Free Web NovelChapter 19: Price of Power
The Great Elder looked at the youths before him. His wrinkles seemed to carry the weight of entire eras. Then he began to speak, and his voice, though calm, filled every corner of the hall.
"All of you carry the surname Ylisse. Because of that, you possess something that countless people from humble planets like ours never even dared dream of having: knowledge."
He paused, making sure every gaze was fixed on him.
"I will start from the beginning. Some of you may know the name ’Ur-World,’ because that is the name of the world we live in. But few truly understand the real scale of our reality."
The Elder raised a hand, and a projection of light began floating above them.
There, everyone saw a large golden circle. Around it were eleven much smaller circles. Six of them were purple, four were black, and one was red.
"What you are seeing is a simplified image of the Ur-World," the Great Elder said slowly. "Do you see this large golden circle? That place is the Celestial Plane, a sacred region where the six Sovereigns who govern our world and its universes reside. Only figures who have transcended mortality may enter that place."
Everyone swallowed hard upon hearing those words. There was no one who did not know that a Mage was merely the first step, the lowest position in this world.
Above a Mage existed a title capable of making anyone tremble and kneel upon hearing its name: a Sage.
Priam had already heard more details about this from Flaris. Sages were figures who not only mastered Ether and energies. They controlled the celestial bodies of the universe and possessed power capable of shaping reality itself. It sounded exaggerated... but it wasn’t.
A high-level Sage controlled asteroids, moons, planets, stars, and entire solar systems.
Priam had come to understand a piece of common knowledge among Mages. Planets and stars possessed their own forms of life and consciousness, capable of accumulating power. Sages literally gave life to those cosmic entities, creating new habitable places. In return, they obtained a mysterious power.
In short, a Mage only controlled Ether, using it to nourish their own body and take the first steps on the path of magic. A Sage, meanwhile, wielded a completely different type of power, thousands of times greater.
The planet where Priam had been born, like all other inhabited planets, belonged to the domain of some Sage. Because of that, nobody doubted those stories.
The Great Elder continued slowly.
"Our world is composed of eleven universes orbiting the Celestial Plane at the center. The six clustered purple universes belong to the three Humanoid Sovereigns. The four black universes are ruled by the two Demonic Sovereigns. Each of those five controls two universes, maintaining balance. The final universe, represented by the color red, belongs to the sole Bestial Sovereign."
"A single universe is far too vast for a mortal mind to comprehend. It contains billions of galaxies, each holding countless stars and planets. Yet despite that vastness, a universe is a closed space. Each universe is like a sphere containing all the Yang of life in our world, existing within immense black holes. Those black holes, in turn, float within a region of infinite darkness called the underworld, the absolute concentration of the world’s Yin. These two separated poles together form a world."
Everyone grew serious in the face of the colossal scale of that explanation.
Priam, meanwhile, took a deep breath, understanding the hidden message that the other youths had failed to notice: there were other worlds, and theirs was merely one among many.
"In every universe there are three major divisions. The largest of them, representing two-thirds of the entire universe, is the Mortal Plane, where we live. In that place, only clans of ordinary Mages exist. Think of it as a vast barn where the weaker races coexist and attempt to evolve."
"The remaining two regions are equal in size. One of them is the Divine Plane, where all Mage Sects are located. These sects exist and work directly for the Sovereigns and their Heralds."
"Finally, at the center of the universe lies a vast region known as Celestial Cloud. It is a mysterious and deadly territory whose true value is known only to those who have surpassed the level of Mages."
Everyone was hearing this information in such detail for the first time. Priam had already heard Flaris mention the Sects of the Divine Plane and knew that her goal was to become strong enough to be accepted into one of them.
"We live in the Universe of the Chromaraic Scions. We are one of the two universes governed by the Sovereign of Primordial Chaos, Astrapion," the Great Elder continued seriously.
"The Chromaraic race is the mother race of all humanoids. From it came the ancient humans, elves, dwarves, and countless other bloodlines. As time passed, those original races disappeared, and the Ancestors gave rise to newer and more powerful branches. Our Vanculari race is merely one of those humanoid branches."
The Elder’s gaze became as sharp as a blade.
"Listen carefully, because your survival may depend on what I am about to say: the six Sovereigns are not friends. Quite the opposite." freeweɓnovel.cøm
He divided the projection into three distinct groups.
"As I mentioned before, the Ur-World is ruled by three major racial categories: humanoids, demonics, and the Beasts of Primordial Chaos."
"Of the six Sovereigns, three are humanoids. While they are not exactly allies, they maintain a relationship of mutual respect. Two others belong to the demonic races; they remain neutral toward the others. Many members of our clan possess demonic bloodlines, and with rare resources, we can cross the borders into their universes without issue. It is a beneficial relationship, despite occasional conflicts."
He made a brief pause and looked each of the youths in the eyes.
"In each universe, obviously, there is only one major dominant racial type. In our universe, you will only find humanoids and common beasts living. Of course, in the past, many races of the other types existed here, but over time, they all transmigrated elsewhere or were destroyed. As for common beasts, they are as different as heaven and Earth when compared to the Beasts of Primordial Chaos, so do not confuse them. In fact, a pure common beast cannot even become a Mage. Therefore, they create no problems coexisting with us."
At that moment, the Elder’s aura became heavier, making the youths feel a chill run down their spines.
"As for the last type... the Beasts of Primordial Chaos... there is only one Sovereign of that type. But... they are the mortal enemies of all humanoids."
"Wars between universes have erupted countless times. Entire humanoid races have been exterminated by them. Worse still, they constantly try to invade our domains; this universe of ours in particular is a frequent target of those invasions, and we never know when or where they will happen. Because of that, the hatred built between us is irreparable."
A young man at the back of the hall gathered the courage to ask, "Why do they hate us so much? Don’t the Sovereigns intervene?"
"For the Sovereigns, the problems of mortals must be resolved by mortals themselves. None of them have ever interfered to stop it. Therefore, wars and battles between universes and races happen freely," the Grand Elder replied with a bitter smile.
"As for the reason behind all of this, explaining it in the simplest way possible: all the sects of the Divine Plane, spread throughout the universes, besides training Mages, survive by carrying out missions given by the Sovereigns. These missions take their members to unknown places, worlds far away from our own. Yes... if you thought our world was already too vast, know that it is only one among many."
Everyone was shocked.
A single universe was already so vast that their minds were incapable of comprehending its size. A world made up of eleven universes like theirs had already become nothing more than a number without any real meaning...
And there were other worlds as well?
What was the limit of all this?
The Grand Elder took a deep breath before continuing solemnly:
"In those distant places, although there are exceptions, we are basically sent to two types of worlds: Yin Worlds and Yang Worlds. Yin Worlds are known for being consumed by corruption and dark powers. If we humanoids, or the Beasts of Primordial Chaos, enter those places, our powers will slowly be corrupted and weakened. Demons, however, do not suffer from this problem."
"Yang Worlds, on the other hand, are places where humanoids and the Beasts of Primordial Chaos have the advantage of not becoming weaker. And as you can imagine, those two great races are constantly sent together to such places. As a result, we compete for the same resources and the same missions."
A deathly silence fell over the youths.
The Grand Elder sighed and added:
"It does not happen all the time, but in high-level missions it is quite common for two, or even all three racial types, to be sent together. That is because it is not easy for the Sovereigns to send people out and bring them back. They need to ensure that the missions are completed and therefore send as many participants as possible. Victory for the Sovereigns is what matters most, but only one side leaves victorious... and after everyone returns home... attempts to steal the resources obtained by the winners are not uncommon. That is almost always the spark that starts wars and battles."
It was the first time those youths had heard all of this.
The world of Mages was truly savage. The price of power was far too high.
The stronger someone became, the greater their chances of dying amid conflicts.
Fortunately, the planet Verdant Star, where they lived, was only a small planet located in the Mortal Plane of the universe. They might be humble, but at least they had the opportunity to live in peace and die of old age.
Many of those youths dreamed of leaving the planet and joining a powerful sect of the Divine Plane.
Now, however, most of them were beginning to question whether it was really worth the risk.
Perhaps it was better to live in a small and peaceful place like a king. They had already been born into the greatest clan on the planet; maybe that was enough.
The Grand Elder snorted when he clearly noticed that cowardly thought in the eyes of almost everyone.
But... four figures caught his attention.
Priam, Flaris, Shione, and Lumiere reacted completely differently from the others.
There was no fear at all. Only an aura of excitement and limitless ambition radiated from them.
Clearly, those four did not desire a humble and peaceful life within the clan.
