Something in the air felt different as Aenon followed the Nurse across the winding halls of the palace. The Admin had dismissed him after the Q&A, telling him that Nurse would deal with the rest. And honestly, he was completely ok with that. Being in her presence felt…weird. He wasn't scared per se. But the power difference made him uncomfortable. Not to mention, no matter what anyone claimed, Aenon couldn't refute the fact that he owed the Admin.

"You'll get used to it," the Nurse suddenly spoke up without looking way. "Being in the presence of the mistress is unsettling for most. To put it in perspective, imagine all the insects and bugs you have ever seen in the thirteen years of your life. To her, Velcodirust is one such bug. She has lived longer than your mind can comprehend and is leagues above the top powers in your universe. At that scale, you aren't even a microbe to her."

Aenon nodded in complete agreement. "But then why am I here?"

The Nurse looked at him with a knowing smile. "Despite their power and size, microorganisms have the ability to take down even the mightiest of warriors."

Aenon stared at her blankly. "You are calling me a bacterium?"

"I thought the analogy fits beautifully," the Nurse replied with a shrug. "By yourself, you are not a threat to Velcodirust or any of the empires. But your ability to spread your moral code amongst the populace will be difficult to contain." She winked at him. "You are like an infectious disease."

Aenon wanted to protest but didn't find the words. The Nurse was right of course. The people who gravitated towards him were the same ones who the current elites liked to exploit. And the soul links Aenon forged with them were not like the chains of oppression the Multiverse was used to. Once the world witnessed what true freedom tasted like, it would be nigh impossible for them to accept any other way of life.

But the analogy was also a cautionary warning. Despite his potential, he still ran the risk of being purged like any other contagion.

The Nurse eventually led him into an oversized bedroom that was larger than his entire mansion. The décor was gothic with dark shades everywhere, including the bed.

"This is your room whenever you decide to visit," the Nurse said while showing him the room.

"Decide to visit?" Aenon asked with confusion. "I thought this was a one time thing."

"Not quite," she explained. "Your visits will be rare no doubt, but the mistress wants you to have a room when such occasions arise. Here, have a seat so I can explain a few things. I also suggest reviewing your status screen before I begin."

Aenon followed her to a pair of couches by a cozy fireplace to the side. Once they were seated, she conjured some tea and snacks from thin air.

Aenon leaned back in his chair and pulled up his stat sheet. The changes were enormous, as were the implications. His entire resource pool had been rebalanced, along with a surge in numbers. And even though he had lost some INT, thereby reducing his mana pool, his overall resource regen rates had gone up by a lot.

Aenon/Ashryn Fenrast

Race: Ascended Human (M)

Age: 13 years

Level 99

Class: Void Regent (Level 99)

Subclass: Abyssal Warden (Level 99)

HP: 19660

HP Regen: 591/min

MP: 27660

MP Regen: 792.4/min

Stats - Multiplier: 128 (Locked)

STR: 1966

CON: 2955

DEX: 2960

INT: 2766

WIL: 3962

PER: 2962

Titles (3528 points)

Unfettered Soul (+120 all), Domain Walker (Withheld), Bulwark (+5 all), Speed Runner (+10 all), Hoarder (+5 all), Landlord 2 (+25 all), Planetary Forerunner 2 (+50 all), Ancient Killer (+20 all), Untouchable 2 (+40 all), Archivist (+5 all), Royal Assassin (+30 all), Corruption Cleanser 2 (+10 all), Underdog (+20 all), Limit Breaker 2 (+20 all), Raid Bait (+5 all), Bug Exterminator (+10 all), DPS Hogger (+5 all), Anti Mage (+5 all), Dungeon Buster (+10 all), Reaper (+100 all stats), Terror Incarnate (+10 all), Hope Incarnate (+10 all), One Man Army (+20 all)

Solo Wolf (+10% Title stats)

Prodigious Mage (+10% Title stats)

Nature's Attendant (+200 all stats when within 50 meters of sapling)

Skills (Available SP: 556)

Weapons (Unarmed, Daggers, Traps) | Savant

Stealth and Tracking (Woods, Urban) | Savant

Mana Manipulation | Savant

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Cooking | Adept

Internalized Skills

Identify

Mana Sense

Soul Authority – Sovereign's Aura, Soul Beacon, Soul Purge, Soul Syphon (Unfettered Soul)

System's Grace

Once again he was at the precipice of making crucial life changing decisions, which included spending his SP to gain more Skill proficiency. He was leaning heavily towards adding more weapons in his repertoire, but it wasn't a decision he wanted to rush. Moreover, this would be his first standard evolution, and it was something he was looking forward to. Despite his nagging, the Nurse refused to reveal what to expect from it. Claiming it was part of the experience.

As for his previous evolution, the Nurse did confirm that the Admin had interfered to trigger it. Something to do with stabilizing his soul after the catastrophic shattering or something. Apparently, this time he would get to experience the real procedure. Aenon just wished he could do it by himself, and not as a part of the grand ceremony that Henry was preparing. If he was to suddenly grow some horns, he at least wanted to do it in the privacy of his bedroom.

Alas, this too was not in his control either. The preparation for the evolution ceremony was in full swing. He took solace in the fact that he at least wouldn't be alone on stage. His entire battle party would be with him. One pleasant surprise was that his entire pack would be joining in as well. Being beasts, they didn't really have Titles and stuff, but their new forms would be closely linked to him. Meaning they too would be receiving S-grade evolutions.

Having given him enough time to check out his spoils, the Nurse decided to start the conversation. "Tell me, you have heard the term Multiverse so often. But do you even know how many universes there are out there?"

"It…hasn't come up in any conversation," Aenon replied in embarrassment.

"The answer is unknown," the Nurse replied. "New universes keep getting added to the Multiverse that the System governs quite often. Your universe is one of several thousand that have been assimilated so far. Again, these are numbers that your mortal mind cannot grasp, but I will try. Ninety-three billion light years. That is how wide your universe is. And there are thousands of them out there."

Aenon really couldn't imagine that number. Human minds just weren't built that way. In all of Earth's pre-integration history, they had not even managed to colonize their neighboring planet. Let alone their galaxy, or its neighborhood. The Nurse let him process the math for a while, but he still couldn't wrap his head around it.

"Without mana, or space Spells, it would be quite impossible for you to explore any measurable section of your own universe," the Nurse continued helpfully. "Even if you were to live for millennia."

"I'll have to agree with that," Aenon replied softly. He truly hadn't thought much about the term 'Multiverse'.

"Which is why it is also unlikely for you to understand the time scales at which the Multiverse operates." The Nurse too grabbed a snack before continuing. "Your universe was integrated quite recently. A little over twenty billion years ago. Which for the mistress is the same as a weekend by your standards."

Suddenly, Aenon felt claustrophobic despite the size of the room. Everything was just so overwhelming. His entire perspective shifted, making him realize that his entire life wasn't even a second's worth of time to the Admin.

"I am telling you this so that you can change your mindset," the Nurse spoke softly. "The city that you rule, or even the little planet you are on, aren't even specks of dust compared to what you are up against." She paused for a moment before dropping her next bombshell. "Your universe hasn't even completed integrating into the Multiverse yet."

"What?"

"The difficulty to level up becomes exponential difficult as you progress," she explained. "And the requirement for any universe to fully integrate is to have someone cross the threshold. But so far no one has managed it yet."

Aenon let that sink in, before asking. "What is the threshold?"

"Crossing level 700."

Aenon blinked several times, unable to process that. "No one has done it in twenty billion years?"

The Nurse nodded, sipping on some tea. "The reason isn't that simple though. There have been plenty of people who were capable of doing it."

"Then why?" Aenon was more confused.

"Because everyone wants to be the first to do it. Since that person gets to rule the universe."

Aenon's eyes widened as several pieces of the puzzle fell in place. The reason why Velcodirust used soul chains to limit talented people to himself. Why the elves fed on the souls of others. Or why the hegemons hoarded knowledge and resources. It all boiled down to one thing—power.

"The System was designed to facilitate the process of integration," the Nurse explained seriously. "The System, which was a construct designed to raise powerful lifeforms, has a set procedure for integration. And internal strife is a key part of it. Yes, it causes severe oppression and suffering. But it has computed this to be the best approach. Pain, after all, is the catalyst for growth."

A brief lull descended into the room as Aenon mulled over the true scale of things. It was only yesterday that he was reeling under the shock from the battle. But when looking at it from a Multiversal lens, it was indeed insignificant.

"I am also a System construct, and as such do not have any emotions. But know that the ones who designed the System weren't completely heartless. The designers did leave certain safeguards in place to ensure that things didn't completely devolve into anarchy. The absolute protection of children, and a ban on sexual violence are the best examples. Despite its hands-off approach, the System considers the initial stages of development to be crucial. And a healthy family dynamic is a part of that process."

The last statement was no doubt in defense of the ancient construct, and in part of her own actions too. But Aenon didn't care either way. From the start Aenon treated the System like a super advanced AI. And he didn't want to change that now.

"I—," he began slowly, "have a lot to think about.

"That, you do," the Nurse said before standing up. "But don't let it get you down. Take it one step at a time. Deal with your tutorial planet first. These little squabbles will help you hone your skills for when the true struggle begins. I am not allowed to talk about it, but the mistress is preparing something. Once the tutorial ends, a new phase will begin. As you have already realized, you will not last a second when the protections fall. That is why she is going to directly meddle this time. And no, she will not restrict you in any way. She plans to handle things exactly the way you did. Soften up the coming horde so that you have a fighting chance. And if you are to die…well, the mistress would have lost a fine specimen of bacterium."

The Nurse gave a cheeky smile before walking towards the door. She did give one last piece of advice on the way out.

"Don't let her down, boy," the draugr's tone was uncharacteristically glum. "You of all people should know how lonely it gets in the void."

As the door shut with resounding thud, Aenon felt the suppression of his soul powers weaken. His Sovereign's Aura erupted outwards but refused to go beyond the confines of the room. The atmosphere was charged with ancient power. He ran his fingers through the air, noticing the wisps for the first time. The entire place was packed with void mana, making him feel at home. He got up slowly to explore the place.

Despite the ridiculous size of the room, his bed and other furniture was normal sized—if one could call a four-person bed normal. But it wasn't the bed that caught his attention. It was what was next to it. On the side table was a picture frame. And within it was something he least expected to find. A portrait of his family, a relic he had long forgotten about.

He picked up a note that was next to it with trembling hands.

Got this off your old planet along with a few more mementos that are in the walk-in closet, and drawers. —Admin

The note was simple and brief. But it made his eyes tear up, nonetheless. Aenon picked up the picture frame gingerly, looking at the laughing faces of his parents and Harley. They had taken the snap during a family vacation. Little droplets fell onto the glass, right onto the carefree smile of his mother. His father's loving gaze seemed to pierce through the fabric of space. And in the corner of the frame was Harley, with a familiar mischievous smile that could light up a room.

Aenon sat down on the bed, not able to tear his eyes away from the little window into his past. He didn't know how long he sat there in silence, reliving that day in his mind repeatedly. The shard that Harley left behind had the picture stored in it. But having the physical object in his hands felt different. Especially due to what was on the back of the picture. He gently removed the picture from its protective casing and flipped it over.

Four thumb prints of different sizes. Harley had been adamant about signing it this way with their own blood. Even though she raised quite a ruckus when it was her turn to be pricked in the thumb. Right above it was a simple line in his mother's handwriting.

Together Forever.

Aenon ran his fingers along the thumbprints, and the scribbled message, careful not to smudge or damage it. After feeling the little crevices in the paper, he put it back in its protective case. He felt strong mana fluctuations on it, no doubt signs of several defensive enchantments.

He put the picture back on the table before looking to the wall across from him. Only now did he pick up the faint presence that was spying on him. Although it did withdraw the moment his eyes turned towards it.

"Thank you," he said with a bow. Even though there was no acknowledgement, he somehow knew that the message was received.

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