Re: Timeless Apocalypse

A lie.

Everything Uriel knew about magic was a lie.

Thoryl had not only trapped his pack’s lineal talent and turned it into a ticking time bomb, he had also entirely falsified every piece of knowledge within the guide.

The only reason Uriel even wielded magic was his talent. His talent was so mighty that he had somehow made sense of all the lies within the guide and reached magic’s gates.

But the amount of potential left behind was... beyond words.

Had he not gotten stuck in the cave and had his core and rings shattered by the Sin, he would have been crippled in a way hard to describe.

"Haha!"

His tunic, the pills, his mage tool, the cards—it was all a trap. They were all ticking time bombs.

...

"..."

It took a while for Uriel to stop laughing, and it took even longer for his aura to vanish once again—and longer still for his temper to simmer down.

He decided not to think about it. If he did, he feared his soul might collapse.

There was nothing he could do about the pills he had taken, and all he could do was hope the rebirths he had gone through had somehow undone whatever evil they had caused to his body.

As for his Mage Tool and Tunic? He could not do a thing. He knew how to bind artefacts to his core, but he had no idea how to unbind them.

Let alone now that he had three cores, which he still barely understood.

So he simply decided to ignore the matter.

’Magic is so much more varied than I had thought...’ he thought, his heart full of wonder and suppressed rage.

There were so many schools of magic.

From summoning magic, to invocation magic, to spirit magic, and so much more; the complexity knew no end, and that didn’t even begin to touch on the endless number of martial disciplines that mirrored them.

In his mind, the truths of the arcane and martial swirled together, bridging into one, facilitated by his root which allowed him to seamlessly master and comprehend it all.

There was so much. So much he had missed.

So much potential.

’Mana and Aura...’

From the guides in his mind, these two energies were mutated forms of aether—the former forged for magic and the soul, the latter crafted for martial arts and the body.

The guides called them Protos Path Energies.

’Why the hell did Enoch not tell me about this...’ his gaze flickered. ’He saw me take the wrong path, he saw me fall into a trap, and simply let it happen.’

’Why didn’t Ayah—’ Uriel closed his eyes.

He refocused.

"..."

His mage project required him to fully and perfectly grasp resonance, dissonance, and harmony, but it also demanded that he not only perfect his understanding of magic, but also his understanding of martial arts.

And then bridge it all into one seamless whole. One coherent unit.

’I see,’ he thought, calmly. ’Magic and martial arts are both forms of control, almost like mutated reflections of the three major avenues of control.’

’They are born from them, yet rival them in both essence and complexity. So in practice, control manifests itself through five avenues: magic, martial arts, resonance, harmony, and dissonance.’

’But magic and martial arts function entirely differently. They interact far more directly with the world and existence as a whole.’

He paused. ’Or maybe that’s the wrong way to see it. Whatever.’

’Magic rules the runic fabric of all things, taking control and reshaping it according to the intent of one’s Will, while martial arts rule over...’

He frowned.

’...hm...’

From the guides and brief talks with Enoch, he knew how Martial Artists grew in power. While mages had Magic Circles, they had what were known as Martial Stars.

If Magic Circles could be said to be kernels of law, attempting to mimic the runic fabric of the world, then...

’...martial stars are kernels of energy that seek to embody the primordial essence of the world.’

He nodded to himself. ’Martial arts rule over the primordial energetic fabric of the world.’

Still, tangibly, a part of him struggled to fully comprehend the depths of martial arts.

With magic, it was easy; it was a translation of will through law, forged from one’s will and the laws of the world—the bridge between the two birthed spells.

In essence, Magic Circles were miniature runic fabrics. Ultra-specialized, infinitely weaker than the real thing—but still echoes of it.

But Martial Stars still eluded him to an extent.

Then, suddenly, Uriel had a thought.

’Why does Enoch always manifest his fire and lightning as lions?’ The thought refused to leave his mind.

’During the simulation, when he formed that javelin of lightning... why was it so strong? Why did it actually feel like a God—’

Uriel’s mind blurred, and another thought surfaced.

’What separates spiritual laws from true worldly laws?’

Another followed.

’How did I feel the emotion of the world when I first awakened my spark—no, not how, but why?’

The flow of his thoughts made no sense, yet for some reason, Uriel could not stop himself.

’We, humans, are born from the world and the echoes of its energy, while the sentinels are born from the core of the world and the echoes of its laws...’

DONG!

A deep hum echoed across his body, and once again, the gates of his sparks opened. From them, endless comprehension flooded into him.

It did not take more than a moment for him to piece it all together.

’No, no, no, no. I missed the point. I missed the point. I missed the point!’

Magic and Martial Arts were not avenues of control—they were types of it. The difference was minute, yet primordial.

’Magic seeks to comprehend and control True Worldly Laws, born of the world, born of the runic fabric, while Martial Arts seek to comprehend and control Spiritual Laws—born of life, born of the energetic fabric of the world, the thing living beings resonate with most by virtue of their true cores...’

’It’s a contrast of shape and form. Magic creates the world, and martial arts steer the tides of life itself. Almost like a dance between Fate and... Destiny.’

Uriel felt his body shift and change, the very wisdom he had grasped condensing within him and becoming a part of him, infusing into his deepest depths.

He did not even bother checking as he received a plethora of notifications from his weave and formed two new uniquenesses.

He did not even bother as he formed a new moon.

WHOOOSH!

An aura of inviolable control rose from him, wrapping around the world and plunging it into true tranquility.

But soon, that shattered, an air of pure savagery rising from him as he grinned wildly.

’I can do it!’

He knew his mage project would be a success.

’Let’s begin!’