Years Since Creation: 3993
Location: Significance Plane, Space System, Furin
Keeping her body still, Saria sent a strand of intent out of her liquid golden eye Image to grind upon the surface of the shimmering rock floating in front of her in the significance realm. Her liquid essence battered against the dull grey rock to no success for several minutes, with the rocks only reaction being the occasional flicker. Yet she persisted until her efforts were rewarded when a small chip fell off the rock and was blocked from regenerating by her intent filling the hole.
Her first step done; Saria let a small smile flit across her face before refocusing back on grinding away at the stone. Hours passed in this trance, the stone losing a good fourth of its mass before she ran out of willpower to spend and collapsed onto the floor as the stone instantly reformed. Another failure.
“This is bloody impossible.” Saria muttered to herself as she stood up from the silvery black sand of the training yard. “Don’t know why I’m even trying to do this branch first.”
Though that was a lie, she was well aware as to the why, it was staring right in front of her after all. Darvon, the boy genius was currently a dozen meters away wielding his new Abyssal blood elemental like a whip against a series of armored golems. Every touch sheared through the figures like they weren’t there, leaving behind a pile of hissing bile which would crawl back to the alchemist to expand his whip. He was advancing, and she was not.
“A crystal for your thoughts?” a voice came from behind her, startling her into hopping a foot off the ground with her knife dug out of her robe, only to relax at the sight of a grinning Vadim standing behind her.
“Where did you come from?!” Saria demanded, her blood pumping in her head as the nanites within reacted to her stress. “How did you even sneak up on me? I can literally hear a pin drop from a kilometer away.”
“I didn’t mean to startle you.” Vadim said sincerely, only for that ruse to immediately break as he chuckled at her. “As for how I snuck up on you, I used the very technique you are practicing.”
“Personal teleportation.”
“Exactly, it’s one of the core skills any assassin learns for a reason.” Vadim said, vanishing from her sight to appear to her right on top of her stone. “Though most wait till they are at least Doyen level before they attempt to master the branch. And for good reason.”
“I’m well aware that you need a certain level of density before you can reliably alter Impact long enough to impose your will. Your grandmother has lectured me on it more than enough times.” Saria said with a huff, opening her third eye to glance at the fading symbol of an open chest on the image of the rock next to them. The bastard did what took her hours in half a second.
“Then why continue trying to accomplish something that will take so long?” Vadim asked curiously as he winced at a particularly loud explosion of sound from the practice area next to them. “Why not follow the more common method of pursuing another spatial branch first. It’s not like they are weaker in any sense.”
“Because I need to keep up.” Saria said, clenching her fists. “Darvon is flying through the branches and is already receiving help on mastering his third. If I want to remain an equal instead of a mere subordinate, I need to do better than mere common path’.”
“I can see your worry there, but that still doesn’t explain your focus on pre doyen PT.” Vadim said, looking over at where Darvon was destroying a dozen puppets and casually dodging blood blasts from Maroc. “It is the literal slowest method to advance.”
“Why do you even care? I thought you would be busy training you’re ‘weak spine’.” Saria said with air quotes.
Vadim took a step back and placed his hand upon his chest with a mock offended look on his face. “Now that’s just rude, my spine is perfectly strong, it just needs a little polishing in the form of live combat.”
“Still doesn’t explain why your bothering me.”
“Ever heard of a break?”
Saria went to lash out once more, but stopped when her nanites sent her a warning about abnormal stress levels. Seeing that she forcibly calmed herself down and took a few deep breaths before turning back to the blunt character before her. It would not do to lose control of herself when she had barely established herself in this plane. She could do that later when she ruled a plane of her own.
“I’m sorry for insulting your spine. You don’t deserve that. I’m just frustrated with everyone constantly questioning my decision like I’m some toddler.” Saria said, glancing at the destruction Darvon wrought upon the abused golems. “I studied every book you have on the library, and even consulted Busari’s codex. The technique will work.”
“What technique?”
“To use my immense amount of External Impact to expand the energy I can use until I can carve my symbol upon it with ease.” Saria said. “And don’t tell me that it would require a stupid amount, I have a stupid amount. I just need to finish condensing the last bits and it should work.”
It better work, as she had already spent way to many hours slowly absorbing the floating mist around her Image at night.
“Ah, the Erdus Cain method, a solid idea that.” Vadim said and chuckled at Saria’s shocked look. “What? Did you think you were the first to come up with the technique? It’s been in circulation for centuries. Honestly the only reason you probably didn’t find it in the library is because it has been established as being a pointlessly inefficient method to advance. Though even considering that, just off a glance at your Image, I can see that you should already have more than enough intent to complete it.”
“Then why can’t I carve the anchor in stone?” Saria said, frustration seeping into her voice. “I’ve spent hours trying, and it keeps refilling before I can so much as get an outline in.”
Instead of answering her, Vadim spent a few moments just looking at her with his third eye glowing a deep black. As he did so, Saria did the same and got to see the sight of his Image shining before her. It was shaped into a flickering void black chest full of swirling vortexes which spat out a dozen misshapen creatures and objects into the surroundings which faded before they could reach outside the container. It was a powerful Image, and one fully condensed down to the crystal level of a Doyen while releasing a feeling of Personal Teleportation, Extranar Transmission, and Pocket Dimension Creation which she could only sense due to her constant practice under Nilys the last few days.
“I see what your problem is, and I think I know just the solution.” Vadim said with a smile and a turn to begin striding towards the open silver black forest next to the training fields. “Follow me.”
“What’s the issue?” Saria said as she hurried up to catch up to the man’s long steps. “Is it my EI absorbing technique? Or the process of creating the anchor itself? Or is it my new elemental–.”
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“Just wait a few minutes, and I’ll show you.” Vadim said as they stepped onto a gravel path leading deeper into the winding mystical forest.
“But–.”
Holding up a finger, Vadim waved his hand and summoned a pair of puff pastries full of vanilla cream and handed her one. “Just eat this and enjoy the scenery, take the chance to relax your mind a bit. As any good trainer would tell you. Breaks are important.”
Taking the obvious hint to shut up, Saria quieted down and walked alongside the house scion while glancing at the scenery while letting out some appreciative noises. The trees reflected the fake sunlight above wonderfully, the leaves sang from the artificial wind, and the faint smell of fresh water hit her from the shores of the lake a mere couple hundred meters away. It was a beautiful sight, greatly enhanced by the delicious pastry she snacked on, yet it didn’t take in her attention. Vadim did.
The dark-skinned man walked with same confidence the god heirs from her plane had, but with none of their unearned arrogance. After the awkward dinner they had had a couple days ago, where he had been called a coward she had thought him a mere spoiled brat, but it was clear he was more than that. Maybe she would have to actually worry about him as a competition.
“Like the sights?” Vadim said, startling Saria out of her daydreaming. “It’s been the work of generations of gardeners to reach this point. Every plant was carefully genetically engineered to perfectly match its position, while being constantly trimmed to create the same atmosphere year-round.”
“It is quite pretty, but I got to say that Maroc’s home was a bit more impressive. It had a mixture of the eerie sanguine nature of blood with nature itself that held a supernatural beauty that your spatial focus doesn’t quite match.” Saria said, smiling as a flock of birds flew overhead them. “Though your compound does have its own unique charm to it.”
“It is beautiful, in a completely different manner than Maroc’s compound was. He merged the eerie feel of blood with the beauty of nature to create a wonderous juxtaposition, while your family focused more on simply creating an atmosphere that hints at space.” Saria said, smiling as a flock of flickering birds flew overhead. “Which is a nice touch.”
“I had heard that Honored Scout Maroc had copied us a couple decades back. It had annoyed the matriarch to no end, especially since he refused to alter his compound despite her numerous requests.” Vadim said with a chuckle. “And while I’m sure he did an excellent job in merging the blood element with nature in amazing ways, I’m certain that there is one area we most definitely beat him in.”
“What?” Saria asked, as they walked down a new gravel path being tended by similar black armored servants to the ones in her house.
“Statues.” Vadim said and pushed through a set of vines hiding an archway to a new area of the forest.
The sight before her was breathtaking. Literally.
The air within her lungs was sucked out and pulled into a hurricane of wind and glowing white water that outlined an inverted pyramid dug into the ground before her. The concave hole was full of hundreds of different multicolored sculptures set on marble alters that shone with Impact. Each statue was unique and soul sucking in its beauty. There was a crystal purple tree drooping with fetus fruits, a cog machine made out of hundreds of different creatures twisted together, a massive scroll filled with black script that twisted into wings, a whirling black portal filled with rotten hands, a purple tentacle wrapped around a pure white lion, and dozens more. In the center of it all stood a crystal flask shaped into Nilys which released a stream of white water that flowed into the glowing wind vortex that illuminated the sculpture garden in a wonderous glow.
“The significance plane is made of 10 natural and 5 artificial laws, with millions of permutations and interactions between them. There are ability laws like sacrifice, and skill laws like space, each representing a link in the chain that holds our plane together.” Vadim said, passing his hand through the white water flowing into the stream around the statues as he talked. “Many scholars argue that it is through these laws that we interact with reality, and that our every action is merely a reflection of their grander interactions. The Azeta do not believe this.”
A splash of water hit Saria in the face, prompting her to look up and see that floating in the middle of the hurricane were thousands of fish. Black and white scaled they jumped from stream to stream, floating on air as easily as in water. It was beautiful.
“My family know that in reality we are something much more foundational than mere laws interacting. We are our own beings who wield power in ways that no amount of causal power could influence. We are our Image. It is our core, and the vessel for our intent. It is immutable from outside forces, yet molded by us constantly as we evolve along our chosen paths.”
Vadim paused his speech to lead her towards the closest statue, which showed a glowing yellow sun setting over a battlefield of millions of corpses, and pointed to the alter it was set on where she could faintly read a script. Indis Yonef Zhaber, Paragon on the path of Sunset Battle.
“Your path represents more than just how you meld different laws together. It represents your intent on reality. Whether you choose to copy someone else’s, or create your own, what path you follow is what determines how the plane itself views you. Without that established, even in some nascent form, there is no way you can properly alter reality in any meaningful sense.” Vadim said leading them to another statue where two floating swords clashed in a flutter of feathers, with the title Harn of clan Deadhand, Paragon on the path of Flying Blades. “In order to advance this intent you need to decide on your future in a meaningful enough way that the plane itself acknowledges it. That your very Image acknowledges it.”
“How can I do that though? My Image was formed long before I arrived here, and it hasn’t changed from a golden eye covered in technology since I’ve arrived. If anything its condensed.” Saria asked as she stared up at the beautiful craftmanship before her. “I feel like my path was set long ago, as even significance dumped me as a Protégé instead of the basic Wayfarer.”
“That’s only because reaching Protégé is all about having mastered one aspect of yourself in its entirety, be it accessing memories, listening well, moving your body, being in tune with your emotions, or whatever infinite other base forms you can think of.” Vadim said slowly walking down the path, tracing his hand along dozens of other statues they walked by. “It’s clear to me that you have long mastered multiple aspects of yourself, so I doubt the plane cared to repeat it. No, what it truly wants to know is what you will choose to do going forward. How you will shape your path.”
“How do you even decide that?” Saria asked, her bitterness at the stalling she had felt over the past couple days rearing its head again. “I already know I want to be able to teleport myself, and eventually use Extranar Transmission. Is that not enough?”
“No it is not. You must ask yourself one simple question.” Vadim said, stopping and turning once in front of the fountain that clearly represented Nilys’ and her Solvent Sun path Image. “What do you want to do Saria Wyla? What will your intent be leveraged for?”“I want to survive this next few months, I want to be independent of this fucking railroad that Darvon’s set–.” Saria ranted, only to be stopped as Vadim lifted his hand.
“These are all short-term goals that say nothing of you want. A path goes beyond something as basic as need, it is what you desire to become.” Vadim said with the tone of someone repeating back a lecture they had heard dozens of times before. “What do you want? What is your goal in life?”
Before answering the question Saria took a few seconds to actually think about it. She went over her actions over the past two weeks she had been in significance, and even considered the lifetime of struggle in her own plane. She went over every single decision she made, each brought up by her nanites, and looked for a pattern. And she found one.
“I want to help others be free of their broken societies.” Saria said in a firm tone.
“Why?” Vadim said in an encouraging tone, which Saria completely ignored as she delved back down memory lane.
“Because I was born in one.” Saria said, softly touching her silver tipped ear as she stared at the water rushing into the air above. “I was the mundane daughter of a god of knowledge. I got to see the excess and abuse of those in power, and how they looked down on anyone ‘below’ them. I spent years being bullied, with only my father to help me via his crazy method of turning me into his machine magnum opus. And once I rose to be their equal? I discovered how jealous and bitter those in power really are. How fragile their egos had become after years of decadence.”
Saria paused as the nanites in her called up memories of her being strapped to a lab table, of having her bones replaced, her muscles improved, nanites implanted, eyes altered, and emotions corrupted. Of how she had been so desperate for company that she had viewed her father’s experiments as a form of bonding with her.
“So they killed my father and tried to do the same to me but failed. All they did was push me to become a desperate rebel who wanted to change society by challenging those in power. Someone who led protests and marches, blew up supply depots and crashed weddings. Who tried to change society via mundane methods.”
Saria stopped her pacing to look directly at Vadim with her golden eyes flashing.
“Someone who failed due to hundreds of little mistakes adding up. Thousands died because of me, with every single one of my friends brutally executed.” Saria said with a breath. “You ask why I want to take this path? Because the mundane is not enough. If I can’t change society from within, I will force it to bend to my will and change from without.”
“But why space? Why Personal Teleportation? How can that help you accomplish your path?” Vadim asked gently, his own eyes glowing.
“Because I will not merely focus on one plane. I will help all of reality be free of oppression, and a lack of control.” Saria said her eyes now glowing golden, as she felt her Image within her begin to resonate with her words. “And to do so I must reach those in need. First near me, than beyond.”
Saying so, Saria closed her eyes. Sunk herself into the Significance realm. Reached out with her flickering Image to the top of the marble statue near her as she sacrificed a black space crystal. And with a single burst of power carved a simple anchor onto the stone, and a matching one on the floor beneath her.
A shattered chain.
She then merged with both, and in a single burst of power vanished from the ground to appear a top of the statue. Waves of water and wind hit her, violently attempting to throw her up into the vortex above, but she resisted with a wide smile. Her Image had changed. Her golden eye remained, but in the center was no longer a pupil but instead a single black shattered chain.
She had become a Doyen of Personal Teleportation.