Eric stopped his moral resistance from gaining his whole mind and focused on understanding first what to do about this unexpected information.
For the first time, he used the system, asking in his mind a clear question.
Usually, he wouldn't have trusted any information deriving from an unknown third entity. But remembering that Nemesis foresaw his future need for answers and advice for the system's help. Eric decided to give it a try and elaborate on what he got as a response to check for its validity and usefulness.
*System, is the active control ability passive or active? *
Unexpectedly the system's tone wasn't similar to a robot but seemed to have a peculiar personality.
*Uh, after aaall this time, after years and years, you ignored my presence, you come asking for help?
You're the shameless type, right?! *
*More like I didn't and still don't know who you are and initially thought you were more like a not updated encyclopedia, which could give wrong thinking biases when faced with adversity in the future. *
Eric was sure this wasn't the best way to circumvent the problem, but, honestly, he didn't feel like he needed the help of the system anyway and was in this situation more because of his curiosity than because of his genuine need for advice.
*Well, I was sure you would say that with your future, or at least I think...
Anyway, I'm Aka, one of the many personalities of the Akashic Records. *
Eric, for a moment, thought that something wasn't clear: from what he knew about the Akashic Records, in those anthroposophical groups of infinite books should be past, present, and future. Apart from the useless question about the space-time continuum, he couldn't wrap his head around why he sounded so unsure about his future.
So he tried going directly to the sore point he got from the previous question.
*It's been a while since you can't see my future, isn't it? *
As if a dam broke, the ethereal voice, previously privy of any apparent sexual connotation, became slightly higher in pitch as if venting with a friend after work.
*You tell me about it. Since you came to Ouroboros, the Fates are going crazy. One day their hands were going to trip into each other, and the universe was almost on the point of losing its balance! *
Somehow he got something of a magnitude scale he wasn't expecting at all.
Like he went fishing on the sandy shore and caught a 100m long Kraken.
The question rose up naturally to his mind.
*Aren't you going to end up in trouble for saying something like that? *
Eric was starting to sweat, because he somehow understood his actions had more weight than he thought. He had just got a piece of information regarding something like a possible annihilation of the entire human race.
Luckily, from her voice Aka didn't seem worried.
*Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?(Who watches the watchers? , Juvenal in Satire VI, lines 347–348). It was something like that in your previous world, right?
It is the same for all the universe.
My exceptional competence gives me the freedom to define the rules pertaining to my job! *
Even though he couldn't see her, he felt like she was rubbing under her nose with her index finger while a shit-eating grin was plastered on her face.
Eric felt like he was wasting his time with this living encyclopedia full of ego, so he pressured her.
*Sooo, returning to the initial subject, what can you tell me about my Dominion power and the derived power Phoenix Lover? *
*Hmmm. *
He was now showing tics at the side of his eyes because of the voluntarily inflicted wait. Finally, she continued.
*I have to understand what I can gain from it... *
A new silence started, but his patience ended a long time ago, and all of his anger management techniques couldn't stop him anymore.
*Sure, have a great life for the rest of eternity. Give me a call in one thousand years when you decided on it. I have to live and have no time to waste with your antics! *
His anger was clearly perceived by her, which stopped her thought process, and tried to speak again.
From Eric's point of view, his choice was the right one.
In the past, during his experience in the Hero party, he saw everyone using the system without any problem. He was initially worried about the fake sense of security they got from the information they obtained this way.
Their sense of certainty raised to the sky after receiving the knowledge of the omniscient book, and consequently, their critical mind dulled.
Having the answers you search for always in the palm of your hand doesn't make you appreciate the process of searching for information and instinctively lowers the perceived value of the info itself in the mind of the person.
This process worried Eric, and because of this reason, he decided not to use it in the future. Because it also left unanswered the essential question of free will.
At some point, were the humans using the information for themselves, or was the information received influencing the thought process of the humans to a point where the starting individual was merely reduced to the one who enacted the information?
When he was on Earth, he saw a similar process related to the general use of search engines and horoscopes.
Gradually the value of history, geography, and other mainly mnemonic subjects lowered in the minds of many people.
Slowly any information became banaler and banaler since it was just one search away.
Some thought their destiny was written on the page of the daily stars, giving subconscious suggestions to their minds about the following day.
In a way, this system of beliefs, different from the usual person, was in line with his desire for control of his own destiny and freedom.
If he couldn't be who he wanted because of the overarching global system, the only freedom left was thought, so he felt strongly about the topic.
For the moment he put his belief at rest because of his worry for Rubra.
He got this power more than five years ago but didn't know much about it.
In the start, he thought he was just unfortunate with respect to other heroes. For example, the Unbreakable ability of the Blade Hero was as simple as powerful.
It allowed him to rely indefinitely on his soul blade, which he received from Ouroboros.
On the other hand, Dominion always felt like an open-ended question to him.
Yes, he was able to tame more and stronger monsters with respect to the average tamer, but he felt it was lacking with respect to the essentially unique abilities of his comrades.
Then this morning, he had read the new description of his ability, and his mind stopped immediately.
On one side, he was happy because of his tangible improvement.
Later, when he understood the subsequent implications this could have for Rubra's freedom, he felt a shiver down his spine.
He was elated and disgusted with himself at the same time.
Elated because he felt that with this power, she definitely won't betray him in the future like his father, ex-girlfriend, and comrades.
On the contrary, when that thought hit him, he remembered Rubra's love confession and hated his power.
*No, it wasn't that power's fault. My feelings are in the wrong. My mind is split in half between fear of betrayal and desire of real love. *
What seemed like an hour in his mind was less than a second, so he still didn't stop his mental link with Aka.
As if his own confusion wasn't enough...She put the cherry on top of his distraught mind.
*Wait, wait, wait, I can't contact anyone of my own volition.
Don't you want to know about your father? *
At that moment, he wanted to search for a tutorial: 'How to strangle a book?'.