Chapter 134 - Eterna

With her black hair cascading down her back, she ascended the stairs in a rouge, backless tea-length dress, complemented by matching earrings and high heels. However, her face, phasing like Vern's, remained obscured behind an impenetrable veil.

Pity. He didn't know why he felt that way, though he quickly forgot all about it as she continued to ascend. She is on the third step already!

"Huh, what is going on here?" asked a man in the second row with an unnaturally deep voice, "She just came out, right? Ain't no way she got more shades than me. Why would she be ordered behind me otherwise?"

Those words embodied the questioning look on everyone's faces, but the lady in question didn't even glance at the naysayer and continued onwards with an unmatched poise and elegance.

Four steps.

Five.

"Oh, the primal one, could something have gone wrong with the nexus itself?" spoke the icicle lady from before—sitting in the fifth row, perfectly representation of an ostentatious faux surprised expression.

"Has to be, right?" Chimed another man with a large beard a few seats next to her. "Do you think there's something wrong with the order in which the nexus assigned her entry, or the nexus's forced objectivity isn't working?"

"Haha," she giggled, "The latter option doesn't really make much sense now, does it? Do you not feel your singularity being caged this very instant?"

The long-bearded man shook his head, "Well, then, the omniscient one's warnings were indeed true. The Weft of Elyndor is losing its grip on reality. Never before has such a mistake been allowed."

Vern's ears perked up at that name. Weft of Elyndor? Is that the real name of Lady Sylphina's network?

Had to be. After all, Lady Sylphina had said this was a nexus of her weft, and this man could only be blaming the same thing for the issues with nexus.

Vern wondered where they got their hands on that information. Lady Sylphina clearly hadn't engaged with anyone but him since the dissolution of the First observer.

Woahhh

Suddenly, the whole crowd gasped, and Vern refocused. That lady was already on the…seventh step. Though, to be fair, he didn't understand why people were overreacting after already concluding that she was just ordered incorrectly.

"Milord Elysion, what is going on? Has another one of your angels really graced our gathering!? We have another seventh shade visionary!!" shouted someone who'd hidden his identity while all the ones who hadn't shut up their mouths, a solemn expression on their face.

Yet, the lady didn't waver even a single bit and continued her march.

"Milord, she isn't stopping!!! It can't be!?"

Tap

Her feet landed on the eighth step, and as if she had dropped a match in a pit of combustion fuel, the whole crowd exploded.

Woahhhh

Even the two sitting at the very top looked surprised, especially the man in the bloody outfit. He turned to face the lady with interest and asked, "How may I address you, milady Eterna?"

And at the same time everyone else erupted, too. "AN ETERNA! Our realm has birthed another ETERNA!! And a Visionary, at that! LORD is watching over us!"

"Damn this. Now we have another big player eating the pie. Fuck!"

Vern simply filed away that moniker in his memory. It seemed someone with that many shades was called an Eterna. However, he was far more busy watching new little insights blossom in his thought space as he understood more and more about the structure here.

Hmm, so those people on the right in the fifth row think that the birth of a new Eterna is a joyous event, whereas those with scowls are clearly more self-minded and annoyed at having more competition at the top.

"But who is this? She couldn't have become an Eterna in a couple weeks, right? Surely, she must be the leader of one of the hidden societies, yes? Could she be the famed sage of Visandra, the Great Resolver? Or maybe Maelbeth's Silent Schemer?"

"No. What if she's someone from the Institute?"

"Haha, that's the craziest idea I've heard today."

Amongst all these wild speculations and exclamations, the lady at the top executed a shallow curtsy before speaking in a musical voice, "Glad to make your acquaintance, lord of primordial blood, but I wish to keep my secrets."

She didn't even wait for a response and sat on the throne furthest from the other two.

"Darn. Who the hell is she?"

Only those who'd hidden their identities spoke now. Clearly, the ones out in the open didn't wish to badmouth a powerful being.

"I think—"

Zeeesh!

A blue glow exploded in front of Vern, who was heavily focused on trying to figure out the allegiances and stances of everyone.

Ah, fuck. It's my turn!

He dusted his outfit and stood straighter. He was about to become the complementary joke, after all. Someone had just settled on the top row, and now he was about to sit alone in the lowest one.

Ughh. Pushing away the gloom, he strode forward the moment the glass door was all gone.

Crisp, cold air entered his nostrils, and his mind rejuvenated instantly. Since he didn't have any intention of showing off his visions, he just beelined towards the seat closest to him.

"Hey, do you think the Nexus has really gone haywire? Could this person also be an Eterna?"

Umm, no, please. I am not. Vern groaned inwardly, and his steps grew quicker. Many continued to conversate about the Eterna, but he still felt tens of gazes boring into him.

This was one time when he was annoyed by this weird instinct of his to sense gazes. I don't need to know this. He hoped to keep as low of a profile as possible, and that lady coming right before him had messed it all up.

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Hahh. At least they can't see my face.

"Haha, yes. If this guy is also an Eterna, we are doomed."

Vern was of mind to continue grumbling about this miserable situation, but he lost his words when he took in all the scenery that was blocked from his little box from before.

Colorful stars dotted the heavens beyond the transparent dome of this nexus, their ethereal beauty capturing him instantly. His eyes also took the stunning yet unique design of pillars, the cool and uncluttered architectural style of this whole hall, and every little reflective gem that dotted his surroundings.

This whole nexus was like a giant semicircle, with doors of titanic proportions on the far right and left, leading to dark and untold corridors. In front was the amphitheater, but reversed in the sense that he was making his way to the seats from where a performer would've otherwise stood.

He tried, but the unfiltered view of the cosmos was like a magnet and his eyes were unwieldy iron. Swirling stars, nebulous planets, overly saturated asteroid belts—all that Ari would've paid a million to admire. In the middle of it all stood the lotus-shaped pillar of light connected to the empty throne at the podium.

And before people could conjure more conspiracy theories, Vern reached the stairs.

Haahhh. He took a deep breath, braced himself for the onslaught of the terrifying pressure, and stepped forward.

.

.

.

Huh?

Vern's eyes widened instantly, and his feet halted.

What the hell?

"…"

Is the nexus really broken?

He felt…nothing. Not even a single ounce of resistance.

However, the gazes drilling a hole into him instantly doubled, and all the sounds came to an abrupt halt. His heart began thumping violently as possibilities crossed his mind.

Fuck. What should I do?

Remembering how the lady before him had stepped through everyone like a god among mortals induced a sense of excitement within him.

His mind whirled, and he realized he had two options in front of him. Either use this opportunity to fake more power than he had, which might benefit him for whatever was to come in this meeting. Or simply stop at his rightful place and keep this card hidden for the future.

Damn. I need more time to think about the implications of both! If I knew this was going to happen, I'd have thought about it beforehand!

Unfortunately, he didn't have the luxury of time. Everyone had their gazes pinned on him, and standing here was only making him seem all the more suspicious.

Vern closed his eyes for an instant before snapping them back open. One of these options is clearly superior.

His mind made, Vern fluidly connected his prior motion to move to his right and settled down on the small throne by the aisle.

Once done, the world stopped holding its breath, and someone chuckled, "Hah. A first shade Visionary? That's some talent right there. Should I try and recruit him?"

Yes. Exactly. I'm just a first-shade observer. Vern praised himself for his quick decision.

"Unh, unh. Don't do it. You'll somehow end up crossing the clause of mutual respect in the codex of confluence. Coercing or pushing those who hide their identity might just get you kicked."

Ohh…is that why that lord of whatever blood didn't push the Eterna lady for more information? He’d been wondering about that.

"Yea, Yea, I get it. Stop being so right all the time. I was just kidding."

Ignoring the remarks, Vern settled down snugly in the chair that was more comfortable than it looked and sighed internally. Hahh. Glad I didn’t rush up.

Fooling the world's most influential and powerful people for the sake of it sounded like one quick way to hell. Cons like this demanded proper planning, backstory, and motive. Doing so without all of them was nothing but foolish.

And it's not like I've lost the chance. If the situation demanded he go up, he could still do it. Whereas if he had stepped higher, he couldn’t just take it back and go sit down on the bottom-most row.

Mhm. This is indeed the right decision. What would even be the point of pretending to be more powerful? Not like I can just start ordering people around to do my bidding. If they asked me even simple questions about higher shade observation, I’d be fucked.

Yeah. Go me! Good choice.

Everyone soon turned away and ignored Vern, passionately discussing the advent of the new Eterna. Vern even wondered if she was in the same situation as him—the pressure didn’t apply to her.

Though he doubted it. She had been far too smooth and flawless with her steps, answers, and mannerisms. She hadn't stalled for even a second like Vern did.

There was not one ounce of hesitation in her ascent.

I still can't rule it out, though. Not that it mattered much to him. Also, why exactly do I feel no pressure?

Soon, he landed on the same answer—shackles of subjectivity. It really was such a fascinating concept now that he thought about it. If that was indeed the case, then the tightness of shackles almost acted like a priority ranking where Vern was close to the top.

It didn't equate to pure power but something more ethereal. He didn't understand the exact logic—assuming there was one, but he knew it was one of his most significant advantages in indirect confrontations.

Vern looked back and quickly grew annoyed to see that there was no one behind him. He was dead last.

Ughh. Whatever.

Before he had time to settle into his prior state of mind, heavy thuds resounded from the far-right corridor. Looks like it's starting! Vern sat straighter. He was finally going to get answers as to what the hell he was doing here.

A bulky man walked out of the darkness a tall black-gold blazer decorated with shoulder epaulets, matching with the dark vambraces and gloves he donned. His bun of fiery red hair and a beard that was better called a mane matched his solemn demeanor as he made his way down the center of it all.

A sudden burst of nostalgia washed over Vern, reminding him of the days he used to attend lectures of famous Fundamentalists just like this, in a hall full of curious students, waiting for the lecturer to begin their enlightening session.

In essence, it was the same situation, just that the stakes were a million times higher and the material of study was a subject more arcane than even fundamentals.

Soon, the bulky man stopped and rested his arms behind himself. Most observers above Vern turned their chairs around to face the man, and he followed suit. I'm sitting in the first row, too—almost as if this was a lecture.

"Visionaries of this realm," Spoke the burly man in a naturally loud voice, "I, Horace Estefan, welcome each and every one of you to the first confluence of visionaries of this era."

First of 'this' era, huh? Vern remembered Captain Akira had said something like this, too. He took out his notepad and started taking notes—just like a lecture.

A small hubbub arose behind him, and his peripheral told him everyone was nodding. Vern matched their beat to blend in nicely, and Horace continued, "I suppose there's no need for me to rehash the state of our realm—each and every one of you've already witnessed its misery, so let me cut straight to the chase."

The crowd's expression turned solemn, and Vern perked up his ears.

"Duskfall was a nightmare that has left our civilization in tatters and to this day, we have no clue what went wrong. The worst outcome of it all was that our prayers and attempts to make contact with the First observer—the supreme one, have all been in vain."

Haww

Whoaa

The hall suddenly felt far more downcast and solemn.

"So the rumors were true!"

"Then…are we really all by ourselves?"

Hmm, it looks like they don't know the exact details of what went down. Not that Vern knew much himself.

Horace raised his hand, and everyone quietened down.

"I know it's a tough pill to swallow, but it only gets worse from here. Many of you may not know or understand this, but our realm as we know it should've ceased to exist the day First observer went missing."

"Each and every sapient being contributes to keeping our reality stable, but some of us play a larger role than others. The first observer was the principal contributor. Given the difficulty of enlightenment before Duskfall, our greatest seers had conjectured that four-fifths of our realm's representation was concentrated in the gaze of the supreme one."

There was such a thing? Though it did make some sense given the context of how Lady Sylphina had talked about the First observer.

"It wasn't."

The whole hall exploded into another round of murmurs, and Vern sat there all by himself, matching it in his head with Lady Sylphina's words. He jotted all this down using his unique cipher. This was some information he would never have come across in his day-to-day life.

Regardless of the crowd's reaction, Horace continued, "For, if such was the case, only us observers should have survived the Duskfall, and even our days would be numbered, for not many of us possess viewpoints that could sustain themselves perpetually."

Ahh, is he suggesting all observers would have had their own little biomes? That was an interesting thought experiment, but Vern kept his impulses in check and focused on listening.

"So, my fellow Visionaries, that leads us to question; who or what is keeping our reality stable if the first observer is gone?"

Vern's pen suddenly halted. He didn't like the direction where this was going.

"So, in an investigation jointly conducted by all our societies, we have narrowed down the list of possible large contributors to a couple. Yet, one among them stands out like a sore thumb…"

A chilling inkling suddenly crept up Vern's spine, but Horace pushed on, "It's the Weft of Elyndor."

They're onto Lady Sylphina!