How could the Aeons watching from the sidelines be dragged onto the stage?
That problem became even more difficult when some of the Paths simulated within Amphoreus belonged to Aeons who were already dead or missing.
Order.
Beauty.
Permanence.
If Caelus wanted to bring even those three into play, then he would have to approach the problem through the timeline itself.
Aeons were transcendent beings whose existence extended across past, present, and future rather than remaining confined to a single point in time.
Strictly speaking, Fuli, the Aeon of Remembrance, should not even have ascended yet at this point in history.
By normal logic, THEY should not exist.
But because Fuli was destined to ascend in the future, THEIR existence extended backward through history as well.
The same principle applied to Aeons who had already been declared dead or missing.
In a sense, THEY had merely departed from the current point in time.
THEY still existed in the past.
And there was no guarantee that THEY could never return in the future.
The strongest evidence was simple.
Their Paths still existed.
Even though the Path of Order had been absorbed into Harmony, Sunday and the Dreammaster had still managed to find remnants of Order's power and walk that Path.
Even though Idrila, the Aeon of Beauty, had vanished, with numerous hidden clues suggesting that THEY might already be dead, the Path of Beauty continued to exist.
The Knights of Beauty still crossed the galaxy in search of Idrila.
As long as the road left behind by an Aeon continued to exist, then the figure who once walked furthest along that road could never be erased completely.
That figure might grow dim.
It might become indistinct.
But the trace of its existence would remain.
"Finality alone isn't enough to pull an Aeon from the past into the present."
"But I also possess the power of Finality originating from Azathoth."
"If the underlying mechanism is sufficient, then combined with the raw output of the Command Block..."
"Even at my current level, I may not be able to make those Aeons remain permanently in the present and future after pulling them out of the past."
"But I can make them exist within this universe for a limited period of time."
Caelus continued organizing his thoughts.
"I need to push Amphoreus's simulations of the Twelve Paths to their absolute limit."
"The demigods representing those Paths need to embody their respective ideals far more completely."
"The simulated Phainon of the original future was able to accumulate more than thirty million cycles of rage and receive Nanook's golden blood."
"That proves something important."
"In the eyes of an Aeon, it doesn't matter whether a life-form is virtual."
"If the will it demonstrates aligns closely enough with the Aeon's Path, that Aeon can still acknowledge it and bestow power upon it."
"In other words..."
"My next job is to become the teacher of these twelve people."
"I need to push each of them one step further along the Path they represent."
"They don't need to become Emanators."
"They only need to become genuine Pathstriders."
"As long as a real connection is established, I can forcibly bind the causality between them and their respective Aeons."
"With my special existence in this world, the powers I possess from outside the universe, and the enormous disturbances I've already caused here..."
"I can force those Aeons to turn THEIR gaze toward Amphoreus."
And for an Aeon, distance was meaningless.
If THEY wished it, THEY could descend the instant THEIR gaze arrived.
"Among the twelve Aeons, Erudition and Destruction are already hostile to me."
"Erudition cannot tolerate the unknowable variables I introduce."
"Destruction cannot tolerate me establishing Creation as a new Path."
"The former introduces uncertainty into the development of the universe, causing the unknown to continue expanding."
"The latter reduces the probability that the universe will ultimately be destroyed."
"Even if that reduction is only a fraction of a percent, Nanook would never tolerate it."
Because sometimes, a fraction of a percent was all it took to overturn everything.
And if Caelus successfully established Creation within this universe, then Nanook's problem would no longer be limited to Caelus alone.
The other Aeons would also take notice.
Because someone would have already accomplished the most difficult part.
Turning something from nonexistent into real.
Terminus was the clearest example.
Caelus did not know how the other Aeons would react, but Terminus sought to prevent the universe's destined destruction.
If Terminus discovered even the slightest possible future in which Nanook could fail because of Creation's fundamental opposition to Destruction, THEY would almost certainly do everything possible to anchor that future.
THEY might even intervene personally.
If Caelus refused to rely on external powers, then he had to solve the conflict using forces native to this universe.
And only Aeons could truly oppose other Aeons.
Caelus's plan was actually very simple.
Since so many Aeons enjoyed sitting in the audience and watching everything unfold, and since Amphoreus could not enter reality quickly enough under normal circumstances...
Then he would simply overturn the entire game board.
No one would get to remain a spectator.
Start a war among the Aeons.
Once the first one entered the fight, others would inevitably follow.
"The Hunt."
"I can use the people's rage at injustice and their desire for justice, combined with the causal connection established once Mydei becomes a genuine Pathstrider."
"That should be enough to draw Lan's gaze here."
"Order."
"I'll personally assist Cerydra."
"Across cycle after cycle, I'll help her establish a unified empire, reform its laws, and continuously improve its institutions."
"Then I'll use the remnants of Order's structure that I encountered when I faced the false Ena on Penacony and trace them backward through Finality."
"That should allow Cerydra to become a genuine Pathstrider of Order in the present."
"Beauty..."
"That one is troublesome."
"I don't know enough about Pathstriders of Beauty."
"I'll leave it for later."
"I can ask Lygus."
"Nihility..."
"No need to worry about that one."
"I can use the Command Block later to steal an Aeon's authority and substitute for it temporarily."
"Remembrance is already handled."
"Destruction..."
Caelus's expression remained calm.
"Go ahead and unleash your rage, Phainon."
"Erudition is currently dormant."
"And the Emperor's Scepter system is still intact."
"I can make use of that when the time comes."
"Harmony..."
"Three faces."
"I still don't know what the final aspect is."
"But that doesn't matter."
"As long as I can drag Harmony into the conflict, that's enough."
"Preservation..."
"It looks like that accidental favor I did earlier is finally going to pay off."
"I can make use of Aventurine's debt to me."
"Equilibrium and Elation..."
"Once a war between Aeons begins, those two will almost certainly appear."
"HooH will probably intervene to reduce the damage caused by the conflict."
"As for Aha..."
"Impossible to predict."
"And the most unusual one..."
"Permanence."
"The legacy of the dragons."
"The principle of all things returning to one."
"The Abundance that divides one existence into countless forms."
"If I overlap those concepts and combine them with the power of time, I should be able to pull Long into the present for a brief moment."
"All I need to do is provide THEM with an anchor in this era."
"A momentary gaze."
"Even a fleeting silhouette would be enough."
When Caesar finally finished discussing Okhema's short-term legal structure and administrative system with her ministers, she turned toward one of the earliest warriors to enter her service.
Lord Inkblade.
Caelus.
"Lord Inkblade."
"Your contribution to this conquest cannot be overlooked."
"What reward do you desire?"
"Name it."
"I am not a monarch who breaks her promises."
Caelus emerged from his thoughts.
After considering her words for a moment, he answered,
"Caesar."
"I want to study governance."
"I want to learn how to administer a state."
Had she been an ordinary ruler, that answer would immediately have raised suspicion.
A man occupying a position comparable to a supreme military commander suddenly wanted to study civil administration?
Was he planning something?
But Caesar merely remained silent for a moment before answering.
"I don't know what has prompted your sudden interest in governance."
"But I gave you my word."
"So I will honor it."
"For the time being, follow several members of the Senate and learn from them."
"Their vision may be painfully narrow, but they do possess genuine knowledge."
"If they didn't, I wouldn't have kept them around."
"Thank you."
If Caelus wanted to assist a monarch, strengthen the law, and advance an entire system of government, then the first step was obvious.
He needed to improve his own ability to govern.
(To be continued.)