Lex, unaware of the powerful enemy he had just made, turned his focus inward to claim his spoils. He arrived at his Soul Sea, his consciousness taking form as he stood atop the vast, shimmering liquid soul energy.
The sky in his soul sea was an endless canvas of blue, adorned with delicate cirrus clouds, their wispy forms stretching across the horizon. Below him, the Soul Sea mirrored the sky perfectly, an undisturbed reflection so flawless it seemed as though he stood between two worlds, one above, one below.
But some parts of the sky were not so clear. Floating across the sky were dark, spherical orbs of soul energy, they were pure fragmented remnants of the will he had devoured. They hovered ominously, disrupting the pristine sky with their shadowy presence. Each one varied in size and density, they were squirming slightly as though they possessed a will of their own.
These were memories, the scattered thoughts, knowledge, and experiences of the being he had consumed. The difference in their shapes and sizes was not random; it reflected the volume of information contained within each fragment.
Some were small and unassuming, likely cradling trivial details that seemed to slip through the cracks of memory. Others loomed large, their surfaces undulating with a subtle pulse, hinting at the profound secrets and immense knowledge they contained, insights that could fundamentally transform his understanding of the cosmos itself or himself.
Lex took a step forward, the surface of his Soul Sea rippled beneath his feet. At the depths of his Soul Sea, a vortex churned, steadily pulling in the soul essence from the remnants of the will he had devoured. The energy swirled like a galactic maelstrom, spiraling downward into the very foundation of his being.
Lex walked above the vast sea, eyes on the spherical remnants, feeling each ripple of change within himself. His soul was growing stronger. Not in an overwhelming surge, but in refined increments, subtle yet undeniable.
The amount of essence absorbed was small, but its purity was beyond anything he had ever encountered. This was no longer just powerful soul essence, it was distilled existence, shaped by eons of survival and accumulation.
But the soul essence was only one part of his spoils. In another region of his Soul Sea, something else hovered. The Comprehension of Laws.
Unlike the essence, which flowed naturally into him, the fragments of understanding hung suspended in the vast ocean of his consciousness, like islands of untamed power.
Lex's instincts immediately warned him. Absorbing soul essence was like breathing, a natural refinement of self. But integrating laws? That was a battle of will, comprehension, and adaptation. His gaze flickered with anticipation.
This was no simple inheritance.
Lex extended his hand and deployed various techniques, one of them being barriers to defend against any potential attacks that the will had left in his memory. After fortifying himself, he touched the smallest memory spheres, and they disintegrated as they entered him.
Suddenly, he found himself in the presence of the will, who was sitting in a lotus position atop a mountain, meditating. Lex, in a phantom state, floated behind the will. He looked around and quickly realized that he was in another universe, the home universe of the Will.
The will was a handsome young man, he wore a black robe embroidered with gold lines. Lex could see that this memory was from the will's younger days; he appeared weak, and his immaturity was clearly evident on his face.
After absorbing this fragment memory, Lex reached out to the next sphere. This sphere was moderate in size, its surface shimmering with an ethereal glow that hinted at the knowledge within. Upon absorption, his vision transformed.
This time, he found himself in a large classroom filled with students, the air thick with anticipation and the scent of old parchment.
The will was engaging in an advanced class focused on learning magical spells, led by a distinguished professor whose presence commanded attention.
The professor, a tall figure with a long, flowing robe and a beard that seemed to dance with its own magic, stood at the front of the classroom.
He wrote on the chalkboard with precision, and Lex, peering over the shoulders of the students, could see that the symbols the professor inscribed closely resembled the mysterious inscription he had previously encountered on the cathedral door.
The complex characters formed the words ᚦᛁᚠᚢᚾᛞᛘᛅᛚᛋᚢᚠᛏᛁᛚᛁᛒᚢᚱᛏᛅᛏᛁᚾ, which translated to "the fundamentals of teleportation."
Feeling a mixture of fascination and confusion, Lex turned his attention back to the front of the classroom. The professor, with a wave of his hand, began drawing an elaborate array on the floor.
It consisted of intricate geometric patterns and symbols that sparkled with faint luminous energy. After completing the array, he placed a red apple at its center.
As the students watched with bated breath, the professor chanted a series of rhythmic syllables, and with a wave of his hand, the apple vanished from sight.
A moment later, it reappeared on the opposite side of the classroom, perfectly intact, sitting atop another array etched into the floor. The students erupted in awe, their eyes wide with wonder. Meanwhile, Lex absorbed every detail, analyzing the principles behind the teleportation.
With just one glance, understanding flooded into him like a crashing tide. "They're tapping into the laws of the universe… but in a different way, different from me."
His gaze sharpened as he traced the intricate patterns, and he immediately deduced. "The array isn't just a tool, it's a conduit. A bridge between the fundamental laws of existence and those who lack direct access to them."
The realization sent his mind racing. "They're using the array as a medium, bending space without shouldering the full burden themselves… reducing the energy cost of teleportation exponentially."
It was both elegant and efficient. His thoughts deepened as he examined the inscriptions intricately woven into the structure.
"This is how this universe explores cosmic truths: through runes." The runes are not merely words; they are simplified expressions of fundamental Laws, stripped of their overwhelming complexity.
They are then distilled into a form that can be wielded by those unworthy of directly interacting with the true fabric of reality.
His gaze remained on the runes for moment as his thoughts spiraled " This… this is an entirely different path of understanding and progression."
After observing for some time, Lexs vision then reappeared at the soul sea "First i should learn this language" he thought to himself then he absorbed another sphere, his vision then appeared when the will was young.
This time Lex didn't appear as phantom but became him( the will), he could see what the will saw, what it felt. It was like he became him "Crolis" the will's name.
Crolis hailed from a prestigious family in his home universe, recognized as one of the top three most powerful clans known for their mastery of ancient arts and knowledge. This prestigious lineage provided him the unique opportunity to learn the intricate and arcane rune language at a remarkably early age, allowing him to grasp its nuances and complexities before most had even begun to comprehend its basic principles.
As Lex delved deeper into these vivid memories, a mix of awe and trepidation washed over him. He felt an intense connection to Crolis's past but recognized that lingering too long in these recollections could blur the lines of his own identity because the amount of memories Crolis had was vast that it spanned period where time became meaningless.
The burden of knowledge, experience, and familial expectations weighed heavily on Lex (Crolis), threatening to overwhelm his present reality and reshape his understanding of who he was and who he could become.
Although he could absorb these memories, but the time it would take him was greater than the lifespan of three universes; each born, maturing, growing old, and meeting its inevitable destruction, only for another to rise and repeat the cycle.
And this wasn't just any cycle.
It wasn't the Cosmic reset that Lex himself had once designed, a controlled rebirth of order and balance.
No.
This was something more significant and natural in the grand scheme of existence. A natural process, one that unfolded across countless universes, a primordial rhythm of existence itself; birth, expansion, decay, annihilation, and rebirth.
And he only understood this now, not because of his own observations, but because of what Crolis's memories had revealed to him.
A person's identity is nothing without their memories, the sum of their experiences, choices, and the emotions that shape them. Without them, they would be nothing.
Nobody.
Lex understood this truth better than most. If he absorbed everything and allowed Crolis's past to wash over him, what would happen to his identity? Would he still be Lex, or would he become merely a fragment of someone long gone, reshaped by unfamiliar memories?
That was an outcome he could not accept. So he made a decision. He would retain only what was necessary, the most useful and valuable aspects of Crolis. Knowledge that would empower him instead of replacing him. Everything else was discarded.
After three days, Lex distilled Crolis's memories into five categories.
First: The World Outside the Universe—realms beyond cosmic boundaries, where beings greater than Crolis roamed.
Second: The Progression of Power—strength beyond universal Laws, beyond even Origin Law.
Third: Treasures and Artifacts—legendary materials, divine relics, and weapons capable of overriding cosmic authority.
Fourth: Secrets Known to Few—hidden truths and forbidden knowledge that only someone of immense power could get access to.
And the fifth was the Nature of His Existence and Other Universes—who he truly was and what lay beyond the endless cycle of creation and destruction.
If another being with the same strength as Lex obtained this knowledge, they would have already been disintegrated.
No one of Lex's caliber can handle such an immense amount of information; even if they could, the will of the Void Sea would annihilate them. Fortunately, Lex embodies a universe.
His mind was the mind of the universe itself; vast, boundless, and incomprehensible to most. The Void Sea Will did not attack him, nor did it acknowledge his existence as a threat.
To it, he was merely another universal will, an entity bound by the fundamental laws of its own reality. Unlike beings who sought power, defied fate, or altered existence, a universal will had no emotions, no ambitions, no desires.
And most importantly, it could never leave its universe.
The knowledge he now possessed, no matter how vast or forbidden, held no significance to the Void Sea. A will does not act on its own, nor does it seek to wield what it knows.
For the Void Sea, Lex was irrelevant. But what it failed to understand was that Lex was different Because he was not just a will.
.............
Lex sat in silence, his mind fixated on the red mark etched into his soul. This mark was a beacon, a coordinate—a silent call across the vast expanse of existence. There was only one person capable of tracing it back to him.
Xeri.
The weight of that name settled heavily upon him. To most beings of the voidsea, she was a mere legend, an entity whispered about in the dark corners of reality. But to Crolis, she had been a sister and also a force of destruction.
Lex had caught brief glimpses of her past through Crolis's firsthand memories. A universe was collapsing—not due to war or natural entropy, but because of her schemes and overwhelming power. She had refined an entire universe, not out of necessity or vengeance, but as fuel for her Dao.
A universe, once teeming with life, now nothing but power coursing through her being.
Lex exhaled slowly.
She was incredibly dangerous, and now she knew his location. Fortunately for him, she was sealed away, a fact he had learned from Crolis's memories.
Still, he couldn't shake the thought that someone with her power might find a way to annihilate an infant universe. She could easily send one of her subordinates to carry out such destruction. "I have to hurry," he said to himself.