The Wandering Fairy [LitRPG World-Hopping]

"Why?"

The question echoed across the starry room. From the Mirror Game, Soren understood that the Old Gods held no influence over the shaping of the next era. The Age of Stasis was born through the forging of peace between the six deities, establishing the new world order where they reign supreme.

There was no room left for the Old Gods to exist in this new age… Their existence jeopardizes everything They had tried to create.

But it still confused him… Why would an agnostic like Solyara who couldn't even bother to stargaze anymore, be so defensive about this? What could she possibly gain from erasing all mentions of the Old Gods?

As Soren continued to stare into Her crystal-like eyes, the High Mistress sighed.

"Im sure you're familiar with this saying, right?

"The whispers of history cling to the shadows…"

Soren nodded, "Yet seek the light of remembrance. Yes, I have heard it before."

Myrin nodded as well.

Seeing this, Solyara levitated to the other side of the room, passing by the planets Kerejin and Astrea. Her gaze was aimed directly at Yarian. She pointed at the continent plainly.

"That saying didn't spread naturally. In fact, its origins remain unknown till this day. Whether you speak Dulvali, Yasini, Vinuan, or some other unknown script, a similar phrase will exist. It matters not where in the continent you are. Almost everyone has said it at least once before—sometimes without even realizing why or where they had heard it from to begin with."

She crossed Her arms. "An Archmage in Luvinica that I met many decades ago used to research this subject. He believed its origins might even trace back to the Avalon Empire itself. But even he couldn't find much evidence to support this claim."

"So then, what exactly did he conclude?" Soren asked.

There was a slight pause before he heard back an answer:

"A fairly illogical conclusion," Solyara replied. "That the phrase was simply implanted in all of us without our knowledge."

"What?" Soren looked at Myrin, who also seemed puzzled.

She reiterated. "That phrase… It wasn't said by a person. It was said by the Beyond itself. A warning to all beings—born from raw representation that seeped into the collective subconscious of us all."

Soren stared at the model of Yarian for a while, unable to say anything. Eventually, he heard Myrin ask something he too was meaning to ask:

"Are you saying that… the natural world also reflects what occurs in the Beyond?"

It was a logical question to ask. Since Astral Anima was influenced by people's thoughts and the spreading of ideas in the natural world, for the Beyond to do the same to us would imply the opposite was true. The Law of Mirrored Influence not only reflected our actions into the Beyond, but it also reflected the Beyond's representation upon the natural world…

"The reflection of influence goes both ways…"

Solyara sighed. "Indeed. Though, it isn't that simple. Reflections from the Beyond into the real world are rarely observed—usually only occurring when the Beyond finds it necessary. It is for this same reason that the mere act of gazing upon a Vynasian brings you harm. In that example, the Beyond's intentions are being reflected upon the natural world too.

"And it seems, the same phenomena applies to this mysterious phrase. The meaning behind it is fairly simple: that which is history—the past—seeks to return to the present… Not in a philosophical way, but both physically and metaphysically."

"The Old Gods…" Soren mumbled.

She smiled, "Even during the Third Age, their followers continued to seek ways to bring them back. But after the Fourth Age began, such practices became highly taboo. Do you know why?"

Myrin guessed, "Because of the Divine Accord?"

"Correct." Solyara nodded. "With the Divine Accord establishing the Six Orthodox Deities as the sole religious authority over the realm, anything outside the bounds of this edict was deemed a threat. You saw it during that Mirror Game, didn't you? The Hollowed Star fragments.

"Your feisty and strangely suicidal companion wanted to taint them in with the influence of her God, believing that doing so would cement their faith's existence upon the next era. And she wasn't wrong—if the Mirror Game wasn't an illusion and she had succeeded, we might have seen seven Orthodox Deities rather than six!"

Solyara shook Her head. "The point is, while I do not entirely subscribe to any of the orthodox faiths, I and even the Beyond itself recognizes their importance. Their existence is an anchor that holds this age's ideals together. Without it, this Age of Stasis would crumble quicker than sand… And if that were to happen, expect the end of this world to come a lot sooner."

Soren nodded in silence. In a way, Her explanation was no different from Sienna's. Both understood the importance of the Divine Accord and the protection it provides. Although the world's fate was frozen, breaking the edict unnaturally in the same way the Whispering Dreams plans on doing would only give the Vynasians a colossal advantage.

However, it seemed that Solyara was also not fond of breaking this Accord naturally either… Sienna's goal of discovering the edict and fulfilling its obligations would indeed usher the world into a new era, but that would also mean the end to the current peace—something the High Mistress didn't find any pleasure in.

Now that I think about it, what exactly is the edict for this Divine Accord?

By now, Soren knew that it had to be related to the New World Order that was established. An agreement forged out of some necessity after that calamitous sin was committed...

Every one of the promises the Whispering Dream broke was related to this continental balance. Whether it be starting a war between the Elves and Humans, corrupting Yadria with the Nameless Mist, or breaking a sacred tradition held by the Church of Nature for a thousand years…

They all lead back to the same thing: the collapse of peace. The end to stasis…

But there seemed to also be a historical component to it as well… As if that mysterious phrase spread across cultures and societies guides the enigmatic saint in every action he takes. He would not have taken the Avalon Ruin's dungeon core key if not because he had plans for it…

Seeing them ponder in silence, Solyara rolled Her eyes. "You won't be able to solve everything after a single conversation, you know? I don't have all day—let's finish what we came here for."

He raised his eyebrows. "Apologies… You are correct, let us begin." Soren took out the Heartdrinker Sigil from his robe's pocket, watching the crimson jewel pulse under the celestial light.

"So that's the Demon of Knowledge's Sacred Treasure… A piece of his Spirit Body."

Soren nodded. "It has the ability to convert any amount of blood into anima for a person to use. We will be using it to verify Pendragon's theories."

Closing the books orbiting around Her, Solyara set down the wine glass and commanded the mysterious solar projection to rise to the ceiling, freeing all the space in the room. She then glanced at Soren and smiled.

"You know, when you told me about the discoveries you uncovered in that book, I was somewhat surprised. After all, a similar phenomenon occurs when one crosses that fated boundary…"

"Boundary?" Myrin tilted his head. "What boundary?"

Mistress Solyara shook Her head. "It doesn't really concern either of you at the moment—you'll find out once you reach the higher circles."

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With that said, She snapped Her fingers, commanding the room to rearrange itself. Soon, Soren witnessed the shelves and tables move on their own, as if sliding on an endless array of moving bricks. Some merged with the walls, disappearing completely, while others morphed in shape while still preserving the items placed upon them.

By the end of the arrangement, only a single table remained at the center, illuminated by the solar light above. On the stone altar, a large philosopher's stone could be seen. Its white crystalized texture refracting the light in all directions.

"Everything is prepared," Myrin said with a smile. "With this, we should be able to project your will as intended…"

Staring blankly at the Philosopher's Stone, Soren nervously squeezed the Heartdrinker Sigil in his hand.

Solyara glanced at the two of them and frowned. "How much blood have you gathered inside that Sacred Treasure, young man?"

Soren answered with a deep breath. "Close to a month's worth."

"That much?" She sighed. "Not to pressure you or anything, but you only have one attempt at this. If you fail, the anima you've gathered in the past month will all go to waste."

Soren couldn't help but smile. Way to sour the mood…

Oblivious to his thoughts, Solyara continued. "However, even if you are able to only gather enough influence to simply alter an existing material rune, that too would be enough for me to use my abilities to solidify its existence. After all, the gaze of an archmage is not one to be questioned.

"I assume you already have an idea for what kind of material rune you need, right?"

Staring at the strange crystal sitting plainly on the stone altar, Soren recalled his plans perfectly. He had used [Record] to fully engrave them in his memory as a precaution.

Since the goal was to reach the 2nd Circle, Soren needed to find another material rune to add on to the existing ones in his Fairy Blades spell. But even after weeks of runological studies, he couldn't discover the perfect one… He needed a rune that could stabilize the shape of his Fairy Blades without him needing to constantly monitor them.

With this goal in mind, Soren took a deep breath then stared directly at the white, translucent crystal. He could see his own reflection in its enchanting form, disfigured with each sharp edge covering its surface.

"Let us begin…"

As he said this, he heard a soothing tune begin to play from behind. Myrin had started his breathtaking performance. With every note, he could feel his mind drift beyond his form… As if the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders.

Despite the relaxing feeling, Soren didn't feel drowsy at all. In fact, only the opposite happened. He felt his mind turn extremely sharp. His thoughts felt quicker and more focused.

It's just as Myrin had said… I can concentrate more now.

Breezing through these thoughts, Soren finally returned to what he was seeing before him. The endless surfaces of the Philosopher's Stone now displayed everything beyond his reflection… It was as if he was staring into infinity.

Taking another deep breath, he expanded his Soul Realm into a small radius around himself and the altar then manifested the spellform for Fairy Blades. Soon, a violet-colored glassy sword formed before his very eyes.

He grabbed the sword and placed it before the radiant crystal. It's time for the hard part now… Soren thought inwardly.

Since material runes were born through the representation of real objects or things, he needed to create that exact thing in reality… Of course, doing that alone wouldn't work—enough influence would need to be gathered to reshape its representation in the way he intends it.

That was why the Philosopher's Stone was required. Just like with his wand, it would allow Soren to focus his anima through it, projecting any image from his mind onto his Soul Realm.

And what was that image you might ask? It was nothing more than a simple geometric shape…

A triangle.

Holding tightly to the Heartdrinker Sigil, Soren slowly focused every fiber of his brain into processing the picture—a translucent triangle with three solid points, 60 degrees at each angle…

According to geometry, this was the most stable shape… An equilateral triangle.

Because the color of his anima had both the properties of Mesmerism and Wards, Soren could reshape it way more easily. The triangle didn't take much focus to form. Soren was confident he could have still done something similar without the Philosopher's Stone.

But this was just the beginning.

After forming the first triangle, Soren began to form another one attached to its side. Then another, and another… More and more of his anima was spent attaching the triangles to each other as the wind itself began to pick up inside the room.

After a while, the triangles together formed a new shape.

A translucent sword…

It looked somewhat similar to the one placed on the altar, except, far more crude. Its sharp edges were created out of a pattern of small triangles, all pieced together like a puzzle.

Soren smiled as his vision projected itself inside his Soul Realm. Unlike the real Fairy Blade, this one was nothing more than an illusion—a picture drawn inside his own Three Layers.

And yet, even this fake would have to be represented in the Beyond…

"Now!" He heard Solyara yell.

Gritting his teeth, Soren stopped holding back. [Hemomantic Transmutation] activated with a simple mental command.

A whole month's worth of anima poured inside his Soul Realm, making it feel thicker than swimming in oil. It was itching to expand, as if its small radius wasn't enough to contain all that pressure. Soren, however, didn't allow it.

Instead, he shrunk the Soul Realm to an even smaller size, concentrating more of his anima. The radiant Philosopher's Stone began to shine rapidly. Because of the excessive compression, the excess anima now only had one outlet left—the luminous crystal itself.

Without a second's delay, all that anima flowed directly into it, making the visualized image of the sword appear more vivid. The triangles became smaller and smaller as more of them were added to the pile. It was as if the fidelity of the image was being more and more detailed, like adding more pixels to a TV.

Soon, a perfect replica of the Fairy Blade was formed. Except, if one were to zoom in closely, they would see that its shape was entirely built from tiny triangles all clinging together like atoms…

During this time, Soren didn't dare to look away. He kept his thoughts focused, giving his own perspective on the formed object.

Triangles—stable, powerful, detailed, persistent… He repeated the properties of the object he was witnessing to himself as if they were a mantra. It reminded him of the fourth axis in Ritual Magecraft—Breath. Except, rather than a pseudo concept, he was manifesting something with his thoughts in the real world in order to create a representation of it in the Beyond.

After a while, even the colossal Philosopher's Stone was beginning to quiver and crack in places due to the insane pressure, but he didn't stop. Until every last bit of anima he had saved within the Heartdrinker Sigil was spent, Soren was not going to even consider moving away.

He needed the Beyond to represent his visualized idea perfectly with all the anima he had spent. Any sudden change in his thoughts could impact what material runes may manifest.

Eventually, however, the inevitable occurred. Four week's worth of blood had run dry—the Heartdrinker Sigil stopped [Hemomantic Transmutation].

Not… enough… Soren thought. Knowing that the visualized image was soon going to disappear, he decided to take on some drastic measures. The influence he had gathered was colossal, but he wasn't sure if it was enough—he had to take some risks.

"Soren?!" the Elven Songster yelled in worry, watching as Soren activated [Hemomantic Transmutation] once again—this time, in the opposite direction. He had issued a command to the Heartdrinker Sigil to consume his blood and feed it back into his Soul Realm as anima… Soon, pools of red ichor began to flow out of his skin, merging together into a stream that poured into the gluttonous crimson jewel.

"This fool…" Mistress Solyara watched the scene from a distance, Her frown growing by the second.

Cups worth of blood were sacrificed in droves as Soren kept his gaze solid. He repeated his observations in a constant cycle, each one forced into being by the strain of his will. It was a relentless struggle that was now marked with exhaustion and drowsiness. The loss of the blood was becoming drastic…

And yet, despite it all, Soren relented. Neither health nor sanity mattered to him at that moment. He only wanted to achieve his goal…

To obtain a material rune of his own making.

Watching this all unfold, Myrin couldn't help but bite his own lip in frustration. He knew that there wasn't anything he could do—if he tried to stop it now, all of his companion's efforts would simply go to waste.

O' Maiden… Protect him…

As the seconds passed, Soren's fight against himself became drastically more difficult. He felt the triangles continuously multiplying, adding more and more smoothness to the shape and form of the sword. He couldn't allow his eyes to look away, no matter how exhausted he became.

But eventually, the inevitable occurred.

As he continued to chant the mantra in his mind while observing the object he had manifested, the world suddenly turned dark.

His anima… had completely run out. And with it, his consciousness too. The Philosopher's Stone shone brightly for the last time before crumbling to pieces on the altar.

"Soren!" Myrin rushed to his side, catching him before he fully fell to the floor.

At the same time, Solyara didn't waste another second. She commanded the strange array of celestial bodies to spin faster. The solar system was now doing hundreds of full rotations around the sun in mere seconds.

With Her eyes closed, She allowed the projected stars to orbit around Her endlessly. After a few more seconds, the divination was complete.

Solyara had finally reached a verdict:

"The experiment was a success. I've obtained the new material rune he created."