Chapter 10 – Daren
Daren sat hunched over his workbench, the flickering candlelight illuminating the carefully arranged collection of texts, scrolls, and arcane instruments before him. Each page he turned carried centuries of knowledge: histories of mortals who had reached extraordinary power, diagrams of mana flows, and detailed explanations of the system's structure. To the untrained eye, it would appear as mere clutter. To Aric, it was a roadmap to understanding a world few dared to explore.
"Aric," Daren called without looking up, his tone measured but firm. "Come closer. There's something you need to see."
Aric obeyed, stepping carefully over scattered scrolls and manuscripts. He had been studying the system for weeks now, observing its rules, its limitations, and the subtle ways it manipulated the world. Yet no lesson so far had revealed the depths of its complexity.
Daren picked up a diagram, a lattice of interconnected nodes representing the hierarchy of power the system enforced. Mortal levels were small, compact clusters. Transcendents were larger, sprawling networks, and gods were nodes almost impossible to penetrate.
"This," Daren said, tapping the diagram with a calloused finger, "is why you must understand more than just magic, Aric. The system doesn't just monitor mana—it monitors growth, influence, and potential. Every action, every spell you cast, every decision you make is recorded. And more importantly, constrained."
Aric frowned. "So, there's no way to exceed it?"
Daren's eyes glimmered with a mixture of warning and challenge. "Not directly. Not without risk. The system's primary function is to protect the world's balance. That's why individuals who reach divine or transcendent levels are so rare. The higher you rise, the more strain you place on the world's mana. And the system will resist—through restriction, through limitation, sometimes through direct conflict."
He leaned back, sighing. "The system is not malevolent, but it is absolute. And it will punish arrogance."
Aric studied the diagram again, noting the small inconsistencies—nodes that seemed disconnected, weak points where the system had been circumvented in the past. "And these…?" he asked, pointing.
"Taboo breakers," Daren said quietly. "Those who have, in the past, slipped through the system's grasp. Each one learned to exploit gaps, inconsistencies, and loopholes. But even they were not free from consequences. Every path they took came at a cost, often their freedom or even their lives."
Aric's mind raced. He understood the gravity of what Daren was showing him. To surpass the system was to walk a line between brilliance and annihilation. It required strategy, patience, and an understanding of more than just magic.
Daren continued, his voice calm but heavy with implication. "And that is why you must learn to read the world the way I do. Not just the magic you wield, but the currents around you. Observe patterns, notice flow, anticipate reactions. Only then can you hope to manipulate the system, rather than be manipulated by it."
Aric nodded slowly. "So, the system isn't just a tool… it's the framework for everything. Every god, every dragon, every mortal—everything is tied to it."
"Exactly," Daren confirmed. "And understand this: the system doesn't act out of malice. It acts out of necessity. Its goal is preservation of the world. You, Aric, may one day find yourself at odds with it—but always remember why it exists. It is the world's will incarnate, just as Aion is the manifestation of that will."
Aric swallowed, the weight of his father's words settling on him like a physical presence. The stakes were immense, the path perilous, but for the first time, he understood the magnitude of his journey. Every lesson Daren had taught him, every secret hidden in scrolls and tomes, was preparation for what was to come.
Daren reached for a small, intricately carved orb on the table, its surface swirling with faint light. "This," he said, handing it to Aric, "is not a weapon, nor a spell. It is a memory of those who have walked the path before you. Study it, understand it, but do not rely on it blindly. The system will watch, and it will challenge you at every turn."
Aric held the orb in his hands, feeling a faint pulse of energy that resonated with his own mana. He closed his eyes, imagining the path ahead: divine levels, transcendents, gods, dragons, and the secrets that lay hidden beyond the system's control.
One thing was clear. The journey would not be easy. And yet, with his father's guidance and the knowledge of those who had defied the world before him, Aric felt a determination ignite within him. He would learn, adapt, and survive. One day, he would understand the system fully. And perhaps, he would even surpass it.