Thalen’s mouth hung open.
"Wha— What? A Luminary? But... that makes no sense. If the first Princess is a Luminary, then what about the Emperor?"
Northern shrugged.
"He could be a Luminary too. Whatever the case, you have too little intel to be reckless around them. That’s all I’m saying. I’m not questioning Bairan’s strength or anyone else’s... but if this recent battle taught anything, it’s that I can never underestimate the value of knowing my enemy."
He scoffed, flashing Thalen a smug look.
"Of course, power thrashes all that noise. I can afford to look down on anyone. I just took down an Origin after all... technically. But you? None of you are even close. I don’t want anyone dying pointless deaths, so grip tight. What’s ahead is overwhelming, and no one has any clue yet."
Thalen watched him for a few seconds, face blank. Then he smiled.
Northern’s brow arched. "What’s wrong?"
Thalen shook his head.
"Nothing... it just felt odd."
Northern’s frown deepened. "What did?"
"Getting nagged by you."
Northern’s eyes widened. He stiffened.
"Oh! No! I didn’t an it like that. You’re all strong enough to protect yourselves, I believe that, but at the end of the day, there’s sothing you’re all not seeing ye—"
Thalen burst out laughing.
Northern’s brows pinched together. He exhaled hard, straightened his face, and turned away from Headmaster Thalen.
"Yeah... you got ."
Thalen tapped his shoulder gently.
"You looked like you’d fumbled a confession. Why were your cheeks so red?"
Northern clicked his tongue and stalked off.
Behind him, Thalen’s laughter rang out.
"No no no, I didn’t an it like that, you’re all—what was that?!"
Northern stopped. Turned back. He counted on his fingers, then smiled softly.
"Headmaster, I hope you rember I’ll be seventeen... in twenty-nine days."
Thalen’s laughter died like a choked engine.
"That’s right..." he muttered.
Heat crept up his neck.
’How could I forget?’
For a while now, talking and moving with Northern had felt like conversing with a peer. He’d actually forgotten Northern wasn’t even legally an adult.
And upon realizing that, he also realized the teenager who’d just nagged him was stronger than him. His lips twisted up in a forced, sheepish grin—a poor attempt to salvage his dignity.
He looked at Northern and caught that smug smirk plastered across his face. Mission accomplished. Northern turned and walked away, leaving Thalen standing in the evening breeze.
’Ah... he’s still seventeen. How in hell did he grow this much in one day of fighting an Origin? Maybe I should try fighting one myself...’
A mont later, the battle’s destruction flashed through Thalen’s mind—Northern’s body hurtling across kiloters from a single punch.
He shook the delusion from his head imdiately.
"I think I’ll stick with Destroyers and Sages. Maybe so Ascendants and Behemoths down the line."
Then he headed back inside.
***
Northern walked toward the ocean’s edge, each step sinking into white sand.
He stopped where the waves rolled in to kiss the shore before retreating—deceptively gentle for sothing so destructive.
"Aoi, show the Soul Forge."
[Soul Forge]
[▸ Size: Tier 2 (50km²)]
[▸ Terrain: Tripartite Domain (Glacial North, Volcanic South, Crimson Depths)]
[▸ Ti Flow: 1 second = 15 seconds]
[▸ Echoes: 2,930 stored]
[Map view is also available]
Northern’s gaze sharpened. "Show ."
The panel shimred, then exploded into a three-dinsional holographic map hovering before his eyes.
The Soul Forge appeared as a roughly circular domain, carved into three distinct regions radiating from a central point.
At the center sat a small gray circle etched with runes—The Threshold—where all three terrains converged. The Anchor Point glowed faintly white at its heart.
The northern third sprawled in whites and blues. The Glacial North stretched across the upper portion, dominated by a massive mountain icon piercing toward the edge. Snowfall drifted across the frozen expanse. Aurora-like ribbons flickered around the mountain’s peak.
The southern third burned in deep reds and blacks. The Volcanic South occupied the lower region, its terrain carved by jagged lines representing lava flows and ash fields. A broad cone—the volcano—sat prominently near the southern boundary. Its caldera glowed molten orange, and a smaller structure—the Forgesmith—perched on its rim.
The eastern third bled dark grays and crimsons. The Crimson Depths filled the right side of the map. Obsidian plains transitioned to rust-red terrain, all leading to a single glowing point—the Red Mine entrance. It pulsed rhythmically, like a heartbeat.
Where each terrain t, thin transitional zones barely registered—misty strips where colors blurred before surrendering to the next domain.
A faint gray ring encircled everything—the Soul Forge’s current boundary.
Northern’s eyes traced the three landmarks—mountain, volcano, mine—each equidistant from the center, forming a perfect triangle across his inner world.
A smirk crept across his face.
"Dear stars... where have you been all my life?"
With this map, he didn’t need to explore every corner of his world blind. No more relying on instinct and perception to navigate the Soul Forge. He could simply see it, thanks to Aoi.
[You can also select a location and travel there instantly, with no Soul essence cost]
[And you can mark locations of echoes and inhabitants in your soul. You can also restrict access to certain areas by permission level]
Northern’s grin stretched wider. He tilted his head back toward the darkened sky.
"Hmm, the ocean breeze is perfect today." He exhaled slowly. "Oh my goodness... life can actually be this good?"
His chest felt light. Electric. Joy surged through his veins like lightning—all thanks to Aoi.
Northern studied the map closer, zooming in on the forge. Three white dots appeared.
His eyes widened.
"Ah! I forgot about them!" He leaned forward. "How are they there?"
[They existed as mories of the Void. All Omniform did was give form to the mories of the Void]
[You should note that mories of the void are the consciousness of existence sealed in a passive state. When Chaos was regained, that passive state was unsealed by giving the mories form in the Soul Forge]
"So they have no idea anything’s happened to them?"
[Yes. But their souls have been touched and tainted by Void and Chaos]
Northern’s brow furrowed.
"That can’t be good."
[If you weren’t the Daemon of Form, a Writer and Unwriter of Nas, the King of Perception, and the Origin of Endless, perhaps not]
Northern scratched his cheek. His gaze slid away.
"Oh my days, you didn’t tell a glaze system was in the patch."
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