Against The True Gods

Aura.

It was a reflection of one's presence, one's Will, one's cultivation, and one's Dao Heart. It highlighted the chasms between those above and those below.

But it wasn't as intangible as most thought. In fact, it was deeply linked to one's True Will.

Once it reached a certain threshold, Will could birth True Aura. And when one's True Aura reached a certain apex, it became a True Royal Aura, ascending through tiers of noble royalty.

The higher one's Aura state, the greater their power and presence, with countless passive abilities inherently tied to their True Wills.

WHOOOSH!

The aura around Caine thickened, evolving into a mantle. The faint royal traits within his True Will fully bloomed, pushing his Will into the True Royal Will state.

Subsequently, his aura ascended as well, reaching royalty. A swirling haze of purple-red and silver-gold enveloped him, obscuring his features and casting a net of oppressive force.

His True Will settled at the earliest stage of royalty, but his aura surged forward.

From the Prince stage, it climbed higher, shattering past the Lord, King, and Emperor stages.

The line between Caine's Demonic and Holy auras blurred further, becoming an ethereal, multicolored mantle as it surged past the Emperor, Sovereign, Monarch, and Venerable stages.

An ancient hum resonated through his body. His True Aura flowed seamlessly through his existence, leaving its noble mark. In a single bound, it shattered the final barrier.

It reached the True Royal God Aura stage.

The evolution was smooth, seamless, and natural. There was no explosive display of power. Instead, Caine's aura became subtler, an abyss of empty calm that none could penetrate.

WHOOOOOOOSH!

One transformation flowed into the next.

At once, the fractured shards of his mind awakened and answered his call, returning to him and reassembling into a whole. His mind, now vast and expansive, seemed to have multiplied its already immense capacity several times over.

BANG!

Caine's conscious and subconscious selves bridged once more, and his body stirred as he slowly began to awaken.

His aura receded, along with his roaring True Wills, simmered by the Great Mother's rune, a protective measure to preserve his flesh.

[You have conquered the avenues of life.]

Even as the message rang through his mind and blessings rained down from the skies, Caine remained quiet, caught in a half-slumber.

It was hours before his mind fully mended and he was whole again. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

WHOOOSH!

A soft breeze brushed against his skin, sending a pleasant tingle down his spine. The sweet scent of the garden's flowers filled his senses. His long hair flowed gently in the wind, and his crystalline skin reflected faint traces of the void above.

Caine raised his hand and gazed at his palm.

'Good.'

It felt like a mere instant—like the blink of an eye. Yet, it also felt like an eternity. An eternity of growth and change he could not fully comprehend but knew had occurred.

His mind felt reborn, alive, and unshackled.

But there was an unfamiliar fatigue, not like the exhaustion he'd felt after forging his cursed and blessed aspect natures. It was a different kind of weariness—a heaviness akin to a child overwhelmed by too much energy, so much so that it tired rather than invigorated him.

It felt natural.

Without a care, he let his body fall backward, using his arm as a makeshift pillow. The soothing waves of the endless golden ocean surrounding the garden served as a lullaby, pulling him into a deep and restorative sleep.

For the first time in what felt like eons, a sense of profound peace enveloped him, as though the very hands of Fate cradled him in their care.

And perhaps, they did.

***

Caine's dream was strange. It was a replay of an old memory.

He saw nothing, only heard voices.

"I wish we could all simply die and start anew, with knowledge of the past. That'd be nice."

"Of the past? Wouldn't you rather know the future? Seems much more practical."

"I don't know. The past feels like a database of assured information I can use to navigate forward. The future just feels fledging, like a bundle of countless possibilities, like a bag of needles."

"Each needle is just as different as the other, but they still remain needles, you know? I don't know if I'm making sense."

"I see what you're trying to say. Knowing the future nulls it, yes?"

"Mhm." The voice sighed. "It's like that prophecy. I feel like it holds more truth than any knowledge of the future."

"Prophecy?"

"Yeah, the prophecy told by the Oldest Sister before she perished at the hands of the Imperials. Haven't you heard?"

"No."

Suddenly, Caine's vision cleared. His dream shifted into a vivid depiction of the past.

He sat at a table in a lively bar filled with chatter and laughter. Two veiled figures conversed—the voices he had been hearing.

One was a woman with long purple hair and scarred features. The other was an older man, bulky and rugged, with a bald head, wise eyes, and a thick beard.

The woman snacked on biscuits while the man drank from a jug of beer.

The man spoke. "Her prophecy was strange. It spoke of a dead child. A child bound by the chains of hell and forged from the flames of Heaven, bound by the void's fury. It was weird."

He took a swig of his drink and let out a satisfied sigh before continuing. "If I remember correctly, the exact prophecy was…"

[On the first night of the last winter, the Eyes of Fate shall flood the skies and scour for the Son born of mist and soil.]

[On the second night of the first summer, the Son's heart shall be torn from his carcass and used as a relic of melancholy.]

[On the third night of the forgotten autumn, the winds shall howl in fury, the seas in fear, and the heavens shall weep in regret.]

[On the fourth night of the forsaken spring, the Son shall be reborn, his fate stripped and his heart unfettered.]

[On the final day, all shall look to the darkened veil of the heavens.]

[And on the final night, he shall appear like a thief in the night, to steal the Lost Throne.]

[The echoes of his name shall be: The Usurper, The Stolen of Fate, The Bastard, The Fallen!] Enjoy exclusive adventures from My Virtual Library Empire

The man fell silent, staring into his drink as though the weight of the prophecy pressed against him.