Despite being stunned, and appearing so outwardly, it didn’t stop the overseer from “perusing” the rest of the information.
Overseer: “...”
The overseer felt like explosions were going off in his head “reading” every single word the measuring orb provided him.
“What manner of evil talents are these?” he wondered out loud, deceiving his movements.
With a flash, both the overseer’s hands joined together to form nine different hand seals in rapid succession.
The air vibrated intensely as nine brightly colored pillars manifested imposingly behind him: three blue, three brown, and three red.
“Tri-Elemental Prison,” the overseer commanded, as the pillars shifted themselves into a seemingly common arrangement.
To the unknowing person, the pillars looked no different now from before, only those with a deep grasp of formations and laws could sense the bizarre connection they formed not only with themselves, but also the world.
The Tri-Elemental Prison comes in near endless variations, but one of the most powerful ones establishes an independent domain deliberately separate from the other two elements, whatever they may be. This causes the world or realm to react by sending a surplus of the missing elements, which the prison then uses as fuel in a semi-Penta-Elemental-Prison.
This essentially allows those with lacking comprehension to use the five elements despite their innate disadvantages.
And while none of the spectators, whether they be testees or their guides, could fathom the intricacies, none were oblivious to the small opaque sphere that formed around the scrawny Fillan Strand.
“The evaluation is officially done for today, but it will resume as usual tomorrow,” the overseer uttered with his qi amplified voice.
With a “swoosh,” the overseer, the measuring orb, and Fillan Strand vanished from the city square.
No one—except for the one it concerned—even noticed the fact that the overseer didn’t bring away the Martial Pillar realm talent he had his eyes on.
…
What Fillan expected to see when he “woke up” from his near catatonic state was—well, it was not whatever he was looking at.
Walls covered in dirt, grime, and gods know what else. Rusty qi-enforced metal bars, a minimum of ten guards moving past his view every single minute, and chains covering his limbs and neck, while his chest was literally nailed to the unholy wall behind him.
He was clearly in prison.
“What the fuck is happening?”
Despite not being more powerful than the peak Earthly Pillar realm overseer, Fillan could easily escape no matter what he threw at him. Yet, when Fillan was casually trying to make sense of the enormous amount of information surging into him every single second, that silly little move the overseer made caused him to enter an untimely trance.
“I feel both groggy and clear headed at the same time,” he mumbled in confusion. “Such a low tier technique performed by such a lacking individual should definitely not have had any significant effect on my mind; maybe it was the combination of information and the overseer that immobilized me.”
“I guess I’ll never know for certain.”
As Fillan betrayed his words by continuing to mull over the issue, the sounds of hurried footsteps approached his cell.
You’d think that when someone gets incarcerated for their potentially world-ending talent that they would be kept isolated from others in a super secure location, but they apparently do things differently in Garth.
Exactly twenty three guards stopped outside Fillan’s cell, arranged themselves in a specific pattern, and started making inane sounds directed towards a rectangular item located on the ceiling.
Fillan: “...”
“Don’t tell me this is the way to open the cells in this place? Also, where is this place; I know—thought I knew—every single important location on Tella, but I have no recollection of this place at all.”
Fillan is by no means omniscient, but the fact of the matter is that even if he can’t fully discern what happens inside heavily guarded and reinforced locations like this prison or the Library of Knowledge, he at least knows they exist.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“There has to be a high tier Immortal formation hiding it, or a very special minor realm, or a gargantuan pocket of space in the void, or a treasure, or—”
The possible explanations were numerous, numerous to the point that Fillan needed to reevaluate the profoundness of Graaryll. There might be hundreds of locations and secrets Fillan missed due to taking everything at face value.
After a shockingly long display by the guards, the three center most rusty prison bars retracted into the ground, at which point a well-dressed young man was slung towards Fillan.
“You two keep each other company; don’t let him eat you, kid!” the foremost guard in the twenty-three formation derided. “I heard he likes to devour pretty boys like you.”
“What!?” Fillan and his new cell mate shouted simultaneously.
“What kind of fucking rumour is that?” Fillan prodded with fury. “Hey, don’t walk away while I’m talking to you! Hey! Why am I even here? Hello? Fuck!”
It was unknown whether the guards were just ignoring Fillan or if—for whatever reason—the cells only allowed sounds in, not out.
“You little brat, why aren’t you in chains?” Fillan asked the boy who hastily scurried away from his lap. “They’ve got me chained to this wall of filth while you can move freely. How is that fair?”
“I-I don’t know,” he stuttered. “You’re not really going to devour me, right? I’m just an innocent little weakling, not even a cultivator or anything. Hell, I don’t even have any talent! After I touched a big turquoise orb, my uncle told me I was utter garbage. Please spare me! Please! I can give you whatever you want; I’m rich. Just ask and—”
“Kid?” Fillan asked mildly.
“Yeah…”
“Shut up.”
“I’m so sorry,” the boy trembled. “I didn’t mean to offend you, great immortal master. Or martial master. Or mage—”
Deciding that his cell mate would not shut up anytime soon, Fillan decided to review his talents.
“There had to be something special for that old bag of bones to attack me; Dutiful Student.”
Dutiful student is a simple spell that, like a good student, pays attention to whatever information is given to him and then “writes it down”. This allows for something similar to Memory Monitor, but for external stimuli that Fillan never internalized.
The spell has limited uses, but in a situation like this, it’s perfect.
Measuring Orb Information Burst, log thirty-two:
Progenitor Katesthio Body: One of the universe’s unique creations destined to reign as an Ancestral God and spread their progeny to forever propagate the expanding chaos bubble—Katesthio—wields the incarnated power of creation, dominance, defiance, life, death, and destruction. However, unlike its other brethren who rely on their connection to the universe to manifest and improve their overlord powers, Katesthio rather needs to steal, usurp, and assimilate worlds, realms, and the laws of the universe to transcend its inherent shackles. Thus becoming a highly feared, antagonistic persona amongst all living, and intrinsic creatures.
WARNING! Individuals with this physique must be apprehended with utmost haste upon discovery, lest terrible misfortune were to befall the measuring orb and its possessors.
Innate Beshadowed Engraver: The ever enigmatic Beshadowed Engravers are a secretive, hardly known “species” of individuals, who, due to talent and fortune, eventually change their very nature. These individuals are commonly referred to as Divine Wizards, due to their grasp of and accomplishments within the field of what they call “Sorcery.” This evolved form of magic, based on testing limits and boundaries, possesses great might and dominance, brought forth by their spells’ immense complexity and their “Beshadowed Souls.” Engraving, understanding, developing, and evolving spells is no more difficult to these individuals than raising their hands.
Ancient Historical Carp Bloodline: A forgotten species lost on their voyage to become dragons of time. Proposed to possess a connection and control of the river of time, yet not even the most ancient and primitive of creatures grasp their nature or abilities.
Ancestral Baptism Survivor: To truly sit upon the Ancestral Thrones of the universe one must survive its baptisms. Upon facing the wrath of ever increasing waves of origin, one must survive, temper oneself, and prevail in a domineering fashion to become an existence above all, second only to the universe. This is the mark of true powerhouses, granting an ineffable pressure onto lower lifeforms of the same path.
“Karmic Reincarnation Eye: one’s previous lives' karma is accumulated and shielded in a third eye, giving them the ability to release a certain pressure from it (virtuous/sinister.) It provides the innate ability of gazing upon other’s karmic aura, while showcasing causal lines. The Karmic Reincarnation Eye grows stronger along with the person's cultivation, gradually giving them deeper insight and eventually control of Karma.”
“Universal Law Incarnation: Born with an innate comprehension of a universe's most fundamental laws, which in time, will grant an all encompassing comprehension of reality’s workings.”
“Well now, this is just ridiculous,” Fillan thought. “That little event not only evolved my body into that of a weakened Katesthio—an innate ‘Originator’—it also changed my soul and gave me a bloodline? Even if I disregard everything else, how exactly did that event have anything to do with magic?”
“I could potentially, maybe if I tried really hard, understand how I got the Ancient Historical Carp Bloodline after absorbing a droplet from the river of time, but for me to become an Innate Beshadowed Engraver, a Divine Wizard? I don’t even know what that is!”
“This time loops shit keeps making less and less sense, not that I’m complaining though. But you’d expect some sense of cohesion and logic in this type of thing.”
Meanwhile, huddled in the corner of the cell, the well-dressed young man became more and more convinced he was sent to this cell to die.
“Why does his expression keep changing like that; it’s freaking me out,” he thought in trepidation. “Maybe he’s one of those nuts who doesn’t know he’s doing something wrong, like he’s got multiple personalities or persistent psychosis.”
“Damn it all! I am not resigned to dying here, and definitely not by devouring. I can also think of like ten different meanings that can have in this context.”
“Damn quirky system…” he unintentionally mumbled, barely audibly, out loud.