"…And so, in order to attract the attention of the simulated Aeons, you'll have replicated effects from past Pathstriders and Emanators. If everything works, then the Aeons will realize that a sudden variable has connected to THEIR Path, and should interact with you."
Sunny stared at the petite doll before him, who was fiddling with a panel that connected to the massive structure before them. He vaguely understood what Herta was trying to say… but he had too many questions.
"That… sounds pretty dangerous. What if THEY just decide to kill me? I think I got pretty lucky last time."
In the Beta test for the Simulated Universe, he ended up encountering Qlipoth and Fuli. Thankfully, THEY didn't have a tendency to harm humans, even in the simulation. That didn't mean that Sunny felt safe, as there was no way for a mere mortal to understand entities outside of their reach.
Herta rolled her wooden eyes — or whatever they were made of. Sunny couldn't tell.
"Don't be a baby. In the end, the Aeons in the Simulated Universe cannot become more powerful than me. Obviously, THEY are fakes that were created with previous data from the real things to structure THEIR personalities. I can't just… make an Aeon. Not even a simulated version."
Sunny sent her a dubious look.
"Really? Because I'm pretty sure my brain almost exploded when Fuli started stuffing memories into my head."
Herta blinked. Then shrugged.
"Oh, that? It's nothing. The Worm of Star that is operating the machine just used an ability I got when fighting a Memokeeper a few hundred years ago. It also replicated the Corruption you'd get from seeing my Transcendent form… so, don't worry. What happened to you is nowhere near what Fuli could do."
Sunny stared at her in silence as the machine activated. She just… used a bunch of terms as if he understood each and every one of them.
'There's a worm in this hunk of junk? A magical worm? And it can use the abilities of others? What's a Memokeeper? Sounds kind of like memory. Remembrance? That would make sense, considering we were talking about Fuli. What's Corruption? Is that an effect of her Transformation Ability?'
When she was speaking, the pronunciation Herta used when saying Corruption was different than corruption. To put it simply, the dialect she used was the same one would use when referring to a Corrupted Nightmare Creature. What does that have to do with her Aspect, though?
…Furthermore, this was only the power of a Saint. It made him feel both tiny and stupid, considering that he convinced himself that he could resist a mental breakdown caused from looking upon an Aeon.
It only made him wonder where Aeons were, in comparison to humanity's Ranks. Were they as strong as a Divine being? Were they actually Divine?
Were they beyond even that?
These kinds of questions popped up in Sunny's mind quite often in recent times. Back in Kravax, Constance had made reference to entities known as Sovereigns, with one of them being Shadow Blade Kurt's master. Sunny immediately assumed that she was referring to the leader of Clan Valor, since that was who Kurt served.
But why was he called a Sovereign? Shouldn't he have been a Saint, just like all the others? There was no need to refer to him with a particular term, even if he had greater political power.
In this world, political power wasn't enough to differentiate oneself from their peers. Not when it came to Awakened, at least. It was personal might that put one above the other. Whoever had greater martial power was superior.
So, using these unsaid rules, Sunny deduced that these 'Sovereigns' were stronger than Saints. But if they were Saints themselves, then the difference couldn't be drastic…
…But what if they weren't Saints?
This was where Sunny's mind struggled.
The only answer was that there were people out there who had conquered the Fourth Nightmare, becoming Supreme. And yet, despite humoring that thought a long time ago, Sunny couldn't quite believe it. After all, human society's strongest were Transcendents. That was a known fact.
So… was it all a lie? Some grand conspiracy?
In truth, there were too many things that he questioned. Like the strange things Sparkle brought up while rambling about repairing the decrepit ship in the Chained Isles. What was Spirit Essence? What were Domains? How did Sparkle know how to repair the ship in the first place? She may have had an Attribute that made her talented in mysticism, but she'd need to know how to do something before actually doing it.
Where did she learn all these things? Why did she refuse to explain what a Domain was?
Sunny realized that his understanding of the Universe — both of them, was tiny. Just to save himself the headache later, he accepted… that Supreme humans existed in humanity's shadow. More than that, possibly.
Sacred, Divine… it was possible that those who believed themselves as the puppeteers of humankind were merely puppets themselves. Pawns who believed themselves to be Kings and Queens.
It was obvious, actually. After all, there was a being out there that could turn any possibility into a reality, as long as the result is reasonable. That couldn't be something Saints were capable of. What about Supremes? Or beyond?
'Why do things need to be so complicated?'
Somehow, Sunny felt that everything would only grow more complex.
For now, he needed to simply keep his head low, gain information, and figure out his next course of action. To gain the power he desires, the power to never be stepped on by anyone and anything, he was willing to take as much time as possible.
Besides, he would Ascend soon. He'll have centuries of time to think things through. And once he's a Saint, he'll have multiple millennia!
Speaking of millennia…
"…How old are you, actually?"
'Probably older than my great great grandmother.'
Speaking of grandmothers, Sunny actually had a funny story about his own — who he's never met — but that was for another day.
Herta completely froze in her task, before slowly turning to Sunny with narrowed eyes.
"And here I thought everyone knew not to ask a woman her age. But I guess exceptional idiots still linger around these days…"
Sunny nodded in understanding.
"Really old, then. I must say, you don't look a day older than… twelve. Am I going to run into your great grandkids one of these days, Granny?"
"If you don't watch your mouth, I'm going to sic a simulated Oroboros on you."
"…I'm not sure what that is, but I think I should apologize."
Although the name sent shivers down his spine, Sunny didn't directly apologize. Nobody gets away with calling him an idiot!
After a minute or so, Sunny stood before the Simulated Universe, watching as it whirled into activation. In the next second, felt himself be pulled into a dreamlike reality…
***
"Uh… what's this?"
Sunny found himself in a strange, empty void. There was truly nothing around him. No shadows, no light, nothing.
And yet, he felt his mind suddenly split in three directions.
A hunter.
A dancer.
A historian.
Those were the three fates he could choose from. The question was… what was he supposed to do now?
[These are the roles you can take to follow a specific Path. These three choices correspond to The Hunt, Harmony, and Erudition. The roles that were chosen are selected based on your own affinity… excluding the Paths that you're already attuned to…]
Herta paused for a few moments.
[Actually, I'd suggest that you don't choose Harmony. There seems to be a few fluctuations in the data. So, go for either the hunter or historian. No matter what, you'll automatically draw the attention of Nanook, Qlipoth, and Aha.]
Sunny blinked.
"Wait, Aha? Shouldn't it be Akivili?"
The three Paths Sunny was connected to was Destruction, Preservation, and Trailblaze. He had no connection to the Elation.
[Did you forget? You are Akivili. In this simulation, at least. The Trailblaze and Elation are pals, so the simulated Aha will naturally be attracted to you. Actually, you have an innate affinity for Elation as well, but it wasn't necessary to give you that option.]
'Ah, that makes sense. Can't have two Akivilis…'
If the Aeon of Trailblaze were to suddenly have blessings from another Path, the Aeon who presided over it would naturally become attentive.
'Innate affinities, huh?'
They… kind of made sense, actually. Sunny was an accomplished killer, both of beasts and men. He was also a fluid dancer, and considering his entire battle art was built off this skill, it made sense that his body could be considered Harmonious. As for being a historian… he liked knowing things. Better than being ignorant.
Usually.
In the end, the choice wasn't too difficult. If he gained blessings associated with The Hunt, then his ability to slay things would most likely recieve an enhancement. He thought about the dancer, thinking that his Shadow Dance might progress faster, but Herta stated that there was something wrong with the simulated replica of the Harmony.
The moment he willed himself to become a hunter, the world around him shifted.