Cyril Sarnath
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Chapter 185
🕑 Added 2023-09-15 19:05:43 +0000 UTC“There is no need for hostility,” Kora stepped next to Keynes, her voice unyielding, nothing like what Keynes remembered.
The guardian seemed unperturbed by her, though. Given what the Grand Druid had said, it was no wonder. If Kora or Keynes were to try to assault him, they would be killed. It sounded a little far-fetched to him, but there was no point in risking their lives and rewards for the unknown.
“We mean the Children no harm,” Kora added. “We are only curious about them. They are different from you.”
That confirmed that she also noticed it.
Keynes expected that the guardian would dismiss Kora’s affirmation, but he surprised them.
“The Father is very protective of them,” he said. “When the competition is over, the Children will inherit the Inner Sanctuary.”
Keynes and Kora stopped, stunned, speechless.
“Impossible…”
“You human ascenders seem to use this word excessively.”
They made it to their new accommodation in silence, both digesting the revelation.
Alice, what does it even mean? Keynes asked.
I do not know exactly. I agree that this is within the power of the System, but I do not understand why the System would agree to it.
Their new house was built around a large tree with an expansive canopy acting as a roof and the upper walls. There was a low fence made out of stone, marking a front yard and presumably a backyard.
The bottom walls were built out of moss-covered wood and stone. Architecturally, the building was unique. The finishing touch was two windows with wooden shutters and a door that looked like it had formed naturally.
Upon passing through the threshold of the fence, Keynes sensed several faint spiritual ripples.
"Did you feel it?" he asked Kora, she didn’t.
"These are privacy and anti-intrusion formations," the guardian explained. "Only the three of us can enter this place."
Once on this side of the fence, Keynes saw uncultivated plots.
"These are for your personal needs and training," the guardian added.
"Training?" Kora inquired.
"Some challenges require creating a garden or such, but I cannot say more at this stage," the guardian's attention seemed to drift off a little, then he focused on them again. "There is something else you should know. You aren't the only ones competing. The Father promised one of the guardians to stay with the Children after the competition."
"The guardian of the winner," Keynes surmised.
"Yes."
"How does it work in our case? You're one, and there are two of us."
"Tomorrow, when the first challenge is announced, you will have to make a choice. Either you will compete alone or together."
"What's the catch?" Kora asked.
"Your competition points would be calculated by adding your individual contributions, then divided by 2," the guardian clarified.
"So, if one of us is very good and the other person sucks, it would put us in the middle."
That wasn’t ideal. That was bad.
“Indeed. You have time until tomorrow.”
“What if we decide to compete individually?”
“You will be separated and banned from communicating with each other.”
“Would there be another guardian?”
“There would be,” their guardian agreed.
It all depended on how good Kora was with the whole gardening stuff. She had the [Nature Aura] which had helped them in the forest. Would it be useful here? Either way, Keynes didn’t want to split with her. They were together in this. He made a decision.
“I don’t want to compete individually,”Keynes admitted. Kora said the same thing.
“If that’s the case, know that the rewards won’t be doubled.” the guardian said, eyeing them sceptically. “With exception of insight and training, these things would happen simultaneously. If you win, you will receive a reward for first and second place. If you are second, then rewards for second and third, and so on.”
It sounded fair and they didn’t have a problem with it.
“Very well, let’s proceed inside.”
Keynes expected the air to be musty and heavy given the state of the interior. Most of the walls were covered in moss creating an impression of a damp. Despite the outlook, the air felt light and refreshing.
The interior of the house was divided into a sleeping chamber, common room which included kitchen and bathroom. Apart from the moss covered surfaces, the decor could be said to look organic as if the entire place sprouted out of the ground.
The floor was also covered in a thick carpet of moss, but Keynes sensed a difference between the moss on the floor and that on other surfaces.
"For better connection with the house, I'd advise you to take off your shoes."
Involuntarily, Keynes glanced at the guardian's feet, but they were hidden beneath a fabric of darkness and leaves.
"What connection?"
The house was alive—an unsettling revelation. Or more precisely, the tree in the centre was alive and, through its branches and roots, controlled the rest of the building. But this didn't change Keynes's perspective.
The connection meant that they would be able to exchange needs and wants with the tree. Another aspect was tied to this connection.
The poor state of the interior wasn't a coincidence; Keynes and Kora were expected to 'fix' it. This was one way they could earn Favour.
They also faced their first major obstacle here. To maximise their Favour, they needed the Trait of Nature. In fact, to even stand a chance against other contenders, they needed this trait. This put them in a difficult position: either absorb the trait and have a shot at winning or forgo it and have no chance.
Absorbing a trait wasn't a trivial matter. Not only had the Trait of Spirituality provoked Chaos, but it also made Keynes highly sensitive to spiritual energy. While both effects were positive, there was also the example of Esopp Earl, who had absorbed the Trait of Dominator and had turned into a sort of tyrant.
Now the question was, what effect would the Trait of Nature have on them?
"Effects of traits are individual," the guardian explained. "However, there is a general effect that would be universal to everyone. Your connection with nature will improve."
“How is this different from a class or mastery spell?” Kora asked.
“For one, a spell can be removed,” the guardian replied.
“That’s the point,” Keynes added. “If we absorb this trait, we would be stuck with it just because of this competition. It doesn't sound like a good idea to me.”
The guardian snorted, then gave them an almost scornful stare.
“I almost feel slighted by your words, but you are not wrong. Traits become part of us and cannot be removed. That's true. However, not all traits are equally invasive or have dramatic effects on ascenders. This trait is one such example.”
They remained unconvinced.
“Won’t my [Nature Aura] be sufficient?” Kora inquired.
The guardian shook his head.
“Your aura and aforementioned spells operate on different principles. A spell is a tool; a trait is part of you. This distinction is important.”
That distinction still worried Keynes, but the guardian didn't try to persuade them further. He placed his hand on the central trunk, and a chair made out of roots sprouted from the ground. He sat down.
“Before I leave you to your own devices, the Father wants you to know something,” the guardian looked slightly uncomfortable but proceeded. “You are the one who defeated the first global boss.”
Keynes tensed up, searching for an appropriate response. The fact that the guardian knew this suggested that lying here might not be the best course of action. He wished he could communicate with Kora spiritually at this moment, but she had yet to reach the Elevated stage. He also regretted not having a [Mind Link] like her.
“Relax,” the guardian said. “The Father bears you no ill will.”
Keynes narrowed his eyes.
“That's strange coming from a monster,” he retorted.
Master, antagonising them is not advisable, Alice warned.
Perhaps it wasn’t, but Keynes couldn’t help himself. Something was unsettling about this dominion, and it made his hair stand on end. He hadn’t planned the harsh reply; it simply escaped his lips.
“Yes, the Father is a monster—a very intelligent and powerful one. He wants you to understand his circumstances. May I proceed?”
“Before you do, how did you know I defeated the first global boss?”
“You’re marked by the System. It’s subtle, but if you win the competition, the mark will single you out in the third global dominion.”
“In what way will it single me out?”
“The dominion will target you specifically. That’s all I can say.”
Keynes considered the guardian’s words. He wasn’t done questioning him yet.
“Will the jump in difficulty between this and the next dominion be the same as between the first and the second?”
The guardian simply nodded.
If that was the case, the fourth and then the fifth dominions might be too much for human ascenders to handle. If the System allowed these peculiar competition schemes, what kind of tricks might it pull later? But that was a problem for another day. First things first.
“Alright, tell us what the Father wants me to know.”
“He wants you to understand his reasons.”
In other words, why this dominion was so different from the first one. But of course, there was more to it. Why was Keynes singled out? It seemed to be because he had defeated the first global boss, but could that really be all there was to it?
“I’m all ears,” Keynes said, and two chairs sprouted from the ground. They sat down reluctantly.
“As the Grand Druid mentioned, the competition is the Father's idea, not the System's. When the Father and his dominion were created by the System, he was granted abnormal intelligence to compensate for certain drawbacks—I won’t disclose what these are, so don’t ask. Initially, the Father had no plans to host competitions or even create the Children of the Forest.
“But his understanding was further elevated through the mind-links that were part of his primary dominion. He learned about you, about your society, about your history. This inspired him to create the Children, but the System does not cater to the whims of its creations, even powerful ones like the Father. To win the System’s approval for creating the Children, the Father offered to host this competition.”
It seemed like this was some kind of game to the System, which wasn't surprising, considering the existence of the Higher Realms and beings that viewed this universe like a chessboard.
“So the System simply agreed to create an entirely new race in exchange for a gardening competition?” Keynes couldn't help but ask, his tone sharper than he intended. He was clearly on edge today, struggling to control his usual composure.
“No,” the guardian replied, his tone flat. “In exchange, the Father forfeits his life.”
Keynes blinked, not comprehending immediately.
“Each global boss has a chance to keep their life if they survive for a year. The Father would rather see his offspring become ascenders than continue living as a monster.”
This revelation struck deep. It wasn’t something Keynes had expected from a monster, no matter how intelligent. It opened a Pandora's box of questions. Could other intelligent rift monsters make similar deals like the dominion boss?
No, came a sudden answer that startled both Keynes and Alice. After a few confused seconds, dread washed over him. The answer had come from his Chaos buff.
Realising the uncomfortable silence had stretched on, Keynes finally asked, “So why does the Father want me to know this?”
“He has an offer for you.”
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