When Andar activated his Mental technique, his plentiful mind pieces were able to grasp the movements of every single Script, and in that short time, he was able to simulate combining them all until they created a single stable Script that shone with such beauty… he had never seen anything quite like it before.
Andar had always had a love for Inscription, and his awakening had opened a door to delve into this fascinating world of Scripts.
His master along with being an Alchemist was also a Master Inscriber, able to craft Inscriptions up to Rank 4. That was a marvelous achievement because most Inscribers could only craft an Inscription of Rank 4 when they were at or above Rank 6 as a Mage.
Some of his fondest memories were of watching his master craft thousands of lines of Scripts, as the multicolored light danced around the old man as if they had a life of their own, and he had dreamt of achieving just a fraction of what his master was capable of.
His arm began to throb and his movements caused painful tingles to run down his spine, and he blinked away the sweat that ran into his eyes. Andar ignored his discomfort as he wanted to reveal the Script he saw inside his head.
It may have taken hours or mere moments but Andar did not care, the Script underneath his hand was now as large as a bucket. Every movement he made was an equal part of pain as well as pleasure.
To see a Script of such complexity being gathered by his own mortal hands brought solid waves of pleasure through his mind.
With one last move, he connected the last Script piece and he stepped back, nearly collapsing in exhaustion. The completed Script flashed twice as if giving a warning before it shone so bright it was blinding.
Andar did not care, he was grinning while tears were pouring out of his opened eyes, he was already partially blind, and if he did not treat his sight, he would become permanently disabled, but he knew he could easily treat such injuries with potions so he ignored it.
The Script finished flaring up and disappeared with a faint pop. The title on the Spine of the books was revealed and Andar had to step closer because his eyesight was now subpar, he frowned a bit as he noticed all the books were the same.
There was a single image on the Spine of all the books, Andar noticed it resembled the Higher Order Scripts he had just assembled but it was far more complex, but because he had taken the time to assemble it piece by piece, he could glean part of its meaning, and so he began to trace the symbol slowly with his fingers, “Sun… no, Light taker? Light eater?”
“Close…” A voice spoke beside him, “Its Light Devourer, the Revolving Core Heavenly Fate Meditation Art was created from this.”
Andar was startled, a massive figure with two heads suddenly appeared beside him. One of his heads was looking at Andar with a smile while the other seemed to be asleep.
Andar quickly came to his senses and bowed towards the figure while cupping his hands, “Andar greets the Steward of the Black Tower, it is an honor to be in your presence.”
The Steward laughed, “Tell me, why did you risk your life to activate Grey Will?”
Andar was a bit confused before he realized that he must be referring to the Mental technique he was using to scatter his mind into many portions.
‘So, this mental ability is called Grey Will.’ he thought.
He swallowed as he did not want to carelessly answer the question and he took a few moments to organize his thought, the light in the eyes of the Archmage flashed in appreciation, it was not easy for a mortal to be as cool-headed when they were in the presence of an Archmage, even if this was just a projection of himself.
Andar began to speak, “There is a charm inside every Script that I find extremely hard to describe, and before I awakened my Spirit Matrix, I could only look at it from afar while yearning for it. Perhaps what I did was reckless, but at that time, I would have been willing to die just to glimpse that charm again.”
The tone of the Steward went grave, “Now that you were able to solve the puzzle, looking back now, do you regret paying the price for your actions? Your lifespan has been reduced and your vitality is weak.”
Andar took in a deep breath, he knew he had died before and every moment after that time was a gift, he did not know the future or the moment his Main body may wish to devour him or send him on a mission with no return, for Andar knew that he was expendable. .ℴ
He remembered the fatal attraction the Reflection of Rowan had to his main body, and to him it was not necessarily a bad thing, it was like a stream returning back to the ocean, he had no hesitation in his heart if he would be swallowed one day or killed in service to his main body.
Andar no longer feared death, he only feared mediocrity. If he could discover more secrets of magic and Scripts, uncover all the great powers he could find, and see the universe in all its true glory, he would be satisfied even if he died on that journey.
Andar smiled, “No, I have no regrets, there is a chance to learn and discover something new, opportunities like this are rare, and I will always seize it.”
The Steward was silent for a moment before he began speaking, “You are a Mage at heart. This is a beautiful thing but it is also a terrible choice. This path you choose would be one filled with thorns, your heart is pure and you only seek truth, for I find no lust for power inside you. That is… commendable.”
“Whatever this direction shall hold for me,” Andar said, “Is one I will follow without any regrets.”
The Steward smiled at him, “You failed to engrave your Meditation Art inside your Spirit Matrix, it is good that your mindset is still steady because all hope is not lost. This place is special.” He paused and looked at Andar with expectation in his eyes.