Not bindings Elhume shook his head curiously numb with the constant static of vacated thoughts but sure He might have compromised so much of his position but creating a race with designed fail safes he could use to control still struck him as being monstrous More monstrous than he wanted to be but perhaps locks Three of them in the frame of humanity keeping their true potential hidden within the labyrinth of their vast depths And we create a very simple series of directions we give to them So while they are unknowingly following the proper procedures to provide the raw stories to Pine they would unlock these bindings naturally Without understanding we are the architects of their growth
Randidly nodded his weary agreement still in awe of what Neveah had done still feeling the effects of the effort he had poured into it The genius was in the light pulses from each individual heart shape they occurred at regular intervals but the different flashes of light were on slightly staggered times So over time different heart patterns would activate in unison leading to a completely different whole
And that wasnÆt even talking about the Nether Ritual Randidly had used the Hollow Needle to sew into the fabric of the heart A shadowy sort of working that could only exist in the flawless heart’s flaws
Padraic took the heart with delicate fingers His eyes flicked back and forth cataloging its shape its light the beauty of its lines the vast complexity of the twinkling working IÆve been struggling to produce this exactly A way to plant a seed of potential within the core of the race We can offer them energy surely but without structure channels through which the energy can flow
Abruptly Padraic frowned He looked more closely at the heart
RandidlyÆs lips twitch as he observed Padraic with fondness YouÆve truly grown into your own havenÆt you
itÆs well fragile isnÆt the right word Padraic chewed on his lip as he flipped the Engraving over checking the back as though there would be an answer hidden there I guess it would be more accurate to say that this heart can destroy itself I wouldnÆt collapse from external forces not from being squeezed or strained But the heart will crash into a barrier and shatter of its own volition It is written into its nature To rush headlong with enough power to destroy itself
On itself it might inflict flaws Or rather it cannot help but shatter the perfection Randidly nodded in agreement He glanced around before he spoke spreading out his Cloak of Utter Night more heavily around their position The longer this meeting lasted the riskier it became But isnÆt that the nature of hearts They are so easily broken
Congratulations Your Skill the Cloak of Utter Night has grown to Level 1021
Well yes but this isnÆt really a heart even if you designed it to look like one Randidly could practically see the calculations rising from Padraic’s head drifting in the air before the hurtling momentum of his intelligence moved on to other problems His words sped up half in excitement and half in worry This is potential is also too small a word Its a shape Half of the image which will become the race of humanity The problem well I canÆt imagine what would trigger the heart to break itself ItÆs so unpredictable Living beings are unpredictable Perhaps once they live and breathe a sufficiently strong emotional trauma could shatter their shape into pieces
And give these humans a genuine chance to become anything Randidly said gently Or nothing yes But Padraic you cannot provide only positive shapes for this new race you are creating They need to be exposed to the negative too Because itÆs the choice between one Path and another that becomes our most defining characteristic
Padraic just stared at Randidly
If it makes you feel better Randidly continued I suspect the heart will be broken from the beginning I do not think the genesis of humanity was planned by unselfish hands So I ask you this favor Both for me and for humanity They might shatter but despite the pain then every road will be open for them to choose
Padraic continued to stare but all the calculations ceased Randidly watched him wondering what he was thinking about Some of the nagging doubts of which there had been a slew since he had begun trying to corral possibility into the sort of situations he needed swarmed around him in that silence If this connection fell through
Randidly felt the slender thread of Nether binding Padraic to him If that couldnÆt support the weight of the ask
A favor Padraic whispered finally breaking the silence He pocketed the pulsing heart and turned away A heavy favor But I do understand how it could be an insurance policy for this yet born humanity And to that I cannot possibly say no They would be my legacy I wish them only the best
He began walking away but then paused once more to look over his shoulder You appear at the strangest times in my life Nether King Hungry Eye Sometimes I wonder if you are real at all or just a character plucked out of a fairy tale
Randidly stiffened Not because he felt insulted but because he had a burst of unexpected inspiration
Chapter 2271
We need to rearrange the order for the attempts on the possible Randidly said to Neveah dreading her reaction but still barging into her cabin anyway Especially with so little time to prepare
Randidly paused He had just swung open the door to her small cabin to find her as usual sitting and sipping tea at her hand carved wooden table Opposite her was Charlotte Wick with a half finished cup of tea of her own Immediately Charlotte leapt to her feet and gave Randidly a low bow
Randidly felt a twinge of embarrassment he had been so wrapped up in his excitement over the realization that he hadnÆt looked too closely at the occupants of the cottage Obviously the bear woman was on his side so his instincts hadnÆt pinged him to correct his impression He offered Charlotte a nod clearing his throat and refocusing his thoughts Charlotte great job with protecting the slum If you hadnÆt been there with the idea IÆm not sure sinking the image into the area would have been as easy How are the people reacting to the change
Well enough A lot of complaining but most of it with smiles on their faces A small smile broke out on CharlotteÆs face at the thought warming her whole countenance Randidly still couldnÆt believe this woman was related to Commandant Wick but he supposed that man had been more constructed toy due to the malicious interference of another
Charlotte shook her head a helpless smile still in place Due to the extra distance the biggest problem is those people who need to work in Homewell But a few enterprising Lizakh have captured some of the ostriches and are trying to domesticate them for riding For now
Charlotte blinked and glanced around Perhaps she sensed the frosty air radiating off of RandidlyÆs Soulbound companion Well IÆm sure you don’t care about these minor details I must be going Thank you as always Neveah
Charlotte bowed to Randidly again as she rushed out of the cabin leaving Randidly and Neveah alone with an uncomfortable conversation looming before them
Neveah took a long sip of her tea her eyes mild Which of course was her most cutting method of expressing displeasure Ah So a day before one of the most complex plots IÆve had the misfortune to be associated with to take advantage of the wild forces of history and extract copious amounts of benefits for ourselves we are just going to change everything up How delightful Do we have time to throw a small soiree or do we need to jump right to work Too bad we donÆt have a whiteboard detailing our plans so we could just erase everything and play it all by ear What a thrill
Randidly winced but his Nether Core sang with the truth that this was the correct move Not erasing everything but I think my priorities were out of order I wanted to start with the superposition attempt to heal the Stillborn Phoenix Primarily so I would have all of my images for the later attempts believing the resistance would be higher and I would need to fight to get my way But while thatÆs probably true that shouldnÆt come first I need to reorient my Fateset before anything else And I donÆt think there is a better way than to interfere in the creation of Humanity The Philosopher’s Stone idea is still a good one