A large polearm thrice the size of his body was hovering above his extended hand, Feather’s grin wide and manic as he let out an echoing cackle. A titan so large that a human was only the size of its nose stood in his path, standing inside a pit of blood and bone, but it didn’t matter. The light shimmered against Feather’s fingertips, before his arm sliced down, and the spear went off against the dungeon’s boss, all its warped flesh and muscles being burnt away in the intensity, the monster continuing to regenerate as the blond floated lazily around it.
It was perhaps the largest creature they’d encountered, and yet it was fast and agile, crawling along walls and charging a laser beam from its third eye, which Feather merely blocked without breaking his smile. The titan’s red sword looked to be made from hardened and pulsing veins, its spiked edges carved and dyed red with blood, but despite all of that hype, Feather just looked like he was toying with the thing.
“Haha, the goal here is for all of you to eventually be able to take down Mr. Awesome Sauce by working together!! I’m going to turn you all into elite monsters, hahaha!!”
And with that, dozens of fantastical spears made out of fizzling explosive energy pierced down on the titan, cracking its skull and piercing its third eye before it could fire anything more. The whole creature exploded, combusting from the inside at Feather’s tactful magic to reach some sort of core, which must’ve been the insane man’s idea of a hint on what they could do whenever he expected them to fight this.
“He… sure does have high expectations for us,” Eve whispered with a stiff smile, watching as the titan’s body crumbled and fell into the cavern of blood it’d been sleeping in before, it’s bones cracking into pieces and falling into the rest of the remains of other monsters, almost indistinguishable from the rest of the rubble.
“There’s no way I’d ever be able to take that down. I’m just a wolf,” Jayce grimaced, hands crossed stubbornly over his chest as he glared at the titan’s fallen skull that was cracked into thirds, watching as it sank lower into the thick bloody sludge, shivering when it fully disappeared beneath the deep red surface. “I can turn into a wolf or a humanoid version of a wolf, that’s it. What does he even expect me to do?”
“Well that would be why he’s training you,” Leo offered kindly, smiling at Jayce as the other man’s frown only deepened. “Obviously you’re not ready to take it on right now, but he sees your potential. When I work together with Kya, she and I can take it down with a bit of effort as well.”
“I’d like to see it. Just how strong are the two of you, anyway?”
“Well, Kya has a really powerful blood concept, so she’s exceptional when it comes to combat against other people and things that have flesh and blood. But I’d say she’s better suited to being in a support position because of the buffs she gives people when applying her concept of divination. And of course, I’m the brawn,” he smiled widely, Jayce figuring that sounded pretty legit, but their conversation was interrupted by Feather jumping down in the center of them, the conversation stopping the moment he smiled their way.
In five days, he’d cleared the dungeon. A dungeon that was said to have taken the only other person who had ever soloed it five years, and that person had been the queen of dragons. But he landed in front of them without a scratch or drop of blood on him, smile still bright on his face as he welcomed himself back. He’d been fighting non-stop for the past five days without having taken a single break to rest, but he didn’t look tired at all, which was rather unnerving.
“Hey! So how’d I do? Was I impressive?” Feather grinned, snapping his fingers with a quick movement to teleport them out, finally in safe territory again at the foot of the dungeon’s big golden spires.
Though, of course, Iden was the first to respond to that haughty statement, perhaps missing the arrogance behind it. She ran forward with her arms spread wide, excited out of her mind, jumping up and down like she was about to burst while brightly exclaiming, “Yes!!! You were the best, Feather!!! I’ve never seen someone as strong as you!!!”
“Of course you haven’t. That’s because I’m the strongest person to exist,” Feather raised his head, and you know what… at first, Jayce would have found that statement to be utterly ridiculous and all too arrogant, but now, he didn’t think he had a choice but to believe it. Everyone felt the same way. Eve was still a little stunned, barely coming down from the adrenaline rush that had come with just watching him, and Achitha didn’t know what to say. Her mouth was open, but no words came out, and all she could do was stare. But there was one person among them who… wasn’t thinking quite like the rest. The prince’s subordinates missed the look on his face, too preoccupied with the madman. But Cirrus’ amber gaze was needled on Feather not with shock, or awe, or even admiration… but with a pure kind of clinical curiosity, which led him to carefully lift his eyepatch when no one was looking.
Kya had said to look at Feather’s flaws, and she’d been kind enough to tell him that he did have drawbacks to using so much power. Cirrus wasn’t certain how many concepts Feather was wielding, but it would just be common sense that it must have a toll, and he found himself looking for one. He searched, nearly scavenging with his sights, all while using…
The concept of the knowledge seeking eye. Otherwise known as the all-knowing eye, in its final form. This concept was extremely advanced, and couldn’t be used by just anyone who tried to develop it. It was said to be a finicky concept with its own will, and it wouldn’t take a liking to someone unless you exhibited certain qualities. This was the reason why Cirrus hadn’t managed to develop the concept in its entirety… it was still testing him, and it wasn’t yet satisfied with what it saw. The concept looked for unquenchable curiosity, determination for knowledge, and an unbreakable will to uncover the truth and discover new things. He hadn’t exhibited everything the concept wanted, so it was leaving him in the trial phase. If left in the trial phase too long, you would go blind, as he had earlier. Going blind in such a way, for not using a concept properly, was usually looked at as a divine punishment, something bestowed upon you by the gods for not obeying the rules of reality. It should be irreversible, but Feather had completely ignored that assumed law and healed him anyway with no repercussions. But that just couldn’t be the truth, there had to be more to it… there had to be something he was missing… but then what was it? What was he not seeing? There was clearly more to Feather than what he saw on the surface, so what exactly—
You seek more?
Cirrus’ mind froze as his finger tightened around his bangs, his eye vibrating and rapidly tearing up as it stared at Feather’s smiling features. He’d heard this sleek, genderless voice before. But he hadn’t heard it in a very, very long time, not since he’d first developed the concept. Though he remembered vividly what it had said to him those centuries ago.
Ruba had been training him to wield it for years. It had been nearly a decade, but not quite, since she’d begun teaching him all about the foreign concept. But eventually, after Arcadia’s supposed death when he was at the age of one hundred and twenty-three, Cirrus had started to feel like he’d lost his way. He always felt burdened by his prophecy, not wanting to bear it alone. Now that he’d reunited with Feather, he knew he didn’t have to anymore, but back then… he’d felt so lost. There were days where he’d tried contemplating why on earth he of all people had been chosen to fulfill such a grand prophecy… because he simply didn’t feel like doing it. But he had to. If he didn’t, he would be rejected, and there would be no place that would welcome him. Even though he was so young, barely an adult, if he tried telling people he didn’t want to follow the prophecy’s words, he would certainly be shunned… and so his emotions were constantly in conflict. He had no clue what he wanted at all. And he overcompensated for that lost feeling by feeding himself more and more knowledge.
He’d read ancient books and tombs for hours, trying to figure out all he could about the apocalypse and how reality was believed to work. He’d helped advance the experiments done in his kingdom’s lab on all the monsters they brought back from the dead planets, having played a part in studying the empty void that were inside every single one of the beasts. But the first time he’d heard the voice, he’d actually been studying something a bit different… he’d been reading a very, very ancient tomb about an old goddess. Her name was said to be Seiree, and in that tomb, it had mentions of an apocalypse that had taken place so long ago no one remembered it… and how that holy woman had been the one to stop it with magic that couldn’t be identified. The book itself was so old he’d had to transcribe it, but he hadn’t minded, simply because the premise was so interesting… after all, if he could learn the kind of magic this goddess, Seiree, must have been using… then couldn’t he stop the apocalypse too? And when he’d found himself so overwhelmed by the desire to learn more, he’d heard…
You seek the truth?
At the time, he didn’t know how to react to it. Ruba had never told him about a voice. She’d mentioned it would either choose him or ignore him, but she hadn’t said the concept would talk to him or ask him questions. But perhaps that’s just what the concept of knowledge seeking was. When looking for answers or information, it was natural that one would have to ask many questions, and it was as if the concept was the personification of that idea. So it was only natural for it to be curious when choosing its owner, though… its response to Cirrus hadn’t been very good at the time. Probably because he hadn’t been able to give it an answer.
You don’t know if you seek the truth? Why not?
He hadn’t responded then. He’d merely sat in the library surrounded by piles of books, shaking slightly as he went to cover his ears.
No. You don’t seek enough. You are not open to the truth and your conviction is weak.
Huh? His conviction was weak? But Cirrus had always thought his conviction was the strongest out of anyone. He had a prophecy to fulfill, he had a mission to complete. He might not want to do it, but he was more aware than anyone else that he had to. He couldn’t afford to let anyone down. But this all-knowing voice in his head was telling him that… his conviction was weak? He didn’t know what to say. Looking back, the voice had been right, but that hadn’t made it any easier to hear.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
If you want to use this power, and if you truly seek knowledge and the answers to your questions, you must harden your conviction. I will lend you this power, but it will bring pain whenever you use it. If you want to seek the truth, you must embrace this pain. If you do not, your sight will fade and whither away, until you can no longer see a thing. The choice is yours, so use this power wisely.
And then he’d felt a blaring pain in his left eye, dozens of pieces of information swarming inside his head at once. Suddenly, each time he looked at a book, all its contents came flooding into his mind without warning, and he suddenly knew everything that was written there without even having to open it. He’d remembered crying while his head spun and pounded, not able to hold it back as he covered his hands over his left eye, pressing into the burning flesh as he tried to cool it down with his ice. But nothing had worked. If it hadn’t been for Ruba, who came down and lent him a similar version to the blindfold she always wore, he might’ve gone blind right then and there. And after that, he’d had an eyepatch made for him from the same divine cloth Ruba was always collecting, and the pain went away. But the voice was undeniably correct about him… his conviction was weak. Doing something because you thought you had no choice and doing something because you truly wanted to were very different. He was too scared of the pain to use the concept most times, and only ended up using it in emergencies or when he had no other choice. But now, when he looked at Feather…
You seek more?
Yes. Yes he did. This time, Cirrus answered the voice free of any doubt or insecurities. He screamed yes in his mind, nearly glaring at Feather while he ignored the thick tears that fell down his face. This time, he didn’t want to learn or seek just because he didn’t see any other path for him. And in the end, Cirrus held no passion for stopping the apocalypse. But Feather? Feather was a different topic. He wanted to know everything about him. He wanted to see every single one of his flaws. He wanted to know the truth behind Kya’s words and what she’d truly meant by saying Feather was stuck in a death cycle. He wanted to know, he wanted to know all there was about the miracle worker he had his eyes set on. And he would do whatever it took to learn.
Ah, ahhh! You do seek more! You seek more! I will give you all the knowledge you seek! Look with your eyes, see with your mind! Embrace the truth, embrace it!
All at once, the pain suddenly faded from his eye completely, and Cirrus’ breathing became much easier. His head stopped throbbing, his hand no longer felt so tense holding his eyepatch and pulling back his long black bangs. Everything felt… calm. And he could see everything.
Feather’s body was degrading. He had about three strong bursts of power left before he died. If there had been more to the dungeon and if he’d kept going, he would’ve died after fighting three more monsters that were the equivalent to the titan. In fact, it looked very clearly like his body was dying already. It was all too vivid in Cirrus’ mind. Feather really was… dying. He might look fine on the outside, but internally, his body was a mess. His organs were strained, bruised, twisted, shriveled dry. His heart had cuts and looked to be kept in place by thin strings jutting into it while it bled, struggling to pump. His lungs looked ready to burst at any second. All of it was being maintained by his healing concept, as pristine as it was, but if Feather continued to exert this much power, he’d be done for… how had he managed to survive this long? How was he not dead? What concepts was he using? Had he been telling the truth before, about only having one concept?
The answers, he had all of them.
Feather was using the Concept of Anything. He wasn’t dead because he’d already died countless times and had mastered the art of revival. He’d survived this long because his body was so masterful at regenerating itself it could fix itself countless times, no matter how often or horrendously Feather died. That was the truth, and it was ruining Cirrus’ mind.
“What? That’s impossible,” he blurted, his left eye twisting as the amber color swirled and darkened. Everyone turned to look at him, no one quite able to register what Cirrus was trying to say while Feather squinted at him. “You… how are you doing that? How did you learn to do that? You’re breaking every law reality has ever set… how are you…”
You do not believe?
The voice sounded almost hurt in Cirrus’ mind, and a sharp pain returned to his eye as a piercing stab twisted its way into his socket.
You are in denial? Denial is the opposite of truth. You must never deny what you see when what you see with this concept is absolute. You must pay the price for forsaking truth to run amok with false ideals. If you seek it, you must be able to handle the answers you find. Otherwise…
It felt like his eye exploded. Something sliced his eye in half, blood spraying out from the wound as the red liquid began leaking out of his socket, gushing down his face and splattering onto the ground as he let out a muffled scream.
He couldn’t think, he couldn’t even begin to fathom what had just happened. All he knew was that he’d seen something he probably shouldn't have, and everything hurt. The strength in his legs faded as his knees collapsed in on themselves, his body falling forward while he held himself up with one arm, holding his left eye with the other as he tried to stop the blood that wouldn’t stop gushing, almost like it were coming from an endless source. It was dripping down his nose, he could taste the iron on his tongue… the blood mixed with the salt of his tears and made for something truly disgusting.
However, as quickly as it had begun, the pain faded. His thundering head suddenly faded to the rhythm of his heartbeat, tears still flooding down his face as he felt his cheeks get wiped with warm, soft hands. He felt someone’s tender thumb brush over his bleeding eye, the thick, sticky feeling disappearing from his face while the deep splitting gash was healed. And when he opened both his eyes to see what was happening, he found Feather kneeling on the ground in front of him, hands cupping both his cheeks as he flooded more calming essence into Cirrus’ mind to stop his overwhelming panic.
“Ah… thank you,” he drawled, mouth gaping wide open at Feather’s uncharacteristically serious face. His mind was still at a lull, and honestly, he couldn’t properly digest what sensations he was feeling or what thoughts he should be having. It felt like a tranquil breeze had rushed over his mind… Feather’s touch felt hypnotizing. But even though his eyepatch wasn’t on his face, his eye didn’t hurt anymore, despite how it had been cut open. His mind was fuzzy, but everything was slowly coming back as he leaned further into Feather’s warm hands. Everything he saw… everything he saw about Feather, and… “Ah! You’re about to die!” he shot up, his personality suddenly returning to him all at once, only to finally be able to see and register the concerned faces of the worried people around him. “Ah, but you won’t die permanently… and I guess you really were telling the truth about only having a single concept… though, um, are you sure you’re okay with dying so much? The amount of times your body has died is, ah… an obscenely concerning number…”
“Shut up,” Feather snapped with a glare, moving his hands off Cirrus’ cheeks to push his face down, though he didn’t push it all the way into the dirt. But he pulled on the prince’s black braid and twisted the hair, having to resist the dire urge to go ahead and snap his neck before he let go and lifted himself up to keep his dignity.
He was just… so, so very angry. He felt livid. Feather didn’t know if he’d ever felt such an intense feeling of rage before in his life.
“Who gave you permission to analyze me and invade my privacy like that?! My concept isn’t any of your business, you fucking ass!! You do that again and I’ll kill you!! And if you ever try to arrest me for using a taboo concept, I’ll kill you for that, too!! You hear me?! You’ll be dead!! And I’m not gonna heal your stupid eye anymore you shitty shitwad, go fuckin’ die in a ditch!!!”
“Ah… no, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to invade your privacy…” Cirrus blinked up at him on his knees, hand going to press at his face as he rubbed over his left eye. His eyepatch was strewn on the ground, and yet… he felt no pain at all. It felt so relieving to finally have that constant weight nullified, though he really couldn’t explain… “Oh, but… wow. Feather, did you take away all the pain in my eye, too? It doesn’t hurt at all anymore… when will the pain come back?”
Though that seemed to be another wrong thing to say, because Feather’s glare only became more incredulous, like he was talking to an idiot. “Are you stupid?” the blond raged on him, standing up to tower over Cirrus’ sitting form with clear disdain. “I don’t know how you did it, and I don’t know why you decided to do it now, but you finally managed to master that concept of yours, dumbass. The concept of the all-knowing eye is now yours to command. You won’t be needing that eyepatch of yours anymore. Now fuck off, I’m about to kill myself.”
“You’re about to what?” Achitha blanched, Cirrus’ entire team absolutely horrified as Feather turned and waved over his companions.
“Kya, kill me! And protect these idiots while I’m unconscious!”
“You got it, boss,” the woman agreed, a sliver of blood poking out of her fingertip before it shot like an arrow through Feather’s head, killing him within the impact. And Cirrus had to watch in horror as the blond’s entire body staggered, blood leaking from his head to stain his light heap of curls, before he sagged and collapsed, a small red pool welling out from the wound on his head as they all stared. Cirrus, he… he hadn’t been expecting that. But for some reason, knowing what he knew now, it didn’t horrify him at all.
“Wow… the concept of anything is amazing…” he whispered in awe as Achitha, Eve, and Jayce all started screaming, the three of them panicking at the supposed murder they’d just witnessed while Cirrus narrowed in on Feather’s corpse with the concept he had just mastered. “Hm… it looks like he’ll wake up in about two hours. That’s good to hear…”
Though it was a bit worrying. Even as everyone around him started being loud and jumping to conclusions, Cirrus couldn’t help but stare at Feather’s sleeping face, whose heart was already beating again. Kya had delivered a swift and painless death, which was a good thing, but… dying that many times couldn’t be good for him. It was bound to drive anyone insane. Looking back on things now, this… this was probably why Feather was the way he was. He’d suffered a lot, and vulnerable parts of him were broken now. He’d died countless times… he’d died more than what most people could fathom, but… how many times had he hidden his death from Cirrus in the span of time they’d been travelling together?
Suddenly, a number arose in his head. Two times. That didn’t sound like much when isolated, but putting it into the context of them only having traveled together for less than two months… that was a lot. And it must be hurting him. Kya was right, Feather wouldn’t be able to save himself. Who would be able to save themselves when they had to kill themselves and die so often just to survive? No one would. So could Cirrus save him? Was that possible? Was that something he was capable of? Could he… really be the one to stop Feather’s endless cycle of death? But how in the world would he ever accomplish that, when he was already expected to save the world? What would happen if he ever had to choose one over the other? Between Feather and the world… if he had to choose… oh.
Well, that wasn’t good. Cirrus was staring at the newly revived corpse as Feather’s chest finally began to move up and down again, the breath returning to his lungs that were slowly being repaired. Everyone was yelling around him, not noticing the changes, but he was tuning it all out. Because if he were to ever need to choose between the world or Feather… he knew he would choose Feather without a second thought. It wouldn’t even be something he had to consider. And that… didn’t make him a very good person, did it?
What do you think of Cirrus' conviction?
