ALL NOVEL 70: Titan's Sequitur
As Tom floated in the darkness of the void for the second time, he came to the realization that it wasn’t as all-encompassing as he originally thought it to be.
The light from the numerous Shimmering Bronze and the distant, yet more vibrant Lunar Silver stars, only four among dozens of the former, provided him with enough illumination to get a better grasp of the metaphysical space known as ‘Yul’.
Zenakris’ Yul had seemed like an infinite expanse that stretched onto infinity, the mental suppression offered by the world so oppressive and crushing that Tom had felt like he was going to implode onto himself if he hadn’t picked a Bronze star right then and there.
Now though, as Tom’s gaze flickered to the Lunar Silver stars in the distance and then beyond, he could make out a hazy distortion at the periphery of Yul. Fittingly, the well-crafted illusion painted a convincing image of endlessness, or at least a semblance of it.
Jayce however, wasn’t Zenakris.
Tom wasn’t sure what criterion [The Fool] utilized to distinguish between the rarities of different stars, only that Jayce couldn’t match the quality of information, knowledge and access to inheritances that Zenakris did.
Whether his world not possessing the same level of mental suppression was a consequence of him neglecting the mental stat, a lower ascribed value of the knowledge in his possession or simply inferior willpower compared to Zenakris, Tom couldn’t quite tell.
From what he understood, both Zenakris and Jayce had their own unique determinations and their own irreplicable lens through which they viewed Artezia.
Jayce’s memories were rather difficult for Tom to digest. The Dungeoneer walked a nebulous path that couldn’t outright be judged by the laws of the land. He hadn’t committed any immoral offense by flaunting his valuable weapon in an open area. Was Jayce aware of the fact that his actions might result in consequences? Yes, he had been counting on it.
That didn’t change the fact that every time Jayce had killed someone, it had been in self defense.
Did that make him a heinous criminal?
Tom didn’t think himself the right man to be the judge of that question.
But there was one thing he was certain of.
Jayce was a man willing to kill for his ambitions— it was also the secret behind his rapid leveling speed.
He didn’t expect Jayce’s secrets to come easy, no— but if anything, it only strengthened his resolve to take as much as he could from the man while he had the opportunity.
Tom’s gaze flickered over to the Lunar Silver stars, the hunger in his gaze palpable.
In Zenakris’ Yul, he had made the mistake of considering his body as a physical limitation. Gazing past the veil shrouding Jayce’s Yul though, had reminded Tom of the simple, singular fact that he wasn’t actually here. The mental landscape he was currently aimlessly floating around wasn’t neverending, because not even a 100 in the Mental Stat would make the brain capable of storing infinite knowledge— at least, Tom didn’t think so.
That meant that instead of flailing around in pitiful attempts to move forward, he just had to think it into existence.
“Whoa!” Tom exclaimed out of what could only be described as pure euphoria.
He was flying.
For the first leg of his aerodynamic journey, he practically rocketed forth with unrestrained momentum— grinning impishly as strong winds buffeted against his visage.
It was only after that he realized that the winds were actually Jayce’s Yul clashing against his encroachment. Tom’s Mental Stat had allowed him to move freely and indeed, he had up until the moment he was three-fourths of the way through to the first cluster of Shimmering Bronze stars.
From then on, movement was a constant struggle against Jayce’s Yul. Tom could overpower Jayce when it came to the Mental Stat, but that didn’t change the simple fact that he was the invader in this scenario, one operating on enemy territory.
He still moved forward at a slower albeit consistent rate in exchange for his mental endurance. The temptation of Shimmering Bronze stars lingered in his mind as he passed by them, some tantalizingly close— separated from him only by a few arm-lengths.
Tom knew better than to underestimate the value of Shimmering Bronze stars. Perhaps they did not contain knowledge or insight that could directly strengthen him, but without his basic understanding of the Aldorian Language he wouldn’t have managed to get this far.
Still, he was only offered one choice so he had to persevere.
As Tom ventured a little past the half-way mark into the belt of Shimmering stars, his head began to lightly throb.
Time was a wispy concept within Yul. Even though he knew that barely any time had passed in the real world, it felt like he had been floating in Jayce’s Yul for hours at this point.
He doggedly kept moving forward even as his breath grew shallow, beads of sweat trickling down his chin and dripping off into the starless void beneath him. His vision began to blur from the intensity of the splitting headache that tore away at his skull, his soul quaking from the invisible pressure crushing down upon him from all directions.
Finally, Tom stilled in place.
Even though it was an illusion, he was genuinely spent as he drifted in and out of consciousness.
The Lunar Silver star that glowed with a familiar aura, the orb of light that had been beckoning at him from the moment he’d laid his eyes on it— it was only separated from him by a dozen or so meters.
He had blown it.
If Maya worked like any other skill, he would have taken his time. Even if he failed in the first try, he could simply activate the skill again— his SP pool was big enough to sustain it at this point.
Except it didn’t work that way.
It was only for an instant, a mere glimpse at Zenakris’ group as they ventured deeper into the forest, towards the menagerie.
Where there had been four Jester Icons, with four numbers earlier…
When Tom had glanced again, there had been only three.
Maya could only be used once on a person.
‘Damn it,’ Tom thought to himself as he felt his exhaustion’s hold growing too strong for him to resist.
[Sub-skill: Moh-Maya has been activated].
Tom wasn’t entirely surprised to find the sudden burst of vitality that coursed through him. Though what did shock him was the fact that he had ascertained after taking stock of his surroundings—- the simple realization that he was still in Jayce’s Yul.
The blue screen hovering before him caused his eyes to widen in realization.
The Attachment to Illusion sub-skill had spoken of a small increase in the chance of obtaining a Lunar Silver Star, but it had never explained how that would be possible.
Tom knew the ‘how’ now.
The burst of vitality he had received was just barely holding the exhaustion his soul had accumulated at bay.
Without hesitation, he willed himself forward as fast as he could.
Then his hands wrapped around the Lunar Silver star had been coveting so intensely.
“Defend yourself, Jayce!” An unfamiliar man in his early thirties bellowed at him, his leather armor flexing with his movements as he lunged the sword with a linearity and simplicity that was far more befitting of a spear art.
The young boy allowed his instincts to lead him as he dodged to the side and responded with a counter-thrust.
. . .
“My naivety cost me this arm, son,” The black haired man’s tone was somber as he held his intact hand over a crackling campfire, a simple yearning in his gaze as he stared directly into the depths of the flames. “I pledged my life to a cause I believed in. A leader that seemed different than the rest of his kind. And for my belief, I was rewarded with pain and hatred as l lay bleeding on the floor of a dungeon, abandoned.”
“Father-,” he began,
“I do not tell you this because I seek your acceptance, Jayce. Neither do I expect your forgiveness. I tell you this, so that you understand why I push you the way I do. I teach you to kill,” His voice had a gravelly edge to it as he looked directly into his eyes. “So that you never have to feel the bitterness I did. Never again.”
. . .
“Trample those that defy you, sweep aside those you cannot. Titan’s Sequitur- Tempest.”
. . .
“An effective defense is one that is employed whilst charging headlong at the enemy. Titan’s Sequitur- Bulwark.”
. . .
“The point can pierce through everything. Everything. Titan’s Sequitur- Dominion.”
. . .
[You have experienced Maya, the infinite web of illusions. You have copied a complete memory of the Spear Art - Titan’s Sequitur. A False Status depicting the Status of Jayce Andiroh will be recreated from your experienced memories. Active Shroud has copied the appearance of Jayce Andiroh. Both effects shall last for the next twenty four hours.]