"You have.. what-" Roley asked before pausing. His hand rose up to his face, middle finger and thumb gently massaging his temples. It was a habit he had taken in youth, when his constant studies would bring about the most debilitating of headaches, and that had survived throughout the thousands of years he had spent as a cultivator immune from such feeble conditions.
He sighed, then added. "Please, a little more details if you will."
Daniel smiled, but his gaze stayed on the battlefield. There, a new future was taking place. One where the army of cultivators had made use of the chaos created by his attack to fight back. Though, despite his enormous contribution their success continued to not seem likely, for the majority of the fleet they were left to face was still, albeit slightly confused, still functional.
Only after several seconds did Daniel finally turn to face his companions.
The smile that had curved his lips had yet to part, only growing wider as he noticed the alertness in Roley and Der’s eyes. He knew they had felt it, the power of karma. They were the only ones who could. Yet, he did not explain. "It is better if I show you." Daniel said before raising his finger, pointing it towards the vivid battlefield. Before the others could react, a bolt of lightning erged from his fingertip, and in a matter of monts, struck one of the cultivators closest to him.
At the mont of contact, the sky flashed a blinding white color. The obliterating strike ca from nowhere, smiting Daniel millions of tis faster than he had hit the cultivator before, turning him to ashes. When the flash of light disappeared, only motes drifting in a small cluster were left of him.
Aeron did not remain idle. He imdiately started chanting, and by the ti the vanguard of the tech-centered army arrived in the recently reset scenario, Daniel was whole once more.
"Pay attention now." Daniel said casually while crossing his arms against his chest. His gaze once again fell on the events that were playing out around him. There, the cultivators were finally able to regain the advantage, only to see it stolen again by the bigger and more powerful fleet that had co in support. When the battle-cruiser veered in the direction of the planet, however, Daniel raised his hands in surrender, and said, "Look at ."
Roley and the others turned towards him, wondering what Daniel wanted them to notice. For several seconds they observed him, staring as he did nothing, failing to realize that that was his intention to begin with.
A few more empty seconds passed. From the corner of their eyes they could all see the world-destroying blast being charged as usual. Annoyed by Daniel’s cryptic behavior, Roley asked in exasperation, "Rember what I said about giving us so more details? Is there sothing we aren’t see-" Just before he could finish asking, however, every hair of his body stood on end. An attack of existential power had been shot towards the ship, only to interfere with its charged attack soon after.
Der, who had also felt the attack of karmic power being shot towards the fleet, narrowed his eyes in suspicion, and for a simple reason. His gaze had never left Daniel. It had been glued to his body, weary of his every movent and of the motion of each form of essence his body was emanating. Yet he had failed to notice him act. His essences felt idle in his body, which now lacked reserves of karma that would otherwise have painted his eyes golden.
To both him and Roley, the attack had appeared natural, as if it hadn’t been perford by Daniel–As if it had been part of that mont in history all along. Only then, did the two catch on.
"What have you done.." Der muttered in disbelief. Neither he nor his companions were clear on the functioning of the trap they were in, but if Daniel’s theory was correct, wouldn’t interfering the way he did, distort the course of history? And who was to tell whether the party he had aided needed to be helped, or whether the tech-oriented civilization was simply responding to a provocation..
Before Daniel could respond, however, Roley asked, seemingly uninterested about the possible implications of the aspect’s interference. "Have you found a way to break through this trap, then?"
Whilst casually observing the mutated scenario, Daniel responds, "No, because there is no trap." Noticing Roley’s curiosity deepen and the others turn restless, he continues, "As we have established, this is no temporal trap, for a trap implies deliberation and intent. What we are in lacks either, so it is unlikely it was created by a sentient being."
"I also doubt that you in particular," He adds while casually pointing in Roley’s direction, ".. would fail to notice the presence of the elents of light, lightning and fire within the obliterating strike-which ans that the power the attack is fueled by is beyond re mana, or a cultivator’s innate essence. It is more likely that this power is existential in nature."
Roley nodded in agreent. "If this were related to the primordial essences of ti and space–which I haven’t rged with yet–I may have questioned it.. but after thinking it through, I agree. Those particular forms of mana you have ntioned would definitely be within my perception. That said, I do admit that the attack was so fast, I blad my poor cultivation for not being able to analyze it properly."
"With the primordial nature of light, lightning and fire embedded into your body, how can sothing as trivial as speed prevent you from noticing their presence nearby you?" Daniel asked.
Uncertain, Roley was about to retort, but then his mouth closed montarily. "Wait a minute–if the attack was existential in nature, how is it that none of us could perceive it? You’re an aspect yourself, Der has so ability to sense them, and I’m half an aspect as well. We’ve felt your power, but never the force of that obliterating strike."
Daniel nodded pensively, then responded, "I never managed to truly perceive the powers of the aspects of existence at the very top–the few tis I ca in contact with them. And I believe that may be related to their primordial nature. After all, there is always a difference between an incomplete power like mine, and the totality of a primordial power of existence."
"You especially should be able to tell the difference, as your understanding of the elents is equal to mine, but you can wield them to a degree that is impossible for to match. And that is the reason why my understanding makes an ace of all trades in the spiritual path of cultivation, but your primordial one makes you a pseudo-aspect of existence."
Roley and Der seed to catch on to Daniel’s aning, but before they could speak, Aeron interjected.
"So this is what happened to Der and Edmund? They expanded their respective understanding of warfare and space to such an extent, that they were able to unlock the ability to peer into a primordial form of warfare and spatial essence?" He asked calmly.
Daniel smiled in excitent. "Oh, it is far more than that. Simply unlocking a glimpse of primordial power would, at best, give Der a power similar to that of the aspect of War, or give Edmund an ability Roley will eventually co to possess after rging with the primordial treasure of space and ti, but I don’t think that is the case."
After a short pause, Daniel continued, "Using Der as an example.. one can easily see how similar to the aspect of War his power has beco, but it is also significantly different–More conscientious.. and human."
Roley’s voice rung out softly, "Are you saying-"
"That his, and Edmund’s powers aren’t sheer primordial forms of essence, but primordial essences filtered through human consciousness. In Der’s case his power didn’t evolve into the existential power of war, but into ’the necessity for war to protect and survive’, while Edmund’s ascension must have been triggered by a desperate desire for freedom from the shackles of spatial essence. A freedom that allowed him to gaze, and then reach for the far ends of the multiverse without restraints."
As he finished explaining, leaving the others deep in thought, Daniel pinched his chin. "I shall na it the third path of divinity." He decreed.
"The third what?" Roley asked.
"Path of Divinity." Daniel repeated, eyes shining with excitent. "Third after the natural birth of an aspect’s consciousness, and the ascension through one of Destiny’s gifts. A way of ascension purely reliant on a cultivator’s innate attitude, chance, and will."
Few were happier than he was at the thought of having discovered a new path of divinity. After all, his conflict with the pantheon had already begun. Their attempt to execute him under so fabricated charges and a biased tribunal were still vivid in his mind, and even if that event had not been enough of a casus belli for his enemies, the death of war was as clear a stance as he could possibly take.
Since he had no choice but to fight this war, Daniel had been trying to help Roley ascend to the realm of an aspect of existence. But he had never expected that his old companions would open a new path of ascension. One that put them on the sa playing field as his enemies.. and enemies they were—bot for him, and them. After all, deities dislike competition.
"This new path.. so many could pursue it." Roley muttered under his breath before suddenly turning to face him. "Can I also attempt to ascend this way? And maintain my.. humanity?" In his voice was a flicker of hopefulness. A part of him, albeit small, had yet to surrender to the alternative.
Daniel’s head tilted to the side in response, showing his confusion directed at Roley’s unwillingness to sever the remaining attachnts. Hadn’t he abandoned the life of a mortal, and dedicated thousands of years to the survival and independence of the elentals? Hadn’t he almost transford himself into an aspect of nature, a primordial all-encompassing creature whose potential could absolutely tramp the strongest of his known enemies?
Yet, he did not let his thoughts out. Instead, he said, "No. I do not think it possible."
"Why?" Roley asked, slightly anxious.
"Have you forgotten? You are not a mortal anymore, but a champion of Destiny. The connection to the primordial state of mana you have is tied to the elental system, just like my connection to the power of karma was aided by the karmic system I used to possess. That ans that your ascension will be similar to mine." Daniel explained before casually pointing out, "It is quite obvious, if you take a mont to consider it. You wield a primordial treasure of the essence of space, and yet, would you claim to understand its nature better than soone who has studied it its entire life, making it its life work, and the core of their cultivation?"
Roley’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. "A system can be given, taken, or absorbed. Would it not be possible for to part with it, and pursue a natural ascension?" He asked, unconvinced by Daniel’s true motives. Yet, the following explanation completely eradicated his doubts.
"Do not flatter yourself. Nothing more than a puny spiritual cultivator last we lost contact. You might have been talented in the study and understanding of the elents, but to peer into the primordial nature of nature without the aid of the treasures in your body.. we do not have that many millennia to see whether you are capable enough." Daniel responded dismissively. His interest towards the new path they had discovered was focused on the potential of others, not as an alternative for Roley’s ascension. After all, he wanted at least a being similar to himself by his side. The more powerful the better.
Fallen into silence, Roley looked down dejectedly. His morale fell to an all ti low as Daniel’s following words reached him, "The ntal cultivator is far closer to reaching a primordial understanding of his path than you are."
Aeron, having noticed Daniel’s intention to break Roley’s hopes to find a path different from that which he had paved for him, interrupted, "What does that have to do with our current predicant? Or with what you’ve done to this place?"
Taken aback, Daniel smiled faintly. "A digression." He says, "I ant to point out that primordial powers of existence are difficult to perceive, even for . I suspected as much during our eting with sound. A brief negotiation which did not require a display of her powers.. but perhaps we simply did not perceive them, just like the obliterating strike."
Awakened from his dismay, Roley lifted his gaze and asked, "You an we are.."
Daniel continued, "A place that contains a primordial power of existence, albeit detached from its owner’s consciousness–One not unlike the endless battlefield. A dinsion where all events in ti, b
oth past and future, are written, and cannot be changed. We are in the weave of fate."
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