World Seal, Ch 20: Absorbing the Fragment (Patreon)

Sam arrived at Silverguard in a flare of silver light and a moment later he was standing in his Titan Hall.

The Fragment of the Primal Void gleamed on his palm as he sat down on his throne. The longer it was in his possession, the more it resonated with him, and now it felt like it was humming with potential.

It felt like it was about to dissolve any moment, like it was turning to mist and fire.

It was the potential inside it, the echo of chaos. The clash of essence and auras from the battle had awoken it.

Like called to like.

Wisps of dark and silver energy were already rising off the edge and flowing into his hand, beginning the absorption. The battle had initiated the process as naturally as breathing.

Its energy was singing in his spirit, making new truths clear.

First, he understood now that concepts and laws were similar. The Fourth Evolution and Fourth Star were not far apart. It was a difference in quality.

The Voidborn had concepts that were natural to their bloodlines, doing the work of both concept and law for them.

For Titans, the same thing should naturally happen with the Fourth Star. It was this current era that was making it more difficult...harder to gain insight.

No other Titan had been born in this later era, and there was no advice on how to reach the Fourth Star, but it was supposed to be easy, an almost instant moment once your essence reached the right point.

Titans were born in the clash of primal chaos, so it was easiest for him to find his way in that environment. Since the First Age of the Void had passed, that meant battle was the next best thing. It had shaken the barrier that was holding him back, and as the fragment dissolved, the energy of the early Void was closing the rest of the distance.

Just like he’d created a concept for his Evolution, he could feel that he needed to do the same for his Fourth Star.

He’d been thinking about it in the wrong way, trying to fit his nature into a different law of the Void. Instead, he needed to choose his own path.

The Laws of the Void had been new once too. Stars all began somewhere.

He didn’t need to fit himself into a law that already existed. He needed to make his own.

Silver flames swept outward from him, burning with endless points of silver light inside, until the entire Titan Hall and the peak of Silverguard was a blazing silver inferno.

Energy from the fortress’s enchantments surged upward, channeling the energy of the Void toward the peak, and the inferno surged higher.

He gathered the energy around him and leapt upward, shooting into the distance as a streak of silver light. To the nagas below, he looked like a star ascending into the heavens.

He left the system the fortress was in and flew higher until he found an empty area nearby, one with enough space for a new star.

Lines of silver runes flew outward, swiftly assembling a massive enchantment within his aura. Runic line after line coalesced, interlocking with one another, until rotating rings of enchantment surrounded him, stretching for three hundred miles in every direction.

It was a massive energy-gathering enchantment, and every rune blazed with essence as it drew in the power of the Void. Wisps of silver energy condensed inside it, gathering in arcs like stellar flares. He stood at the center of it all, pouring essence into the enchantment and driving it higher.

The energy of the Void was quieter in this era, so if he wanted to bring back the First Age for a moment and ignite his Fourth Star, he needed to concentrate it.

Hours passed, perhaps even days, until tens of millions of points of essence were flowing along the lines of the enchantment. The energy was so hot and bright that it looked like a giant golden Titan was standing at the center of a new silver sun.

Then he held up the Fragment of the Primal Void. The edges were crumbling as wisps continued to rise from it, but only a little had dissolved. It was a shard of darkness at the center of the star.

He wrapped his hands together and with a force of will, he crushed it.

The fragment shattered into stardust that was like black diamond, glimmering hot and dark. It spread outward, ignoring the pressure and heat around him as if it wasn’t there. Each tiny mote floated in the Void and hummed with wild force.

Flashes of a thousand elements, dimensional energy, essence, aura, mana, experience, and other energies that he didn’t fully comprehend spread outward, surrounding him like a cloud.

Then the energy began to spin, turning into a vortex at the center of the silver sun.

In the middle of it, Sam breathed in, drawing the essence of the early Void into his lungs and letting it saturate every part of his body.

Crackling arcs of power leapt across his skin, burning silver and black at the same time. Other colors were there as well, but those two were the most common.

He could feel all the contained essence in his body surging, rising upward in a violent frenzy. The energy around him was catalyzing it, making it burn on its own.

His essence constellation began to spin, turning at the same rhythm as the primal energy, as it circled around the dark center of his Fourth Star. Then it surged outward from his body, merging into the silver sun around him.

Arcs of silver flame roared away from him, fusing with the primal energy and driving the silver sun to new heights.

In his essence constellation, the dark space of his Fourth Star began to glow, steadily turning brighter under the pressure and intensity.

At the center of that burning fury, his awareness was like an ocean, flowing outward in endless tides. Possibilities ran through his mind, of stars and flames, oaths and runes. Memories of all that he’d done came to him.

He stretched his senses and reached out to the Void. His Fourth Star began to flicker, the glow turning into a silver-hot spark.

He didn’t reach for a certain law or try to force any of the ones he’d considered before now. Instead, under the influence of the primal energy and his own instincts, he simply was.

At that instant, the spark of his Fourth Star roared to life, igniting in a vast inferno.

The spiral of essence around him surged higher and a great beat of power echoed through the Void, like the first drumbeat of dawn.

Energy from the depths of the Chaos Wild surged toward him on the chaos winds, swirling around his form. Millions of points of essence became billions as the power of the Void flooded the star he’d become.

He breathed and the Void breathed with him. His Fourth Star burned brighter until it outshone every other part of his essence constellation, and it didn’t stop there.

Power from it rushed outward, flooding every part of his body and continuing as it merged with the Void around him. His senses stretched out along the rays of the silver sun he'd created, its energy becoming his own.

As he burned, he changed.

In his spirit, understanding took shape as his body began to evolve. His attributes and abilities soared upward, changing qualitatively.

All the laws and concepts he’d considered were fuel for the truth, driving his understanding as he burned in the Void, and eventually a new law took shape, one that rose from him.

It was his view of the world, his hopes and drive.

It was a law he hadn’t seen before, one that hadn’t existed before this moment, but he could feel the truth of it resonating with the Void. The power of it was a radiant, blinding majesty.

It was pure silver and filled with runes.

It was the Fourth Star, burning brightly in his essence constellation.

As the power of it filled his spirit, his comprehension of the Void expanded and he realized that the Void was not static, but always changing. Just like the First Age had passed, this age would one day change as well.

But the laws and the history that existed would still resonate, from the first day to the last.

The silver sun burning around Sam sank inward, its flames pouring toward the law. Massive currents of silver essence sank into his chest without a ripple, until the entire sun disappeared into his Fourth Star, leaving him sitting in the Void alone.

His eyes were closed, but they blazed with starlight.

Time passed as he adjusted to the changes and felt his new strength, and then he let out a deep breath and opened his eyes.

A wave of silver essence shot out around him, making the Void shake. Rays like sunlight spread in every direction, a combination of force and massive heat.

Stones that were floating in the Void nearby melted away, turning to ash under the force. It was a shockwave of energy, spreading outward in a ripple like a star had erupted.

Eventually, the area calmed down, and he turned his attention to the changes of the Fourth Star. He could see now why it was called the Void Star.

It was both a Law of the Void and a Racial Evolution.

Its energy resonated with the Void, merging with it to create natural pressure. When he attacked or just walked through the stars, the Void would move with him.

The Will of the Path had once said that Caerlon, one the strongest Titans at the Sixth Evolution, could bend the Void to his will. This had to be what he’d meant, or at least the beginning of it.

He studied the result, and then he turned his attention to the Fourth Star where it was shining in his essence constellation, as well as what it meant.

His law was clear in his mind.

Runes Are Laws.

It was hard to condense into words, but that was the closest phrase. It was the crystallization of his philosophy, as well as a path forward.

It was a realization that runes were the language of the Void and if he changed them, he changed reality. The law burned with that understanding.

The law was his Fourth Star.

It resembled the same silver star that he’d created around him, but its quality was higher. Power radiated from it, making the elemental winds of the Void change in response.

Everywhere he looked now, he could see runes flowing through the chaos winds. The ones here were mostly Fire based, and they were filled with glimmering symbols.

Some were tiny motes and others were massive, larger than this entire solar system. Those were hard to see, but all of the runes together made up the currents.

If he reached out and had enough power, he could change those runes...or copy them. Stripping out the Fire runes from the winds here would be impossible, but he could borrow some or recreate them in an artifact, one that had a similar force.

That would result in something like an Amulet of Chaos Flame, or a Blade of Chaos Flame. Either one would harness an aspect of the chaos wind for itself.

It was a significant upgrade to his crafting abilities, as well as for his enchantments and artifacts. The things he made in the future would be stronger.

Just seeing the runes around him clearly was a massive gain all its own. It would help his understanding of them advance by the day.

Laws were a truth of the Void, like gravity and time.

Your law was your Path.

To an extent, that meant your law determined what you could do. It was your frame to harness the natural forces of existence. His was a confirmation of everything that he’d created until now.

You didn't necessarily get a wide choice of laws. If you tried to create one that was too far away from your own view, it would fail.

It was natural for a Titan to use a law related to the stars or the Void. Like a star, his law burned with the force of creation.

The law could also be turned around the other way to say that Laws Are Runes, which opened a new realm to him, one that focused on recreating what already existed by changing something's innate properties.

He just had to change their runes.

With the right runes, he might be able to change the way the chaos winds blew or how a star burned, open or close the Nexus, or redesign the Moonlight Relic and the World Seal to make them work better than the original.

His enchantments would make sure it aligned with natural laws.

It would be a massive effort, but it was possible.

His study of other laws had shown him some of how they worked, but he would have to test his out for himself in the future.

Caerlon’s law when he discovered runes had probably been something like Runes Support Everything or Runes Underlie All.

It was close to his.

That ancient Titan’s abilities with runes were the foundation of the Path of Stars, as well as the World Core. Other Titans had taken them up after him, but his understanding had always been the best.

His law focused on using runes to enhance things and to make them stronger, whether it was a spell or an artifact. He had also been able to channel the laws of the Void with runes.

Sam's law had a greater focus on runes creating reality, rather than supporting it, which suggested more ability to change what already existed, but only time would show the difference.

It was a broad law, one that touched on everything.

As for those two Voidborn whose laws he'd felt…their versions were more limited.

Khaes’s Law of Blood was something like Blood Is A Blade, which was what it felt like with its cutting edge.

Given how Sam saw runes everywhere now, it made him wonder if Khaes saw blood. Perhaps everything within his vision was tinted red and had a cutting edge.

As for Yeria, her Law of Passion might be Hearts Follow Me. She seemed to focus on the ability to twist hearts according to her own desire.

Her view of the world was probably dominated by strands of emotion, ones that she could reach out and twist at will. It had to be hard for her to resist touching them.

The thought reminded him to be careful of Primordial races. Their perspective of the world was going to be shaped by their choices.

The Fourth Evolution concept was powerful, but it didn’t reshape your view of reality in the same way. That fact drove home the difference between his Class and Race Evolution.

The more general a law was, the more areas it touched and the more things it could affect easily. If his law was narrow, his view of the world would be narrow.

The Vos’Rekan only wanted to devour everything. Its nature was the same as its law.

It felt like he’d been lucky now to choose something that was so broad. It also meant that his law applied to nearly everything, which would enhance his power.

One of the reasons Caerlon had been so powerful was related to the breadth of his law, while Khaes and Yeria’s laws were more focused.

They were powerful in their areas, but it would be hard to apply a law like Blood Is A Blade to creating an artifact unless you were creating a blood sword.

It was probably easier for them to evolve, but their path was narrow. Broader laws were more difficult, but they could do more.

He pushed those thoughts aside as he turned his attention to the other changes that came with his Evolution. The Titan Star summarized the results for him.

Congratulations, Lord of the Silver Void.

You have comprehended a Law of the Void and reached the Fourth Star.

Your Race has Evolved.

You are now an Astral Titan (Battle Lord).

Essence Constellation: 0 / 30,000,000.

Your Racial Ability: Void Star has Evolved.

It has become the Racial Ability: Domain of Primal Runes.

[The Fourth Evolution is the beginning of domains. A domain is the area where your aura temporarily rewrites the laws of existence, making your personal law more powerful while suppressing others. It will enhance your power and reduce that of others. Entities within your domain are subject to having their laws suppressed by you, although they are capable of resisting if they are strong enough.

Your domain focuses on the primal laws of the elements and the Void, as well as the runes that create them. Your elemental attacks, the runes you employ, the artifacts you hold, and related abilities within your domain will resonate with higher laws and become more powerful.

Currently, your domain boosts the effectiveness of your abilities by up to 50%. It can be countered by a strong opposing domain.

It works in concert with your aura and your Blessing of Silver Stars, enhancing your allies by an additional 10% of your Charisma.

Artifacts crafted by you gain an additional +10% improvement. While crafting within your domain, you have a +50% ability to change the runes of an artifact and to alter its laws.

In later Evolutions, your domain’s true power will become apparent, allowing you to reshape reality around you in increasingly permanent ways.]

The Titan Star’s description of the ability was more in depth than usual. It had even attempted to quantify the impact of his domain as a 50% increase, although he could feel that the truth of it was a little more complex.

The advantage was clear, and the next time he fought the Vos’Rekan, it would be easier to deal with its dimensional bubble, which was its version of a domain.

With his own domain to counteract it, he could probably walk straight in. A stabilizing enchantment would also be more effective.

As for the other uses of his domain, he would have to test it out to see how it worked, especially when it came to crafting artifacts.

A few more notifications came from the Titan Star, including the attributes from the last bit of essence that had pushed him to the Fourth Star.

You gain 338 Strength, 394 Constitution, 99 Agility, 591 Intelligence, and 591 Aura.

It wasn’t enough to change anything significant, but he was getting close to 30,000 Strength and 10,000 Agility now, where new racial abilities were waiting.

His height also increased to 550 feet, although the last 50 of it was purely his horns, which radiated a sharp silver light as they pierced the Void.

The Titan Star’s final notification dealt with the future. It was channeling a message from the Will of the Path as it spoke to him.

Congratulations, Sam Hastern.

The Fourth Evolution is a mark of survival for an Astral Titan.

You have fought your way forward and become a force to be reckoned with, but there are still powers in the Void that threaten you, including your ancient enemies.

Be warned that as you grow in power, you will attract even more Vos’Rekan. Just like you seek them out for resources, they see the same in you.

The Fifth Star is called the Battle Star.

To reach it, all you have to do is fight for it.

And survive.

May the winds of the Void carry you to victory.

As the message faded away, the Titan Star fell silent, leaving Sam sitting in the Void alone. His aura surged around him, filled with the new force of his domain.

Runes flowed in every direction in endless variety, from large to small. They were in the winds, the stars, the stones, and even the space between things.

Tiny runes for space marked the darkness where there was nothing else, their forms dark and welcoming. He knew that if he studied spatial enchantments, he would see them there too.

He wanted to study them immediately, but he forced himself to look aside, into the depths of the Void where he could dimly sense the Vos’Rekan.

The Will of the Path’s message was a warning.

He still had the connection to the beast that came from trading essence with it. It had devoured some of his and he’d seized its in return.

It was out there and healing.

As for how he would fare against it now…the Battle Star was named that for a reason.

And he was an Astral Battle Lord.

He clenched a fist, which made a field of small stars appear and explode around him. Runes crackled in their depths, each a copy of the basic rune for star. The force of a law resonated from them, crackling with stellar force.

The Titans had created classes as a secondary path to power for their own survival. They were designed to give them an advantage over Vos’Rekan.

It would still be hard to overcome the Fifth Evolution beast’s defenses, but he could feel the potential.

The next time he faced it, things would be different.