Chapter 8-18 The Second Cycle (I)

Chapter 8-18 The Second Cycle (I)

The subject's entire concept of self has been split. In two.

No. They aren't dead, I think death might be preferable at this point though. We can still hear him screaming. His mind's in two places, but it's not an even split.

Alright. Yeah. We'll shut it down. We'll have the next subject usurp them when he settles down. It didn't have any Ontologics attached so yes. Yes, I know.

The Agnosi were right. We can't use it to create an omnipresent ego.

-Highflame Research Cell, Project Dichotomy

8-18

The Second Cycle (I)

Avos new Soul was a cripple.

Not in the sense of being inherently broken, but from a comparative lack. Without a Meta-Fac, a self-managing system or seemingly any of the smart-admin functions running within his Stillborn Frames root, the Soul that once fueled the Fallen Heaven of Burners Way was a rather lacking construct in every regard.

Unwilling to commit to any transfer of consciousness or even risk such an outcome, Avo ejected the second Soul outside his current Frames liminal subreality before infusing it with a single thaum.

He wasnt sure how that would look back in the garden, if a spark of eldritch fire would spill out from his corpse or whatnot, but as of the present, it merely seemed like a minor gulf of nothingness parted him from interlinking with the other Heaven.

THAUMIC OUTPUT - 970 THAUM/c

Ghosts: [412]

Almost immediately, a second presence pulsed into being just beyond the veil of his control. Curiously, Avo reached over to interface with the other Heaven.

It flashed and a new subreality came online.

LIMINAL FRAME DETECTED: STORMTREE SPIRE PATTERN

THAMIC LIMIT: SPHERE III

CURRENT THAUMIC CLASS: SPHERE I

The Soul Frame's mem-data listed it as a Sphere Three thaumic construct bearing the designation of Stormtree Spire Pattern.

As Avo focused on its root, a bridge of light interfaced between Frames. He filtered through various root-function diagnostics to find that this new Soul was only rated for a single Heaven and Hell.

Apparently, judging from the way it only projected a flume of eldritch fire outward from the top and the bottom, the structure of the Frame was externally vectored and incapable of storing of other Heavens.

Slots for two ontologics at the most.

More than just being fixed, however, there was a deadness to it, with the flames being opaque compared to the rippling currents cast out by Avos Soul. It was as Kae stated: His Soul was special. The Spire pattern felt like a raw hunk of chromeit had fixed functions, but it could not shift and adapt like nanosuites or smart-fog could; like Avos Stillborn Frame could.

Ah, theres the lightbulb, Zein said, Im still curious to see if it would have seen this plane ruptured if you opened it up as a subreality in a subreality. Would it just seem similar to another pocket in space expanding in this space. When you've been around as long as I have, seeing something new Perhaps it might rupture your Frame and kill you, but its just so tempting.

The fluxing flares of Avos spectral fires twisted toward Zein, like phosphorus bleeding from the Galeslither he was currently grafted to. It was the the best approximation his Soul could muster in place of an actual glare. Mightve killed you too.

Zein gave a blase shrug. Wouldnt that be a novel experience for the both of us? Truth be told, pitiable as these gods are, I expect nothing from them. They could not best me at the height of their might, they will not impress me now.

Tides of rage shifted in lapping tendrils along the shell of the Woundshaper. You are a wretched, deceitful

Thousandhand turned her attention from the reborn Soul to the diminished blood god. Woundshaper clutched tighter to the Galeslither.

Look away from me partling! Your gaze is debasing.

I gaze, Zein said, on a god I remember most fondly. When I said really was a sign of respect. She sighed. Truthfully, out of all the gods Ive shattered, I always found you to be quite human.

Spikes erupted from the back of the Woundshaper as the Heaven snarled. The act reminded Avo of the arched back of a hissing nu-cat. Pester me no more. Prod no longer at my wounds. Leave me to my shame in silence. For the first time, Avo felt a sense of sullenness from his god, a genuine sadness at being broken by a mortal.

Even one such as Zein.

The other Godclads consciousness rang, preparing to speak once more, but Avo interrupted her. Zein. Enough. You have recommendations for this Heaven? The build?

The words he offered were bait. Distractions so she wouldnt agitate his Heaven further. He needed her talking stillto say he trusted her was an outright lie, but she seemed willing to help, if in a twisted sense.

The memories of the un-futures were still ringing in his mind, resounding like a collage of moments, each feeling like they happened concurrently mere moments ago.

You are on approach to gaining the ontological mass to be regarded as Fourth Sphere, Zein said. Commendable, considering the short time you had your Frame, but insufficient for the tasks we face, little dagger.

Before he could spend any time examining his root data, Zein darted through his mind, her path leaving a cleaved line oozing sparkles within his liminality. Now, lets see what we can make with that new Heaven of yours.

She spoke of the four Domain Heaven he claimed from Burners Way. It took was repaired after he managed to subsume the Soul it was bound to and stabilize the rupture. Once fallen, now this construct greeted him as a varnished thing, blackened and unclear as if it wasnt manifesting right.

All he could get from it was a vagueness; it offered him the generalities of its contours but nothing else.

Why is it dark? Zein asked.

Avo let the silence speak for his ignorance.

Give me one second, Zein said. With a sweeping slash, she left his Soul momentarily. And immediately came back. Have it deconstructed by your light. However it works. The Domains are all that matters.

Did you leave to look into the future? Avo asked.

Zein smirked. Did I? Let an old woman have a few tricks. Wouldnt want you eating me prematurely.

Had to try.

And I commend the effort. Burn its Domain of Space and Matter after you fuse it with your Heaven of Blood. And only after you fuse it. Zein emphasized those words. They wont be joined properly otherwise. Ive seen it happen before. Very ugly. Constant paradox. Missing Domain-crossover causes paradox. A forcible fuse usually results in instant thaumic backlash. Taking out the Domains afterwardshould be possible; perhaps; maybe; I dont know; lets seeshould probably not cause you to collapse your Heaven and die.

Should probably not?

You emerged fine in some timelines. Zein grinned.

How many.

Three.

How many am I dead in?

She held her head back and looked toward a missing sky. Negativity is not a thing that should concern the likes of us.

Avo frowned at the darkness. And how do you know all this.

A few hundred guesses.

So. He died in a lot of futures even as a Godclad. Good to know.

Anyway, jam this Fallen Heaven together with your Woundshaper first. Do it. It will be worth it.

The Woundshaper quavered. No, master! Do not listen to her. At least wait for the Oracle to return! The little one with the glass eye. She is kind and gentle. A tendril of blood jutted rudely at Zein, who merely folded her arms and grinned. This one is mad and decrepit.

Avo hesitated.

Come now, little dagger, Zein said. If I meant you ill, I could see you deaddoes my mercy not speak for itself? And besides, your Frame would look so poorly on me. It's just too hungry. I think it suits you.

Whats wrong with matter and space? Avo asked.

Well, Zein said, the canon of the second is conflicting with a hubris from the first, I think. You tend to expand volumetrically when you get pulled apart geometrically. A strangely pleased look spilled across her face. I also die in one of those futures. Real death. It ends up collapsing my garden and causing a limited spatial collapse. It keeps growing and kills ninety percent of this district before the Sovereignty finally notices and soaks the Rend.

He wasnt sure what to say to that.

Sathwu, Zein said, her voice sweet, you asked how I killed a million people, yes?

The Heaven of Blood suddenly peeked out, all acrimony was forgotten Yes?

Would you like to kill a million people? Feast on a million echoes of humanity and belief?

Yes!

The uneven nature of the god never ceased to astound Avo.

Zein seemed to understand his sentiments. Ah. Dont blame them. They are beings formed by a gestalt. They cannot decide how they are shaped, how they act. For all their power and influence over reality, they do not possess the fuel that needs to see these miracles made manifest.

Essence, Avo said.

The choice to believe, Zein added. Some called it free will. Others think of it as determination unto itself. Conceptual propulsion.

Avo considered his Heaven again. The fusion. It wont break my ontology?

Not unless you graft it onto your Soul and start feeding it thaums, Zein said. You should be able to undo whatever it is you did thanks to your Frames self-administering nature. Oh, and I just want you to know that I am immensely jealous of that function most of all. Thousands need to die when I want to change a canon. Its very inconvenient.

Nested with the Galeslither, the steed neighed a trinary chorus of thunder as acknowledgment. Woundshaper. Wont break you. You accept these changes?