LEVEL 0 IMMORTAL-Chapter 136: You Still Have Much To Learn
"You think you have seen true tyranny, Elias?" Commander Yseult laughed, "I showed you only a tiny fraction of it when we went to the oasis... You have seen a small part of it when all the information you would need for Ascendancy was suppressed, and in time, you will know what your actions on this day had eradicated from reality." She turned around and looked at the sky, "It is a good thing that it would take some time for the Heavenly Restriction to fall, and there would be many opportunities for you to understand the true face of the world, and then make a decision."
Elias chuckled wryly, "Whatever decision that was made was out of my hands."
The Commander nodded, "I know, because I could not tell you. The Hands of Fate have been weaponized against the Angels of our power, since our words carry weight and could easily be traced. I had to dance on the edge of danger for me to tell you certain things, and even then, it had to be hints and subtle suggestions."
She chuckled coldly, "I cannot even call the name of your race or your history. I cannot tell you why you carry madness in your head or why your body breaks... Some of these truths I know, but they have forever been chained to my chest. I have to listen to the prayers of countless people, and I am forbidden to act just because they are in the territory of other Great Houses. You cannot imagine the height of depravity that ensues in the territories of some Great Houses... but you will come to learn, and you will be glad that you are a weapon meant to tear it all down."
Elias drew in a deep breath. This was the first time he had heard the Commander talk for such an extended length of time and with such passion. It was a rather humbling experience, but he still kept his eyes on the task at hand and did not let the words of his Commander, although still trusted, overly distract him from the promises she had made, or the actions she had taken, whatever her intentions might be in the end.
"Before my Ascension, you told me the truth about my past would be opened. One of the reasons I fought to survive inside that fragment was the knowledge that when I leave it, the mysteries of my past would be laid open before me. My Ascension ceremony is now over... do I get the truth?"
The Commander shrugged, and she began talking, but Elias could not hear anything except static, and at the top corner of his vision, his status screen was flashing like crazy and was filled with countless unknown scripts.
She stopped talking, and Elias suddenly collapsed to his knees, blood pouring from his ears and nose, and for a moment, the world was silent, and then there was a slight pop as his hearing returned.
He heard the sound of the Commander walking towards him, and he looked up, and then his face went white in shock. If Elias had suffered a nosebleed and had become deaf, what she had just endured was worse.
She was still covered by her black jacket, and they remained immaculate, but her entire skin had been charred as if she had been dropped into a furnace. Her face, hands, and legs were burnt to the bone, and he could see the air around her body rippling from the heat, stopping a few feet from him. She crouched so she could be on the same level as him.
"This is what happens when I go against the wishes of the Greater Houses. I bore the load of these transgressions, so this automatically meant this is the best state I could ever choose. If I had not borne it, then I would be visited by dozens of Dreadminds and be shipped straight to the Maw for the rest of my days."
As she was speaking, her body began to heal, and silver hair emerged from her scalp. Elias noted that they were not white as he initially assumed, but closer to platinum; he had to slap his brain to stop distracting itself with all of these tiny details.
"The only reason I am not dead, Elias, is because you are an Ascendant Candidate at the Fury Forge level, and so you can share a bit of the burden from hearing me say the truth. However, I will not go against my word... I may not be able to tell you the truth, but I can point you towards it... But before then, you need all the tools necessary to survive."
Elias groaned as he slowly came to his feet and wiped the blood from his face, only to find out that they had vanished. His body seemed to have drawn back all the blood that he had spilled back into his body. This must be one of the passive effects of his Heavenly Vein Art, Crimson Vein Dominion.
He felt a moment of dissonance when he remembered that when he was inside the Fragment, his blood had also done the same thing, and he had thought at that time that it was a bit strange, because his swarm did not act on his blood outside his body.
Why did it seem that he gained a portion of his powers even before he gained these powers? He would be a fool not to realize that his Infinite pools contained a contradiction that perfectly coincided with the power of his Lumina Scripture, and even the Ascendant Swarm was gained from the Stone Blade that had the same runic configuration as the Stone Art that he had also gained.
If not for his perfect memory, he would begin to doubt his memories about what happened inside the Fragment.
Elias closed his eyes for a moment, knowing that he was on a slippery slope if he continued down this path. There were many mysteries surrounding him and the world at large, and he knew that if he dwelled upon them when he was at the Fury Forge level, this was the path of madness.
The only thing he could do was to follow the advice of the Commander, grow stronger, and slowly figure out the truth. Besides, he had a terrible forty-eight hours, and he needed time to understand everything that had taken place, properly digest his new powers, and just take the time to think.
He truly needed this.
Elias sighed, "Can I be dismissed, Commander? I need to find Supervisor Chen and report that I am now a Siphon, and keep my work... that is, if I am still permitted to work."
The Commander nodded, "You are an Ascendant Candidate, but to the world you are a Siphon, and you need a connection to this city. You should continue your work, deep inside the earth are some things that may concern you. However, your time at work would be reduced to three hours. I would begin drawing plans for your training, and it would be very strenuous, even for you. In the next ten years, you shall be tested in every way possible, Elias, but for now, go and rest and deal with your personal affairs. In the coming week, your training begins in earnest."
