, and toxic habits. The light continues, carrying the remains of the cleansing to your lungs. Breathe out for five seconds, expelling these poisons from your body.”

Ruwen raised an eyebrow. “That sounds like a powerful visualization technique.”

“It is, but the trick is recognizing what is useless, harmful, or toxic. Without that clarity nothing happens.”

“Yes, I’m not sure how to do that myself.”

“Since you’re such a thinker let me offer a related technique. One of my ancestors managed to Awaken his Crown chakra and develop it significantly. He claimed the Crown chakra was the culmination of all the other chakras and could emulate any of the others to some extent. Everyone has a chakra that they resonate more strongly with, and inevitably they come to view that chakra as the most important. Normally I’d dismiss this do-everything-Crown-chakra idea because of that, but it so happens he proved his theory to some extent. In a contest with another tribe member who had a powerful Third Eye he managed to mimic the results of this Third Eye using only the Crown chakra.”

Ruwen leaned forward, curious about this ancient contest.

Pine didn’t make Ruwen wait. “How did he do it? He used his Crown chakra to group and recognize patterns. Nowadays with bid data, ai, and powerful computers this wouldn’t surprise anyone, but back then, they had no context for such abilities.”

Ruwen didn’t know what big data, ai, or computers meant but this sounded very similar to his Cleverness attribute.

“Here is his technique. He visualized pulling a violet thread from the heavens, and then wrapped his thoughts with this thread, outlining them. He found many things in his mind grouped together. Useless things like anxiety induced thoughts clustered with related thoughts like guilt and fear. Even more important, these clusters created patterns that when viewed from a distance repeated. His genius came from thinking about what these patterns represented, and then studying how those results grouped themselves. He repeated this until a pattern he recognized emerged. His process only required two things. Input, data, or knowledge whatever you want to call it, and time to think so he could find the patterns.”

Ruwen wondered if this was what Cleverness was doing in his subconscious. Could he speed up the process of discovery by inserting himself into that process earlier?

Ruwen bowed. “Thank you, Master Pine. This technique resonates with me.”

Pine smiled. “I figured. You feel like a deep thinker to me. Perhaps that’s just because I sense your Activated Crown, but regardless, I hope it helps. Let’s talk about the last chakra.”

“Divine.”

“Yes. The Divine chakra exists over the head, beyond the flesh of the body. Accessing it requires finding the spiritual connection that links you to the chakra. It also requires an alignment of the lower seven which is itself an almost impossible task. This chakra is only known to our tribe. The practitioners in the far east have mistakenly gutted the Crown chakra of its mental focus and shoved divine enlightenment there as a replacement.”

Pine held his hands apart, thumbs and index fingers forming an open triangle above his head. “Details are sparse, but it’s believed the Divine chakra is white. In keeping with the idea of a circular system the note ‘C’ is used again to resonate with the chakra but at an octave higher than the Root chakra’s ‘C.’ Activating your Divine chakra requires communication with the cosmos. That is, opening yourself to a vastness far beyond one’s individual existence. To Awaken the Divine chakra is to relinquish the illusion of separation. You recognize your oneness with all beings, all worlds, all realms, and those forces beyond. This does not strip you of individuality; rather, it expands your sense of self to include every atom in creation. You stand as a vessel channeling universal energy.”

Ruwen had twice experienced the enormity of the Universe. First, after the System had flung him across the cosmos, he’d experienced a six-month return trip inside an Elder Star Tortoise, Shelly, as she navigated the wyrm holes that bridged vast distances.

The second time had occurred when Ruwen had used the sixth gate rune to escape an infernal prison Lalquinrial had placed Ruwen in. It had caused him to smear across all existence. He’d spent what felt like eons in the fraction of a second it had occurred. Pine had used dramatic language with his reference to connecting to every atom in creation, but Ruwen had actually done that, and it had nearly killed him.

“Is the Divine chakra the pinnacle?” Ruwen asked.

Pine’s expression softened. “Not everyone thinks so. Some see it as another step in an endless journey. But it’s an important milestone—one that can bring profound wisdom and power, as well as a tremendous sense of responsibility. Just imagine if you stood at that threshold and felt the suffering of a million souls. Could you bear it? Could you wield that cosmic energy without letting it consume you? That’s why we begin at the Root and climb upward, chakra by chakra. The path protects us from our own ambitions.”

“A magic system based on self-discovery and enlightenment,” Ruwen said quietly.

Pine got to his feet. “Yes. It can take a lifetime, or many, depending on your beliefs. Some never see the end. Others forgo one chakra or lose interest in the process altogether. But as long as you remain honest about your intentions and your progress, the practice will reward you.”

Ruwen stood as well. The sunlight had turned harsh, and the humidity caused his clothes to stick to his skin. “I understand better why the Bamboo Viper Steps are part of all this. It’s not just because it helps the Root chakra. It’s because the Steps require physical and mental discipline and chakra development requires spiritual discipline. Having one makes the other easier or at least more natural.”

“An excellent observation,” Pine said. “Normally I’d recommend you start by practicing your meditation. That isn’t necessary for you. Instead, focus on stabilizing the Activated energy in your Root chakra. If it feels stable tomorrow, try and Activate your Sacral.”

Ruwen bowed. “Thank you,” he said. “For your wisdom.”

Pine’s shoulders relaxed at Ruwen’s words. He turned his head slightly, enough that Ruwen saw a hint of a smile. “I teach you because someone once taught me. That’s the way of things. When the time comes, you will share this knowledge with another—if you prove worthy of it.” He paused, as if searching for the right words. “Remember: the chakras are not just about power. They’re a pathway to understanding. Use them not just to shape the world, but to become whole yourself.”

A light breeze filled the clearing, stirring the nearby leaves as Pine walked away, leaving Ruwen alone.

Ruwen would advance—step by step, breath by breath, chakra by chakra—until he could go no further.