With the Originats getting down to business, Ash found himself in quite the situation.
It was one he knew had been coming yet, it still irritated him greatly.
It had only been a few hours since this second event began, with only a few thousand people going upâthe stage.
Yet, in the last thirty minutes more people had approached him than had been on the stageâprodigies drifting over on hovering cushions, auras flaring subtly in forced friendliness, eyes gleaming with calculated interest as they circled his group like cautious predators.
Why?
Of course, it was because of their leadersâthey wanted to know more about Ash: who he was, what he was, and where he came from.
Anything and everything came with people trying to forge fake connectionsâsmiles too wide, compliments too practiced, hands offered in alliances that stank of opportunism.
Ash never gave them a second thought, but whenever someone tried to bother him, heâd just size them upâmentally jot down their nameâand shut his eyes again, tuning them out.
All these people... they were already gone and didnât even know it; their fates sealed with quiet certainty.
"Hey, Aurelia!"
From the side, a silver-skinned man appeared, gliding effortlessly on his zafu through the drifting crowd, golden veins faintly pulsing beneath his metallic sheen, his black robes flowing around him.
It was Cleo, and like everyone else, he had received orders. Since no one had managed to get the guy to speak, he decided to go with the next best option.
His zafu drifted to a soft hover beside the group, Cleo offering a practiced smileâgolden eyes warm yet searching, voice as smooth as a polished verdict.
"Aurelia, itâs been a while. That vision earlierâmulticolored flames shaping chaos into order? Bold as ever." He reclined casually on the edge of his cushion, his aura pulsing in a warm, friendly cadence.
"And Elara, right? Pleasure to meet you."
Aurelia rolled her eyes at once, multicolored flames flickering with irritation as she caught on to the hintâhis gaze drifting toward Ash a little too often, questions circling like vultures waiting to pounce.
"Cleo, drop the act. You want to know about him?" She jerked a thumb toward Ash without the slightest subtlety.
"Ask the man yourself. Heâs right there."
Cleoâs smile wavered, but he held his composure, turning to face Ash with a voice that was polite yet firm.
"Ash, is it? You certainly make an impression. That vision of yours earlier... it rattled the whole pavilion.... but where do you hail from?"
Ash didnât respondâhis eyes stayed shut, posture loose as he reclined on his zafu, fruit idle in his hand, his aura calm as if Cleo were nothing more than a passing breeze.
Complete, deliberate silence...
Seeing this, Cleo didnât feel bad at all; in fact, he kind of respected the guy.
âI mean, honestly, who would bother answering random questions from random people... especially so many all at once,â he thought. Instead of leaving, he settled on the opposite side of Aurelia, watching the showcase continue.
As someone on stage recited a poem, KhaâZulâs eyes kept flickering toward Ash and Aurelia, lingering there for some time.
"Will you honestly let that guy be around your fiancé?" asked a male human with golden blindfolds.
He had short golden hair and pale skin.
This was Zion, quite a special human, as he was a Seer and the best friend of KhaâZul.
KhaâZul rolled his eyes. "You know as well as I do, I couldnât care less about that damned bird. But the essence she carries..."
Still, his gaze kept drifting toward them, drawn by a faint, indescribable sensationâsomething ancient, timeless, and yet utterly dreadful.
âWhat the hell am I feeling?â he wondered, as Zionâs voice echoed once more.
"Heh, you donât have to lift a finger. Iâve got my own orders anyway, so letâs begin, shall we?"
As he said this his vision behind his blindfolds shifted as he activated an ability that came with his stage five precept.
|Unforeseen Coronation|
He thought to himself, âChaos is bound to happen... starting quietly when the man in the spotlight finally steps onto the stage. But when the third event arrives, let all hell break loose.â
Just then, a faint golden light filled the room, touching everyone except a select few. His power made chaos inevitable, twisting events toward disorder. Ash, who had kept his eyes closed until now, slowly opened them.
âThere you are...â He had been waiting since using his foresight to pinpoint the source of the catalyst. But it was only just beginningâthere was still a little more waiting to do.
In the meantime, he pondered what heâd do once he stepped onto the stage.
âYeah, you know exactly what you want to do. Iâve already gotten most of them by now anyway,â Elysia said.
âPerfect, then Iâll make sure to collect them again. Hmm, now that I think about it, did we just stumble upon another loophole?â
âPerhââ Elysia stopped mid-word, glancing at Ash as he turned to her at the exact same moment, as if heâd just had the most brilliant epiphany imaginable.
"Ha... hahaha!" They both burst into laughter, and even with others still pestering him, he laughed like he was the only man in the room.
Why?
From the moment he stepped in, Elysia began copying every single cheat without exception. New seeds sprouted within his inner cosmos, hidden from everyoneâs eyes. But that wasnât even the craziest part.
I mean yes it was, but Ash had initially planned to copy them all again not using conceptual sight, desire manifestation and a few other things... but using the codex. Then he would just evolve it all using his cosmos.
It was by all means something he still intended to do... but what if he used the codex to evolve his cosmos itself? To redefine it in a way he never had the chance to.
One must remember... the cosmos itself is only a result of his physique âOrigin Selfâ. Something that came from his existence becoming one and inseparable.
It was something that would be completely broken.