Chapter 289: Reality Shifted

Chapter 289: Reality Shifted

Tala was sitting in one of the three chairs in Lyns sitting room, reading an illusory book, while Lyn and Kannis each read physical books.

Kannis seemed to be a dry text, by her demeanor. She was also taking a lot of notes as she read, which added to the impression that it was a book read out of obligation rather than for enjoyment.

Though, to be fair, I take notes on my favorite books, too

-Her face says, This is a chore to read.-

There is that.

Lyn had been alternatively laughing and tilting her head in obvious thought. First, it moved one way, then the other, often accompanied by exhalations of interest or surprise.

She also seemed to be mouthing certain sentences, occasionally.

Truth be told, Tala wasnt really reading. Instead, she was surreptitiously watching her friend because something fascinating was happening.

Lyn was Fusing.

Upon Talas return, Lyn had been barely a few steps above Bound, but it had been progressing rather well. Now, as Tala watched, the womans aura color was noticeably sliding from red further and further towards orange, and Lyn didnt even seem to have noticed.

She was nearly all the way to true orange.

-This is fascinating. Its sort of like when you confronted your family.-

But shes just reading a book! This is ridiculous, Alat. How can reading a book be causing her to Fuse? How is that fair? Tala felt a bit petulant, but it did seem rather unequal.

-Well, first of all, you know that some Fuse the moment they become Bound, so this is far slower and less convenient than that. Second, her foundation is words are power. Are you really surprised that reading can help her advance?-

But shes been reading since we both became Bound. Why now?

-When she hits a pause point, or better yet, when she finishes Fusing, why not ask her? Besides, you can see the fluctuations in her magic as easily as I can. Shes doing something more than just reading, and you know it.-

Tala grimaced, then sighed to herself. Fine.

She returned her attention to her book but made sure to focus a mirrored perspective on her friend, so that she could analyze what was happening more, later.

Nearly an hour later, Lyn seemed to reach the end of her book.

The older Archon let out a long breath, speaking to herself, Well, that was truly amazing. I cant say that I

Lyn gasped, arching backwards as power blossomed out of her.

It was instantly contained, channeled, and redirected back into Lyns body, but both the power and Lyns sudden movements were obvious.

Kannis yelped, closing her book and notebook and setting them aside, but before the girl could interfere, Tala held up a hand. Wait. Open your magesight but do nothing else.

Kannis hesitated, but after that barest of pauses, she nodded and complied.

Tala quirked a smile at her obedience and didnt comment further.

A moment later, Lyn slumped down, groaning.

Just like the method of Fusing varied from person to person, the manner and experience of it did as well.

I cant believe that I had to painstakingly crochet my very being together and some people just get to read a book

Lyn sat up, covered in a cold sweat. Oh, my. That was that was intense.

Good book? Tala gave her friend a falsely patronizing smile.The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.

The older woman huffed a laugh. Quite insightful, yes.

Clearly.

Thats not what I Well, I suppose so. It was on the nature of power, non-magical power specifically. It had rather detailed, rational treatises on why certain people lead, why humanity as a whole is drawn towards certain decisions, and things like that.

And that helped you Fuse?

Lyns eyes flicked to Kannis, and she frowned. We can discuss that later, Tala. Kannis, can you tell me what you observed?

Right still hiding things from non-Archons It did make sense, and shed been foolish to disregard that. Kannis was still of a stage where the wrong information could spoil her potential for advancement, after all.

Have you seen those mechanical sewing machines? The girl still seemed a bit shaken by her masters sudden movement, but she also seemed to be settling into question and answer mode.

I have. Lyn nodded.

Well, it looked like your magic, your power, was working like one of those automated needles but an uncountable number of them, all over your body. I dont know what it was stitching, but it seems like it did the work quickly and thoroughly.

Huh, so she did have to do something similar?

-Yes, Tala. She had to Fuse in some manner to become Fused.-

Hush, you.

Very good, Kannis. I am glad that you had the presence of mind to watch so closely.

Kannis turned and bowed towards Tala. Thank you, Mistress Tala, for the suggestion.

Tala shrugged. Sure. Some things are really helpful to see for yourself, even if you dont have the context yet.

Lyn sighed. That was surprisingly exhausting. Even with mental enhancements, splitting my concentration like that was a bit much. She looked to Tala. I dont understand how you do it.

Practice? Im always thinking of a few dozen things.

-No, you simply dont force yourself to stay on task. The most you manage, not including what I am working on, is two thoughts at any given time. From there, you simply allow whatever those two thoughts are to bounce around randomly and unhelpfully.-

I huh. I suppose I didnt really think about that.

Lyn simply grunted and shook her head. I need to get some sleep. Ill see you both tomorrow?

Precisely. Magical beasts of reality add more to the world, and their loss isnt ideal, but it is also unavoidable at times. But to be clear in my answer: When they die, reality is not directly harmed, no.

Why isnt their loss ideal, and how is it unavoidable?

Well, they add to reality simply by existing. They stabilize Zeme and help continue the work of stabilizing our existence. When they are lost, we lose another stop-gap which had been ensuring our continued survival. As to why its unavoidable? They hate humanity, and all forms of magic other than their own.

Because we erode reality, which is what they are oriented around.

Precisely. He popped a slice of strawberry into his mouth and then spoke around it. But all magic does, erode reality I mean. Its what magic is, an altering or stretching or bending of reality. Whether we add matter to existence or shift a fundamental law towards our own ends, magic is a breaking of reality, definitionally.

That seems bad?

He laughed. Yes and no. Playing at the oceanside and building sandcastles are a fundamental breaking of the beach and the sand. The creatures who live in the sandand who function within the ecosystems thereinmight not like it, but theres no danger, so long as it isnt abused.

But Zeme is abused.

Oh, quite thoroughly, yes.

There was another pause there as they both ate another few bites.

Tala found herself distracted by just how good the food was, but she drew her mind back to the matters at hand.

Where do they come from?

That is an excellent question. He once again washed his latest bite with a bit of whatever he had in his fleeting mug. Reality beasts come into being as something of an immune response. Its a fascinating process, really. They are birthed into reality, by reality. Like with magical beasts in general, sometimes mundane creatures are uplifted; rarely arcane creatures are well enough aligned with our world to be so changed. Somewhere between those two in rarity, creatures are simply drawn into existence. My own theory is that they are beings of the Doman-Imithe, snatched and brought through, but Ive never been able to prove it.

So, its just a guess then?

Lets call it an educated guess, but yes it definitely qualifies as a guess.

What even is reality magic?

He chuckled. Aside from the obvious anti-magical applications?

That stunned her for a moment. She hadnt really considered that aspect of it. Umm, yes, besides that.

He gave a half smile, but didnt comment on her hesitation. That is another excellent question. Its also a hard one to answer. In the extreme, somelike god-level reality beastscan undo what magic has done, which sounds somewhat anticlimactic, until you realize that every bit of Zeme was slapped back together with magic. Thus, they can temporarily make where youre standing cease to exist, and the fact that you go with it is a funny little perk. Zeme comes back, and you dont.

Tala opened her mouth, and it stayed that way for a long moment. There was there was a lot in that.

I know, right? He smiled and took another bite.

She scrambled a bit to pick where to start before finally just going for it, Reality gods?

He shrugged. A shorthand, so to speak. Think of those that are Transcendent or Sovereign level, or beyond.

Beyond How are any of us still alive then?

Because the creatures are still animals. They have their domains, and they dont have a drive to conquer or explore. Most hibernate for centuries at a time, and even then, they barely wake to roll over.

Tala sat back, suddenly feeling the need for more bacon. Thankfully, shed saved a few pieces, which she began to eat almost nervously.

There are beasts of that level of all sorts of magic, if that makes you feel better.

She gave him a level, unamused look. Really? You think that would make me feel better?

No, I suppose not. He cut off a bit of sausage and took a bite before speaking around the food once again. But like with the Sovereigns, there is a sort of balance. If the reality gods got uppity, those of other magics would band together to keep them from breaking Zeme too badly. Wed likely not survive the clash, but its the potential clash that keeps us relatively safe, not the realization of it.

When did he get out utensils? It really didnt matter. So, now that we have those existential terrors to add to my nightmares. I do actually have a couple of questions about the Doman-Imithe. The first one is rather simple: If the Doman-Imithe only exists behind Zeme, how can Archons come back from within the solar system but not from without? Shouldnt the distinction be just around our planet?

That is actually a fascinating topic of study. We dont have a definitive answer, but our best understanding is that we are all tied to Zeme, fundamentally. Not quite like a soul or magic bond, but something similar.

Tala frowned, but didnt interrupt.

We dont know if this is only for gated humans or for all beings who live on Zeme.

That makes sense. If arcanes didnt have this connection, their understanding of how it all worked would be vastly different, or it could just be varied experiences

-Listen to the expert in front of you, Tala.-

Right, right.

Now, the theory states that if that connection is stretched too far, such as by leaving the star system, it seems to break. If it hasnt broken, a human returning will actually return to Zeme, rather than to the Doman-Imithe, even if looking back towards our world only shows the Doman-Imithe at any distance.

So, when approaching the fractured reality, human Archons are shunted towards the one they are linked to so long as that link isnt severed?

Essentially, yes, thats the theory. Its obviously an oversimplification, but it is the prevalent notion.

Whats another one?

He quirked a smile. There are hundreds. But, the one I think is most likely is this: Reality is actually broken over a far wider volume, thus much further out than we generally realize. Specifically, it is cracked to the outer reaches of our star system, which is far, far further out than most can comprehend.

Tala nodded, considering that.

If someone leaves that area, they enter back into truly solid reality. That might kill them because their access to magic is severed, and space is a hostile place to be without magic. Something might be out there that eats them. There might even be some sort of barrier or dividing line that once you pass beyond it, its like going over the horizon, and you can no longer see any of this at all. He gestured around himself with a bit of fruit on a fork. The fracture, the damage to reality, is contained by reality to prevent the spread, so it is nearly impossible to return once one has gone past this theoretical horizon.

Like the mythical edge of the world?

In a sense, but on a more cosmic scale.

Thats interesting, but obviously hard to prove one way or another.

Yeah, who knows exactly what event caused all of this, so its hard to extrapolate exactly all the repercussions, even though were living among them.

It all seems a bit much. Like, we have enough to deal with here, dont we?

True, but if we could figure it out, we could take all of our people, all those we love, and just leave. As it stands, we dont know if anyone can survive leaving at all. He shrugged. But you are correct, that is a long term issue.

Tala took another careful bite. There were still so, so many questions to ask. She didnt bother to hide her almost predatory grin. This is going to be a long morning.