Comiak
patreon
Chapter 171: Gods
🕑 Added 2022-05-06 22:31:40 +0000 UTCMyrou wonders around the edge of the void. A curious thing; the void is infinite yet defined, a seeming contradiction yet it exists.
"You still haven't figured it out, Myrou?" Venaro is always teasing her about it, yet he is the only one to know it.
The void is a strange place; the realms are infinite in size yet finite in the void. The void itself is infinite in size, yet it has an infinite edge that stretches onwards to eternity. Time and space has... well, it exists in the void, yet it doesn't.
Regardless Myrou wonders into the infinite nothingness, finding a strange beauty here, the beauty of solace. The shining realms glimmer like little gemstones far in the distance.
Myrou sighs in contenptment. Beauty has to be admired from many perspectives, and this is just one way to do that.
Myrou must have spent years just admiring the realms, sitting on the infinite edge of the void, contemplating. Perhaps it's purely conceptual? Is the void a mere representation of the concept of individual realms? Or perhaps it's just the fabric of existence itself, and since nothing exists, it too must have a place which is where she is sitting right now. Maybe it's both? Or maybe...
Something catches Myrous attention. A lost soul slowly drifting in the vastness of the void's edge. It's... so beautiful. A soul so pure and unmarred by the process of reincarnation – by the harshness of the soul sea – just how old is this soul?
Ting! The Goddess of Beauty and Creativity, Myrou, the Spirit has discovered a Primordial Legacy soul.
Ting! The Goddess of Beauty and Creativity, Myrou, the Spirit has discovered the Archive of Eternity.
Myrou sits there, stunned; in an instant, she gained both a Fabled and a Mythic point. She didn't even know the mythic point existed! Although, Venaro had said that there should be a tier above fabled.
Should she use the points now? Venaro will be very jealous. Never mind that this soul is the Archive of Eternity?! What does that even mean? There's only one way to find out, [Analyze]!
The Archive of Eternity:
(Mythic) (Primordial) (Legacy)
This soul has existed since the first realm, since before mana existed. It has witnessed the Great Calamitys and all of time since its creation, keeping a record within its memory.
Myrou grabs the soul as gently as she can; she does not dare hurt this beautiful soul. The others will no doubt want to examine this soul, Venaro especially. But worse, some may want to use this soul as a resource for powerful items. It's best that Myrou spends her points now and evolve; the only question is, should she evolve her Race or a Class?
Legendary makes one immortal if placed on the Race, so maybe Fabled and Mythic might have something special; if anything, she will find out if there is anything special or not. Then again, there is a risk of introducing unwelcome skills to her race that she has spent thousands of years developing to be as perfect as can be, but she supposes that's the cost of power; here comes another thousand years re-perfecting her race...
* * *
Myrou arrives at the place where all the other gods congregate and receive a lot of envious stares. She flashes them a charming smile. Venaro, however, simply looks intrigued, the prospect of knowledge too attractive to let petty things get to him.
"So that's the Archive of Eternity?" He says, floating closer to get a better look. "I see... its memories are as vast as this void..." He mutters.
Unfortunately, there are no known ways to read dormant or sealed memories, not without destructive means, anyway.
"We can use it to make very powerful items, and it can regenerate if cut in half," The God of the Forge and Craftmanship, Urolon says. "It can help us all get to Fabled tier if we have powerful items; I can probably get to Mythic tier myself."
Some sounds of approval echo throughout the void.
"No!" Myrou shouts, holding the beautiful soul close to herself. "We can't just start tearing it apart!"
"I agree; there's too much that we can learn from it," Venaro sides with Myrou. "Especially the Great Calamity, which has been referenced several times before, plus you are too greedy Urolon, you know magic rebels, it is an embodiment of chaos after all."
"I'll have to agree with Myrou and Venaro," The God of Law and Justice, Fathlyr says. "A soul is still the identity of a person, and to mar that is not right!"
"It will regenerate, Fathlyr. Even if the soul is entirely destroyed, it will come back; it's primordial" Another Goddess chimes in as if a dam broke arguments rise all around them. Shouting and insults are thrown around, and they almost come to fighting several times. Myrou suspects they are all holding back now that she is Mythic tier and at least four times as strong as she was before.
"SILENCE!" Finally, having enough, the God of War and Battle, Varath, shouts. "We can all argue later, but we all should agree that the Archive of Eternity contains information that we can't get anywhere else; we can't waste this opportunity we have to record what it knows. We don't know if its memories will regenerate or not, so it's not worth risking."
To Myrou's surprise, Varath is joining her side; she thought for sure he'd be all in on getting powerful items. However, now she thinks about it, information is a large part of war, and this opportunity is probably causing large conflicts within himself
"What concerns me most," Varath continues, "Is that this soul has witnessed the Great Calamity, something we know next to nothing about. We need to know what happened, so it's best that we find out and not risk anything!"
"We need to take our time to properly study this soul," Venaro adds. "I can understand the desire to become stronger, but even you, Urolon, should know that properly studying the soul before working to make items should take prescience."
Reluctantly, Urolon agrees.
"We should also let its memories resurface," Venaro says. "The value in them is immeasurable, and who knows how we can apply that knowledge."
"We'll let Myrou keep the Archive for safety," Varath says, "We'll reincarnate it for the memories to become recoverable; after that, then, we can discuss this further."
The meeting disperses, and once everyone has returned to their corners of the void, Myrou looks down at the beautiful soul.
"I won't let them hurt you, don't worry. I'll make a nice place for you where the other gods can't reach you."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Awareness returns to me. I am laying on the ground in front of Yrania. I owe her a huge debt, even now, she is working to lessen the impact of my memories, but I don't think she is aware of just how important these memories were.
It isn't just knowledge of the Reality Eater but the fact I can't trust the gods. Well, Myrou seems nice enough, and maybe Venaro can be convinced to be an ally, but most of the other gods we chomping at the bit to use me as a resource.
There is a lot I need to think about, from everything in my time in the void to what it means being the Archive of Eternity to the situation with the gods.
I need allies, powerful allies that can resist the gods. I have five years before the other gods will start looking for me, and in that time, I need to be able to resist them. Can I trust Safyr with this knowledge? Probably. She is not a crafter herself, has shown no interest in making use of me and has had ample time and opportunity if she wanted.
Can I trust Yrania? Probably, she has been nothing but helpful, and I doubt she'd go against Safyrs wishes.
So, about the Reality Eater. In the void, I came to just accept it, and in a way, I know the cycle will continue, so it's not like it's the end of everything. However, I can't help but feel terrified now. Unless I find a way to hide from it, everything and everyone I know will be devoured. There is still a long time before the Reality Eater re-awakens, so I have the time, and there is precedent; I have never gotten the death messages for ten of the great beings and one of the great elementals. It's possible they are still alive. Finding them may reveal a way to hide from the Reality Eater; if anything, they may allow me and my family to hide with them.
First, talk with Safyr, and get her opinion on things. Then ask my fairy queen friend, Sylanna, if she knows about the Faewild.
"Did you learn what was important?" Yrania asks, still working on lessening the effect my memories have on me.
"Yes," I nod. "Several things, in fact, but I'll need to consult Safyr about them."
Yrania nods her head in acknowledgment before leading the way back to the Guardian.
"You seem to be enjoying my presence a lot recently," Safyr says with annoyed sarcasm.
"I'm Sorry, Guardian, but this time I think you'll want to know. With Yrania's help, I've recovered my memories, but it's about the time I spent in the void that I most important and concerning."
"I suppose it has something to do with the Great Calamity?" Safyr asks with feigned indifference in her tone.
"It's a cursed being capable of devouring entire realms" That got Safyr's full attention.
She waits for me to tell the full story, so I begin at the start, explaining the ages, the great monsters, and the conceptual things created during the Age of Magic.
"Fafnir..." Safyr says as if she knew the name. "A myth passed from Dragon to Dragon, a being made of the starry sky above, so vast he can eclipse the world itself. I had not thought him real; merely a story told to hatchlings to instill the drive to become strong, as strong has Fafnir himself. To think there were four others who were at least equivalent to the Fable tier, possible even Mythical..." Safyr paused to get her thoughts in order.
"I don't think he left for good, rather, he must come back every so often; otherwise, we'd have no myths about him like the others. Then there's the others, Treant, the Titans, and the fairies. If Fafnir survived, then it's possible they have too, but their seclusion may make it hard to find them. If anyone can find them, it would be Fafnir, the one capable of traveling to their realities."
"Grandmother, doesn't it sound like the beings made during the Age of Magic are magic beings?"
"Yes," Safyr nods.
"Like cursed beings?" I ask. I did get a breakthrough for seeing a magic being when looking at the cursed being, but it implied that not all magic beings are cursed beings. "What's the difference?"
"I'm not sure," Safyrs says, "All I know is that magic beings are like cursed beings but without the destructive nature most of the time. They are far rarer but are capable of thought and communication. Most of the ones known are usually named after the place they are born in, such as Mist Lands, the name for both the place and the magic being."
"You have yet to mention anything about the Reality Eater; I thought for sure you'd have something to say about it," Yrania says.
"There's no point," Safyr replies. "I can't do anything about it. I can't kill it, nor do I know how to hide from it, so I will focus my attention on other matters. As for the great spirits, I believe you can trust Myrou and Fathlyr. Spirits have a nature that they strictly adhere to; going against that is nearly unthinkable to them."
Surprisingly Safyr doesn't have much to say, but she seems a little put off by the prospect that there may be an enemy she can't defeat. With little to gain, I should visit my fairy friend and see if I can get leads on the faewild.
Comments
Venalitor
So Myrou is just incompetent rather than malicious. Good to know and a load off my mind. The situation, however's proven to be even worse than I imagined, naysayer that I am. Aly's totes going to usher in the second age of magic isn't she!? I guess that's not much of a guess at this point with it being so hinted at. Could be a red herring though.
Yotedom
Myrou also said that she'd make a place where the gods can't find her. So only Myrou can see her, though I expect when she finds the statues of the other 2 in the dungeon they'll be able to see her directly.
Pawzom Lz
She got a mythic point by becoming a primordial soul while in the void though or maybe I'm just misunderstanding something? Even without getting points, she still gained a lot from getting her memories back. Knowing the enemy is out there(reality eater and hostile gods) is infinitely better than not knowing. She also knows of other ways of improving her strength through cultivation and becoming a world mage(however that works), although she does not know the how yet.
Collateral_ink
Damn, so the only thing she's getting out of that trip down memory lane (not sure "lane" is appropriate here) is an identity crisis, divine paranoia, and existential dread? There's a t-shirt slogan in there somewhere, I'm sure. Well, that's too bad. I get it though. If the system classified souls themselves as alive instead of just components then everyone would probably be born at a much higher tier than they are. Though, that does raise interesting questions about spawned beings. They are created at higher tiers all the time. It's almost like the system considers them magic items rather than people/beings in that they can just "become" what they are, rather than grow to it. Still, even if she gets no direct, system benefit from her time in the void, I would hope reliving it and unlocking her memories are worth some sort of notification, even if it is just some strange, very rare skills or breakthroughs. Thoughts?
Comiak
The reason why Aly didn't get points while in the void is because the system considers souls a material component not a living thing. So as far as the system was concerned there was no one to give the point to and why her soul is mythic tier but Aly is not. More will be explained hopefully in the next few chapters if I can find a way to explain it. Basically life is made of multiple things not just the soul.
Ninetails
I think she got it from simply being reincarnated, yeah that alone was worth a mythic point for her.
Ninetails
Perhaps she got them but they were automatically applied to her soul, as that thing is mythic rank. At least if that how it works it kind of makes sense - she already raised herself to be a kind of mythic being.
Illiterate Scholar
Alysara is blessed by Venaro, so I would imagine he can already find her...
Norbert Fuksz
Well generally unless you count the system notifications you can still feel your points and even picture them when you are using them so the must be some kind of special energy/divinity packet. Something a higher level could possibly feel in others.
Norbert Fuksz
Only the god that has a contract with her would know which I believe is only the goddess of beauty. Everyone else would need to hear from her to know she got all her memories back. Also we don't know if it was a magical contract or just a verbal promise but mi guess is some kind of magic is involved.
Squirtle
Plot hole? I guess
Pawzom Lz
Safyr was surprised about Aly being there tho when her parents asked her for help in the chapter we saw from her perspective.
Gray Gillespie
Well that’s nice to uncover. What really bound this quest was the trustworthiness of those two gods. With some new perspective this is finally being realized. It seems that Myrou is indeed of the mind to not destroy his soul. Showing some empathy. At the same time there were immediate gains and it’s like getting a pet at an animal shelter. There is a greed to the hidden knowledge and she might go to greater lengths to get it. I dislike being led by this for the entirety of the manuscript. There can be chaos but I prefer when stories start in the order realm and switch over accordingly, I never felt there was a time with complete order and control over herself as this issue of Myrou’s agenda was unknown until now. In a different perspective twenty years is little compared to the age of the gods mentioned. This narrative is great in that now there’s enough knowledge for a cumulative baseline to form and Alysara can formulate a plan to move forward. To me at least. It is to appease the god(s) and survive, and also survive the realm eater somehow. That’s quite a tall objective to get to. Other then that the story is great. I hope it gets there so I can see the full scope of this Great Idea.
Aegis OT Void
Theory here, don’t the gods already know? They were watching over her and awakening her memories just sped up the process they were waiting for, no?
Squirtle
Yeah, you're not wrong in that, but it still feels.. off, i guess.
Squirtle
No, the cursed being ate EVERY realm in existence. Then for some reason life restarted again, and realms were created again. Then the cursed being awoke again and killed all realms again, repeat 52million times.
Squirtle
I would say its not entirely impossible for Myrou to talk to Safyr and explain the situation, considering she was going to be protecting Aly. Not entirely sure of the reasoning but yeah, its a possible one.
Mugsy
I thought that it was simply that the Reality Eater devouring a realm was a calamity and it happened multiple times therefore -> calamities
Charles Owens
Probably not even that complicated. Having someone make a statue in your likeness that produces a legendary point is probably felt by a god and directly traceable. Alysara isn't dumb enough to do this so she will continue with her current self-made trial instead.
Olivier Pascal
My greatest question at this time is what is going to happen to Alysara if she attempts to complete Kayafe's trail to make the likenesses of the gods in order to get the legendary point. The message is going to be broadcast and the gods Venaro and Varath would know where to look for Aly since they know their likenesses were crafted by Kayafe first. And even if more worlds have have a likeness of them, it could give those gods a hint of where to look since I doubt all realities have a likeness of them both and Myrou. In any event, thank you for the chapter and I hope you have a wonderful day :D
Pawzom Lz
If I remember right, then Safyr was aware Myrou and/or Aly had gotten a mythic point, but by looking at the Ting! messages in this and the previous chapter, I dont see how she would know that? Primordial souls, while very rare, have been discovered before, tho none anywhere near as old as Aly's, so that is no indicator of a mythic point, and nobody but Myrou and the other gods that inspect Aly would be aware of her specifics, and hence her significance, which means that second ting are not an indicator either as nobody would understand its importance.
Collateral_ink
I'm giving Myrou the benefit of the doubt. I mean, she comes across quite possibly the rarest single thing in existence, a thing which by simply finding has already made her immensely more powerful, and her first instinct ISN'T to just crack it open and strip-mine it for all it's worth. Maybe I've read too many xianxia novels, but that's a class act right there!
Squirtle
As far as we know, she only has a Mythic point from something. She never got a Fabled point for whatever dumb reason. It would make sense for her to get Fabled - Being a Primordial Legacy. And getting the Mythic for being the Archive. Also, we dont know what the requirements for gaining these points are either.
Squirtle
Thanks for that info, its very interested. I kind of think Myrou doesn't deserve the Mythic point quite as much tbh... She kinda just picked up Aly randomly. Though that in itself is impressive actually having the luck of coming across Aly.
Collateral_ink
Taken holistically, you're right. Aly does deserve to skip Fabled tier, like Myrou does. Really, she deserves to skip quite a few tiers just for having to languish in eternity for that long. But from a narrative standpoint it's just sorta necessary to spend time at each stage, unless we're subverting tropes, which hasn't really been a focus of this story. As for the Emperor, SPOILERS, it is the same man Kayafe traveled with. But he is not a good person. He's the kinda guy that in the 16 and 17th centuries convinced themselves that Africans couldn't take care of themselves and it was in their best interest to be sold into slavery so they could be civilized. Aw shucks, what a great guy! Also, it was clear (to me at least) that his entire true motivation for helping Kayafe was that he was hopelessly infatuated with her--feelings which she apparently did not return. He was essentially Tana, only Kayafe never told him to stop acting like a stalker/worshipper (or if she did, he has successfully suppressed or reinterpreted that memory). From later scenes with him, he is still hopelessly obsessed with her, but in an even more patronizing, proprietary sorta way. She was his family's slave, and in his mind, I don't think he ever surrendered that concept of ownership over her.
David Brims
I think Aly has the Fabled point as well? Unless she didn't get it because she was already a primodial soul before Mana existed?
Pawzom Lz
You can get both a Fabled and Mythic point by stargazing, apparently... The more I think about it the more it bothers me. Aly spent an eternity in the void and finally finds someone and its the one Aly found that gets rewarded? How come Myrou can get 2 points with Aly finding her but Aly gets nothing from finally escaping her eternal ''hell''? Aly should not just get a Fabled point from being the Eternal Archive, she should get another Fabled or Mythic from escaping, even if it is by accident. Makes no sense to me if she doesnt and Myrou can get one by accident just by stargazing and thinking the stars are pretty...
Squirtle
Also, what the hell are even the requirements for Fabled and Mythic? Like, if you have to live through Eternity to get Mythic, how the hell are you normally supposed to get it?
Squirtle
It may be "too easy", but she's also deserving of the point considering she witnessed everything that happened. I kind of hope she doesn't have to waste the point, considering she basically has to contend with a bunch of Legendary beings that live in the void that want to basically dissect her forever just to make items..... The Emperor, I was thinking he was the same Human that traveled with Kayafe, they had the same name I believe and basically striving to make other races better (at least thats what it seemed like from the sidestory 1, I havent read any of the others).
Pawzom Lz
Myrou got a Mythic and Fabled point literally dropped into her lap without having to put in any effort whatsoever, so I think its safe to say that covers unreasonable advancement, just not for Aly. She didnt even notice Aly til she spoke up, so isnt it more like Aly, the Eternal Archive found her rather than Myrou finding Aly? Just does not feel justified to me as gaining points is supposed to be about effort/achievements most of the time? At least Aly should be getting a fabled point for this. Makes no sense Myrou get a Mythic and Fabled point by Aly stumbling into her and her ''finding'' Aly, but Aly only gets a mythic point from being a primordial soul but not fabled from being the eternal archive. If this does not happen im calling Unfair Play.
Collateral_ink
The looming specter of her own Mythic point keeps bothering me. If she still has it when she manages to reach Fabled tier, that means she will immediately be able to reach Mythic. From a narrative standpoint, that is too easy, which suggests to me that she is going to be forced to use it before she is ready. How will she use it? We know a Legendary point will advance her race or class by 1 tier, and we are assuming it will be the same for her Mythic point, but is that true? It is quantifiably more powerful than a Legendary point. I can see a few situations that may force her to use it. Most likely, she could be forced into a fight against someone she cannot defeat (the assassin or the "Well meaning" Emperor, the latter of whom is probably going to go fatal attraction on Alysara since it is heavily implied she looks a LOT like Kayafe).
Squirtle
Thank god with her 2nd class she'll get more clones for faster leveling. Also, part of the problem for her race is missing a 5 year level up, she can miss going up a tier. She could get grand with current upgrade, then heroic at 20. But if she does deal with her cursed skills, she can probably get exalted hopefully for her 20th
Osloo Mortan
TFTC
Collateral_ink
I both like and dislike this injection of another time crunch. Before this, her obsession with solving the cursed skill situation before her next evolution felt forced. There was really no need for her to solve it this soon. She had good evolutions available and would likely get better ones at 20. There was plenty of time for her to fully understand the problem before bumrushing forward and probably doing more damage to herself. This is why I described her need for self-improvement as self-destructive. Now, however, there is a very real timetable. The Gods are going to come for her soon, and the majority of them are apparently spoiled children wanting to play with a shiny new toy. In order to protect herself, she will need to be at least Fable tiered, since it seems that the Gods are all only Legendary (did not expect that; also, congrats to Myrou for becoming the most powerful God in existence). You gotta expect that actually managing to cure a cursed skill is worth an achievement of some kind. Probably Fabled, since it seems so much more extraordinary than the examples of Legendary achievements we have seen. But still, she's only sitting at Major right now. That's a lot of tiers she needs to climb just for her Race, not to mention her Classes.
Collateral_ink
I'm hoping she was just putting off reading the notifications for now and that we will get them soon. If not, my deep desire for outlandish notifications and unreasonable advancement will be stymied.
Squirtle
I'm kind of surprised she didn't notice the "Great Calamities" part, implying there's more than one
Squirtle
Technically she already has the mythic point. I'm surprised she doesn't have a fabled point for being a primordial soul
Captdeth
16m
Maury
ty for the chapter
Quardine
well shit, I thought for sure it would have given an achievement or something...
