I saw an ocean.
I not we.
My dream started the same way it always did, except this time Rhakhaiyan wasn't walking across the sea. He was just standing in the center of it, looking right in my direction as he smiled.
Below his feet, a massive city rose. It had no end, and was constantly switching forms and shapes.
One second it resembled Olympus.
The next, it was overgrown with plant-life that coexisted with the architecture.
The next, it was a sanctuary of rivers and lakes.
The only things that were constant were Rhakhaiyan, and the residents of the city, who I couldn't see. I would only catch a bright flash, and the slightest glimpse of a feathered wing.
Like an Angel's.
As I stared, the city changed again. This time it was a meaningless jumble of cracked space and chaotic gravity. Ripples would pass by, in the form of giant serpents. One of the even turned to me and the frontmost part of the ripple dipped slightly, as if bowing.
Next thing I knew my perception shifted and I was standing next to him. He looked at me with an almost fatherly light in his eyes. I just now realized I could sense the approximate power levels of people by the Aether density around them.
My senses were telling me that he was no threat. But the feeling of power that came off of him was to levels that didn't make sense. I didn't know what he was but I knew that the link I felt with him revealed I was something similar, or could become it.
I heard my father's voice in my head, In the world we live in, everything that could ever be probably is, and most of them are mind-boggling abominations, with features so monstrous that just knowledge of them would drive even the strongest of Earth to madness. And let me tell you now, once you cross a certain threshold of power, the words measurement, infinite and limits become meaningless, there is no way to accurately measure the amount of power they hold.
I remembered that because Rhakhaiyan and his brother Corialinth were very much past that level of power.
"I can't be here long, nor can I really tell you anything since all my life is made of experiences that would kill you if you were to know of them," Rhakhaiyan broke the silence, "But I can tell you, you have the potential to reach my level, and possibly surpass it. All of Zion is yours to claim, so go on and conquer."
The city and ocean shrank down until the mighty city was now a room on a pond. I felt that room and pond become a physical place inside my Mind. I also felt 2 presences inside it.
I opened my eyes to Raven's face above me, filled with concentration. Behind her head was, thankfully, the roof of my room.
It was early morning, which meant I was asleep for upwards of 15 hours.
I felt something invade my Mind, or as it was now, Minds. Once the thing felt the profound wrongness of it, it exited as quickly as it could.
Raven recoiled in horror, falling of my bed. I rose and held my head, which was pounding due to the unwanted intrusion, my nose was bleedin' too. The Mind Elemental she created was almost dead and she was trying to revive it.
It wasn't blood that came out of it though, it was fire, blue-black-gold fire was running out of my nose. I felt that having that instead of blood was strengthening my body to maybe the Second Deviation, whilst still being in the first class of the first one. That was probably a reason it hurt like hell.
The pain was gone just as fast, and the blood-no, I'll call it Ichor- reversed its flow and went back into my nose.
I was shell-shocked. That wasn't even a healing factor anymore. It was like the Ichor was bringing itself to it's rightful place in my body, reversing the injured region to it's normal state.
"Nix! Are you alright?" I asked seeing as she was still shocked.
"Yeah. No.. Yeah I'm good. Just scared, that's all. I didn't think your condition was that serious, I mean there are more than a person can count, and all of them are so fundamentally wrong. How do you even function?" She said while walking over.
"I really don't know at this point." I pulled her closer, and just sat there, wondering if she was revolted or something. "But the good.. no great news is that I finally Changed!"
"Yeah, and that's what worries me," She said grimly "You just changed, and I already feel like it would be difficult for me to beat you in a fight, if I even could. And no, I'm not scared or revolted, just worried."
I smiled and nodded, the fact alone that I had a decillion Minds was enough to drive anyone crazy. I knew that all of them would eventually have a power and the thought made me giddy.
I also realized why I Changed so late. A Mind forms after a person's first conscious thought, at 2 years old, at which point their powers are very weak and generally uncontrollable. For me to fully Change, all of our Minds would have to Change too. Which means that every thought I have ever had since I was 2 years old, for 15 years, represented another Mind. And let's not forget that a higher aether density meant faster awakening.
Let's just say that I had more than a human could count in one lifetime.
I traded pure potential for a normal life.
I felt like it was worth it.
"Okay... Ummm, do you see the pages too?"
"What pages?"
"There was this book, in my usual colors, that just appeared. It was flaming and crackling and it's really hard to describe. It randomly splits into a mass of pages and gets put back together. I can read what's in it, and I'm assuming it has something to do with me, but every time I try to, they dance out of reach and circles around you."
"That's really strange," She got up "Well it's obvious you can't read it while I am here, so I'll just go and tell the other's you're awake and get some food ready. We're all downstairs so once you're done, come downstairs and we'll eat and talk."
"Alright." She was kind of distant so I got up and walked to her. I turned her around and kissed her.
When I pulled back I said "I love you, okay?"
She just smiled and said "I love you too.", then left the room.
I sat down on my bed and tried to establish a connection between me and the pages. I reached out with my force-which was what I renamed the tsunami-and realized that those pages, and the book they made up were the fourth ability I awakened.
I acted on instinct, trying to replicate what I did yesterday
Lost pulled across the sea of Minds that made us, searching for the one that held the last power. He found it and dragged, wresting control away from the holder.
Then he used it.
The pages surrounding me converged into an open book, one that radiated eldritch power.
The first pages were exactly like a status panel; stats, skill tree, titles and all.
[Name: Kyran Lost Hunter]
[Age: 17 Earth Years]
[Race: Oblivion Throne]
[Sub-Race: Primordial Revenant]
[Affinities: Zion, Reality, *&:@{<{<>.,.,[;'-=+]
[Affinity Type: Normal, Cracked, Beyond,]
[Deviation: Class 1, D1]
[Dominion: Reign 1, D1]
[Dimension: Length, D1]
[???]
[???]
[???]
[???]
[???]
[???]
[Other scales not unlocked]
[Magic System: The Paths]
I saw the magic system part and focused on it.
[The Paths: You have a multitude of Minds. Each and every one of them can form a Personal Reality, tailored towards a specific aspect you choose, called a Path. For example, you could use one of your Minds to create a Path centered around copying, creating an ability as strong and comprehensive as a full blown magic system, or Personal Reality solely focused on copying. At the point of full comprehension, you gain an !@#$%^&, and an evolution of said Path.]
That... that was scary, the implications were endless. I wonder what the glitched out word was
[Current Paths Unlocked:
Asura Path
Path Comprehension: 19%
: A path focused on control. You can manipulate anything if you are strong enough, to the level of having an innate Affinity. It also grants you a telekinetic force that you can turn into anything based on your intent and visualization. It also grants access to many other powers.
Preta Path
Path Comprehension: 16%
: A path focused on creating. You can create and control any creature in Zion. As well as create ones straight from your imagination.
Rune Path
Path Comprehension: 20%
: Allows you to draw and channel runes, with increasing levels of accuracy, understanding and power, corresponding to comprehension.
Grimoire Path
Path Comprehension: 7%
: A path that gives you a Grimoire, a magical book that is linked to you and only you. It's a catalyst for other Paths, a codex for all spells and phenomena, and can control storylines or bring stories into Reality.]
[Potential Paths: ---]
[Reality: Phase 0,
Due to your unique nature, your Spiritweb, Mind, Soul, Domain, True Names, Personal Reality, Potential, Astral Body, Origin, Will, Aura, Aspects, Authority and Affinity have all been fused into one. This gives you the benefit of not only having the individual abilities of all of them, only exponentially stronger, but also powerful, unique powers born from the combination.]
[Aspects: Reverend and Insanity
Reverend and Insanity are the two Primordial Flames, the children of Corialinth and Rhakhaiyan, respectively.
They manifested as two sentient beings in your Domain. Reverend, and her flames are aspected towards Infinity. They, by their nature, create push energy into anything and everything, increasing their potential energy and kinetic energy. Insanity and his flames are aspected towards Zero. Their nature forces them to devour everything-it forces all of the energy and matter an object, space or concept currently has, has ever had and, will ever have in every single timeline, forces it into a single point(called a null point) and feeds it into the flame. You have complete control over both the flame and the passage of energy]
[Spiritweb: Primordial String]
[Soul: Monarch Of The Throne]
[Domain: Sea of Eternal Void]
[True Name(s): Rhakhaiyan, Corailinth, !"£$%^&*(]
[Potential: @#$%^&*(}{:>?]
[Astral Body: Supreme]
[Origin: The Throne]
[Will(s): *Unchosen*]
[Authority: Existence]
I just sat there in shock.
I barely understood a thing, except for the fact that whatever I saw there was very, very abnormal.
So I did what I always did when I was stumped.
I went to eat.