Chapter 84

I walk up the steps of the library too its large wooden double doors. Opening it I see a stranger sitting at the front desk.

“Hello Jack” Oracle

Turning to my right I see Oracle sitting at a table.

“Come, sit” Oracle

I walk up and pull out a chair from the table, sitting in it.

“You should let the rabbit out of the bag, you might see something interesting.” Oracle

I do just that, taking hunter out of the sack and setting his sleeping frame on the table. He has changed, his previously white fur has turned ashy grey, he is a little smaller, and his horn has a certain quality about it, like it is incorporeal while at the same time being physical. His soul is slightly smaller, and much denser.

“It is always interesting to see how being unaffected by the world’s laws can affect a creature, they can’t evolve, not in the traditional sense at least. But their bodies do improve in different ways” Oracle

“What do you mean by the world’s laws?” Jack

“I mean the laws that control the world, like evolution and, more recently, The System. Most of the laws tie back all the way to Origin, which decided to tie many of the laws  to the soul, hence why goblin and your rabbit are unaffected by them, having violated them.” Oracle

“ok, but what is Origin, I have heard the term a couple times before, but never what it is.” Jack

“Not it, but they. Origin is the origin of all life, at least in this world; they formed by chance while the world was still in its infantile state. At the time there was roughly one percent the ambient mana there is today, they formed from that mana and managed to obtain souls. They had near perfect manipulation of mana and made many things from it, more of their own kind, moved millions of collections of islands into thirteen continents, including heaven and hell which was once one continent, and eventually will be again. They even made the suns and the moons, though not all of them, some have died and been replaced since then.” Oracle

“Suns and moons? Plural? I thought there was just one of each.” Jack

“There are roughly twenty four of each, the absolute god got pissed at the fact that one day a day could be twelve hours and the next three, so he got the gods to make it what it is today. Anyway, back to origin. Their greatest achievement however is the creation of life. All living things in this world are either descendant of the creatures they created or were created by the descendants of the creatures they created.” Oracle

“What about creatures from other worlds, can’t they come to this one?” Jack

“Technically yes, but none currently exist that would be capable of surviving in this world. For one the sheer amount of mana in this world is toxic to anyone that isn’t already use to it, and the gravity of the world is so high that non native creatures would be crushed to death almost instantly. Ironically it’s the combination of those two things that allow creatures on this world to survive; mana is used in literally everything your body does, well unless you’re a troll.” Oracle

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“And trolls are special because?” Jack

“They were one of oracle’s first creations, while there was still very little mana in the environment. Almost all of their abilities are purely biological, no mana involved. As a result trolls are mostly incapable of magic, and are almost immune to all forms of magic. There are troll mages, and they are some of the greatest mages in the world when they appear, being immune to magic and having almost perfect control of mana makes for a very powerful mage killer. Of course it is because of this that trolls were hunted near extinction by the gods and titans, one of the few times they have worked together. Now it is almost impossible to find a troll that isn’t a god, a titan, or in a dungeon. They do exist, but are very rare now.” Oracle

“How do you exterminate a race of creatures that can regenerate from any injury that doesn’t outright kill them and is immune to magic?” Jack

“Simple, trolls bane. It is a poison made from the blood of trolls that suppresses their regerative abilities; your uncle has made some in the past. But enough of ancient history, let’s get to what you really want to talk about.” Oracle

“Why me? Why do you care about me in the slightest? There is nothing I can offer you that you couldn’t get with ease and I doubt you would be entertained by watching my life unfold, you probably already know exactly what is going to happen.” Jack

“Let me show you something.” Oracle

Suddenly the world shifts, and I find myself floating in space, looking down on the world. I instantly realize I am in a dream. I attempt to manipulate it, and fail.

“Your dream weaving powers are impressive, but they are nowhere near a match for mine. Take a closer look at the world” Oracle

I do just that, and I see many differences. The most obvious is a thirteenth continent; I assume it is heaven and hell. Meaning this is either the past or the future. As I look I notice more differences, it seems the climate in different areas have changed and so have many landmarks, some I have never seen or heard of before and many I have, meaning this is likely the future.

“Look over at that area” Oracle

I look toward where oracle is pointing and I see a battle begining. It is obvious that many powerful creatures are present in the battle, some of them I recognize. Dryad seems to be leading one side; several people are beside and behind her, including a lich that has the soul I know as Lucy. Among the fighters on their side I see war on the front lines and Jackline using guerilla tactics, spreading death everywhere she strikes. I see several other people I vaguely recognize, but can’t put a name too.

“Erica Kron, the one you know as Dryad, she starts this war of conquest. This is the final battle of it. Fitting name if you ask me, Erica means ruling forever, and kron means crown. She was born to rule. Watch the battle for a while” Oracle

I watch the battle for what feels like months, and probably was. Dryad, sorry, Erica, seems to have pushed the opposition to the edge, they are fighting with desperation, like this is their last ditch effort. I watch as Erica masterfully micromanages her entire army, with help from the ones behind her. I note that she is nowhere near her forest, and she is much more powerful than she is during my time, she must have vastly extended her territory and tied herself too it even more.

I spare a glance at Oracle and see a look of longing in his eyes, not at anything or anyone in particular, but at the whole world.

Looking back at the battle I see it is reaching a climax, both sides have been worn down and now the strongest of both sides are preparing to face each other directly. I can’t really follow what happens in the fight, but during the battle something unusual happens, the world starts to shudder, like it was under some immense force. At the end of it the world cracks, turning into several much smaller pieces. Erica takes advantage of this and finishes off her opposition before preventing more damage to the world in a rather impressive display.

From there the dream begins to unravel and I am back in the library again.

“So, what did you think?” Oracle

end chapter 84