Advent of the Three Calamities

426  Suspect [2]

In a vast white void, a magnificent palace stood. "I'm done." Owl-Mighty appeared from out of thin air, softly landing on the wooden desk where Pebble was resting. The two looked at each other before looking away. At the same time, I faintly heard Pebble mumble, 'Stupid tree.' Owl-Mighty didn't even bother giving Pebble any attention before speaking, "I've handed him the recording device. I've also relayed to him what you told me to say. If his intellect is the opposite of how he looks, he should be able to understand." "Good. That—Eh?" I paused, lifting my head to get a better look at Owl-Mighty. Did Owl-Mighty just say... "What?" "No, I mean... That was kind of harsh." Leon did look stupid, but—

"Didn't you also say that?" "Yeah, but I'm..." Pausing, I realized that I couldn't find a proper way to argue back. Owl-Mighty had a point here. "Hmm, I guess you're right. I'm sorry. In any case, he's pretty smart despite his looks. You shouldn't worry too much." "Okay." We were currently within the Palace inside of the Ring of Nothingness. From here, I could see Julien struggle in the 'Trials of Forgotten Minds'. —Get me out of here! —I'll kill you! That body...! It's mine! I'll take it back! n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

His desperate pleas and curses echoed in my ears as I sat down, calmly watching everything unfold before me. I knew that this was not a permanent solution, but just a temporary measure to keep him from taking control of the body once more. However, I had bought myself some valuable time. Time that I could use to convince Kiera to help me. '...I also need to find an excuse for how I found out about the mirror.' She would definitely grow suspicious if she knew that I knew. Perhaps, she might even think I was working for the same organization her aunt was. Which I was... But still... 'I'm not necessarily working with her.' "Haa." I leaned back on the chair and blankly stared at the ceiling above me. "Let's think of something more positive. At least, with everything that I've done, the quest should be completed, right?" Everything flowed rather smoothly.

Not only was I able to complete Atlas's mission, but I was also able to handle the Julien situation and find a way to not incriminate myself in the process, thus completing the quest. This was three birds with one stone. It certainly wasn't easy, but it was worth it. 'I have bought a lot of valuable time for myself.' And that was all that mattered to me. The completion confirmation had yet to arrive, but it always tended to be a bit slow. One example was what had happened back at the Summit. It took a few days to almost a week for the quest window to pop up. It wasn't a big issue. ...I could wait. 'Well, I have no choice but to wait.' My 'Concept' was still not fully completed. It was almost there, and I just needed a little bit more time. A week would be enough. Coupled with the rewards that I would receive from the quest, I was confident I'd be able to enter the fifth tier. Furthermore, I was still not out of the waters just yet. If Leon failed to do his part then rather than completing the quest, I'd fail it. Thankfully, I didn't think Leon would fail something so simple. He was not as strong as me, but he was competent. For that reason, I wasn't too worried. "Since that's the case, I should now just focus my entire attention on materializing my Domain." Either way, I still couldn't pull my consciousness out of the ring. I was going to be stuck here for at least several more hours to maybe a day. Thankfully my life wasn't in any danger. I could consolidate my Domain right this very moment. ...And that was exactly what I did. I knew that I was close. All that I needed was just a little push in order to fully form it. 'Right, a little push.' "Hooo." Letting out a deep breath, I closed my eyes and sunk deep within my consciousness. The world around me disappeared, and only darkness met my sight. But the darkness didn't last for long. Throb! Six orbs appeared in front of me once more. Red, Green, Azure, Purple, Pink, Blue; Rage, Joy, Sorrow, Affection, Fear, Shock. The orbs throbbed in silence while I looked at them. Closing my eyes, I waved my hand, and the red orb shot into the sky. Immediately, the dark void was illuminated by a bright and hot ball of fire that overlooked everything from above. It acted and looked exactly like the sun. 'More.' I didn't stop there. I shifted my attention towards the green orb. I raised my hand and then brought it down, letting the orb fall to the ground.

Splash—!

The orb splattered down, scattering all over the dark void. In an instant, grass sprouted beneath my feet, spreading and stretching out into the distance beyond my sight.

My feet sank into the ground, a soft tickle nudging my ankles. Azure was next. I pushed my hand up. The blue orb throbbed before shooting up. Splash—

A blue tinge dyed the dark void above. A sky appeared. What came after was purple. Splattering to the ground, purple flowers sprouted all over, adding vibrancy to the surroundings. It added a nice contrast to the world.

Then came pink. Yet again, more flowers sprouted. It made the surroundings come alive. I gazed at the spectacle unfolding before me, then turned my attention to the blue orb as it splashed down, creating a small river that flowed gracefully alongside the grass.

It was a sight worth painting. But it was far from over. 'There's six main emotions, but those aren't the only emotions.' There had been one thing that had been troubling me for quite some time since the formation of my 'Concept'. There existed six main emotions, fear, anger, sadness, joy, surprise, and love. I had expected the orbs to display similar names, and yet... What I was shown was different; Rage, Joy, Sorrow, Affection, Fear, Shock. Why? Why was that...? The question had been plaguing me for quite some time. However, that was no longer the case. 'I think I now know the answer.' Emotions weren't just limited to six emotions. That much I already knew, but each main emotion contained branches that expanded further. Rage, Wrath, Fury... They all belonged to Anger. Just like Sorrow, Despair, and Guilt belonged to Sadness. Each primary emotion represented an abstract concept of more specific feelings, such as rage or sorrow.

...The clues had always been present. I just never put the pieces together. But now I understood. "...." Lifting my head in silence, and staring at the beautiful scenery that greeted my sight, I closed my eyes. When I opened them up again, a change occurred. The entire world... They invaded every inch of the space, throbbing each time my gaze landed on them. The orb just quietly lingered in the air before blending with the background of the world. "Ah." The moment the orbs merged with the background, my head felt remarkably light. It was as if my connection to the world around me had suddenly intensified.

It was as if... I could control everything. Like I had become one with the world. 'Is this how it feels to be in complete control of a Domain?' I licked my lips as I surveyed my surroundings. Clenching my hand, the grass beneath me faded, and a surge of power coursed through my legs.

The process was quick. It took less than a second, and the strain on my legs no longer felt unbearable. ...It felt as though I could control every single fiber in my leg. I was now sure that I wouldn't sustain any injuries if I used the green orb. Within this world of mine, I could use it however I wished without any repercussions. The same was true for the other orb. In this world, my body was invincible. Closing my eyes again, the power faded from my body and the beautiful scenery appeared once more. It was all quick. By the time I thought of releasing the energy, it dissipated. "Ah, so this is why it's nearly impossible for a tier four to defeat a tier five. This is a considerable step up." I suddenly started to question if the person I had defeated was truly in the fifth tier. 'Perhaps, they—' "Urkh...!" But I didn't have the time to do so. Suddenly, a powerful throb surged through every inch of my mind. In spite of my mental strength, I was still unable to fully hold back my groans as my legs faltered. 'What in the...!' The situation left me shaken, but before I could fully comprehend what was happening, my surroundings began to change.

"....!" 17:18

Disregarding the pain that was invading every inch of my body, my eyes widened at the sight that greeted me. In particular, at the sight of the purple hands that crawled from the ground beneath. The hands reached out into the air, trying to grasp whatever was above them. They seemed desperate, and the plants and grass started to wither. "What? What is going on...?" I attempted to stand, but my legs felt alarmingly weak. Despite the chaos unfolding around me, I focused on staying calm. Something unexpected was occurring within my domain, and I didn't know what it was. Or at least, not at first. But soon... Soon I came to realize what was happening. "....?" Stretching my hand forward, I felt a familiar feeling coarse through my body. It lingered silently in the air, making my body weak but it strangely didn't feel discomforting. In fact, it almost felt like I could control it. And so I tried... Bringing my hand forward, the desperate hands reaching out for something above froze on the spot. "...." I stared at the sight in silence while pursing my lips. Clenching my fist, the hands gradually retracted into the ground, disappearing from sight. "Ah." A weird sound came out of my mind all of a sudden. Blinking once, the scenery disappeared. What replaced it was a large purple hand that stood behind me. Around it were several dozen other hands, joining together to form a throne made of hands. I instinctively sat down, overlooking everything in the distance. I felt something flicker in my eyes as I leaned back on the chair. A strange power coursed through my body. A power that felt both foreign and familiar. ....And that was when I understood. This was another 'Concept'. A Curse related 'Concept', and a 'Concept' that wasn't supposed to belong to me. This was...

Julien's 'Concept'.