"Master yourself. Love yourself and be awake—today, tomorrow, always. First establish yourself in the way. Then teach others. And so defeat sorrow. To straighten the crooked you must first do a harder thing—straighten yourself. You are your only master. Who else? Subdue yourself, and discover your master."
Buddha
(The Dhammapada, First Century CE)
There is a quiet calmness. Ancient scrolls and large books of various Knowledge, documenting all the planets in the Universe, the countless galaxies, Realms, and dimensions, neatly align the shelves of entire bookcases carved into the walls, reaching the starlight ceiling. The literature spans all conceivable topics, from the natural sciences, social science, philosophy, astronomy, history, children's tales, mythology, and folklore, and includes a mix of journals and works on countless species, planets, and terrains that The Mentor and The One Between have collected over time.
Archaeological artifacts from worlds visited decorate the room and along the walls. The carved shelves continue to wrap around the walls, holding still more Knowledge. There is a garden on the other side of a large glass window. Sunlight shines through, revealing two large desks. The desk on the right is made of African blackwood, adorned with intricate carvings of the valknut. The symbol of the warrior's knot is displayed on the smooth surface of the large desk. The jet-black desk, time-worn from its use in studying, is organized with books and scrolls neatly placed on the sides. Writing utensils bundled on the top left sit next to blank scrolls and pages in the desk shelf. A journal with a worn black cloth to mark its place lies on the shelf on the right. On the sides of the desk are wolves' snarling heads symbolizing bravery and teamwork, the wrath of nature, a power to be feared.
The desk to the left is made of lignum vitae wood with varying dark and light brown hues. The desk to the left is made of varying dark and light brown lignum vitae wood. On it are books, scrolls, and papers with messy handwriting, sprawled out across the surface. Or in The Mentor's words, an 'organized chaos'. The papers cover a colorful symbol, the Tree of Life. The roots spread downwards, depicting a silver tree with branches devoid of life. In reverse is a golden tree with branches filled with life and nature. A pomegranate hanging solely on a golden branch waits to be picked and eaten. A crimson-red snake with a gold spot upon its head wraps around the trunk. An auspicious symbol of the Buddhist swastika is carved along the edges of the surface as the intricate knots spread down towards the legs of the desk. It reminds one to be well, to be good in one's higher Being, for all is well eternally. On the sides of the desk are depicted the endless, eternal knot, carefully carved and painted in silver and gold. Writing materials are placed here and there with ink drops on pages containing detailed color drawings referencing Earth and a long list of its inhabitants from fieldwork and observations. In the center of the large square room is furniture for seating and a few tables with lamps placed by the deep blue and green stardust in the shape of chairs that feel like clouds when sitting in them. There is a large table stacked with books and a drafting table near it. A bronze spiral staircase extends to many levels within the room, filled with yet more shelves of books built into the wall in a circle, holding countless records of Knowledge that would take as many lifetimes to study. A large scroll depicting a single brush stroke of a large and perfect circle in solid black ink. The ensō painted on pure white xuan paper surrounds the deep black shape in the center. The universal binaries of dark and light. Yin and Yang. The simplicity of the circle is peaceful and calming, representing the revelation of a world of the spirit without beginning or end. A symbol of life and wellbeing, strength and elegance. A circle of our interconnectedness. The ensō reminds us of the Absolute Enlightenment, The Universe, and The Void that we are all intricately connected to in our existence.
Tall wooden doors swing open in a loud bang, hitting the olive-green walls on either side. Books along the walls shake, some falling to the floor. The peaceful ambiance is interrupted by a furious Being of Light storming into the study. His emotions emanate from his body with his intense energy, swirling with the colors of the varying calm shades of blue, yellow, and green starlight of a nebula. The sparkling stardust quickly shifts into flashes of lightning as the particles of stardust turn into a flickering of crimson-red, orange, and yellow-gold against the bright white of his bodysuit. His flaming Light blazes with his emotions within his exposed chest. His irises, glowing a deep gold hue. His eyes still shine with anger after witnessing his Brother and The One Between's unspeakable Pact. The One Between hasn't seen The Mentor behave like this since he was known by a different Name. He is reserved, calm, and patient, and always in control of his emotions. One would think he is devoid of feelings. Now, though, his contempt and emotions are eminently visible. He is normally quiet and only speaks when he deems it necessary. Yet his anger is seen, and he can no longer keep silent.
"I can't believe you did this! Making a Pact with him!" The Mentor yells at his Pupil.
His back faces The One Between. They calmly enter the shared study and silently watch Their Mentor try to control his anger.
"You should have talked to me before making this stupid and rash decision!" He turns with his hand to grab at his chest as if to keep his Light under control. His Pupil stands a few steps from the entryway.
"You don't need him to learn of 'The Forbidden Knowledge of Chaos!' You could have asked me, and I would have taught you all of it!" The Mentor glares at his Pupil, meeting Their gaze and realizing the unease found there.
He can feel Their concern and anxiety. Their shimmering pink and silver-blue starlit eyes betray Their fear. The Mentor is taken aback by his Pupil's anxious reaction. They are normally fearless. Acknowledging The One Between's discomfort, he begins to reign in his emotions and return to his normal, calm self. The Mentor feels ashamed for making his Partner feel this way.
Calmly, The One Between slowly glides towards Their Mentor. "You know that is forbidden. You are not allowed to share that Knowledge with anyone."
The Mentor flinches from the reminder of The Law and looks away. His Painful memories disperse when his Partner takes his hand in Theirs. He returns his gaze at The One Between as They warmly squeeze his hand to comfort him with Their energy. The One Between feels his emotions. They feel his Pain. The Mentor understands sacrificing one's Soul to attain The Forbidden Knowledge of Chaos. A Knowledge that brings destruction and Death.
"You must end this." The Mentor hopes The One Between will change Their mind with its binding contract to their Brother. "Sever your Pact with The Lord of No Light."
The One Between feels its Partner's wave of emotions, startled at how very open he is in his behavior. The energy of his emotions envelops Them. His reserved Nature is who he is, yet he shows his vulnerability so freely.
"...No," came the calm reply.
"Sever The Pact."
"No." The Mentor inhales a deep breath to control his anger. A cloud of scarlet spirals in his glowing eyes.
"And what is it that you're scared of?" The One Between sighs, knowing Their Fears will be used against Them and must be confronted.
There is a short pause. The Mentor feels the emotions from his Partner before They speak, disturbingly calm. "...Yes, I am scared."
Their honesty tugs at The Mentor's Light. The One Between feels safe in telling The Mentor its Fears as it has always confided in and found mutual support since both of them became Friends and later Partners, eons ago.
They look directly into Their Mentor's eyes. "...I'm scared of losing who I am and becoming something I'm not." The Mentor understands this Fear and sympathizes.
"I'm scared that I will become cruel and violent. Scared that I will become a monster... I don't want to lose who I am."
His shimmering red eyes shift to their normal sparkling gold. He understands that They don't want to lose Their identity and become a Being of No Light, and forget who They are when in The Vessel as a Human. Their brows furrow as it looks away.
"...I'm also scared of failing you, The Council, and everyone." Upon hearing his Lover's exposition, The Mentor's eyes sadden, and his flame of Light aches in his chest.
Despite The Pact that was made, The Mentor believes in Them to fight Their Fears. "Don't Doubt yourself," The Mentor interjects. "You will not fail. Believe in yourself. You're not alone. I will always be by your side."
He pulls his Partner in for a tight embrace and radiates his energy of Love to comfort The One Between in kind.
"...You, becoming a monster?" He chuckles and pulls back to gaze at his Lover. "That is not in your Nature." A slight smile forms at the corner of The Mentor's lips. "You won't forget who you are because I will make certain you remember. Even if it means I have to beat it into you." Looking away sheepishly, The One Between chuckles at the thought.
The Mentor has never raised a hand at Them since he regained his Light. His flaming Light shudders when he thinks about The Pact's barring him from helping The One Between. The thought of Them crossing into the Darkness makes him feel like he will in his mind. He must get Them to end this Pact before it begins. The Mentor wants to stay on this issue, but The One Between speaks before he can say another word.
"I know you understand why I'm doing this. This will aid in my Final Judgement, to finally end this eternity of mutual recrimination and armistice, so that we might end the war and The War with our Brother. This is my decision. Not yours. There's no point in arguing about this with you." The One Between walks away towards Their desk.
He grabs The One Between's wrist. "I'm not done yet!"
The One Between stops to look at him and quickly removes Their arm away from its Mentor's grasp, frustrated and not hiding Their annoyance.
The Mentor is furious again. "You need to understand what you got yourself into and be ready to deal with your mistake! Have you forgotten what I've shared with you about The Realm of No Light and our Brother?!"
"I didn't forget! I remember you shared some things about your experiences and the trauma. I know that you don't talk about it, and that is fine. But see this as an opportunity for me to fully understand your experiences. It will bond us to be more Connected to each other."
"I don't want you to understand my past this way. ...You don't know him like I do. I don't see this as an opportunity. It's reckless! I never want you to experience what I have! I wouldn't wish it upon anyone!"
"...Even our Brother?"
The Mentor stares at Them in silence, his golden eyes glowing. The intensity makes his Pupil uncomfortable. The Mentor struggles with the hypocrisy of not wanting his companion to experience suffering while their Brother is a prisoner to it. The Mentor's silence was enough for The One Between to understand that the relationship between him and The Brother is... complicated.
"There is no Universe where He is benevolent in Nature. Our Brother is the embodiment of Chaos. He is selfish and manipulative. He takes pleasure in others' suffering and enjoys it even more when he inflicts it."
The One Between frustratedly listens in silence. "He is vicious. Our Brother would rather seek the destruction of the Universe and all of Creation than to let go of his Power. He cares for nothing but himself and only seeks Knowledge and Power to control and bring Chaos. There is no saving him. You'll learn this soon enough when he Possesses you!" he warns yet again as he angrily walks away from his Pupil.
The Mentor pauses at his desk to look out the large windows as The One Between stands not far from him. The light shines through as it illuminates the quarreling couple and the room with fractal colors, shrouding them in rainbow rays of light. Their bodies shimmer from the kiss of the vibrant colors.
"...You're a fool to believe otherwise," he says under his breath.
"I've helped save you from yourself in that pit of despair..." The One Between gently retorts.
"Why can I not do the same for our Brother? I want to understand him and his Pain. I want to help him see that he does not have to hide from the Light, his Light." The One Between is clearly unwilling to listen to reason and is still determined to fulfill Their mission.
The Mentor turns to face his Student. "That's different! I made the choice to change. He will not," he argues. "You're wasting your time. Trying to save him is futile when he does not want to be saved. He's irredeemably stubborn. He will always be cruel and monstrous. He is dangerous, and you, of all people, know this. Yet you smile at him and stupidly consented to him Raping you! The Knowledge you seek is not worth it!"
He pauses to directly meet The One Between's gaze. This time, The Mentor projects his full bitterness towards his Pupil so that They might finally understand. "You continue to be friendly towards him in this hopeless dalliance, and it hurts me to see your doomed attempts to reason with him when he cannot be reasoned with."
The desperation in his voice suddenly breaks through as he tries to convince his stubborn Partner, who clings to the Hope of trying to fix everything, including Their wayward Brother. Their passion for bringing about peace—acting as a diplomat for all—is a bitter pill to swallow. He knows that They are so committed to finding solutions that They will go as far as to allow The Brother and the other Beings of No Light and entities to Possess Them, to give up Their autonomy, and then have to fight with every iota of strength to retain Their Nature. For The Brother is Powerful.
"Do you not see what kind of sacrifices you must make to be in his Realm!? I'm not talking about the sacrifices you make here. This is different! When in The Realm of No Light, you cannot be who you are now. You must be vicious. There's no other way except to be cruel and destructive," The Mentor explains, irritation evident in his voice. "Worse is that this Realm will change you! All that Knowledge, and the Pain that follows will bring rage! Rage you have never felt!"
The Mentor knows intimately the Chaos that is The Realm of No Light. All the atrocious acts he has committed and experienced, knowing full well what The One Between will have to commit in Their ignorance.
He continues. "It is the only language they understand. Do not show weakness. Do not hesitate or show Doubt, especially Fear! It's all about Power... And Chaos. They will use this against you without mercy."
He hopes that what he says will finally get through to The One Between. "Because it's what the Beings of No Light do... they are Chaos. It is in their Nature to hurt others. It's who they are."
The One Between doesn't react but absorbs every word. They can feel what The Mentor means. His heavy words pierce like daggers into The One Between's chest. His emotional energy leaves Them feeling sympathy for him. It feels like Their Light is Being crushed by the heavy burden of his Knowledge. The Mentor looks at his Pupil pleadingly, not understanding the calm he finds in Their gaze.
"You must let go of your issues with fighting. Because the only way to survive that Realm is violence and Rape! You will be forced to do things that you hate! You can get lost in the despair!"
The One Between contemplates these warnings. His booming voice, roiling with emotions and energy, rushes towards Them. Despite acknowledging the meaning and gravity behind his words, They are driven by curiosity and the strong desire to access all Knowledge, especially the Knowledge They can come into possession of in The Realm of No Light. The One Between has every Intention of using it responsibly for the common good by aiding the war effort. The Forbidden Knowledge of Chaos, now finally within Their grasp, supersedes The Mentor's emotional argument. And the only way to access it is through Their Brother, whom They are willing to allow to Possess and Rape Them. To seek and attain this Knowledge will always take priority. They choose to sacrifice Their bodily autonomy to find answers to the Nature of The Brother and the Beings of No Light—and to understand the Nature of Humans and the atrocities that would eventually lead them to their extinction.
"I would not have done this if I didn't think it would help us. The Forbidden Knowledge of Chaos can help me understand it all. Like you, it will give me more insight into both wars to serve my Final Judgement. You know I hate having my time wasted when I believe it will not serve my mission and what needs to be done."
The Mentor appreciates the logic evinced in The One Between's plan, but cannot bring himself to go along with it. He can feel his anger rising again in the face of The One Between's stubbornness. He suppresses his emotions from becoming even more evident.
"There is Knowledge that is better to not know and to be left alone. Sometimes it's better to be ignorant of things... Knowledge is Pain. The Forbidden Knowledge of Chaos will eventually kill your Light. Do you not understand? It will kill it. It's not worth your sacrifice!"
They are seemingly and somehow still oblivious to the true meaning of what They will have to undertake and the urgency of what They must prepare for. The wasteland of Darkness and Pain will destroy anyone who enters it.
The One Between gently responds. "I know what I'm doing. You don't have to worry about me. I know how to deal with our Brother."
"Do you!?" The Mentor sharply retorts. "You need to prepare for what is to come and be ready to fight all of them," he warns, telepathically imprinting the tortured emotions of dread about the ferocious and merciless Nature of the Beings of No Light and the entities they can create and control.
His desire to convey his point in its purest form remains unabated. Is there some manner of wording or communication that could finally get The One Between to divert from the mad path They have set upon? To open up to his Fears in a way that can viscerally justify and illustrate his reasoning in Their eyes? The cost of failure is too unbearable to carry. If only he could share this Knowledge he's not allowed to speak. The Forbidden Knowledge lingers at his lips. He dejectedly gazes at his Pupil, who stands there unfazed by his arguments. His private thoughts rush to every scenario of what can go wrong for his Partner in The Realm of No Light. The agonizing thought of what They can become. The Mentor shakes these dark ideas, these bitter Doubts and Fears, from his mind. He clings to the Hope that The One Between will not allow the Darkness to corrupt Them. Even though he must watch The One Between—his only beloved—suffer, he won't allow The Realm of No Light and their Brother to destroy Them. Even if he has to sacrifice himself to the Chaos and Death and become the Light for the One Between if that would prevent his companion from becoming Chaos itself.
The One Between's Fear takes hold. "...Are you going to leave me for going through with this? For making The Pact with our Brother?"
Fearing abandonment from the one They Love most. Scared that The Mentor hates Them for making The Pact with The Lord of No Light. Hearing this makes The Mentor's flaming Light jump in his chest, surprised that They would ever think this and question his Love for Them.
"Never! I would never leave you. I will always be with you. You will always be with me." He lifts The One Between's chin to look up at him. Their eyes meet his beautiful gaze.
"We are One. My Love for you is beyond infinite." In Their shared Connection, The Mentor speaks and shares his feelings toward Them, how he Loves every particle and atom of Their Being.
A smile forms. The One Between leans into the gentle hand of its Lover when he caresses Their cheek. The Mentor radiates his energy of calmness. His unconditional Love encompasses them both and reassures his Lover that what he says is Truth and to never Doubt his Love for Them. To be far from his Lover makes him feel crazy with passion. The One Between wraps Their arms around his neck and hugs The Mentor tightly. They both bathe in the warm, Loving embrace of pure energy they share.
"I Love you as big as the Universe, which is always expanding," The One Between whispers into the nape of his neck, radiating with Their thoughts.
Hearing those words makes The Mentor smile. He slowly pulls away to look at his beloved Partner. The intense Love flows and seeps into the flaming Light of The Mentor's chest to calm the storm still churning there. The anger in his eyes begins to fade. They raise its hand to Their Mentor's face to pull him in. The One Between's forehead rests upon his for a moment. The Love for The Mentor is pure. The Mentor takes a deep sigh, feeling the welcoming energy of unconditional Love emanating from his Partner. The One Between smiles, feeling Their Mentor's anger dissipate and return fully to his usual calm. The presence of his Partner eternally brings The Mentor peace and comfort. Their lips touch his in a gentle kiss. A small spark of energy flashes between their mouths as their lips part to take in each other's energy. The Mentor clings to the euphoric high from The One Between's gentle embrace. His body glows with Them, the energy makes their bodies tingle. A smile still on Their face. They slowly pull away to look at The Mentor. He can feel his Partner's Love and desire rise within Them. He absorbs Their abundant positive and healing energy. They both intimately take pleasure in their Connection. He holds Them ever so tightly. He drowns in the bosom of Their mutual Love. Abruptly, he stops himself from giving in to his desires, realizing that he can't get distracted from his duty to his Pupil, who must still be trained to survive the Lightless Realm and to face the horrifying brunt of what's to come.
The One Between speaks first to convince its Mentor and remind him of who They are. "My Nature is to see the Universe in all its mysteries. I am to see both sides and stand where they stand. No matter if it's against my Nature, I must walk all paths, and this includes The Realm of No Light. It's my time to do this. This Pact will Test who I am. It is bound to happen whether you like it or not."
The Mentor looks at The One Between, caught off guard by Their words. They are right. The Mentor understands the daunting challenges that await The One Between and about which he can do little other than to offer his support and prepare Them the best way he can. This is The Final Judgement The One Between must suffer through. This does not lessen The Mentor's anguish that it is being done through The Pact. But he knows They are right about its Nature. And he cannot prevent Them from doing it. To live through all living things. The One Between does this naturally. They see through someone's soul from its stare. It can experience and understand all life forms through one touch and feel another's energy through their emotions, body, and spirit. Its empathy is boundless.
The One Between turns away from The Mentor in a huff, "I don't want to argue about this with you anymore. It's done."
The Pupil is tired of quarreling and wants to return to its studies. It glides towards Their desk and picks up a book. The Mentor acknowledges its words. The Pupil must begin to learn how to act like a Being of No Light, but this cannot be done properly unless experiencing it oneself. By pushing The One Between to the edge, They will hopefully come to a clear understanding of what it is truly like in The Realm of No Light and how to defend Themselves in it. Hopefully, this can be done without severely traumatizing Them. He will train Them to fight like their Brethren. He rationalizes his beliefs based on what he knows The One Between to be. He knows They can do anything if They have true self-confidence by embracing Their Power, but as of now, this Power is mired in naivety. The One Between needs confidence of a different kind, one forged in hardship and suffering. To have a chance against the Lightless Beings and their entities, he must properly adjust The One Between's expectations when They cross The Line.
The Mentor narrows his eyes, his demeanor cold for what he plans to do next. He recites one of the rules the Beings of No Light uphold. "First lesson. Always win the fight no matter what it takes."
A flash of yellow, blue, and green light mixed with white energy catches the attention of The Pupil, who turns to see what Their Mentor is doing. Static from The Mentor's hands spreads out like lightning down the handles and through the blades of the shortspear he has materialized from his body. With a feeling of dread and surprise, The Pupil slowly moves away from Their desk into the open space of the study. They can sense The Mentor's Intention. The Mentor rushes forward and instantly appears in front of his unsuspecting Pupil. He attempts to pierce through his Student's body, but The One Between is now alert to his attack. Eyes wide, They can feel the intensity and Power of its Mentor's presence, unhesitatingly dodging the assault. The tip of the energy spear misses and hits the wall instead. The wall cracks and crumbles, some shelves breaking into pieces with remnants and books falling onto the wooden floor. The large scroll of the ensō shakes and topples beside The Mentor. But the damage on the wall is minimal compared to what The Mentor is capable of unleashing. Still in a state of shock, The One Between realizes belatedly that this is for Their sake.
In a low and intimidating tone, The Mentor issues a chilling warning. "Since you will not listen to reason, I suspect you will have to learn the hard way."
The Mentor glares at his Pupil. He lifts his body upright from his attack position. He pulls out his shortspear from the wall, staring menacingly at The One Between.
Panicking, The One Between pleads. "W-what are you doing?!" They quickly glide backwards towards the open doors of Their study while keeping its attention on Their Mentor.
He moves a step forward and raises his energy spear. "Teaching you a lesson." He aims for his Pupil's flaming Light.
As soon as the spear parts from his hand, The One Between again sidesteps and glides farther away to put distance between Themself and The Mentor. The One Between exits the study, worried in making a mess of it with this ridiculous and sudden sparring match.
"Stop! I don't want to fight you!" They plead, continuing to move backwards while anticipating the next attack.
The Mentor glides forward towards Them. Eyes still fixed on his Pupil. He exits the study into the wide hallway of shimmering white granite stone pillars holding up the elaborate arcade made of the same stone. The intricate carvings of geometric shapes are lined in perfect symmetry. The shapes can be seen through the colorful clouds of stardust. The clouds are in an endless night sky, seemingly close enough to reach up and touch the shining nebulae. The light from the stars shines on The Mentor's tall, broad body as he emerges from the study. The brilliant hues of purple, blue, copper-red, and yellow starlight washed and scintillated all over him and The One Between. The Mentor is disturbingly calm. A sword materializes from Their energy and extends from its hand into a saingeom sword. The Mentor lifts his hands, and from the elements of the nebula stardust surrounding them both, glowing shin-kal knives materialize in rapid succession. He throws the knives at his Pupil, but They swiftly deflect the attack. Incandescent bursts of swirling gold and white energy crackle with every impact between the 'god knives' and The One Between's blade. He throws several of the glowing shin-kal knives at his Pupil, but They swiftly deflect the attack. Incandescent bursts of swirling gold and white energy crackle with every impact between the 'god knives' and The One Between's blade.
"Stop avoiding me and fight!" The Mentor yells, his shortspear reappearing in his hand.
The One Between hates fighting and confrontations under any circumstances. But to go up against its Mentor in a real fight is a different matter entirely. He is scary when he's angry, and terrifying in a duel. The Pupil is especially conscious of The Mentor's skills with a variety of weapons. And he's holding back, barely using an ounce of his strength and acumen. They decide the best way to avoid this is to vanish from the abode. They escape the so-called "lesson" and teleport to The Astral Realm.
~~~~~
The One Between descends from the sky in the form of a middle-aged Human male. He lands on the ground in a large forest, taking cover in the trees. Grey seungbok robes cover His body of average build. He is dressed similarly to a monk. His sweat runs down his olive skin. He focuses his almond-shaped eyes around him until He senses The Mentor. He continues to have His Shield up to conceal Himself, but to little avail, for The Mentor has followed in hot pursuit and is seconds from finding his Pupil. The One Between knows that He cannot continue to retreat and feels his unique energy-print nearing. He emerges from the thicket to prepare Himself for His Mentor. The breeze cools The One Between's sweat on His head with short black hair in a tonsure style normally seen in Buddhist monks. The Mentor can sense his Pupil even while teleporting and materializes in front of The One Between from above in the form of a Human male with short, wild black hair. Brown human skin appears to quickly grow on his youthful body, covering his starlight as he promptly descends toward his Pupil. Grey-blue eyes meet the intense gaze of copper-hazel eyes. Adorning The Mentor's body are pitch black shibuya pants and a tight-fitting shirt in the same color.
As The Mentor descends from the sky and rushes towards his quarry in free fall, he raises his glowing javelin and aims for the Light hidden in his Pupil's Human chest. The One Between anxiously recognizes the familiar weapon. It comes down like a lightning strike, but The Pupil dodges it and ascends to meet His opponent. The One Between pivots mid-flight while lifting His glowing sword as the Powerful energy from The Mentor's attack hits the ground with a small blast. The Pupil goes on the offensive. He half-heartedly makes a slash aimed at The Mentor's side, afraid of harming him. The Mentor avoids this disappointing aerial attack and quickly turns with a roundhouse kick to his Pupil's head. The Pupil raises His arms and successfully blocks the rebuke, but the force of the kick throws Him across the forest. The One Between hits large branches and trunks of various pine and redwood trees and lands hard onto the ground, His back dragging across the damp soil. Colorful birds flee the commotion. The One Between did not feel the pain of His Mentor's attacks nor the sting of the trees and branches on impact, but He could feel the Power of the blows emanating from The Mentor. The One Between can hear the exotic birds singing in the distance. He worries about the outcome of this spar, knowing how strong The Mentor is and his unmatched experience and pedigree in battle during his time as a Being of No Light. He descends and gently lands on the surface of the ground, facing his Pupil, looking down at Him.
Already tiring, The One Between raises His hand in distress and tries to yield before matters get worse. "Please... I don't want to fight you!"
He sees The Mentor prepare for another strike. The One Between didn't expect a lesson by ordeal, let alone for it to get this far. His Doubts hold Him back. He believes The Mentor far exceeds His own capabilities. Once again, The Mentor silently ignores the pleas. He materializes another weapon in his hand and raises his sword. The disappointment in his eyes is evident as he watches his Pupil's pathetic default to restrain Himself and barely put up a fight. He swiftly brings his energy sword downward towards his Pupil's Light. The One Between continues at a self-imposed disadvantage but manages to quickly float away from under His Teacher, escaping the attack and flying away into the bright blue sky.
The Mentor is angry. He knows The One Between's abilities in combat, if only He would relinquish His pacifism. He feels insulted by The Pupil's hesitation and refusal to use His Power to fight him. Frustration leads The Mentor to force The One Between to fight the way he wants Him to. Brutally and without hesitation. Free from Doubt and Fear when facing off against a Lightless Being. He decides to challenge his Student further by giving Him a small taste of the true depth of fighting skills that befit one who lived and survived in The Realm of No Light. With astounding speed, he rushes towards The Pupil to land the next attack. The One Between raises His weapon at the ready. Instead of fighting Him head-on where his Pupil would expect, The Mentor disappears. The Pupil's energy gok-do and slashes at nothing but the swirling clouds left in His attacker's wake. The One Between stays alert and waits for him to reappear. Silence. The wind blows, cooling His Human skin. The Pupil feels a presence. The Mentor suddenly thrusts his weapon forward from behind, but The One Between bends to avoid the jab and quickly turns to bring His long sword up to counterattack. The Mentor blocks with his Shield that conforms to his body and uses his Power to grab hold of The One Between. He telekinetically pulls his Pupil to him. Surprised by his ability, The Pupil tries to defend by using His Shield, but The Mentor's fist punches through it and meets His chest where the Light burns within. The One Between feels a sharp Pain where The Mentor strikes Him. The Pupil falls through the trees and hits the ground. A burst of dead leaves, soil, and tree branches falls around Him. Grabbing His chest, He can still feel the sting, now accompanied by a heaviness, which makes it difficult to move and breathe. The Pupil rises from the ground only for The Mentor to grab His arm and throat and begin to absorb His energy. The One Between brings up His Shield and abruptly stops The Mentor from draining more of His energy, impressing The Mentor. He delivers a jarring headbutt to his Pupil. Stumbling, He tries to regain His senses and Instinctively focuses on The Mentor's next attack. The One Between can sense a fist moving quickly towards Him, blocking it with His hand and grabbing it to move it away. His other hand forms a fist and lands a punch below The Mentor's jaw. This earns a grin from The Mentor. Not one to rest on his laurels, he continues his attack, kicking his Pupil in the abdomen with crushing force and sending Him reeling backwards again. The One Between's feet meet the cool ground of the forest as He digs them into the decaying undergrowth to slow and steady Himself. He glares at His Mentor angrily, His eyes shining a bright golden white. The Mentor and The Pupil fight with an efficient dance-like movement with every hand-to-hand attack. He watches The Mentor rise high into the air, high above the forest. The Mentor can feel the frustration from his Pupil. The One Between focuses on His target and flies towards The Mentor with a burst of speed. He welcomes it, happy with his Pupil's change of heart. Anticipating the offensive, he creates a longbow out of energy and, without pause, fires off several arrows. The One Between quickly deflects most of them, with a few breaking through His Shield and landing a hit on His shoulder and arm. He does not feel the pain from the hit in His anger. The clouds overshadow the bodies in the air.
Flying through the clouds, The One Between raises His saingeom, eyes glowing with determination. He continues to rush towards The Mentor. The Mentor ascends higher into the sky, but his Pupil is not far behind. He assumes a hasty fighting position that puts The Pupil at a disadvantage and materializes and hurls a javelin. The Pupil avoids the missile again and raises His sword to target His Mentor's chest. He rapidly creates energy-shape spears and throws several of them at his Student, who easily dodges and deflects with His weapon as they fall about Him. As The One Between comes within range of slashing His Mentor, He momentarily hesitates again as He swings His sword. The Mentor exploits this opening and grabs His wrist to resume the siphoning of his Pupil's energy. The One Between counterattacks with a punch, but The Mentor restrains Him with his other hand and holds The One Between in place, continuing to drain His essence. The Pupil begins to feel fatigued. With difficulty, The One Between uses His energy to Shield, blocking His Mentor from accessing more of it. He swiftly lifts both His feet and kicks hard into His Mentor's abdomen, breaking his hold and sending him flying across the sky. Without pause, The One Between quickly appears above His Teacher with His leg initiating an axe kick. The Mentor quickly blocks and grabs His leg, swinging his Student around using the momentum of His body and throwing Him down so forcefully that a small crater is dug out from His impact with the hard ground. Exhausted and dismayed by all this violence, The One Between wonders desperately when this will end.
Though his Pupil is showing more aggression and initiative, The Mentor hates how He continues to hold back. With his frustration now at its zenith, The Mentor hovers above the forest, waiting to deliver another resounding wake-up call. The One Between teleports behind His Teacher and attacks him with His sword. This time He aims for His Mentor's flaming Light. As soon as his Pupil's sword comes within reach, he quickly pivots his body and deflects, taking his arm and wrapping it around the sword-bearing limb of his Pupil. He tightly holds his Student in place in an armlock, and swiftly twists upward to grab his Pupil's hair with the other hand, pulling it to the side to reveal His neck and throat. The Mentor bites down hard. The One Between gasps in horror. His sword dissipates into particles of light, sizzling out as He feels His energy and life force being pitilessly consumed. The One Between is unable to Shield, and His Light flickers and slowly contracts within. He feels the pressure of the bite. He lamely attempts to push His Mentor off Him. The Mentor only tightens his grip and bites deeper, grabbing his Student's free arm and holding it down by his side, bringing both of their bodies closer in this vicious embrace. The Mentor continues to greedily gorge on the energy from his Pupil's arms and neck. The Pupil's face contorts as if in agony despite not feeling any pain. Overwhelmed, The One Between feels His body become sluggish and weak. His exhaustion makes Him unable to create a weapon from His hands, provoking alarm and panic. The One Between is still surprised by His Mentor's behavior, which triggers awful memories of His past when His Mentor was a different Being. Memories of the frightening aspect of His Partner when his chest was a void of darkness from which Light could not escape. The One Between again attempts to break free from His Mentor's grip, but to no avail. He continues to feel the energy being relentlessly drawn away.
A horrible realization weighs on The One Between's mind from what His Mentor and Partner are doing to Him. "He's Raping me!"
Doubt and Fear flood The One Between's Consciousness, feeling Powerless. The Mentor feels the intense and pure energy from his Pupil's life force coursing through him. His Pupil continues to resist, albeit pitifully and ineffectively. The One Between's abundant energy pools in The Mentor's mouth, slithering down his throat towards the middle of his chest, where his Light dwells. The flame of his Light grows bigger and brighter, shining through his Human skin. He feels the energy of his life force mixing with the intense energy of The One Between. The feeling intoxicates him as he continues to intrusively feed on his Pupil. The Mentor can feel the emotions of His distress taking hold of His Light from the Rape. The Mentor feels disappointment with his Pupil for not reversing the energy flow against himself and thereby reciprocating the Rape. He feels shamefully good from violating The One Between. The Power consumes The Mentor, making him even stronger, his body more and more alive, each increment of strength signaled by an electrical tingling sensation, the life force of his victim arriving in waves. He can sense the fatigue from his Pupil. Despite his well-meaning Intentions of conveying the horror of being attacked by a Lightless Being, The Mentor avoids absorbing too much of his Partner's life force before it becomes severe enough to trigger The One Between's Instincts of self-preservation. The One Between hates Possessing a life form that has a Consciousness, and The Mentor doesn't want to risk his Partner intimately knowing his hidden thoughts and feeling what he's feeling, afraid that his Lover will Fear him. Because Power feels good. He lifts his head up The Mentor's body continues to vibrate from the positive energy of the Rape.
He raises his hand. "Stop hesitating!" he yells as he backhands the side of The One Between's face.
The One Between flies through the air and falls. On His descent, He bursts through a large trunk of a redwood tree as it implodes on impact, wood splintering everywhere. The One Between can feel the hard bend of the thick, rough trunk when He makes contact. The blunt force reverberates throughout His body as He lands hard onto the ground, hitting another tree and coming to a halt.
The Pupil can feel His Mentor's displeasure.
"I know you fight better than this!" an angry voice wails from afar.
The One Between slowly raises Himself from the ground and groans from exhaustion while He gets on His hands and knees. The One Between uses the trunk of the tree behind Him to help pull Himself up, while the other hand touches the area where The Mentor bit Him. His mind is still reeling from the horror of realizing that The Mentor's savagery would extend to feeding on His energy and life force viciously and without consent. The Mentor rarely shows even a thimbleful of this side of himself. The One Between never imagined His Partner would Rape Him... again. But that was eons ago. When he was a different Being. Logically, The Pupil understands The Mentor's motives and rationalizes that this latest violence is part of the training, yet the invasion of His body by The Mentor disturbs Him.
The Mentor slowly descends towards his Pupil. "I can't believe you did that!" The One Between exasperatedly complains between heavy breaths, trying to regain His bearings while dealing with His heavy emotions.
"...Feed on me," The One Between groans, not as a request but as an observation.
"I can't believe you made that stupid Pact!" The Mentor barks back in annoyance, looking down at his Pupil as he lands directly in front of The One Between.
"...Point ...taken." The One Between tries to stand and falters suddenly, feeling dizzy from the impact of the attack.
He begins to feel lightheaded and fatigued from the deficit of energy. He takes a few steps and falls forward, but The Mentor gently catches and steadies The Pupil to help Him stand. The One Between looks up at His Mentor's face in surprise. Given the brutality of His Mentor's attack, He fully expects that he will continue with the assault. The Mentor's expression shows no emotion, as if what happened did not bother him. He telepathically indicates that today's lesson is paused. As soon as The One Between feels and learns His Mentor's thoughts, He quickly responds with a deep sigh of relief. The One Between grimaces once back on His feet and tries to walk. He clings to The Mentor's shoulder for stability but falters backwards, His exhaustion lingering. The Mentor realizes his error in pushing his Pupil this far, feeling the Pupil's pure energy flow through his body and merge with his own. The Mentor is overcome with regret. He looks with shame at his bright, flickering Light, significantly bigger than before, now glowing through his Human flesh, but the flame begins to dim in equal proportion to his rising guilt and concern for his Partner, who struggles even to stand on His own. He picks up The One Between, cradles Him in his arms, and ascends into the clear, bright sky. He flies away and teleports to their home.
~~~~~
The Mentor materializes in a large and pristine room. There is a large, neatly made bed with white linen. The Mentor glides across the smooth white granite floor towards the bed. Still in their Human form, his Pupil is still out cold in his arms from the exhaustion of the day's exertions. The light shines through the room, absent of walls, to reveal a sky full of stars and the edges of their galaxy. A cacophony of pinks, violets, and blue-greens with hints of scattered yellow layer the copper-orange nebula, auburn-red highlighting its edges, swirling together in a dance engulfing the stars. Stars surround their home as though it were a moat of dust floating through the cosmos.
The Mentor reflects on his behavior. His mind still reels from the Knowledge of how traumatic it was for The One Between. He remembers the intensity and exhilaration of the fight, and how good it felt feeding on His boundless energy. But he feels intensely ashamed for Raping his Pupil. The One Between's feelings only heightened The Mentor's feelings of self-loathing, tearing him up inside, even though he imposed this tribulation to prove a point. He was significantly restraining himself on the use of his Power, for what he did to Them is nothing compared to the Nature and reality of the Dark Realm. When he first fell in Love with The One Between, he made a Vow to himself that he would never harm Them, only to now break his Oath in the most harrowing manner. Even though the Intention behind the fight does not break his Promise, the violation of trust plagues The Mentor's mind. The spar was an almost unbearable ordeal for his Pupil. It's not in his Partner's Nature to engage in such confrontations, and yet it was necessary, for Their true attainment of Knowledge and connection with other life forms requires experience. The Mentor's Light dims with the thought that he has reawakened the side of him he left behind in The Realm of No Light. Bitterness clings to the reflection of his actions. What if this Darkness was still rooted where his Light shines? Such thoughts plant a seed of Doubt that slowly wraps around his Soul. After the lesson, he wonders if he may not be fully free from his past self. These feelings clash with his logic. The Mentor does not want to inadvertently harm his Partner and Pupil. He pushes these dark emotions deep down in a void where he tries to ignore that other part of himself. He Fears the Darkness resides in his shadow still, ready to germinate if given the opportunity.
The Mentor nears the bed and gently lays The One Between to rest as Their body slowly shifts to Their natural form. Hovering over his Partner, he looks upon Their calm androgynous face peacefully asleep. The One Between's gentle countenance is still there despite the actions of The Mentor's combative behavior. The Mentor beholds and memorizes every part of his Lover's beauty. The profundity of Love for Them is maddening. The Mentor and The One Between have a strong Connection with each other, binding them both as Soulmates. Their energy and Light shine like twin flames. He ponders the many ways he could enact an apology. He would willingly offer at Their feet every atom and particle of his Being in prostration for his transgressions. He accepts his punishment from The One Between if They should awaken in anger from what he has done to Them. He thinks about taking The One Between to the beach, as They love strolling along the waves of a shore and breathing in the salty air. But imploring pardon will require much more than a day at the beach. He thinks of taking Them to Their favorite place, a picnic in a field of flowers near a forest. Or the Museum of the Worlds. These will also not suffice. A better option would be to indulge The One Between in that act that heals and rids so many of foul moods: sex. He feels an intense desire to ravage Their body with pleasure and fulfill Their every desire as a form of apology, but continues to think of other ways to make amends while his Partner rests. He gently places his hands over the flaming Light on The One Between's chest and then on Their head. He focuses his energy to heal his Partner and replenish the life force he stole without Their consent.
The Mentor's thoughts return to who is ultimately to blame for the lesson that terrorized his Partner. He ruminates on the interaction between The Brother and The One Between. The encounter only reignites his anger. The Mentor dreads the moment when The One Between joins Their Brother, who is gleefully waiting on the other side with nothing but nefarious designs. The unthinkable and crazy decision to give consent to allow their Brother to Rape Them by Possession made him sick with disgust. The Brother is the reason why he's doing this to Them. He realizes his eternal feelings and grounds himself with the realization and belief that he is doing only what is absolutely necessary to save his Lover. His emotions return to calm, and he continues to heal The One Between. The Mentor thinks about how well They did in the spar despite everything, despite his irritation that his Pupil was holding back. He thinks about how he must advance Their training and how fortunate it is that They are such a quick learner. This alone saves him from falling into complete despair. The Realm of No Light changes you in the most atrocious ways, into a Being of Chaos.
The Mentor promises himself that he will never allow his beloved to succumb to this fate. He kisses The One Between gently, healing Them with his Love.
Glossary of the Alien Language
1 Knowledge is facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation and gathering of information. The body of truths or facts accumulated in the course of time by the Beings of Light and No Light. Something that is or may be known or the sum of what is known by the Beings of Light and No Light. Humans and other life forms are barred from learning and knowing this Knowledge unless the Beings of Light and No Light choose to share their Knowledge. This also refers to The Akashic Records (See The Akashic Records) of all the Knowledge stored there. Moreover, Knowledge is neither good nor bad, which pertains to how it is used.
2 Mentor(s)/Teacher guides their Pupil/Student in their life (See Pupil). The lessons are individualized, specifically based on the Student's role and the function assumed in a given action or process. Oftentimes, the Mentor uses unconventional teaching methods. This also entails the strengths and weaknesses of the Pupil/Student to overcome challenges and improve skills. Mentors continue to teach and educate their Student(s) in all subjects the Mentor deems necessary: mathematics; science; history; humanities; physics; biology; economics; culture; astronomy; combat/fighting; etc., for their Student(s) to grow in their Knowledge (See Knowledge) and understanding of the world around them. Mentors are responsible for their Pupil(s) and guide their Students to prepare them for their missions and their journey in life (i.e. in realms; dimensions; past; present; future). This also entails the Pupil learning on their own without the Mentor's guidance.
3 Light represents the Beings of Lights' life force as a flaming light located in the middle of their chest. It is the heart of the Beings of Light to represent a Soul (See Soul).
4 Name/Secret Name/Hidden Name is a hidden name belonging to The Beings of Light and No Light. The Secret Name is not a title/position name (e.g., The Guardian; The Mentor; The Council Member; The Commander of War, etc.) A secret only meant for them and no one else. The Hidden Name is their identity since the beginning of their existence. Every Being of Light and No Light has Hidden Names, and it is the name unique to them in connection to The Universe. It is also another form of communication to infer information and Knowledge (See Knowledge). Beings of Light and No Light can share it with any life form they deem worthy of knowing it because Names have Power (See Power) and can be used to summon the Being of Light and No Light. To speak of their Name with Intention (See Intention) will summon the one who possesses the Name to instantly appear. The Name can be used to control the Being. It can be used to call for assistance and support, and for help and to warn of danger.
5 Pupil/Student follows their Mentor (See Mentor/Teacher) in their guidance and learns, studies, and researches the many different subjects expected of them to learn and understand the world around them. Students must abide by what their Mentor tells them and have them do, and take their studies seriously. Students must obey their Mentor and follow their directions and instructions in their learning.
6 Partner/Lover can be both a Being of Light or No Light. It represents companionship and an intimate Connection of Being One with another. The relationship is Connected by Love (See The Connection; See Love) for each other, or a relationship of Friendship and Family, or for others they interact with that they respect and/or work with. Beings of Light and No Light can have intimate relationships with other life forms they can Connect to. They all fall under LGBTQIA and have queer relationships; all can be either monogamous or polyamorous in their relationships.
7 The Law is the law of the Beings of Light and No Light. All Beings from The Realm of Light and No Light are to abide by it to keep the balance in the Universe and to prevent it from unraveling into chaos. The Absolute Truth and Truth are connected (See The Absolute Truth; See Truth/True). The Law creates and establishes the rules that are there for the safety of all life forms and creates a balance of unity. The Law cannot be changed or modified and is final. If the Beings of Light and No Light violate a Law, it will result in banishment or a punishment that fits the crime, depending on the gravity of the Law that is broken and is considered serious/egregious. If it's serious, then that Being is "dead" to them and the Being of Light is Othered (See Other/Othered) and is no longer part of the Group (See Group/Circle/Web/Faction) (is ostracized/cast out) and the Being will have to rebuild their life again.
8 Soul represents the Beings of Lights' life force as a flaming Light (See Light) located in the middle of their chest. It is the heart of the Beings of Light to represent a Soul. Black Hole represents the absence of a Soul in the Beings of No Light, whose life force is a black hole (absent of Light) located in the middle of their chest. The Beings of No Light are without a Light, and it represents their incompleteness.
9 Death/Die is the final Death. This means the life form(s) would cease to exist. The Beings of Light and No Light cannot die because they are immortal.
10 Nature is the body, behaviors, and emotions of all life forms, which are unique to each species, society, culture, and biological entity. However, The Absolute Truth (See The Absolute Truth) is that this Nature identifies each species, culture, etc., and that it represents a constant that unifies and characterizes them.
11 Vessel is the body of an empty shell of a species/life form that The One Between occupies to experience a species' life cycle/lifetime.
12 Fear is the deepest, most terrifying fear. The emotion of Fear universally applies to all life forms (everyone has experiences based on Fear(s)). It is the fear life forms will not admit to and will hide from. Fear is tied to Doubt (See Doubt). Fear can be destructive and violent. However, Fear can lead to protecting oneself out of survival. Fear applies to The Law and The Absolute Truth (See The Law; See The Absolute Truth). Fear and Knowledge (See Knowledge) can cause one to lose their Light/Soul (See Light), or it can help an individual grow and change as a person. Fear can both lead to destruction and chaos, or it can lead to progress. Fear can lead to solutions towards peace and keep the balance in The Universe if used for the right reasons, depending on each individual and their circumstances. All of creation shares the emotions related to fear and logic based on their experiences.
13 The Pact is an energy exchange and binding contract between two Beings (both Beings of Light and No Light). It can only be broken when released by both parties who made The Pact, or a Healer severs the binding contract, or The Pact has been fulfilled.
14 Doubt is tied to Fear and is the deep feeling of one's true ability, identity, and anxieties of oneself, manifesting as uncertainty that all life forms experience. Doubt creates a strong weakness in the individual and can hinder them in every aspect, to where it can be detrimental and dangerous, and lead to guaranteed failure. Doubts are like lies to oneself. It challenges your Instinct and hinders you from acting on Instinct. Instinct can overcome Doubt if the Beings of Light and No Light have a strong will and know themselves completely.
15 Love is unconditional and compassionate. It is the purest form of love and is incorruptible. It is an Absolute Truth and a Powerful weapon (See The Absolute Truth; See Power). It is one of the Powers to defeat Darkness (See Darkness).
16 Lover See Partner/Lover.
17 Darkness is another way to describe The Realm of No Light. It is the completion of darkness where no light will ever shine and where the creatures of darkness reside. Any place with darkness is a doorway for the Beings of No Light and their creatures/monsters to pass through as a natural form of transportation to a place where darkness is already found (such as the inside of a cave). It also represents the negative energy and darkness one holds inside them. It will or can corrupt if not controlled, and the individual doesn't acknowledge it and heal. The darkness can overpower and turn the individual into a Being of No Light if they lack the strong will to overcome it.
18 The Final Judgement is a crucial and significant decision. Once a decision has been made, it is final and upheld by the Beings of Light and No Light (however, this may not be honored by the Beings of No Light, i.e., a loophole in the ruling).
19 The war/Human war started by humans against each other in a class, cultural, racial, and environmental resource and technological race. A global war (WWIII) to survive extinction on a dying planet. The aliens (Beings of The Realm of No Light and the Beings of Light) are involved with humans as enemies or allies.
20 The War is a long, ongoing war between the Realms of Light and No Light outside the third dimension and lasting for eons. The War was started by The Brother from The Realm of No Light.
21 The Connection is a deep and intimate bond between the Beings of Light and/or No Light. Knowing a Being's Hidden Name (See Name/Secret Name/Hidden Name) is this Connection. Having this Connection allows you to summon a Being of Light and No Light located anywhere in The Universe by calling on their Name, and they will appear. The Connection can also be shared with other life form(s). This allows The One Between to feel and experience what the other life form is experiencing and feeling. The Connection is also a representation of starbound Lovers (See Lovers; See Being One/One) sharing one Soul and body (soulmates/twin flames).
22 Chaos represents the totality of Chaos. This causes the unraveling of balance and leads to extinction or unnecessary and Intentional suffering, destruction, and Death (See Intention; See Death) of countless species/life forms.
23 Power is a very powerful weapon (indeed, the ultimate power) and can be difficult to wield and control depending on who holds it. It can be used to harm and Rape others (See Rape) or help others. Power can be chaos or can bring balance, depending on how it's used. Power is mostly used as a weapon in The Realm of No Light (See The Realm of No Light), but for the Beings of The Realm of Light it's mostly used for good and to maintain the balance of the universe. Beings of Light use Power on others only after being given consent or to force a life form to carry out an action that the Beings of Light believe is necessary for the good of that life form. They do not abuse Power to harm and control others like the Beings of No Light. Too much Power leads to destruction, chaos, and imbalance when used irresponsibly.
24 Pain is experiencing great suffering and despair that would make someone want to cease to exist. Pain can also be used as a weapon if one has the Power (See Power) to wield it.
25 Student See Pupil.
26 Rape is translated to "power, control, and violence" and does not only encompass the human concept of rape (sexual assault and sexual violence).
27 Hope is a powerful weapon like Love (See Love) and is one of the things that survives a terrible event and experience. It is one of the powers to defeat darkness and is an Absolute Truth (See The Absolute Truth). Hope is incorruptible.
28 Possess/Possession is forbidden by the Beings of Light and No Light. The only exception for the Beings of No Light to possess another life form is when they're given consent. Beings of Light are not allowed to possess any life form. The only Being that can possess other life forms without consent is The One Between. When The One Between possesses another life form, they meld with it and take on their host's personality, behaviors, feel what they feel, and can know the life form's memories and what they are thinking. In so doing, they become almost one with the body they inhabit and its consciousness and take on its identity. They can also read minds outside of the other life form's body without consent if necessary, or only when the other life form projects what they are thinking and is given permission to read their minds. They prefer to read minds with the consent of the other life form, because invading the life form to control the mind is considered Rape (See Rape).
29 Intention means the life form is consciously aware and competent about their intention of what it's doing without mental illnesses in the brain/Consciousness/mind (e.g., Alzheimer's; pathological liars; psychopaths/sociopaths; down syndrome; tourette's syndrome; bipolar disorder; narcissists; depression; CPTSD/PTSD; etc.) (See Consciousness).
30 Being One/One has more than one meaning depending on the context. One can represent all of Creation or Unity. It can also mean the Beings' bodies become One and are Connected (See The Connection) deeply and intimately, where they feel each other's bodies, emotions, and thoughts; becoming One Being sexually.
31 Test/Tested is a means of trial on a Being of Light or No Light for any reason that is deemed necessary. Sometimes in relation to a Pact (See The Pact).
32 Brethren/Sibling(s)/Brother(s)/Sister(s) represents all Beings of Light and No Light as siblings to each other. They are separated by The Line (See The Line) between their respective Realms: The Realm of Light and The Realm of No Light. All Beings of Light and No Light are Connected (See The Connection) and related to each other like Family without biological relation. Incest is not part of their language, and therefore can be intimate Partners/Lovers (See Partner/Lover) with each other.
33 The Line is a constant barrier between The Realm of Light and The Realm of No Light. No life form can cross The Line without the invitation from the Beings from their respective Realm. It exists in the space between nothingness.
34 The Astral Realm is many realms and dimensions stacked together. The Astral Realms are a second home (for all life forms in the universe) and is a society and culture of its own with the immense diversity there. Think of it as the heart of the Universe connecting all creations within the Universe like a community market/commune/home. It's also connected to The Realm of Dreams (See The Realm of Dreams (and Nightmares). Beings of Light and No Light and other life forms can fight, interact, study/learn and eat in both these realms when encountering each other.
35 Teacher See Mentor.
36 Shield is an energy/force-like barrier that shields the body and mind from harm. Beings of Light and No Light have this ability naturally, but vary in how strongly they can wield it. It can also be used to protect others.
37 Instinct is acting instantly without Doubt (See Doubt) or thought. Without following one's Instinct and acting upon it, and instead succumbing to Fear (See Fear) and Doubt, you are bound to fail. This includes instincts related to biological evolutionary Nature (see Nature).
38 Consciousness/Conscious is one of three absolute forms that represent the Beings of Light and No Light. Consciousness represents the mind/brain and Soul as One Being (See Soul; See One Being). It is an enormous sphere of Energy/life force that houses all memories, thoughts, wisdom, Knowledge, identities, and experiences of all life forms. For the life forms, it's what makes them who they are, a living entity acknowledging its existence and a formed intelligence.
39 Promise/Oath/Vow is a vow that can never be broken. A Promise results in a Pact (See The Pact) you make with the other(s). You make this type of Promise to those you deeply love, trust, and respect. To Promise is a very important word to say to another or when giving a Promise to another. A Promise is not taken lightly and should only be used with complete certainty. The one making the Promise keeps it, and depending on the Promise, honors it or forever be tied to the other in servitude until The Pact is broken by another: on rare occasions, a Healer strong enough to sever it, or a Being of Light or No Light the Promise is made to release the servant, or the Promise has Intentionally been fulfilled. The one who has not fulfilled the Promise will only become a servant when the other demands it, when they feel the Promise is not going to be truly fulfilled. The Being cannot demand its servant to harm another or themselves or the one it has made the Promise to. This also means the Being cannot force the servant to fulfill the Promise. The servant is the only one to fulfill the Promise Intentionally.