Long ago, before the first war between light and chaos, a revolutionary breakthrough was made in the technological field, by none other than me and Michael. We had managed to assign numerical values to the different energies and would manipulate such values through our mastery of Qi; him more so than myself. The language we developed could be compared to what you mortals call a code, but this was the universes code, a language of 1s, 0s and -1s which could be organized to run programs that affect the very nature of reality itself. Through it many advances were made in the improvement of the quality of life, and many miracles were crafted through the creative fusion of mathematics and physics. One of such miracles was the system, an intelligence made from the very essence of creation, whose goal was to assist my Lord on his quest to reach enlightenment.
"Wait, so the purpose of the system is nirvana?" I asked.
"Precisely, the true reason for the divine system was to assist yourself in attaining a state of boundlessness." He responded.
That only begged the question, what was nirvana? How did the Lord discover it? And how come even he couldn't access it with all his might?
Circuitel then continued to speak, clearly realizing the thoughts going through my mind.
"Nirvana isn't some power up, neither is it something one can obtain through strength alone. It is a state of enlightenment in which one surpasses concepts which held them back, to the point that they become a boundless entity." He stated.
Thinking for a bit, I responded with more questions.
"Then how did he.. me… I know what it was?"
"A vision, one day you came to us and described what you had seen while meditating, immediately making it your top priority."
"Why though?"
I wondered, what would make someone that powerful desire to become even stronger?
"We all wondered the same thing. Maybe he thought he wasn't good enough to take care of creation; which is preposterous. He was far greater than any of us and did so much for the mortal realm; even going against his brother to keep the peace."
"But that's not all is it?"
*Sigh*
The angel sighed before a dejected look came upon him.
"I gave up on the idea long ago, thinking it was just a fantasy. Michael however, was not as weak willed as I; he spent eons in isolation working on the source code. He made sure periodic updates were preinstalled, and that the system would give tasks depending on the current difficulties you would have faced." The angel explained.
"Then he must have completed it right?"
"Well who knows, the first war broke out in the midst of his work so whether or not it truly is completed is anyone's guess."
Taking the fact that Alex could be incomplete into consideration I opened my inventory.
"Open Inventory."
[Inventory Opened]
A neon blue screen once again appeared before my eyes, as I scrolled through it looking for two items, the bracelet of transfiguration, and the world splitter. Finally spotting the two I brought them out, handing them over to Circuitel.
"Oh, well I recognize this one, it was one of Michaels ideas from his workshop." He said excitedly.
"However, this one I do not recognize."
Well who could blame him, the blade looked completely different from the angel slaying dagger I had, first it had absorbed the spear of that fallen, then the obsidian horn of Grim. It didn't even look like its old self; the steel that radiated blue energy was replaced by a darkened violet blade, which released the occasional spark of darkened lightning.
"This is the angel slayer dagger." I revealed.
"Goodness, it had changed this much? Incredible, though the name is a poor choice of words."
'True, I can bet that Alex was responsible for that.' Zephyr thought.
"Anyway could you find a way to combine or improve the two, while I head out."
"Of course, but it will take some time." He responded.
I stood up from the bed, stretching my muscles which were inactive for some time, finally having the strength which was sapped away refill the room.
"Well, I'd also like to hear all about the war, but first I've gotta explore for a bit. It's not every day that one enters heaven after all." I said with a smirk.
"Hmm, very well, but Uriel would like to see you soon." He added.
"Right, I won't take long." I said before leaving the room.
The moment the doors closed behind me I saw the true beauty of this realm. I stood in a prestigious manor that eclipsed anything we had back on earth. The walls of the dwelling were as white as a blank canvas, encrusted with an array of colored gemstones. The floors are so clean I could see my mirror image in it, and the pillars which held up the foundations of the abode were perfectly sculpted marble. Every step I took sent me deeper into the seemingly infinite hallway that housed innumerable rooms.
"How does anyone get anything done around here? This place is massive." I wondered.
After some time I had had enough, deciding to move near light speeds to traverse the building. After a few minutes I arrived at what seemed to be an open airspace. An enchanted garden of some sorts, which was beautifully taken care of, evident by its flowers radiating like the glistering night sky. At the center of this heavenly garden is a large marble fountain which outpoured a silvery, crystalline liquid; enriching the garden plants with pure divine energy.
By the fountain was an angelic figure resting by its side; upon closer view he has short golden locks that swayed in the wind, blue-grey pupils that eased the soul and an impressive physique. Not to mention the finely tailored silk-white robes he adorned, sewn together by golden threads from top to bottom.
"You're Uriel aren't you?" I enquired.
"Hmm, I'm glad to see that you're all better my Lord." He responded with a smile.
"Did you know that I'd be here?"
"Well, this was your favorite spot before, so I thought you'd arrive here eventually."
Then a strangely peaceful silence ensued, only being broken by the flowing fountain.
"How do you get a garden this beautiful and pristine?" I asked trying to keep the conversation going.
He was also quite intrigued by the beauty, but why wouldn't he be? For the past few days he constantly fought for his life in the hellish spawn fields, going up against grotesque and trauma inducing beasts. A scenery as surreal as this would certainly be a nice change of pace.
"Well, having constant, yet balanced watering of the plants certainly helps."
"Huh, yeah watering.... Wait, did you just say watering?"
"Did I say something wrong?" He wondered.
"That isn't water, its' got to be some elixir of life or something else." I stated.
"Well if matter is made of energy, and there are different types of energy-"
I immediately understood what he was implying.
"So there are different types of matter then, right?"
"Correct, I'm surprised Circuitel didn't tell you this sooner."
"Yeah, well I did leave before he completed his talk." I said with a chuckle.
Uriel then unveiled his wings, springing out of his back with ease as they began to flap.
"I have something I'd like to show you." He said before grabbing my arm.
We moved through the skies at lightning fast speeds as he headed towards the topmost floor of the manor. Reaching it, we landed on a stone balcony that overlooked the entirety of the realm. It was truly a sight to see as all things good and harmonious, could be observed from this vantage point.
Uriel then went into the room connected to the balcony and I followed suit. Upon entering the room my jaw practically dropped. The chamber had beautifully constructed marble walls that encircled it like a dome; they were encrusted with mesmerizing gems that radiated light. Patterns of golden streams enriched the mirror like floors, spreading like branches across the entire chamber. There was another balcony opposing the one behind us and on the third side on the room was a massive silver door. My gaze then turned towards the center of attraction, the throne which is a large seat towering 9 feet. The backrest seemed to be crafted out of 11 individual, transparent crystal rods, each of them in pairs of two on the opposite sides of the throne only separated by a single rod at the center. Its armrests were metallic in nature, allowing one to comfortably rest their arms whilst the bottom of the seat hovered above the floor. The most intriguing thing about the throne however was the presence of a purely black orb floating above it.
"Is that the light of creation?" I asked bewildered.
"Oh heavens no, it's something else entirely, Think of it as the thrones guardian."
"Hmm, really, so it doesn't allow anyone access to the throne I presume."
"Well, yeah that is true. Anyone who wishes to sit must prove themselves worthy of the title that comes with it by completing the trials of the dimension."
"So what happens if I go inside?" I said.
"Well, from second hand knowledge it's a black void that tests your will, both morally and physically." He responded.
"So you've never experienced it?"
"No, but why is that such a surprise I've never wanted my fathers' throne." He retorted.
"As the wisdom of the Lord, and the one who rules in his absence, or rather my incompetence it was surprising." I added.
"No, I'm not good enough, no one is good enough. I the so called wisdom of God ironically is barely able to manage this realm, talk less of the other one; so that's why I brought you here."
He said, looking towards Zephyr, his hands gesturing him to the throne. Zephyr walked towards the throne with uncertainty. He knew he wasn't ready, whether in terms of strength or maturity. He wasn't his past self, but the thrill of getting to seat on the throne which was once his got to him. The pride of having all creation, bow to him was overwhelming, and his previously reluctance vanished.
I smirked as I reached the throne, placing my arm on it; a second later a blue light shone across the room as I vanished into the pocket dimension.