“Body, mind, soul. Material, cognitive and astral. These are the components of your Tripartite Self. To cultivate one is to cultivate all. Perfection lies at the zenith of the Pyramid. At the apex of your Dream.”
- Quote from Ascension, Unknown author, pre-Age of Obscurity text, Archive File #P786D7G3S4387
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Chapter 3: Flashbacks are cool
“Ascension was once the noblest pursuit across the Alliance. Thousands of academies flourished from the Shattered Belts to the Core Worlds.”
The teacher’s clear voice echoed through the classroom, light from the rising sun shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows and illuminating the podium and blackboard in a warm glow.
My teacher’s voice took on a more sorrowful tone:
“Until they realised our Codices were more valuable crystallised from our cold corpses and distilled into Hollowtech. The so-called ‘Codex Wars’ ravaged across the entire galaxy for hundreds of years, whittling down our numbers until we, of the Grand Schema, were the only ones left. The last bastion from a glorious age, now reduced to eking out existence in the shadows beyond the boundaries of civilised society here in the Uncharted Zones. Remnants of a forgotten past.”
My teacher spoke of our history as though he had lived through it, his eyes glazed over as memories and emotions long-repressed resurged. He focused again, this time with a steely look in his eyes as he continued:
“And you, dear students, are our future.”
He gazed across the classroom, looking at each student in turn. When he turned his gaze on me, I felt the weight of his expectations. More than that, I felt the weight of history in this moment. I could almost see the phantoms of the previous, thriving generations flash past, their numbers dwindling with each cycle, until we appeared. A classroom with more empty seats than filled.
The room was silent in anticipation of his next words.
“It is a tragedy that in this day and age, we are seen as outliers. A rarity to be bought or a weapon to be used. Even our way of life is shunned. The only sane soul in a village of the mad is treated as the maddest of all. But we seek the purest of all goals.
“We are no mystic sect, in pursuit of an esoteric Dao. Nor are we a mercenary organisation, training new fodder to profit off the ever-present flames of war across the inhabited galaxy.
“The Grand Schema teaches only one thing: Self-Actualisation. To become more of what you are: to carve the weight of your existence into an unfeeling universe. Hence, we are unclassifiable into a single data set. We are all statistical anomalies.”
He turned to face the blackboard, the sharp sounds of chalk piercing through the room as he scrawled a few words on it.
“Take the Zetathrax Doctrine for Supersentient Classification, for example. It is easy to use for the common people: the higher the class, the greater the amount of energy mobilised, from a few microlux in class-9 to teralux and beyond in class-1.
“However, this focuses on raw power. According to this, a perfect Soothsayer would be below class-5 despite being arguably the most influential beings to exist.”
He scribbled out the words ‘Zetathrax Doctrine’, replacing them with ‘Governmental Classes’.
“The official government classes are marginally better. From the five Earthly ranks: novice-, adept-, elite-, master- and grandmaster-rank; to the four Celestial ranks: Lunar-, Terra-, Stellar- and Singularity-rank strategic assets – or threats. Beings are categorised into one of these based on their potential influence – galactic level, star system level and so on.
“However, these systems are all skewed by the purpose for which they were designed. The Zetathrax Doctrine was established at the height of the Cold War in the 2nd Millenium MGE; hence it focused on raw power. The government classes focus on whether someone is an ‘asset’ to the Alliance or deemed a ‘threat’.”
He leaned forward, both hands on the podium.
“Ascendants do not fit in any of these categories. Each of us are completely unique.” He punctuated his words with a jab of his finger towards himself and us. “The Ars Codicis represents the crystallisation of self; the purest form of enlightenment.”
His voice swelled in a crescendo, passion overflowing in each word. I, along with the rest of my classmates, were completely enraptured. This was the first time we were actually seeing behind the veil since we were chosen to be here.
“Since each of you are the only you in existence, to quantify you into neat little boxes would be a blasphemy against the uniqueness of life. The chances of you existing in this moment are so infinitesimally close to zero that the fact you are here at all can be nothing less than a miracle. How can you possibly put a number to that?”
He took a moment, pressing a button on the side of the chalkboard as it de-magnetised and the chalk-dust fell off the board to be vacuumed up by a silent drone near teacher’s feet. He turned back to us and continued his speech:
“Enough of tangents. Now that you have established your first [Edict] and are Tethered to your Codex, you are entitled to know the path ahead.”
A few excited murmurs broke out, before the teacher raised his voice to cut through the chatter.
“But first, you have a choice: if you wish to continue down the path of Ascension, you must be willing to forsake all else in pursuit of perfection. If you do not wish to do so, we will not force you. Nor will we take back what we have taught you so far. A comfortable life awaits you outside these walls, should you choose to leave.”
He paused for a few seconds, but no one moved. Even those few students who were dozing off were now wide awake and hanging on every word. This moment was the culmination of more than a year’s work. None of us were willing to stumble just before the finish line.
My teacher exhaled slowly.
“Very well then”, his voice was uncharacteristically solemn. “As of now, you are all officially Tethered-rank Acolytes of the Order of the Grand Schema”.
He paused to let the gravitas of the moment sink in before breaking into a wide grin and continuing in a more cheerful voice.
“Well, the traditional induction ceremony isn’t my responsibility, I’m sure the Primus will be holding that at some point soon.”
A chorus of groans resounded at that – the Primus of the Grand Schema was well-liked, though his lengthy speeches not so much – as the teacher raised his hands for silence before continuing.
“Anyways, as I was saying, you acolytes have now reached the minimum qualifications to see the path beyond. The reason we do not tell you earlier is because when you first tether your Codex and establish an [Edict], it must be especially pure from outside influence.
“But you have taken the first step now. Although the number of paths ahead is still myriad, the next stages can somewhat be elucidated:
“You are now Acolytes: still students, not yet having mastered your craft while your Codex has only just formed the first Tether with your Tripartite Self.
“The next stage is Seeker. You have begun to explore the dimensions of your Codex and your assimilation has increased.
“Beyond Seeker is Enlightened. This is where some say the true path to ascension begins, where the Codex and user are fused into one.
“Lastly, the rank of Exalted. As assimilation exceeds one hundred percent, an evolution of being occurs. The boundaries between Codex and self are even more blurred as you become partly a higher-dimensional existence.
“I do not know if this is the last stage. If more exist, it is beyond my purview. And far beyond yours too.”
He paused, the scribbling of pens on paper echoing throughout the classroom as we all scrambled to write every word he said. Judging enough time had passed, he continued.
“At each stage, an [Edict] must be established, as you have done to become Acolytes. Each one will forms a Pillar of Self as your Codex approaches its ideal form. Hence the impossibility of classification. How can one person’s perfection be placed above or below another’s?”
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
I, along with the others, absorbed our teacher’s words like a starved camel reaching an oasis for the first time in days. This was what I had dreamed of. I may not have fully understand what it means to pursue ‘perfection’ or achieve ‘self-actualisation’ back then – nor do I claim to now – but I understood that it was power.
Perhaps, in hindsight, this was not the lesson my teacher was trying to engrain on us. But it was a powerful motivator, nonetheless.
It made me realise that I could be more in a galaxy that had always made me less. And that was enough. I pushed forward with the determination of the young; bright-eyed and naïve.
In that moment, I decided: the Grand Schema would be my home for the rest of my life.
***
I jolted awake. The dream of a warm classroom faded, replaced by the reality of a cold steel cell. It had been a while since I had a dream so vivid. A side-effect of a mind-soul dual axis Codex was the occasional dream so vivid you would wake up confused about reality.
Of course, dreams were just the interactions of natural soul excretions with the astral plane. Because my soul could handle more energy, it also created more waste. This tended to build to be released in one large go. Hence, the occasional abnormally vivid dream.
But as it was, I dismissed them as everyone does a waking dream. All it did this time was drudge up old memories of happier times.
“Well, my situation could always be worse. Could be that guy”, I mumbled to myself, glancing at the darkly-stained wall opposite my bunk. Nothing like looking down on the less fortunate to make your day feel better.
A lay back down and closed my eyes, passing the monochrome hours with meditation. Perhaps this dream was what I needed to refresh my memory, to travel further along the path I had long stagnated. But nothing. I still couldn’t do it. Not even an inkling of an [Edict] swirled in the deepest recesses of my Codex.
At least I was able to refill the tank partially. Travelling with an empty Codex felt like a constant, itching sense of unease. Hours later, a Shrouded approached my cell. The same one as before – perhaps instead of shifts, each Shrouded was granted a certain area of the Colosseum to oversee? I filed away that piece of information – I had no doubt it would be useful when making my escape.
This time he unlocked both mine and Axe’s cell before also removing my Shackles. I rubbed by wrists in a nervous impression.
“Another fight this soon?”, I asked. "I haven't even eaten anything yet".
The Shrouded said nothing in response, only glancing briefly at Axe before walking forward with a wordless command to follow.
Axe sighed before responding, “You think a games involving a Duel like the one between Champions yesterday happens often? No, it will be a while again before we are forced to fight”.
I see. The Champions themselves fought yesterday. No wonder I felt the vibrations and tremors all the way down in the cell. Class-5 supersentients were powerful enough to dominate continental wars. I wondered what the Colosseum was made of that it could withstand such stress repeatedly.
“So what happens now? What does the Colosseum do when the fights aren’t happening”, I questioned, genuinely curious.
The Colosseum operated on the whims of the notoriously capricious Duke Thanadon, often spending months to years outside of the public’s eye, before re-emerging onto the galactic stage.
“You think I know that? I can tell you what we gladiators do", replied Axe as he paused for a moment. "But it’ll be best to show you”.
Soon, after several turns I made sure to memorise, we approached a tall double door flanked on either side by two sentry-drones. These ones looked heftier than the ones following the wardens around. A compound eye protruded from its front, and a mini-gatling gun hung from a magnetic plate on its bottom.
“Identification”, it squawked in a shrill mechanical voice.
Axe had paused several metres before the drones, and so I stopped behind him. The Shrouded stepped forward, raising an empty hand towards the compound eye of the drone. It was silent for a few seconds before moving to the side. I heard a magnetic lock click as the Shrouded pushed open the double doors.
The drones watched us with a beady gaze as we followed the Shrouded. The smell hit me before anything else. A strong odour, sweat and spices, almost physically assaulting my nostrils.
Axe grinned at my obvious discomfort before speaking, “Welcome to the Market”.
I looked past him at what we had entered. A large open hall, even larger than the arena I had fought in, was spread out before me. I could barely make out the ceiling about a hundred metres or so above my head. The furthest wall was at least miles away.
But it was densely packed. I let my mind enter my Codex, zoning out the sounds and smells to focus on the mass of being. I struggled to not show my elation on my face.
This was good. More than that, this was great. I worried that if actual combat was as sparse as Axe made it out to be, I would have little chance to use [Influx] on the large crowds. But it seemed my concerns were misguided.
At least tens of thousands of souls flickered in the astral plane, their minds fusing into one large mass of thought. I suppressed the eagerness of my Codex to draw in and devour the feast of energy that swirled before my Truesight eyes. I sensed a few souls that burned with a powerful flame, the smaller ones around cowering away in instinctive fright.
“Not quite class-5”, I estimated mentally. “Class-6, perhaps?. Maybe the Chamption’s retainers? Or are there factions other than that of the Champions”.
I also noticed several objects with a pronounced presence in the astral plane. Namely, the gargantuan banner that hung from the wall on my far right. A strange glyph was inscribed on it. Gold thread on inky black cloth. It looked normal, but through my Truesight, I felt its connection to a powerful presence. I felt a primal instinct warn me and I immediately withdrew my investigative energy. Whoever that belonged to, it was far beyond my current ability to deal with.
I withdrew from my Codex and let out an expression of appropriate-sounding awe to Axe. “I thought we were slaves confined to our cells. Does this mean we can do whatever we want here?”.
“You were a slave. But you bloodied yourself in combat. Now you are a gladiator. We may be among the lowest, but we are still afforded some privileges. The stronger we become, the higher we rise, the more we can obtain.”, Axe explained.
I understood immediately. A facsimile of advancement. At the end of the day, the Colosseum was a closed system. With only the Duke and perhaps his closest advisors able to leave the Colosseum, he held ultimate control. Any attempt at uprisal would be met with brutal suppression. Yet he also used the carrot: the promise of advancement, no matter how low the chances, was an excellent distraction. It promoted internal competition to prevent cohesion.
No doubt many people were smart enough to realise this. Then the reason nothing had happened was because the system was enforced too perfectly.
“I suppose there’s no Workers’ Union here either”, I muttered dryly.
At this point the Shrouded looked at us both, before leaving through the doors we entered. I noticed an engraving above the door, not in any language I knew.
“What does that say?”, I asked, pointing at the bronze plate.
“West Exit”, he replied. “Four exits and entrances in the marketplace, North, South, East and West”. He punctuated each one with a jab of the finger towards a distant wall.
“We can only enter and exit through the West gate; the drones won’t let us in any other way. And we have to have a Shrouded to accompany us. Well, at least we’re free to do what we want in here”.
He shrugged, seemingly uncaring of the gilded cage around him. But I could see my earlier suggestion working its way slowly through his mind, though it would take a while to overturn years of mental and physical suppression into even a semblance of motivation.
“Well, I’ve got stuff to do”, he said curtly. He pointed towards the first row of stalls in front. “Go down there to get to the centre of the market. You’ll find all the important stuff. The only thing I’d say you’ve got to do is visit the forge. Otherwise, do what you want.
“If you’re not back here in twelve hours, a drone’ll come get you. Trust me, you don’t want that.”
With those words, he promptly headed off, his lanky legs walking with purposeful stride. Now alone, I steeled myself.
My plan was barely even a concept. All I had was a goal – to steal the item – and a tentative idea of an escape plan. I needed to iron out the kinks. Luckily, Codex: Flux was a trump card I planned on using to the fullest.
I would need to if I wanted to leave this place in one piece.
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[SYSTEM BOOT INITIATED]
* Initiating Primary Neural Kernel…
* Bio-sensory Failsafe: Armed
* Signal Buffering: [Engaged]
* Connecting Transdimensional Clock…
* Establishing date…
* Date established 14.12.003…
* Establishing co-ordinates…
* Co-ordinates established uncorrupted…
* Executing bootstrap.exe please standby…
* Loading…
* Complete!
* Checking credentials…
[LEGACY PROTOCOLS ACTIVE: WELCOME USER 1!]
* Preparing Xenographic Interface…
* Decoding Archive - Access Level: CLASSIFIED
* All Systems Synced. Initialisation COMPLETE.
[AWAITING INPUT]
* Begin personal log…
[START LOG]
Log Entry: 001-A
Go-ahead has been received. PROJECT LAST RESORT has been activated. This log will be the only record of our work. Whomever reads this, know that what we have done, we did out of desperation.
May we overcome Calamity.
[END LOG]
* Ending personal log…
* Personal log saved…
[SYSTEM SHUTDOWN SEQUENCE INITIATED]
* Disconnecting Primary Neural Kernel…
* Disconnecting Transdimensional Clock…
* Secure Channel Closure: In Progress…
* Signal Buffering: [Disengaged]
[EXITING LEGACY PROTOCOLS: GOODBYE USER 1]
* Memory Encryption Sequence ACTIVATED
* All files archived. Quantum stabilisers powering down.
SYSTEM STATUS: DORMANT
[COMMAND: STANDBY UNTIL NEXT INITIALISATION]