NOVEL NEXT Chapter 159 Fragment Of Shapless-Carcosa
Abilities were akin to stories; was something that Ler Setanta had told him before becoming a Knight. Fragments, or rather the concepts contained within them possessed their own unique characteristics and synergies with other fragments, such as a Fragment Of Growth layered atop a Fragment Of Tree.
A Fragment Of Creation layered atop a Fragment Of Destruction would not necessarily result in an antagonistic reaction depending on what type of Mana Core birthed the ability. However the Knight Ranked effect would be far weaker in comparison to someone that had integrated a Fragment Of Murder or a Fragment Of Eradication.
Then again, it all depended on what manner of ability someone wanted to possess.
Eis and Rana had told him that one of the strongest abilities in existence was born from an ordinary Fragment Of Book, integrated into a Dream Mana Core. The individual in question had grown from Mortality to Knighthood, and then from Knighthood to Lordship.
All the way up to Thronehood and beyond the gates of divinity.
The eighth Grand, or the Eighth Truth.
The one who borne the Title of Sorrow.
The one who had been granted the honorific name of The Oldest Dream.
The name of their ability [Halcyon Ophelia; Eighth Law Of Sorrow] was beyond mythical throughout the integrated universes. Although the exact effect description was unknowable except to the Eighth Grand, its activation effects resulted in the birth of the Dreamtime.
An internal world so large and expansive that it stretched beyond the borders of a single universe. In the same manner as how the System had created this small world for their System Introduction, The Oldest Dream had done the same thing, but on a multiversal scale.
It was an unthinkable achievement.
Something beyond Jon's comprehension and imagination.
"It is important to remember what Ru Luan Di said about the formation of various incarnation-type fragment pathways." Rana said, engulfing his form beneath a growing spherical prison of roots and tendrils.
"Incarnations are extensions of oneself. They are born from intent, emotions, lifeforce and spiritual energy. It is important to focus on concepts relating to the "self," more than anything in that regard. Considering that Ru Luan Di relied on an Incarnation Mana Core in the beginning he cheated in that regard."
"However you possess your own advantages as well. Your Hades-Draconian Shadow is evidence enough. Mutations are perhaps even more personal than incarnations. They are a part of oneself even if they manifest externally. The Hastor-Shapeless Horror are the same although lack the same "reflective" qualities of a shadow."
Jon furrowed his brows, focusing his attention deep within his Weave Mana Core.
His fears, worries, anxieties and nightmares formed the basis for his Hastor-Shapeless Horror, shifting said emotions, memories and related feelings into the fear-mutation rather than into his Sea Of Knowledge. It granted his mutation an advantage over other Fragments Of Mind, seeing as though it inherently took precedence over [Mine Is The Three Seas Of Knowledge].
Although Jon had tried combining his Fragment Of Horror and Fragment Of Shapeless countless times before, he had not yet succeeded. The transformation of said fragments into a fragment pathway had first been done under the supervision of the Liver Of The Ginseng King, who assisted in the creation of his Fragment Of Draconian Shadows.
Eis on the other hand guided him to create his Fragment Of Spellfrost Destruction.
Using the information that Ru Luan Di had given him he hoped to transform [The False Weave Of The Yellow King] into his third successful ability pathway. Another incarnation-type fragment who possessed characteristics and abilities closer to [Thou Is Mine Shadow, Born From Dragons And Knowledge].
By refining the concepts related to "horror" and "self" from within his Fragment Of Horrors and the concepts of "shapelessness" and "formlessness" with the Fragment Of Shapeless, he hoped to form something along the lines of a Fragment Of Shapeless-Horror or a Fragment Of Formless Horrors.
Under Ashvattha Rana's guidance, Jon urged the concepts within the two fragments together, hoping to use each one to envelop the other. Horrors would engulf limbs, twisting them into some terrifying abomination. While shapelessness would envelop the self, transforming its inherent appearance and physical qualities into something more…
Bizarre.
However-.
Jon gritted his teeth, feeling a backlash stretch across his Weave Mana Core, pain rippling through his mind, spirit and flesh. Veins of purplish-silver spiritual energy blossomed across his neck, arms and upper body, inflicting him with a handful of different debuffs and afflictions.
[Thread-Spirit Corruption]: Reduces resistances towards weave-related damages, afflictions and debuffs. Reduces resistances towards spirit-related damages, afflictions and debuffs. This effect refreshes upon each glance at the Hastor-Shapeless Horrors.
[Shapeless-Spirit Corruption]: Inflicts a continuous weave-natured damage over time effect. Weave natured spiritual energy envelops the mind eroding mental resistances with flashes of fear and feelings of unexplainable dread. This effect refreshes upon each glance at the Hastor-Shapeless Horrors.
[Yellow-Spirit Corruption]: Inflicts a continuous weave-natured damage over time effect. Weave natured spiritual energy. Threads of yellow mana coil around the spirit, corrupting the soul contained within. This effect refreshes upon each glance at the Hastor-Shapeless Horrors.
Thankfully, his Archetype Twinleaf and Archetype Treasured-Avarice transferred each of the effects away from him, removing the source of the pain, but resolving the damaging each one inflicted upon him.
Almost unconsciously, [Green Is The Flesh, As Red Is The Blood] activating to regenerate the damage he had received.
[Fragment Of Regeneration]
[Green Is The Flesh, As Red Is The Blood]
(Wood, Regeneration, Passive, Recovery)
Effect (Mortal): Dramatically increases natural healing speed and recovery rate. Moderately increases stamina regeneration and mana regeneration. Promotes physical growth.
Effect (Knight): Further improves the natural healing speed and recovery rate of physical wounds to match that of a Knight Ranked Hydra-species. Limbs, organs are now all capable of being regenerated. Increases resistances towards magic-related damages, afflictions and debuffs.
The purplish-silver traces of weave natured spiritual energy swiftly vanished under the influence of his Fragment Of Regeneration. His flesh and skin regained their regular colour, although his face still grimaced, feeling the effects of [Shapeless-Spirit Corruption] and [Yellow-Spirit Corruption] course throughout his mind and spirit.
Although at Knighthood, [Green Is The Flesh, As Red Is The Blood] possessed a tremendous effect on physical wounds, the damage to his mind and spirit were unable to be regenerated over a short period of time.
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'I'll need to remember to integrate a Fragment Of Spirit or a Fragment Of Mind into [Green Is The Flesh, As Red Is The Blood] at Lordship. A Fragment Of Fae or a Fragment Of Meditation might also do the trick though…' Jon groaned, adjusting his posture so that he leaned back against the Earth Reincarnation Womb.
Without even needing to ask, Ashvattha Rana adjusted the positioning of her roots and tendrils, creating a more comfortable position for Jon to recline into.
"Another failure I take it?" Rana said, causing Jon to sigh, softly nodding.
"I have the image of the fragment that I want in my mind. But for whatever reason the concept just refuse to integrate with one another. Horrors and shapelessness do not have an actual relationship with one another, although the latter could be construed as a type of "fear" for many."
"Is a Fragment Of Shapeless-Horror just not possible? Or do I have to wait until Lordship to form an ability pathway for my Hastor-Shapeless Horror?" Jon exclaimed, leaning his head against the soft bark of the bodhi deva tree.
Given the name of his fear-mutation, Jon originally hoped to use it as the foundation for his fragment pathway. Although in hindsight, such a thing was missing several powerful concepts which formed the basis for the story which he wanted to replicate.
Fragments Of Truth.
Fragments Of Yellow.
Fragments Of Mystery.
Fragments Of Lost.
Jon wanted to transform his Hastor-Shapeless Horror into an unfathomable and unknowable existence. He had integrated a Fragment Of Shapeless in order to transform the appearance of the Hastor-Yellow Horror into something more aligned with the image in his mind.
Although in hindsight, he suspected that he had given structure to something which inherently possessed neither form nor shape.
'I would be able to fix it after ascending to Lordship and integrating a Fragment Of Incarnation, but I would do so at the cost of some of the effects that the Hastor-Shapeless Horror possesses. It is developing further and further away from the Fragment Of Draconian Shadow that I successfully formed and towards something…'
"Something that I have no idea how to describe…" Jon muttered to himself, letting out a small tsk in the process.
Just as how The Oldest Dream created [Halcyon Ophelia; Eighth Law Of Sorrow] there was no reason as to why Jon could not push [The False Weave Of The Yellow King] towards something as grand and awe-inspiring.
Regardless of the outcome, he would still push his Fragment Of Horrors towards Thronehood, consistently improving and developing upon the mutation. He might have lost the opportunity to obtain a Title Fragment, but there was still plenty of time before he would become a Lord.
It would not hurt to try again after a couple of days, adjusting the image of his intended amalgamated concept within his mind. There was always the possibility, regardless of how small, of him being able to convince Ru Luan Di to assist him once again in the formation of his intended fragment.
Closing his eyes, Jon allowed himself a moments rest, enjoying the warm light that crept through the gaps in Rana's root-shaped prison. His thoughts drifting off to the first time he formed a fragment pathway, under the assistance and supervision of Ru Luan Di.
The familiar ding of a System notification echoing from the depths of his Sea Of Guf, before being overwhelmed beneath the feeling of his Hades-Draconian Shadow writhing beneath his feet.
"Congratulations Jon. Your Fragment Of Draconian Shadow seems to be a fine and powerful pseudo-incarnation. Even without the Avatar Trait or Incarnation Trait, it is still intrinsically tied to your as both your shadow and mutation."
"When you decide to transform you Hastor-Yellow Horrors, remember to keep imagining the growth of your fragment pathway. A stagnant image provides no room for development or subsequent transformation."
"A story does not necessarily end when you reach the last page. The characters, the emotions, the world and everything in between continues to flourish and grow even if it is just a fantasy. If there was one thing that Ler Setanta was better than me at, it was that his unrelenting phantasies that pushed him to ascend further and further beyond Thronehood."
"Your abilities do not end at their effect descriptions. Nor do they stop developing even after becoming a Throne."
"Remember that Jon."
The words of the Liver Of The Ginseng King whispering within his ear, as if containing some sort of hidden truth. Brows furrowing in response; Sea Of Knowledge churning in response to this turbulent train of thought.
"A story does not necessarily end when you reach the last page…" He muttered, before sitting up, eyes widening in realization. The soft golden-green glow of the Earth Reincarnation Womb flashing through his eyes, combined through the effects of his Mortal Ranked Title.
[Fragment Of Tree]
[Ashvattha Rana Devi; Earth Reincarnation Womb]
(Bodhisattva)
Effect (Mortal): While active, the contractor will receive an infinitesimally minute chance of obtaining enlightenment.
[Jonathan Randall Guilliman; Princeps Of The Wandering Mutation]
[3]: Increases the ease of comprehending new ideas and understanding knowledge. Increases the likelihood of obtaining enlightenment, in its myriad forms, regardless of the circumstance.
His breath hitching in response to the combined effects, as his Sea Of Knowledge expanded. Memories and images relating to the formation of his Fragment Of Shapeless-Horror vanishing in the blink of an eye, thoughts and desires relating to the creation of a Fragment Of Horrifying-Limbs blown away by the golden glow of enlightenment.
Rana twitched, feeling the activation of one of her Mortal Ranked effects.
Her enormous canopy releasing a gorgeous golden hue, bathing Jon within the light of blissful enlightenment. It was a random occurrence, one that she possessed no direct control over.
It was up to the individual meditating within the vicinity of her glow, and their own understanding of the "self".
Ashvattha Rana could see Jon manipulate both the Fragment Of Horrors and Fragment Of Shapeless within his Weave Mana Core. The foundations of his Hastor-Shapeless Horrors quaking not in fear or worry, but in excitement, quivering in response to the golden hue of enlightenment.
Concepts of "horror," "fear," "memories" and the "self" unravelled themselves before this glow. As did concepts of "shapelessness," "formlessness," "intangibility," and "fluidity" willingly exposed themselves to this overwhelmingly greater concept. There was no resistance or refusal to integrate themselves with one another.
The metaphysical image of both fragments within his Sea Of Knowledge crackling, releasing said concepts out into the open, breaking them down into motes of pure spiritual energy. The process was smoother than when he formed both his Fragment Of Draconian Shadows and Fragment Of Spellfrost Destruction.
There was no need for Jon to form the basis of an image with his mind.
His thoughts and feelings transforming the concepts within both fragments into words, using them to describe a developing story within his mind.
"There once was a boy from Carcosa,
lost amidst the streets and sighs.
He offered me some sweet ambrosia,
drowning me beneath a tentacled sky."
"Horrors, he whispered, beyond your imagination,
shall visit you when you sleep.
Twisted perversions of truth and contamination,
buried beneath those secrets you so dutifully hide deep."
"I am, he said, the boy in yellow,
King Of Fear, Beauty And Tentacled Aromas.
Hark and listen you strange and otherworldly fellow,
For this is mine, this kingdom of Carcosa."
Jon heard the sound of several System notifications echo in the back of his mind, but ignored them, focusing on the yellowish-black fragment that had formed within his Weave Mana Core. He knew its name, without even having to observe it or look at its effect description.
His lips muttering something imperceptible, whispering a truth that seemed to exist only within his mind.
"Fragment Of Shapeless-Carcosa."
[Fragment Of Shapeless-Carcosa]
[Shapeless Kingdom Of Horrors And Yellow]
[Weave, Horror, Shapeless, Mutation, Enhancement, Spell, Construct, Debuff, Self)
Effect (Knight): Transform the mortal nature of one's inner fears into Carcosa-Form Horrors. The Carcosa-Form Horrors are a pseudo-spiritual amalgamation of specific memories, thoughts, emotions, desires and spiritual energy. The Carcosa-Form Horrors now contains within it the concept of "formless horrors," "lost carcosa," and the "shapeless self."
The Carcosa-Form Horrors dramatically increases maximum mana and mana regeneration. Dramatically increases resistances towards knowledge-related and truth-related damages, afflictions and debuffs. Slightly increases the effectiveness of all abilities with the Fear Trait and Weave Trait.
Chant, then infuse your fears with the horrifying and unfathomable truths birthed from the border between the conscious mind and the perfection of emotion and madness. Release the Carcosa-Form Horrors from within your subconscious mind, allowing it to manifest itself in the form of a pseudo-independent spiritual construct.
The Carcosa-Form Horrors can sprout from anywhere considered the Self, dealing instances of weave-natured damage and inflicting instances of [Carcosa-Kingdom Corruption] and [Yellow-Horror Corruption] upon each successful strike up to a maximum threshold.
The Carcosa-Form Horrors will refresh instances of [Carcosa-Kingdom Corruption] and [Yellow-Horror Corruption] so long as the recipient continues to visually observe it.
[Carcosa-Kingdom Corruption]: Reduces resistances towards weave-related damages, afflictions and debuffs. Reduces resistances towards spirit-related damages, afflictions and debuffs. Additional stacks have an additive effect.
[Yellow-Horror Corruption]: Inflicts a continuous weave-natured damage over time effect. Weave natured spiritual energy. Threads of yellow spiritual energy coil around the mind, corrupting the memories, emotions and desires contained within. Additional stacks have an additive effect.