Tree of Aeons-338. Reunion

Year 312

Aivan Outer Core World

Aiva was not hard to find, and in fact, Aiva was even keen to meet us again.

That god was aware the moment my three domain holders appeared on one of its core world.

It didn’t take long, and it didn’t even require us to contact the Aivan temples. While the trio traveled through the land, and in a place far from civilization, Aiva decided to visit personally, in a dazzling form.

A golden colored person with two faces, one male and one female, and a constantly changing number of wings.

“It has been a while, Aeon.”

Lumoof stood, as we felt the heavenly energies of a third god swirl around our shields. Unlike Gaya or Hawa, Aiva’s presence had an airy feel, as if one was in the presence of a strong breeze. “Greetings, Aiva.” Lumoof said.

“You have grown stronger. You too.” Aiva looked at Stella and Edna. “The journey through the various worlds has brought you all strength.”

Back then, Lumoof had gotten his domain not too long, and I wasn’t even Level 200 yet. Here we were, a good 130 years later, we had reunited.

“This time, we no longer have to rush to end our talk.” I countered. I remembered how rushed our first conversation was, simply because of how weak that link was.

“Indeed. This time, I can appear as my favored form, instead of a wisp. Did my followers agree to worship you instead?”

“Ah. I did not require them to do so.”

“You are far too gentle on them. Take them by force, if you need to. Faith can be instilled. Faith is a lot more useful when it does not need to travel the vast distances of the void sea. It is more useful to you, than to me this far away.”

“It is not an urgent need.” I countered, and I didn’t really want to dwell on this subject.

“Good enough. I take it that you’ve come all the way here to tell me something.”

“I have met Hawa and Gaya, and I suspect that it is Eras who lives, trapped, at the heart of the demon’s land. But, there are some things I want to clarify. You once said that the demons are manifestations of corruption, and that they are drawn to the lands of the living and the gods... Why?”

“First, if you believe it is Eras that controls the demons, whether directly or indirectly, then I must tell you that it is wrong.” Aiva said. “There are some things in the multiverse that are stronger than a god’s ambition, and the demon’s desire to consume all living life is one of them.”

“What do you know of Wadra?”

Aiva genuinely paused. We saw the divine existence’s form shift slightly, its multitude wings transforming before our very eyes. The person that contained Aiva’s divine will was genuinely puzzled.

“Does the wanderer live?”

“I do not know. But Wadra helped Eras with the design and construction of the massive Sun-Rings and the barrier. So, now, the question on our mind is whether Wadra is behind the demons?”

Again, a long silence as it digested the revelation.

“Possible, but I think it to be quite unlikely. The wanderer faded in the last eons of the closer world, but Wadra believed quite strongly in creating a web of connections between each other. I can see that was how Wadra sought Eras’s aid, but I cannot imagine that the Wanderer betrayed the Craftsmaster.”

“So we’re left with the demons somehow corrupting whatever Eras and Wadra created.”

“Most likely.”

“And so, why do the demons refer to themselves as slavers?”

“I do not know the real reason. My attempts to pry into the demons’ inner workings have been fairly lackluster. Demon Kings and their cores are designed to collapse when they interact with my divine energy or star mana. But I theorize that demons enslave worlds to produce on its behalf. The demon kings that are spread throughout the world are very much tools to enslave the core of realms. And so they refer to them as slaves.”

“Why?”

“Why what?” Aiva countered.

“Why enslave? What do they desire?”

“Nothing. It is just what demons are. It is in their nature to do so. If you came from the source worlds, you would be familiar with plagues and viruses. There is no reason, there is no desire. Instead, they are just what they are to do what they are designed to do. Driven by the very fiber of their being. They are not something to be reasoned with, but something to be destroyed.”

“And what happens when we do.”

“Then we have a few eons of peace. Eventually, some world somewhere will recreate the demons once more. The [system] itself is engineered such that some kind of demon-like existence will eventually spawn, as a means to regulate the operations of the world. Maybe you or I can be transformed into some demon-like existence.”

That left me silenced for a few seconds, as I struggled to comprehend what Aiva just said. That some existence somewhere must become the multiverse ‘enemy’?

“But that is a distant future, and no reason to delay the destruction of the demons, where possible.”

“So, what we are really here for. Can you help us?” Lumoof spoke on my behalf.

“Yes. But the intense void magic of the demons in the heart of the demonic territory does unusual things to divine power. So I ask that you prepare countermeasures, just in case our divine power is out of reach.”

“Divine power is out of reach?”

“There is a place you should visit, especially you. It is a good testament to what overwhelming void mana can do.” Aiva looked at Stella. “Here. Take this. It will guide you there.”

A strange wooden compass appeared. A round object that was clearly made from wood, and yet the moment we held it, we could feel something inside move as if telling us where we should go. It was very light, almost weightless, and its surface had nothing to suggest it was something more.

[ Void Sea Directional Pointer - Leads to a preset location within the void sea ]

“You will have to calibrate the compass with your void mana, but it should guide you to the natural dark world.”

“What is that?”

“Something I believe she will know once she sees it. In fact, it might be what you need at this point, not the experience of slaying more demon kings. I ask that you make a visit. I will prepare what I promised when we meet again.”

***

“Let’s go.” Stella said, clearly eager to follow the guidance of the pointer. It led them in a direction even further away from the demons and towards a place far deeper into Aivan territory.

Aiva had not given us a reason to distrust them. The first time we met, Aiva gave me a level, and this time, maybe Aiva could give Stella a hand on her own journey.

And so, we hopped through more worlds.

***

Year 313

It took a good full year to reach the final destination, and we knew it was something unique from the moment we were but a world away.

It was a realm of darkness.

The void portal opened, and we stepped through. We landed on a mirror-like surface that reflected a sky that was filled with hundreds if not thousands of million black liquid tubes that curved and swirled through the heavens. In this world, there were no suns, and yet, the same black liquid tubes gave off a type of ‘black’ light.

The mirror-like surface stretched till infinity, and it was a world that never seemed to end.

But it was the constantly shifting tubes in the sky, as if there were a million or so wiggling black worms each wiggling in their own rhythm and pattern.

Stella stared amazed. “This is a simulation of the void sea tunnels!”

Then, a divine portal swirled open next to us, and a parrot flew out. It landed on Edna. “It is amazing, no? I called it the first Void Cocoon.”

We looked at the parrot, and the parrot did not contain a single shred of divinity. “Aiva?” Lumoof asked.

“Yes. This world contains so much void energy that any divine existence finds itself drained within moments. I suspect that you will find something similar within the heart of demonic territories, and it is this very same ability that enables the demons to capture a divine existence like Eras.” The parrot that contained a fragment of Aiva answered.

“Void disables divine energy? If so, why can’t we just shatter the six gigantic sun-rings?”

“You could, but once enough void energy gathers in a location, it sustains itself. I suspect the void energy that captured Eras has long passed the point of self-sustenance. The only abilities that still remain are [System] abilities.”

“System? Why?”

“The World Faith System is built on faith. What is faith? Is it not the will and desires of mortals? The belief, trust, and conviction of our believers? Think of these as the thoughts, dreams, and hopes of our people. The void, a great, all encompassing aether is the primordial soup. Mortals, and their souls, it can be argued that they emerged from this primordial soup. So, in large quantities, all derivatives of the void return to it. Our faith melts into the void. Yet, the [System] predates it all, and so it is not diluted by the void.”

“Did the gods not know this weakness before they agreed to the World Faith System?”

“Yes, but in the past, the old gods refused to work with each other, and in the end, this was the best way forward. The incredible powers of faith were too tempting for the old gods or us to deny. It is a power more than good enough for most situations, just not for this specific instance of destroying a void prison. On the old system, we could protect maybe five, or ten worlds. With the incredible reach of the WFS, each of us ensured that at least a hundred of our own core worlds would prosper to great levels, and thousands more survive in some way or form through the heroic summoning system. It is a very practical solution, just not the perfect one.”

The parrot continued.

“I think your friend should have some time to comprehend the vastness of this world. This world is ancient. So ancient that I dare say it is likely one of the earliest creations of the system.”

Stella turned at that statement. “This world precedes the gods?”

“Yes. The void mana here is some of the most ancient, and some of the most pure. It could be said to be an experimental anomaly of the early [system]. I consider it one of my prized worlds, even if it contributes nothing to my power. I fear to consider what will happen if the demons ever reach this world.”

“Maybe nothing would happen.” Lumoof said.

“Maybe this discovery would trigger an evolutionary leap within the demons.” The parrot that contained Aiva’s fragment spirit answered.

“Really?”

“I do not know for certain.” The parrot spoke. “But I do not intend to find out.”

Stella looked at Lumoof and Edna and agreed. “Aiva is right. I need some time here. I will return once I am ready, and I have a feeling this will change me.”

“Will you be safe?” I asked.

“Yes. I do not feel the world is hostile, and even now I can sense it attempting to speak to me. The entire sky above us is the Core of this realm, a gaseous core suspended on an infinite plane.”

***

Stella POV

Travel broadens the mind, and for Stella, it wasn’t the first time where it felt like her mind really did change from travel.

The Void Cocoon, and yet, she found Aiva’s term incomplete. The endless wiggling tubes were out of reach, they were images, apparitions created by the world’s core, and yet they were clearly reflection of something else.

At first glance it was easy to just conclude that this is a cocoon of the void sea, but as she studied the endless tubes, she found her mind adjusting to the concepts of each connection between worlds as a tube wriggling in this sea.

It felt like the world itself was illustrating how the void tunnels worked. New tubes emerged out of nowhere, as if they were a trippy, drug induced trip filled with colors.

She sat and meditated.

The void energies here were similar, and yet, as she allowed them to enter her body and filter through her spiritual realm, she began to realize they were slightly different from her own void mana.

They came in sets of nines.

Eight motes void mana were paired with just a single small mote of core mana, and she noticed that they were shaped differently. The core mana was shaped into a different form than the one Stella was familiar with. Instead, the core mana here was stretched into a thin, prickly structure, and the void mana was then attached at the edges.

“Doesn’t core mana decay?” Stella asked herself. She watched the strange tunnels wiggled as these bits of void mana appeared.

“Is this how the rift gates worked?”

Stella continued to wonder, and yet, was it because how the void mana blended with the void sea and thus remained undetectable to her limited senses?

No. She’s not sure.

So, she watched some more. The core mana vanished once it entered, and yet for a brief moment, this structure seemingly caused the void sea to hold.

As she honed in her senses, it was as if she felt a connection to the Void Cocoon. A sensation quite like when they made contact with the various Wills of the World.

It felt familiar, and for a moment, Stella felt herself lost as if she was submerging into a sea made up of these void tunnel worms. She was one with them, swimming with them.

She felt like a worm.

She felt like something within the void sea, wiggling through the muck of the void sea. It felt like swimming in mudpool with no limbs, just using her own body to flail about like a fish.

The wiggling tunnels made her realize what it was like to be a void creature, and truly, it wasn’t an experience she could describe.

She hoped her other void mages would be able to see it, when they’d gained sufficient understanding of the void.

In the depths of her immersion, she felt a system notification.

[You’ve gained a level. You are now Level 200. You may now select one of the following subdomains]

[ Void Inheritor - This subdomain multiplies your void mana and void abilities. You are able to now take control of voidlings and lesser void creatures, and they will recognise you as their master. Void creatures can be used for various tasks, such as combat, mana generation, or exploration. Choosing the void inheritor significantly expands the range of your void tunnels, allowing you to move further and faster, and your ability to move is now less affected by void turbulence within the void sea. You are also able to better weaponize void mana and use them to create various higher grade void weaponry. You are also better able to ‘track’ and ‘reopen’ closed void tunnels used by others ]

[The Dark Patron - This subdomain significantly increases your ability to train and nurture new void mages and other void creatures. You are now able to ‘plant’ a void seed within individuals and creatures, and these individuals will be able to select a void-related choice. You are also now able to circumvent the limitations of void adoption, allowing prospective void mages to obtain a void-mana spiritual spring without curses. As the Dark Patron, your ability to use void mana to curse and cause spiritual wear on a target, even if they are far away, is increased. The Dark Patron also increases your void explorers to ten (from three currently), and these void explorers will now function as portal signals. You are also now able to use other void mage’s mana as your own through an ability called [Collective Void].]

[The Galley of the Void - This subdomain permanently creates a new void layer [ The Gallery ], which creates a safe plane between worlds. The Gallery gains power and is able to open more void paths between worlds when a special painting is produced from each world. Each painting requires certain conditions to be met, usually involving contact with the Will of the World or planet Core. Each painting then creates a doorway, which can be freely accessed.

Access to the Gallery will require a key, which you can give and take at your will. Travel within the Gallery will not require any mana, though there is a small traveling time. Additionally, within the Gallery , there is the ability to paint and create special [Void Dungeons]. Void Dungeons contain the ability to train and hone void mage talents, and the likelihood of acquiring void-mana type skills is significantly increased. Void creatures and items and can also be found within the void dungeons]