"Self-Causality is really difficult to explain, much less comprehend. It's not that it's too complex – No, it's the very nature of what it is that makes it so hard to grasp.
Self-Causality, despite the prefix Self-, doesn't refer to the user themselves in the sense of the effect being restricted to one's own being. Rather, it refers to ownership; ownership over the threads of Causality that entwine with the workings of Fate itself. It is the right, or perhaps the illusion of the right, to hold and alter the strings that connect cause to consequence.
I understand that abilities differ from person to person, no matter how similar they appear. The manifestation changes, the limits change, the vessel changes. But Self-Causality… it's different. For those of us who wield it, the difference is negligible, almost nonexistent. Its essence is consistent, its behavior constant. What varies is merely how much control we have, how far we can stretch before Fate snaps us back into place.
I've wielded Causality for ages, or what feels like ages, and I've seen others do the same. Each wielder follows a path, a sequence that cannot be avoided. We call it the Pathway. It always begins the same way:
'Awareness of Cause,' where one perceives the threads for what they are.
Then 'Negation of Effect,' the first rebellion against Fate's decree.
Next comes 'Precognition,' the foresight of threads before they intertwine.
After that, 'Reaping,' the act of harvesting the consequences of chosen causes.
Then comes 'Slippery Slope,' the descent where the wielder begins to blur the line between cause and effect entirely.
The list goes on, but the order never changes. The path always stays the same, no matter who walks it, no matter how strong or weak the wielder may be.
I say I don't care why this is so… but that's a lie. Of course I do care. Any Apparition of Fate would. To not seek such knowledge would be an insult to what we are. Oblivion has no hold over me, at least not yet, and still, I remain ignorant of the answer.
Causality does not bend to individuality. It remains constant, pure, impartial. It does not evolve with the wielder – it merely reveals itself in layers, each more intricate than the last. One must first be aware of it, then learn to defy it, predict it, reap from it… and even after mastering all that, control is still uncertain. Because no matter how much you think you grasp it, the weavings of Fate outscale your reach by infinity.
In the end, Causality is merely a part of Fate. It is the spindle upon which the threads of existence are spun, obedient to a loom no one has ever seen."
—Saint Andrew.
*****
Day Nine…
A conference room. Andrew was sure of it. The long rectangular table, a dozen revolving chairs all around it, and a wide screen that everyone within the dull-colored room could see.
Really? Grey color? Any other color and they chose grey? The degeneration of man was indeed near.
Currently, something akin to a meeting was going on. Jane stood next to the wide screen, pointing at something on it and speaking. Seated in the chairs, listening attentively, were Isabella, Adam, Ashran, and James to the left; and to the right were Andrew, Talen, and Warwick.
The way they decided to speak spoke volumes of who was who. Talen and Warwick were newcomers. Even Andrew, who had already been acquainted with them, was still definitely a stranger. Isabella was technically the only person he was close with.
"Alright then, let's get into one of the main matters we intend to make clear today." Jane's voice rang out, pulling Andrew back into his body.
The list of abilities? Andrew thought as he stared at the new image that had appeared on the wide screen.
A list of abilities, specifically the ones Chosens wielded, was written out for them. The first thirteen abilities were written in black, but the last two were written in red. Of course, it was obvious which abilities they were.
Self-Causality Manipulation and Visionary.
"From our extensive research, which translates to the usage of my Clairvoyance, and Ashran's and James' actual research, we now have clear data pertaining to most of the abilities Chosens have. As you'd expect—"
The image changed again. Five abilities appeared with statistical values next to them.
"—Regeneration has the highest users. Following behind it closely are Enhancement, Flight, Rift, and Copycat, respectively. To be fair, this is to be expected." Jane smiled.
"The ability to regenerate no matter what, thereby making you practically immortal? Of course, it's to be expected on the list of most chosen abilities."
"The ability to enhance or augment one's self, making you a superhuman. I have no comment for this one. It speaks for itself."
"Flight. The oldest and most well-known kind of ability. Throughout the ages, we all used to dream of soaring the sky like the birds. Flight seemed synonymous with the words 'super', 'freedom', 'unrestrained'. The symbolism of flight is something incredibly vast. To have Flight is to have ascended past the human limit. It also speaks for itself."
"Rift. Where do I even start? To wield Rift is to be part-god. You quite literally have the omnipresence of a god if we ignore all the limitations binding it to mundanity. To be able to go anywhere and everywhere with a single thought? I feel all these abilities speak for themselves. Much explanation isn't needed."
"Now, for the case of Copycat… I can see the logic. The ultimate 'Jack of all trades'. Whatever you can do, I can also do it too. What you can't do? I can also do it too. I don't think this needs to be expounded on, right? The logic behind why most Chosens chose this ability is very apparent," Jane explained while everyone remained silent and listened.
Andrew had already guessed that these abilities would be the most used, so he wasn't that surprised.
"And now, for the least used abilities, we have 'Visionary', 'Self-Causality', 'Absorption', and 'Nullification'." Jane changed the image again. Now, a statistical analysis of the least used abilities was displayed on the screen.
The first two were to be expected. There was even a controversy on whether they truly existed. Disagreements still persisted, but a living proof was seated in this room. Those still oblivious would continue their arguments, but everyone in this room was in the know.
"I would love to give an in-depth explanation of what we know about these abilities, but this isn't the main reason I brought up this entire matter. Oh, and let's not forget the middlemen: Adaptation, Negation, Pyrokinesis, Clairvoyant, Shapeshifting, and Summoning. Not the most used, but they are definitely underused too." Jane waved her hand, and the image on the screen finally shifted into an image of a single bold word on a white background.
PACIFIERS
That was the singular word on the screen.
Jane pulled a chair out and sat on it as everyone continued to stare at her.
Her gaze shifted to the right, toward the group of newcomers.
"Talen, Warwick… do you know who we are?" Jane asked as she locked her fingers together and placed them on the table.
Warwick shook his head in response. Talen, as expected, gave a verbal response. "Not really. But I do have a faint idea of who you guys are."
"Oh really? Do tell, Talen. I'm curious… who do you think we are?" Jane tilted her head slightly, staring at Talen with amusement.
"Seeing how more than half of you are Chosens, I'd say y'all got to know each other after you got your abilities. A band of misfits that came together because of their shared bizarreness." Talen acted as if he was thinking deeply about it. "And now, y'all act like a band of heroes coming together to save the world from the grip of evil forces."
"I like your sarcastic tone, Talen." Jane smiled, her deep blue eyes, like those of the ocean, staring into Talen's, which were like the clear sky.
"I'm glad you like it," Talen answered. Their gazes remained locked.
"Whether we are a circus or a band of misfits doesn't matter at this moment. The question I have for you two, Warwick and Talen, is what are your plans? Now that you wield such an unnatural force, you must have something in mind," Adam finally joined in on the conversation.
Talen, being who he was, spoke before Warwick. "No plans really. I'm still searching for my brother, and currently, I have zero clue as to where this dear brother of mine has holed himself. I do hope he's fine, though."
"So… for now, nothing?" Adam summarized.
"Indeed. And let me guess, since I'm obviously a misfit just like y'all, I should join your little band, right?" Talen mocked. "I'm intrigued. After thinking about it for a negligible amount of time, I've decided to offer you my service until I find my brother. Maybe even then, I might still remain."
"Hmm, your character is questionable, Talen," Adam said with a frown.
"So is yours, but I'm not complaining, am I?" Talen retorted.
"We'll get back to you in a moment, Talen. Your understanding of what our so-called 'band of misfits' is quite tainted," Jane interjected.
"Ooooh," Talen made a sound to show his curiosity. "Go ahead. What could I have gotten wrong?"
"Your first error is thinking the reason we came together has to do with our 'bizarre' nature. No, we didn't come together because we were seeking a community of our own kind. We came together because we share an ideology. We came together because we had something else in common," Jane explained.
"And what is that? This shared ideology?" Warwick finally said something for the first time since the meeting began.
Only Andrew, Isabella, Ashran, and James were still silent up to that point. The latter three didn't even seem to be listening much to what was going on. Only Andrew still seemed attentive.
"To pacify the chaos that is ravaging our world. We sought balance. And before you throw in your cheeky comments, Talen… yes, we had no other aspirations. As such, we decided to be 'heroes', like you said. You could say we were kinda alright with our normal life. Kinda." Jane grew silent.
The mood in the room suddenly dropped even lower. A kind of greyness and melancholia submerged the room. The grey color of the conference room didn't help; it actually amplified the feeling.
Isabella quickly turned her gaze to Andrew, and thankfully, he still seemed fine. His volatility was something that forced her to constantly stay on alert.
*****
Of course they can't sense the changes. Do they know you, Andrew? No one knows you. Not even us. Not even you.
You can already guess what's going on, right? The more you use your ability, the crazier you get. That's corruption for you, my dear Andrew.
Fret not, though… you've always been insane.
Anyway, just hold yourself back. Your vulnerability to change is rather disgusting.