Chapter 86: Chapter 85: Law
When time finally came for Carl to return to HQ, Aegis expressed a desire for "aggressive exercise". This inevitably led to a quick stop to Lunelia, where Carl gave Aegis free reign of the third floor, though he was surprised to see Majesty so unsettled.
When he got back to Haven, he started preparing food for everyone, then they sat down to enjoy a family meal and the moment everyone was done. A thick atmosphere of anticipation descended on everyone as they waited to find out if Lillim would regret the wager.
"So, Carl, please do enlighten us as to the weakness of the variants."
"Of course. They are dying, well most of them are." Carl stated it so bluntly that the immortals present actually felt stupid for not realising sooner before they second guessed it.
"Carl, no vagueness, this is a serious matter."
"Sorry, it occurred to me while I was examining what little I knew about them. They are all visibly different ages, they have injuries that are scarred rather than healed. Now I know that could just be the result of becoming immortal at different stages and particularly effective attacks, but there’s more."
"Well, don’t leave us in suspense..."
"The biggest clue was Klaire. Everyone was on edge, ready to kill us, but they were actually nervous about approaching... They held all the cards and should have known it, but were cautious and paranoid. That’s what smart people do when they’re in danger, idiots charge in without thinking like Plutinas and me."
"Hmm... I admit, I can see the reason behind your thinking, but the reason is not proof." Lillim responded with faltering denial.
"Finally, their leader... He was so clearly so desperate to have me on board that he appeared after we left and conceded almost every point we made. Yet he didn’t make himself present at the meeting and I don’t think someone that once stood opposed to all the other realms would give in to my demands."
"Now that does demand careful consideration. That one is youthful, arrogant, quick to anger and loves showing off. I have been wondering why he refrained from joining." Faylorna shrugged on Lillim’s behalf.
"Could they really be dying though? They are all immortals."
"When I went to visit... Tiamat admitted she was outmatched and at risk of dying against Margo’s forces. She admitted that her and Bahamut are the weakest of the ten-starred beings. I realised that thanks to Margo, everything is a game and as much as i hate to admit it, Margo is a good game designer."
Everyone stared at Carl, jaws barely off the table in front of them. "Carl, did you have a stroke? Didn’t you go there and tell him this game was shit? What does that even have to do with anything?" Blanc asked, practically offended that the game in question received a positive review.
"I did, but the thing is, that was because everything was thrown out by outside forces. Margo himself designed a good game, I could see that in his anger at realising what it became. As for what that has to do with it, well I think he considered the variant humans as cheaters and every good game designer punishers multiplayer cheaters."
"The game was designed to bring humans back in line with the natural order..." Lillim muttered.
"Yes... And variants by definition are outside of that order..." Kyubi continued.
"Is it possible that was what happened that day? We never did figure out why the variants stopped fighting each other, but it did happen in the blink of an eye. Next thing we knew they started fighting all of the other realms like a cornered animal." Faylorna finished.
"Carl, tell me, why do you think they want you so badly?..."
"It isn’t me they want at all, that was the next key to my thinking, in the report we mentioned a certain vampire progenitor’s awakening. Whilst I was planning I realised I didn’t know nearly enough about them, we know legends and rumours sure, but is it true Dracula can bestow immortality? What if immortality is the one thing they care more about than race?"
"It is true... Nergal could also bestow such things, but they might find Dracula preferable since they still look human and would have an entire faction of livestock." Lillim grumbled. "Carl, we aren’t certain it’s true, but I feel your deductions warrant a favour regardless."
"Thank you... The favour I want is cocytus or Yggdrasil, the keys to defeating Dracula are there and I need them both, I’ll earn the other favour with something else..."
"Hmmm? What keys would they be, you did well, but don’t get cocky Carl. You aren’t the first person to think of traitor’s ice or Yggdrasil wood to keep him held and kill him, the problem is he breaks free and doesn’t die."
"Very true, but no one else has a wife who shoots starlight, if I synthesise all three together into a single material, then mix it into a dryad, an ice elemental, a light spirit, parasite spore and all of Kyubi’s flames..."
"Then you have a creature that attacks his mind, body and soul with a steak from a world tree, traitors ice and undiluted sunlight, whilst planting spores that will drain him in order to reproduce."
"Think it will work then?"
"Hard to say... He mastered Life and death and is widely considered unkillable, but you did’t ask if it would kill him I noticed. So let me guess, you’re just trying to make him too scared of you to anger you."
"Yep, The Carrion get the credit for that idea, they’re the one’s that particular plan was made for."
"I guessed... Carl, be proud, I thought that insufferable abomination several times and never had such an inspired idea." Lillim finished, before moving onto the next topic. "On the subject of laws mastered, have you thought about what order you will be activating them in?"
"I think so and I don’t think you’re going to believe me, but I think I actually might be starting to understand the unknown laws; Creation and Change."
The three immortals took a deep breath, trying to restrain the urge to belittle him given his recent display of insight. It was ultimately Lillim that spoke to him first, being the most liberal.
"Carl, can you please explain your reasoning."
"It isn’t something immortals would think about, but they are both necessities for existence. The first immortals could have never existed without being created and without change nothing would have moved past that point."
"Okay, but what of the other laws? They both fall under the purview of other laws." Kyubi asked the question only after giving it considerable thought.
"I promise I’m not trying to be arrogant, I honestly don’t say this lightly. Another thing most elder gods wouldn’t think about is parents... I think they are source laws of some kind that actually branched into the fundamental laws like parents, the fundamental laws merely resemble them as children do their parents."
"Carl, have you started to understand these laws? We can’t simply accept half-answers on this matter." Kyubi asked the question with an unusual intensity, but it was understandable given how sacred the laws were.
"Nothing certain, but I think as a creator, I was more inclined to understand them on an instinctual level. Every time I create something I feel the weight of sacrifice, to create something new is to change the world and to change the world is to destroy the world as we knew it. To create is to grant life, shape minds, craft souls, cause death, fill nothingness and make infinity finite, whilst the flit between order and chaos."
[ SIS NOTICE: ORIGIN LAWS HAVE TAKEN NOTICE. ]
[ SIS WARNING! ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ]
[ CARL.. IT HURTS.]
The process of the forced skill integration was excruciating, many times worse than even having the planetary coordinates forced into his mind, but when that final message came through it reached a crux and for the first time in almost nine years, Carl felt the absence of the system.
He didn’t feel it for long however, as the pain left him unconscious in the same breath.
Carl had been knocked out several times in his life, during training, for medical procedures, when he beat Klaire badly enough at any game. Every time there was a strange sense of non-existence, isolation in a timeless prison of his own mind.
This time however, he wasn’t isolated. He was still in that timeless prison that he now couldn’t help but dissect in terms of laws, echoing all around him however was the sound of weeping.
"Hello!... Can you hear me!... I don’t know who you are, but I can’t help you if you don’t help me find you!"
He shouted several times as he wandered around in almost complete sensory deprivation, desperate to help whoever needed it.
"I wonder if I’d be able to see right now if I had merged with a creature with night vision... Screw it, Tiamutael? Equinox? Majesty?"
’Creator? Apologies it is difficult to hear you... There is significant distortion, as though your mind is fractured."
"Wow, I can’t believe that worked... Look, I’m unconscious and hear someone crying, I need to know how to navigate this place."
’Creator, I don’t have any concept of what you call unconscious. Apologies, would you like me to get one of the others for you?"
"Just tell and see if you can help Aegia."
Carl couldn’t tell how much time had passed when he heard Aegis’ voice. "Master, the Carrion-hunter seems to be losing their senses, sorry for the unsolicited report."
"Aegis you beautiful, paranoid-bodyguard, Majesty is fine. I passed out or something while having dinner, I can’t remember what happened. I’m unconscious, but I can hear a girl crying and need to help."
"Master, if you are unconscious then that crying can only b-"
"Aegis, I didn’t ask for your moral standpoint, I asked you to tell me how I find her."
"Apologies Master, I meant no offence, unfortunately I lack any useful knowledge..." Aegis paused a moment, waiting to be scolded for failing to be of use.
"Fine, no other choice, I need you to find Kyubi and tell her to set my mind and soul on fire, maybe that will light the way."
Carl failed to hear anyone’s voices after that, but after some time his unconscious mind was illuminated in a light of deep-purple.
Able to see, Carl scanned around until he saw her a figure in the distance moving.
When he finally started getting close he could make out that it was a girl rolling on the floor. she was holding her head crying, Carl immediately took his padded hoodie off and chucked it over her when he realised she wasn’t wearing anything and kneeled down beside her.
"Hey, can you hear me? What’s wrong? come on, I can’t help unless you tell me."
Carl repeated the same thing several times, when he didn’t get a response he tried to move her hands from her head, but the moment he did she grabbed him and their eyes locked onto each other.
"Carl. It hurts." She then crumpled into him, he held her as though shielding her, then his head grew foggy and he too slumped.
The next thing he knew, Carl was blinking his eyes open, the bright artificial lighting burning his eyes.
"Carl, You’re awake, good... Now can you please explain who this girl clinging to you is before I pull the trigger."
His eyes moved to Klaire as she was speaking, until his head pressed against the cold muzzle of something pressed to his temple.
When she stopped, his eyes fell to the pressure pinning him in place. "Does it still hurt? Who are you?"
As carl asked the question, the girl almost seemed to glitch like a corrupted image before disappearing, then he received a few messages.
[ SIS NOTICE: SKILLS FORCIBLY INTEGRATED ]
[ SINGLE-USE SKILL: LONELINESS, FIRST PASSAGE IN THE ORIGIN LAW OF CREATION. ]
[ SINGLE-USE SKILL: BOREDOM, FIRST PASSAGE IN THE ORIGIN LAW OF CHANGE. ]
"I think that... Was Sis manifesting...New skills... For origin laws..." Carl promptly passed out again after speaking.