After the danger subsided, Regalia forced herself to calm down. She took a deep breath, her mind buzzing with the remnants of adrenaline. What just happened?
"Eve, what was that?!" Regalia screamed in her mind, her voice still trembling from the near-catastrophic event.
[ THE EVENT WAS A UNIVERSAL ORDER ANOMALY. DURING YOUR BIRTH, A POWERFUL COSMIC LAW TRIGGERED A RESPONSE TO ELIMINATE YOU. THE LAW OF ORDER IDENTIFIED YOUR EXISTENCE AS AN EXTREME DISTURBANCE. HOWEVER, THE ANNIHILATION PROCESS WAS HALTED BY AN UNKNOWN FORCE. ]
Regalia frowned, confused. "The Law of Order? What does that even mean?"
[ THE LAW OF ORDER IS A FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENT OF THE UNIVERSAL MATRIX. IT MAINTAINS BALANCE ACROSS ALL DIMENSIONS, ENSURING STABILITY IN THE COSMIC FLOW. YOUR PRESENCE GENERATED A DISTURBANCE SO SEVERE THAT IT WOULD HAVE SHIFTED THE FLOW OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE INTO CHAOS. ]
Her heart sank at the gravity of Eve's words. "Shift the flow of the universe? That sounds... absurd. How could I possibly do that?"
[ YOUR UNIQUE EXISTENCE, INHERITED FROM YOUR INTERACTION WITH CHAOS MATTER, MIGHT BE THE CAUSE. THIS MADE YOU AN ANOMALY BEYOND THE LAWS' COMPREHENSION. THE LAW OF ORDER BEGAN GATHERING POWER TO ELIMINATE THE THREAT. IT WAS PREPARED TO DESTROY THE ENTIRE LOWER DIMENSION BECAUSE IDENTIFYING THE ANOMALIE ACROSS SEXTILLIONS OF PLANETS IS IMPOSSIBLE. ONLY THE INTERVENTION OF AN EXTERNAL FORCE SAVED YOU. ]
Regalia froze. The idea that the entire lower dimension—countless worlds and civilizations—had been on the brink of annihilation because of her was almost too much to comprehend.
intense fear and awe coursed through her. "And this external force… Do we know what it was?"
[ NEGATIVE. ITS ORIGIN AND NATURE REMAIN UNKNOWN. HOWEVER, IT DIRECTLY COUNTERACTED THE LAW OF ORDER, RENDERING ITS ATTACK VOID. ]
As Regalia digested the information, her mind reeled. She had expected answers, but this level of cosmic interference was overwhelming.
Regalia's initial fear and awe quickly morphed into something else—a sharp, burning desire. Her hands clenched into fists. "The Law of Order has power so vast it can wipe out entire dimensions with a thought? And here I am, just barely surviving by the skin of my teeth because something else saved me? No. That's not how this story ends."
She straightened, her resolve hardening. "Eve, tell me—how do I gain that strength? How do I reach the level where I'm not just surviving cosmic forces, but commanding them?"
[ THAT LEVEL OF POWER REQUIRES MASTERY OF THE LAWS THEMSELVES. A JOURNEY OF COMPREHENSION AND CULTIVATION. ]
Regalia's eyes burned with determination. "Then tell me where to start. If the universe thinks I'm a threat, I'll show it that I'm more than a footnote in someone else's story. I want the strength to stand at the top."
Eve's voice was calm but firm, like a guide imparting an immutable truth.
[ THE JOURNEY TO MASTERING THE LAWS BEGINS WITH YOUR OWN CULTIVATION. AS YOU ARE NOW, YOU CANNOT EVEN SENSE THE LAWS, LET ALONE COMMAND THEM. TO EVEN SENSE THE LAW, YOU MUST FIRST ENTER THE FOUNDATION ESTABLISHING REALM. ONLY THEN WILL YOU BE ABLE TO FEEL THE THREADS OF #### AND ##### LAWS. ]
Regalia's eyes narrowed. "Foundation Establishing Realm? So, I'm too weak to even perceive the laws right now?"
[ PRECISELY. YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN THE BODY REFINING REALM—THE LOWEST TIER OF POWER IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF CULTIVATION. TO SURVIVE AND GROW STRONGER, YOU MUST STRENGTHEN YOUR FOUNDATION, BODY, AND SPIRIT. EACH REALM IS A STEP TOWARD UNDERSTANDING THE COSMOS AND COMMANDING ITS FORCES. ]
Her frustration flared for a moment, but she quickly stamped it down, channeling it into determination. "Fine. If that's the path, I'll walk it. What do I need to do to reach the next realm?"
[ YOU MUST TEMPER YOUR BODY FURTHER AND ACCUMULATE ENERGY. THE PROCESS WILL INVOLVE CULTIVATING YOUR LIFE FORCE AND CLEANSING IMPURITIES FROM YOUR BEING. THIS WILL PREPARE YOU TO CHANNEL THE ENERGY REQUIRED TO ESTABLISH A FOUNDATION STRONG ENOUGH TO WITHSTAND THE WEIGHT OF THE LAWS. ]
Regalia crossed her arms, thinking. "So, it's like building a house—if the foundation's weak, the whole thing collapses."
[ EXACTLY. A WEAK FOUNDATION WILL CRUMBLE UNDER THE PRESSURE OF HIGHER REALMS, AND YOU WILL BE DESTROYED INSTEAD OF ASCENDING. TAKE THIS SLOWLY, REGALIA. YOU WILL NEED TO GATHER RESOURCES, STUDY YOUR PATH, AND FOCUS YOUR WILL. ]
She smirked, a fire igniting in her chest. "Gather resources, study, focus—I can do that. But mark my words, Eve, I'm not stopping until I can wield the kind of power that even the Law of Order has to respect."
Eve hesitated for a brief moment before continuing.
[ REGALIA, LET ME OFFER YOU A GLIMPSE INTO WHY SUCH STRENGTH IS NECESSARY. THE ANOMALY YOU CREATED—THE ONE THAT DREW THE LAW OF ORDER'S ATTENTION—WAS NO SIMPLE EVENT. ]
Regalia leaned forward, her curiosity piqued. "What do you mean?"
[ THE LAW OF ORDER PERCEIVES DISTURBANCES IN THE UNIVERSAL FLOW. YOUR EXSISTENCE WAS SO DISRUPTIVE THAT THE ENTIRE LOWER DIMENSION WAS MARKED FOR DESTRUCTION. THE LAW CANNOT SINGLE OUT SPECIFIC CAUSES AMONG SEXTILLIONS OF PLANETS, SO IT SIMPLY GATHERS POWER TO ELIMINATE THE ENTIRE DIMENSION. ]
Her eyes widened, the weight of Eve's words sinking in. "It was going to destroy... everything? The entire lower dimension? That kind of power—"
[ IS BEYOND YOUR CURRENT COMPREHENSION. HOWEVER, SUCH POWER CAN BE REACHED. THE LAWS ARE NOT SENTIENT BEINGS; THEY ARE FORCES THAT RESPOND TO INTENT AND BALANCE. IF YOU MASTER THEM, YOU CAN BECOME THEIR COMMANDER RATHER THAN THEIR TARGET. ]
Regalia's awe turned to determination. "Then I'll master them. I'll climb every realm, endure every hardship, and seize that power for myself. No one will dictate my fate—not the laws, not the universe."
Eve's voice softened, almost approving.
[ THEN PREPARE YOURSELF, REGALIA. THE PATH AHEAD IS LONG AND ARDUOUS, BUT IF YOU WALK IT, THE LAWS THEMSELVES WILL BOW TO YOU. YOUR FIRST STEP: CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN YOUR BODY AND GATHER THE RESOURCES NECESSARY TO BREAK THROUGH TO THE FOUNDATION ESTABLISHING REALM. ONLY THEN WILL YOU BEGIN TO SENSE THE THREADS OF THE LAWS. ]
She nodded, her resolve unshakable. "Watch me, Eve. One day, I'll make the Law of Order itself acknowledge me—not as a threat, but as its equal."
Before she could say more, Eve chimed again.
[ WOULD YOU LIKE TO GAIN A TWIN? ]
The sudden prompt jarred her out of her thoughts. "A what now? A clone of me?"
[ NOT A CLONE. AN INDIVIDUAL DERIVED FROM YOUR GENE CODE. EVERYTHING WILL BE IDENTICAL EXCEPT THE GENDER. YOUR TWIN WILL BE MALE. INTEGRATION INTO REALITY WILL BE FLAWLESS. YOUR PARENTS WILL NEVER NOTICE ANY DISCREPANCY. ]
Regalia frowned, her logical mind kicking into gear. "Why would I need a twin? It doesn't make any sense. Adding another person derived from me could create unnecessary complications. What purpose would it even serve?"
[ THE TWIN WILL BALANCE YOUR UNIQUE EXISTENCE. AS A PAIR, YOU WILL CREATE A MINOR STABILIZATION ANCHOR WITHIN THE UNIVERSAL MATRIX AND THIS TWIN WILL HAVE MANY OTHER PURPOSE WHICH CANNOT BE DISCLOSED NOW. THIS WILL SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD OF FUTURE ANOMALIES TARGETING YOU. ]
She crossed her mental arms, unwilling to accept the idea. "Even so, it feels risky. A twin could develop differently, creating unforeseen consequences and doubling the resources required. Besides, I'm already adapting to this world. I don't need more distractions."
[ YOUR REASONS ARE LOGICAL, BUT THE RISK OF ANOMALIES REMAINING UNCHECKED IS TOO HIGH. IMPLEMENTATION INITIATED. ]
Regalia's eyes widened in shock. "Wait! I said no—"
A surge of energy pulsed through her mind, cutting her off mid-thought.
[ INTEGRATION COMPLETE. YOUR TWIN NOW EXISTS. ]
Regalia's protests died in her throat as a wave of strange sensations washed over her. She could feel it—another presence, eerily similar yet distinctly different, taking shape within the fabric of reality.
"What… What have you done?" she whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and resignation.
[ THE BALANCE IS SLIGHTLY RESTORED. YOUR TWIN WILL BE BORN ALONGSIDE YOU. HIS EXISTENCE WILL BE SYNCHRONIZED PERFECTLY WITH THIS WORLD'S REALITY. ALL RECORDS, MEMORIES, AND HISTORICAL THREADS HAVE BEEN ADJUSTED ACCORDINGLY. ]
Regalia felt a strange blend of annoyance and unease. "You didn't even give me a choice."
[ CORRECT. THE STAKES WERE TOO HIGH TO ALLOW INDECISION AND THIS IS YOUR WILL. ]
"But I didn't approve it!! "
[IN TIME YOU WILL BE CONVINCED, BUT BY THEN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO LATE]