The moment Dyne awoke, he felt a strange sensation. It was as if he could feel the people around him.

“Whoa! What’s going on?” Dyne exclaimed as he opened his eyes.

It was already morning, and for some odd reason, everyone was sleeping around the Genesis Tree. Some were sleeping right on the ground!

“Did everyone decide to have a slumber party here?” Dyne wondered.

“You’re awake... You surprised me last night.” A voice echoed in his mind.

“Strafe?! You’re awake?”

“I’ve always been awake. I couldn’t explain what was going on earlier. I thought I'd have enough energy, but there were some changes when I created Breath of Fire 4. Right now, I am but a spirit attached to the Imaginarium Bond. If I wanted to communicate with you, I would have to expend a lot of energy to hear me physically! That's why I told you I would fall into slumber. I was waiting for my energy to recover so that I can talk to you again. But now... you! You! You’re a Soul Cultivator!”

“Soul Cultivator? You mean like James Brown or Stevie Wonder?”

“... No! Not a soul singer! A soul cultivator! No wonder the God of your world sent you to aid me! You’re a monster! A talent so... so... so disgusting it makes me feel like I have been doing soul cultivation wrong all my life!” Strafe’s agitated and angry voice resounded.

“What do you mean? What happened here? What happened last night?”

“I don’t want to explain it now. Let him explain what happened, and I’ll fill you up on the missing details.” Strafe sent a soul sensation that prompted Dyne to look to his right.

“You’re finally awake.” Tetsu smiled as he approached.

Dyne gazed at him and gave an embarrassed smile.

“Master Tetsu! I’m sorry for waking up so late!” Dyne realized that the sun was bright.

Tetsu laughed and waved his hands.

“Don’t worry! I didn’t wake you up. You are an answered prayer! Did you know what you did?”

Dyne looked around and suddenly noticed that the Genesis Tree felt more alive. He could even sense a strange presence inside the tree.

“Did I gain enlightenment? Am I the Buddha?” Dyne asked.

“What? I don’t understand. But as for the Enlightenment, yes! You did it! You are a real miracle! How else could someone who had already been attached to a Seru gain enlightenment?”

“Erm... What?”

“There is a reason Biron monk is not allowed to wear Serus. I can’t tell you the details, but one of the reasons is that it hinders the possibilities of Enlightenment! I can’t believe that someone can gain Enlightenment even if they had worn Serus! It seems that the teachings were flawed.”

It was then that Dyne noticed it. Behind the smiling façade of Tetsu was a struggling spirit. Dyne had been trained to be able to tell the emotions of people. And for Tetsu, he could see through it.

Dyne then started to panic. He didn’t want to hinder the faith of Tetsu. He wanted the strong Tetsu that even the late game Vahn would have a hard time beating. And if Tetsu losses faith in Biron's teaching, it would spell trouble.

“Erm. I’m not sure it counts. I have never worn a Seru.” Dyne explained.

“What? I thought you said that the Seru possessed you in the Mist!”

“Not really. Didn't you notice that my Gimard- Erm... Gi- Gi-Ginger is all worn out?”

Tetsu looked at the cage they placed near the sea and noticed the still fainted Seru.

“Ginger? The Gimard? His name is Ginger?” Tetsu asked with a bewildered expression.

“I told you he has sentimental value to me, right? He’s like Bertugo. I treat him less of a Seru and more of a Pet. I never wore him once. When I woke up from the beach, I didn’t have him connected to me. He might have jumped on me when he got possessed by the Mist and possessed me. That Ginger loves me just as much as Bertugo does. Maybe in his last moment, he tried to possess me instead of hurting me.” Dyne’s voice trailed off.

He remained silent as if he was reflecting something sorrowful, but Dyne was panicking.

“Quick! Help me make a lie!” Dyne called out to Strafe through his soul.

Strafe was in deep thought. Since he was connected to Dyne, he could tell what Dyne wanted to do.

“Tell him that the Seru wounded much of his soul right before it got possessed. It tried to kill himself. This would also explain how it is currently lifeless.” Strafe explained.

“Bertugo said... that when he found me in the Mist, Ginger was already wounded. That was why it was easily able to empower me even when I was possessed. How else could a Gobu Gobu win against a human connection to a Seru?” Dyne sighed.

“He... wounded himself? Then that means... his Spirit was already wounded. I see. So I guess you could say that there was no Spirit binding that occurred. He must have only survived because of the Mist!” Tetsu gave a guess.

“Survive because of the Mist? That’s possible?”

“Yes. When the Mist came, Rim Elm used to have Serus. But when our hunters saw what that Mist did to our Serus, some of them tried to kill the Serus right before the Mist reached them. However, upon killing the Serus, some Serus should have been dead still began to move when the Mist touched them. We were sure the Seru's were dead as they were already dissipating. But it stopped when the Mist arrived.”

Dyne gave a shocked look.

“Erm... So there’s no way to save Ginger?”

“I understand your concern... But as of now, I don’t know how to save it. I am very impressed to know that you are someone greatly loved. I have yet to see a Seru do that. To think that the Seru would go through so much for you.”

“Strength begat love.” Dyne repeated a common Biron saying.

“Strength begat love.” Tetsu laughed as he heard it.

Dyne could somehow feel that the troubled soul of Tetsu grew lighter.

“Is he back to normal? I could sense his soul somehow changing. He seems different from last night.” Dyne asked Strafe through a Soul message.

“You monster! How can you already tell and sense the changes in his soul? What kind of a monster are you?!” Strafe cursed.

Dyne had been using how he could feel and perceive Tetsu’s soul as a means to make him realize how true Biron’s teaching is.

“Strafe! Please answer me! What happened? Those changes in his soul looked different! He would have changed forever!” Dyne asked again.

“Yes. But don’t worry. The changes right now from your word are for the better. He’s alright. I can see the whispers of fate changing for him. In fact, by the looks of this, his soul is reforming. He should reach enlightenment soon. Your words must have set him on a straight path.” Strafe explained.

Dyne was excited to hear that.

“Then all I need is a little push, right?” Dyne asked again.

“A little push? I don’t think it’s that easy.” Strafe answered with great doubt.

“Thank you, Dyne. You may not know it, but you have reaffirmed this old man’s faith in Lord Biron.”

Dyne was silent. He could feel something strange within Tetsu’s soul. It was as if it was gathering more soul energy. This was also what had happened to him last night. The intimate communing between his soul and the souls of the world was powerful.

“Is Biron a God in this world? And are you Tieg?” Dyne asked Strafe.

“Yes. As you suspected, I am Tieg. I took him as a disciple and granted him a high-leveled faith. He achieved Enlightenment and became a Soul Cultivator. With the teachings I left him, he trained and achieved Soul Severing. When his body died, his spirit lingered in. He could not fully ascend to Sainthood but became a soul with followers and continued to strengthen the Biron Monks who followed on his legacy.”

“He only achieved Soul Severing?”

“Don’t underestimate that. That is very impressive, considering the limited resources I left him. I initially thought he would only reach the highest Martial Peak levels but never expected that he would be able to sever his soul and cause his soul to ascend. There are countless realms with billions of people who haven’t created a single Saint in my world. I came from the strongest Realm, and we naturally had the inheritance to achieve Godhood. But for those who don’t have the inheritance, they won’t ever see Sainthood all their life. Most realms don’t even know that there is a stage beyond Martial Peak!” 

“So let me get this straight... Biron, who is the god that the Biron Monks worship is a soul cultivator who became a Saint?”

“Yes. Those who are Saints are already like gods to the eyes of those below Mortal Severing. That is how Biron has become a god here.”

“I see...” Dyne smiled.

He then turned to Tetsu.

“Erm... Master. When I was dreaming last night, I saw this strange old man. I dare not say he was Biron, but he looked like him. Anyway, he showed me and taught me this technique.” Dyne smiled.

The most terrifying thing about Soul Cultivators is that they have a totally different form of energy. Body cultivators use strength. Mental cultivators use the innate power that they can absorb and contain in their bodies to create Mana. It was similar to the MP systems that was used in most of the games Dyne played.

But as for Soul Cultivators, they have a form of energy from the soul. And this energy could supply both strength and Mana. It was as if, Dyne had another mana pool to gather energy from.

Dyne had remained seated on a meditative position even as he talked with Tetsu. He closed his eyes and assumed a monk-like meditative pose. He then stretched his hands towards the ground.

Suddenly, a force pressed on the ground, and it created an impression on it. It had the same shape as Dyne’s palm.

“WHAT!?” Tetsu screamed, and Strafe also screamed in the Soul world.

“Whew! That was hard!” Dyne wiped the sweat off his face.

“What... what technique is this?” Tetsu asked.

“Ermmm... Biron Palm Technique.” Dyne imitated a well-known movie in his world.

“Biron Palm Technique... Biron Palm Technique...” Tetsu kept whispering.

“That Old man told me that it has to do with the soul. I think I understand it now...” Dyne casually remarked.

The casual remark was like lightning bolts that struck Tetsu’s brain. There had been no one who managed to become a Soul Cultivator amongst the Biron followers. The stories have been too long, and no one has reached it, and that halted the faith of the Biron Monks.

“Excuse me! We will continue training tomorrow!” Tetsu quickly sat down next to the Genesis Tree and began to meditate.

“Nice! Soon enough, Rim Elm will have another Soul Cultivator!” Dyne smiled as he witnessed the changes in Tetsu’s soul.

“WHAT?!” Strafe felt like he had a heart attack despite having no body.