BOOK 2/60 - Understanding the Spark

Logging back in after a much-needed rest, and a lovely mum's day, Hildelith tried focusing on finally separating the spark from her energy. Standing in the new sub realm of the Abyss, Hildelith had an epiphany.

It was a given fact that the spark existed in all of her creation. It was the littlest amount in them, but it was there. It was what, in every essence orb, the Elders received, and the realm dwellers and creatures hunted for. According to Bali and what she knew, the devils from his dungeon were once gods. Beings who had been corrupted by themselves or some other way.

'Probably another creator God or creator devil.'

How did this being or people corrupt or get corrupted? With their distinction of the spark within them.

Having that thought, she went to work once more. First she created a divine ball of energy, separated and held the spark with her Spark Splitter insight. She held it in hand while probing it with her will, turning and observing it. Hildelith did this for a long while, trying to glean something out of this.

She willed a seat to form behind her and sat.

A bulb went off in her head the moment she sat down.

'Body.' She almost let go of the spark, which also attempted to bolt at the chance.

"Stubborn thing." The spark just calmly floated there in her grip. Back to her light bulb moment.

"I had no body back then. I was just floating with my form but unable to see it. I could hold and touch Haero, but I could not see myself. That was definitely my Aether form, right?"

"Sol split from my body when I made it, before Haero went all midday snack on it. What would happen if I made another one, but different from the first? "

"Aghhh. Too many what ifs." Sitting on the ground, she ignored the sizzle as Silver Fire tried to get past her Star Titan body.

"Alright. First things first. Let's say I don't corrupt the spark, that might be dangerous and I might have no control or power over it. Can't risk that."

"So the spark holds the energy together. Even corrupted energy would be hard to release, since, well, it's bound to it." She surmised while forming another divine ball. She repeated the process of splitting the energy from the spark. "Why was it bound to it? Why was it bound to the divine energy too?"

Hildelith created yet another ball and slowly separated the energy. With each part of the energy, she watched for something different or anything new.

Initially, she saw nothing. Until, her attempt with the third ball. Here, she noticed how the spark, while not actively doing anything, emitted some sort of heat or static energy that the divinity absorbed. The divinity, while absorbing the energy from the spark, lost bits of itself which the spark pulled and converted through the heat into little tendrils that got reabsorbed into its body.

"Confusing as shit. But I can work with this".

She released the extra sparks into the sub-realm watching them destroy things before focusing on the two sparks she had left.

Hildelith could feel a sort of strain from holding onto the sparks. Fortunately, she had less to contain now. Slowly, she pushed both sparks together with her palms while her eyes glowed green, creating a wall of earth around the balls and her.

The sparks crackled furiously, with more tendrils of white sparkles lashing out. Her hold shook as the sparks released little tendrils, protesting their imprisonment.

The reaction grew more in intensity as the sparks shook more brutally. At this point, a tendril or two managed to escape and hit the ground a mile away from her position

There was a snap of air getting displaced and the two sparks finally conjoined and became stable. The spark wasn't little anymore. Growing from the size of her nail to half her pinky finger.

"Tiny thing but dangerous."

Next, she slowly but surely forged a new divine ball. Only this time, it was bigger and she kept adding energy to it to increase its size.

"Here we go," she gulped, floating up and high away from the ground. Up there, she dragged a pillar of earth that reached her position. She stepped on it. Hildelith didn't trust her concentration to fly while playing with the spark.

Exhaling, she shut her eyes, focusing on what came next. First was the imagination. Right? Then I desired it to be. Finally, I spoke it.

The realm shuddered as she whispered.

"Let there be a dark, a burning of disruptive flame, to weaken the divine, to corrupt, to empower what will be. To exist for and by the here!"

The words reverberated through the realm. She opened her eyes. Nothing but white fire visible. From her body came white mist. The mist flowed into the ball of divine energy that was constantly getting corrupted by the environment.

Simultaneously, she sent the Spark into the mix of corrupted divinity and Aether.

BOOM!!.

The lightning that erupted from the sparks tore through her body like a hot knife through butter. She barely sensed anything as she was flung out of the realm at a speed she couldn't register. A string of sonic booms left in the sub-realm as she was flung out of the 6th ring.

Mellifluent came to the rescue as the sea of primordial water emerged from her body like the Aether and wrapped her up in its comforting embrace. Her limbs shook with pain as the water ball slammed into Fayheim and rolled through the soul realm destroying hills and lands for miles. The Primordial source flooded the realm for leagues in all directions.

She stopped when she smashed into a large mountain and shattered it. She dropped to the ground with spasms of water flowing around her.

“F*cking piece of lightning," cursing, she tried to heal her injuries only to find none. Slowly, her spasms halted and she barely managed to halt the flooding and withdraw her Source water.

Looking around, she floated up into Fayheim's atmosphere and winced. "Better drowning than destruction." Without Mellifleunt buffering her crash and putting a barrier between her Star Titan body and the realm, Hildelith wondered how much damage she would have caused.

Quickly, she dragged back the new ocean her fall had formed and forged a Primordial Ice Trident with it. Without a thought she tossed it softly to the ground.


_


Grabbing a huge amount of energy and sending it out to my skin where I then released it from my lower body and mostly from the soles of my feet. Star Fire blasted beneath me propelling me high into the nothingness and leaving the soul realm behind.

I kept exerting the energy to flow out and around me keeping me stable while a greater force kept pushing out from my soles to increase my speed.

By the laws of physics, I should have broken the sound barrier by now but it seemed there was no such law here in the nothingness. The moment I slipped into the Abyssal Realm, a series of sonic booms echoed again. It was deafening.

My body lowered as I aligned my feet first to the ground. The force I was exerting with my Star Fire cutting off as I floated down slowly to the ground.

"That was cool but..." Hildelith's eyes found it.

"It's. Actually. Black" Her palm went to her mouth stifling her shocked gasp as she gawked at the black ball of blazing fire. Her will subconsciously spread out to entangle it.

"It worked. What was the point of the explosion then?"

As she stared at the Black sun, she noted it releasing fumes into the environment. It hung at the edge of the sub-realm. The only reason it was even visible was due to the mixture of black, silver, and red corruption flame burning off it. The fumes it released spread through the sub-realm.

Unlike Sol that hung in the rings and gave light and energy to all the realms through the Star River, the black sun was trapped within the Sixth realms sub-realm giving its noxious fumes and light only to the sub-realm.

She could already see the effects on the realm. Here and there purple flowers and trees grew, red grasses, and corroded mountain tops. Streams of liquid silver flowing like waterfalls and forming ponds and bodies of fiery water.

The air was thick with what she would now call miasma. In all this, Hildelith was awed at the fact that the spark within the black sun remained unchanged. Incorruptible.

The energies and miasma of the black sun bound to it for this sole reason, as they formed a cycle of burning off the heat the spark gave off to add to themselves, while the spark burned up the corruptive energies to fuel itself.

An eternal loop.

"Ayarat could rule from here now. I'm sure she'll be causing troubles for all the realms now. Especially Netherheim. Freyr is doing that thing right? Hopefully he doesn't allow his children to get caught in a trap."

It would be easy for Ayarat to throw a wrench in her children's affairs. But against all five, Hildelith doubted she would come out alive. Haero himself was a nasty piece of work.

Defeating them, while hard, was not impossible.

"But that would not be easy unless I help her in a way." Hildelith kept staring at the sun.

"I know. Technically she's now an Elder Devil too. So the kids can't interfere with her plans. They'll need the grandkids to plan against her." It felt like a solid plan.

"But she's stronger. Too strong for them. The Alpha Players would definitely lose." To fix that Hildelith knew she had to change everything about Ayarat. While she was now disconnected from the nether and also in a life trade with her, Hildelith couldn't be lax or she could suffer some repercussions.

'While her fear of me may be what led her to offer the trade, it too could very well lead to her making a mistake that could be detrimental to me.'

"Just have to connect her to the realm as its sole ruler." Hildelith chuckled at the thought of Alpha players finding out about this and getting pissed. 'Not my problem. If they wanted to rule on their own they should have been more like Munoron'.

I brought up the game system and moved to the administrator prompt that I had been shown once.


[PRIME] -NEW!!
At its peak but not its most powerful. These administrators wield their power like weapons and their bodies like puppeteers.
+50 to Str
+20 to Will
[Create] [Ascend](1)


"Since I already have one, it is best to use it. Ascend!"

I watched as a mental template formed in my head with Ayarat's design shown by a hologram at the side. First I gave her horns. The bit of finesse they needed. White hair went down to her hips and a purple crown of ice was on her horns. Curvy body with scales on her skin and two wings like the devilless she was.

Bone spikes jutted out of her arms and up her elbow while the normal claws were visible on her fingers. Four fangs too.

Skin an alabaster white and eyes reptilian and icy blue. With the center a bright silver, while the cornea remained black. Her four tails became longer and conjoined into two, thickening them.



[Welcome to the Akashic Records Creator 79]
[Position - Absolute]

[SCREEN 1]
Host: Ayarat
Moniker: [Unspecified]
Title: Kaizer of the Black Sun Throne
Entity: Administrator / Elder Deviless
Race: Silver Frost Dracish
Racial Type: Silver Fire Devil
Level: 1 (0/100)

Attributes:
Might: 50
Focus: 50
Mobility: 50
Akasha: 100
Physicality: 50
Abstract: 50


[SCREEN 2]
[PERSONAL PERK]
Silver Frost
Affinity with the tundra, one unlike the flames of the devils. A being with the whispers of the dead and the horrible. Wielding fiery frost to corrupt and spoil.

[RACIAL PERK]
Kaizer of the Black Sun Throne - Ruler of all that the corrosive light of the Black Sun touches. Invincible beneath its gaze and connected by the monument to its power.
Dracish Fire - Baleful flames of the Demon Progenitor. Kaiser of the fourth realm

[RACIAL ABILITY]
Elder Deviless - Beyond her realm, the Administrator becomes an Elder Deviless. Weaker than her True self but still as powerful as any Elder.
Domain Wielder - Wielding the lesser domains of her realm as her own offspring.

[RACIAL ABILITY]
Corrosive Miasma - Ayarat generates and controls silver dust, or miasma. Lifeforms subjected to its necrotic smog are infected and turned to devilish creatures.
Silver Frost Nexus - Ayarat serves as the nexus of all frost-based energy within her realm, drawing power directly from the frozen planes of existence



Making Ayarat in this way was cheating. Hildelith knew. But she also knew that she had to make Ayarat powerful enough to keep her children rolling and still give the Elder Players problems. It was a fact those five would come here to either deal with her or check her out the moment Hildelith revealed the realm. Now, while there was a chance the other four would not act as intended, Hildelith didn't know how Freyr would feel about another Administrator in his realm.


Hildelith shook her head before she agreed to the template.

Without pausing to see how it would go she decided to make the last thing Ayarat needed. White Star Fire eyes traveled to the coliseum she formed within the sub-realm. At its edge towered the monument. Yet, compared to the description in the template, it bore no connection to the black sun.

"Let's fix that".

_


Cold. It was the first time she'd ever felt the chill of winter since her existence. It was this biting cold that she felt as the white light that had blinded her dimmed. Ayarat narrowed her eyes, trying to orient her vision. The cold on her skin stopped biting, almost like it recognized her. It became a comforting embrace.

Her sight finally calmed and Ayarat found herself in a different place. Sure the realm looked like her winter realm but there were differences. 'Can't say I'm surprised.'

The new place was red and dark, with purple trees and red grasses. There were mountains and hills all around her and a...

"Is that sun black?" She mumbled in surprise.

"Indeed it is." the dreaded voice seeped into her ears making her heart beat faster and her blood chill. Slowly, she turned to find the entity that had dragged her here. She looked both different and similar to what Ayarat remembered from when she met her.

"Welcome to your new home Ayarat."

"My new home? What is this place?" She found the courage to ask.

"I made it for you dear, what do you think? Interesting isn't it? Do check out your template, more surprises are waiting for you."

Ayarat couldn't help but stare for a moment longer before turning to check out everything. The realm was a frozen wasteland but did nothing to stop the Silver Fire lakes that flowed through it. There were some lakes that were frozen as well, and Ayarat considered that they were actually streams.

Looking down, she finally realized why she was able to see so much of the land she was on. She found herself situated on a throne settled on top of a tower. It was a lean structure that looked like it would take a single gust of wind to blow it over. Yet, she somehow knew that it would take at least the Entity that spirited her here to bring it down.

It was grand in its way. Frozen from the very base up to the top. She could feel the heavy aura of energy that wafted from the tower and the throne she sat on.

"What is this place?"

"Look at your template dear." The voice announced once more. Ayarat complied.



[Welcome to the Akashic Records Administrator 7]
[Position - Authority VII]

[SCREEN 1]
Host: Ayarat
Moniker: [Unspecified]
Title: Kaizer of the Black Sun Throne
Entity: Administrator / Elder Deviless
Race: Silver Frost Dracish
Racial Type: Silver Fire Devil
Level: 1 (0/100)

Attributes:
Might: 50
Focus: 50
Mobility: 50
Akasha: 100
Physicality: 50
Abstract: 50


[SCREEN 2]
[PERSONAL PERK]
Silver Frost
Affinity with the tundra, one unlike the flames of the devils. A being with the whispers of the dead and the horrible. Wielding fiery frost to corrupt and spoil.

[RACIAL PERK]
Kaizer of the Black Sun Throne - Ruler of all that the corrosive light of the Black Sun touches. Invincible beneath its gaze and connected by the monument to its power.
Dracish Fire - Baleful flames of the Kaizer of the Winter Wastelands. Burns as much as it freezes.

[RACIAL ABILITY]
Elder Deviless - Beyond her realm, the Administrator becomes an Elder Deviless. Weaker than her True self but still as powerful as any Elder.
Domain Wielder - Wielding the lesser domains of her realm as her own offspring.

[RACIAL ABILITY]
Corrosive Miasma - Ayarat generates and controls silver dust, or miasma. Lifeforms subjected to its necrotic smog are infected and turned to devilish creatures.
Silver Frost Nexus - Ayarat serves as the nexus of all frost-based energy within her realm, drawing power directly from the frozen planes of existence


[General Skills]

[Progenitor Link] - [PASSIVE]
[ADVANCED]
[Your progenies have access to the black ice of the Silver Frost Dracish. Regardless of race or species, all who come from your essence shall be granted this perk]


[SKILLS] - [KAIZER OF THE BLACK SUN THRONE]

[Immortal] - [PASSIVE]
[The more pawns you possess the stronger you get. The more devils you spread the higher in rank you rise.] [This skill has been granted for the levels lost in order to fulfill your task as Kaizer]

[Dungeon Heart] - [ACTIVE]
[You are a creation stone. Aligned to only one entity. Beings that can bask in the light of the black sun]

[Matriarchy] - [PASSIVE]
[Undisputed ruler of the Sub-realm dwellers. Your words are the law. Tethered to the black throne of the sub-realm you siphon power directly from the black sun and exert the endurance of the land you dwell upon. Exerting will through their gaze and presence]

[Name your sub-realm]


Still lost in the template that told her things about herself that had changed, she didn't notice the female float closer to her and stand by her side while patting down her hair.

The action drew attention to herself. 'I'm different, beautiful,' if she dared to say. She looked weak. 'Yet I know that I am anything but weak. At least, not here.'

"Who are you?" She couldn't help blurting. The hand stroking her white hair paused for a moment before continuing.

"Hildelith. You may call me Hilde, mother... maybe call me sister. That feels better, I doubt I'm old enough for the mothering part." she giggled.

"You must be wondering what all this is about?" Hildelith asked and Ayarat nodded. A hum escaped Hildelith before she continued.

"Simple. You are a devil. Your existence in my realms would be harsh for you. Not just you trying to corrupt my realms, the Elders there wouldn't take it too kindly and would all attack you".

"So you.... made an entire realm... for me. Forgive me my lady but that feels unbelievable." Ayarat argued.

"My lady," Hildelith muttered like she was tasting the name. "I like this one. And yes indeed you are right it is unbelievable. My initial idea was non-existent. Thinking about it now I could have stuck you to my side as a shadow guard, sent you off to slave away in Aswingnir and crush my enemies down below. Heck even send you off to the Center of Worlds."

Ayarat's face tightened at each mention of what would have happened. "But you chose this. Why? If I may ask."

Hildelith paused for a moment before answering.

"Firstly, I had fun making this. Secondly, ..." She shrugged.

Ayarat blinked…

"A certain someone advised me on how best to use a Devilless in my service. Something that would gain both you and I benefits. Your realm is part of the Sixth Ring, the Abyssal Realm. Here you can live and do as you please. It's up to you. I'll have fun watching whatever you choose to do."

"In a short while the realms will be opened to each other. You can visit where you want, attack whom you choose. Your choice."

"What is Dungeon Heart?" Ayarat asked another question.

"You are weak now compared to my children since they are all way ahead of you. While here you might be invincible but I'm sure there's a lot of ways to get around that. So I granted you that. A boon." Hildelith formed a card from the air and it floated to her palms. On touching it her mind was filled with information and a core settled into her left breast. She now understood how to use the skill effectively and how important it was to her. 

"You grant me this power?"

"Indeed. Use it wisely. I'm certain there is much to be gained from the realms to aid you in your plans."

"And what are my plans?"

"My children will have words for all this. Till then, you have a moment of grace. Use it wisely. Prepare to defend or to attack. You have all the right to live and enjoy life so don't let them walk over you. I'll be sorely disappointed if you do."

"If they died at my hand?" Ayarat asked. The slight gleam of light in her eyes didn't escape Hildelith's attention.

"Beat them, break their bones. Break their spirits if you will. Cage them for eons if you choose. But, do, not unalive them. Or death, will become paradise to you." Ayarat felt a chill trickle down her spine. 

"Your brats would grow arrogant and conceited if they were to learn I couldn't kill them due to an order from mother dearest."

"Which is why they will never know about this.” Hildelith stated calmly.

"So you would use me as a whetstone for them?" She asked, slowly getting peeved.

"True. But, they won't be the only ones getting sharpened in war," she shrugged. " Or do you believe my children to be weak? All things have their purpose," she tapped Ayarat’s shoulder like she wasn't morbidly plotting her death.

"Now, I placed a dungeon in here for you, do well to use it wisely in growing stronger. If you die on your realm, as impossible as that is, you'll get respawned atop your throne. Do well not to die though." Hildelith looked around, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. 

"Looks like I'm forgetting nothing. Well then I'll take my leave."

"Weapons my lady. I lack gear." Ayarat commented. Hildelith paused for a moment before nodding.

"That is fair. Alright. I will give you this. I'm certain there are many things you can improve it with from your realm. I can't teach you all of it." A card appeared in her fingers and floated to Ayarat.

Like the first, it disappeared into her skin at a touch and she flinched at the information she'd received. ‘It seemed it would have to be the first thing I did before anything else.’ It wasn't just information though. Swirling patterns, designs and shapes of ice blue frost and purple black swarm up her limbs, etching themselves into her skin and across her back. The design ended with a symbol of a Bident across her back. 

Ayarat liked what she could do with this. It was more of an aid if she thought of it well. Still she had one final request to make of the lady. 

"Could I leave at times? Not to fight. Just to sightsee?" She was certain she would refuse. Her long silence had her fists tightening up, claws disappearing into her palms for just a moment. Black blood dripped out of the holes she made in her skin as she waited.

"I guess it would be harsh of me not to accept that. For a deviless, I assumed you'd seek violence". 

Ayarat said nothing. 

"Very well. You can only start leaving when the realms are connected anyway." Hildelith formed another card and it too vanished into her skin. 

"This."

"Yes. I wish I had something like that at the start." Giving a wistful sigh she continued. "Mind you, it won't activate if you have less than proper thoughts. Say espionage, killing intent. You'll have to make your own skill for that." Alright then. “But any nefarious thoughts will have you cast down here instantly with no definite time to be released back. With that said you can only visit the realms with an incarnation and can only sightsee. No violence. You may use this moment to plan or plot whatever actions will grant you victory when you actually strike."

"I get it." 

"Very well. See you then Ayarat. I hope you do well. I'd dislike having to find a new prime devil to take your place after I've gotten to like you so much." Hildelith floated slowly into the air as she spoke, then with a blast of force and energy that tingled Ayarat's skin, she was gone. The last Ayarat saw and heard was a shooting star and an explosion in the sky. 

'Alone. Once again.' She materialized a template.

"At least I have you to play with." She eyed the template of a dungeon spawn point and rose from the throne heading to the edge of the tower to look down.

She flung the template outside and watched as it ricocheted through the sweet winter air and burrowed into the ground to the west of the tower.

"The first of my own. Well, let's see what I can use you for.”