Mark came too, but he wasn’t in his cultivation area anymore.
He was lying in a huge, unbelievably comfortable bed in an otherwise spartan room. The walls were black, filled with glimmering lights reminiscent of his new chakram, while the floor and ceiling were pristine white. A single door stood opposite the bed.
Mark scrambled from the bed, his pulse rising rapidly as his mind conjured terror after terror.
Had he been kidnapped? What was happening?
His thoughts didn’t get the time to spiral further as the door opened, revealing a human figure. The man had pitch-black skin and purple hair. He wore a black robe and carried himself with poise.
“Welcome, Child of Cosmos,” the man said. “I am Andur Krevalis, and I shall be your aide while you remain here.”
His mind shorted out briefly as the dark spiral ground to a halt. Wasn’t he in trouble? His aide? Wasn’t that like an assistant or something?
“Where am I?” Mark asked. “What’s going on? Why was I taken here?”
“This is the Stellar Sanctum,” Andur said. “We are the custodians of an ancient legacy, and you are the newest candidate. The System detected a trace of our heritage in your blood and activated it as a reward for some accomplishments. You are not truly here, not physically, at least. Your spirit has been projected here so that we may commune.”
Mark’s mind was spinning. Ancient legacy, candidate? Activated heritage? That must be the bloodline, but what did that mean?
“Wha-Wh,” Mark stuttered. “What now?”
“Now, I ask you to follow me,” Andur said, gesturing for him to follow. “I shall take you to our leader, the last pure-blood Karphani.”
His mind was a jumble, so he couldn’t muster any reason to refuse. He mutely nodded and followed the man.
They walked through winding corridors and passed huge chambers, but Andur didn’t stop or speak until they reached a pair of huge double doors.
The doors were inscribed with intricate symbols representing stars, planets, and a profound emptiness. The lines held a deep meaning that eluded Mark’s understanding, and he didn’t have time to inspect them before the doors opened.
A wave of mana blasted through the door, almost pushing Mark to the floor, but he managed to remain on his feet.
They walked through the doorway, and Mark looked around in awe.
The room was immense. Mark believed they could fit half the Tutorial Town inside the room, but it was almost entirely empty.
The walls were the same as the rest of the rooms, except they were engraved with esoteric patterns, the floor was pure white with similar designs, but the ceiling was gone.
Above his head, he saw three stars orbiting a space of utter black. The stars were being drained as lines of their mass were drawn into the black hole, but they didn’t seem to be losing mass. Waves of pressure and energy pulsed from the stars, and Mark felt like he was witnessing something forbidden.
The duo kept walking into the room, as Mark was engrossed with the view, but they stopped in front of a stage or podium.
Mark almost walked into Andur’s back but stopped himself in time and looked down from the ceiling.
On the podium sat a withered man. The man had alabaster skin covered in wrinkles and black hair filled with glimmering lights akin to stars. Pillars stood around him with bright lights on top, which pulsed with immense power. The pillars were covered in runes, and lines of power led from the pillars to the man.
“My liege, I have brought Mark Johnson,” Andur said as he bowed to the figure. “The new candidate.”
The wrinkled man looked at Mark with tired eyes filled with hope.
“This is Lethralo Eti’Kaphran,” Andur said as he turned toward Mark. “The last Kaphrani, and Lord of Cosmos.”
The man, Lethralo, took a deep, rasping breath before he spoke.
“Welcome, to the Stellar Sanctum, young one. We do not have much time, so I shall be brief. The Kaphrani were a force to be reckoned with at our height, but we grew arrogant. We tried to contend with powers beyond us and attempted to shackle the System. Our punishment was the utter destruction of our civilization, but some of us managed to survive. I am now the last of our people; until you.”
Andur rushed forward and supported his liege as he almost fell forward.
“Easy, my liege, don’t strain yourself, please.”
“Bah! I must. I cannot allow him to leave without knowing. He must know.”
“But, Sire!”
“No!”
They kept mumbling for a few seconds before Andur retreated, though he didn’t look pleased.
“For now, your bloodline is weak and must be nurtured. In so doing, your authority over the Cosmos will increase, and you may reclaim our greatness. I only ask that you do not repeat our mistakes.”
Lethralo looked at Mark with sorrow as tears started flowing from his eyes.
“My kin railed against the System, fighting tooth and nail to restore us and our civilization, but it was folly. The System is absolute, and to fight against it is to fight against all of existence. I ask you to reach the peaks of power so that the Multiverse will know of our people but do not fall as we did. Find this place in physical form, and you may unlock its secrets.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Lethralo took a shuddering breath, and the orbs of light dimmed.
“My time is nearing its end, and I may not survive long. Know that the System would not unlock your heritage without cause. It has a purpose for you, but do not mindlessly follow. Perform the task, reach greater heights, awaken, and nurture your bloodline. I implore you; do not let our people remain forgotten.”
Lethralo slumped on his throne, and Andur walked up to the pillars and he infused some energy into them before turning to Mark.
“You have heard the wishes of our liege, and now your time nears its end in this place. Take this, and learn.”
Andur handed him a crystal, which immediately disappeared in a flash of light, and Mark felt something latch onto his center, like a new skill.
A second later, Mark blacked out.
***
He opened his eyes and saw the familiar sight of his cultivation area. The space surrounding his platform and the pillars draw energy in. The pillars now looked familiar, as he could recognize some of the runes from the ones surrounding Lethralo.
He rose to a seated position and looked over his gains before considering the new information.
[Skill upgraded: Mana Shaping -> Cosmic Manipulation.]
Cosmic Manipulation: Manipulate the forces of the Cosmos, and bend them to your will. Limited by comprehension.
[Skill gained: Cosmic Eye.]
Cosmic Eye: Witness the truth of the Cosmos.
[Skill gained: Chakram Mastery.]
Chakram Mastery: Teaches you to wield the chakram with skill.
[Skill gained: Spatial Sense.]
Spatial Sense: Sense the fabric of space.
[Truth expanded: Space -> Cosmos. Space reduced to Theorum.]
[Theorums gained: Star, Matter.]
[Inisghts gained: Heat, Light, Mass, Density.]
[Concepts gained: Heat, Light -> Radiation. Mass, Density -> Gravity.]
Name: Mark Johnson
Race: Karphan Human(F)
Class: Child of Cosmos
Level: 1
Stats:
Strength: 70
Dexterity: 132
Endurance: 102
Intelligence: 260
Wisdom: 144
Free Points: 0
Truths:
* Cosmos
* Space
* Void: +15 Dexterity, +25 Endurance, +20 Intelligence. +5% Dexterity, Endurance, Intelligence.
* Movement
* Distance
* Fabric: +25 Intelligence, +20 Wisdom, +15 Dexterity. +5% Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity
* Tear
* Sharpness
* Phase: +25 Intelligence, +20 Dexterity, +15 Wisdom, +5% Wisdom, Intelligence, Dexterity
* Isolation
* Shift
* Star
* Radiation: +25 Intelligence, +20 Wisdom, +15 Dexterity, +5% Wisdom, Intelligence, Dexterity
* Heat
* Light
* Matter
* Gravity: +25 Strength, +20 Endurance, +15 Intelligence, +5% Strength, Endurance, Intelligence
* Mass
* Density
Skills:
Cosmic Manipulation
Blink
Cosmic Eye
Chakram Mastery
Spatial Sense
He had, once again, made immense advances, though this time not on his own. He felt that unsettling sensation of things being too easy but pushed it to the back of his mind. He had gotten a confirmation of sorts that the System wasn’t just giving him power for the sake of it but for a reason. Something was coming, and the System wanted him to deal with it or at least be able to weather it. One thing was certain; he would make the most of it.
He’d been given power, and he would use it to reach further and help his family. He didn’t allow himself even to consider them dead.
Mark closed his eyes and calmed his thoughts, refocusing on the task at hand. His status had expanded once more, but he was surprised to see no hint of his bloodline, but he figured it had to be integrated into his new race; Karphan Human—apparently, not pure-blood Karphan, but a mixed race of sorts.
Mark didn’t know how to feel about that. The System was already changing everyone drastically, and now it had changed his race. Would his family recognize him? Accept him?
Fuck! Again? Focus Mark!
His thoughts kept drifting, but it was no use thinking of that. He hadn’t gotten an answer from the guides, but he figured it was some time until the Tutorial was over.
Rather than battle with his thoughts now, he tried to settle into meditation.
For a few hours, he sat and pondered on his new Insights and Concepts.
Mark opened his eyes again, having gotten a decent grasp on things, and headed out.
He had been out for a few hours, and with the time taken for his advancement, it was nearing the deadline for his next mission. He wanted to test out his new skills and his weapon, so he rushed to the square, ignoring the strange looks from the others, and accepted the mission.
***
The orcs were standing like statues as Mark strained his mind. His power to manipulate space had increased dramatically. Enough for him to solidify the space around the fifteen humanoids and make them incapable of moving.
He had brought out his chakram the moment he appeared in the mission area, and it floated in the air behind him like a halo, but he now brought it forward with a thought.
It flew through the air, and Mark enhanced the edge with a spatial tear, and it sliced clean through the orcs like a hot knife through butter, but he wasn’t done.
The chakram flew around them, returning for another pass, but this time Mark focused on another concept or Insight—heat and Light. The chakram’s edge turned a blinding white, and heat radiated from it, and it burned through them almost as quickly as before.
It was apparent that his control over spatial energy was stronger than with star energy, or it might be a matter of resistance.
He also learned that he had a range limit.
He could only move the chakram a few meters away, so he had to follow behind.
Mark smiled as the last orc fell, and he was returned to the Tutorial Town. He didn’t get any rewards, except for credits, this time, though, but figured he’d gained enough. It wasn’t like he needed anything more.
He returned to his cultivation area and focused on his Method. He still hadn’t managed to maintain his cultivation during combat, but he felt close.
[Level up!*3 30 Stat points awarded.]
[Cultivation Method Harmony has reached 75%.]
It felt great to level up again finally, and seeing his Method Harmony rise, meant he should soon be able to maintain it during combat. That was something the guides had said. You needed a highly harmonious Method to maintain it, but when you did, you could level up mid-combat. There were downsides to doing so, as the energies you drew wouldn’t necessarily be the best and would introduce impurities, but if a few levels let him survive an otherwise unsurvivable fight, it would be worth it. Circulating the Method would also give him a significant boost to all stats, which was the main benefit.
Next, he settled down to work on his Body Method, and the change was immediate like he’d found the missing piece. Of course, the Karphan Stellar Body Method was meant for Karphani.