Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 730 - 674: Four Locks, Mental Patient

"Put away that look of surprise, kid. I’m not cursing that person, nor am I..." The Book of Omniscience’s voice trailed off, deep and resonant as if to match the spiral staircase winding downwards, "I’ve foreseen his end, the fate of the Pact-Maker, the Secret Tower, and Posuwa. They’ve collapsed together. The Pact-Makers could hail from any background—a farmer, a blacksmith, a merchant, a slave, a noble, or even a prince. Once they’ve come into contact with the arcane and formed a pact, becoming Pact-Makers, there is but one way for them to die."

"The hidden mysteries unveiled, the mystic backlash." The Book of Omniscience’s voice grew heavier, like a staircase spiraling downward, "To draw power from the secrecy, to revel in the buried knowledge and become the spokesperson for the arcane—the Pact-Maker naturally bears a cost. To divulge a secret is to die. Every secret carries its own power, and to harness this power requires skill. Exchanging secrets enhances the mystic force continuously, and that is how a Pact-Maker grows. But leaks are inevitable in the exchange process, and most revelations occur then. The arcane punishes those who weaken it: eradication, the sole penalty."

"A few days before Nurfa Hesion was struck by lightning, it was as though he sensed his doom, letting me make a complete copy of his thoughts. I read his anxiety and concern for Posuwa as I lay on the lectern, watching him destroyed by the arcane backlash. Not long after his erasure, Posuwa perished, the nation reduced to scorched earth, cheers turned to wailing. I knew some very potent, very profound secret had been revealed, causing the mystical force to erase the Arcane Tower, all the Pact-Makers, and consequently, the downfall of Posuwa."

"Leaderless, I was once worried that I wouldn’t find a suitable candidate. Fortunately, those Pact-Makers were not fools; even in death, they made sure someone connected to them, you, came here, Lyle."

The old wooden door at the base of the tower was opened, sunlight bathing Lyle, the warmth crawling up the cover of the book.

"Let’s not dwell on the past, all that’s gone now. Paradise still exists, Lyle, meet your kin."

"My brethren, Lyle has passed the trial of the Father!"

The Book of Omniscience’s voice was not loud, like a droplet falling onto the surface of a lake. Ripples spread, stirring waves and whirlpools—paradise came alive. The earth trembled, the flower fields parted, and from the fissures emerged a segment of verdant roots, its blossoms mere ornaments on its body. A huge Phantom, coiled like a snake, raised its head five meters from the ground, forming a woman’s face. It shook its body, and a cluster of Little Fairies appeared to fall to the ground, lying on the snake’s back, curiously watching Lyle.

The snake caught the little ones falling from its head with its tail and chuckled, "It’s not easy to keep an eye on them; they like Lyle. Had I not stopped them, they would’ve rushed over already. It’s good that no trouble ensued."

A stone circle nearby stood up, revealing itself to be a towering Stone Giant. It moved its limbs; earlier, as a disguise, it had been sticking its bottom up in the air, lying on the ground, severely stiffened. With pleased grunts, sounding like a brown bear howling through its nostrils, the Stone Giant said, "I always said he would pass the trial."

From the stream, the water surged fiercely, rising like twirling silk in the air, forming a tall Water Being, carrying a shiny ice crystal within that cast rainbows with sunlight. Fishes swam within the moving Water Being’s body, seemingly content to blow bubbles.

"I’ll take it as if you said that, Stonemason."

Three colossal Phantoms disguised as unique landscapes, a Transformer Monster couldn’t achieve such a feat. Numerous Treants and countless Little Fairies peeked out of their hiding spots, denoting Lyle’s initial probing as self-deception.

Surprise, that was probably the feeling.

"Welcome to paradise, Lyle. I am Spring," the Water Being bent down, handing Lyle a palm-sized Sea Lion Conch Shell filled with water, "A gift for you, the purest, best tasting meltwater I collected from the mountaintop at dawn, dear Lyle."

"Thank you."

"Consider it a welcome gift to paradise." Following Spring was the serpent, its floral scent overwhelming as it drew near. A vine dropped from its head before Lyle’s eyes, a small amber tied to its end, "This was found by the children, and they decided together to give it to you."

"Thank you."

"And me, I remember humans like this." Named Stonemason, the towering stone figure squatted down, handing Lyle a rock burl the size of a human head that was pitifully small compared to Stonemason’s palm, but it gleamed gold, "Unprocessed gold ore, a bit heavy, be careful not to drop it on your feet."

"Thank you."

Nia hugged the glittering gold ore tightly while Lyle held the cup of snow water and the amber, the Sea Lion Conch Shell cleaned immaculately, and the patterns on the amber quite exquisite. These were the Phantoms’ sentiments, for them, there were no distinctions of high or low.

The Book of Omniscience was very pleased with Lyle’s reaction, proudly patting Lyle’s head.

"Alright, this is the entirety of the Phantom clan: the Serpent, Spring, and Stonemason are the largest ones, and they are the most powerful, capable of representing the clan in accepting you."

"I understand," Lyle looked at the gift cradled in his hands, "in reality, the process of acceptance has already begun, and so has the process of ascension."

Within the gift bestowed by the Phantoms, their power filled it, flowing into Lyle’s body, transforming into ladders of power ascension. His long-quiet magic power began to surge, that familiar intoxicating sensation flooding his mind. Chains spilled out from the amber and the conch shell, crawling up Lyle’s arms, gradually provoking a rebellion from his magic power; chains of magic power emerged on his skin, forming a new storm. The magic power clinging to his limbs materialized into semi-transparent magic chains, firmly enveloping Lyle.

Pain, searing through the brain, those chains seemed to turn into chainsaws, cutting into Lyle’s body.

"Nia!"

Lying upon the gold, Nia had already become a mere pile of mush, chains growing over her body, resonating with the ones twining around Lyle. Although the source was not visible, Lyle felt the chains tearing them both from the same origin. In the void, there was an unseen junction, pulling Lyle and Nia apart, intending to disintegrate and tear their flesh, forming a new entity. Lyle felt himself melting, his spirit burning; such pain was unprecedented in an Ascension Ritual, his consciousness must not dissipate, he had to... hold on.

Nia’s screams grew in intensity, those deadly chains about to tear her apart completely. This was the order, the repulsion of the indescribable beings that should not exist; the path of the Ascensessor was nearing its severed end.

The surging shadows crept into his heart; the sunlight became subdued beneath the layering clouds, leaving a tall and hazy shadow between them. An ill omen; this original youthful form of the Evil God, the correct future, stood at the intersection of the two, bending down to lock eyes with the pained Lyle.

"Ill omen..." His spirit began to twist, Lyle completely unaware of what he said next, only a vague muttering.

[Lyle, it should have been this way. This time, you cannot refuse me.]

The sealed shadow, the suppressed essence, the tainted divinity once again took control, observing in cold detachment as its own struggling humanity and erroneous power were about to plunge into the abyss. At the center of the chains, the pivot of everything, lay in his own palm.

It should have been so; the forsaken ones return for revenge, the sealed ones rebirthed in fire.

Henceforth, I shall reside atop the firmament, regarding all beings with the innate contempt of pride.

[Should have been? Go to your mother’s.]

The Ill Omen crushed the pivot, loudly proclaiming in the collapsing temple.

[I am the mortal enemy of the Sleeper, I am the new god born from decay and rebirth. Fate and natural order shall not control me! I am the deep rebel! I will shatter all the destinies that bind me.]

The chains of ascension shattered completely, turning into venomous snakes that coiled around the Ill Omen’s body, within the fuzzy shadows, a new battle unfolded. Lyle and Nia were released; although Lyle’s pain hadn’t subsided, he looked at his twisting shadow self, untouchable, unaidable; a human couldn’t touch what was buried within the shadows. A part of himself, the Ill Omen was suffering the consequences within.

He could only watch helplessly.

"You now have a clan, kid," a rough and hearty voice awoke Lyle. The Book of Omniscience laughed out loud, twisting with the Phantom clan, "We are Phantoms, your worried thoughts are too obvious. Come on, feel the power of the clan!" Flowers, trees, insects, fish, birds, the whole paradise transformed in an instant into an indescribable realm of forbidden creatures. They sprouted tentacles, wriggling and lurking, joining the fallen revelries. The Phantoms transformed into twisted monsters like Nia, merging into Lyle’s body.

Lyle, alone, no, rather a [Legion of Demons].

Lyle smiled at his own shadow, unstable and twisting.

"Four locks, psychic unraveling."