Wrath's Virtue

A silence fell in the mindscape after Primordia's final praise. For a long moment, neither being spoke. The great sphere of light floated while its energies pulsing gently, as if studying the small, defiant consciousness before it.

But the silence was of Aurelion's making. The initial shock from the revelation had passed, replaced by a clarity. He had been played. Every action, every reaction, every desperate struggle had been a spectacle for the entity before him. He would not give it the satisfaction of an immediate outburst. He would let it speak. He would hear every last word of its justification before he passed his own judgment.

The prolonged silence seemed to surprise Primordia. After a moment, it was the one to break it, its tone still carrying that strange mix of motherly authority. "You are a special soul. Anyone can see that, Aurelion. Everything I have done was so that I could understand you better."

This finally drew a response from Aurelion, his mental voice was a low whisper. "What do you want?"

"For you to grow stronger," Primordia replied instantly. "This world will be invaded again in the future, and for that, every living being upon it must become more powerful."

"I am not a pawn that who will fight for this world."

"No, you are not," Primordia conceded. "But you will defend yourself when the invaders try to kill you."

A cold smirk touched Aurelion's psychic features. "Maybe they won't want to kill me."

A soft sound, echoed in his mind. It was a laugh. The sound was so out of place coming from the authoritative voice that it startled Aurelion.

"Be sure of this, child," Primordia said while its amusement fading into certainty. "When you meet the invaders in the future, they will point their weapons at you with great eagerness."

Aurelion couldn't make sense of that statement, but Primordia continued before he could form a question.

"When I stopped you with time manipulation, your inability to move was not simply because I halted the time around you, Aurelion. If it were a simple manipulation, you could have escaped with your energy. The reason you could not move was because of the Understanding I possess within that manipulation."

Aurelion continued to stare at the primordia, completely uninterested by what he had heard.

"This is not the understanding you use when you manipulate energy, Aurelion," Primordia explained. "It is because I know the understanding of Time's place in this universe, because I possess understanding of the Law of Time itself, that your energy could not resist."

Aurelion was surprised by this word. "A Law...?"

Primordia continued. "There are many such Laws in the universe, and the number of those who can understand them is exceedingly small, Aurelion." It said nothing more on that point.

In that moment, everything clicked into place for Aurelion. The reason Primordia brought up the subject of Laws right after saying the invaders would want to kill him…

Primordia's voice echoed, acknowledging his realization. "Your mind is sharp, Aurelion."

"I've never even heard that word before," Aurelion projected.

"That is of no importance," Primordia replied. "Some grasp these Laws later in life through intense study, while others are innately compatible with them. In your case, Aurelion, it is innate. The nature of your energy isn't just aggressive because of your personality. It's also influenced by the Law with which your personality is compatible. You must have understood by now that your energy is exceedingly different. If you wish, I can tell you more about i—"

"No," Aurelion cut it off suddenly.

Primordia's light seemed to pulse. "I understand. I know that you do not like me and that you will not accept my help. But you found life in this world, and you are one of my children. Normally, my purpose was to guide you, but I know you will not tolerate my presence in your mind any longer."

It paused, then its voice became absolute. "You may not like me, Aurelion, but my goal is your empowerment. I am the will of this world, Primordia, the mother of you all. Whether you like it or not, I know what is best for you."

A final promise.

"We will meet again in the future Aurelion."

With those final words, the great sphere of light before Aurelion began to dissolve, breaking apart into a cascade of fading sparkles that vanished into the nothingness of his mind.

When the light of Primordia vanished from his mind. The first thing Aurelion did was use his void focus to meticulously scan every fiber of his being, his mind, and his Core, searching for any lingering trace of the entity. He found nothing. Only then did he allow his consciousness to return fully to the physical world.

He opened his eye. He was still on his knees, surrounded by the corpses of the piranhas, as dusk bled into true night.

His first act was to look at his right hand. The lily leaves, though battered from the ordeal, were mostly intact. He carefully placed them in his pack. He then forced his aching body to its feet and limped back to the relative shelter of the tree where he had made his first fire. He sit and stared out at the darkening horizon.

"Primordia..." he said aloud. "I know what you are now."

He looked down at his own hands. "I've checked my body and my mind, and I can't find anything left of it... but there could still be something I missed."

He paused, his mind replaying the events of the last week. "The mission I was given was simple," he muttered. "All I had to do was collect a few goblin ears, spider eyes, and the leaves of a plant."

"But I met obstacles at every turn. Blessed goblins. The timely arrival of the lizardmen for the gulper, which led directly to Primordia entering my mind. The premature explosion of the lily... This was all a damned theater. Anyone who would call this bad luck is a damned fool." He thought of the World Tree sapling in the goblin nest. "A tree that could only benefit a few pathetic goblins, yes. It's certain. Everything that happened to me was a damned performance."

"But why?" he wondered, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "Why is this Primordia so obsessed with me?" He thought of the power players in Ulfgard. "Roric, the clan leaders like Viggo and Morwenna, Varkas himself, Vespera, Thyra even maybe Faelan... they must all possess some level of understanding in certain Laws. So why am I the special one?"

He recalled Primordia's last words. "You are as intelligent as no nine year old child ever could be. You look like much older."

"Could it be?" he thought. "Does it know I remember my past life? Even so, what does that matter? There are beings in this world thousands of years old."

He put the thought aside for a moment. "Primordia... it's safest to assume every word it spoke was a lie. But..." His gaze sharpened. "...if I truly do have an innate compatibility with a Law, what is it?"

Sparks of lightning start danced on his fingertip. He thought of the hatred he felt, and the sparks twisted, turning into the corrupted black lightning he had used on the spider. "I was only wanted to gouge out that spider's eyes then," he whispered. "For the sake of my own lost eye."

"Could it be the Law of Vengeance?" The thought formed, and he immediately dismissed it with a sneer of contempt. "Nonsense. There probably isn't a law for every fucking thing."

He paused and then his tone becoming more arrogant. "Besides, vengeance is an emotion, a result. A Law must be something more fundamental, more neutral. I like vengeance that is true, but I am not that simple man."

He looked up again at the now black sky, the stars obscured by the swamp's canopy.

"When I return," he said with finality, "I'm going to have a long talk with Roric."

He then opened his pack and took out the remaining Gulper meat. Though it was wet and tasteless, it was incredibly nutritious for someone of his level, and his body desperately needed it. As he forced down the meat, he thought, "My muscles are still in a terrible state, but they're slightly better state than Yesterday."

He then stood up and began to walk south with heavy steps, moving through the sea of dead fish.

"There isn't much difference between day and night in this damned place," he said to himself. "The creatures here are hard to see either way, so there's no need to wait for morning." He say while continued his steps.

"Nothing has changed," he thought. "The goal is still the same. Absolute power. Nothing can change that, and every step I take will be in this direction."

His mind turned to his future plans in Ulfgard.

"Next are the Talent Tests. And after that, I need to defeat the idiots who challenge me without injuring them too badly, so that they continue to challenge me. So that I can learn the techniques of their clans. When there is nothing left for me to gain from this city, I will continue on my way."

His thoughts start grew colder and his gaze fixed on the darkness ahead.

"If anyone gets in my way, I will kill them. If the invaders come after me in the future, I will kill them. And when the time comes... Primordia. Her turn will come, and I will take special care of her."

He continued to walk on. His heavy steps carrying him away from the carnage and deeper into the swamp while his single eye looked directly forward.