Against The True Gods

"My dream… my dream?" Enya spoke aloud, her gaze drifting upward toward the gray skies that loomed over the capital.

"I suppose my dream would be to become a goddess." Her eyes pierced through the clouds, landing on the brilliant and ever-stable sun. "A goddess of light and hope."

She smiled softly, her features brightening as she continued. "If there is no heaven for us poor mortals, why not create one?"

"The brutal finality of death is… horrifying. It scares me. To one day exist, and in the next blink, to not. It terrifies me that nothing of me may linger, that I'll never be able to look back on my years as a living being."

"The endless void of it all… it frightens me."

She sighed deeply. "So, my dream is to transcend such a fate and create a paradise where all can find comfort."

"A paradise of eternal life, eternal bliss, eternal joy—where no regret or sorrow can ever take root."

"My mother… I wish to hold her in my arms once more, and my father… I wish to feel the warmth of his smile again. I want them to be at peace."

"As hopeless as my dream may seem, I… believe. I believe in this paradise. I can almost see it."

Caine listened intently, his usual indifferent smile fading into something warmer, almost empathetic.

"You fear death and wish not only to save yourself but to save the world from such a fate," he said, his gaze glowing faintly with an unreadable hue. "Their deaths… or perhaps death itself—it has impacted you deeply, hasn't it?"

"I wonder, is it loss or death that we truly fear? Or is it our lack of understanding of what lies beyond?"

Enya remained silent for several moments, her breaths quickening as her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Grief breaks us all," Caine continued, his tone measured. "It's as inevitable as death itself—like a burden cultivated and passed from person to person."

"Your dream… I can't say I'd be able to pursue it. I don't think my heart would weather that storm."

He chuckled lightly.

"You're quite the tenacious lady, Enya."

***

The duo wandered through the capital's streets, alternating between conversation and stretches of tranquil silence.

As they walked, Caine's mind began to drift back toward the intricacies of the aspects, his thoughts circling their complexities yet again.

By now, he was almost entirely certain he had mastered the basic layers of their mysteries to perfection.

In fact, he guessed that in the Spark Realm, his comprehension of the aspects was likely unmatched. Read latest chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

And yet, his mind continued to return to their intricacies, as though drawn by some elusive final piece of the puzzle. As he pondered, his Dao Heart pulled him into a trance-like state.

'Five aspects, birthing an umbrella greater than the sum of their parts—the sixth aspect.'

'All interlinked, wound together, and reflected by… the light of the world.'

Caine hummed softly in understanding, nodding to himself.

'It comes back to Fate, Karma, Destiny, and Luck—the created facets of one's existence as a result of interactions with the world.'

Suddenly, a ripple coursed through Caine's body, and his perception of the world began to change in real time.

Above every person's head, illusory stars of various sizes and colors appeared. Some were adorned with runes, while others were reflected by towering, ancient creatures and entities.

'Luck—Origin Luck Star.'

From their spines, golden threads filled with endless, rune-covered patterns shot out, connecting to a tapestry that stretched into the heavens above.

'Fate—True Fate Thread.'

Beneath the golden threads, shimmering brands glowed faintly, emitting dark gray fumes of essence.

'Karma—Karmic Brand.'

And finally, black strings emerged from their spines, intertwining with the golden threads and joining the vast tapestry above.

'Destiny—Destiny Line.'

Caine remained calm despite the enormity of his breakthrough, his thoughts immediately multiplying.

'The Luck Star directly dictates how lucky someone is—or will be. It skews the odds toward or away from them. But… it can also be influenced.'

He focused on the Luck Star of a passerby.

Unlike most people, whose illusory white stars were no larger than a bean, this man had a golden star the size of a melon, shimmering with the reflected image of countless blades.

'His luck is steering him toward a specific path. It's directly influencing the outcomes of his actions, guiding him toward a predetermined direction.'

Caine's gaze shifted to the man's True Fate Thread.

'I see,' he thought, realization dawning. 'The True Fate Thread assigns inevitable tasks—conditions of life. In turn, his luck bends and twists to accommodate his fate.'

'This man's thread has marked him to become a grand swordsman, someone destined to revolutionize the world. His luck is simply steering him toward that outcome…'

Next, his gaze settled on the man's Destiny Line.

'The Destiny Line is a conduit. It represents the myriad possibilities branching from his assigned fate. But it also harmonizes with his Will, tweaking the direction of his luck and the exact shape of his fate.'

'It aligns with his desires, giving him a path to take control of his luck—or even defy his fate entirely…'

Finally, Caine examined the man's Karmic Brand.

'The Karmic Brand… what is it exactly?'

His thoughts paused, his brow furrowing as his Dao Heart erupted with power. It forcefully pulled him into the deepest state of enlightenment his mind could withstand.

Though Caine often regarded this as a trivial ability of his Dao Heart, he would soon learn otherwise.

'The Karmic Brand serves as a bridge—linking the external and internal. The better one's karma, the more favorable the tides of the world become, almost like luck… but entirely dependent on one's actions.'

'But beyond that, it represents connection. Connection to the world, to family, to one's body and aspects. Good and bad karma with others can be exploited and utilized, shaping the world's response to you.'

As the realization struck, his aura manifested on its own, wrapping around him like a protective shroud.

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