John was getting dangerously close to his harmony cap. Since he had ten [Skills] he couldn’t see in his NCS, he was always at risk of one hitting the next Mastery and generating a ton of harmony at once.

Since getting the rest of the mats for [Elaborative Encoding] was impossible, John and Avatar had talked about alternatives. If he sold the current mats he had for [Elaborative Encoding], there were certain [Perks] he could afford, but none of those were all that exciting.

Most cultivators acquired their [Aura] [Perk] at Gold tier. Most didn’t have the foundation, harmony capacity, or the harmony to get it until high or peak Gold. The same was true of Diamond and [Domain] [Perks], except a major aspect and a mid-concept were additional reasons to wait for that tier.

[Stone Body] was generally regarded as the best body formation [Perk] dedicated cultivators could meet the qualifications for by peak Bronze.

Amber had acquired that body for one of her forms. Both demons and Li also tried for that body, though John was told Mele went for a body refinement called [Woeful Conduit], and Alia tried for a refinement called [Bonds of Angrim].

The body [Perk] John received required six times the harmony as [Stone Body], and he acquired it at Copper tier, not Bronze. His harmony capacity was considerably higher than it should be at his tier due to all his high level and high Mastery [Skills], but it still bothered him how much harmony had been wasted when the Tree of Life returned and merged [Skills] for him. The last thing he wanted was to waste more of it.

As things stood, John met the requirements for and had far more than enough harmony capacity and plenty of harmony to get an [Aura] or [Domain] [Perk] now.

There were at least ten types of different [Auras] listed under each parent grouping of defensive, control, benefit, damage, negative, and zone, and each one provided some benefit or enhancement within a certain radius that expanded out over time and with ascension.

For instance, Preceptor Muzaran had a control [Aura] allowing him to more easily unbind the manifestations of opponents within its zone of effect.

Avatar wanted John to acquire a damaging [Aura]. Based on the data collected on John’s total combat hours, he tended to fight large groups of enemies. She decided the most helpful one for his combat style would provide passive damage.

But those large battles certainly weren’t the toughest ones John had been in. He wanted an [Aura] that would assist him in fighting higher-tier enemies. But not now.

Since [Domains] required much more harmony and were usually acquired at Diamond, John thought of it as the more powerful option. The two [Domains] he knew for certain had been directed at him were both very powerful. He was extremely curious to see what he’d get for his own considering ‘vampirism’ was a peak-concept and covered such a broad category.

The ritual to obtain a [Domain] didn’t require mats. It required an extremely complex circle, a lot of essence, and dancing in a very womanly manner for a long period.

John again wondered just how people knew to dance in such a way to attain a [Perk]. And why, when a [Perk] required dancing, the dance always seemed so feminine. He wondered if only ancient female warriors were the inventors of [Perks], or if [Perks] always required feminine energy.

Since John didn’t want his new [Perk] to be known of, and he certainly didn’t want to be witnessed dancing in such a way, he was in the generator room. As he finished practicing the ritual and was about to infuse the circle with essence, something startled him greatly. Adrenaline coursed through his body increasing his alertness, his heart beat quicker than it had for a long while, fear gripping it harshly as terror numbed his brain.

Something was looking at John. He didn’t know what or from where, and with his senses and orb-eye, he noticed nothing to cause such dread. But whatever was looking at him was as deserving of fear as the cold-dark.

John had felt that fear before. Whatever looked at him now also looked at him both times he had entered the Nether. He felt a tug and the world blurred by, but not as it did when he entered his own or another’s Mind’s Eye. It was as he experienced during rank ups and ascension.

Then all suddenly stilled, and John was looking directly at the humongous, indescribable monster he feared and hated named Betrayal. The monster spoke, and its words were like extraordinarily destructive and strange trumpets meant to quake the earth apart, heralding the end of days. “IT IS TIME WE SPOKE, MY CHILD.”

John’s heart filled with fright. He had only spoken with Betrayal once before, and it didn’t go well. It resulted in the ancient old one sending him to the cold-dark for a time. The last thing he wanted was to speak to this monster again.

But what John wanted mattered little to Betrayal, and John rose off the cold, white, marble floor of a large room as a very fancy couch appeared.

Giant golden doors swung open and into the room walked John’s father. Not the real version of the man John remembered and knew to be true after his mind had healed. It was the idealized version of the man John invented in his own mind, but even much more so of an idolized version.

The dark-haired man had no gray in his braided hair or beard and stood about eight feet off the ground, towering over John’s height. He had a sturdy, well-muscled frame, and wore it confidently. He was also fully dressed in rich clothing, an anachronism considering John’s people only wore loincloths.

The man held John’s eye with his own as he strode to the couch. “Come, my child. Sit beside me,” he ordered as he took a seat himself.

John did as he was bidden to, holding his pretend father’s eye as he walked to the couch and sat beside the man. “I remember what my father really looked like. You’re not him.”

John’s father smiled and said, “No, I am not the man you consider to be your father, though I created you as much as he did. I am the first made of our Father, an expression of His curiosity. I was once called the same. Now I am called Betrayal, as you are now called John. Names matter little, even true names. All that matters is what the one so named does. And what he knows.”

The staring contest continued. John had no reply for what he was told and wondered if he should kowtow or pay some form of obeisance. He had no desire to offend Betrayal and visit the cold-dark again.

“Worry not,” said Betrayal. “At the time, you had a thought that honor couldn’t be taken, and could only be given away. The truth proved differently. Anything can be taken. Everything can be taken. Everything. Please, call me Father, not Betrayal. And I require no obeisance. You are safe.”

John immediately tried to guard his thoughts as Betrayal could read them as Sunshine did. And he had many negative thoughts about the monster. He would never consider anyone or anything his father besides his real father. He would never disrespect the man that put so much effort into raising a strong and true son in such a way.

Worriedly, still more fearful than he thought the best of men would be, John replied, “Thank you,” purposefully leaving off any name or title.

Betrayal laughed. “I will try to only consider your words and wait for your replies. And I don’t require you to name me or give me title, or consider me your father, though I am.”

“Thank you,” replied John again.

“You’re unsure whether I’m friend or enemy,” said Betrayal. “I am both, or neither. I do as I do, just as you can be relied upon to do as you do, barring some surprises. Taking so many powerful souls to strengthen your own was risky, and not just due to being labeled blasphemer. I assumed the pain caused would be enough of an indicator to take it slowly and carefully. You came close to dying a few times.”

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John didn’t know what to say to that, so said nothing.

“Is there a question you’d like to ask of me, my son?”

John’s mind flooded with a million questions. The most prominent being why. Why any of it. But the best of men always thought first about his responsibilities and did so with a razor-sharp focus.

After sorting through and disregarding questions, John asked, “If I performed a task or favor for you, would you reward me with the power I need to destroy the Peerless Empire?”

“Have I not helped you become more powerful,” asked Betrayal. “There’s not enough time for you, but your enemies and their empire could still fall as a result of your actions.”

Betrayal frowned and said, “I dislike indirectness, deceitfulness, and disingenuousness. If I were in your shoes, I’d want to know what this monster wanted of me. I will tell you in full.

“You will not get a [Domain] now. You will receive an [Aura]. A specific [Aura] I’ll teach you the ritual of. I will teach you a ritual to gain a [Domain], and you will do so after ascending to Gold. I will also provide a way to hide your [Titles] and a token that can be used to call on me once.”

Betrayal put his hand on John’s shoulder. “I give you until Diamond to be your own man. Anytime between now and ascending to Diamond, you can use the token to call on me and offer up my vessel early. If you don’t use the token, during your ascension to Diamond tier, before you begin to refine your soul, I will take my vessel.

“There will be a contest of wills, much the same as you’ve had with those beasts whose souls you’ve taken. I don’t want to provide false hope. You will fail. Your will is as that of a gnat to my own.”

After looking deep within John’s eyes for a long moment without John replying, Betrayal said, “There are rules, especially for when we take a vessel. Before the contest of wills, I will ask if there is any boon you wish of me. I don’t need your soul, only the vessel it resides in.

“You could ask for a soul like Lillith’s own and never truly die. If you ask of me to destroy the Peerless Empire, I will, as soon as my vessel is capable of performing the deed. And if you contact me with the token and provide the vessel sooner, I will grant two boons.”

Anger had replaced the fear within John. For six thousand years, I have struggled. Alone. Miserable. For what? To provide a body to be used as a toy for a being of unimaginable power? And this only after I finally rekindled the spark of life within my own chest that makes existing bearable? I will not allow it. I will destroy this body before this monster takes it.

“No,” replied Betrayal. “You won’t. And that would change little. I do not want this vessel to use as a toy. I need it to stop what is to come, and in doing so save your universe. Every universe in every reality. All that you hold dear. Your people. Your world. Your Amber. Your body will allow me the attempt. You are not selfish enough to deny me. And I am not selfish enough to turn my back towards what is to come.”

John, in a dark mood, had some thoughts to the contrary, and Betrayal didn’t care if they were voiced again. The monster angrily snapped out, “Then Amber will be my vessel. This isn’t a game. We are talking about the end of the Tree of Life. I don’t want to see such an ending.

“Yes, you don’t know. Naturals were created by my kind to use as vessels. Usually, we need a vessel to attain omega status before it has the power to contain the least part of us. Naturals usually attain omega sometime during the third Tree. No Natural has made that Tree since the fourth cycle. For you, your [Synergy] was my workaround, and your vessel has wanted to transform to alpha status since you’ve completed it. It will once I possess it.

“Since my siblings aren’t very curious, they haven’t experimented as I have. I can enter your vessel as it is now. Raising it from alpha to omega status won’t be difficult for me. And I’ll have a vessel I can raise from Mortal to Eternal, far more powerful than any has been before it. I will have the first vessel one of my kind directly performs the soul refinement for. I will attempt to stop what is to come before it is too late, and all is lost.”

Though John was still filled with anger and disappointment, he did appreciate how honest Betrayal was being with him. With his mind occupied with his end, he hardly noticed himself asking, “Why’d you only mention Amber as one I care about? Hubaba is as good of a friend to me as she is, as is Nine.”

Betrayal squeezed John’s shoulder lightly. “No, the demon was not. I, too, am afraid to love. The type of love you feel for Amber. It is far too risky. Thankfully, it is only possible when I am in a vessel. Nothing is more frightening than opening your heart to another. It is terrible. And I’m sorry to tell you that Hubaba is dead, as is Sunshine. No, the Peerless did not kill Hubaba.”

After giving praise to Hubaba and Sunshine, far more so Hubaba than Sunshine, John took a moment to remember his demon friend and his former semi-mentor. He thought he must be the cause of their deaths. He didn’t want his fear confirmed with certainty and was glad when Betrayal didn’t speak on it.

“Please tell me only who killed them and not why,” asked John. “Was it the same person? I need to avenge their deaths.”

Betrayal smiled warmly before saying, “That is not for me to say. I must eventually face the one most responsible. Not as vengeance for your friends. Not unless you ask it as a boon.”

Many, many hours passed as Betrayal, at first, gave John time to come to peace with events, then field all his questions, and train him on the two rituals he was to perform. The monster gave him all the time he needed, and this time did grant John some peace. And new resolve.

Betrayal may believe John’s life had only been to provide the ancient old one with a vessel, but that same life, that terrible life, had also given him the necessary tools to fight back and win.

Though he knew Betrayal could read his mind, the monster didn’t seem to care that John was now determined to win the contest of wills and keep his own body.

John’s will had been forged in hardship and war. For six thousand years it had been tempered to endure. He would not go so easily. He certainly wouldn’t go meekly.

But Betrayal was right in his belief John was not selfish enough to stand by and witness the end to all he cared for when he could help prevent such a fate. Since his life had also trained him for the task, once he won the contest of wills, he’d save the Tree of Life himself. Right after he destroyed the Peerless.

Though it seemed cowardly and little, if John just couldn’t handle the task on his own, since he’d win the contest of wills, he’d be able to set terms. He could allow Betrayal the use of his body to perform what actions were necessary to save all existence. He’d rather forge it himself, but being returned to a body infused with such power as the ancient old one described wouldn’t be a terrible thing.

When it was finally time to leave, John asked Betrayal a question that had been bothering him. “If everything’s at risk, why doesn’t God just fix it? Isn’t He all powerful? Didn’t He create everything? He doesn’t want to protect it?”

“He is omnipotent. He is omniscient and omnipresent. That question is why all is at risk. His instructions were simple. Love one another, do only good, do no evil, and be rewarded with Heaven. Nothing else.

“Why do you think He cares if this creation of His falls? He would know when and how it fell before He created it. Maybe enough magals have attained Heaven that He is happy and content and uncaring about the rest of you. If He wants, He’ll just make a new Tree of Life and new realities. Magals struck my siblings first, unprovoked. Maybe if He creates anew, His next children will listen.”

John sighed. He was hoping for real answers. “None of it makes any sense. Doing good most often requires doing what karma considers to be bad. But it isn’t. The Peerless do evil things. If I kill them, they can’t do those things. That’s good. Good men are required to do bad.

“And why create such…why is there disease and kids murdered or dying of hunger? If He just made things better, if there was less evil everywhere, then the karma system wouldn’t have to make sense, because everything else would.”

“This is the system He made,” answered Betrayal. “He did not create life as it is directly. The system He made creates life slowly. Radiation is required for simple life to evolve, and that same radiation can cause that same life cancer. Resources are scarce and magals are greedy. Some aren’t. Parents plead to God to take them in place of their sick child, and God seems to ignore it all, all the pain and suffering the system He created causes those He created.

“If you believe that since God wants you to do good that He is good, you are mistaken. He is God. No one can know the mind of our Father. Just imagine how things would be if His wishes were obeyed and all of you loved one another and worked together peacefully and harmoniously. He gave you all freewill. Do you think that was a mistake too?”

As John was thinking about that, Betrayal added “I don’t have all the answers, but If you think of life as a test, it may make more sense.”

John wished any of it made sense. “Then why are you helping,” he asked. “If God isn’t helping, why are you?”

Betrayal laughed. “So, you don’t accept what I previously told you? Good.”

The monster chuckled again. “As I said, there are rules. My kind often break them. I often break them. Up to a point. Many of us thought our Father would never kill any of His first children. When He killed Hubris, we all learned differently. They forget that since He is so kind and forgiving, that He is also not. We are all but expressions of Him. Those of us offered Heaven, and those of us denied it.

“It’s said I was offered but refused Heaven. Maybe that’s true. Maybe it’s not. Maybe that has something to do with my true goals. Maybe there are many experiments I’d like to see play out or bear fruit. Maybe I have other motivations.

“I can see the twisting threads of fate, but not everything, not everywhere, and not all at once. I don’t know if I will succeed in stopping what’s to come. I will try. But if the Tree of Life falls, I won’t. I risk nothing in the attempt. Assign whatever motivation to me you want, as long as you aren’t naïve enough to believe that I am good or not selfish. I am simply curious.”