Origin Seeker

After a bit more looking, Dream suddenly sent the books around him back to their places. His control over the repository's enchantments also retracted, leaving a back door just in case. 

Seeing that he was done, Vela looked at him oddly. 

"So... was it helpful?"

"Not as much as I thought it would be."

Dream let out a small breath as he spoke. Vela was surprised by his disappointment.

"Really? Those books record a large part of the advancement process. They've helped very many people in their advancements."

"Those books only contain superficial knowledge. It doesn't grasp the core truths of the advancement process."

"They definitely do. I know because I've read those books and used their knowledge in my own advancement."

"No, you misunderstand. They don't hold the core truths, because the most foundational processes during advancement are overseen by the System. Thus, you can't possibly understand those truths. You were never allowed to."

"...Oh."

Vela was stunned silent, unable to retort. This fact wasn't groundbreaking, but everyone glossed over it since the involvement of the System was the truth of the universe. There was nobody who could gain power without the System, and it oversaw all advancements. It had been taken as a simple law of the universe, so nobody ever bothered with understanding it, especially at such a low level. 

Now that Dream was pointing this out, Vela couldn't say anything. Though, that raised more questions. 

"Why do you need such knowledge though? It won't help you, and that knowledge would only be held by clans like the Blood Drop Clan that have people even more powerful than class 7's in their ranks."

"It actually would help me. Let's just say I'm a bit special. I can't really say much more than that. Either way, these books don't help me, though the ones about class 6's and 7's were nice to read."

Dream said as he clapped his hands and turned to walk out. 

He hadn't just brought out class 5 books. He had brought out class 6 and 7 ones, but those were only a single book each. Through them, he learned that the class 6 advancement was a process by which everything about a person was brought together. It was the full manifestation of someone's abilities and talent. At that point, there would be no more levels. From then on, the class 6 would have to gain power by comprehending Concepts, touching upon their power. This was made possible because the ability to comprehend concepts was unlocked at the class 6 level. 

After that, once someone comprehended the shell of a concept, they had a chance to be blessed by it. Once they were blessed by a concept, they would become a demigod, a class 7, someone who could wield the power of their concept. 

Beyond that was a mystery, at least to this clan. With that, Dream had gained all the knowledge he could from this clan. At this point, there was nothing else they could give or do for him that would be beneficial. The only valuable thing they could do for him was guide his sister, which is what he was doing this all for. 

Although Vela had questions about Dream's words, she wasn't able to ask as Dream started walking out. After a bit of time, the two exited the building, reentering the bounds of the massive city around them. 

"What will you do now?"

Vela asked as Dream stopped walking beside a city street. He looked around for a second before pulling the class 5 soul out of his pocket. The little wisp glowed in his hand, nothing remaining of the person it had once been.

"I'm going to take a look at this soul for a while. Deliver that stuff to the house you gave us, and I'll take care of it. After a few days I'll start working. Be prepared to pick everything up when I contact you."

"...Sure."

Vela responded absentmindedly as she looked at the soul in Dream's hand. To think that soul wasn't originally that much weaker than her, and he had perfectly extracted it from someone's body. She shivered to think of the things he could do at his level.

"Then I'll be off."

Saying that, Dream took a step. Vela was stunned as a layer of space covered him, and he vanished. For a few seconds she stared at the place he was at until she snapped out of it and walked back to the building they came out of. Her top priority now was to ensure Dream got absolutely everything she could give him. Only that way would they gain the most out of his unfathomable abilities.

...........

After vanishing, Dream almost immediately appeared above the residence that was given to him and his sister. He didn't go into it though, instead turning his attention to the area next to it. 

Beside Dream's residence was a massive factory that had been built by nanites after converting a huge plot of land. On top of this factory was a clean little area that was designated as his workplace. He floated over to it before summoning a comfortable chair and sitting back into it. 

"Now, lay your secrets before me."

Saying that, Dream raised the soul still in his hand. The soul floated in front of him, and when he raised his 10 fingers, 10 tendrils shot from them into the soul. They were like needles comprised of his power, scouring the soul for all information they could get. 

In fact, these 10 tendrils were actually made of mana atoms. Mana atoms were the most dense and powerful form of mana that Dream knew of, and in his hands, they became instruments of absolute precision. He could easily pierce into the soul that was a step above his own with these mana atoms, even tear it apart as he wished. 

What he did though wasn't tear it apart. Instead, he infused his Will into the mana atoms where it was then injected into the class 5 soul. When he did that, he was able to comprehend the vast information contained within the soul seas. 

This class 5 soul had 7 soul seas, and each one represented a different aspect of the person who formed it. Upon infusing his Will, Dream was able to make out what each of these aspects were. 

"Let's see... Mana, intelligence, the body, the soul, Will, and... two skills? He actually used skills as the basis for two of his soul seas. Interesting."

Dream was curious as he decoded everything. 

Every soul sea he found revolved around one of the 7 aspects he discovered. For instance, the Mana soul sea was a plane of the soul dedicated purely to the control and storage of mana. As for the intelligence one, it was a soul sea dedicated to storing all the knowledge this soul had ever accumulated. For the body soul sea, it was a sea dedicated to empowering the physical form, or more specifically, this man's spiritual body. 

Each soul sea held dominion over an aspect, and its full power was dedicated to empowering that aspect. Plus, not all soul seas were equal. They could be developed and improved. This particular soul's strongest soul seas were the mana and two skill soul seas. 

As for what the skills were, Dream didn't care enough to analyze them deeply. One of them was a spear skill and the other was an enchanting skill. Both of these were worthless to Dream who touched upon the very concept of all magic. But he still analyzed the soul seas, gleaning from it how it was formed and structured. 

Dream did this for an entire 80 hours, which on this planet was a bit under a day. When he got to that point, he felt he had a good grasp on the structure of the soul. However, this opened up more questions. 

Why did the soul come to take on this form during the class 5 advancement? And how was so much soul formed?

Dream's current soul was a massive conglomeration of soul strings, and these strings contained all the information and power behind his being. This class 5 soul though wasn't made of strings. While Dream did in fact sense the same soul material throughout the soul seas, they still took on another, more advanced form. Each portion of this soul material was much more powerful than an equal amount of soul strings. Why that was, Dream wasn't sure. The only thing he saw was some kind of mysterious energy that was present through the soul. As to what that material was, he had no idea. 

When Dream was finished analyzing the soul, it was ruined beyond recognition. The only stuff left was a messy mass of energy. If Iris had been with him, he would've given this mass to her since it was the best food for her. Now though, he only thought for a second before wrapping the soul mass in mana and sending it off to Aegis to fortify his own pseudo soul instead. 

With that, Dream's experimenting was done, but there were more questions brought up than answers. More and more he was realizing the importance of the legacy space. Without it, Dream would have to scour the universe for his own answers, and who knew how long that would take or if it could be done. While Dream was confident in his knowledge and ability, with something like this he was actually glad he had something to turn to. 

Dream reclined into his seat as he contemplated. Gradually, the topic of the soul faded from his mind and he shifted focus to the upcoming work he would be doing. 

"If you could Sophia, send these construction templates to the factory under me."

[Sure.]

After Sophia agreed, she suddenly received a stream of data from Dream. The data outlined his on-the-spot designs for the ships he would be building for the clan. 

Dream had long discovered how the clan's ships worked. When he was riding in one to the clan, he had analyzed all the enchantments and structures. Nothing was hidden from him, and he almost instantly understood their core secrets. 

The ships worked by sailing through mana, like a fish in water. As for their power source, it wasn't the people on board, but the mana crystals the clan mined from mana crystal deposits. These mana crystals were basically dense batteries of mana, so with their power one could drive enchantments like a soul would. 

When Dream had initially discovered the mana crystals, he was pleasantly surprised. Those mana crystals definitely had a lot of application, and he had already made a note to figure out how to extract some. With them, Dream wouldn't have to worry about powering enchantments himself. 

"Oh, that reminds me. Tersa, where are you?"

Suddenly, Dream spoke seemingly to nobody. Not long after he spoke though, a figure appeared in front of him. It was Tersa that Dream had lost sight of for a long time. However, she had apparently changed while Dream was gone. 

Tersa had begun to take on form when she first came to this planet. She had taken on female form and would observe Melody to glean details about what someone should look like. Now, she had been wandering, and this period of exploration had compelled her to take on a fully detailed form. 

Tersa was now a young woman with medium length golden hair. Her proportions were average, not particularly outstanding in any way. However, her face was truly perfect. It looked like she took all the most perfect aspects of various gorgeous women and formed her own based on that. It made her average proportions seem just as perfect as her face. Her body was rather flawless. 

Seeing this, Dream felt happy for her more than anything. He knew she had likely experienced a lot in the past day. However, when he looked at her downcast face, he knew that she was fighting some inner turmoil. 

"Master."

"Tersa. You look sad. What's wrong?"

"I've observed the asuras in the city and have heard many things. They're at war."

"They are."

Dream nodded, and Tersa continued. 

"I wonder... why must they fight another prosperous civilization for resources? They may have monetary gains in the end, but why must it be at the deaths of potentially millions?"

"So that's what you're grappling against... I think I have a sort of simple answer for you."

Dream spoke confidently as he summoned another chair for Tersa. However, she didn't sit in it, instead gliding over to Dream's chair and squeezing in right next to him. He shifted surprisedly as she innocently laid against him. This wasn't her being romantically intimate, but rather like a child wanting the comfort of a parent. 

He combed her hair a bit as he spoke. 

"I think this goes for all species, but let's just look at humans and asuras. Both of them are beings of conflict. If you wanted to know what the main driving force behind everything they do is, it could be centered around the single concept of conflict. They form groups for support and then fight for prosperity. They're expanding their influence and resource capacity. You might think that they could simply share, but their innate desire for conflict won't allow that. In fact, it's not so much a desire as it is a truth of their being. They can't live properly without conflict. Now, conflict isn't just fighting external forces. All forms of conflict drive them. They drive us too. Although, since you're a Terra Core, the same logic might not be applicable. Does that make sense?"

"...So they must fight in order to function."

"More like they function because they have to fight. Without a fight of some sort, there would be no motivation. For many, fear is what drives them. This can be fear of the future, fear of an enemy, fear of failure, and so on. Pain also drives people. After getting hurt, their basic instinct for survival kicks in, and they force themselves to perform in order to save themselves."

"So what does this clan fear? Why do they fight this war specifically?"

"...Longevity?"

Dream spit out a guess.

"These clans have existed for many years. To do so, they must ensure they have resources. No resources mean they can't raise fighters, and without fighters they can't protect themselves. This war will extend their lifespan by providing a supply of wealth. In this way, they fear the future and their gradual demise."

"I see..."

Dream looked at Tersa as she contemplated. With Dream explaining this to her, many dots were connected. Normally, a Terra Core would have to witness the evolution of their planet, watching empires rise and fall over countless years. Through this they would learn about the nature of beings, coming to form their own understandings. But Tersa had Dream who had pulled her from her isolated shell, and now he was giving her some of his vast wisdom. Her intelligence was blooming every second. 

Her face suddenly wasn't so despondent. She understood that this was simply the way of existence. Conflict drove life itself. It drove some to their demise while driving others to the highest heights. This was a truth of the universe, so there was no reason for her to feel any particular way about it. 

After forming a conclusion in her mind, she looked at Dream with her large eyes. 

"Master, what do you fear?"

"Oh? I would say that's a hard question to answer, but it's not. I guess you could say I fear losing those important to me."

"Anything else? What motivates you?"

"Well, if you're talking about my pursuit of power, it's not fear that motivates me. I pursue power in order to gain knowledge and understand the secrets of the universe. I guess my desire for knowledge is what motivates me."

"Why knowledge? Why does that motivate you? Do you have conflict with the universe?"

"...You sure are getting smarter every second."

Dream couldn't help but chuckle. After ruffling Tersa's hair, he stood from his seat.

"Come with me for a second."

"Okay."

Tersa was curious as she took Dream's hand. After that, the two vanished before reappearing in outer space.

"Tell me Tersa, when you see that planet, the same one that the Red Eye Clan is on, how do you perceive their war?"

"Hm..."

Tersa observed the planet in front of her. On it were billions, if not close to a trillion people on it. All of them had their own lives, and countless civilizations had formed over countless years before bringing them to today. When Tersa thought of this, she couldn't help but imagine the war the Red Eye Clan was fighting as nothing but a small blip in this planet's endless history.

"...It's small. It means nothing. The existence of the Red Eye Clan itself is inconsequential."

"Exactly. Their conflicts seem meaningless in front of such a massive place. Now, take a look at the space around you. The endless darkness, the scattered stars. There are so many other planets just like this. It makes any single planet seem like nothing, let alone one of the small clans on the surface of one of these rocks."

"...Yes."

Tersa only nodded as she looked around her. That endless darkness, when thought of on the grand stage that was the universe, was truly stifling. Within that darkness were an unfathomable amount of lives. Even after a billion years, she would never experience everything there was to experience. It made the Red Eye Clan seem like just a small, enjoyable pastime for her to focus on for a little while. In the end though, their future would mean nothing to her. As a Terra Core, she would outlive every person in that clan along with their descendants. She was already hundreds of millions of years old. She would experience another several billion years before who knew what would happen.

Dream let Tersa think for a bit before speaking again.

"Tersa, in front of this universe, only the things that forever remain are the goals to go after. I seek the secrets of the universe, because one time in my life, I had been nothing but a flesh and blood body on a rock in the outer cosmos. There, I had known next to nothing. In front of the vast universe, what did I matter? But then I died and was given a chance to break free from my cage of ignorance. After that, I've pursued the deepest truths contained within all things. Only the laws of the universe remain forever. Only those secrets are enough to make me feel profound wonder. In this way, I pursue the unknown. I do not fear it. Other than those attachments I have to special people, I fear nothing. Not even the endless darkness. There's simply no need to fear anything when I've accepted the endless unknown as a part of my being."

Dream motioned around him, and Tersa listened with rapt attention. From his words she could feel a story of discovery and wonderment. From his words, she understood just what kind of person he had come to be. Just as his spiritual body represented, he was a being of the darkness that represented the universe and its secrets. He was a man of the cosmos. 

But this caused Tersa to question something. She looked at him with endless curiosity.

"But master, if you pursue the pinnacle of knowledge, what use have you for other people? In front of your path, you shouldn't worry about someone as inconsequential as your sister or as distracting as wives. They only hold you back. Even now your sister is keeping you from exploring the universe. Even I am holding you back..."

Getting to this point, Tersa felt a little sad. She felt nothing but wonder in front of Dream, and she was forever grateful to him. To her, he was the one to follow. He was her master. She would feel immense regret and sorrow if he left, never to be seen again. 

But she still maintained her point. The fear he held for losing people held him back. 

To this question, Dream didn't become angry for calling his loved ones inconsequential or distractions. He just smiled. 

"Your logic is valid and true. However, what you fail to account for is the illogical part. People, humans or asuras, are not purely logical beings. We feel things despite what's best for us. We have desires that seemingly do nothing to our benefit, yet we still indulge in them. My attachment to my family and wives could be said to be illogical for someone like me. But I don't care. I love them. I desire for them endless prosperity and fulfillment. And I do it for no other reason than because that's how I am. Even you Tersa. I think we've formed a bond in the short time we've known each other. For you I desire a fulfillment of the purpose you seek. You wish to bring a home and prosperity to endless peoples. I want to make that happen for you. And I don't do it expecting an equal give and take from you. It's weird how that works, isn't it? Totally Illogical, but I do it anyway."

Dream smiled as he pat Tersa's head. Tersa was a child in his eyes, one to nurture with experiences and wisdom. He took a liking to her, and now she was at the forefront of his plan to carve out a place in the universe for the people he knew. 

At the same time, Tersa started to beam with joy. She agreed that it was illogical, but hearing Dream's desire to support her, she was endlessly thankful for that part of him. Looking back, she couldn't thank her luck enough for making Dream the one to discover her.