Chapter 301
Compatibility (4)
It was then that IAM found himself wondering what the others' paths were. Not their exact concepts—those were far too sensitive and important for any ascender to casually reveal—but at least the general direction they might be walking.
Even though he could admit they had grown close, he also knew they weren't that close. Not close enough to openly share something as personal and dangerous as a path's true concept.
Still, he couldn't help but guess.
After giving the boys a few subtle glances, he tried to piece things together from what he had observed so far. Henry's path was probably related to something like righteousness or justice—it fit his temperament too well. Yohan's, on the other hand, was unclear; there wasn't enough for IAM to draw any solid conclusions from. And Reuel… who knew what his could possibly be.
Before IAM could continue that train of thought, Vanessa's voice cut through his mind, interrupting his internal monologue.
"I know some of you might be wondering why compatibility matters so much," she said. "The answer is quite simple. One of the main reasons is synergy. When paths are compatible, their interaction can improve the effects of your methods and techniques, with only a slightly higher mana cost. In contrast, using paths that are incompatible can cause you to expend excessive amounts of mana for very poor results."
She adjusted her glasses before continuing, her tone growing colder.
"Compatibility also affects how easily you can progress down your path. With compatible sub-paths, advancement becomes smoother and more stable. With incompatible ones, progress becomes difficult, unstable, and in some cases… dangerous." She paused for a fraction of a second. "Trying to forcibly merge paths that clash at a conceptual level can damage your core concept. In extreme cases, it can even cause your brain to… explode."
The room stiffened.
Many students wore sour expressions now, fully grasping how vital the protection and stability of their concepts truly were. Their vigilance rose instantly, driven by the very real fear of a violent and sudden death.
Sigh…
Just another terrifying roadblock on the path of an ascender.
"Now, to provide an example," Vanessa continued, "let's take the Rule Path. If this were your main path, it would naturally be compatible with something like the Justice Path."
She let the words settle before explaining.
"Rules exist to create order. They define what is allowed, what is forbidden, and what happens when those boundaries are crossed. Justice, at its core, is the human attempt to enforce those boundaries in a way that feels fair, balanced, and meaningful. Psychologically, people have an innate need for structure. Chaos creates anxiety, while order creates a sense of safety and predictability. When someone breaks a rule, the mind instinctively looks for correction, for consequence, for restoration of balance. That instinct is what gives birth to the concept of justice."
She tapped a button and on the the screen, the aforementioned two paths now appeared side by side.
"A Rule Path user seeks to impose structure on reality itself, to define how things must function. A Justice Path user seeks to evaluate actions within that structure and deliver reward or punishment accordingly. One creates the framework, the other gives it moral weight. One says, 'This is the law.' The other says, 'This is what you deserve under that law.'"
Vanessa's eyes swept across the class.
"From a human nature perspective, these two concepts are deeply intertwined. People obey rules not only because they exist, but because they believe in the fairness behind them. When rules feel unjust, rebellion rises. When justice is perceived without clear rules, it becomes arbitrary and terrifying. Together, however, they form a complete system: order supported by meaning, authority supported by legitimacy."
She paused before resuming.
"That is why these two paths resonate so strongly. Their concepts reinforce each other instead of clashing. A Rule Path strengthened by Justice gains purpose. A Justice Path supported by Rules gains stability. Their synergy reduces internal conflict, lowers conceptual strain, and allows techniques derived from both to flow naturally, as if they were always meant to coexist."
IAM was once again impressed by Vanessa's ability to teach. She explained things in a way that made even complex, abstract concepts feel intuitive. As a teacher, he held a great deal of respect for her.
She continued, "Now let's take another example. This time, the Rule Path and the Emotion Path."
Her expression grew more serious.
"At first glance, they might not seem completely incompatible. After all, emotions influence how people perceive rules, and rules often exist to regulate emotional behaviour. But when you look deeper—at the psychological and conceptual level—you begin to see why these two paths naturally clash rather than support each other."
She gestured lightly with her hand.
"The Rule Path is built on structure, consistency, and objectivity. Rules are meant to be stable. They are supposed to apply equally, regardless of who you are or how you feel. Their strength lies in their rigidity and predictability. A rule does not care if you are angry, afraid, joyful, or grieving. It simply is."
Then she shifted her focus.
"The Emotion Path, on the other hand, is fluid, reactive, and deeply subjective. Emotions change from moment to moment. They are influenced by memory, trauma, instinct, desire, fear, and countless unconscious factors. From a psychological standpoint, emotions are not designed to be consistent. They are designed to be adaptive."
"When you try to merge these two at a conceptual level, you introduce conflict. The Rule Path seeks to impose fixed order. The Emotion Path seeks to express ever-changing inner states. One demands stability; the other thrives on fluctuation. One says, 'This must always be so.' The other says, 'This is how I feel right now.'"
Vanessa's cold blue eyes swept the room.
"From the perspective of human nature, this creates internal strain. People already struggle to follow rules when their emotions run high. Anger makes us impulsive. Fear makes us irrational. Love makes us biased. Grief makes us withdrawn. Emotion is the primary reason rules are broken in the first place. It pushes against restraint, against structure, against logic."
She tapped the podium softly.
"So when a Rule Path ascender tries to draw deeply from the Emotion Path, their concepts begin to pull in opposite directions. The rule wants to be absolute. The emotion wants to be personal. The rule wants to be impartial. The emotion demands priority for the self. Instead of reinforcing each other, they interfere, creating instability in techniques, increased mana consumption, and conceptual friction."
Her voice lowered slightly.
"In extreme cases, this kind of incompatibility can cause the ascender's core to become conflicted. Their intent wavers. Their methods lose clarity. Their path no longer knows whether it is meant to command reality with order or respond to it with feeling."
"That is why," she concluded, "while rules and emotions coexist in ordinary life, at the level of paths and concepts, they are fundamentally misaligned. One is built on control. The other on experience. One suppresses fluctuation. The other is defined by it. And when such opposing foundations are forced together… the result is not harmony, but strain."