In the brutal and unforgiving world of the Radiants, where demons and monstrosities roamed the scarred earth, where conventional logic was often nothing but a fleeting opinion and a weak suggestion in the face of overwhelming chaos, the art of combat was a complex, soul-crushing calculus. On a battlefield, Warriors were forced to perform a terrifying mental ballet. They needed to formulate the most effective attack patterns in a split second, all while defending against devastating blows from enemies far superior to them in strength or numbers. This had to be done while simultaneously trying to protect their allies, conserve their precious and finite Spiritual Energies, plot a path towards tactical advantage points, and coordinate their movements and strikes with their comrades. The cognitive load was immense, a pressure that could shatter the mind before the body even failed.
It were just the few, the exceptionally talented Few, that actually managed to adapt to such a high-stakes environment, to process this flood of information under the duress of mortal peril. And because of that immense, inherent difficulty, millions of brave warriors throughout history had succumbed to the fangs and claws of the Wilderness, their potential extinguished simply because they could not think fast enough while also fighting for their lives. The path of a Radiant was paved with the bones of those who could not multitask on the brink of death.
But so, to circumvent that very hurdle, to offer a fighting chance to the many instead of just the gifted few, a ancient human, a genius who had attained Illumination and become known as Pravda Verum, made a discovery that would change the fate of humanity forever: the "Familiars".
Familiars, she discovered, were natural spirits of the world, ethereal entities born from the flow of spiritual essence itself. They could be found in many places across the world, particularly in sites of great power or resonance, but they existed on a different layer of existence. They could only be seen, perceived, or manipulated by individuals with very specific, rare Aspect abilities that dealt with spirit or energy manipulation. Pravda Verum, fortunately, was one of such individuals, her Aspect granting her the unique sight necessary to witness these fleeting phenomena.
There were numerous kinds of Familiars, she found out over her long research, each with different properties and origins. But the most useful, and the one that would become the most popular Familiar by far, were the pure, white, Spirit Familiars. These she named "The Ken," a simple word from an old tongue meaning "knowledge" or "sight."
Ken were Familiars specifically extracted from Regions in the Wilderness that were overflowing with concentrated Spiritual Essence. In their native, wild forms, Ken are just simple, mindless specs of light, drifting on the currents of energy, that would slowly desintegrate in the air if left alone. They could be caught and consumed directly for a small, immediate burst of energy, a practice some solitary hunters used. But Pravda Verum discovered that if instead of being consumed, one carefully, willingly assimilated the Ken into their very Souls, a amazing and symbiotic reaction would occur!
The Ken, it turns out, had a amazing, innate ability to adapt to their enviroment! And when inserted inside someone's Soul Sea, they took on characteristics of that person's unique soul, and became a species of Sub Soul, a secondary consciousness living inside a person's primary soul! And that was, accidentally, A MASSIVE BOON for any aspiring Radiant! Because with a second soul now sharing the burden, not only was the spenditure of Spiritual Essence greatly decreased—the Ken helping to regulate its flow with incredible efficiency—but the Ken could also actively aid in controlling it! Actually, as a pure spiritual creature, without a physical body of its own, and with direct, unfiltered access to a person's essence, the Ken had complete awareness and encyclopedic knowledge of the person's body! It could aid in controlling it too, like a second, auxiliary mind, optimizing muscle movement, regulating bodily functions, and processing sensory input. And because of their original conection to Spiritual Essence, they had absolute, instinctual knowledge of how to read a person's energy flow, and their natural afinity for manipulating Spiritual Essence! They were the perfect partner, a built-in combat computer and energy manager.
From that moment on, Ken—or just Familiars, as all types became colloquially known—were spread world wide. Every single Sparkling, from the very moment they awakened, would be given and would assimilate a Familiar that would aid and guide their path towards Divinity. Familiars became the most important, the most fundamental tool of Radiants in this world of chaos and constant battle, a necessary advantage in the struggle for survival.
Obviously, after that monumental discovery, Pravda Verum, using her immense power as an Illuminated Monarch, extracted from all the heavily energized regions of the earth billions upon trillions of Ken. She wanted to be ABSOLUTELY SURE humanity never, ever lost access to this great tool of survival. She then distributed them in vast quantities to her Fellow Monarchs, and it became costumary—actually, it became obligatory—that a Sparkling, in the moment of their Awakening, would Receive a Familiar from the Monarch controlling their territory. It was a right, a rite of passage, and a critical strategic resource all rolled into one.
It was a story everybody knew, of course with light variations and embellishments depending on who told it, but Orion was accustomed to talking with Radiants, so he had heard what was considered the most accurate version multiple times.
And to think Orion would finally have one of those for himself! The excitement that had been building since the Monarch's departure now erupted within him. "GYAAAAH! It's finally happening!!" he yelled into his own soul sea, the sound echoing in the luminous expanse. "Stars above! what a charged Morning! I Ignited my spark, met a monarch—a real, terrifying Monarch!—and received a familiar! and this is just the beggining of my adventure! Haha, i think i will die" Orion laughed heartily, the sound pure and unrestrained, a release of immense pent-up emotion. The sheer improbability of it all was dizzying.
He took a steadying breath, focusing on the new presence within him. "Alright then, Pawn," he began, addressing his Familiar directly, the name feeling more natural with each use. "I am in a bit of a pickle, turns out i have no idea what my Sparkling powers actually are or how to even start using them. Could you, I don't know, decypher the... Spiritual Threads or something, in my body, and tell me what they are?" He wasn't sure of the exact terminology, but he trusted Pawn would understand the intent.
"Of course," Pawn's voice responded instantly, its tone that same polite, efficient monotone. "They're as follows;" And then, like with the magic of the old world—which this bascically was—a semi-transparent screen, composed of soft white light and neatly arranged text, materialized before Orion's spiritual eyes. It listed his attributes in a simple, but incredibly direct and clear way, exacly how Orion would have wanted it, devoid of confusing jargon. It was a perfect interface, crafted from his own soul's understanding by the Familiar that now complemented it.
The display read:
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❖ CONDITION
↳ ⚠ Weakened (Newborn Spark)
↳ ⚡ Shocked (Met Monarch; Thirsting Agony)
❖ IMPORTANT
↳ ✘ None
❖ NOTES
↳ ✘ None
❖ RELICS
↳ ♟ Pawn (Familiar; Ken)
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✦ ASPECT ✦
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☯ Draconic Pontency Form
↳ (Imergent | ✖ Unavailable – Weakened)
☯ Half Form
↳ (✔ Available)
☯ Authority of the Skies
↳ (⬇ Reduced – Weakened)
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