Whoosh!
In a mansion atop a snow-covered rocky mountain, three n had just finished their al. Seated around the table were Archiver rlin, Kevin, a master wizard and professor of the tower, and Oliver.
Oliver, using a snow-white napkin to wipe his mouth, expressed his gratitude to rlin, who sat at the head of the table. "Thank you for the al, Elder."
"I'm stoked y'found it enjoyable. Couldn't help but notice at brekkie too, you've got quite an appetite," replied rlin, gesturing at the towering stack of dishes next to Oliver, once filled with thick steaks but now emptied by his voracious appetite.
"The wooden puppet golems took good care of ."
"I told 'em to keep the grub comin' till you were full. All good now, mate?"
Oliver rolled his eyes, took a mont to think, and then nodded. "Yes, I had a good al."
"Happy to hear that. What about you, Kevin?"
"I also had a satisfying al."
"Good on ya. Was a bit worried you'd knock back my invite again. The older ya get, the scarier a ‘no' feels, eh?"
"I had so spare ti today… and I wanted to hear from that guy." Kevin gestured towards Oliver, referring to none other than Eve, and rlin concurred.
"I'm keen as mustard to hear about it. That's why I went through the trouble of invitin' disciple for a feed… Dave."
"Yes, Elder?"
"You actually told the angry Eve to be patient?"
"Yes… surprisingly, she seed receptive to human speech," Oliver recalled the situation and answered.
Eve, freed from the Druid's bind, exuded intense anger and hatred towards all. It was unclear whether it was because of Shamus or accumulated information, but Eve seed ready to lash out at anyone she could.
While silently observing this, Oliver made a request to Eve. "Could you please not be so angry and bear with it?"
"Why'd ya go and do that?" rlin asked, curious about Oliver's reasoning.
"Well… isn't that the norm?" Oliver responded, assuming it was self-evident.
Oliver believed that it was reasonable not to encourage soone to act recklessly, especially considering the power and will of Eve, who was a world tree.
"Sorry mate. Should be obvious, but when ya say it… it feels… right," rlin's response carried a sense of contemplation, leaving his emotions sowhat ambiguous.
Perceiving their reactions, Oliver was perplexed by what he might have done to evoke such responses. Was there sothing unusual in his approach?
"Let's get a wriggle on… what went down after you put forward the request?" rlin redirected the conversation.
"As I ntioned earlier, Eve cald down. It seed like she was suppressing her anger, but… she didn't appear as threatening," Oliver recounted.
"And then?" Kevin inquired, sipping his after-dinner coffee.
"As promised, I asked her to secure the location of the ABC investnt fund information. Eve found and saved the data at an astonishing speed. It was truly impressive."
"Well, considering Eve is essentially a world tree, such abilities are only natural."
"Indeed. Nevertheless, witnessing it firsthand was remarkable."
"What happened next?" rlin continued his inquiry.
"I advised her not to get too angry again and then told her she could leave. She seed like she wanted to depart," Oliver concluded.
Oliver's deanor was as if he were parting ways with a casual drinking buddy he had t at a bar, despite being aware of the true nature of Eve through the book rlin had given him. His behavior was so unconventional that even Archiver rlin found it hard to comprehend; rather than expressing anger, rlin seed more analytical.
"Um… did ya get a chance to read that book I gave you, ‘The Evolution of the World Tree?'"
"Yes."
"But you still let her go? Not having a go at ya, just asking."
"Yes, because I promised I would. And…"
"And?"
"……And, when there's a will, isn't it a bit too much to keep holding her against it?"
Kevin, who had been quietly listening, pointed out that Oliver's reason seed sowhat trivial compared to the value and risks associated with Eve.
"Even so, you should have kept her restrained. Having Eve with us could have revolutionized the study of the World Tree, possibly surpassing even the Druids," Kevin suggested.
"I'm sorry. I did think of that right after I let her go, but it was too late."
"Couldn't you have bound her again?" Kevin asked, considering the possibility.
Oliver contemplated the idea of restraining Eve once more. While it wouldn't be easy due to her resistance, it might not have been impossible either. Was it a fifty-fifty chance?
After a mont of thought, Oliver shook his head. "I'm not sure. But isn't breaking a promise a bit too much?"
"What if Eve can't control her anger and goes on a rampage? She might not cause physical harm, but she could wreak havoc using the power of the World Tree," Kevin warned, emphasizing the potential consequences.
Kevin's concerns were valid, as the damage caused by Eve's actions would be hard to predict. If she were to expose the scanned records and secrets stored in the World Tree, chaos could engulf the world, given the many individuals with dark secrets.
"She won't do that. She agreed when I asked her to endure."
"What if she changes her mind?"
"…Um, there's nothing we can do about that, is there?" Oliver responded with a hint of resignation.
Kevin found Oliver's emotional disposition quite distinct from that of ordinary people, giving him an unsettling feeling.
rlin attempted to put an end to the discussion, saying, "Let's not dwell on it. Things don't always go according to Hoyle in this world; that's what makes it intersting… Dave?"
"Yes, Elder."
"I don't an to sound like a broken record, but when you debrief the Moirai School, it'd be best to leave out Eve's antipathy towards humans and the bit where you asked her to endure."
"Pardon?"
"The recent discovery of Eve havin' a bone to pick with humans could really rattle the Moirai School, could lead to a right kerfuffle. If you spill the beans, it could cause a stir. They've got a fair bit of clout, information-wise."
Oliver understood rlin's reasoning and nodded in agreent. "Yes, I understand… Elder. May I ask you a question?"
"What is it?"
"This is just personal curiosity, but why do you think Eve was born all of a sudden?"
"It's in the book, ain't it?"
"Yes, I've read it. It says that due to the accumulation of vast amounts of information, an artificial consciousness and Will will erge… but I don't quite understand. Can consciousness and will simply co into existence because a lot of information accumulates?"
"Quantity can morph into quality, so I reckon it's quite possible."
"Then, why did it happen just now?" Oliver's eyes glead with scholarly curiosity.
rlin considered the question and offered an explanation, "There's a reasonable reason. Throughout history, this is when the World Tree gets the most use, especially by the magic mob. As the number of users goes up, so too does the info from the outside, so it's less of a surprise when things like this happen. Could just be the natural order of things."
While Oliver found the explanation sowhat unsatisfying, he couldn't refute it. As rlin pointed out, the recent rapid increase in World Tree users and the accumulation of information could explain Eve's ergence.
Yet, despite this explanation, Oliver felt that sothing was still amiss.
As Oliver wrestled with his lingering curiosity, rlin decided it was ti to conclude the conversation. "Alright, we've had our feed, and we've had a chinwag about what's been buggin' . Let's wrap it up here."
Surprised by the sudden conclusion, Oliver exclaid, "Huh?"
"What?"
"Don't you have any other questions to ask? Didn't you hear about any other stories?"
rlin hesitated for a mont before answering, "Extracting the power of nature and mixin' emotions and mana?"
"Yes. Don't you have anything to say about it? My acquaintance ntioned that he had never seen a warlock extracting and using the power of nature before."
"Can't say I've heard of it either, but it doesn't strike as that odd," rlin calmly replied.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, so reckon this is humanity's heyday and the pinnacle of knowledge, but from where I'm standin', it's still an age of fools who know less than they reckon they do. So, it's not odd for a warlock with a novel skill set to pop up. Just fifty years ago, folks didn't even know black swans were a thing."
Oliver was convinced by rlin's composed response. There was still much unknown in the world, and it seed like a plausible argunt.
In the midst of their conversation, Kevin interjected, eager to add his thoughts. "So, what do you think about mixing mana and emotions?"
Both rlin and Oliver turned their attention to Kevin, intrigued by his question. Kevin appeared outwardly calm, but internally, his curiosity and eagerness shone brightly. "I've never seen anything like it before. Mixing emotions and mana… Is such a technique even possible?"
Oliver gazed at rlin with genuine curiosity.
To be honest, Oliver wasn't sure if the mixing was an intentional endeavor or a serendipitous accident. He likened it to soone flying in the sky without the concept of flight.
rlin provided an answer to Kevin's inquiry. "The practice of mixin' emotions and mana is a field that's been poked around in before, though it's a bit fringe and sowhat taboo."
Both Kevin and Oliver beca even more intrigued upon hearing this revelation.
"Is that so?" Oliver asked.
"Righto. Among the few, there are so wizards who show an interest in both black magic and emotions. Even among past Archivers, a handful dipped their toes into this field… A few of them even tried to splice mana and emotions."
"It's the first ti I've heard of this."
"I ntioned it before; it's a niche and often contentious area."
Oliver readily understood why researching black magic and emotions might be t with resistance. Black magic had a negative social perception, and the required talents for studying it were different from traditional magic, making it a challenging and taboo area of research.
"But if they were researching it, there must have been a reason, right?" Oliver pointed out.
rlin acknowledged the valid observation. "According to the research done by past Archivers, when mana and emotions are mixed, their power goes through the roof. But the risks involved are also equally steep."
Oliver imdiately grasped the implications, recalling his own experiences with [Greed Fire] and [Hunger].
"What's the underlying reason? What specific principle enhances the power?" Oliver probed further.
"Well, since it was more hit and miss research by individuals rather than a focused dive, we haven't completely cracked the mystery. But there is a theory."
"A theory?"
"Yes, do you know what mana and emotions have in common?"
Oliver furrowed his brow, contemplating the question. "I'm not sure?"
"It's that both originate from the soul."
(To be Continued)
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