Elena opened her eyes to a world of blackish-grey, almost ash-colored rock.
It was relatively flat, to the point where she could see the curve of the planet on the horizon, but there was a scarce amount of erected stone pillars and other structures formed over years of weathering.
As she stood there, Elena was forced to wonder:
'What does this have to do with the Transcended Death Shrine?'
Her expression was solemn as she walked through the dark world and tried to understand it.
'It isn't safe to leave my body alone in that unknown place. I need to get back as soon as possible, or I'll likely lose it forever.'
She remembered the prostrated figures she saw around the shrine and shuddered as she thought about ending up like them.
If they were her prospective future, her current situation was the cause of their strange deaths.
'If it was an illusion, at least the method of escaping would be more streamlined, but this is far too real to be an illusion. It's more like a separated reality, a space a level above secret realms.'
If she didn't remember her mind getting sucked into this world, she would've thought her avatar body was made of flesh and blood.
'That is the worst-case scenario already. If the environment is tangible, my spiritual world will take damage as if it's tangible as well. If my avatar breaks, my soul will collapse.'
Understanding the situation didn't take long once she set aside time to think, but finding her way out was a different story.
She'd been walking for what seemed like 2 hours or so and the scenery hadn't changed one bit.
An hour ago, she started paying attention to the protrusions and structures that occasionally presented themselves as well, but she soon realized there was no pattern among them.
'The answer is either in the heavens, underground, or not here at all.'
Of the three options, the underground seemed most unlikely.
Bang!
Elena stomped her foot on the ground, watching her spiritual intent spread through the earth and disperse.
'With my strength, entering the subterranean world would be impossible. If the shrine was a hostile entity, this would've made it obvious that the answer is underground, however…'
…was the shrine truly hostile?
The words "Transcended Death" didn't allude to evil, nor to darkness in any sense.
While transcending death seemed to be a battle with the concept of death, a constant effort to evade its embrace and live another day, the concept was far less related to death than the concept of life.
After all, who would desire to transcend death other than those obsessed with life?
Those who accepted death never moved to transcend it. They moved with other purposes, and eventually transcended the concept as a byproduct of their efforts.
In this case, rather than saying they transcended death, it was better to say they ascended to a higher state of life.
The concept of Transcended Death, at least in Elena's eyes as she internalized it, was an extremely different vein of Life Laws than what she specialized in.
It was Life that oppressed Death.
'The league of this concept is far higher than what I've been able to comprehend on my own. If it wasn't for the stacked enhancements of the Genesis Bead and my new title, I wouldn't have been able to sense it.'
She looked into the sky. It was dark and starless, just as bleak and desolate as the earth below.
If this world was not a test, but rather a physical manifestation of the concept engraved on the shrine…
Pah!
Elena jumped off the ground, but found that flying was disallowed entirely.
'Aha, so I'm right.'
With a smile, she wrapped her body in fluctuations of Life. Using the concepts of the Law as both a shield and a propeller, Elena lifted herself into the air.
The previous suppression immediately vanished.
'I knew it.'
The Transcended Death Shrine was never a hostile entity. Merely, it was too profound for the common man to understand, which eventually led those who tried to their deaths.
'If one stays on the ground, it's like embracing death. The longer it takes to realize the safety of the heavens, the closer one becomes to death, until they eventually embrace it willingly, prostrating to its manifestation in the shrine.'
The heavens could be called the birth giver of life, the arbiter of samsara, or as many other titles as one wanted to create.
Because the concept of the heavens and the concept of universal will were one and the same.
As Elena ascended the skies, the suppressive force pierced her defenses and entered her body, converting into strips of comprehension that she digested as soon as she received them.
The higher she went, the greater the reward she attained. By the time she could see the dark world's atmosphere in the near distance, she felt like she could almost grasp the true meaning of Transcended Death.
Unfortunately, her strength was merely at the peak of 4th class. She felt a wall blocking her from going any higher, a wall formed not only from her own exhaustion of mental strength, but also from the realm's refusal to grant her more.
'Eh? I guess the realm spirit is a bit salty?' She thought with a wry smile.
'Well, I can't blame it. If I was the spirit of a realm that had never been understood for several tens of thousands of years, I would also get arrogant.'
She shook her head and cleared her thoughts. Regardless of the realm's intentions, she was at her limit already.
'Transcended Death…you might view it as an all-powerful concept, but to me, it's just another step on my path to finding the source of Life. Even without your help, I will conquer it someday.'
Elena pressed her hand forward, flexing her fingers as she commanded the Life Mana within her.
'Shatter this. It is time to go.'
Voom!
Her mana burst forth and filled the atmosphere with vibrant white light.
The greatest gain Elena plundered from Transcended Death was simple.
Attack power.
The Life Laws she practiced until this point rarely had attacking moves, more focused on healing and vitality.
Transcended Death was a concept built on oppression, thus, Elena's Life Laws gained an oppressive quality when it was incorporated into them.
And using this oppressive quality, she pressed down on the atmosphere until it cracked, giving her leeway to reconnect to the Real Plane.
With one last bow of gratitude to the hidden realm spirit, Elena vanished, returning her mind to her physical body.
The realm went silent, and a few seconds later, a small brush of wind swirled into the air, revealing the figure of a young woman with eyes clearer than any spring.
She stared into the space where Elena disappeared, tilting her head curiously.
"Is she the one?" The girl asked.
She received no response, but remained unperturbed.
"I see. Then I will continue observing."
The girl took a few steps body, and her body merged into the realm, vanishing from perception.
She was the very realm spirit Elena noticed before she left the place.
However, unbeknownst to Elena, she wasn't a realm spirit at all,
Instead, she was a manifested spirit representing the concept of Transcended Death itself, almost like a sentient Law Concept.
Elena's meeting with this entity meant far more to her future training than she'd ever imagine.
