The Oracle Paths

Jake was tempted to give a spontaneous answer, but when he seriously addressed the matter, he realized that it was far more complex than the little alien's casual tone suggested.

Of course, it wasn't as if he had never wondered about it. When he got his own bloodline, his first instinct had been to compare himself to others. Xi had been remarkably forthright at the time, allowing him to position himself properly in the bloodline hierarchy.

However, Jake was only an Oracle Sergeant at the time, and the information he had access to was still rather limited. Even with Xi's patient explanations, he had repeatedly found the gradation of certain bloodlines inconsistent.

Tim's impure Beskyrian bloodline was a perfect example. It was graded Grade 8, even though it had no direct evolutionary potential. Without the Luck Aether Encoding of his Oracle Device and his Ordeal Rewards, the boy would have been left with no means of increasing his strength other than to level up his bloodline itself.

It didn't matter much at the time, but Jake now knew that his Myrtharian Bloodline had a level cap. Once he hit level 4, his bloodline would stop evolving no matter how much he dedicated himself or how many lava baths he took each day.

In other words, without outside help Tim could at best get a little luckier before his luck also reached its ceiling. This was a far cry from the unlimited potential in a category expected of a Grade 7 or above Bloodline.

"I thought I knew, but I guess I don't." Jake finally answered after much hesitation.

Tim just shrugged. He had never given it a thought. He just knew that Grade 8 was quite good, but that it wasn't enough for him. Hence his presence here today.

"In that case, let me share with you my understanding of this classification and the one my own master taught me." Cekt adopted a lecturing pitch after sitting cross-legged while levitating a meter above the ground.

The alien cleared his throat, then declaimed,

"First, there is the official classification, then the unofficial. Both remain valid under any circumstances. Normal Evolvers will never need to know the latter, but it is at the heart of all considerations for Aetherists and high-rank Evolvers. To avoid losing you, I will first teach you the official Bloodline classification.

"As you probably know, Bloodlines range from Grade 0 to 10. First of all, please know that this is not the limit, but this topic is irrelevant to today's discussion. Are you ready for the lesson? Then I'll begin.

"Grade 0… Ah, this one must be familiar to you." Cekt suddenly snickered snidely as he leered at them with pity. " Any Grade 0 Bloodline example come to mind?"

Jake snorted, but Tim raised his hand swiftly like he did in school as an eager school kid to show that he knew the answer and blurted out,

"Earthlings."

The little alien clapped happily before continuing,

"That's right. Everything from your planet Earth is Grade 0. That basically means that your Aether Code doesn't give you any special advantages or disadvantages. It's blank. It may sound lame, but it's not as bad as you might think. I'll come back to that later.

"Next comes Grade 1, which includes all species with a simple supernatural ability, but with little or no evolutionary potential. The ability in question will usually give a greater or lesser advantage among ordinary people, but not enough to flip the chessboard. Common examples of Grade 1 Bloodlines are often named after the ability they confer, such as Telepath, Enhanced Strength, Ageless, etc.

Inferior mutants are also a good example of this Grade. Being able to throw a fireball a few dozen meters, or an enhanced strength may seem incredible, but a firearm does the job just as well in most cases. Still, a mutant with superhuman strength can easily become rich by pursuing a career in sports, while a telepath can easily rise socially if he uses his gift well. In an ordinary world, these talents are more than enough to shine. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that there have been some on Earth throughout history."

Jake tried to replay in his mind what he knew of some of the athletes and geniuses from his planet who had made history and concluded that there was insufficient evidence, but that Cekt's premise was still plausible.

"Grade 2." Cekt calmly resumed. "Includes any Bloodline with one or more simple supernatural abilities or a complex supernatural ability with zero or low potential for evolution. This is usually enough to become exceptional and unmatched in an ordinary world, but not enough to trample all over the laws. To use one of your Earth comic book heroes, Spiderman falls into that category."

Jake was more surprised by the fact that the alien knew of Spiderman's existence rather than his explanation. As for Tim's eyes… they were sparkling. Probably because his Bloodline was better than Spiderman's.

"Grade 3. Any Bloodline that may have a direct or indirect potential for limited evolution in any of the four Aspects. Remember this term. The four Aspects are your Aether status, Body Status, Soul Status and Bloodline. In this category we can mention as known examples the Vampires and Werefolk born ordinary. Often made this way by a bite, scratch or some other ceremony, they are usually unable to surpass their creator and cannot disobey him.

"From this rank, at least, it is possible to evolve. It may take an extraordinary opportunity or a stroke of fate, but it's not an out-of-reach dream. For example, a Werewolf could conspire against his Alpha and take his place, or the Alpha could die for another reason, allowing him to become free again. Under these conditions, the bloodline gets the chance to be promoted to Grade 4 or higher.

"Grade 4." Cekt continued to recite. Once started, he was a real chatterbox. "Any Bloodline with no direct potential for unlimited evolution in any of the four Aspects, but possessing a conditional indirect means of evolution in a specific area that can eventually rival and even improve one or more of the four Aspects. This example is easier to understand. The two Egaean sisters who hang out with you have a Grade 4 Bloodline.

In their home world where Fire Elemental Particles abound, they can theoretically become very powerful mages. Their bodies and minds will be strengthened indirectly by their cultivation. However, once on B842, deprived of their energy source, they quickly found themselves powerless. Another example are the ordinary Fluid Wielders in your Third Ordeal."

"Grade 5. Any Bloodline with no direct potential for unlimited evolution in any of the four Aspects, but possessing a means of indirect evolution in a specific area that can ultimately improve one or more of the four Aspects. The requirement is less strict than at Grade 4. This includes the Water Elf bloodline of your cousin Vincent, the improved Egaean Bloodline of the two sisters who can now convert ambient Aether into their element, and the Nosks, whose dentrites can evolve to store more and more energy, which then strengthens all their attributes."

As he finished his sentence, Cekt paused to moisten his lips. Seeing that he still had their attention, he warned them sternly,

"Up to Grade 5, the most important thing to remember is that these Bloodlines have 'limited' potential. There is hope, but their evolution is not guaranteed. In the vast majority of cases, there is an ultimate cap of power that these species will never exceed. Exceptions to this rule are not enough to increase a bloodline's Grade."

Jake nodded thoughtfully. The Super Archmages from Ega were not omnipotent mages or their world would never have been forcibly transported to B842. It was obvious that the cultivation of elemental particles had a limit.

Seeing that it was crystal clear to both of them, Cekt nodded in turn before continuing his introduction.

"From now on, all the Grades I'm going to describe have a concrete way to become infinitely powerful in one or more Aspects.

"Grade 6. Any Bloodline with no direct potential for unlimited evolution in any of the four Aspects, but possessing an indirect means of unlimited evolution in at least one of them. If this condition is easily met, the bloodline will be considered Grade 7.

"In the examples you know, Jake, there is Svara's Valkyrie Bloodline which allows her to harvest souls and spiritual energy all around to strengthen her Shadows and her own Soul. Your cousin Kevin who became an Alpha Werebear is another example. His stats won't grow on their own, but he can become monstrously powerful by growing and maintaining control over his pack.

"Next is Grade 7, I guess I don't need to say anything more. This category includes Bloodlines with unlimited, but conditional, potential in one of the four Aspects. For Myrmidians, this is Aether. The condition is to constantly surpass oneself and seek more and more victories. For the Eltarians, it is their Soul. Whether it is by stealing the spiritual energy of their victims or by diligently training their minds, they can make their soul stronger. Kintharians can evolve their bodies by drawing on heat, earth, and radiation, resources common to virtually every world.

"At Grade 8, it's the same thing but with two Aspects. At Grade 9, the same but with 3 Aspects. This is the case with your Silver Myrtharian Bloodline since it has advanced to level 3. As for Grade 10, it is unlimited potential in the four Aspects.

"This is the case with Wyatt and his Vampire Progenitor Bloodline."