I Can Assimilate Everything-Chapter 606: The Oldest Paradox!
The power of the entity that Achilles could not even perceive unless they wanted to be perceived was extremely high.
So high that while he was being transported by the power of this being, he didn’t even know which direction they went from the point of Tian where they had met. His senses, which should have been capable of tracking movement across Gigaparsecs, registered nothing but golden light and the sensation of displacement without direction.
It was only moments later that everything settled all around him, and as if he was a kitten being dumped into a grand environment by forces far beyond his control, he arrived before a swirling multicolored platform that dominated the space with presence that made his newly achieved Depth feel insignificant.
In front of this platform was a surging body of water shining in gold, but this water behaved unlike any liquid he had ever observed. It twisted with event horizons that bent light and perception around impossible geometries, forming into countless particles of mobius strips that intertwined with each other in patterns that seemed to contain meaning beyond what his consciousness could currently process.
The mysterious entity stood behind him as they arrived in this place, his golden crystallized form radiating calm patience.
Achilles observed that this region was much dimmer than the bright landscape they had just been in, with only a few swirling golden rivers surging through the surroundings as if in this region it was night while outside of here it was perpetual day. The contrast created atmosphere of solemnity that seemed appropriate for whatever was about to be revealed.
"I am THE Groundskeeper."
The entity’s voice carried weight that pressed against reality around them.
"I try to steer Existence and those moving within Existence toward where they should be and where they should go. There are boundless things that many like you do not even know, secrets that those in your stunted Observable Existence have never glimpsed despite eons of desperate seeking."
He moved to stand beside Achilles, both of them facing the swirling multicolored platform.
"But the path that you have arrived on is a potential path that will allow you to potentially lay a claim. A claim that relates to the oldest question in Existence itself." His golden eyes blazed with light that contained depths Achilles couldn’t fathom. "The Oldest Paradox of Existence. What came first? Was it boundless Chaos? Was it Paradox? Was it Existence itself? Or was it The First Tongue?"
He gestured broadly at the surroundings.
"Your Observable Existence is a stunted one precisely because nobody has been capable of laying a claim on any of The Aspects of The Oldest Paradox of Existence. You struggle and fight over scraps while the true feast remains untouched." His expression shifted toward something approaching hope. "THE Resplendent Paradox was a good seed, but many more are needed. You speak about encompassing Existence. Okay."
He pointed toward the swirling platform.
"Step into this Cavern of Existence. If you survive the trials within it, you may become another Seed capable of truly laying a claim to Existence, or at least have the foundation for such a claim in the future." His voice took on weight of warning. "Of course, it is so dangerous that even THE Intermediate Depth or THE Fundamental Depth entities can perish within if they take the wrong step. You may be fated to succeed, you may not be."
His golden eyes fixed upon Achilles with a gaze that demanded decision.
"So will you enter, or not?"
...!
Achilles’s eyes flashed with brilliance as he wanted to tell this guy to slow down.
He just dropped some very heavy exposition and wanted a choice to be made already? There was information in those words that he desperately needed to understand before making any decision about entering trials that could apparently kill beings far more powerful than himself.
First, the mention of The Oldest Paradox of Existence.
Achilles turned around to observe this being closely, his purple-gold eyes meeting golden radiance without flinching despite the overwhelming difference in their Depths.
"Can you expand and tell me more of this Oldest Paradox of Existence?"
THE Groundskeeper studied him for a moment before nodding with approval that suggested the question itself was a point in Achilles’s favor.
"Very well. Listen carefully, for this knowledge forms the foundation of everything you might one day claim."
He waved his hands, and illusory manifestations began forming in the air around them with clarity that made them seem more real than the actual surroundings. Golden light shaped itself into symbols and images that illustrated each concept as he spoke.
"The Oldest Paradox of Existence refers to the fundamental conflict that has existed since before differentiation itself. It is the primordial struggle between four foundational approaches to reality, each one representing a different answer to the question: What is the true nature of Existence?"
Four pillars of light manifested around them, each one radiating distinctive energy that seemed to embody what it represented.
"The first pillar is Chaos."
The leftmost manifestation erupted into swirling obsidian formlessness that constantly shifted without pattern or purpose.
"The belief that disorder is the natural state of all things. Order is an illusion, structure is temporary, and only by embracing entropy can one understand the true nature of reality. Everything eventually returns to formlessness, and those who align with Chaos believe that fighting this truth is the ultimate futility."
The second pillar blazed with pure radiance that seemed to assert its own existence through sheer presence.
"The second pillar is Existence itself."
"The belief that being precedes essence. The fundamental fact of existing is the highest value, and all other considerations are secondary to the simple truth that something IS rather than IS NOT. Existence itself is the answer to every question, because without Existence there are no questions to ask."
The third pillar manifested as two opposing forces that somehow occupied the same space without destroying each other.
"The third pillar is Paradox."
"The belief that truth is found in contradiction. The highest understanding comes from holding two opposing ideas simultaneously and finding meaning in their tension. Reality is inherently contradictory, and embracing impossibility is the path to enlightenment rather than the road to madness."
The fourth pillar took shape as visible letters and symbols that seemed to speak themselves into being.
"The fourth pillar is The First Tongue."
"The belief that language is the foundation of all reality. The First Tongue is not merely a tool for communication but the very fabric from which Existence is woven. Reality was spoken into being at the beginning of all things, and mastery of language is mastery of everything that language created."
THE Groundskeeper waved his hand, and all four pillars began rotating around each other in complex dance that never quite resolved into stable configuration.
"The paradox in the name comes from the fundamental irreconcilability of these four truths. Each one claims to be the foundational principle upon which all else is built. Each one can point to evidence supporting its supremacy. Each one has adherents who have achieved unimaginable power through dedication to its principles."
His golden eyes fixed upon Achilles with weight that demanded understanding.
"And yet they cannot all be correct simultaneously. Or can they?"
The four pillars continued their dance, sometimes seeming to merge and sometimes seeming to repel each other. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
"This is the Oldest Paradox. The question that has driven conflict and cooperation, destruction and creation, since before time learned to count. The answer, if one exists, has never been found." His expression shifted toward something almost wistful. "Perhaps it never will be. Perhaps the search itself is the point. Perhaps the question was never meant to have an answer but rather to inspire endless reaching toward understanding that always remains just out of grasp."
The illusory manifestations faded as THE Groundskeeper finished his explanation.
"Now you understand what you would be stepping toward. Not merely power or advancement, but participation in the oldest struggle of Existence itself."
...!
After Achilles heard such words, his eyes shone brilliantly as understanding crystallized in his consciousness. This was what THE Resplendent Paradox had found, had touched, had begun to claim before departing toward whatever fate awaited her. This was the secret that Tian contained, the reason why this Primordial Realm existed at all.
He nodded with decision already formed and looked toward the multicolored platform that led to THE Cavern of Existence. Beyond it would be trials that could kill beings far more powerful than himself, challenges that apparently sorted those worthy of laying claims from those who would perish in the attempt.
After all that he had learned, there was only one choice that made sense.
"In for a penny, in for a pound."
His voice emerged calm and glorious, carrying the weight of his achieved Depth and the conviction of someone who had never retreated from opportunity regardless of danger.
"See you soon."
HUUM!
His figure jumped without hesitation, sinking toward the multicolored weavings of Existence below as THE Groundskeeper watched with expression that might have been approval.
The swirling platform consumed Achilles entirely!
