Against The True Gods

He'd been afraid countless times within his time in the Fields of Carnage.

Though over time, he repeatedly affirmed himself and overcame all challenges, the flaw in his heart remained.

So he would change it. He would evolve it.

He would forge a Dao Heart forged out of the very essence of fate, a Heart where everything in his sight was a matter of Will.

A Heart that steered the workings of Fate in his direction, a Heart that controlled and dominated fate.

A Heart that would be above fear or hope—for the future, past, and present were within the palm of his hands, the absolute being a mere possibility.

The Dao Heart of Hopeless Fate.

And there came the horror of Fate.

Because, was this not what it wanted? Was this very moment not what Fate desired?

Fate called upon him, and unbeknownst to him, he'd answered its call.

It was a trap he couldn't help but walk into.

Fate desired to crown him, and he had no choice but to bow his head and accept control over it.

Fate itself had controlled the world around him, forcing him to walk upon this path—a path which he had no choice but to walk upon, a path that led to this very moment.

A path where all possibilities led him to this moment. A path where he either accepted the crown or died.

It was inevitable.

It was horrifying. Just as much as it was exciting. It was only now that it all became clear to Caine—but he'd already accepted it.

He would answer its call.

WHOOOSH!

His silver heart slowly faded and unwound into threads of silver. Simultaneously, from thin air, threads of gold and white appeared.

These threads weaved into one another and overlapped to form flesh that shaped into a radiant and majestic heart of shades of silver, gold, and white.

Upon the Heart's surface, complex runes of gold and silver formed, bound by runes of pure white.

PAH!

The heart pulsed and installed itself into his chest, connecting to his veins. His body rippled and deconstructed itself into fine threads that instantly restructured his body.

Simultaneously, Caine closed his eyes just as his perception of time slowed to a crawl. Time essentially froze for him.

This was the perfect moment to form his second Heart.

Heart Demons.

Manifestations of one's emotions through the wonders of existence.

Fear, hate, loss, jealousy, envy, melancholy—and many more. These are all emotions that could birth Heart Demons.

And Caine had experienced it all, countless times. These were emotions that had never left him; they always danced around in his mind, pushing him closer and closer to the edge—toward madness.

Unlike what most believed, he wasn't particularly tenacious—or so he believed. He wasn't as emotionally mature as most, nor as emotionally resistant as most.

He was more fragile than most. More wounded than most. And had a softer heart than most.

His heart was so soft in the face of such cruelty, he still managed to smile. He still managed to view the world with relative objectivity and appreciate its beauty.

He still managed to trust and advance without lingering on the horrible past he had.

Staring at the countless demons ahead, he could see he wouldn't last long. Soon, he'd fall into madness and be twisted into a demonic entity full of hate.

So, instead of letting it happen, instead of letting these demons slowly devour him from the inside, he'd simply accept it.

He'd accept it all. He'd allow himself to fall into madness. He'd allow his endless emotions to bloom and explode into the world.

He'd never hold anything back; it would all always flow out—wild and unfettered. He'd well and truly bathe in his worldly and futile aspect.

He'd become his True Self.

His emotions would become a fuel, they'd become an extension of himself, as would the emotions of any and all people.

He'd forge his second Heart—the Serene Madness Dao Heart. Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire

WHOOOOOSH!

The Heart Demons, frozen in time, slowly began to collapse into motes of dark light and threads of crimson blood. They wove into one another, just like his previous heart, and layered into flesh that formed a majestic yet malevolent heart, highlighted by shades of black, crimson, and amethyst.

Dark emerald runes erupted across its surface as the heart settled beside Caine's first Dao Heart. New veins formed in his body, connecting to the new heart as the two tightly pressed against one another.

Caine's chest closed, and his two hearts thumped at once, releasing a wave of terrifying power as they reached completion and immediately reached a state of harmony.

Caine's body rippled, changing more and more, his body rewiring itself anew. Atop his head, his crown suddenly appeared, along with the halo Laplace had given him.

The Halo trembled, then shattered, but in between the cracks, links of red and purple energy formed, holding the halo together as beautiful golden runes erupted across its surface.

The Halo shook as twelve other halos, identical to the original, appeared and layered atop it. Atop Caine's head, they slowly spun, connecting to his Dao Hearts and allowing more changes and mutations to occur in his body.

On the other hand, his crown didn't change but rather, its thirteen fitted jewels shone, lighting up one after the other.

The crown linked to his halo, then to his Dao Hearts, forming and completing a perfect loop.

The divine strength of his soul-form, contained in his crown, rapidly began to fade, sacrificed to allow a great and grand change to occur.

An exchange of strength for endless potential.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM!

His hearts thumped again and again, their strength flooding him and changing everything.

All the stars in his bond space imploded, only to reform and erupt with horrifying power, almost as if their nature had split and completed, gaining a demonic nature.

His own silver star split in half, one remaining silver while the other became a swirl of amethyst and dark silver, perfectly balancing out his other star.

Caine's two True Wills towered.