Primordial Ascent version 2 CH 6
CHAPTER 6: My Own Way
As the resonance of that sublime revelation faded, Ilfrey found himself back in his mother’s sanctuary, gasping for air as if he had been holding his breath for an eternity. His mind spun, struggling to process the enormity of what he had experienced.
In that transcendent state, he had glimpsed the primordial source underlying all of existence – a fount of infinite potential and constant self-transcendence that birthed and consumed all realities in an eternal cycle of emanation and dissolution. It was a wellspring of such vastness and complexity that his mortal mind could scarcely begin to comprehend even the tiniest fraction of it.
What Ilfrey had perceived in that moment was surely less than a trillionth of the totality – a mere droplet from an ocean of cosmic truth vaster than can be conceived. Yet even that infinitesimal taste carried the power to shatter his entire perception of reality into pieces.
He understood now why so few dared to directly approach the primordial mysteries. To delve too deeply while unprepared could obliterate one’s consciousness like a candle flame in a supernova. The fact that he had been granted even this limited glimpse felt like a subtle invitation, as if some unfathomable power had allowed him to perceive a sliver of truth his soul seemed destined to comprehend.
As his mind slowly reassembled itself, Ilfrey realized that what he had witnessed pointed to an cultivation path more fundamental than any of the existing methods. Not a merging of disciplines, but a return to the primordial source from which they all emanated.
It was not a defined system with steps to follow, but an approach of directly attuning one’s spirit to that infinite potential for constant transcendence and rebirth. To constantly shed one’s ignorance and preconceptions, expanding into ever more unified understandings of the Dao.
Ilfrey knew this insight carried immense peril. History was littered with the remains of those who had tried to invent their own cultivation paths from scratch, deluding themselves into thinking their limited epiphanies represented a complete truth. Many had died or spent entire lifetimes as perpetual beginners, forever stuck due to the instability of their personal systems.
The safe path was to follow the proven methods laid down by untold generations of cultivators who had walked before. Those clearly illuminated roads of progression freed one from constant stumbling in the dark unknown.
And yet…Ilfrey could not deny the profundity of what he had experienced. It felt like the first tremulous step onto a greater path, one promising revolutionary insights if navigated with the utmost care and dedication. A road of constant realignment with the primordial source – though where it ultimately led remained tantalizingly obscured.
His mother Maeya looked at him with a mixture of awe, love, and concern. She had witnessed the impact of that revelation on her son and understood the dizzying vortex of possibility and danger it represented.
“You have beheld the infinite face of Prime Source and glimpsed the primordial seed of all cultivation,” she said, cupping his cheek tenderly. “I know your brilliant spirit yearns to walk this bleeding-edge path, no matter the hazards.”
Ilfrey met her gaze, his expression resolute despite his inner turmoil. “I cannot turn away from this insight, Mother. It promises a road to understanding the Dao at its most fundamental level. But you are right to advise caution…”
He knew that to recklessly charge ahead without proper guidance could prove disastrous. In their clan, all new cultivators were closely supervised by elders and peers, their progress meticulously recorded to provide wisdom and course corrections. To undertake this nebulous path alone would be the height of arrogance and folly.
“I will wait and prepare further before attempting to initiate this cultivation,” Ilfrey stated, some of the intensity leaving his voice. “There may also be…other reasons for delay that I cannot yet fathom.”
Maeya seemed to read volumes in his expression. She nodded slowly, pride mingled with motherly concern. “A Most arduous journey lies before you, my inquisitive seedling. What shall you name this primordial path you have glimpsed?”
Ilfrey considered the question, letting the profound implications of his insight resonate within his mind. Finally, he replied:
“The Way of the Infinite Tao,” Ilfrey replied. “A road of constant transcendence and rebirth, always returning to align with the primordial source that birthed all cultivation methods…yet progressing toward insights and integrations more unified and fundamental than any single system can offer.”
Maeya nodded slowly, the Names of such power always carrying reverberations beyond their surface meanings. “A fitting appellation for one who has witnessed the infinite face of Prime Source, and yearns to embodied its quintessence without falling prey to dogma or limitation.”
She rose then and began gathering esoteric meditation implements, her manner brisk yet suffused with sacred purpose. “We must make inquiries and provisions for you to undergo a period of deep isolation and spiritual preparation before you can safely engage with even the outermost boundaries of this Infinite Tao.”
Ilfrey accepted her wisdom without objection, recognizing how utterly out of his depth he truly was. His certainty that he had glimpsed an revolutionary path of primordial cultivation burned undaunted. Yet he knew the chasm of ignorance and peril surrounding it remained staggeringly vast as well.
In the days and months that followed, Ilfrey undertook the most rigorous spiritual, mental, and physical purification regimes under his mother’s stern guidance. He fasted, meditated, and studied more intensely than he ever had before – akin to a sapling tree being lashed by raging winds and scorching suns to fortify its roots and branches before blossoming.
For Maeya recognized that her son would require matchless focus, determination, and resilience of spirit to even take the first steps toward comprehending and embodying the primordial Path of Infinite Tao he had glimpsed. Any fragility, karmic attachment, or seed of delusion could prove catastrophically fatal once he began those treacherous initiations.
After months of intense purification and preparation under Maeya’s watchful guidance, Ilfrey felt as ready as he could be to begin exploring the primordial Path of the Infinite Tao. His mother recognized it was time to inform the clan elders of her son’s unprecedented decision.
Maeya entered the sacred Council Chamber where the venerated elders gathered. A hush fell over the room as they sensed the gravity of her presence.
“Honored Elders, my son Ilfrey has chosen his path,” Maeya announced, her voice ringing with solemn pride.
Murmurs of approval and congratulations echoed through the chamber. The elders clearly assumed the prodigious Ilfrey had accepted the clan’s traditional cultivation system, as had countless generations before him.
“The Transcendent Seeds rejoice to accept another seedling onto the ancient road!” proclaimed Elder Vaelyn, the wizened headmistress. “Ilfrey’s brilliance will only enhance our clan’s legacy.”
Maeya paused, steadying herself. “With respect, Honored Elders…Ilfrey has not chosen to walk our clan’s ancestral path.”
The chamber fell into stunned silence, faces looking at Maeya in utter disbelief. To reject their clan’s hard-won and proven cultivation system was almost unthinkable.
Maeya met their stares steadily. “In his final Awakening vigil, Ilfrey encountered a resonance with Prime Source itself – a direct revelation of the infinite potential from which all paths emanate and into which they are subsumed.”
She described her son’s transcendent experience glimpsing the primordial fount underlying all cultivation methods. Hushed astonishment rippled through the elders as they absorbed the enormity of what she recounted.
“Ilfrey wishes to undertake a new path – one he has named the ‘Way of the Infinite Tao.’ A road treading the outermost edge of direct attunement with Prime Source and its quintessence of perpetual transcendence.”
Maeya watched the expression of the elders closely trying to discern their continence but one did not need to watch for long to know that they were not happy at all. The obvious frowns were plastered on old and young alike
“What is this nonsense?” Elder Vaelyn said sternly. “Ilfrey must follow our established methods like all the other disciples before him.”
The other elders nodded in agreement, their faces tight with disapproval.
“It is foolish for a child to try and create his own path,” snapped Elder Korrim. “He has barely lived two decades. There are cultivators far older and wiser who have tried to blaze their own trail only to die or stagnate at the first level.”
The elders looked at Maeya with a mix of disappointment and frustration.
“As Ilfrey’s mother, it is your duty to guide the future clan leader down the proper road,” Elder Vaelyn stated firmly. “If you cannot control him, we will have no choice but to find someone more capable of doing so.”
Maeya sighed deeply. She knew she was making powerful enemies by defying the elders, but she didn’t care. The clan had never fully accepted her anyway, not since her husband had saved her and brought her to live in their walled kingdom all those years ago.
After being named the First Matriarch, no one mentioned that title again. It was merely a superficial honor. The elders and clan members had ostracized Maeya until she finally gave birth to Ilfrey, the next clan heir. Only then did they start showing concern for her wellbeing.
In her heart, Maeya knew where her true loyalties lay – with her son, Ilfrey. She intended to follow her husband’s dying wish to let their son choose his own path freely. This was just her inner thoughts, however. Out loud, she spoke firmly to the elders.
“My decision to support Ilfrey has already been made. The clan rules clearly state that no one can force another to follow a particular cultivation path against their will. This is a fundamental tenet we all must abide by.”
Deep down, Maeya actually found the clan’s rules quite amusing. People made up all these rules and contracts, she mused, only to become bound by them later. She vowed to teach Ilfrey to not be constrained by such superficial restrictions.
The elders’ faces paled at Maeya’s declaration about the rules. Elder Vaelyn gave a grim nod.
“You are technically correct about that law,” she said unhappily. “But you know the grave risks of straying from our proven methods. Why, just last year Elder Joran tried to modify the techniques slightly and died on the spot when his meridians ruptured.”
“And poor Elder Zhalev has been stuck sweeping the training grounds for decades after his attempt at creating a new path froze his cultivation irreversibly,” Elder Korrim added, shaking his head.
Maeya had not known about these tragic incidents before, but they did not dissuade her resolve to aid her son’s unconventional aspirations. She simply straightened her back and looked at the elders solemnly.
“I understand the risks, but my mind is made up. I will support Ilfrey no matter what path he wishes to walk.”
With that, she turned and left the council pavilion. The elders watched her go, their faces etched with worry and disapproval.
Alone in the tranquil orchards, Maeya allowed her confident front to slip as doubts crept in. She admitted to herself that she was terribly afraid for her son’s future now that he had rejected the clan’s teachings. But she would not turn back. Ilfrey had to be allowed to follow his own way.
Memories of Maeya’s previous world, the one she had shattered the barrier from to arrive in this strange realm, surfaced in her mind unbidden. Back in that lower realm, she had been known as the Sage of Omniscience for her ceaseless pursuit of knowledge and truth.
It was that same unquenchable thirst for deeper understanding that she now recognized in her son Ilfrey. No doubt it was a big part of why he had such monstrous talent compared to his clansmen.
An ancient text Maeya had read as a child claimed that the offspring of parents from two different realms would be twice as attuned to the universal laws and principles known as the Dao. But Ilfrey seemed far beyond just twice as sensitive – he had glimpsed fundamental revelations far outstripping anything in the clan’s traditions.
Was this simply Ilfrey’s incredible destiny? Maeya wondered. Or was there some other hidden force at work, guiding his path from the shadows for unknown purposes?
No matter the reason, Maeya knew she would protect her son with everything she had. She was uniquely positioned to aid his journey, having crossed the universal void between realms herself against all odds.
It was said that such a transition overwrote the deepest energetic inscriptions of one’s being, severing their connection to the native Dao force that empowered their cultivation. Ordinary cultivators who passed into another realm would inevitably see their hard-won powers wane and stagnate without that fundamental attunement.
Only beings who had pierced the loftiest culminations and earned the honorific title of “Sage” were said to possess the singular fortitude required to rupture the boundaries between worlds yet still retain their transcendent cultivation base intact. Lesser experts simply could not handle the metaphysical stresses.
So in truth, thought Maeya, her coming to this strange new world at all was likely an even more miraculous feat than Ilfrey’s blossoming insights. Born as the offspring of parents from two different universal domains, his path was bound to be exceptional – though where it would ultimately lead remained clouded.
Crossing over into higher realms to continue one’s cultivation was one thing, said to be possible for those who had unified their being with the fundamental Dao. But to descend into a lower plane? That was considered all but impossible, an act of cosmic rarity and unknown motivations even for the most spiritually accomplished.
Why had the Dao compelled Maeya to undertake such an arduous transliminal journey, forsaking her path of attainment in heroriginsphere? Perhaps it was all fated to culminate in giving birth to Ilfrey so that his unique existence could one day revolutionize the boundaries of possibility in this strange new cosmos?
Maeya realized she was wandering too deep into unanswerable conjectures. All that mattered now was nurturing and protecting her son as he dared to tread the audacious path he had named the Way of the Infinite Tao.
Though the road ahead remained shrouded in mists of uncertainty, Maeya suddenly felt a renewed sense of determination solidify in her heart. She was not just the wife of the clan’s former leader nor merely the First Matriarch in name only. She was Maeya, the Sage who had transcended worlds – and she would ensure her son received whatever guidance he needed to thrive on his unprecedented journey.
The clan elders and their dogmas could muster whatever opposition they wished. Maeya set her jaw and strode with purpose back toward the inner compounds, her course firmly decided. Ilfrey’s path would be defended, regardless of the cost.
As Maeya made her way back towards the inner clan compounds, her mind raced with plans and preparations for aiding Ilfrey’s exploration of the Infinite Tao. She knew the road ahead would be immensely challenging, perhaps even more so than her own transliminal crossing from her origin realm. But this time, she had the benefit of cultivating in this world from birth – her own transition had been far more abrupt and disorienting.
First, they would need to establish a concealed sanctuary away from the scrutinizing eyes of the elders and any who might wish to interfere with Ilfrey’s unorthodox path. Though the clan Laws prohibited outright retaliation against him, Maeya knew the conservative elders would use every other means of subtle sabotage and subversion to undermine his efforts if given the chance.
Perhaps in the distant Cloud Dreaming Mountains, where she had once embarked on her own quest for transcendence before abandoning that path upon meeting Ilfrey’s father. The primordial energies there, though wild and untamed, could potentially resonate with the primordial essence Ilfrey sought to embody.
Resources would also need to be gathered – both of the physical and philosophical natures. Maeya knew the restricted clan libraries contained obscure volumes and inscribed artifacts that hinted at universal patterns beyond their accepted doctrines. She would have to obtain those by discreet means, as they would surely be denied such interdisciplinary materials officially.
Then there were the esoteric cultivation instruments and catalysts, materials imbued with potent metaphysical properties to aid one’s development andbreakthroughs. Some of those could only be produced using methods on the outermost fringes of the clan’s traditions. Maeya suspected she might have to reactivate some of her own archaic knowledge from before her transition to this realm.
As she entered the secluded garden pavilion where Ilfrey was meditating, Maeya couldn’t help but feel a surge of awe and pride for her son’s unyielding spirit. To willingly cast off the hard-won wisdom of untold generations in pursuit of a revelation so profound yet perilous…it took an intellectual courage rivaled only by the most boundary-transcending sages.
When Ilfrey’s bright azure eyes opened and turned towards her with a look of eager curiosity, Maeya almost faltered under the weight of her task – safeguarding the precious journey of one who might well embody the next paradigm shift in this cosmos’s perpetual Daoic evolution. But she quickly steadied her resolve. They would take this one step at a time.
“We must begin making preparations to establish a isolated refuge for your initiation into the Way of the Infinite Tao,” she said without preamble, her tone brooking no disagreement. “The elders will no doubt seek to undermine your efforts, no matter what the clan Laws decree.”
Ilfrey’s expression turned grave as he absorbed the implications of bucking the customs so directly. “I had hoped wiser heads would prevail regarding the sanctity of free inquiry…”
Maeya shook her head grimly. “Their minds are shackled by dogma and hierarchy. They can only see your path as an existential threat to the supremacy of their entrenched systems.”
She sighed, feeling a pang of regret over the division this would inevitably cause within the clan that had accepted her so conditionally. “We will need to exercise the utmost discretion and develop countermeasures against potential sabotage or intervention, at least until your insights reach a stage of stability.”
“Understood, Mother.” Ilfrey’s jaw set with firm determination, his brilliance shining undimmeed. “Though I had hoped to remain anchored within the clan’s shelter for as long as possible, I will do whatever is required to nurture the revelation I have been granted to its fullest potential – for the sake of our entire cosmos’s perseverance and evolution.”
Maeya felt a swell of nameless emotion tightening her throat at her son’s solemn declaration. She saw in his radiant countenance both the fearless curiosity and unflinching duty that defined the most
Maeya nodded, pushing aside her raw burst of motherly pride and worry for the moment. “First, we must procure a secluded training ground beyond the clan’s oversight – some place where the primordial energies could potentially harmonize with the essence you seek to embody.”
Ilfrey’s brow furrowed in thought. “The Cloud Dreaming Mountains may suit our purposes. I’ve studied texts that suggest their expansive azure peaks thrum with unusually dynamic and untamed Daoic flows, echoing the primal potentiality before all distillation into form.”
“An apt consideration,” Maeya said approvingly. “I know those mist-shrouded ranges well from my own journeys in the era before I became your mother. We can establish a sanctuary in one of the deeper glacial valleys, beyond the trodden paths.”
She paused, realizing the extended isolation they would require. “We should also make provisions to sustain an exodus of indefinite duration, in case the elders force our hands entirely.”
The thought of potentially having to abandon the clan that had been her hesitant home for so long caused a tight pang in Maeya’s chest. But she knew their path could lead nowhere else at this juncture.
Ilfrey seemed to read her resonance clearly. “I will understand if you cannot join me in that eventuality, Mother. My choices have already exacted a heavy burden…”
Maeya looked at him sharply, catching the subtle implication that she might choose the establishment over her own son’s revolutionary pursuits. A flicker of indignant anger sparked within her.
“Do not mistake my love for this clan as anything more than a shelter of convenience after being cast adrift from my original realm,” she stated with steel underlying her voice. “You are my sole providential purpose now, the incomparable fruit born of traversing the veiled abyss between dimensions itself.”
Ilfrey’s eyes widened slightly at her vehement protestation, but Maeya could feel the ineffable approval and trust he emanated for her unwavering support of his destined road. She took a steadying breath, regaining her centered poise.
“But you are correct that we must take every precaution. In addition to securing a redoubt beyond the clan’s influence, we should also gather any artifacts and resources that could aid your unorthodox investigations.”
Ilfrey perked up with undisguised eagerness at this prospect. “The restricted libraries and vaults no doubt contain materials hinting at boundary-breaking insights, even if the elders choose to bury them beneath dogma.”
“Precisely,” Maeya said with the ghost of a proud smile. “I have some knowledge of their archival protocols from my time spent transcribing the collections. We can bypass their misdirections if needed.”
There would be other preparations as well – stockpiling catalytic medicine seeds and alchemical reagents, transcribing sutras and technique manuals for cross-disciplinary inspiration, and quietly making other logistical arraignments for their metaphorical voyage into uncharted metaphysical territory.
As she and Ilfrey began meticulously mapping out their plans, Maeya couldn’t help the swell of trepidation coupled with an underlying sense of fateful anticipation. They were undertaking an endeavor more radical than the mere founding of a new cultivation tradition – this was a bid to discern the most elementary sublimity from which all such progressions germinated.
If successful, Ilfrey and any who could follow his pioneering path stood to redefine the very boundaries of spiritual attainment. But if they erred, even fractionally…Maeya shuddered to contemplate the abyssal plummet their consciousnesses could take into delusion and disintegration.
She glanced sidelong at her son, seeing the serene focus with which he poured over architectures of spiritual reality many would consider cosmic heresies. Ilfrey’s brilliance had always burned with unique intensity, but now it had taken on an entirely different calibration – peering directly into the nebulous, undefinedface of quintessential Tao that birth and subsumed all ordered patterns in an eternal cycle of emanation and dissolution.
Over the next few weeks, Maeya and Ilfrey made careful preparations for their withdrawal to the Cloud Dreaming Mountains while maintaining utmost discretion. The last thing they needed was the elders getting wind of their plans prematurely and trying to intervene.
Under the pretense of gathering supplies for an extended meditation retreat, they were able to procure camping provisions, sturdy trail rations, and all the basic necessities they would require to establish a rustic sanctuary away from the clan’s scrutiny. Ilfrey even obtained a few specialty alchemical catalysts via coded requisition from the restricted supplies, citing needs for unorthodox visualization practices.
More critical were the discreet channeling of metaphysical resources that could aid Ilfrey’s exploration of the Infinite Tao’s primordial spaces. With her knowledge of the clan’s archives, Maeya was able to quietly transcribe several coded transcripts, sutras, and technique manuals that hinted at reconstitutive paths beyond the traditional methods. Anything that pointed towards examining the malleable space before the ossification of forms and identities could potentially harbor insights.
She also managed to covertly copy the contents of a few restricted artifacts rumored to contain encoded etchings of primal resonance patterns used by antediluvian sages. While their true purposes were hopelessly obfuscated by the clan’s compartmentalized libraries, perhaps Ilfrey’s flashing brilliance could tease out new revelations.
Finally, there remained the issue of procuring and safeguarding comprehensive records relating to Ilfrey’s unique origins and developmental circumstances. Maeya surmised that her son’s unprecedented receptiveness to the primordial flows stemmed in part from being the offspring of parents from two separate universal domains. Any predictive models or hintings from the clan’s esoteric birthing histories could provide key backsteps as he endeavored to harmonize his awareness with the prenatal potentiality of all emanations.
This aspect proved most challenging, as such materials were closely guarded as ancestral secrets of the highest import, only shared among elite family lines on a need-to-know basis. As an outsider bride brought into the clan, Maeya remained mostly obstructed from those pearls.
She was able to subtly acquire a few fragments by cross-referencing coded catalog listings and strategically applying her skills of persuasion and evasion. But there remained tantalizing holes and blanks in the records she could obtain, hinting at even deeper occult redactions. Ilfrey might have to proceed with incomplete details regarding the Metadivisional dynamics that had conceived his unique spark of transcendent primacy.
Still, the pieces were starting to fall into place for their exodus into uncharted metaphysical territory. The Cloud Dreaming mountains loomed on the far horizon like a beckoning mirage of liberation and danger unified – the ultimate sojourn for one birthed from the spaceless space between worlds.
As the autumn semester’s warding-glow dimmed and students trickled away for their regional ancestors-moon sojourns, Maeya and Ilfrey donned the guise of unassuming spiritual itinerants, slipping out through the cold stone underpasses to begin their enigmatic journey towards the mist-shrouded azure summits.
Neither made farewells nor acknowledgment to any of the few elders and clansman they passed – such social formalities were hollow pretenses in light of the unfathomably vast chasm they were about to leap into. They moved with purposeful strides in the silence of dawning self-severance, the first tentative scoutings of their immortal way between realms.
