Chapter 34: A Place for Minds

Arson struggled, but knew he was about to enter his first portal. He sent a message to Troy, but didn’t quite manage to send his exact position, before the Olympian armor thrusted him through a twist of golden light that spun in the air.

The sensation felt amazing to Arson, and in the moment of his transition was a pure bliss. Indescribable in nature to Arson, but equivalent to the sensation of sunlight on his face. When he opened his eyes, he had to fight to knock the fog from his mind.

He looked up first and saw a night sky without stars, only a single moon. He tried to open his Overlay and it took longer than normal to appear.

He hadn’t used it for a long time, and thought that he needed to give the tool more exercise than he had been. Otherwise it was a wasted resource that literally took up space in his brain.

It was then that Arson realized, the sporadic movements of his stamina, and mana that could normally be seen when he was home had frozen. Neither drained, nor filled as he stood there.

A sound drew Arson’s attention and he looked around at his environment for the first time. What he took in was marvelous and terrifying all at the same time.

He seemed to be in a city. Only its structure seemed to be made for individuals of all sizes. Buildings were larger than city blocks back home, separated by large distances and all seemed to have multiple entrances. A larger open archway, and a much smaller but still huge in comparison to what Arson was accustomed to.

“Can he not hear me?” Arson looked around and saw a woman of average height before him.

“He probably can, but that was his first portal, but how have you been PRO,” asked Anastasia from Arson’s wrist.

“You know that I have many charges now that the eternal sun has been relit,” said PRO. Arson turned his watch around to face the woman, and the two began to chat as if they were long lost friends.

“I know, but I figured Lucas and the others would be busy, not spending their time here training, you know planet growing or whatever other crazy stuff you Omni do.”

“Ha ha, you’re funny Anastasia, how is my granddaughter, or is she a grand niece, I’m unsure?”

“Elizabeth is fine. This is her brat actually, Sovereign Arson Omni, first of his name, amongst many other titles to come,” said Anastasia. Arson bristled at the use of his mother’s name, but then frowned at Anastasia’s words. Did she just give me a compliment?

“That is a bold claim for such a young boy, so Sovereign, why have you come here? What do you aspire to learn or find in Endless?” Arson opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out as he didn’t know what to say or the answer to the question. He felt it was weighted somehow, as if no answer he could give would be good enough.

“He doesn’t know where he is PRO, he lucked into one of the more casual entrances, we honestly could have ended up in a dungeon as easily as we could have gotten into Endless,” cut in Anastasia. Arson appreciated the save, and furthermore PRO’s acceptance of the situation without hassle.

“Well then, would you like to leave or learn from the largest library to ever exist?” It was with those words that Arson knew that no answer he could have given to her prior question would have been good enough. He couldn’t even believe the woman’s words, let alone answer the questions being asked of him.

“How could you possibly know that this is the largest library in existence,” asked Arson. Stunned to believe that a portal to the largest library in existence was connected to the dump in his mother’s back yard. Then he thought more and dismissed the possibility as highly likely the more he thought about it.

“The name Endless is iconic only in that it is bestowed by the system to a single place, and or individual with the most knowledge within all of reality, it doesn’t matter how many existences or Uni-Vares there are, there is only one Endless,” said PRO. The woman lifted a hand toward him and a red and golden prompt popped up above her hand that read, “1. Endless: The truest realm of knowledge.”

Then Pro extend her other hand and Arson read another prompt as it popped up.

“1. Promethia: Keeper of knowledge.: Arson finished reading and could only stare bewildered at the woman… or should he say his great aunt?

“Wipe that look off your face child. You look confused, and I don’t have time to waste on the confused, and I also don’t repeat myself more than once. Now answer or leave, young Master Sovereign.”

Arson closed his mouth and thought for only a moment.

“I want to learn as much as I can about everything, but if I can only choose a single topic, I choose runes, arrays and formations, whatever area of study encompasses all of those things.”

“Ahh ok. Everything is also an acceptable answer, as that is the studies of Uni-Vare & System technologies, but the Languages of Magic is also a commendable choice,” said PRO, as she teleported toward Arson. Before he could even blink her hands were on his shoulders and they were gone. Teleported to a completely different location within Endless.

It was then that Arson began to worry about how he was going to get back to where he came from. Only to forget his worries in the very next breath.

Arson took in his new surroundings, and couldn’t help but smile. There were runes everywhere. The skyscraper nearby seemed inscribed from top to bottom in runic patterns. Formations of runes formed barriers and even entire structures. While an uncountable amount of arrays flashed and disappeared to complete the building of moving parts in front of them.

“What in the sparks…. Woman, where did you take the child, he’s a beginner, you didn’t even bring me and El here,” said Anastasia.

“Elizabeth couldn’t use magic entirely when you first came here, and you hadn’t even begun to cultivate, his foundation is already that of a Manna blooded scion, he should be fine, I think…”

Arson frowned and looked at Anastasia, who somehow seemed to shrug at him even without the use of shoulders. The look he received from his watch's AI, was that of genuine apprehension.

“Blurt it out or I leave you here,” said Arson.

“Doubtful, you love me,” said Anastasia. Arson took off his watch entirely and cocked his arm back to throw the watch as hard as he could.

“You act like I will believe for a moment that you would actually,” started Anastasia. Arson threw the watch down the path and all that could be heard temporarily was Anastasia’s shrill shriek through the air.

“What aren’t you telling me,” said Arson. He’d looked back to PRO, who glanced in the distance toward his watch then looked back at him with a wide smile.

“Many things, what would you like to know?”

“Please, for a person that doesn’t like to waste time, you sure did just dance around that question. What is the downside to being in this place, nothing in a cultivator’s path comes without sacrifice, what must I lose to gain this knowledge,” clarified Arson. He felt he was being played with somehow, nearly the same way that Anastasia often played with him. This situation was just a little less obvious somehow.

“This place has more to teach you than you could learn in many lifetimes, and while here time barely moves in the realm you came from, you could say that your only risk is that you could lose yourself here, especially without the need for food or water,” said PRO.

“Lose myself how?” He glanced at the skyscraper behind PRO and worried that he may be about to walk into a maze or labyrinth momentarily.

“Imagine a place that guides you toward the knowledge you seek without end, until you leave, that is what it means to be here,” said PRO with a waved hand around herself.

“So I just learn as much as I want, for as long as I want then I leave, no strings attached?” Pro merely nodded and smiled.

“So how do I start,” said Arson. He tried not to become excited, still slightly fearful he was in a spider’s web of sorts.

“Accept the prompt and I can leave you to your work,” answered PRO. The prompt popped up and Arson read to himself.

Language of Magic: Would you like to accept the four day trial known as, The first floor of Indexes? Yes/No

“It says here something about this being four days long, I don’t believe I could craft for four days, especially with how my mana doesn’t seem to be regenerating as normal here.” PRO frowned and cocked her head to the side in his direction.

“Are you telling me that you do not know how to sense mana and its flows, if you could you would see there is little to none on lower floors of endless, mana rises here naturally like heat. Does that mean you cannot manually draw in mana into your mana streams either?” Arson shook his head and PRO sighed.

“Well I cannot leave you here alone without teaching you how to do that at least, you would die. Endless draws on the mana within your body to sustain you,” said PRO as she sat down. She crossed her legs and patted the ground next to herself on the perfectly polished sandstone bricks below her.

“Right here? You sure that we shouldn’t go inside first?”

“No, child, sit down, we shouldn’t need long.”

Arson sat and they began with a simple breathing exercise that calmed Arson unlike any he’d tried before. He even felt as if he could push his mind to maintain an additional fold if he attempted it, but focused on PRO’s words instead.

Arson knew that he may be about to learn a technique vital to his future progress, and couldn’t help but let his excitement reign free. Then PRO spoke and he was completely confused.

“That’s it, child, you got it see, easy as sparks,” cursed the woman. Arson opened his eyes and watched PRO come to her feet.

“Wait, that’s it? A simple breathing exercise?”

“Ha, simple where mana is light and lacks density yes, but try that on the higher floors without passing out and I’d be surprised,” said PRO. Arson frowned but came to his feet, with a look toward the runic skyscraper.

“Are you ready?”

“Yeah, as ready as I can be for something like this,” said Arson, as he accepted the prompt in front of him.

“Good, I will be back in four days. If you aren’t here, I will wait another four days and return every four days until you emerge.”

“Ok, is there anything else I should know?”

PRO went silent for a time and seemed to dive deep into her mind for an answer. Arson grew hopeful as the woman slowly nodded at him before she responded.

“Your grandfather is the only one to ever reach the top of this tower, not because of hidden genius, nor God-given talent, it was instead because of his dedication to his craft and his love for the art that was his work. I say this to you so that you can realize that you will not make it without that same love. Good luck and don't die…”

Arson was unable to thank his great aunt. She disappeared the next moment in a burst of light and colors that consumed her entire form.

Sparks I hope I learn to do that!

Arson found himself alone and more than a little bit intimidated by his surroundings alone. Without consideration for the task before him. Or even the fact that for the first time in his life, he truly lacked information on what was to come.

“Sparks…”

He jogged down the path, and almost rose into the air but then remembered his mana. He needed to conserve as much as possible, and was glad for all the physical training he’d done with the others after he realized he wouldn’t be winded for quite a while.

“Don't you dare run pass me!” Arson rolled his eyes. His watch was face up in the nearby grass that lined the sandstone path which led to the skyscraper. Arson did his best to ignore the AI as it yelled at him near belligerent in her curses, but Arson eventually stopped when the watch seemed to start to cry.

“You dirty little rat! You’re just like the rest. You weren’t good enough to be my wielder anyway, too much power for your little brain. Oh thank the sparking maiden you came back!” Arson picked up the watch and scowled at Anastasia the entire time.

“What happened?” asked Anastasia with a sniffle.

“I need you to set a timer for 3 and a half days,” said Arson simply.

“Ha, I knew you needed me, sucker!”