Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 815 - 756: The Source of Illusions

The counterfeit creations, shaped and hewn, failed to fulfill Lyle’s purpose; they were fragile, too fragile to sustain the creator’s brilliant imaginings. Lyle initially thought tracing the origins of illusions would be rather effortless, as the star pupil in Spirit Summoning Studies quickly understood the physiological makeup of the illusions. They were simply constructed, so simple that they appeared rough to Lyle, like a clay model shaped by a novice. Skilled artists could swiftly emulate their form, yet never manage to capture the essence outlined by the crude lines.

Lyle was merely producing fake goods. He pondered which critical step he had missed that led to his fabricated illusions either collapsing immediately or struggling for a few seconds before falling apart.

With the selfless devotion of the Intangible Son, Lyle deduced a conclusion.

Creating illusions was theoretically unachievable. This conclusion took Lyle by surprise, because illusions did indeed exist and had become his kin. After repeated verification, combining all his learned knowledge, Lyle sadly discovered that his conclusion was correct.

With his own talent, he could not create illusions. To put it more precisely, with the knowledge of the Evil God, he could not create illusions. This was in direct conflict with the theory of the Evil God being the source of all fathed to become all things. The existence of illusions contradicted the scope of knowledge of the Evil God, showing Lyle a part of the world he was unfamiliar with.

Chaos is not the sole element. An organization, once seemingly insignificant, gradually loomed larger in Lyle’s eyes.

Pact-Maker, an obscure place for spellcasters to organize, astonishingly rejects all teachings of the Evil God and has established a logically cohesive esoteric system. The illusion kin were creations of the Pact-Makers, proof of their deviation from chaos. Lyle began to surmise the Intangible Son’s inexplicable hostility towards the illusion kin. They referred to illusions as aberrations, perhaps indicating an underlying disdain deeper than mere arrogance and prejudice.

A true seeker of knowledge should always remain skeptical. Lyle with a vigilant heart, began perusing the Book of Omniscience stored in paradise, focusing on the oblique references from ancient chronicles. From the Book of Omniscience, Lyle saw new pages.

The oldest concept, "Mystique".

Chaos does not exist independently. Where there is darkness, there will be light. That which arises in opposition to chaos is order, the rules that must be followed, the "Concepts".

"The power of the Evil God mutates into concepts; the Intangible Son once referred to ’Concepts’ as ’Divine Power’. Now it seems, not all concepts originate from the Evil God Himself."

"Mystique" is venerated by all of the Pact-Makers, a concept that governs their speech and behavior.

Lyle closed the Book of Omniscience; the red cover surfaced with an aged visage gazing at Lyle, its expression undefinable as good or bad. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"I had thought you would never see the true face of ’Mystique’ in your lifetime."

Lyle frowned, uncertain of the intentions behind the former Pact-Maker turned illusion’s words. Though his heart carried a touch of pride, the young man feigned indifference in his response.

"It’s nothing, just realizing ’Mystique’ may be as old as the Evil God. ’Mystique’ and the Sleeper might belong to the same era, but it is much weaker than the Sleeper, or the Evil God wouldn’t now be the ancestor of all life."

The Book of Omniscience shook its head, its pages rustling in the air as they flapped and fluttered.

"Recognizing ’Mystique’ isn’t necessarily a good thing; it’s a terror distinct from the Evil God. ’Mystique’ is a concept that demands compliance, but this does not imply that order is blissful. That era would only give birth to barbaric and malevolent deities."

"Be careful, Lyle. Observe us, observe Posuwa, and see what those who have sworn to serve ’Mystique’ for life have received..."

The kingdom was destroyed, and the organization of the Pact-Maker was obliterated in an instant, for among them, someone had broken the promise of secrecy. The pain wrought by the[Mystery]was far lighter than the corruption of the Sleeper, but that was for the whole world. The Sleeper was sealed, while the [Mystery]now dangles its last servant.

"To forcibly extract malice from life, to see an originally complete life wither into a powerless, inferior remnant... this is but an illusion." To exclude an individual from the lineage of the Evil God, to draw order from chaos, to distance the offspring influenced by dark bloodlines from flesh and blood. Lyle was uncertain about the expression he had made in the face of the Book of Omniscience.

"You have inflicted upon the next victim what the [Mystery] has done to you."

"Therefore, the Pact-Makers are not innocent, every Keeper of Secrets bears the evil passed down through flesh and blood, and from the discipline of order, sin was born out of our evil."

Lyle shivered and lifted his head to approach the huge gap in the tower’s corner, where he could overlook the entire paradise. There, Lyle saw the tranquil smiles of the illusion, saw the frolicking children sprinting through the woods, and felt warmth reclaim his heart.

"Do they know... that their forerunners were criminals of Posuwa, whose roots of evil were plucked out to reveal the innate goodness? So they are servants, they are test subjects, they exist for the purpose of sacrifice, or rather, for atonement."

The Book of Omniscience shook its head, it crawled back to the lectern and lay down in the neat recess at the center.

"Posuwa has perished, who would have thought that the former prison would become today’s paradise. The Illusion Project was merely a remodeling proposal I initially provided, and very few were privy to it. The Rebellious Prince brought about the demise of the entire Posuwa, and the Illusion lost its object of loyalty. Isn’t weaving a fairy tale paradise, a wonderful thing?"

"They have already abandoned the past and obtained a new life."

"Without sin, without hatred, a pure, flawless paradise as unblemished as snow."

"My innocent children will forever dwell here."

"Lyle, indeed I possess the method to extract malice, but it is also the power of the [Mystery], a [Secret] that should not be passed down. You who have learned of this secret are now likely to be targeted by the [Mystery]. Brass and chains, the rusted king is a concept of noble misfortune."

"Do not bring change to them, my respected King of the Clan, for this moment is the most beautiful conclusion."

Lyle heard a plea of weariness in the voice; the Book of Omniscience, as a book, did not wish to be opened.

"Hmm, I promise you." He bid it a good night, for Lyle was not so undignified as to disturb the old’s sleep.

The laughter from outside the tower did not cease, and the dark shadows gradually blocked the sunlight invading the tower, with Lyle’s figure being slowly consumed by the[Ominous].

[To abandon the choice to become stronger, if this is your decision, I shall, of course, respect it.]

[It’s a pity, we are the beings closest to that entity, our bodies bearing the primal malice, the ceaseless instinct to seek higher grounds.]

Fairy tales are the ultimate tragedy.