183 Samsara (1/2)
Ed continued to meditate patiently in the empty void, and inestimable amounts of time continued to pass. Eventually, a new illusory figure appeared in front of Ed, and it was someone he immediately recognized. ”Mayor Mick?” He questioned in surprise. Truthfully, he had no real emotional attachment to the deceased mayor, so he was unsure as to why he was seeing him here.
”Mm.” The man nodded while rubbing his beard. ”It's been a while.” He looked around the void. ”Where are we?” He asked.
”I figured you'd know already.” Ed replied. ”We're in the place where you learn golden faith energy.”
”Oh?” Mayor Mick nodded in understanding. ”So, why am I here?”
”Your guess is as good as mine.” Ed shrugged as he returned to meditating.
After hesitating a moment, Mick moved behind Ed and copied him in sitting down in meditation.
Time continued to pass, and more illusory figures continued fading into existence. However, Ed now ignored their existence, as he wasn't very familiar with the vast majority of them. Most of the figures moved behind him and sat down in meditation. Others looked out at the void and chose to float out into it, vanishing from sight. Each time it happened, Ed felt like a thread connecting those souls to himself was severed, and he knew that he would never see any of them again.
Eventually, Ed's own father appeared before him. Ed opened his eyes and looked at his father for a brief moment. He nodded towards him and returned to his own meditation. He had no words he wished to say to his father at the moment, and he believed that he was on the correct path by calmly meditating throughout this trial. His father moved behind him and sat down in meditation, just like many had done before him.
The number of illusory figures continued to increase without end. Besides the many human souls, there were also quite a few spider souls from when Ed had encountered the intelligent creatures in Hawaii. By now, the many figures stretched so far into the distance that the farthest ones were barely visible to the naked eye. Eventually, the figures finally stopped appearing.
”Hoooo.” Ed released a deep breath. He felt as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Most of his golden faith energy was gone, and he felt himself to be in complete control of what little of it remained. It was as if he had been a child trying to wield a great axe, and now he had downgraded to a dagger. With such a massive difference, it was no wonder he couldn't properly control the energy at all in the past.
Ed controlled the remaining golden faith energy to sink into his own soul shards, and he felt great relief upon doing so. The energy was like glue, and he could feel his soul slowly fusing back together. If things continued at this pace, then it was only a matter of time before he was completely healed.
As Ed's soul continued healing, golden faith energy coalesced around the giant crowd of illusory figures. Something was taking shape in the void, and they were the ones responsible for it. Golden clouds formed underneath their bodies, creating a vast continent within the void. The remaining energy floated upwards, creating a beautiful sky of golden mist. Slowly, the illusory figures started to stand up and get to work. The golden energy floating above them was like clay, and they easily molded it into the shapes of their desires.
Buildings began to appear one after another. Some were simple and homely, and others were massive beautiful palaces and castles. Roads were formed, and farms were sown. The malleable energy seemed to have no limits as to what it could create, though it was always golden in color.
Over time, crops began to grow, and a society took shape. The people bartered with the golden faith energy from the sky that was within reach, but that source soon ran dry. Golden clouds remained above them, but they were too far away to obtain. They were forced to create more golden faith energy themselves to keep their new society functioning. However, there was a limit to how much they could create each day, and some could create more than others. Certain individuals like Mayor Mick and Ed's father seemed to be capable of making far more than everyone else. This was confusing, as Ed's father was never an esper nor did he have a powerful soul. On the other hand, Mayor Mick had been an esper when alive, and his soul was far more robust than most of the others present.
As time passed, the citizens of the new continent began to understand the invisible rules that guided them. The amount of golden faith energy they could create each day was determined by two factors. The first was how strong the soul was, however, there was a far more important factor. Faith. The more faith one had for their deity, the more golden faith energy they could produce on a given day. And who was this deity? Naturally, it was Ed!
Unbeknownst to Ed, a temple had been constructed around his body. He sat within it, unmoving like a statue. His followers continually entered and exited the temple to pray to him. Those that were unfaithful left with unsatisfactory results, but those that truly believed, well, they became the rich elites of their new utopia.
...
After an unknown length of time, Ed finally opened his eyes. 'It's done.' He smiled as he looked down at his hands. His soul had completely fused, making himself feel complete once again. Gone were the worries of how he would survive another day.
Ed looked up from his hands and examined his surroundings. 'The hell?' He frowned. Hundreds of illusory figures were kneeling before him, seemingly worshiping him. A temple he didn't recognize surrounded him. It reminded him of the temple he had just entered before coming to the MahaBodhi Tree.
Ignoring the praying followers, Ed walked towards the temple exit. He wanted to see for himself exactly what was going on. Upon exiting the temple, his eyes widened in shock. He was in the middle of a golden city!
An illusory woman was walking past him. Ed reached out towards her. ”You, what's going on here?” He asked.
The woman turned to look at him and her eyes widened in shock as her mouth hung agape. ”Lord!” She hurriedly shouted while kneeling on the ground and kowtowing towards him.
Some other nearby persons noticed what was happening and hurriedly rushed over to kowtow towards him as well.
'What the hell is all this?' His frown grew greater as he watched the actions of the figures. Feeling a vague sense of control over the people and city, he attempted to control the ground beneath him. He felt surprised as the ground followed his whim and created a pillar that slowly raised him high into the sky.
”Wow!” He gasped in astonishment as he looked over the surroundings. Beyond the city were vast golden plains, farms, hills, and even mountains. The sky was covered in golden clouds, and the place seemed to truly be a utopian heaven out of legends.
”You've finally recovered.” A deep voice said to Ed.
Ed calmly turned around. By now, he felt used to such unexpected interruptions.
In front of Ed stood a completely golden man. He was unlike the other illusory figures, as he seemed completely real. He had a big stomach and a hearty smile.
”Buddha?” Ed questioned in surprise. In front of him was the stereotypical looking Buddha from the myths and legends, nothing like the short Buddha he had met before coming here.
”I have often been called that.” He nodded. He gestured towards the golden continent beneath them. ”This is your kingdom, and it is completely under your control. Congratulations on having mastered golden faith energy.”
”That's it?” Ed questioned in surprise. He felt like he hadn't truly done anything. 'All it takes to master golden faith energy is to sit in meditation a long time?' He wondered.
”Mm.” Buddha nodded. ”I've seen many guests over the past few decades. It seems a resurgence has finally happened.” He smiled.
”Why was it necessary to come here to learn control over golden faith energy?” Ed curiously questioned. If this was all it took, then couldn't anyone just enter closed door meditation to master it? Why did everyone act like it was always such a big secret when he had asked about it in the past?
Buddha's grin grew even wider. ”Tell me, do you think you could teach somebody what you learned here? Could you explain it to them?”
Ed hesitated and glanced back down at the continent. Even he himself was unaware of exactly what transpired. ”No.” He shook his head honestly.
”Exactly.” Buddha replied. ”I spent many years creating this heritage sight to pass my teachings to future seedlings. In my own time, I had been one of the very few to master golden faith energy. It was only through hard work, dedication, and luck that I finally managed to pass my knowledge on.”
”I see...” Ed nodded.
”Do you feel it?” Buddha suddenly questioned while pointing towards the illusory figures below.