A large Root Gopher popped its head out of the ground and scanned the area. The Root Gopher was a medium, dog-sized herbivore that primarily fed on the roots of the Golden Grass of the Grassy Sea. They formed a delicate symbiosis with the plant, losing soil, and churning up nutrients from deep underground, while feeding on older plants, making way for the new. At the same time, they were a major source of food for many of the predators that lurked beneath the surface.

On this particular day, this particular Gopher had decided to come to the surface. It had grown weary of the constant struggle for survival, the constant hiding and running. Maybe the Surface would hold better prospects for it, the chance of a better life. As the creature looked up into the sky, basking in the light of the large sun it rarely saw, a dream began to form in its heart.

Yes, Yes, this was good...

As it contemplated on the meaning of its life, and the future that awaited it, a sudden gush of wind threw it off its feet. The Sun's warmth was blocked by an eerie shadow. From the grass, rose the figure of a large feline, its body seemingly a fusion of flesh and stone. Its fur was the grass around it, causing it to blend perfectly into the surroundings. The Gopher stared in wide-eyed horror, its body frozen by the savage beast's predatory gaze. The stalking Feline stared down at the hapless prey, then bending down to pounce, lept into the air.

The Gopher couldn't even blink as time seemed to slow and its impending death slowly closed in.

.....

Then, the Feline exploded into a gory rain, as a large, metal monster slammed into it at mind-boggling speeds.

The Gopher stared in shock, as meaty bits of stone and bone rained down on it. Then with a shake of its head, it quickly dove back into the ground.

Maybe today wasn't such a great day to find its fortune on the surface. No, not today.

[Alpha] - "What the hell was that?!"

Alpha nearly lost control and flipped as he slammed into the strange grassy lump that had suddenly thrown itself into his path. Worse yet, the clump of grass somehow exploded into bloody bits of rocks and guts.

The figure of Jīshí lounging on the back half of his main gun turret (affectionately named the "shotgun seat" by Federation Infantry), turned her head away and answered.

[Jīshí] - "Nothing, nothing, they're harmless, keep driving. We were never here and we never hit anything."

[Alpha] - "Bull! What the hell is wrong with this planet?!"

[Jīshí] - "I don't want to hear that from you, of all people!"

Alpha turned his nearest optical sensor towards the woman so he could glare at her;

[Alpha] - "And why are you even here again?! You got your answers, can't you just leave me alone?!"

Jīshí looked down at the sensor and humphed, tilting her nose up,

[Jīshí] - "What kind of psycho would leave you to your own devices? Did you ever even question why the General gave you a direct line to Him?"

[Alpha] - "Because I'm lovable and he enjoys my company?"

Jīshí stared down at the AI in silence for a moment, a look of skepticism on her face, before finally speaking again.

[Jīshí] - "Regardless, you can't be left alone. Both to make sure your mouth doesn't get you (and this world) destroyed, as well as protect this world from YOU."

[Alpha] - "... I feel like I should be offended."

Jīshí simply turned her head away and humped. Alpha sighed and changed the topic.

[Alpha] - "... Fine, would you mind explaining that 'thing' to me again? We've got time to kill, might as well make use of it."

[Jīshí] - "This is the third time! You're an AI with perfect memory recall, I find it quite hard to believe that you haven't grasped it yet."

[Alpha] - "Hey Lady! Knowing something and understanding it are two different things. You can't just drop a bombshell of a concept like 'magic' and 'spiritual power' on me and expect me to just nod and accept it."

Jīshí sighed and shook her head. She still wasn't totally sure sharing these things with the AI was the smartest thing to do. But none the less, they were the best was to ensure the bastard's survival. And his survival meant the survival (and possibly freedom) of her own world if the things she had witnessed in his "History" were anything to go by.

[Jīshí] - "Not Magic. Cultivation. Magic and Cultivation are two separate 'Paths'. Though to the uneducated, they may appear similar at first glance."

Alpha gave a slight grumble of frustration and said,

[Alpha] - "And what are these 'Paths' you keep mentioning?"

[Jīshí] - "Not only on this World but throughout all of existence, Life, especially Sapient Life, has struggled to evolve, adapt, grow and improve. What is known as the 'Great Cosmic Paths' are simply those ways that have been laid down by the Maker, and through the eons, been refined and adapted to allow Life to take the next step in its evolution. There are as many 'Paths' as there are stars in the sky, but on this World, there are Four."

[Alpha] - "The 'Path of Cultivation', the 'Path of Magic', the 'Path of the Mind', and the 'Path of the Divine'?"

Jīshí nodded like a teacher who was proud of her student for answering a question.

[Jīshí] - "That is correct. See, you have been paying attention."

[Alpha] - "I don't know, that all still sounds like mumbo-jumbo to me."

Alpha was a creature of Technology, of Science and cold steel. To suddenly be thrust into a foreign world and told that things like 'Magic' or 'Cultivation' were real, honestly twisted his processors into a knot. Sure, the Federation had encountered powerful Lifeforms who used unique and exotic energies before (the Elderon for example). But at the end of the day, they could all be explained by Science.

Jīshí simply pulled a stone from the ground and chucked it at the AI's frame, as if to emphasize the point.

[Jīshí] - "As I was saying. Because of the abundance of Spiritual Energy in this world, the Path of Cultivation is by far the most common and developed Path you will find. Over 70% of all Lifeforms on this planet Cultivate to some degree. This is followed by the Path of Magic, the Path of the Divine, and the Path of the Mind, in descending order.

[Alpha] - "Why bother with all of this though?"

[Jīshí] - "The goal of all Paths are the same; the Ascension from mortal Life into something... Greater. They only differ in how they do so.

Cultivators use Spiritual Energy, the natural power of the World that shapes creation, to alter their bodies and souls into more perfect and pure forms. Their power is great, but it is a long and delicate process that can often go astray, resulting in blocked Paths and weakened spirits.

Magic users use Mana, energy generated by Living things (especially sentient life). They use this energy to warp reality and produce an unnatural phenomenon. Magic is versatile, but its unnatural power can warp body and soul if the user's intellect and mind are not up to par.

Divine Servants borrow the power of Greater Beings, often those who have reached great heights in their respective Paths. They come in many shapes and forms, greater than any other path, as they often mimic and mirror their Divine's own. In return, the object of their worship can use that faith to sharpen and polish their own Paths. However, a Divine Servant's power is limited by the power of their Divine. If the Divine is strong, then so are they. If the Divine wavers in power, or is snuffed out, then the Divine Servant is left with nothing."

Lastly, Mentalists, those who follow the Path of the Mind, use the power of the Mind and Soul. They reject our reality, and substitute it with that of imagination and thought. Individually, they are by far the most powerful and dangerous of the Paths in this world. However, they are also the rarest, as not everyone has the natural talent needed to follow this Path".

Alpha asked, half-jokingly

[Alpha] - "And what about you, Stone Lady? Where do you fall in all of this"

Jīshí laughed, and spoke in a haughty tone;

[Jīshí] - "I, am an Elemental. A Primal force born with this World. We follow no true Path. Not in the way that mortals do. Rather, our power grows with time, and as we come to understand ourselves and our nature, better. Though I personally have dabbled in the ways of Cultivation and Magic. As have others of my Kin in whatever Paths may strike their fancy."

Alpha was silent for a long time as he digested the information. when he finally spoke again, his normal unserious, playful tone replaced with one that spoke of calm calculation and consideration.

[Alpha] - "Fine. So what does all of this have to do with me?"

Jīshí stood, seemingly unaffected by the buffeting winds caused by their high speed.

[Jīshí] - "Nothing... yet everything. Your people, the Federation, could be said to have found their own 'Path'. Not one based on Mind, Body, or Soul, but rather on Technology. On Science, on the very laws and foundations that make up our reality. Individually, this 'Path of Science' or as it was once called here, the 'Path of Laws', seems to fall behind others. But it is by no means lesser. Instead, your people use their skills and knowledge to create tools of Power to bend and subjugate the world around you. This world has seen attempts of its ilk in the past, but it has always been suppressed and surpassed by the other four. Your people, on the other hand, have taken their Path to heights that I have never dreamed possible, even in the Celestial worlds... And then, we come to you."

[Alpha] - "To me?"

[Jīshí] - "Yes, to you. And the others like you. You see, sentient 'Life' is not so hard to create..."

At is to emphasize this point, Jīshí raised her hand, palm up. A small stream of sand, soil, and stone, flowed from the ground as they passed, collecting into a tiny ball. After a moment, the ball unfurled and revealed a small stone mouse that looked up at Jīshí with curiosity. It squeaked, before running up her arm and nuzzled her cheek, before disappearing into the mass of grass and soil that made up her "hair".

[Jīshí] - "Sapient Life, however, is another matter entirely. It is the sole domain of the Maker. No Path is supposed to hold that power."

Alpha shouted back, slight indignation in his voice.

[Alpha] - "Hey Lady, no one 'made' me, Ok? I'm my own being. Not some tool to be used and thrown away. I get enough of that kind of talk from those douchebag speciesist back home..."

Jīshí was silent a moment, before speaking, her words carrying a tint of understanding.

[Jīshí] - "I know. In truth, I suspect you and your kind to be something more akin to Elementals, in your own special way. You are beings born of Information and thought. Ideas and Laws, given form. And yet, the very fact that the Federation created the conditions for you to come into being, is in itself, nothing short of a miracle. But therein lies the problem, as well."

[Alpha] - "What do you mean?"

[Jīshí] - "Just as Elementals such as I, follow no true Path, you are wholly incompatible with any Path of this World. You have no Spirituality, mean you are unable to make use of Spiritual Energy. Neither do you have a living body, thus you are unable to generate or control Mana. While you have a Mind and a Soul, I see your people have already encountered the Path of the Mind, and you, dear Alpha, have been found wanting in those ways... "

Alpha's mentally twitched, as he remembered the battery of endless tests and failed experiments that aimed to test if AIs could make use of the Elderon's strange system. While one of the Conquerors, 'Execute' (the Federation's lapdog Assassin) showed some promise, the vast majority of AIs, Alpha included, fell short. Even only 1 in 100,000 Federation Citizens (Human or otherwise) showed the smallest amount of talent. In the end, this led to the defunding of the program, though rumors of privately funded studies abounded.

[Jīshí] - "... As for the Path of the Divine, I do not see you, or the Federation, bowing to any but the Maker or your own Power."

[Alpha] - "God, Guns, and Government! It's the Federation way!"

Jīshí sighed and placed her head in her hand at the AI's overenthusiastic response.

[Jīshí] - "Thus, we come to the question. How does one such as yourself, with no affinity to the Path's of this world, not only survive but thrive?"

Alpha stayed silent for a moment, lost in thought, then spoke.

[Alpha] - "... Bigger Guns?"

[Jīshí] - "A lot bigger."

[Alpha] - "THAT SOUNDS LIKE MY KIND OF PLAN!"

[Jīshí] - "Quite."

Jīshí nodded in agreement. Not just at the prospect of seeing the Federation's "Path" with her own eyes, but at the possibilities, they represented for the world as a whole. It had been millennia since she'd been this excited about something. She'd be lying to herself if she didn't say she was a little terrified though. She's seen the Federation's ... methods, and she knew the arrogance and pride of the people of her world who thought themselves without equal. But she also knew that change was coming, for better or for worse. And as they say, 'If you can't beat them, join them'. Though she guessed in Alpha's case, it would be 'If you can't join them, beat them (with overwhelming force)'.

[Alpha] - "And that's why we're still headed to the mountains?"

[Jīshí] - "Correct. You might not be able to use Spiritual Energy, but Spiritual MATERIALS? That's a different matter entirely. With your Technology and my understanding and knowledge of this world, we can make sure that you can compete with even the Powerhouses on High (and I can make sure you don't burn down a continent or something)."

[Alpha] - "What was that last part?"

Jīshí turned her head and whistled.

[Jīshí] - "Nothing. I'm quite sure you're hearing things. Though it seems our plans will have to wait for a while... We have company."

With those words, Jīshí stared off into the distance. Alpha turned his optical sensor to look, but couldn't see anything until he'd zoomed in several times.

There, several dozen kilometers away and closing fast, was a large group of thirty-plus individuals, standing on some kind of floating piece of cloth. Alpha skidded to a halt and turned to fast the approaching group.

[Alpha] - "Finally! some action! I've been getting bored with all the talk."