The twinkling and many colored light shines into my eyes as I'm drawn to it. I can't look away, but I do hum a question of pure curiosity to Maddox. His words make no sense to me.
"What are you talking about? What is happening?"
The Sea's Shadow steps aside, moving to my left arm as he reaches out and taps the light. He immediately pulls back, sucking on his finger with a hint of pain plastered onto his unfeeling face.
"I am sure you have heard of Resonant Attraction. Those with more fantastic pulls to their Sigils, better talents, one might say, inadvertently draw those with the same Sigil toward them. For most, they hardly ever feel it. Those of us who can reach the Angelic, we all sense it. They gradually draw to others. It's... like gravity in a way."
I finally manage to rip my eyes from the light and focus on him as he shows me his finger. An outline of what appears to be a chainlink is scarred into his fingertip like that of a sunburn.
"But there are those of us, even fewer in number, who act like singularities, drawing Sigils toward them, not just the Sigils who possess them. It's rare, and as far as I know has only happened to... four humans. The First, and his successor, Desolation, and now... you."
Maddox finishes with a genuine, profound greed that stares at the light in my hand. It isn't the steal or murder kind of greed, however. It feels more approximate to envy. He wishes he were me.
I run my mouth while gazing back at the radiance.
"But what does it do? Is this... is this really what a Sigil looks like? This... rainbow light? I thought... it'd be..."
"More like your Sigil's look? As far as I know, Sigils change their appearance based on who has them. They are personal things that attach and morph to fit their wielder. Not all are this rainbow. Desolation's was a cruel yellow like a dying sun. It... gave me the sense I would die within the minute. Your's? It's like... solidified liberty. Take your Sigil. I see a much... heh, brighter future for you than before."
I gape at the light, feeling a sense of freedom from it. But it's not just freedom.
Cradled delicately in my hand, within the lights, I find vast meadows without end. I find a sea that continues beyond and over the horizon. I find a sky that encompasses all. I find that, even beyond that sky, is a cold, comforting darkness that is... limitless. No matter how far I would go, there would be more to find, more to explore, more to experience. More to become.
It all beckons with a voice that transcends sound, whispering sweet promises of freedom, liberation, and the boundless journey toward the fulfillment of one's desires. It speaks of the latent power concealed within the recesses of the soul, urging me to explore the depths of my being. It tells me to become more. To transcend the flesh. To discard it.
To become... more than simple thoughts directed by mass.
As I gaze into the radiant spectrum, the light imparts secrets that once seemed inaccessible, revealing the profound connection between the feeble mind and body and the potent essence that resides within the soul.
It tells me a hidden cost as white fog emits from my body, Burdenless activating all on its own.
The eyes are the first to be improved. Only with perception can one see the world. Only with those eyes can one dream, as dreaming is the only way to know a world without limits. But to go beyond that, the body must be enhanced. Only a sufficiently strong body can withstand a robust soul.
Only with eyes that can peer into reality, a mind that can dream of anything, and a robust body capable of loosening reality upon itself can the next journey begin. The soul begins to take shape. First, it does the simplest thing.
Weaken the restraints on its physical form. Then, it's mental. And finally, the soul gains a sense of physicality, providing relief and strength to both its mind and body.
I listen, hoping to hear more of the next steps, those of the 7th Sigil and beyond, but I quickly meander too far in the light. Lost in the intoxicating embrace of the rainbow's luminous glow, time slips away like sand through fingers. Minutes feel like mere moments, and the world around me fades into insignificance. The whispering light threatens to pull me into its captivating embrace, offering a taste of the limitless possibilities promised within its radiance.
My instinct is to stand tall, to refuse to the grasping freedom, but that in itself is a trap, the wish for freedom providing it greater strength.
However, the enchanting reverie is abruptly shattered by a sharp slap across my face. The sting of the contact jolts me back to the present, severing the ethereal connection that sought to engulf me completely.
I stumble backward, dazed and confused, as a face puts itself between me and the light.
"You cannot let yourself fall into its whims. Sigils are not tools or weapons in their natural forms. They are... concepts beyond the imaginable. If you listen too long, you will lose yourself wholly. I hope you learned enough with the second I let you wander."
That was only a second?
A second!?
I... I learned so much...
My Sigil... it's not about freedom. It's not even really about becoming limitless in body. It's all about the soul. The Philosopher. It makes so much more sense now.
The detail and how my Sigil built itself. Why I wouldn't lose myself to an artifact. It never mentioned the rapid advancement, though, but maybe that's just a side effect.
I take a deep breath, unable to simply walk away from this opportunity to learn. It calls to me, and I to it. It's risky, though. Even I could tell that without Maddox's words. Had he not slapped me upside down... I don't know if I could pull myself back.
But... I need to do this. There is so much I don't know. There is so much that none of us know about Sigils. I don't think the lack of knowledge bestowed by them is merely because of the Mother Below. I think... devouring Sigils from others isn't the way to go about it, even if it is the easiest.
This... this right here. That is better than any trip to the Lighthouses.
"I need to look at it again. Please, Maddox. Let me and pull me back."
I beg the father of the man I killed only seconds ago, knowing there is a chance he will agree. He seems just as enraptured as I, the aspects of pure curiosity set ablaze within his mind. He stares at me, then glances back at the light. Maddox mumbles under his breath, something about the name of my Sigil before sighing.
"If you wish to kill yourself, be my guest. These are not demons or even Gods you are to peer into. Sigils are the fabric of the reality around us made tangible. If you are rent too deep... I cannot do anything. It will change the very nature of your soul. Not even the most powerful Mentalist alive can fix wounds to that. It is nothing like becoming a Motherbound. You will simply change. For the better or the worse is unknown."
I nod to him. It makes sense. I can understand the risks. But the gain... knowledge... it's so vast. I have to try. I absolutely must. But before I do, there is something else.
"Do you think I'll ever get another chance?"
Maddox shakes his head vigorously. The man rubs the scar on his finger as he steps backward, putting his back against a nearby pillar of wood. The man speaks truths I didn't know existed.
"Probably not? Maybe? If you pulled a Sigil with your raw resonance, then that means there are no viable Sigileds nearby that you could draw in. The Philosophers within you and in your hand are likely the only ones in this plane. I'd have to guess that one right there was drawn by the bitch below, and you took the reins before it went to Hell."
A God like the Mother Below draws in Sigils. I already knew that. All the rare Sigils are in Hell or the Underworld. So, if I wanted to take another Philosopher, I'd have to get unworldly lucky or go into the Underworld once more.
That thought begets another question. What Sigil did the Prime have that he used to ascend with? The one that he resonated with so firmly to pull into himself? The one in which there were no more?
I ask Maddox a different question, however.
"Can this happen at any time? Like during a fight? Could I—"
Maddox shakes his head again, proving the man's knowledge despite what many might think of him.
"No. I've read enough and spoken with Desolation many times in the past to know that the incredible level of resonance needed can only happen in a moment of physical and spiritual peace for it to be sufficiently potent. I don't see anyone or anything ever doing both in a fight, not even him. He reached it upon slaying his first God, the brief aftermath of shock. It's not like an Absolution or Proof. From what Desolation knows from his vast library, the First and his successor reached their 7th Sigils meditating, not even having to lift a finger."
I nod to him in understanding. This means that not only will this possibly be the only chance I get, but because of how often I fight, it's unlikely I'll ever reach the conditions needed once more.
"I have to take the chance, Maddox."
The older man closes his eyes softly and breathes out with more emotion than when his own son died.
"Very well. You will owe me a favor if I must pull you out again."
A favor? I whisper mentally to Lily and Blodwyn in case they can wake me up, but the former doesn't reply at all. She's probably going through whatever my father set up for her. Blodwyn, though, is exhausted and grumbling. He still agrees to help.
"What might this favor entail?"
The Sea's Shadow stares me down, his tempestuous pupils nailing into mine. The man holds no calm inside. He is a raging storm forced into submission by the most powerful man to ever live. With his mere gaze, I know what his answer will be.
"You will owe me your life. I will ask you to do one thing. And you will do it. Promise me."
Is this really worth it? I... I don't know if it is.
Based on the way he's staring at me, he knows. Graves never break a promise. It's something that has been instilled in me since I was a child. It's a foundation of my belief. If I were to break a promise... it'd weaken all the others I hold in my mind.
None of them would hold the same weight in my mind. So, if I accept, I will have to do what Maddox asks of me. Is this knowledge worth it?
Yes.
It has to be.
The Cabin is in shambles. Rumors are starting to spread of normal Sigiled, even after doing everything right, becoming Motherbound. There is a reasonably large chance that when I take this Sigil, I will meet the same fate or at least not have a routine trip to the Cabin.
Hell, I might not even go there at all. Who knows?
Gritting my teeth, I attempt a single restriction on the order.
"You cannot make me kill any of my friends or family."
The last part is so that I'm not sent on a death crusade against Aniwye or my father. The ironic bit about the two of them is that I feel closer to the demon than the man.
Maddox eyes me closely before slowly nodding.
Relief washes over me before I raise the light again, positioning my focus on the call once more. As I fade into the colors, I willingly immerse myself once more into the radiant embrace of the multicolored light. The appearance of this Philosopher is beyond anything I could have expected.
And yet, the mysteries contained within its hues are seemingly endless, though I cannot tell if that is the nature of the Sigil or how all are. The cost of learning more, though uncertain, pales in comparison to the potential gains. They are limitless, after all.
Delving deeper into the light of liberation, it unfurls before me like a grand tapestry. The pigments weave together threads of sky that rapidly break apart into a vast darkness. Both light and night are found within the endless. Good and evil are nonexistent figments when limits fade. But that is not what it is telling me. It is only a mere fraction of the wisdom imparted.
The light bestows a fundamental truth as the view given to me expands further, breaking any thought I had of my own world. I see it from the outside, from the vast darkness beyond the spherical orb of blue, green, and white. My eyes focus on one massive blot of red as the sight distorts further, turning the planet into a mere speck, with even the sun being tiny.
The body has a limited shape while the mind has a limited function, but at the end of all things, the soul has neither. It has no limits but what they can imagine. It is a boundless entity, unrestricted by the shackles of form or function.
I see arms extend from my body, dozens in every direction that are labyrinthine in shape. The sight shakes me, sending a shiver down my spine, but I don't falter. It's so bizarre and otherworldy I don't even know how to feel.
Regardless, I hang on, focusing on the rambles of reality, searching for what will come next. As the arms extend, I feel the past pearls of wisdom return, those of my first six Sigils. And I quickly advance to the point that I was at before—the one-second mark.
The instant it comes, my view shatters, and I see my soul for what it really is. Tiny snippets of... something connect me all over, like interconnecting chains. These chains... these fetters... they are... me.
I am them. We are one. It simply is.
We have always been the same.
Beyond mortality, things change. Humans become another kind of creature, one blessed by the universe itself—touched by the vast powers that wander it.
Dozens of eyes begin to form, letting me see out of a thousand directions at once as I feel it. Visions expunge, futures that may never pass or already have in a faraway place.
A man reaches his hands into the sky, and his soul shifts. Unbeknownst to the creatures around him, visible only to me, his soul extends from his body. The soul, made of endless limitations, wraps around the horde that rushes him down, slowing and weakening them. The moment they come close, he steps forward, sliding his right hand along his left arm as the chains shift again, becoming an invisible weapon.
The man in the first image is not me, as I can feel the aura of a Philosopher in him as being impure. But the one in the second is.
I find myself kneeling, a six-part construct of glimmering chains morphed from my very being held carefully in my hands. Grimacing, I haul back the winch and load the vastly enlargened Ballista, priming it against a shadowy figure I cannot wholly recognize or see. The force held in my hands feels like enough to shatter the peak of a mountain.
Then, the scene abruptly shifts.
From the bird's eye view, I gaze down at my form, tumbling across rocks, through buildings, and into a grand statue. The statue is hard to comprehend as it shifts and turns, as if the knowledge is difficult or impossible for me to grasp.
Bleeding with bones poking out from all over and with the armor of Blodwyn shattered, I slowly stand. My insides return to me quickly, but not fast enough to make a difference. Slow, goading footsteps beyond my sight echo as my body trembles; the hurt too much.
But defiance still exists. An offshoot of information burns itself into my mind, whispering that such things come from the depths of a being, more profound than even the view of a soul. Powers are only guided by a Sigil, never controlled.
All beings are made with a Power. At worst, they are contorted slightly to fit their path in life.
A deep breath fills my lungs, one that cannot be stopped even if there were no air in the sky. The muscles would move even in the vast darkness beyond the above. They would extend and contract even under the most domineering atmosphere. Not even a God could halt my lungs at such a time.
I watch, enraptured, as the chains on my body slink away to a minimum, far more than they had ever done before. But that is not all. I watch myself hold onto my chest, forcing the inhale to fall even more profoundly. And the Ether that comes from the outside doesn't stop at weakening my own chains.
It goes further.
The arm holding my chest, which is not quite me but is, trembles with vigor—with Power. Yet, it is still not done.
The Ether sinks further to the weapon on my hip. Flowers bloom on the steel of the weapon, practically moving the Colt on its own.
I look closer, opening my eyes as wide as I can while the footsteps amplify in sound. But as I do so, the truths return instead of the visions. I fall again into spiraling light, the gap between Sigils.
Like an unending maw, it draws me in, the opening of a leviathan beneath the sea, devouring all in its wake. I try to fight it, I try to escape, to swim up and out of the endless, but I cannot.
I sink deeper and further into the abyss of limitlessness. I see more. I learn more. Ether flows like a pencil's written meaning before me, whispering secrets that hurt to simply hear. I crane my ears a bit, listening for the name of my Sigil-to-be, but as those tendrils of my soul extend even more, a warning spikes in my mind. The depths of my soul scream in horror for my safety. Something is watching me. Something is in this limitless.
The vision ends abruptly, and I wake up only seeing through one eye. The alarm grips me as dozens of pairs of watery arms hold me down, preventing my movement.
A voice calls me to calm down despite the fact there is a knife in my eye that I am pretty sure is deep enough to touch my brain. The view is terribly uncomfortable, but I can't move, or it'll sink deeper. I can only focus on Maddox's deathly grimness.
"I had to stab you in the eye and brain to wake you. Cutting off an arm to separate it from you, both legs to drag you away, and grinding out organs did nothing."
Blodwyn grumbles in a low-toned voice while agreeing with him.
"Tried. No response. Pain worked. A little."
I breathe out slowly as I see my left arm and two legs already back after a few moments. Then, Blodwyn tells me he cannot help me any longer. He is out of saturation to spare.
So, I give Maddox a look and speak slowly so as to not shift the knife into my skull even more.
"I. Am. Fine. Thank. You."
The Sea's Shadow pulls back and kicks the other arm toward me, the one still holding onto the light. What I can tell, however, is that it is shaking back and forth. The man wipes the bloodied knife on his suit before pointing at the Sigil.
"Best hurry. I think you're losing it. Hope it was worth it."
I give the light a look as I feel it deep down—a new understanding of Ether, of my body, and my own soul. I even know of future ways that my Sigil will work, giving me a headstart in developing them. Yes. Yes. Yes. It was so very much fucking worth it.