293

Year 274

Aeon

It’s been a year since we started exploring the peripheral worlds, and we were now in our 11th world. I began to feel the strain of the expanding world. The Valtrian Order now stretched across more worlds, and each of them required resources. Shipment of goods. Even mana.

Stella and her growing team of void mages worked overtime to send people over, but ultimately, we had to decide on the placement on the node trees. Without node trees, the void mages would be fully tasked with the movement of people and resources, and this strained our void mages.

Our void mages were a fairly limited group in the first place. There were about two thousand void mages, but most of them were relatively mid levels around level 60 to 90. Then, there’s about one to two hundred void mages that we considered to be ‘deployable’, a decent number, but for movements to these faraway places, it is mainly the void archmages and their peers that did the work.

With my domainholders leading the exploration, I directed my own attention on the industry growth. I needed the ‘drain’ on resources by some of the worlds in repair, such as Tropicsworld, to taper off.

But luckily, it was not bad news.

Because for the world of Treehome, the reality bubble expanded, and then, I felt something exceptional happen.

In the faraway distance, at the edge of space itself, I could somehow see past the bubble that separated Treehome’s reality, and the endless void sea. Using the vision of the void layers granted and shared with me, it was as if there was a world birthed within the void itself.

At that moment, I saw thousands of worlds, floating as if suspended in a dormant state. Each world was encased in a package of void energies. The void sea is the spawning pool of the world. It is the primordial soup, and from my point of view, I believe, it was only something I could see.

Because through my domain, through my empowerment of Treehome’s core, I could see the energy of the Core stretch into the void itself, and then, it searched. I didn’t know how, or what it did. But it searched through the void sea, as if looking for something that matched.

Then it found one, a world somehow with land and water encased in a strange liquid sac within the void sea. I felt the Core’s authority spread into that liquid sac, and it pulled.

It pulled, and pulled.

It felt like forever, it felt like just a moment, and the reality bubble of Treehome suddenly bulged as that new world in the sac made contact with the wall. It was as if a larger soap bubble joined with a smaller soap bubble, and then, a new world entered into Treehome’s reality.

It drifted, then drifted and settled in an outer orbit around Treehome’s sun.

And so, Treehome now has a sister planet.

***

My forces arrived on the sister planet to find it already populated and with plants and people.

A dream from the Core of Treehome filled in the blanks.

A world that existed entirely within the void sea in a state of limbo. It exists, but imperfectly. The void sea is the cradle of worlds.

I strangely found it similar to something from my past life. This new world was as if a program that was in development, but never went ‘live’. It ran in a test environment all this while, but when it was pushed to the ‘live’ environment, it inherited all the history it created during the test environment.

The sister world of Treehome, which I now called Shrubhome, shared the same racial mix as Treehome, and it came already present with a decently sized population.

“How?” Most of my forces didn’t understand. Or maybe they did, but it was a reality that was hard to swallow. For us from Earth or the source worlds, it was hard to grasp whether we were dealing with reality. How was a world that didn’t exist before, suddenly exist with its own history in what felt like a few days. In a way, it was simpler to think of this new world as one that exists in a realm separate from ours, and now it moved across the realms to join us.

Because the implications of a world created out of scratch meant we were all simulations. That our existence could be created out of the blue by the void sea.

The mages were surprisingly more willing to accept it. To them, if summons were real, then creations of a world with its own history could be real.

For me personally, I found it easier to think of this sister world as a world that was teleported in, to be our celestial neighbor.

***

Shrubhome was a smaller world. Smaller, but still had seas and continents, similar to Treehome. It had three large continents, and my forces arrived to find existing kingdoms and nations already squabbling.

There were no domain holders here. Not a single one, and the strongest person we sensed, as only in the level 50s.

We spoke to some of the leaders of Shrubhome, and it seems, from their point of view, they were always there, and when they looked up to the skies and the sun, Treehome was always in their star maps.

Again, if magic can do so much, creating worlds out of thin air should be doable. But damn it was hard to truly accept. Somehow. The flow of energies on Shrubhome was also the same as Treehome.

This was a world where the Core is actually linked to Treehome’s core.

I sensed the same energy from Shrubhome’s core. The core was a physical object, but in Treehome’s case, now it was split into two.

I wondered whether this was a form of defense mechanism. A demon king needed to capture both cores in order to fully control the world.

***

Eleventh World - Shasan [Land of Sands and Floods - Demons are Gigantic Fire Demons But Expansion Curtailed by the Sands]

“Sand.” Johann picked up a handful of sand, and the sand was blown away by the wind. It was fine sand, high quality, even. But sand. The sun was bright, and there was not a single cloud in the sky.

The sand, the heat, the cloudless sky all reminded them of the Scorpionoid lands of Zhaanpu.

“Well, looks like we found the world to fulfill our promise to Zhaanpu.” Roon smiled. “Khefri would enjoy this place.”

“Is something going on with you and Khefri?” Ezar asked.

Roon shook his head. “Nothing. There was nothing, and there’s still nothing. At one point, Chung was pursuing her.”

“He’s dying soon. You have a chance.”

Roon made an exaggerated retching expression. “Please. At some point I’m going to prefer to be partnerless.”

“I have a partner.” Ezar admitted. “And she’s cute. I hope to have many babies with her.”

Roon paused as he looked into the distance. There was a very faint scent of some kind of human presence. “I didn’t know that. Is it a fairly recent thing?”

Ezar nodded. “Yeah. We got together recently. At least, before this whole peripheral worlds thing. I kinda miss her already.”

The ranger pointed in a direction, and the three began to move. “Well, maybe you should head back and go make some babies. I think there’s really no need for three of us in a single world.”

Ezar shrugged. “The three of us are meant to offset Lumoof and Edna’s significantly higher levels. But yeah, I should make babies.”

“I know I know.” Roon laughed. “But yeah- look, humans. Again.”

“That’s good.” Johann joined in and the three activated their illusionary spells. They needed to stalk the natives and learn more about them before making the first contact. “Aeon would love to have a look at your kids.”

Ezar nodded. “Aeon’s medical care would be indispensable.”

“I mean-”

“I know what you mean.” Ezar said. “I’m curious too. I just hope there’s no complications for the mother.”

“Is she human? Where’s she from?” Roon asked.

“Yeah. She’s an enchanter working for the Valthorns. She helped make one of the pieces of my gauntlets.”

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

“Oh. Sweet. At least she isn’t an outsider. That hardly works well.” Roon said. “There’s Valthorns married to folks outside the Order, and that can get a little messy if things get leaked.”

Ezar squirmed. “That-”

“What usually happens is the outsider gets absorbed in, but that can be a little traumatic for the partner.” Roon explained.

There were information access tiers to the Order, and for domainholders, they pretty much had full access. As one goes down the Order’s ranks, the access tiers decreased. It’s monitored by the artificial minds, to ensure key information remains secure.

There wasn’t 100% security. Not with the various kinds of espionage skills and surveillance spells, but we have been fairly successful in controlling data leakages with a huge network of artificial minds and Patreeck’s perpetual mind scanning abilities.

“You need to tell me more. Later.” Ezar said as the three snuck close and followed the human caravan traveling through the sands.

***

The trio didn’t take long to start noticing the unusual creatures of this desert world. One, there were sandbirds. They were part sand-part spiritual creatures that were more like elementals, than actual animals.

There were many other larger creatures, like a gigantic sandfish that resembled a transparent fish but with sand as its skin. They were just native animals made of sand.

Then, the vegetation was also different. Despite the strong sunlight, the plants they have were skinny, brown colored things. Instead, these plants were drawn to magic, and seemed to derive sustenance from the natural magical energies.

As a result, they tend to be brownish or sand-colored, and were mostly camouflaged in order to hide from the animals that prey on them. The plants were also able to move to an extent, because their roots seemed to be able to extend to reach the magical ley lines.

In a way, they were pretty much some kind of plant-animal blend that didn’t need water or sunlight, and instead used sand and magic for its’ sustenance.

“The great rain is in fifteen days.” The trio listened to the local humans talk. “The sands will flood and we must reach Norgan. Make haste, everyone.”

They whipped the strange armored beasts, and they roared. The armored beasts were also sand-like creatures similar to the sandbirds and the sandworms. They were fed a collection of brown plant leaves harvested from the various magical plant patches. The locals called them the Brown Trees.

The trio followed the human caravans and reached it in thirteen. Norgan was the first human settlement they encountered in the world of Shasan, and it was located on a rare rock outcropping. A mesa in what appeared to be a sea of sand.

***

The people of Shasan made things out of sand and rock, and they did so through a class known as the [Sand Sculptors]. We also soon noticed the presence of an Altar made of Sand that we were pretty sure was a magical object.

It granted the class [Sand Sculptor] to anyone who prayed to it. All cities have one of these Sand Altars.

They were magical existences, a kind of spiritual object similar to a spiritual tree, but one of sand.

It reminded me of Zhaanpu, and wondered what Zhaanpu would’ve done to a world like this.

***

Then we experienced Shasan’s unique weather.

The Great Flood. A seasonal rain that happens almost like clockwork. The skies were charged with a kind of magic, similar to ley lines, but different.

The people of Shasan were ready. Their homes, all located on top of the mesas, were built with large walkways, and then it poured. The skies poured more water than we’ve ever seen anywhere. It was just a constant torrent of rain that flooded everything.

The sea of sands became an actual sea, complete with monsters and creatures. The sand creatures we saw previously now took new forms, and they shed their body of sand for a body of water.

The actual constant rain lasted for two weeks, but the Great Flood itself would last for about two more months, followed by two weeks of ‘the great draining’.

The world alternated between sand and water in about three month cycles. During the great rain the Shasan humans would fish and harvest the various creatures that spawn in the sea. During the great sands, they would hunt certain types of plants and beasts, such as the magically sustained Sandplants.

Yet, so far, the demon’s presence were minimal. There was a demon king here, so it was strange to us. Eventually, my domain holders spent months moving through the vast sands and seas and eventually found it.

We soon found the demon king in a flooded pit. It wasn’t dead. Water wouldn’t kill the creature that didn’t need to breathe. Instead, it was headed towards the depths of the Core. We also learned there were no surviving heroes. The last of the demon slayers died about twenty years ago.

Despite this, the demons did not take over the world. The environment significantly hindered the demon’s ability to expand, just as how the oceans of Treehome often constrained the demons to a particular continent.

Even when the demons did attack, The demons were also clustered around a few corrupted mesas, islands of demonic forces. The lesser demons didn’t take well to water, and the sand creatures were brutal.

In some ways, this wasn’t a horrible state. The demons hardly bothered the locals.

This world didn’t really need us.

***

Metteria Hudrot, The Stone Mage of Magisar

There were only three of them, and three of these visitors. They were not the strange person she saw, but she trembled. Her senses screamed to take at least a few step backs, so they did.

It was the man in armor. Ebon. He emitted a keen, cutting presence that made her feel as if her skin and head would be sliced open. Next to him was Lausanne, the woman that invited her and spoke to her a few days ago. Then, next to her was another man that felt every bit like a Tower master, and more.

“Greetings. Thank you for coming.” Lausanne said with a smile. Metteria’s brief meetup with her was punctuated by teleportation portals, skills that only Tower Masters could use.

Junker Quartz, and Kerifa Gundhert were both master mages and were in the high level 60s. The true masters were in the level 80s, and yet Metteria watched the two of them sweat. Magisarians all had a keen sense of magic and mana, and some magisarians could even see magic flows in the air around them.

Junker Quartz was one of those unique individuals with the power to see magic in the air, and it was why he became a great bronze mage.

Lausanne led them to a meeting area carved out of the rocks of the ground. The entire area should’ve been infested with demonic golems, and yet, Metteria’s senses were clear. There wasn’t any.

Kerifa sat first, and she naturally took the position as if she was in charge. “Who are you three, and what do you want?”

Lausanne smiled. “Let’s start with what we want. I was told that the Tower Masters’ position as the Tower Masters can be challenged directly through a magical duel.”

Kerifa, Junker and Metteria stared at each other. Her immediate suspicion was the other Towers. During an earlier, much less demon infested time, Tower Masters frequently sent mages to other Towers, and tried to usurp power and claim the Other Towers by way of a duel.

“Who- who do you work for? Which Tower?” Kerifa asked.

“None of that.” Lausanne laughed. “But can it be done, and is it still recognized today?”

“I doubt it. The Tower masters won’t let go of their positions. Not in our current environment.” Kerifa frowned, but at that point, a portal opened and a man Kerifa and Metteria recognized stepped out. Metteria’s fellow disciple.

“Good to see you again, Master Kerifa.” Lezzan was one of the refugee mages rescued in the Valthorn’s recent tour of the Magisarian lands. “It’s been- eight years?”

Kerifa rubbed her eyes. “Have I gone blind? I thought you were dead!”

“It’s quite hard for a bug like me to die.” The refugee mage was one of the assistants. “Well, we had enough of the Tower Master’s selfishness!”

“That’s a death sentence.”

“Now, we have enough to finally think of challenging the Tower’s whims.” Lezzan said proudly.

Lausanne coughed. Lezzan immediately paled and changed his words.

“My apologies. I certainly wouldn’t dare to claim credit for the visitors’ achievements.”

Ebon’s helmet turned and stared. At that moment, they all felt the man’s overwhelming presence on their shoulders. Metteria didn’t notice it before, but now that she did, she noticed the man’s armor and helmet were not made with their common bronze alloys.

Instead, it looked like a metal that’s exceptionally rare on Magisar. So much so that Metteria blurted it out. “Is that a suit of armor made of steel?”

“Yes.” Ebon said, and then turned to face Lezzan. His voice was heavy, and strong, and Lezzan cowered in his presence. “And you. We invited you to repeat what you said to us.”

Lezzan gulped. “I- I- said that it is possible to formally take the position as a Tower Master if a challenger is endorsed by at least three resident Level 50 mages.”

Kerifa and Junker then looked at each other. Kerifa scratched her chin once she recovered from Ebon’s presence. “The old Tower’s Challenge remains within the Gorfort Tower’s code, but it has not been invoked in the past forty or so years. Will the challenger be one of you, Lezzan? Your leader?”

Lezzan shook his head. “I- I doubt our leader could even last against the great Tower Masters.”

“Can it be done?” Lausanne asked. Metteria noticed she was already a little annoyed with the mages' constant diversions.

Kerifa nodded. “Possible.”

Junker looked at Kerifa, and then at the man standing next to Lausanne. “Will it be you?”

Metteria’s eyes and senses focused on the man with a strange hat, and he shrugged. “Much depends on our central Command.”

Lausanne frowned. “The two of you, can you find someone willing to endorse a foreign mage for the position.”

The two shook their heads. “We won’t endorse an outsider.”

The woman sighed. “Well, this has been a waste of time. What level is the Tower Master?”

“They say the few tower masters are all level 80 or so.”

“Should we really play their political games just to ‘formally’ claim to rule? Let’s just abduct them and haul them back here.” The man who was clearly a mage sighed. “I bet we can make them see reason with some good ol’ Aeon’s Perspective.”

Ebon nodded. “We will discuss this further. What is the current formal way to be accepted back into the Tower?”

“A written endorsement and sponsorship by a Resident Mage.” Kerifa said.

“Issue one.” Lausanne declared. “No, issue three.”

“Why should we-”

Lausanne then took out a small crystal of tremendous luster. It was soaked in mana, and seemed to shine. Metteria’s eyes stared at it greedily, and she noticed her two senior mages making a similar expression. “Let’s make a deal.”

Kerifa straightened up and her posture changed into one Metteria knew. It was the one when she wanted to do business. “Well, I would’ve preferred if we started off this way. What are we dealing in, and is that thing for trade?”

Lausanne smiled. “Why, yes.”

Metteria stared at the crystal, and realized she couldn’t miss out too. “Can I be part of the deal, as well?”

Lausanne nodded, and took out two more equally sized crystals. “Would you be interested, Junker?”

The old man’s posture transformed in the same manner as Kerifa. “What do you want us to part with?”

Lezzan looked betrayed. “Why wasn’t that-”

Ebon stared at him, and he instantly realize he had no place here. The mage flicked a finger, and portal opened. “Please leave. This part of the discussion does not involve you. But if you behave and cooperate, there may be other deals we can make with you.”

Lezzan nodded and ran through the portal

Lausanne laughed.

Metteria’s eyes never left the shining crystal of magic. Greed truly was universal.

***