As the light coalesced around him, Rick felt himself suddenly covered with a wave of energy. His surroundings turned into a blur of colors and, in his mind, a voice was echoing, crystalline, authoritative.
----
Ding! This is the Multiverse System!
System Interface:
User ID: Rick (Reborn)
Host Status: EMERGENT
Current Realm: Earth (Original World)
Time Before Multiverse Training Begins: 00:00:10
---
The Voice of Lirael: "You have triggered the Multiverse System, a being made uniquely for you. It will open you to the powers and knowledge that your past selves had collected."
System Functionality Overview:
1. Power Recovery
Description: Tap into past-life energies and tap access them.
0% Progress (Practice Required)
2. Quest Management:
Description: Gain experience and rewards through missions.
Task Presentation: "Unlock Your Potential"
Goal: Train for at least 1000 years in Nexus Realm.
More powers, abilities, and knowledge of the multiverse are their prizes.
3. Skill building
Description: Train and develop your skills according to your past lives.
Skills available
Dark Magic Mastery Level 0
Level 0: Genetic Engineering
Divine Fighting Techniques (Year 0)
Dual Cultivation Level 0 : Techniques for sharing and power amplification by partners to enhance one's spiritual in addition to physical powers.
Holy Power Level 0 Can bring in holy energies to purify or cleanse, can heal, and nullifies darkness energies.
Emotion Power Level 0: Such potential power for destruction is given by the energy emanating from the emotions present within the hearts of the beings.
Elemental Mastery (0th Level) – Mastery over elemental forces of fire, water, earth, and air for casting spells of destruction and control of the environment.
Illusion Weaving Level 0. Weave illusions to mislead and deceive others. It takes thousands of lifetimes to master.
Spiritual Resonance Level 0: Links your spirit to past selves for gaining knowledge and insight based on the events experienced during those past lives.
Techniques of Cultivation: Level 0 - Miscellaneous Practices that build Physical and Spiritual Energies useful in many arenas.
Dimensional Travel Level 0: The ability to travel across different dimensions and universes through a portal into one or more realities.
4. Inventory:
Description: They are objects, artifacts, or resources gathered from the multiverse.
Current Articles: None New User
5. Character Building:
Description: Choose a hero, villain, or neutral. Your decisions will shape your destiny throughout the multiverse.
Present Scenario: Neutral (As on Choices)
***
"A system…? Sounds like something from a fantasy novel. But if it can help me regain the powers I once had, I'll take it. Each of these could provide the edge that I need but I would forever be battling to suppress this darkness within."
---
Lirael's Voice: "You're not defined by just one path, Rick. Every single decision that you will make is going to determine your whole existence. You could scribble an entirely new history on yourself but remember that all those power you will attain chains you with your evil past".
---
System notice:
Accept the Quest: Unlock Your Potential
Objective: Experience at least 1000 years in the Nexus Realm.
Timer Starts: 999 years, 364 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes Ends
---
Rick: "A thousand years… Time is burden, yet grace. If I can control my past maybe I can redo the future. But I can't be careless; with great power comes great responsibility.".
Lirael: "Aye, Rick. But watch. For sure as light you will meet opposition on this way of yours. For it is darker than a sack of darkness within you."
---
There was a flash of light and, instantly, the world was not the same. Rick found himself being pulled into another dimension where time was little more than a fleeting concept. There was a landscape of shimmering energy and celestial phenomena before him, filled with endless grounds of training, each echoing with the whispers of those who had come before him.
END
Rick stood at the entrance of the Nexus Realm, eagerness and fear swirling within him. He was ready to face all the trials that awaited him, channel his power through his past to create a new destiny.
---
This version contains all the powers Rick has, and hence, the story is richer and open to developing his powers and inner turmoil.
THE
There on the edge of Nexus Realm, a swirling vortex of energies, sylph-like landscapes, was how Rick furrowed his brow while asking himself what to do.
Rick: "Lirael, you said I have to practice for a thousand years but learned from my former lives that actual power is seldom developed within a few billion years. So how can I become as strong in a thousand?
Lirael's Voice: "Ah, Rick, that's where your special case comes in. You're not any regular person; you're a creature who has lived a thousand lives, each filled with great power and experience."
Rick: "So all the years in those other lives mean something, and even then I was some kind of raw one who needed to work at perfecting my skills? How do I condense that?"
Lirael: "Exactly! You have a reservoir of power and abilities latent within you from all those past billions of lives of yours. But you have to nurture that potential by infusing that power back into yourself. Through focused training and meditation, you can draw upon this latent energy and hasten your growth."
Rick: "Injecting energy. how does that even work?
Lirael: "With each training and reattunement to your past selves, you draw upon their strengths, memories, and techniques. Each session enables you to take it all in, absorbed into the form you're in now. It's almost as if you tap a lifetime of training all at once into one moment of enlightenment."
Rick: "So, so I am not starting from scratch but more using what I have?"
Lirael: "Exactly. You could tap not only the power but the wisdom of all your past incarnations. This alone can dramatically shorten the time it will take to develop your powers, provided you give yourself fully to the process."
Rick: "That'd be … strong. But how much at once is there a limit to? What if I try too much too fast?"
Lirael: "Great question. Pushing too hard can destabilize bits within your essence, risking your sanity or, worse, causing an implosion of your own energy. The key is balance and understanding of one's own limits."
Rick: "And how am I supposed to know what my limits are?
Lirael: "Of course, from experience and discovery. And I shall be here, giving you tasks and challenges whereby you'll find your limits being stretched a little further each step of the way."
---
He took deep breaths, feeling his life pulse around him. The scope of possibilities thrilled yet threatened to fill him with some ominous sense of foreboding as well.
Rick: "Alright, alright. Let's get started. Coach me on how to start this infusion process."
Lirael: "Come. Your journey to rediscovery commences here. Remember, both are hero and bringer of darkness. And the option would decide how."
---
With that, Rick stepped forward to begin his journey of power, self-discovery, and the ultimate test of his dual nature-an eternal struggle between the light he sought and the darkness that lingered within.
---
Rick stood there, drinking in all that Lirael had learned. The swirling energies of the Nexus Realm were intoxicating, but he knew he could not stay here forever; there was the real world waiting for him and business to be dealt with.
Lirael: "Rick, this training is important, but don't forget that the actual real world is different. Time passes a thousand years here for every year outside. You might be amazed at how much has changed once you return."
Rick: "A thousand years… Everything changes. What's going on in the city next door?"
Lirael: "It's a huge, booming city full of beings from other universes. The city's largely a center of trade, magic, and intrigue. Considering what you were, you can probably expect to meet people who know you-or at least parts of yourself."
Rick: "So, so I have to be careful. I can't let anyone find out who I really am-or what I was.".
Lirael: "Exactly. You have to tread lightly in this world. Your past life as Sithrius and all your other incarnations may have left some impression on the multiverse, and the after effects of your acts could catch up with you."
---
Rick came out from the Nexus Realm into Elysium Heights-the city of shining glory. He immediately had a time against the ethereal beauty of the Nexus and had chaos in the city. Neon lights flashed above him, dazzling with an array of sounds and sights that mixed technology and magic together.
Rick Thoughts: "This place is alive—is like a heartbeat. Thrilling and scary all at once."
As he pushes his way through crowded streets, races and beings surface: human, cyborg, magical creatures - as they share stories, trade, and laugh with each other. Though such vibrancy calls across the streets, beneath lies tension and which Rick keenly identifies as fighting and power seems to hump and trot along the alleys in whispers.
Rick: "I have to leave incognito. I cannot attract attention, and if there are some here who could remember Sithrius."
--
Rick went into a small, obscure local tavern called The Elysian Flame. Patrons traded tales over mugs of glowing drinks there; he took a seat at the bar, surveying those around him.
Bartender: "What'll it be, stranger?"
Rick: "Water is fine for now."
He sits there listening to patrons animatedly discuss their latest adventures, battles, and betrayals. Rick's heart beats fast as he finds his several past life conflicts echoed in the stories being told here and cannot help but feel old times and regret.
Then there was the woman-this woman, silver-haired, ice blue-eyed. She dominated the attention of a rowdy table full of adventurers. Rick couldn't shake the feeling that he was drawn toward her from a dim aura that seemed to emanate from her very presence.
Rick's Thought: "Who is she? I've seen her before… In another life?"
Just as he was thinking of asking, Lirael's voice came echoing into his mind:. Lirael: "Beware, Rick. She may not be what you expect. Remember the threads of fate could weave in unexpected ways".
---
A grey-headed woman passed the rest with one swift glance that changed the speculative scrutiny of him to something that could be nothing but a flush of recognition; there is, as has been remarked, another.
Woman: "You! I know you. You are not the other man, I am sure."
Rick: (smirking) "Just some traveler who happens to pass through. Not a notable person."
Woman: "Liar. I can feel the power flowing from you. What is so bad that you are hiding?"
Rick had the compulsion to tell it as it is, an instinctual urge he had learned to repress. He chose avoidance instead.
Rick: "Just the past I am trying to leave behind. Just looking for a new beginning."
Woman: (smirking) "A new beginning? In a city like this? You might get more than you bargained for."
---
And as they spoke, Rick was overcome by a flavor of mystery and threat. Maybe this woman knew some things about his lives from which he was desolate to be alienated.
Rick: "I have to be careful. No sign of proof about my previous life would be allowed to be shown if this reaches Sithrius's ears."
Once the resolve began to settle within Rick, he felt that he needed to amass some information and resources but keep a low profile. His journey through the city would prove pivotal for him not only in gaining strength but also in unearthing the mysteries about his past.
End
He walked out of the tavern and down into the serpentine streets of Elysium Heights, looking for a place to stay. The city buzzed with the chatter of merchants, laughter of patrons, and distant music resonating from what sounded like infinite clubs. Just up the street was a hotel: The Celestial Haven-the exterior lit by glowing runes and shimmering crystals.
Rick's Thoughts: "This'll do for tonight. A refuge to collect one's thoughts and figure out a way out of this mess.".
As he entered the lobby, softness was accompanied by the glow of chandeliers illuminating this warm place. The young receptionist greeted him with hair as green as the emeralds and iridescent skin.
Receptionist : "Heavenly Oasis. Hello. How can I help you?"
Rick: "I want to book a room for this night.
Receptionist: "Of course! We have standard rooms available for 10 gold coins, or deluxe suites for 25. Do you want any of them?
Rick: (aching into his pocket) "Alright for daily."
He bought the coins and received an incandescent crystal carved with a key and number 203. He took it from others.
Receptionist: " Enjoy your visit! Whatever you need, just call for assistance."
-
Rick entered his room as all other little rooms had-a large open window to the noisy city view, furnished with soft furnishings and motley motifs of heaven and earth, cooped inside comfort beyond this torrent from outside.
Rick's Thoughts: "Time to focus. I need to know more about this Nexus Realm, and about how to tap this power I now hold.".
He sat on the edge of his bed, the words Lirael spoke regarding the Nexus Realm pouring in his head. The spirit had told him that only by knowing the multiverse would make sense of both his strength and the decisions he was to make.
Rick: "Lirael, listen for my voice?"
The air shuddered a little, and there stood Lirael, hair streaming back, tall and self-assured.
Lirael: "I'm always here, Rick. What is it you want to know?"
Rick: "Tell me more about the Nexus Realm. How is it connected to the multiverse, and how do I tap my powers?"
END
Her face turned serious as she started to explain.
Lirael: "The Nexus Realm is another dimension; it is a nexus, a joining point of many universes across the multiverse. And each one can be very different with its rules, and beings, and powers; but they all vibrate in the energy of the Nexus. By training here you can reach out and tap into that energy and unlock latent powers from past lives."
(Rick has billions of memories and he cannot fully take in the thrlem and time is different now)
Rick: "But how to begin? I know I must practice but I just can't take everything in."
Lirael: "You possess a great deep well of abilities in your former lives. There is the power of dual cultivation, holy energy, the powers of emotions and all the arts of magic within you. And to gain access to all, first of all understand the essence of every one and then how to combine them.
He remembered everything he had learned in the past with the pros and cons of those powers.
Rick: "I remember learning dual cultivation and its connection to balancing your energy. What about the rest?"
Lirael: "Holy power ties to purification and healing; it lets you mend and protect. The power of hatred is altogether worse, I think; it feeds on the awful and the chaotic; but that can also put fear into your enemies' hearts. Magic's grand, from elemental control to illusions and so much more. You need to learn each one."
-
Using this knowledge, Rick left his bedroom and continued beyond the city. He required know-how, acquaintances as well as adversaries that might explain why things were tough to comprehend in the Nexus Realm.
Rick: Where do I go to learn more?
Lirael : "Go find the Arcane Library, deep in the city. They say it contains books that have texts on the multiverse and the Realm of Nexus. Maybe there, you will find what you are looking for."
Rick: "Thanks, Lirael. I'll go there now."
---
Rick walked through the darkness to the city's crowded streets, just as Lirael had instructed him. He walked a few blocks and then came to the Arcane Library-a humongous building with immense shelves and an enormous reading area crammed with various kinds of beings studying.
The musty smell of old books greeted him as he entered. Scrolls, illuminated, floated lazily above shelves where scholars of various races debated and shared insights.
Rick approached the nearest desk to a librarian-a sort of elf with spectacles perched on his nose-sorting through the books. Rick: "Excuse me, but do you know anything about Nexus Realm?" Librarian: (over his glasses) "Ah, the Nexus Realm! Very interesting subject. You'll find that knowledge in the Restricted Section, though only those who qualify are allowed entry." Rick: (squinting his eyes) "And what qualities would that be Librarian: "You have to know what the multiverse is shaped like and its magical principles. Do you want to take a test?" Rick grinned, a flash of challenge lighting across his eyes. Rick: "Alright. I'll go find out what I am." --- He beckoned Rick to enter a chamber that was small, with full magical trinkets. Librarian: "You have three questions to answer; all are going to verify your knowledge and abilities. If you pass, you will gain access to the restricted section." Rick: Nodding resolutely, "Let's go." The first asked about the nature of dimensional travel; the second requested him to demonstrate some kind of basic magical control; and the third was a riddle, set about the very Nexus himself. And as Rick drew on past lives, each answer came out with startling clarity. Librarian: "Good job. You've passed the test. You're welcome to go in the Restricted Section". (Rick memories slowly coming back) --- Rick entered the Restricted Section, a room dimly lit with scrolls and ancient texts. Power was crackling through the air, and Rick felt it. He looked at the shelves and wondered if something was on them for him to be able to understand the Nexus Realm. After some hours, he saw a book on which swirled in its front cover a galaxy-like form: "The Nexus and Its Secrets" Rick: "It looks good." As he stretched from the shelf for the book, a flare of power encircled over him: memories from other times all surfaced in his mind, with them, the weight and burden of choices made. --- He opened the book and began to feel words resonate with him; bonds between the Nexus Realm and how time flow would work in reality and how powers might be harnessed so that a being might find to challenge a particular status quo. Rick Thoughts: "It's all over. This knowledge is capable of changing everything." --- Rick dived into the book with a new determination, promising to learn everything that would be demanded of him in order to take control of his powers and to understand the complexities of the multiverse. The road ahead was long and dark, but with Lirael's aid and the knowledge he was garnering, Rick felt ready for what lay in store in the Nexus Realm as well as further on. --- This is followed by continuing Richard's journey when he sets out to know Elysium Heights and his ability over time.