"Huh? What do you an by 'partially unlocked?'" Daniel frowned.
"It is exactly as the term suggests, Lord Emberweave," the Keeper replied. "The set can be unlocked, but many of the cards within it will be unusable."
Hearing this, Daniel recalled the set's notorious issue with ti-related restrictions. It was the sort of problem that embodied the phrase, 'You can't make an olet without breaking so eggs.' He didn't fully understand what it entailed, and consulting Envy about it wasn't an option. To this day, he had avoided using any cards from the set to prevent unforeseen complications.
"Is it similar to The Rise of Calot set?" Daniel asked.
He rembered the Keeper explaining that he just needed to live his life as usual, as the issue couldn't be resolved by anyone but himself. Yet, even now, he had no idea what had caused the problem or when it would resolve itself.
"No… This set presents a different kind of complication compared to The Rise of Calot set," the Keeper explained. "While many cards in The Rise of Calot set are unusable due to ti contradictions, the situation here is more nuanced. As I've ntioned before, the principle of 'You can't make an olet without breaking so eggs' is an iron rule of ti.
"Take, for example, cards that allow you to bring back figures from bygone eras—such as Mr. Cao, Mr. Worseley, or Mr. Heracles. The flow of ti has already registered the events that birth the existence of these people as we know it had already happened, both for you and everyone else. But…" The Keeper's tone grew heavier.
"When you attempted to actualize Mordred, the flow of ti didn't recognize the events leading to Mordred's existence as having ever occurred." The Keeper paused, ensuring Daniel was following the explanation, then continued.
"In conclusion, the issue with The Rise of Calot set stems from complications within the flow of ti. However…" The Keeper's tone shifted, emphasizing the distinction.
"The problem with The Ragnarok Tales of the Rebel God set is a completely different matter. The events associated with this set have already happened, and you can safely actualize them as long as you adhere to the standard regulations. But!" The Keeper leaned forward, emphasizing the but.
"So of the entities within this set cannot be actualized, no matter what we do. Soone—or sothing—has already ensured that these existences cannot and will not manifest again in the reality we both inhabit."
The Keeper gestured subtly to help Daniel grasp the concept. "If this is difficult to comprehend, think of it like a website banning specific troll users. Those individuals are permanently barred from accessing or interacting with the site. In this case, the ban applies to certain existences within the reality we reside in."
"Okay…" Daniel nodded slowly, though his frown deepened. "I think I get it, but… there's still sothing about this that doesn't quite add up."
"May I ask what's unclear to you?" the Keeper inquired, his welcoming smile still firmly and professionally in place.
"The ti restriction... If you say that events which haven't happened to cannot be actualized, then why can I actualize things from The Rise of the Machine? The events in that set are in the future, right? Isn't that contradictory to the flow of ti?" Daniel asked, his brow furrowing.
"Ah! That's an exception," the Keeper began, his tone patient as he continued to explain. "The flow of ti in this reality considers the events of The Rise of the Machine to be events that will never occur, even in the future. Therefore, your power can safely import entities and objects from a different tiline into this reality without causing any disruptions to the fabric of reality—or the cascade of problems that would arise if we recklessly introduced sothing from another tiline which already exists here."
He gave an example, "Take what happened when you tried to actualize Poseidon. Your power attempted to bring in a Poseidon from another tiline who was already dead and willing to serve you. This action would have tried to overwrite the Poseidon of this reality. Such a process is highly dangerous, which is why I sought your permission to gain limited access to your power—to prevent incidents like that."
"Sounds dangerous…" Daniel muttered, imagining the potential fallout from such a mistake.
"Your power is the only one capable of defying reality and fate, even pulling entities from alternate tilines or dinsions into this reality. Dangerous is an understatent—it's more accurate to call it catastrophic or even apocalyptic," the Keeper stated, his expression serious.
Daniel fell silent for a mont before asking, "So… does that an all of this—these cards and the ability to actualize things—isn't sothing you've given ?" His tone betrayed his confusion.
"I am under no obligation to grant you such powers," the Keeper replied, calm but firm. "These shops, cards, and everything you actualize are yours and yours alone. I cannot steal this power from you. Only with your permission can I intervene or manage it in any capacity."
The Keeper continued, "Your power doesn't create things from nothing. Everything you actualize has a source—it always cos from sowhere. The nature of your power ans those sources can be near infinite, drawn from other realities or tilines. But no matter what, they must exist sowhere, even if not in this reality."
The Keeper sighed, his tone tinged with exasperation. "I can't believe you're still so paranoid after using your power extensively—enough to build an organization as formidable as the Order of Ember."
Daniel gazed out at the golden, starry abyss visible through the glass window. After a mont of contemplation, he asked, "Then… What is the true nature of my power? And what is that place... beyond the glass?"
The Keeper went silent, he closed his eyes, trying to feel sothing, or… maybe he considered whether he should tell Daniel or not.
"Since you are already powerful enough, then I think telling you wouldn't cause trouble for you now." Said, The Keeper.
"The place beyond the window—I call it the Starry Abyss. However… you might know it by another na: The Akashic Records. It is the repository of all power, magic, and possibilities—past, present, and future," the Keeper began, pausing to let the gravity of his words settle.
"The ultimate goal of all mages across all realities and tilines is to gain access to this place. Even a fleeting glimpse or the tiniest fragnt of power siphoned from the Akashic Records can elevate a mage or entity to unparalleled levels of power. But you—you are the only one capable of full access, able to wield all the power it offers."
The Keeper paused before continuing. "Do you rember asking once if you were an anomaly?"
Daniel nodded.
The Keeper mirrored the gesture. "You are, in a way, an anomaly. I don't know how or why you have unrestricted access to this place, or how you are able to utilize nearly all of its power. However, since the abilities you wield co from sources that exist and are verifiable, in another sense, you are not an anomaly. So incredibly powerful mages have been able to tap into slivers of power from the Akashic Records—just as you do—but none can harness its power as extensively or proficiently as you."
The Keeper offered a curious smile. "You stand alone in that regard."
"So… do you live in this Starry Abyss?" Daniel asked.
In response, the Keeper removed his white glove, revealing his bare hand. He stared at it intently as his hand began to fade, becoming semi-transparent, then solidifying again. Daniel looked down, startled to see the sa phenonon occurring with his own hand—flickering as though on the verge of vanishing before stabilizing once more.
"Let's say… yes and no. And that is all I can disclose to you with your current strength," the Keeper replied, his tone steady yet tinged with warning. "Anything more, and both you and I might suddenly cease to exist."
He slipped his glove back on with a composed smile.
Your next read is at empire
"This is… pretty dangerous," Daniel muttered, his unease evident on his face.
"As I've said before, Mr. Emberweave," the Keeper replied, his tone firm, "dangerous is an understatent."
"So… back to business. Do you still want to unlock The Ragnarok Tales of The Rebel God set, Mr. Emberweave?" the Keeper asked.
"What kind of cards can't I actualize? And how many?" Daniel inquired.
"Hmmm… let check," the Keeper replied. He vanished, teleporting to the Starry Abyss. Floating amidst the golden, star-like lights in the vast, dark expanse, the Keeper darted from one point to another, teleporting repeatedly to various places within the Abyss. After a brief mont, he reappeared in the shop.
"Mostly, the God cards," the Keeper began, "For example: Odin, Thor, Baldr, Tyr, Freyr, Heimdall, Kvasir, Njord… and so of the cards representing Asgard's allies. Strangely enough, while you can't actualize Odin, their unique weapons—like Gungnir and Mjolnir—are still available for you to actualize," he explained.
"Then, I'll unlock it," Daniel confird.
Imdiately, 50,000 points were deducted from the display screen on the wall, leaving a remaining balance of just 30,000 points.
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