"Is ending up in the infirmary after a fight your favourite thing?!"
Lee heard this question as soon as he opened his eyes.
"Ehee…..sorry. Did I worry you?!"
Lee could only smile awkwardly.
"Promise me that you'll only use the lightning affinity after thoroughly practicing it. I really worry about you ending up tired in a battle!"
Fenfang was visibly annoyed and her cheeks puffed. Lee could only smile. He didn't move because D warned him
'D, this is the second time. Find out why I fall unconscious everytime I use lightning?!'
[This is not some ordinary lightning. This is the lightning from the Law of Lightning and Thunder, stupid. Be thankful that you didn't die after being exposed to it!]
'I really wanted to ask you about the Laws and Law fragments. Can you explain them in detail?!'
[Sure. Do you remember what I told you about the Origin dimension and it's 999 copies??]
'Yes.'
[Origin dimension is a place of chaos and no mortal or immortal can live there. There is no atmosphere, only raw matter and energy in utter imbalance, in complete black and white. The only thing that exists there are 'Amortals'.]
'Amortals?!'
[Yes. Mortals are those with cycles of birth and death. Immortals have birth and do not have death. But Amortals are entirely different existence. They do not reproduce or fight. They are unbounded by Time. They do not have birth and hence, do not die. They are neither hostile or friendly. Their presence can only be sensed through the law fragments. They don't have a shape or form or color. The laws we see where once parts of the corresponding Amortal. When 999 dimensions were born, Amortals alone could not copy themselves to other dimensions as matter and energy did. So they splitted themselves and sent a fraction of each of them with the outpouring of matter and energy. These one in a gazillion fraction of their powers got copied into 999 parts and travelled throughout the dimensions. These parts later helped to nurture, reshape and reform life, matter and energy to the form we see today.]
'So the power of laws are infinite as they are their parts?!'
[And this link transcends the boundary of dimensions. The Amortal of lightning law can sense the fragment and can even call it back to its original self. The system, that is me, can't even think of stopping such an existence.]
'When you were in the Origin dimension, how did you end up as the food of those Amortals?!'
[The utter chaos is the nature of Origin dimension. The Amortals are entities with no birth. But that doesn't mean that they cannot ascend to Godhood. I mean real 'Godhood'!!!!]
'Explain!'
[The intelligence of Amortals far surpasses anything in all the dimensions. They had already found out that the way of accessing a higher power is to assimilate itself with itself, but not as itself, but another self.]
'... Speak in English,D!'
[In short, the 999 dimensions, the fragments of laws, the nurturing and all the bullshit happened till now was for their own gain. To reach the state of a real 'God', one must become one with himself, which is not actually himself.]
'Can you give me an example?!'
[Like peeling skin scrapes off of your body, growing mushrooms on it and finally eating the cooked mushroom to satisfy hunger. In a nutshell, you ate yourself.]
'So we are all test subjects and the dimensions are experimental labs?!'
[Precisely!!!]
'So the law fragments are to nurture us who will eventually end up in their stomach?!?!'
[Precisely. The law fragments have two functions. One is what you said, to nurture us. Two, to lure us back to the Origin dimension. You see, the Origin dimension is connected to Law fragments and anyone with a law constitution will understand the existence and bottomless powers the Amortals can provide. So in greed of power, they will enter the Origin dimension.]
'Cunning sneaky bastards!!!'
[Since they are constant and unbound to Time, they can wait for all eternity.]
'What can you tell from your experiences?!'
[Once you enter, you're doomed. The origin dimension only has one way in and one way out. The key is to have at least one Law fragment assimilated to your being. The only thing that can even make a scratch to that dimension are Amortals. Their fight to devour dimension sovereigns tore space and you came in without their notice.]
'So are there any Amortals that have ascended to real 'Godhood'?! Do they have any weakness?!'
[Even if one attains true Godhood', they are still bound to stay inside the Origin dimension until all 49 of them achieve 'Godhood'. Then they combine with those Amortals that had already reached Godhood' and take a shape and colour.]
'Have you witnessed one attaining 'Godhood'?!'
[Yes. They just condense into a sphere and stay immobile. You touch it, you're written out of existence. When two of them merge, the sphere becomes larger. About weakness, they fight. And they only fight when a being with more than one law in them shows up. This is because two or more laws attract the respective Amortals. So in order to find a victor, they fight. We cannot see them fight. But their inter-hostility creates cracks and tears in the Space-Time Continuum. Gravitation will go haywire. All logics are null when they fight. That's our cue to run!!]
'What will possibly happen when they all assimilate together and become one big sphere?!'
[Then they can become one True God. Can exit the Origin dimension and rule the whole 999 dimensions. Total control.]
'Will the same can be achieved by a mortal?!'
[Impossible. Even if you become an Immortal, it's still a no-go. You have to exist beyond life and death to become a God, and that's the basic criteria. Liberating oneself from all bondage of life, emotion and death is the true meaning of becoming an Amortal.]
'Last question, how many do you think are still left to reach godhood?!'
[Plenty. To become the immobile sphere, there seems to be a minimum requirement of consuming a fixed number of fragments. And I've seen three becoming spheres by the time I was there.]
'So there's an invisible doomsday clock ticking, eh?!'
[You cannot deactivate the clock, but can halt its operation. But you'll have to become a dimension sovereign as soon as possible. Only then can you escape the bound of this dimension. You'll have to hurry, because who knows how many idiots would poke their heads into the guillotine!!]
Lee's eyes opened wide as he jumped up in this revelation. The pain it caused was not small. As D know him like the back of his hand, he added-
[Do not let anyone know of this information. This is highly unbelievable and you'll end up exposing your origin from another dimension. Even I cannot guarantee that you'll not be assassinated before reaching the realm of Dimension Sovereign.]
'Ok'
Lee jumping up suddenly jolted Fenfang. She walked to him and asked, to which he replied that he's getting bored with lying down and he wants to sit straight. Fenfang didn't protest and allowed him to sit as she sat near him.
"Fenfang, now that-"
"Call me An. My family doesn't exist anymore. I would like to be called by my surname."
Fenfang cut him off and stated her wish. Lee nodded in agreement and asked-
"An, now that you have cured your poison, can I help you cultivate?!"
An was confused as she frowned-
"How can one help others cultivate?!"
Lee smiled and glanced at the notification that just popped up.
=====
7 P.M.
450 Essence harvested.
=====
'Essence.'
[2730.]
"I have a way to increase other's cultivation. But the party must be ready."
An said with concern and doubt.
"Don't force yourself. Take rest. All things can be discussed later."
She pressed his forehead in a teasing manner. He felt pain, but didn't show it. He sat there until the next notification came up.
=====
8 A.M.
450 Essence harvested.
=====
*sigh*
"It's late. Wenk hasn't returned back. We must go and see what's happening."
An nodded and they slowly walked towards the northern gate. Soldiers with injuries were filled in tens of tents. They saw Wenk and Ian standing at an open place, near many bodies with white clothes covered over them. Blood stains over those clothes told Lee what they were.
Wenk saw Lee approaching and was amazed. Ian was surprised to see Lee back on legs in a matter of hours.
"Casualties?!"
Lee probed as he glanced at the blood stained clothes. Ian and Wenk nodded together. Lee noticed the casualties were below 10.
"Thanks to your interference, the casualty was drastically reduced. If it's not for you, the city would have been fallen."
Ian said with words brimming with sadness and respect. Lee kept mum as to let him say his mind out. After a brief silence, Lee asked.
"The monsters! What happened to their remains?!"
Wenk raised his head and replied as he glanced at the wall.
"They are left outside. We'll burn them tomorrow morning."
Lee felt his heart skipping a beat. What they were about to burn was his pile of Essence.
"If no one have objection, can I take those dead bodies?!"
Ian and Wenk looked at Lee with a deep frown. Even Fenfang couldn't understand his intention. Ian shook his head.
"Those beasts are either in pieces or severely damaged. Nobody cares for those. You may take them as you like."
A faint smile decorated Lee's face as he heard those words. He thanked Ian and went towards the gate. An was visibly surprised to see his love doing weird things. Wenk and Ian watched him walking at the gate.
Lee gave signal to open the gate and the gate was partially open. Except a few burning torches, darkness had enveloped the battlefield. He signalled at An to stay at the gate as she couldn't see in darkness.
Lee clearly saw the remains of the beasts. He started to run around the battlefield and began to absorb the remains crazily. The guards up on the wall could hear a faint wind blowing sound as Lee dashed through the darkness.
=====
10 P.M.
450 Essence harvested.
=====
Lee was running frenzy throughout the blood reeking ground as he emassed Essence at an astonishing rate. Lee had absorbed about 90% of the corpses and he couldn't wait to absorb the rest too. It was when he took the breather that the notification interrupted his thoughts.
'10 P.M…...hmmm, D, anything alive in the vicinity??'
[I'll warn you if anything comes across.]
Lee nodded on D's reply. After making sure that the bits and bones are all absorbed and sold to the Shop, he bolted towards the gate.
An was waiting patiently for him. Wenk and Ian had went back to their quarters and soldiers had gone with the wounded on stretchers carried by them. The night patrol guards changed their shift. Still, An waited patiently.
He slowed down at a distance and caught his breath as he walked slowly. As he reached near An, his breath was back to the normal state. She was curious and confused about where was Lee all this time. He smiled and went inside the wall as the gate closed behind them.
"I don't want to pry into your personal matters, but tell me what you're going to do in advance. I've been alone all my life till now, so I'm afraid that I may look like avoiding you."
An said as they walked towards July's Inn. Lee said that he'll give an answer under one condition. She probed about the condition, and she said that it's something that he need to tell to Freya.
Freya was already inside her room. She was wounded as a beast has scratched her left leg deep. She could only walk with a limp.
Lee and An entered the room and Freya tried to sit up. Her pain was visible so An supported her and told her to lie down. She sat beside Freya and looked at Lee. Lee suddenly reminded something and said.
"I can see that you're injured. So take rest. I'll let Fenfang in my room."
*ba-dum*
An felt her heart skip a beat as she heard Lee speaking. She began to blush on thinking waht could possibly happen.
"It's okay. I need some alone time too."
Freya's reply was an indirect consent to Lee. He smiled at her and walked back to door and opened it and glanced at An with a smile. She got the meaning of this action and quickly bid Freya goodnight. Freya could only sigh as it might get a lot loud tonight.
Lee and An came to his room and sat on the bed. Lee can see her blushing wildly. He pinched her cheeks and said-
"Bad girl! Always thinking about bad stuff whenever I call you into my room!"
An felt a sense of relief and hopelessness simultaneously. He looked at Lee with a confused look.
"Let's get some sleep for now. I'll explain the reason tomorrow."
An sighed loudly with dissatisfaction. Lee noticed her sigh and slowly grabbed her by waist and pulled closer to him. His lips touched hers and the passionate moment spanked for minutes.
An can feel a warmth growing inside her. She grabbed Lee's hair as the warmth grew wildly inside her. Lee can feel his boy knocking at the door. His passionate kiss began to travel through her neck. Her hands went all around his body.
The room heated up abnormally. As they both understood each other's atmosphere, the scent of lust filled the room with muffled moans. The ceremonious defloration took place that night. Freya was fast asleep and thus lost the opportunity to hear them.