FALLEN ORACLE

**Chapter 3: Deconstructing the Dream**

"That woman on the cross—was she really as beautiful as you say?" Carl wiped his face and yawned."That's your focus?" Chen Yi almost laughed in exasperation."I'm just trying to figure out whether you can tell the difference between Divine Communion and a wet dream." Carl sat back in his chair and grinned.Because of last night's magical experiment, Chen Yi had woken up unusually late today.Mendes and Phil had already left for class—though as a trainee and a professor respectively, their "class" wasn't the same thing. Carl, who specialized in Summoning, had no classes in the morning.Chen Yi was in the worst position. As an intermediate trainee, he could only take intermediate-level magic courses. But since he'd been allowed to stay despite the rules, he'd already taken those courses years ago. He now found himself in the awkward situation of having no classes to attend.On a normal morning, he would have gotten up early, washed up, eaten breakfast, and gone straight to the library to explore unread texts for possible new spells.But this morning was obviously special. Chen Yi needed to figure out what had happened last night.In fact, he'd been so excited that he couldn't sleep at all—he'd only managed to fall asleep by casting a Sleep spell on himself.After accidentally learning Thunderstrike, he strongly suspected that he'd experienced what people called Divine Communion last night. So the first thing he did upon waking was to confirm it with Carl, who had been through Divine Communion many times.But Chen Yi had barely gotten to "the woman on the cross" in describing his experience when Carl hit him with the "wet dream" accusation."First problem: you're way too energetic right now," Carl analyzed."I know you probably had several expert swimmers watching over you when you were a kid, swimming from the west bank of the Divine Radiance River to the east bank, so you've got decent constitution. But that still doesn't explain why you're not lying in bed right now."Chen Yi had long grown used to Carl's casual displays of wealth. He couldn't be bothered to explain why a baker's son wouldn't have had servants.But he knew Carl was right. If he'd truly experienced Divine Communion last night, he should be lying in bed right now.According to the Church and many magic researchers, mortal bodies couldn't handle the immense mana the gods bestowed.So even though Divine Communion allowed one to learn magic, it was also a huge strain on the body.Therefore, at Rongqi Academy—the most densely populated magical place on the continent—they'd even established a "Divine Communion Leave" policy.The policy stated that any professor or trainee who experienced Divine Communion was entitled to a five-day vacation to recuperate.Chen Yi had never experienced Divine Communion himself, but he clearly remembered the first time his three dormmates had gone through it.Mendes had lain in bed until noon unable to speak. In the afternoon, Chen Yi finally heard him weakly ask for a glass of water.Carl had come down with a severe cold immediately after his Divine Communion. The cumulative force of his sneezes could practically rival an Air Pressure spell.Phil had simply passed out until the evening of the next day.All three of them had barely been able to get out of bed a few days later, trembling as they used quill pens to record the magic the gods had taught them.Some people said that the older you got, the less frequently the gods taught you magic.Sometimes, the gods would just call you over for a few words of encouragement without actually teaching any spells.But even then, the person still couldn't handle the overwhelming mana and would end up in bed for a while.For this reason, when Chen Yi's parents learned that he still hadn't experienced Divine Communion after all this time, they weren't anxious—in fact, they were somewhat pleased.His mother, who was superstitious about health, had even written in a letter: *Divine Communion is, after all, about gaining power that doesn't naturally belong to mortals. The weakness afterward must have an irreversible impact on your health, and thus on your lifespan. So not having Divine Communion isn't a bad thing. Just be a happy, ordinary person for the rest of your life.*That was why many older people who had no further ambition for magic or power actually didn't *want* Divine Communion.But the initiative for Divine Communion had never been in mortal hands. The only way to resist it was not to sleep at all.From that perspective, Chen Yi was indeed far too "healthy" after his supposed Divine Communion."Yeah, that makes sense," Chen Yi admitted."Second, what you saw was clearly a human. How could that be a god?" Carl said."You mean gods don't look like humans?" Chen Yi was shocked. He had pored over records and books about Divine Communion but had never considered that possibility.Then it hit him: describing a god's appearance probably counted as blasphemy. Even if such records existed, the Church would have burned them during their searches.Chen Yi pressed urgently, "Then what do gods actually look like?""You know, the god who chose me is the Great God Rhan, who specializes in Summoning. His body is made of fire and light—you can't look directly at him.""Fire and light? That's too abstract," Chen Yi marveled."Yeah. Otherwise, what would make them gods?""But the statue of the Great God Yan Yan in the plaza clearly looks human," Chen Yi quickly pointed out, simultaneously realizing why he'd subconsciously assumed gods and humans shared the same appearance."The statue in the plaza shows Yan Yan before his ascension. After he ascended, he must have shed his human form," Carl said as if it were common knowledge, showing he'd already thought through the logic.Chen Yi asked, "The Great God Yan Yan ascended and then descended once, founding our Rongqi Academy. The records from that time don't say his body was made of fire and light either."No sooner had he asked than Chen Yi understood. For the same reason, records depicting Yan Yan's appearance wouldn't have survived.He'd read the existing records. They didn't say that Yan Yan's post-descent body was made of fire and light—but they also didn't say his appearance was the same as any ordinary person's.But here was a very strange point: the statue of the Great God Yan Yan had been erected shortly after the academy's founding. To the mortals who built it, Yan Yan had lived five hundred years earlier—those craftsmen could never have seen Yan Yan's pre-ascension appearance.So what had they based the statue on?If the statue's depiction was purely artistic interpretation, wasn't that also a form of blasphemy against the gods?Chen Yi couldn't figure it out. He also knew he wasn't capable of figuring it out at his current level.Seeing that Chen Yi seemed to have worked something out for himself, Carl continued, "Third: the location of Divine Communion.""What about it?""Think about it. How powerful and sacred are the gods? How could one be hanging on a cross surrounded by a few white-robed men, locked in a prison cell?"Chen Yi's eyes widened. "Oh, I remember now. I've read that everyone, during Divine Communion, stays with the god in a place called the Sanctuary. The place radiates a holy white light, and the floors and walls are spotless.""That description is a bit exaggerated, but roughly accurate," Carl nodded. "Fourth: you said you were able to approach the cross, right?""Right.""No one can move during Divine Communion. You can only listen and watch," Carl explained.Chen Yi was startled. "Only listen? You mean the gods speak to you?""Isn't that obvious? But the gods only briefly explain the magic they're about to convey or announce their instructions. They don't care what we say back."Chen Yi remembered Headmaster Morin saying that the god who'd chosen him had once asked him to go to war. So it seemed Carl was right—the gods could indeed issue instructions to mortals."Last point—the decisive one." Carl's tone grew serious. "Did you learn any magic?"Chen Yi nearly blurted out that not only had he learned magic, but he'd learned the most powerful elemental magic.But then he remembered the woman on the cross, turning her head back as they dragged her away, raising her finger to her lips.No matter how you interpreted it, that woman wanted him to keep it a secret.Normally, Chen Yi's personality would never allow him to hide something as huge as learning Thunderstrike from his brothers.But the headmaster's warning from yesterday—*"Do what the gods tell you"*—still echoed in his ears, making him hesitate.After much internal debate, Chen Yi shook his head. "No, I didn't learn anything."The situation was too strange. He could always say something later if it turned out to be safe, but once a word left his mouth, he could never take it back. To be safe, Chen Yi decided to wait until he fully understood what was going on before saying anything.Carl patted Chen Yi on the shoulder and said, with deep sincerity, "Brother. Get a girlfriend."It seemed Carl had already concluded it was a wet dream. Chen Yi couldn't be bothered to argue. He'd more or less gotten his questions answered.He took his spellbook, as usual, and headed to the library, his mind heavy with thoughts.---When he arrived at the library, Chen Yi saw that his usual spot had been taken by a couple giggling and flirting with each other.He didn't mind. He found a corner to sit in instead, since his head was full of a woman anyway.Comparing his experience with what Carl had said, his own experience differed greatly from normal Divine Communion.Chen Yi unconsciously opened his once-blank spellbook again. The densely packed symbols on the pages reminded him that he had indeed learned high-level magic.And the strangest part was that Headmaster Morin had said Thunderstrike took him three years and nine separate Divine Communions to fully learn.The headmaster was the most powerful mage on the continent. Only in his later years, when his spellcasting and magical understanding had reached an extremely high level, did the gods bestow such a powerful spell as Thunderstrike upon him.Yet Chen Yi—barely in his twenties, still just an intermediate trainee—had learned the entire thing in a single night!At this thought, Chen Yi couldn't help but feel intense curiosity about this person he might as well call a "goddess."Why could *she* also teach magic in a way similar to Divine Communion?Why did she look human?Why was her efficiency in transmitting magic so much higher than that of Headmaster Morin's Great God Kaeln?Why was she locked up? What had she done? Who were those white-robed men?Would she ever be released? Why did she have to endure such cruel t*****e?What was her motive for teaching him magic?Was she benevolent or malicious toward him?And most importantly—why had she chosen *him*?All these questions flooded Chen Yi's mind, eventually condensing into a single point.And that point was a question he had searched for over the years without ever finding an answer: everyone believed he was exceptionally talented, so why had no god chosen him for Divine Communion all this time?Chen Yi had a vague feeling that the mysteries surrounding the goddess on the cross were closely related to his own question.Since this goddess was willing to teach him magic, he could tentatively assume she meant well.But he also reminded himself not to let his eyes lead his heart astray. Given that she was a convicted criminal, it was also entirely possible that she was using him—teaching him magic to achieve some evil purpose.For example, what if she was a thoroughly wicked evil god, teaching him magic to help her escape from prison? Then the evil god would break free, chaos and bloodshed would follow, and Chen Yi would be her number one accomplice.That scenario, though highly unlikely, couldn't be completely ruled out.Just then, he remembered those dull, dirty jokes the white-robed men had cracked about the goddess.Rage burned in his heart:If she was a good person, then he would do everything in his power to rescue her.After all, at his most helpless moment, she was the only god who had answered his plea."She... must be good," Chen Yi thought to himself.