Chapter 89: Processor Design
Zephyr burned the image into his mind as a surge of chaotic emotions surged through him. His father was alive. His mother was alive. They both were. There was something more at play here. There was so much to discover. So much he now had to look forward to. But he needed the strength to be able to reach there. That location. That coordinate. Zephyr was sure it was anything but simple... So there was no way in hell he was going to allow himself to be held back here!
His consciousness that was previously being erased by the moderator suddenly surged with a violent vengeance. Who the fuck got to decide what he could or couldn’t do?! He had the knowledge, so what the fuck was this moderator?! Why did it get to filter what he wanted?! Who gave it that authority?! This was his mana node! His and his only!
All of Zephyr’s being thrummed in accordance to his will. A resonance of his conviction. It spread out through the entirety of his mana core, pulsed through his mana node, reaching the threads that connected to the ’above’. Everything in here was Zephyr, and Zephyr was everything in here. Everything bore his will, everything bore his conviction. There was no room for any other entity. Even Aegis got booted out instantly, retreating into silence on the outside at the suddenness of being expelled.
Zephyr’s intense, unwavering conviction invaded the threads, hacking mercilessly at the moderator that stood between him and what he wanted. If Zephyr could roar, he would have roared till his throat bled. He fought for control, weakening the hold—the filter that the moderator had set in place to meter his comprehension.
The battle went on for what felt like an eternity, with Zephyr nibbing at the moderator’s filter. It was coming undone slowly. And the more it did, the less wrongness Zephyr began to feel. In fact, if he wasn’t imagining it, it almost felt like the more he tore at the filter, the faster and easier it became to move further. Like his efforts were being aided by another.
Origin.
Zephyr realized that was what it was. Because of his direct contact with his mana node, he could feel that stream of every concept conceivable. That stream of information that almost wiped his mind clean the first time he tried touching his mana node... except this time it was aiding him.
"The filter wasn’t designed by origin!" Zephyr realized. Origin was supposed to be free for all. Comprehension was supposed to be free for all. He could feel that very clearly now. Origin in its natural state was impartial. Absolute. So what was this moderator and where did it come from to act as a gatekeeper to origin?
That didn’t matter to Zephyr. The hold was weakening on him, and he was sure to break free. He didn’t care about any repercussions that might happen as a result of this action, only thinking about the here and the now.
Eventually, after a drawn out battle, the filter weakened to the point where Zephyr could destroy it with a last, simple thought.