Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

-- Time passed by like a stream of water... The Ancient Chaos Alpha Project continued under Cedric's lead. Its participants became even more spirited and hopeful after learning that one of them, Jormund, has attained the very thing they're wishing for day and night. Seeing one success was enough for all of them to dissipate any and all remaining doubts about the project. Before, even though they were trying, they still held some skepticism about the project. But obviously, it's different now. They doubled their efforts, under reason, of course. Cedric wouldn't let them go overboard, after all. Everyone became spirited because they too wanted to be the next Jormund. It didn't take long before more people reached the final step of the project, and shortly after that, more people found the spark and officially stepped into the Void Refinement Realm of the Ancient Chaos Path. The ones that followed Jormund were the Spirit Golem and the One-Eyed Lady, the same two people who went into the third step with him. And just like Jormund, everybody paid close attention to their breakthroughs. They didn't show any unique changes, though. Their breakthrough went exactly like Cedric's, which was fine since it's already great that they managed to get this far, and this also fell within Cedric's expectations. Following them were three more people. A spirit, a fae, and a celestial. Because these three were members of 'The Six,' it is expected that their respected chancellors would pay close attention to their progress. And this is where it was more or less proven that the Primordial Chaos was truly biased to its first batch of children, because their breakthroughs were accompanied by miraculous phenomena, much like Jormund. During the Holy Spirit's breakthrough, a complication occurred, similar to what Jormund experienced. Cedric, somehow foreseeing this event, gave the same advice he gave to Jormund not only to this one but also to the others as well because their breakthroughs happened at the same time. The Holy Spirit evolved in a way that almost made the Holy Spirit Chancellor faint in happiness. See, the Holy Spirit Race, despite their unparalleled understanding and skill towards spiritual arts, has always been shackled by their weak physiques. They never feared illusions, mental demons, or anything of the like, but they struggled with anything related to their physical capabilities. It's not like they haven't thought of a way to fix this problem. They have, but this was a genetic defect, and it's not so easy to cure it since it's tied to their origins. According to Chancellor Igor, Holy Spirits weren't like this in the past. Sure, their physiques were not their strongest suit, but it has never been their biggest weakness either. This defect only showed up after the decline of the Ancient Era, and now, things have turned out this way. Well, as it turns out, all they were missing to fix this defect was a little bit of Chaos Energy, because as soon as the Fjord—the first Holy Spirit to step into the Ancient Chaos Path in this era—condensed the first strand of Chaos Energy in his Inner World, he evolved—or more precisely, reverted to his ancestral form. The outward changes were so obvious, but Chancellor Igor noticed the differences right away. Fjord still has a physical form, but it's no longer a shackle to him. It has melded into his spiritual body and could turn incorporeal at any given moment should he wish. In his incorporeal form, Fjord could simply phase through most of the harm coming his way, like a ghost walking through walls. It's truly a miraculous change, one that made the Holy Spirit Chancellor extremely emotional. As for Caelid—the Celestial who broke through at the same time as them. He also evolved after condensing his first strand of Chaos Energy. Amongst many races within the alliance, the Mystic Faes and the Divine Celestials bore the closest resemblance to humans. What sets Celestials apart from humans were their 'extra parts,' or as they call it, 'Divine Blessing.'. Divine Blessings could take on the form of extra limbs, organs, tools, or equipment. It could be anything really; it's just that it will always be attached to its owner and cannot be deliberately hidden. The celestials build their entire foundation by cultivating these blessings. Even going as far as spending exorbitant amounts of resources just to raise its quality. Their ultimate goal is to spread the influence of this divine blessing to every single corner and cell of their bodies, not sparing their soul in their process too. Unfortunately, though, nobody has ever been able to complete the refinement. The highest record holder was the current Divine Celestial Chancellor, who had his Divine Blessing incorporated into at least 95% of his entire being with no hopes of progressing even a single inch further. All Celestials knew that a miraculous change occurs once one completes the incorporation. Alas, nobody has ever been able to do it. Until now, that is... Caelid displayed just what lies beyond the perfection. And it was a complete sublimation of himself. He ascended, his entire being turned divine, unsullied, and untainted. From here on, he existed in a lofty position, one that truly represents the word 'divine.'. His changes were so surprising that the Divine Celestial Chancellor was gobsmacked. How could he not be when he felt his own divine blessing feeling suppressed in front of Caelid? But at the same time, he's also ecstatic because this evolution proves that their records were correct. There is indeed a miraculous change once one's divine blessing permeates their entire being! On a side note, Chancellor Igor whispered to Cedric that it was also how the Ancient Divine Celestials used to look and feel. And finally, the Mystic Fae—Alexis, Silas' distant younger cousin. Like Fjord, no major outward changes happened to him. Everything seemed normal, and some even suspected if something truly changed within him. However, all suspicions were discarded the moment Alexis revealed his Inner World. Because upon unleashing it, they all saw a decently tall and majestic tree growing at the very center of it. Silas' eyes bulged upon seeing it. He even rubbed his eyes just to make sure he's seeing it correctly, and he was. And if that wasn't enough, he even asked Cedric if he's actually seeing things right, and Cedric himself confirmed it. Yes, Alexis was now nurturing a World Tree Sapling within his Inner World. This...this was a big deal to the Mystic Faes. Because just like Jormund's experience with Atavism, Alexis wasn't acknowledged by the World Tree. It was one of his biggest regrets, which has now turned into an incredible surprise after his breakthrough. According to him, he saw the essence of the World Tree lying dormant within him. He even got the information that all Mystic Faes have the same thing. It was roused into wakefulness, though, upon sensing the presence of Chaos Energy, and so far, it grew to this size. Alexis said that the sapling he's nurturing will never be as real as the world tree. The only chance it'll happen is when the current World Tree somehow dies and a replacement is needed. But this was hardly a problem to them. As the guardian of this sapling, Alexis can channel a portion of the World Tree's might through its connection with the sapling. Moreover, since he's carrying the sapling in his Inner World, he could open up a passage to any world within the World Tree's branches. Which meant that he could call upon reinforcements anywhere he goes, and he could come and go anywhere as he pleases. Silas felt a pang of jealousy all of a sudden because even he couldn't do something like this. Yes, he could open up a passage, but only while he's within the territory of the World Tree, not anywhere he pleases like Alexis. No matter what the changes were, though, it's obvious that the breakthroughs were a resounding success and that there is a lot of data to collect from their experiences, which will help to improve the project moving forward. Obviously, Fjord, Caelid, and Alexis became celebrities overnight and received more attention from their respective chancellors. This was obviously within their expectations because they have completely reversed their fates. Still, they are bound by the contract they signed and had to spend 50 years of service to the Border Patrol Office whether they like it or not. Fortunately, their evolutions didn't get into their heads too much, and they still respected the contract. Since then, Cedric found himself teaching more people about his runic formations and his ideas to elevate the capabilities of the camps. Once he's done teaching everything he could to someone, he sends them to other camps so they can start working immediately. Additionally, Cedric kept compiling data, and with each successful participant, more and more details were refined, making the project closer to perfection. Very soon, more people will break through, and very soon, they're going to have to invite a new batch of people to participate. But that's a matter for the future. Right now, Cedric wanted to focus on breaking through the 5th Stage of the Void Refinement Realm.