Defiance of the Fall

“Mox? It sounds vaguely familiar, but I can’t place it. I’ve sealed away most of my more dangerous memories as a precaution,” the toad said after Zac finished narrating what happened in the Joyful Gardens. “But the demon’s right. It doesn’t hurt to be careful. A good thief quits while they’re ahead. Even if the odds of running into that thing are low, why take the risk?”

“So we’ll have to avoid memory domains until I’ve met with the Margrave?” Zac grimaced, picturing irreplaceable opportunities slipping through his fingers.

“Beats being a wealthy corpse,” the toad shrugged. “No need to look so glum. For one, you and I are safe. Secondly, your other half won’t have to keep his fingers in check until you reach the Hollow Court. You’ll be safe by the time your other team has covered as much ground as us.”

“Huh?”

“For one, Primal Heavens are supermassive balls of interference. Spotting you is easier said than done, even if Mox has something to go on. She’ll have to pierce through eons of complex Karma, terrifying energy currents, and the lingering wills of generations of Supremacies,” the toad said. “Most importantly, we’re inside the Limitless Empire. One wrong step, and she’ll become the next Antuka.”

“But Mox is obviously good at hiding,” Zac said. “She probably succeeded with her plan in the original timeline.”

“Sure, by being careful and lingering at the outskirts,” Esmeralda said. “That sect shouldn’t have been positioned inside the continent’s core regions, right?”

“The Freydrift Province was a Peak C-grade region overseen by a Divine Monarch,” Zac said. “I’m not sure if that’s enough to be considered a core region.”

“It’s not. Only B-grade kingdoms and their surroundings count,” Esmeralda said. “Like Terren’s Loom.”

“Terren’s Loom was inside a B-grade kingdom?” Zac said with surprise. Its environment was undeniably superior to anything Zac had seen in the frontier, but they didn’t match his impression of a place fit for Autarchs.

“Look at the Left Imperial Expanse as hundreds of continents squeezed together. Most are C-grade, some are B-grade, and there’ll be a handful of A-grade. Even the B-grade chunks will have shallows, though they’ll be far superior to places like Black Zenith,” Esmeralda said. “They would look just like a decent C-grade cultivation ground to most Hegemons.”

“So what’s the difference?”

“An Autarch erects their Heavenly Ladder to connect their Dao with the Heavens. B-grade continents have done the same. They’re connected to the Heavens. An Autarch could stay permanently in Terren’s Loom without harming their cultivation,” Esmeralda said.

“So Mox would have to be careful about Autarchs popping out of the woodwork if she appeared in a core region,” Zac concluded. “She’d have to bring out her real body to deal with them, risking exposure.”

“Sure, but that’s not why she’d stay away. What Autarch would waste their time in a C-grade environment? They won’t get weaker, but they also won’t get any stronger. At most, you’ll find Autarchs tempering their mortal hearts in a safe environment or troublemakers in hiding. Mox wouldn’t visit Terren’s Loom because it’s guarded by an Imperial’s Authority.”

“Authority as in Supremacies?”

“Yep. B-grade cultivation grounds can bear the weight of a Supremacy’s Heavenly Territory, allowing a fusion of the two.”

“What do you mean fusion? Aren’t territories intangible parts of the Grand Dao?” Zac asked.

“Most Supremacies choose to have it descend onto the physical plane. It comes with all kinds of benefits, like facilitating the capture of Faith Energy. The biggest reason is to offset some of the immense pressure all Supremacies face,” Esmeralda sighed with obvious envy. “Too bad it leaves you tied down. You’ll be even stronger on your home turf but noticeably weaker when leaving your domain. Not a viable option for a thief.”

“Can a Supremacy can see anything happening within their realm?” Zac asked with alarm. “Are you saying that a Supremacy was spying on us back in Terren’s Loom?”

Esmeralda scoffed. “Why would they bother? What does a Supremacy care about the ants living in their shadow? They’ll all be replaced between each cultivation session. Besides, their domains don’t quite work that way. Their sphere of influence is a projection of their Authority, and they’ll only really take notice if a competing Authority encroaches on their kingdom.

“Infiltrators lacking Authority is beneath a Supremacy’s notice. However, anyone with Authority is both a threat and an opportunity for advancement. Pillaging the Authority of others is much faster than incorporating unclaimed pockets of the Heavenly Dao. That’s why the Limitless Empire loved hunting down those “Ancients” as much as waging war. Each one they took down meant another spot in the pantheon opening up.”

“The alarm can’t be perfect since you’ve robbed multiple Supremacies,” Zac commented.

“It’s not like I could come and go as I pleased. I needed to make significant preparations to sneak in unnoticed. Mox would only take the risk if it was critical to her plans, and an infiltration could take millennia. You’d be long gone before it became an issue,” Esmeralda poked Zac’s head. “Frankly, you’re not worth the hassle.”

“Maybe not, but how many places are like Terren’s Loom? There can’t be too many Supremacies around, even in a place like the Left Imperial Expanse,” Zac said.

“I’d say between ten to fifteen at normal times, depending on the generation. Some epochs have better luck than others,” Esmeralda said, rolling her eyes upon seeing Zac’s surprise. “Don’t forget, the remains of a single Primal Heaven can sustain multiple A-grade factions in the Multiverse Heartlands. We’re also visiting an age where the resources were more concentrated.

“In fact, you can probably add a few Supremacies to the tally since the Limitless Empire seized the continent—anything they touched turned to gold,” Esmeralda continued. “Even more have been sent over from the capital to deal with the Fifth Pillar. Like the Margrave and that scary spear wielder. The Left Imperial Expanse was a deathtrap leading up to the System’s awakening.”

“A Primal Heaven is still a lot of ground to cover for two dozen Supremacies,” Zac argued. “There has to be a limit to the size of a Supremacy’s physical territory.”

“You’re right. They won’t be able to cover all of it. But they don’t have to. Terren’s Loom wasn’t actually part of a Supremacy’s Heavenly Territory. The city was simply within the bounds of a Kingdom-spanning array imprinted with Authority. They’re not as good as the real thing, but they are more than enough for your purposes. The imperials will be keeping an eye out for Mox, so a hasty entry would spell her doom.”

Zac felt a lot better after asking a few clarifying questions. She was right; even Supremacies would have to tread carefully while the Limitless Empire still stood tall. They’d kill with extreme prejudice anything that could be perceived as a threat to their undertaking. Learning more about the abilities and limits of Supremacies might also help him avoid certain pitfalls after the trial ended.

The only problem was that Zac had no way of telling whether a memory domain was shielded by someone’s Authority. Esmeralda noticed because she’d once wielded Authority herself.

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“That shouldn’t be a problem. The Elf might be able to calculate something like that. If not, we’ll ask around while you wait outside. If we can’t confirm the domain’s position and status, we’ll skip it,” Ogras said after Zac shared the solution.

Zac and Ogras went over the issue for another half hour before returning to Ventus’s side. The tremors had grown even more intense by that time, and Zac felt the powerful currents of Life through his feet. They may as well have been standing atop an active volcano. Thankfully, the Lost Plane’s corrupted Dao attracted the immense energies seeping out of the ground.

The stalemate between Life and corruption had shattered, with the battle gradually moving further away. The corruption wasn’t going down without a fight, and Zac didn’t feel confident bringing two people through that mess. In contrast, the spot where the memory domain stood was perfectly safe. For him, at least. Ogras and Ventus had to use isolating arrays to keep the intense Life at bay.

Zac chose to sit outside the temporary camp to enjoy the refreshing waves of Life. Leaning against a tree, he watched the rain of memory lanterns working to rebuild the Joyful Gardens. After a while, he stood up and walked over to a D-grade tree. Its jade-like trunk was a perfect match to the color of Mei’Er’s bamboo forest. A swing of [Verun’s Bite] felled the tree, and a few more extracted a dozen blocks from its center.

Minutes later, one of the blocks stood on a workbench. Zac faced it with artisanal axe in hand, only moving after he’d made a detailed plan in his mind. Each cut was slow and deliberate, ensuring it aligned with his memory. Occasionally, Zac would stop to immerse himself in the ambient Life and the lingering motes of ancient faith. Other times, he would take out the engraved leaf and listen to its recording.

A vague outline of a seated figure gradually emerged from the block. From there, Zac began adding detail. Part of the foot turned into an exquisite zither, where everything from decorations to the natural lines of the original was faithfully replicated. Flowing robes were carved with such care that they created an illusion of flowing in the wind. The three-tailed monkey came next, grabbing onto the silken robes as it curiously stared at the instrument.

Piece by piece, Mei’Er was reborn from the wood, looking just as she did during her first performance. Zac was already engrossed with his work. His only thoughts were on how to make his memories justice. The artisanal axe followed the violent dance of Reborn Life, unearthing the Unbounded Life waiting within the spiritual wood. They joined in perfect harmony, following the blueprint left inside Hope.

Zac only woke up from his state of complete focus when a stream of Imperial Faith, Dao, and Divine Energy rose from the ground to eagerly pour into the figurine. Zac didn’t interfere, allowing the continent to bless his creation and usher in a final rebirth. The statue’s aura soon diverged from the spiritual wood, inching closer to Zac’s memories.

The familiar aura made Mei’Er seem all the more life-like. It was as though her closed eyes could open at any moment or that her graceful fingers would begin plucking the wooden strings—strings that were fast turning golden from the anointment. Zac infused his will when the phenomenon ended, and a faint melody appeared in his mind.

The song didn’t capture the otherworldly quality in Mei’Er’s performances, the emotions and depth of Dao she instilled with every pluck of the strings. The statue’s song was primal, a melody of summer strung together with the sounds of nature. Even so, it captured many aspects of Mei’Er’s path while introducing some of Zac’s and the region’s natural spirituality.

A second block appeared next to the finished statue. By the time the Nexus Vein stabilized, there were five figures on the bench—one for each master who’d guided him toward enlightenment. Only Mei’Er received the world’s blessing to gain unique spirituality, though Litheweave’s figurine held more meaning than the others. When placed together, they looked like a traveling troupe. Zac contently looked at the ensemble before carefully storing them in boxes that would keep their spirituality.

“Thank you,” Zac sighed as he stored Mei’Er’s statue.

He carved ‘Past Life’s Dream’ on the statue’s base before storing it in a jade box. It was like Mei’Er had reached across time to give him a final gift: a glimpse of a higher artisanal state. Zac understood there was no way he’d be able to replicate the feat. The sculpture had gained true spirituality, putting it closer to a Natural Treasure than a craft.

Zac felt some anticipation for the future, hoping one day he’d be able to instill such meaning into his creation without outside assistance. That way, he’d better capture the people he met and his experiences. For all the suffering it held, the Cosmos was a magical place. Zac didn’t want to forget the moments of beauty Mei’Er helped him remember, the reasons why he fought so hard.

High-grade carvings could even sell for a pretty penny. With strong enough spirituality, they could fill the same function as the Big Axe Coliseum’s Big Boss’s Big Wall. Lower-grade cultivators could use Past Life’s Dream to glean insights into the Dao of Life. Of course, there was no way Zac would use his personal carvings for that purpose. Each use would drain some of its energy until it was reduced to a common decoration.

“Things have calmed down,” Zac said as he stepped into the campsite. “Let’s go.”

Zac led the two out of the corrupted zone, entering a marshland filled with poisonous plants on Ventus’s recommendation. It was the best of three bad options. Or maybe the Numerologist felt the need to remind his companions of his value. The streams and small islands created a maze formation that required Ventus’s calculations to progress. Flying was out of the question because of the huge insect swarms that occasionally passed overhead.

Esmeralda had never stopped to rest during Zac’s time in the Joyful Gardens. With over a week having passed since Terren’s Loom, Zac wasn’t surprised to see another memory domain in the distance. They skipped it after a short discussion, not because of Mox. Neither expected the miracle in Terren’s Loom to repeat itself. They’d confirmed they had no fated connection with the route they followed, and the odds of having another trial taker trigger the scenario weren’t worth mentioning.

More importantly, they were getting very close to their destination. Upon reaching Dipper Seven, Zac had estimated his Draugr side would reach the Mercurial Court in two months. More than a month had passed since then, and they could tell they were about to reach some form of threshold. There was something in the air, in the ground, in the Dao itself. It was rapidly gaining depth in a way that Zac couldn’t put into words.

One week later, Zac was suddenly roused from his silent meditation inside Esmeralda’s pouch. “It’s here!”

Zac had been expecting her call and immediately appeared on her shoulder. A spare axe appeared in his right hand while his other held onto Esmeralda’s massive head for stability. It was one of the few times the Bloodline Talent he borrowed through the Shrine of Kanba came in handy—the retractable webs between his fingers let him stick to most surfaces like he’d used super glue.

Esmeralda silently floated in the shadows of a crystal the size of a mountain when he appeared. They’d seen hundreds of them over the past day. They held little energy, but shattering them released such a loud sound it would kill the unprepared. Esmeralda believed they were crystallized sounds of a natural disaster.

Beyond was more of the same, and it took Zac a moment to realize what Esmeralda had discovered. “It’s an illusion?”

Zac couldn’t feel anything starting at fifty feet ahead—no energy, no Imperial Faith, nothing. It was like the world stopped at that point.

“It’s real, it’s just not here. Space has been severed. It’s impossible to say what’s on the other side,” Esmeralda said. “Or if we can return after passing the event horizon.”

Traveling half a day made no difference. The invisible barrier stretched into the neighboring zones.

“If you can’t make heads or tails of it, it’s probably part of the trial or the Mercurial Court. We’ll have to risk it,” Zac said.

They carefully stepped through, and their surroundings were completely redrawn. They found themselves in the middle of a mountain range whose peaks held blinding energy. The energy density had jumped several notches, which made Zac more fearful than anything. The environment was far beyond what they’d seen of the Left Imperial Expanse.

Until now, the strongest beasts they’d discovered were the occasional Late C-grade Beast Emperor. Those existences were few and far between, and they’d all been in seclusion because of the lacking ambient energy. They wouldn’t have such issues here. The mountains were so flush with energy that Zac wouldn’t be surprised if an Ancestral Beast was lurking somewhere nearby.

With such a high-grade environment, the dangers from Natural Formations and taboo zones had skyrocketed. The good news was that the Imperial Faith had more than tripled, proving they’d come to the right place. The Mercurial Courts pillar was still there, looking the same but now exuding a superlative aura.

“Well, there’s lanterns everywhere, so we shouldn’t have entered a memory domain,” Zac muttered as he took in the scene. “It’s no wonder we haven’t found a good one. Any lantern with a strong connection to the Mercurial Court must have been pulled here.”

“I can’t figure out what this is. It shouldn’t be an attached realm. Primal Heavens are too heavy for them to exist naturally. Besides, I can’t feel a whiff of spatial fluctuations. I’m not even sure if it’s a real space,” Esmeralda said. “Whatever it is, it should be part of the Mercurial Court.”

“The bend in space is gone. Looks like we’re stuck,” Zac said, pointing behind them, where the mountain range continued.

“I guess it doesn’t matter. We’re in the right place, so let’s keep going,” Esmeralda said, her excitement returning. She eagerly dragged Zac toward her pouch. “Can you smell it?”

Zac dutifully sniffed the air. “Oh great Esmeralda, is that the smell of Treasure?”

“You’re right, my bumbling apprentice,” Esmeralda giggled as she turned into a streak of light. “Treasure!”

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