Time Unknown | Risia Bastion / Grand Temple / Kovon's Bedroom
As I awaken from my slumber I find that I feel very strange. I am in a completely unfamiliar place, dimension even. Recently, I was brought into the fold on some of Itokin's secrets.
Inae, an extradimensional energy that allows for manipulating reality itself. Including but not limited to, interdimensional travel, spacenullification, camouflage and even mind control.
I have been let in on one of if not the largest secrets in the universe. I can guess that it's not even nearly over yet. Later today I will be undergoing the second stage in my trial of convergence, which is required to become a full member of the Order of the Convergence, the body in control of all Inae related things.
In addition, supposedly I have a great affinity for at least one of the three categories of Inae wielders. Shifting, or the ability to move objects through the void and between the universe and sanctum. I cannot imagine how powerful this ability would be if I managed to master it. I shall work tirelessly to become wielder of great renown.
I hear a knock at the door to my bedroom. Moments later I hear what must be a servant give me a message. "Intiaite Kovon, please come out into the foyer within five minutes. It is time for the second stage of your trial."
At these words I feel a sense of excitement rush through me. After all, after I complete these trials I will officially be a part of the Order and learn how to wield this Inae. I quickly collect myself and leave my bedroom. Waiting in the lobby is an Itokin of the Order wearing a purple cloak.
Knowing what I now know, I can deduce that they are a Skier, capable of manipulating minds. I also learned that the shade of the purple cloaks shows their power. This one is a fairly bright purple, meaning they must be immensely powerful.
Itokin speaks in a fairly light tone, "Follow me, Initiate, do not dawdle or lag behind. Not all are as compassionate to initiates as Sage Qualtrak."
With this brief message, not even introducing themselves, they walk out the front door and I quickly follow behind them. They then proceed to guide me to another part of the Grand Temple. Before we enter, they place their insignia up to what must be a scanner on the door. It takes a moment but it glows blue and opens the door.
Inside is a small antechamber, with a few seats. Itokin speaks once again. "Please sit down, I am required to inform you of a few key things before this stage of the trial." I sit as instructed.
"The Order is composed of several ranks, Initiate, Acolyte, Knight, Visionary, Ascendant, Sage and The Transcendent. If you pass your trial you will officially be an acolyte.
Given your special circumstances, you will be assigned a mentor that is highly proficient, likely ascendant rank, in any affinity you have at least of the medium ranking. You will then be trained to be a wielder to the proficiency of a Knight. After that, it is up to you what you do.
Please take this data tablet and review further information."
They then pass me a data tablet that contains a fair bit of information. Most of it is on the overall structure of the order and the specifications of the ranks. I shall record this in a new chapter of my codex for later use.
"Now, when you are ready to begin the second stage of your trial, enter through the door on the far side of the room."
I am as ready as I could ever be, so I go through the door.
What I see next surprises me. I feel as though I will gain a tolerance to surprises by the time I am done with these trials.
Inside is a large room, it must be around 80x80 meters. In the center of the room stands a gigantic orb. I can feel the presence, which I now know is Inae, radiating off of it. Surrounding the main room, is a lofted seating section. Seated there are a large amount of Itokin with various cloak colors. Each one appears to be very highly ranked.
"Welcome Intiaite Kovon, let us proceed with the second stage promptly" I hear a voice that speaks next to me, it is none other than Sage Qualtrak. "Please walk up to the orb and place both of your hands firmly on it and close your eyes. Allow the energy to flow into you and measure your affinities."
Is that it? The second stage seems to be just measuring my affinities. This shouldn't be too bad. I walk up to the orb, but about fifty meters before I reach it I feel something. Moments later, a large woosh can be heard and it feels as though reality itself shakes.
"Transcendent!" Shouts Qualtrak and many of those in the audience. Every single Itokin in the room instantly drops into a deep bow.
Moments later, I feel a compulsion to drop into a kneel. I try to resist it, but I fail without putting up much of a resistance.
The supposed cause, about thirty meters in front of me stands… a girl? She looks to be a human around twenty years of age. But her presence is all wrong. I can tell that she is far from human. She has long black hair that seems to be dotted with shimmering stars. I don't think they are decorations either. As for her outfit, it appears to be a dress made out of starlight. Literally, I think it is actually a dress made out of contained stars. It is truly mesmerizing.
Given the reverence shown by all the other Itokin, this must be the transcendent. From the data I just gained, the transcendent is the uncontested leader of the Order of Convergence. It is said that 'they' founded, developed inae technology and have been leading the Order for around two billion years. It is also noted that the Transcendent possesses power that makes the greatest wielders look like specs of dust.
However, nowhere did it mention that the transcendent was a tiny twentysomething girl. I was not expecting this at all.
Before I can react to the sudden presence of the girl who must be the Transcendent. She moves, or rather teleports. She seems to instantly disappear and appear just three meters in front of me.
She steps closer and grabs hold of my chin. She then proceeds to circle around me, I feel as though she is somehow examining me. Once she is done with her investigation, she speaks. Her voice is somehow very light and childlike, but also conveys an immense power the likes I have never felt before. It is almost as if every word she utters is not speech, but a command to reality itself.
"Greetings Intiaite Kovon! As you have probably deduced by now, I am the leader of this fine establishment. You may refer to me as Transcendent. I have been waiting for a while to meet you. Millions of years perhaps? I'm unsure, but my perception of time is not the best. It could've very well been a few days."
The transcendent says these words in a very casual manner of speech. Even though her entire being emanates something that is the complete opposite. I choose to reply in a manner matching that of her own.
"Greetings, Transcendent. It is a great honor to meet one as esteemed as yourself. Given the audience's reactions, I can presume that this is not an activity that you would normally partake in. To what do I, a mere human, owe this great honor?"
At my words, she lets out a very beautiful laugh. "My my, how long has it been since one has cared to speak to me so casually? It most certainly has been at least half a billion years if not more.
Is myself not allowed to be curious at the first human to be invited to partake in this trial. But you are correct, I would not show myself to any mere human. I find that I have taken quite a liking to you. Ever since I first perceived you, I have known that you are a true oddity.
Thus, I proclaim in front of those gathered here. Should you successfully complete your trial, of which I have no doubt you are capable, I shall personally mentor you. I will also be watching your trial, so do be sure to make it entertaining. I shall see you later, Initiate, do not disappoint me."
After this proclamation. She vanishes as if she was never there.
The moment after she is gone, it seems as though reality resumes ticking. Almost as if It was frozen in her presence, too afraid to act without command. All of the Itokin surrounding me now stand up. I am also able to rise out of my keeling position. After a few moments of dead silence, Qualtrak speaks, their voice mixed with a combination of fear, awe and nervousness.
"Intiate Kovon, I hope you understand the ramifications of what just happened. The transcendent has not appeared before anyone, much less directly spoken, for the past two hundred fifty million years."
As this information sinks in, I quickly seclude myself inside my mind. Working to quickly process what the klack just happened. The transcendent, likely the most powerful being in existence, just spoke to me (which is exceedingly rare at all), and said she will personally mentor me should I pass.
Not only that, it seems that she has somehow been anticipating my arrival, since far before humanity might have been conceptualized. I do not know how to process this situation, or what to feel. So I just gave a reply to Qualtrak.
"I understand. Now, what do you say we get on with this trial thing. It appears that I have a date scheduled with a cute girl my age. It also just so happens that she is immensely powerful."
At these words, the Itokin in the room let out a very loud gasp. Somehow, I feel as though I can hear a girl laughing very loudly in the distance. After the Itokin collect themselves, Qualtrak speaks.
"Well then, we shouldn't keep your date waiting, so let's resume. Please place both hands firmly on the orb and allow the energy to flow into you."
I do as instructed. As soon as I touch the orb, I feel as though a tremendous amount of Inae flows into me.
I can feel it fill every portion of my being, almost as if I am a sponge. After a few minutes, the energy leaves me and I take my hands off the orb. A few moments later, three orbs appear inside of the larger orb. They are black, white and a very bright purple.
"My glak, I don't think I've ever seen affinities like these. Initiate Kovon, it appears as though you have measured extreme for every single affinity. Just a single extreme affinity is more than enough to make you very likely to ascend to the rank of Ascendant or Sage. Two or three is completely unprecedented, aside from perhaps the transcendent herself."
I let this, once again, shocking information sink in. Thanks to my tolerance, It doesn't stun me for nearly as long.
Not only do I have near the highest level of affinity in one of the categories. I have it in all of them.
"So, did I pass the stage?"
"My boy, you didn't just pass it, you obliterated it with an antimatter warhead. If it wasn't protocol, I would say you might as well skip the last stage of the trial. But, requirements are requirements, so let us continue."
At these words, three of the Itokin in the audience descend onto the floor. Each one has a different cloak color.
"These three are all ascendant in their respective affinities. The final stage of the trial of convergence requires you to wield, in any capacity, one of the abilities corresponding to your highest affinity.
Given your special case, you are only required to select one of the affinities. These ascendants will stand by to ensure you do not lose control and to measure your initial proficiency.
Your PsiKit has now been fully activated, you should now be able to wield Inane. Please be careful, if you're too reckless you may accidentally destroy this entire temple."
It's finally time for me to actually wield this Inae I that I have witnessed. Once the kit is activated, I feel very strange. Almost as if there is some energy that is within me that seeks to be drawn out.
I figure that the best way to learn is to try. To fulfill the requirement, I decide to use the Gesir affinity to make a ball of raw inae. As I attempt this, I envision a stream of the raw inane glowy stuff coming out of my hand. I then imagine it forming into a ball that carefully hovers in front of me.
It works perfectly. Almost as soon as I think of it, the inae comes out of my hand in a stream and coalesces into a ball about seventy centimeters in diameter. The Itokin gathered and let out a large gasp.
"By glak. Kovon, you are truly something special. Most Visionaries would struggle to make such a ball of raw inae. It seems you have a natural talent for Inae manipulation. I expect that you will go to great places, heck, you'll definitely surpass lil old me in no time.
I hereby proclaim that, Initiate Kovon Ducker of the Human Species has completed his trial of convergence. I now deem you Acolyte Kovon Ducker."
At these words, all of Itokin in the room let off a loud cheer of celebration.
Moments after Qualtrak's proclamation. Reality shakes once again. Directly beside me appears Transcendent, once again, every Itokin is thrown into a deep bow. However, I stay perfectly upright.
"Weeeel done Kovon, I knew ya had it in you. Didn't quite expect such a flashy first performance though, you really know how to show off. As I proclaimed, I shall be handling your mentorship in all affinities. By my power as Sage of the transcendent, I also grant you the rank of Ascendent of the Transcendent. You will no doubt quickly grow in order to fill the requirements of such a rank. Also, do note, you are currently the only Ascendant of the transcendent."
"I am grateful to receive such an honor from you, oh glorious Transcendent. I hope you won't be too harsh in your training. I am just a mere human after all. Now, whaddya say we go hit up a bar? I bet Risia Bastion has some great liquor."
At my words, once again, all the Itokin let out large gasps. Transcendent however, breaks out into a gigantic laughing fit. It goes on for about a minute before she finally collects herself.
"You know, I don't think anyone has ever invited me to go drinking. We have some time before your vow ritual tomorrow, so let's do it!
Please remain calm, I shall take us to the nearest drinking establishment."
If I'm being completely honest, I thought I had a 110% chance of being turned down. It appears my joke about having a date with the transcendent has become reality.
True to her words, she quickly teleports us to the nearest bar. The experience is horrible, far worse than when I entered the vortex into the sanctum. Thankfully it only lasts a moment.
As we arrive in the street, many passersby look at us strangely, but they don't seem to react in the way one would expect. The reason, it appears that Transcendent has managed to suppress her presence, she now only has a feeling as though she is around a Knight rank. Her dress has also changed into a typical White cloak and her hair has also become white, without the stars either.
She leans in close and whispers in my ear, "By the way, dear Kovon, you are given special permission to use my real name, Initae. You may freely speak it, to all others it shall not be heard."
"Thank you for the great honor, Initae, If you wish, you could call me Ko, it is what those closest to me often use."
At the use of her name and given permission to use my nickname, she looks absolutely ecstatic. On her face rests a wide smile showing off her perfectly white teeth.
Initae, the transcendent, and I then proceed to head inside the bar. We drink for what must be hours. Many burly looking Itokin and even a Vaux challenge her to a drinking contest, which she gladly accepts. She beats them without even trying it seems. Her power must be somehow counteracting the alcohol, as she doesn't even seem to be tipsy.
It is quite a strange sight. A slim boy with purple hair who bears the mark of the order and of a contestant. Alongside a fairly small girl with white hair and bearing the presence of a rank one so young wouldn't typically have. Laughing and drinking together in a very normal bar. Alongside many of the residents of the Bastion city of Risia.
No one is none the wiser or thinks even for a moment that anything about this is strange. If anything, they seem to be strangely accepting of this scene. I suspect that Initae is somehow using her power to alter them to react in such a way.
Either way, our time of drinking comes to an end. Initae says that she has something she must attend to. She hands me a data tablet and says it contains a bunch of information. Then she teleports me back into my bedroom and then quickly disappears.
I lie down on my bed. Thinking about all the absolutely insane things that have happened to me. I struggle to wrap my head around it. In order to assist me in my contemplation, I begin to transcribe the information from the shard into my Codex. It is a lot of highly detailed material about what inae, the void stuff and the order are. Highly useful.
Whatever should come in the future. I am now feeling reasonably assured that I will be able to handle it.
I wonder how Ray is doing, she is probably worried sick. Meanwhile here I am going on a date with the most powerful being in the universe.
Anyways, I suppose that is it for today. I honestly don't think I could take it if anything else happened. So the only thing left to say is, bring it on.
End of Chapter 18
A/N: Why hello there dear reader. It is the author of this fiction once again. I am glad to announce that Humanity's Game has officially crossed the 50k word mark!
I hope you enjoy this monumental chapter. Not only did Ko finally gain control of Inane, but he also gained a powerful ally and mentor. None other than the Transcendent of the Order of Convergence, Initae herself!
Alongside this chapter I will be releasing a Kovon's Codex chapter. It's over 2000 words! Basically a chapter unto itself. It will contain information about Inane, the void stuff, and the order. So be sure to read it to help understand all this crazy technology!
As always, if you are enjoying it, do be sure to follow/favourite/comment/leave a fun joke behind, it is always appreciated. Until next time, dear reader.
Cathrix