meianmaru
The Devourer of Fiction
Fanwork## 1136 words
*****
The Awakening of the Most High
Sesus Ulyssian was yet once again meditating in kneeling position in his throne room, which by now had become so familiar to him with his sharpened senses and mind that he could recal near-perfectly everything in it, from individual scratches on the marble floor to the speed at which individual dust-motes fell and accumulated on the different surfaces. And as usually, he was once again plotting something that would have world-shaking ripples, but through a different path than usually.
While Ulyssian felt guilty about shoving the responsibility of the bureaucracy problem he himself had made to Moon's and Nilul's shoulders, it had to be done. The current situation was much more precarious than he had allowed himself to believe. Daily, the amount of people he could count to extremely accurate and thus disturbing degree were being subjugated, suffering, dying and worse. And the threats to Creation that still remained after his days as the Lord Strategos were gathering to destroy or to twist the world to their own ends.
To defy all this, he needed a tool, a tool powerful enough to turn this untenable situation around. His predictionism was powerful, but insufficient by itself as he had to to split his time between making prophecies in addition of governing and protecing Luseng. As without his position as a Satrap, he would not be in position to influence the world with the necessary reach and efficiency for it to truly matter. The time was the problem.
Fortunately, he had a way to get past that problem. It was not even a complex one, though difficult and dangerous. Some could call it even insane.
Sorcery.
A path that not even Odyssial himself had walked to the end, out of rationale of the problem of splitting his focus between too many areas to master completely, which then he could apply himself only one at the time. Not efficient, when allies or others could be called in or coerced to accomplish the required tasks.
But here and now, in this Age of Sorrows, the Adamant Circle of Sorcery was only a myth except for maybe a few returned Solars and Infernals. Even fewer had likely actually reached it, as not even N- ...Ayala had mastered it yet.
There were drawbacks, of course. Most of his new power would be invested in infrastructure, as he would use it to make and exploit his new creations. The fact that he would have a hard time explaining to the Realm how he was accomplishing such feats was a particularly irratiating one, considering that Anys Syn already knew what he was. Anything too obvious beyond the reach and haste of what even the most ambitious, talented and reckless Dragon-Blooded sorcerer would be able to accomplish would lead to him with near certainty being recognized as an Anathema.
Still, some more limited but still game-changing things could be done. Empowering Moon was one the first thoughts he'd had, either with an immediate ascencion in might or improving the potency of her latent gifts, maybe even opening doors that were completely closed to other Terrestrial Exalted. However, the current situation was an unforgiving one, with every moment longer than an instant counting, so he had to shelve the idea as his first will-work, no matter how appealing it was giving his dearest friend the ability to stand besides him as a true equal in raw might. No, first, he had to take care of a the more pressing problem.
To fix this issue, the ceiling of the limiting factor had to be raised. And if that was what was required, even the unrelenting and stable passage of time could be partially bent to fit the will of a Solar Sorcerer.
But for his aims to become more than distant dreams in a time-frame that was efficient, the amount of power he needed to grasp immediately was staggering. It might very well damage him in some way near-permanently, as some results could be beyond even his reach to fix with his attention taken mostly by his enemies.
He chuckled at that. What a joke, him hesitating at something like this. He would have paid a price much steeper than that as a mortal. And now reminded, so would he.
With the path clear, Ulyssian slowly sunk deeper into the meditation.
And then, because it was the fastest path to power with the greatest rewards at the end, he opened himself up Odyssial's memories.
He quickly locked on to the part that resonated most at what was Ulyssian. Sensory stimuli, emotions and concepts streamed forth from the now broken wall between his current and past self, overwhelming his being. Raging fury against the unfairness of the world and his powerlessnes, chained with iron discipline to useful ends. Cooling elation after the victory against the Titans, the problems of world persisting even without them. Resentment against the flaws that prevented Creation from being a true utopia, running deep in its fundamental laws set by its makers. Vehemency that nearly shattered his mind with its intensity.
And the chilling logical conclusion. If the world couldn't be fixed, it would have to be replaced. And with what he would call-
At that moment, he felt like his head had been smashed to small pieces, that were still somehow each individiually alive and aware, only a thousands times worse. Because it was his soul that started to fracture, with hairline-cracks spreading all over as it strained to contain information it wasn't ready for.
In that instant, he truly comprehended why Odyssial had limited the rate of the assimilation to so slow pace. And at the same time, he didn't care.
Like grasping the Sun with his bare hands, he dragged down the knowledge that seeked to consume him even as he consumed it, an ouroboros eating its own tail. And as quickly it had begun, it was soon over again.
The fragmented and flaming pieces of the mind of one who was Ulyssian started to gather, pieces of puzzle who he was and memories related to that torturously slowly put back together, one part at a time. After hours of self-reflection, the pieces fit again and were merged as one, with only the parts of his past life standing slightly separate, sinking to the mind-state of Ulyssian with an ever slowing rate. Only regaining enough of his former power would allow him to achieve true harmony with himself again, it seemed, if even then.
But the power he gained in return? It was all worth it. And even more importantly, now he remembered. He remembered that there was only a one true path to salvation.
And he could now see that path's true name, parts of it already written over the world.
It was beautiful.
*****
The Awakening of the Most High
Sesus Ulyssian was yet once again meditating in kneeling position in his throne room, which by now had become so familiar to him with his sharpened senses and mind that he could recal near-perfectly everything in it, from individual scratches on the marble floor to the speed at which individual dust-motes fell and accumulated on the different surfaces. And as usually, he was once again plotting something that would have world-shaking ripples, but through a different path than usually.
While Ulyssian felt guilty about shoving the responsibility of the bureaucracy problem he himself had made to Moon's and Nilul's shoulders, it had to be done. The current situation was much more precarious than he had allowed himself to believe. Daily, the amount of people he could count to extremely accurate and thus disturbing degree were being subjugated, suffering, dying and worse. And the threats to Creation that still remained after his days as the Lord Strategos were gathering to destroy or to twist the world to their own ends.
To defy all this, he needed a tool, a tool powerful enough to turn this untenable situation around. His predictionism was powerful, but insufficient by itself as he had to to split his time between making prophecies in addition of governing and protecing Luseng. As without his position as a Satrap, he would not be in position to influence the world with the necessary reach and efficiency for it to truly matter. The time was the problem.
Fortunately, he had a way to get past that problem. It was not even a complex one, though difficult and dangerous. Some could call it even insane.
Sorcery.
A path that not even Odyssial himself had walked to the end, out of rationale of the problem of splitting his focus between too many areas to master completely, which then he could apply himself only one at the time. Not efficient, when allies or others could be called in or coerced to accomplish the required tasks.
But here and now, in this Age of Sorrows, the Adamant Circle of Sorcery was only a myth except for maybe a few returned Solars and Infernals. Even fewer had likely actually reached it, as not even N- ...Ayala had mastered it yet.
There were drawbacks, of course. Most of his new power would be invested in infrastructure, as he would use it to make and exploit his new creations. The fact that he would have a hard time explaining to the Realm how he was accomplishing such feats was a particularly irratiating one, considering that Anys Syn already knew what he was. Anything too obvious beyond the reach and haste of what even the most ambitious, talented and reckless Dragon-Blooded sorcerer would be able to accomplish would lead to him with near certainty being recognized as an Anathema.
Still, some more limited but still game-changing things could be done. Empowering Moon was one the first thoughts he'd had, either with an immediate ascencion in might or improving the potency of her latent gifts, maybe even opening doors that were completely closed to other Terrestrial Exalted. However, the current situation was an unforgiving one, with every moment longer than an instant counting, so he had to shelve the idea as his first will-work, no matter how appealing it was giving his dearest friend the ability to stand besides him as a true equal in raw might. No, first, he had to take care of a the more pressing problem.
To fix this issue, the ceiling of the limiting factor had to be raised. And if that was what was required, even the unrelenting and stable passage of time could be partially bent to fit the will of a Solar Sorcerer.
But for his aims to become more than distant dreams in a time-frame that was efficient, the amount of power he needed to grasp immediately was staggering. It might very well damage him in some way near-permanently, as some results could be beyond even his reach to fix with his attention taken mostly by his enemies.
He chuckled at that. What a joke, him hesitating at something like this. He would have paid a price much steeper than that as a mortal. And now reminded, so would he.
With the path clear, Ulyssian slowly sunk deeper into the meditation.
And then, because it was the fastest path to power with the greatest rewards at the end, he opened himself up Odyssial's memories.
He quickly locked on to the part that resonated most at what was Ulyssian. Sensory stimuli, emotions and concepts streamed forth from the now broken wall between his current and past self, overwhelming his being. Raging fury against the unfairness of the world and his powerlessnes, chained with iron discipline to useful ends. Cooling elation after the victory against the Titans, the problems of world persisting even without them. Resentment against the flaws that prevented Creation from being a true utopia, running deep in its fundamental laws set by its makers. Vehemency that nearly shattered his mind with its intensity.
And the chilling logical conclusion. If the world couldn't be fixed, it would have to be replaced. And with what he would call-
At that moment, he felt like his head had been smashed to small pieces, that were still somehow each individiually alive and aware, only a thousands times worse. Because it was his soul that started to fracture, with hairline-cracks spreading all over as it strained to contain information it wasn't ready for.
In that instant, he truly comprehended why Odyssial had limited the rate of the assimilation to so slow pace. And at the same time, he didn't care.
Like grasping the Sun with his bare hands, he dragged down the knowledge that seeked to consume him even as he consumed it, an ouroboros eating its own tail. And as quickly it had begun, it was soon over again.
The fragmented and flaming pieces of the mind of one who was Ulyssian started to gather, pieces of puzzle who he was and memories related to that torturously slowly put back together, one part at a time. After hours of self-reflection, the pieces fit again and were merged as one, with only the parts of his past life standing slightly separate, sinking to the mind-state of Ulyssian with an ever slowing rate. Only regaining enough of his former power would allow him to achieve true harmony with himself again, it seemed, if even then.
But the power he gained in return? It was all worth it. And even more importantly, now he remembered. He remembered that there was only a one true path to salvation.
And he could now see that path's true name, parts of it already written over the world.
It was beautiful.
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