Routes to Stones
There are two main routes to reach the hidden city of Stones: Route Cerza and Route Forest of Redemption. Each route presents distinct challenges and requirements, demanding extraordinary strength, endurance, and intelligence from the explorers.
Route Cerza: Path of the Parameter Controllers
Cerza is a plateau of electric rock, where the air vibrates due to invisible currents coursing through giant stones. To safely navigate Cerza, one must possess a basic mastery of Element Parameter, which involves balancing two critical elements: Ampere (current) and Voltage (voltage). A minimum mastery level of at least 60% of this balance is required.
Rinoa, as an elemental master, possesses remarkable abilities in controlling the balance of Ampere-Voltage. Through techniques honed by experience, Rinoa can sense subtle changes in the energy flow around her. She employs meditation and focus to adjust the ratio of amperes and voltage within her body, ensuring she remains in harmony with the energy field in Cerza.
In Cerza, the ground itself acts as a living circuit. Every step generates an energy flow that can spike unexpectedly. For Rinoa, this is not just a challenge, but also an opportunity to showcase her skills. With her advanced abilities, she can anticipate energy surges and alter the direction of the current to avoid danger.
This capability is crucial when crossing the Cerza border by the river, especially since the southern side of Cerza is where thunderstorms often occur.
However, if that balance is disrupted—if the current is too high or the voltage too low—the wild energy from the ground will burn their bodies from within, leaving only ashes behind. Rinoa's expertise and mastery of Parameter Magic become essential for safely navigating these treacherous areas. Only those who can adapt as quickly as Rinoa are able to survive the challenges of Cerza.
If that balance is disrupted—whether the current is too high or the voltage too low—wild energy from the earth will burn their bodies from within, leaving only ash behind. To control Element Parameter, a sorceress like Rinoa must possess a deep understanding of the relationship between amperes and voltage. This foundational skill involves observing the flow of energy around them and adjusting their body's responses to these variations. As an Elemental Master, Rinoa has an extraordinary ability to quickly find this balance, enabling her to avoid life-threatening destruction.
To safely navigate Cerza, a minimum understanding at the Intermediate level is required, where a sorcerer can manage their energy in the desired ratio with reasonable accuracy. Rinoa has achieved mastery at the Advanced level, enabling her to make detailed adjustments in energy elusion, maintaining the ampertage-voltage balance so that the energy flow remains stable and does not pose a threat to herself or her companions. Only individuals with abilities like Rinoa's or those equipped with advanced elemental regulation tools can hope to survive traversing Cerza. However, for those who succeed, this route is quicker and more direct to the Stones.
The Forest of Redemption stands in stark contrast to Cerza. Rather than a realm of organized energy, it is a wild expanse filled with unpredictable chaos.
Route of the Forest of Redemption: The Trial of Spirit and Body
The route through the Forest of Redemption is notably challenging. The forest is a dense jungle, with nearly three-quarters of it submerged in water. Traversing it requires significant effort, not only due to the difficult terrain but also because of the rapidly changing weather conditions that fluctuate every hour. Many sorcerers lose their lives there as the electrical charge within their bodies varies, leaving them exhausted if they do not utilize any magical abilities. This instability is often caused by shifts in the magnetic field due to energy leaks from Blue Earth itself. It is likely a result of the rampant use of magnetic minerals in the Earth region, which has weakened the North Pole due to changes in the magnetic field's intensity. Meanwhile, the current status of the South Pole situated on Gaia's land remains unknown.
Due to the malfunctioning of both poles, a shift occurred at blue earth. The southern pole is now situated in the didmyos ocean, south of lightheaven island, approximately 5000 km from the forest of redemption. This phenomenon caused severe drought in the gaia region, with sea levels dropping by up to 10 meters. The impact on the marine ecosystem was devastating—over a million fish perished, alongside significant repercussions for human populations. For the first time, a desert was formed on the land of gaia. However, normalcy returned as the volume of solar storms affecting blue earth gradually diminished.
The Forest of Redemption is also inhabited by supernatural creatures of Gaia, all of which are amphibious species. The most famous among them is Salmon the Knowledge, a fish that can be consumed repeatedly. According to the stories of the Gaia people, a fish once fell into the Holy Grail, a vessel containing the Well of Wisdom. Once it emerged from the Holy Grail, this fish acquired knowledge about the entire world, similar to that of the Grand Magic World Fraction. Thus, anyone who eats this fish gains extraordinary knowledge; even a baby given its flesh instantly gains the ability to speak like an adult. However, catching this fish is nearly impossible, as it possesses magical abilities and can wield up to ten legendary spells. There have been whispers of a 12-year-old boy who claimed to have eaten it, but most people do not believe this, and it remains a mystery to this day. It's possible that the tale of Salmon the Knowledge is merely a myth.
In ancient times, when the world was still young and the sky was woven with lightning, the Stones lay hidden beyond the veil of reality. Gaia, the Guardian of the World, carved two paths leading to the sacred city — one of lightning, the other of the earth's tears.
Cerza, a land of stone and electricity, was born from the wrath of the sky, conquerable only by those who understood the rhythm of currents and voltages, the true heirs of power.
Legends Says :
Meanwhile, the Forest of Redemption emerged from profound sorrow as the poles of the earth shifted, submerging forests in swamps and storms. It became a path of redemption, a place where souls were tested in silence and suffering.
It is said that only those chosen by the will of the world can set foot upon the Stones — not just because of strength, but because their hearts have been forged by the journey.