[MA] 319. Void-Sourced Material (Patreon)

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[A/N: Chapters this week: 3/3

Next chapter: Tuesday]

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Abbav floated in darkness. The miles-wide mix of red, green, blue, golden, and silvery blood strips formed a complex three-dimensional spherical pattern that pulsated like heartbeats, bathing the draggor with the light of Life and Blood.

He finished his thousandth inspection and concluded that the ratio of different bloodlines and their places was perfect. The frequency of the Blood and Life beats was correct.

Only one factor remained.

He allowed a shred of Void Energy through the threshold of his domain that kept the Void at bay. He couldn't resist an absolute Void but was close enough to Reality that his Realization sufficed.

Void Energy couldn't be controlled, or so he had always assumed. The human experiment disabused him of that notion. Figuring out how to conduct a thread of it to the right place had been challenging, but the Queen had given Abbav an answer when she followed the invisible link between Lieutenant Shen and himself. A link he had never known existed because he had been that incompetent regarding his own Realization. A connection that had formed in a superimposed metaphysical Reality he had been unaware of.

The hardest part was figuring out how to only bring the right amount of Void Energy despite being unable to measure it. The trick was shifting his precision-addicted mind's perspective. The amount didn't matter. Void Energy didn't even exist as something that could be accumulated, even though most minds thought so and some cause-consequence relationships indicated more of the energy did more things. But that's not how it worked with the Void. He still wasn't sure how it did work, but he was confident that the "amount" here didn't matter.

He squeezed the thread until it arrived at the center of the magic pattern.

The magic triggered at once. There was no wondrous visual effect. No big revelation. All that Life and Blood and Void Energy instantly shrunk, turning into a solid bead the size of his finger. It looked like a glassed, ever-moving rainbow that shone bright white.

Abbav grabbed the ball with his Realization and brought it with him to the Voided Subnode. He now floated on the skies of an endless field of floating rocks as if in space, except everything was gray.

To his relief, the bead continued existing, and he analyzed it.

The experiment was two parts a success and two parts a failure.

One success was that he had found a way to make Void Energy interact with things it shouldn't. Trial and error had led him to the answer: Void Heralds. It had been the seventy-fifth hypothesis he tested, and it worked. He just needed a drop of blood essence from a Void Herald to get the Void Energy to react to the magic formation. Getting his hands on it had cost him a lot.

The discovery brought many implications. Evidently, the Heralds heralded the Void in more ways than what the Void itself said when it let them leave a Void Incubator. They weren't just people with brilliant futures that the Void hoped would kill strong living beings. There was more to it.

But what?

He didn't know, but someone else might. That was the greatest implication of his experiment's result. If Abbav could figure out that Void Heralds weren't like anyone else, so could the S-ranks. Why, then, did the powers-that-be allow the Heralds to live?

Probably for many reasons, one of which was what he had seen with humanity: research.

His second success was that it confirmed that he could reach A-rank without using dragon blood essence. The bead wouldn't have formed otherwise.

Abbav could buy the required dragon blood essence if he put his mind to it, but he had yet to rank up because he wanted the blood from the right dragon—or no blood at all. Bypassing the limiters set on him by the being of bastard descent from the damned lizards would be his most significant victory. Not that he would care enough if he could get his hands on the right lizard's blood.

Alas, one of his failures was that the bead wouldn't let him accomplish that. He could theorize how to use his very self with Void Energy to rank up the way he wanted, but he wasn't stupid. He would rather die a weak living being than risk becoming a twisted Void Dweller. To him, the fate of a Prophet was worse than any other, and he had seen a lot.

That said, if the bead could form with Void Energy, which should be impossible, it should also be able to form in another way. The Void couldn't break Reality to create something impossible, only improve the odds of the theoretically impossible happening. The bead's continued existence in the Voided Subnode, which was part of Reality, proved that the object could be created some other way given the right conditions.

Likewise, Abbav should be able to rank up without dragon blood essence.

His second failure was that the rainbow bead only proved a concept; it had no real value. He had wasted a lot of time and resources to get that much blood essence from the suitable races while deployed. He would present it to the Alliance, of course, but it should gain him nothing but a higher tier of Void Research Clearance. Then again, that clearance had saved his life once. Maybe it would make the Queen charge him less for the knowledge he so desperately wanted.

Speaking of the Queen, he had a job to do.

Abbav looked around, checking every corner of that Voided Subnode with his Realization. It was stable. The Void hadn't tried anything in the last few minutes since he last checked, nor had anyone died. Researching during a deployment was risky, but not too much, or he wouldn't have done it. He knew better than to face the Queen's ire again.

Also speaking of her, he looked past the Subnode, through the Node, then at Reality itself.

He was surprised to find his last year of deployment was over.

Abbav relaxed. It was time to get back home—once and for all, this time. The Queen would be crossing many lines if she tried to deploy him again, especially if his suspicions were confirmed and his higher clearance would net him some unofficial benefits.

He tried to store the bead in his spatial ring and failed. He was forced to widen his connection to Reality enough for the system to reach him. His Inventory accepted the bead but with a caveat.

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| Warning: Void-Sourced Material stored in your Inventory

| Warning: Void-Sourced Material cannot be stored conventionally; it was placed in a dimensional pocket linked to your soul. The Guardian System will protect you from the Void's influence. Leaving the purview of the Guadian System while you have a Void-Sourced Material in your soul will cause you to be immediately branded a traitor

| Warning: You have five minutes to report your research

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The notifications were yellow, not red, despite being about the Void. That was thanks to his clearance. Then again, without his clearance, he would already have been branded a traitor for experimenting with the Void.

As he suspected, he wasn't discovering anything new. The system already had a name for the class of item he had created: Void-Sourced Material. Even so, maybe he had made it slightly differently from anyone else, which would net him better rewards. Such hope was the main reason some clearances were raised this way.

Abbav sent a quick message to the Brigade posted on that Voided Subnode and stepped back in La'sing-0.

Reality slapped his mind and soul for daring to cross directly. He wouldn't be able to do it again for months, and even his battle ability was lowered by thirty percent. That was the price to pay for not going through a proper Breach. However, if his assumptions about not being deployed again were wrong, he would use it as an excuse to stay in La'sing-0, even if he would receive Demerits for his stupidity.

He appeared floating above the mobile fortresses, right beside the Acting General, who hadn't moved an inch from where he had last seen her.

Most A-ranks were Titled, but not all of them. The feats that Titled them were beyond Abbav, but they had to be impressive. The high elf before him confirmed it by her presence alone. Most people focused on the Spring and Autumn part that revealed that whatever she had done had to do with mastery over the seasons, or maybe Time, but they were fools to disregard the Queen part.

For the Queen of Spring and Autumn was a Queen in more than a name.

She looked bored, laying on empty space as if on an invisible reclining chair. Her seemingly relaxed posture was a stark contrast to the truth. Her Realization covered everything. It gave taste to the very air Abbav breathed, though only those with the right knowledge and trained senses could perceive it. She didn't need a throne because her seat of power was wherever she was.

Saelihn Herfiel overlooked La'sing and its troops as both a Queen and a true General overseeing her realm and armies.

She didn't grace Abbav with a glance, and he didn't mind. He knew he didn't deserve her immediate attention. The way she had subdued him in the Rally Point was all the proof he needed. He had gone all out yet failed to break through the winter she brought upon his soul. She was leagues above him in power.

In the Alliance, grudges were held forever. Abbav was no different, but his reasoning was not the same. His anger came quickly but disappeared almost as fast, which allowed him to think things through. Intentions didn't matter to him as much as results because he was a researcher through and through. If the perceived slight was not real, he just let go of it, no matter how he felt about it at the occasion or how it made him look.

And he had to admit the Queen of Spring and Autumn had been right; he had lost touch with reality. Fighting on the front lines for so long had grounded him. Doing so while fearing for his life, as his old enemies might have used the opportunity to end him, had forced him to acknowledge he was much weaker than he had grown to assume.

Those three years had been invaluable.

Every year, he thought he had learned enough. Every year, he had been proven wrong. Until now. The third year had been crucial. He had found a piece of the puzzle. That was certainly not what the Acting General intended, but she had helped him in the end. That's all that mattered to him.

Her ignoring him also let him report his findings, as he had been ordered to. "System, please give me a secure line."

A pillar of golden light descended from the skies, enveloping him. The secure line was secure in all ways it could. While he doubted the Queen would fail to pierce through the system's defenses, she wouldn't live long after she went against it. The System Administrator would ensure that. He also doubted she could destroy his soul fast enough, even if she somehow prevented him from being teleported away in time. He would be given a brand new body somewhere else. The system was paying a lot of attention to him while he was in that place.

Within there, he could speak without being overheard. And so, he shared his research. He also offered the bead to the system, which took it away. It wasn't teleported as usual; instead, Time and Space were breached, and the bead was pulled out of the Node. His research notes were taken away the same way to ensure nothing was lost or misplaced.

Hackers were very, very, very, very, very ridiculously rare, but they appeared sometimes. Now was the best time for any wannabe upstart to test their ability. The System Admin would be extra distracted with the Calamity. At least, that's what she would let people think. Abbav wasn't sure S-ranks could be distracted by anything.

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| Research acknowledged. Peer verification commenced

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The peer review would take a while during a Calamity. Still, the next notification he received gave him something almost as good as a higher clearance regarding his incoming conversation.

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| Monitoring Priority: B → A

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He doubted an A-rank would actually waste their time looking over his shoulder every second of his life. But they would ensure nothing too untoward happened to him. Not unanswered, at least.

The Queen was also notified, as evidenced by her looking at him moments before the beam of light disappeared.

To his surprise, she looked upset, but in the way an adult would feel to a dumb child. "Captain Abbav, what is wrong with everyone in this place?"

"I don't understand the question, Acting General," he replied sincerely.

"No one here understands respect. Then again, I suppose SpecOps isn't exclusive to La'sing. Is it this Cluster, then?"

Abbav didn't know what a Cluster was. She was surprised at his ignorance about a Cluster because her eyes widened as she evidently read a notification that only she got. She shouldn't have revealed that to him. Something to wonder about later.

For now, he reviewed everything he knew about high elves, the Queen, and La'sing, then said, "Acting General, I assume you are talking about my higher-tiered monitoring. To you, it would be more respectful if I begged for the knowledge I want instead of coming to you in a position of slightly more power. I do admit I wanted to use a higher clearance to lower the price you'll demand for your assistance. However, I assure you that it has nothing to do with disrespect on my part. For all that I hate my dragon heritage, we understand the raw hierarchy of power better than most."

When the Queen smiled, even he felt passion blossom in his groins despite being impotent and infertile. Spring had arrived. Sadly, it was quickly quenched by the cold of Winter, for that's what she meant with that terrifying smile.

She said, "You see, Captain, recent events forced me to investigate matters I would never have dared otherwise. Therefore, I learned dragons also seek to surpass anyone who dares to claim dominion over them. They'll build their forces for eternity while waiting for the right time to strike and prove their... superiority."

"I know about Supremacy, Acting General," Abbav replied, taking note of her hesitancy at the end. "As for your accusation, this is honestly the first time I hear of such a trait. It explains some of my experiences and other theories I have. I thank you for the gift. If you didn't mean it as a gift, I'm willing to pay whatever price you see fit to make it a fair exchange. Please, take it as the show of submissive respect it is."

Her smile lost her coldness, and her eyes showed interest for the first time. "Quick to adapt. And you know how to lie well. I can't see any signs of your dishonesty."

"I'm presenting the truth in a way that benefits me the most, Acting General. But I don't dare to lie or omit anything that might cause my words to appear manipulative. Your opening question was about respect through submission. I'm submitting. I have bowed lower for fewer benefits."

Abbav wasn't lying. He enjoyed power like any other, but mostly because it let him do his research in peace. That's part of why he never let a subordinate cross any lines, not even the ones he appreciated, like Zyn. Familiarity would be perceived as a weakness power-wise, inviting trouble, and cause people to believe they could waste his time with such things as social visits.

If he had to bow to grow stronger without requiring dragon blood, he would gladly take his own head and put it in a spike so it never dared to look up from the ground the Queen treaded.

"Interesting." She made a long pause. "I recently gained permission to investigate some matters. By omission; the two-year deadline for an S-rank to deny me has passed. So, I investigated. The Void Farm you had a conversation with Lieutenant Shen has long been unmade, but instead of being overcome with the Void, it was replaced by a Nascent Phasespace. That sufficed. When I looked into the past, I couldn't hear what was said, but I witnessed Lieutenant Shen's internal evolution and felt your intentions. I was surprised in multiple ways. First, what you did to my Baptism was much more advanced than I expected. Second, you seemed to have struck no deal that I could pinpoint. Third, if my assumptions are correct, you'll gain very little even if Lieutenant Shen ever reaches B-rank. So, I investigated you. The keywords to define your weaknesses would be research and dragon. Then, I interrogated Second Lieutenant Zyn. She talked about how you uncovered an experiment linked to dragons and the Void—in all of humanity, no less. That explains some of your actions."

The Queen sighed, and the world sighed with her. Anyone without a Realization of their own became dazed for a few seconds. They would never notice it.

"I give you two options to pick from, Captain Abbav. One, we exchange knowledge. My price will appear high because you don't understand what breaking through without dragon blood entails. That said, I'll give you a discount because you helped my son's friend." Her eyes shone with playfulness. "You understand why I'll do that, don't you?"

Abbav thought about it for a moment and was surprised to find that, yes, he did.

From what he knew of her, she liked her children, but like many A-ranks, only as much as one might like a puppy that would live for days or, at most, a couple of years. There was a limit to how far she would go for them. She was A-rank; she had an infinite lifespan. She only went over the top for them when it fit other plans, like how she used the Dreamer's attack on her daughter as an excuse to kill them—and got the drow race's gratitude in exchange.

That didn't fully justify the supposed discount, so he guessed the Queen was partially like him. She knew what lines not to cross when being serious but also allowed herself to make suboptimal choices here and there regarding things she didn't care about as much. In a way, she was a researcher throwing random elements here and there to see how the world reacted.

The Acting General both liked her son and would give Abbav a discount to see what would happen. Would Abbav feel indebted to Shen? To her son? To her? Would her son find out, and if so, what would he do about it? Would an enemy find out and try to use people to manipulate her?

That was likely even why she had sent him away for another two extra years. Not because he needed to remember what it felt like to be a grunt but because she wanted to see what would happen.

Abbav didn't care. It had benefited him. Results mattered.

She continued, "My price: tell me everything you know about the Baptism of Self, whatever technique you helped Lieutenant Shen with, and any related knowledge. The discount is not asking about your findings and theories about humanity's special traits."

She had been right; that didn't sound fair to him. Was the bypass really that big of a deal?

The Queen wasn't done. "The second option is to give up on ranking up for now. Instead, I'll send you on a special quest that will greatly benefit you. I can't tell you how it would help because it's part of the process. It will, however, assist you in unique ways. If I were you, I would pick the second option. The primary reason I'm offering it to you will be revealed as soon as you pick it, if you do. The secondary reason is that I got wind of an A-rank connected to Lieutenant Shen with a Realization related to karma. I want the overwhelming good Karma you accrued with him to pass to me."

Abbav frowned at that. "I don't understand, Acting General. I have heard multiple concepts related to balancing good and evil in one's actions, but would you mind sharing why is what I did so good?"

She chuckled, and Spring returned to him for an instant. "As I suspected, the thing you helped Lieutenant Shen build didn't come out exactly as you planned. I can't see the thing after it set on him, nor can you, despite how your Realization tainted it. Sadly, the truth of its importance is protected by military privacy rules, so I cannot share it with you. My offer was not meant to force you to give this information about your limits, but I'll take it as payment for my earlier gift of knowledge about dragons. We're even on that front."

The draggor felt lost, but he liked the feeling. It meant there were things to discover. He weighed the pros and cons of each option and decided it all came down to two questions, only one of which he could voice.

"Acting General, please give me a percentage: how likely am I to figure out the special quest by myself after reaching A-rank, and how likely am I to figure out how to reach A-rank without dragon blood if I go on the special quest?"

Her only answer was to smile teasingly, which was enough; it meant even answering that would affect the quest—or that she would rather he picked without cold data.

Abbav was at peak B-rank with a Realization. Few things could be that special for someone like him. So, in the end, the real question was: How much did he trust the Queen was telling the truth?

Without the A-rank monitoring, he would've doubted her, even if she would end up punished for leading him to his death. With it, he gave it a 79% chance of her being sincere because while she still wouldn't be executed, she would have to pay a much higher price.

Abbav had already postponed ranking up for a long time. He could wait a little more and find out what was so special about the alternative. As for the karma thing? The farther away he got from matters involving an unknown A-rank's Realization, the better.

"I pick the quest, Acting General."

She smiled again, this time with happiness so overwhelming that the effect on him lasted more than a few instants. Something inside him changed fundamentally. The Queen had commanded Reality to adapt to...

...a mentally healthy draggor.

Feelings overwhelmed him and overflowed as tears, for he had no experience dealing with anything but anger, frustration, and greed.

For the first time in his life, Abbav cried.

"I was hoping you would say that," the Queen said with a seductive smile. "I have my indulgences, my dear, and the worst of them is in taking pity on strong but broken men that, despite all odds, still find it within them to be kind to others, even if they tell themselves they are doing it for their own selfish good." She put a hand on her clothes, and they fell to the ground, revealing the most desirable living being Abbav had and would ever see. "I want a child to help fill the void left by my most recently departed one. Give it to me, Abbav, and I'll sacrifice half my blood essence to heal your psychopathy for good without any risk for you."

Abbav had never pursued such healing because he had always known the price was too high. But that condition had always been his most glaring weakness. It allowed him to think straight but not genuinely comprehend some things.

Saelihn walked to him. They weren't in empty air anymore but in a forest clearing that now occupied the skies of La'sing. She had a gait that he was sure could mesmerize even A-ranks.

Still, just as she stopped a few steps away and offered him her hand, all the feelings were gone.

She let him think straight. The one he had always been would make that choice. She had only given him a taste so he would know she meant what she said and better understand what she offered.

At first, he resented the coldness of a business transaction but understood people like her didn't waste time on niceties unless their target was much more than he. Then, as his feelings faded, so did the resentment. His psychopathic self liked things more this way.

Abbav stored his armor away with a twist of his will. "Have you ever experienced a draggor before, mateling?"

She smiled in what seemed genuine happiness for the first time since he had first seen her. She still didn't give him his feelings back. "No, but I heard they are a delicacy."

He snickered. "I'm not food, mateling," he said as he stepped in her direction and pulled her by the waist. "If you want to taste a draggor, we'll do it properly. Kneel," he commanded as he also kneeled.

Historically, draggors had always had particular mating rituals. One of them was kneeling to each other to display simultaneous surrender to pleasure and the other party's care. Abbav was telling her this was his condition, no matter how great she looked. Sexual pleasure wasn't even that marvelous.

The Queen of Spring and Autumn kneeled with him.

Then, he was proven wrong in his assumption, for there was only bliss.

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[A/N: This PoV took a life of its own. I like how it turned out, but there's too much sexual innuendo in this chapter and the previous one. I'll not let any other character try to take space with it for a while.]

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