★271
ACAMAR'S POV
After taking in the new data, I set off for the palace to meet the First Light. I reached his throne room and remained where I stood, waiting.
"What brings you here, my child?"
He appeared upon his throne as he spoke, settling into it with quiet authority.
"Your Grace, I've sensed something within myself. It feels… different from the Arts we create."
"It took you long enough to notice."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle across the room.
"That, my child, is my blessing upon my children. It is nothing to be concerned about."
"Blessings?"
"Yes, aside from the powers you naturally possess and those you've created, this is something I placed upon you. My Arts chose those worthy of welding them."
"I hope I am not asking too much. But I'd like to know how each Arts operates."
"Don't worry. Like it or not, I'll tell you how they operate. First off, we have...
*The Supreme Art, God's Will. This is the supreme authority over all Supreme Arts. Whoever holds it can use any Art, deactivate them, strip them from others, or pass them on at will. It's the first Supreme Art I used to control the others.
*God's Wrath. When triggered, the user releases an aura so overwhelming that it can paralyse everything nearby and outright kill the weak.
When used as an attack, a massive blast of energy is released capable of causing irreparable damage. Users are granted immense strength and control over their body, allowing them to perform incredible feats of physical prowess.
*God's Mercy is the opposite. It forgives, restores, and shields the wielder. It heals any wound and protects the user from attacks they believe surpass them. It can even grant someone a second chance at life or death, transcending the norms once. Its radiance can pierce Meta Darkness itself.
*God's Judgment is divine punishment. The user can deliver retribution equal to or greater than the severity of the offence in an attempt to subdue the wrongdoer.
An army of celestial beings is also at the user's disposal. The only Supreme Art with sub art; God's Voice grants the user the power to speak with immense authority, their words carrying weight and influence.
*God's Eye, it sees through all illusions and exposes the edges of Existence. But the price is heavy. The first use permanently damages the user's vision. They will only see boundaries after. The second expands their sight further and seals their fate: they must choose who accompanies them to the End of the World. Once activated, users can perceive the Parallel World of Energy even though they can't interact with it.
*God's Patience. Perfect calm, endurance beyond endurance. It lets the user withstand any impossible situation in facing an overwhelming adversary, resist any temptation, and survive hopeless odds. The only Art that grants direct immortality from me.
*God's Grace allows the user to imbue themselves with other Supreme Art temporally. As an attack, it becomes an unblockable annihilation blast of Energy. But it can only be fired twice. After that, the Art shuts down forever.
*God's Shadow. A summoned entity, your darkness given form. It fights, shields, and advises. It also reveals the truths hidden in one's own nature. In the right hands, this Art can become necromancy.
These are the Eight Supreme Arts. Two remain unclaimed because even I haven't found anyone worthy of holding them."
It was self-explanatory that I possess God's Will. Out of six, something doesn't feel right.
"A Star that isn't a Supernovae also possesses this Supreme Arts."
"Yes. Even as the user of God's Will, the user of other Arts has to make a move before they can be registered on your list. I don't want to give you a huge boost more than what you already have."
"Alright. I understand this minor restriction. It just means I'll have to work harder to find the users of other Arts."
Earlier, I did say my source of immortality tests within the presence of Light, the Great Holy Spirit of Light, and his Grace, but what if one of them doesn't work?
"I'll let you know there's a chain of absolute immortality binding us."
Reading my thoughts, he answered.
"Your Grace."
"Not even your body can allow your death. You're the only Star possessing my Divine Light. As long as that Light exists, you'll always be here."
I was left speechless for a moment.
"D..does that mean..."
"Yes, my child, you're one with me as I'm one with the Light Realm."
I felt a single beat from my chest, and that was all. It was a heartbeat, I never needed a heart, but why manifest just to make this beat? I asked myself, not expecting an answer.
"I'm curious about this chain of immortality."
"You can't permanently happen to you as long as I'm here. The same applies to my relationship with the Great Spirit of Light. The Great Holy Spirits are also bound to the Grand Lord, who's an avatar of the Will of God. It runs all the way up to the very First Conciousness."
I took a moment, absorbing his words before asking a question.
"I've had this question for a while, and I'd like to hear your Grace's own words on them."
"Next time, just ask. There's no need for permission."
"Concepts. The Pond operates beyond the logic of Laws and Order, but the existence of Concepts is abstract."
"..."
He was silent, waiting for me to finish talking.
"For example, the Drops are spherical because they participate in said form. So, it's fair to say they govern all the reality they exist in."
"Can you hear yourself?"
"Pardon?"
"It's not solid. Give more experience."
"There's a Major Concept. Abstract, timeless, and spaceless ideas that govern the properties of reality not within our Star Realm but in the possible worlds beyond us."
"That's not a Major Concept, my child. That's a Meta Notion. These are the fundamental and primordial forces that shape each Layer of Reality."
"According to what I have, each Ontic Layer has its Meta Notions."
"Exactly. You've earned one point. Some Meta Notions are applicable in the Pond. I've accepted defeat, but I can't say the same for Major Concepts."
"O..ok. Major Concept are completely independent of realities with all of reality merely participating in them. They're pure, abstract, atemporal, and aspatial, existing in a plane beyond the tangible world.
Furthermore, all that exists in the material world is an imperfect version of what they really are. For example, the idea of 'circleness', a perfect and abstract idea of a circle. No matter how perfect you are, any circle drawn in the physical world is just an imperfect version of that true circle. Lastly, due to their nature, manipulating them is almost impossible. "
"So you're saying my Pond existing here is merely an imperfection of what it really is?"
"Yes. Specifically, the Major Concept which holds the archetypal forms of all realities."
"I'm grateful you said 'almost impossible' to manipulate. You've clearly forgotten what I meant by operating above the reasoning of Laws. I'll invite our two old friends here."
The two Drops we once experimented on appeared in front of me.
"And said 'Major Concept' can't be recognised in the physical world, right?"
"Yes, your Grace."
"Take your orb and create a universe in each Hyperworld."
I took a hold of it and did as I was told.
"What next?"
"They are unchangeable, and everything is an imperfect state of what they really are."
"Exactly."
"Destroy all the universes."
Without wasting a breath, they were all destroyed. Before I asked what to do next, the universes began appearing again not only in the previous Hyperworlds but to the neighbouring ones.
"Explain this phenomenon and why they came into existence without your permission."
"I only destroyed the universe, not their indestructible Concept."
"And why is that?"
"Because the Concept exists beyond and independent of their imperfect states. As for why the universes appeared in neighbouring Hyperworlds, it's because the Major Concept creates and shapes all the realities/universes in the Hyperworld."
"Earlier, you said they can't be destroyed, right?"
"Indeed."
"Then why didn't the universes exist on their own before I told you to create them?"
"They did. However, they require an instantiator to manifest in the physical world."
"Good."
The wheel in my brain began moving to find out anything I've missed.
"Major Concepts can be sensed by a few individuals and thus giving them the right to manipulate them. So all the universe in Hyperworlds will obey this Law."
"Why is the universe in the Hyperworlds not the Hyperworlds themselves?"
"Easy my, child. You want knowledge, I'll give it to you. Now, back to the Hyperworlds. Make all the spherical Hyperworlds rectangular."
I looked at the Hyperworlds, noticing that not all was spherical. Did I create them like this, or did they just change? Anyway, I shifted my focus to the task at hand.
I tried to interact with the concept, but unlike the ones in the universes, there was none. They exist but can't be interacted with.
"This is the Major Concept I was talking about. They can't be perceived in the physical world. They're perfect and can't be manipulated. I believe the glorious Pond is under the Laws of such abstract and transcendent Concept."
"Oh my child, don't be faster than your shadow as proclaimed. Try again, this time with all your might."
I tried again but to no avail.
"It's a Major Concept. It can't be altered. "
"Earlier, when explaining the Supreme Arts, I said something about the Parallel Plane of Energy, yes?"
"Indeed."
"What is Yuánlì?"
To be continued...