ORIGIN LAWS

Icicles, sharp like swords, rolled over one another, forming a strange, circular pattern around the shadowed ravine. Deep bellows echoed out, sometimes akin to a horrifying roar of an ancient beast, and sometimes akin to a woman’s wails. Black shadows had now erupted completely from the ravine, covering one to two miles around it in complete darkness. The air turned suffocating, and if any mortal was placed here, they’d undoubtedly die from the lung explosion.

Even the sun from the high sky could not penetrate through these deep shadows and black smoke. Suddenly, the ground began quaking in a strange rhythm, as if it were a beat of a drum. Bit by bit, small stones and icicles began jumping up and down, and web-like cracks began spreading further out from the ravine. Two miles… three miles… five miles… soon, the entire northern shoreline was covered in cracks.

Beyond the north was an ocean, but the north itself was elevated roughly three miles above the sea level. However, even the ocean behind began churning and turning, gigantic waves crashing against the frozen earth of the north. All sea life disappeared immediately, scattered about, guided by their fear. They knew that, whatever was being born, they could not stand against it.

At the same time, deep in the clouds above the north, two figures solemnly gazed at the phenomena beneath. Both figures wore completely white robes, their faces hidden underneath a mask, and their Mana fluctuations impossible to detect. They appeared like to ephemeral beings, aloof and distanced from the worldly affairs.

“It really is him…” a voice sounded out, completely distorted, making it impossible to detect anything about its owner. “Just how did he escape?”

“Does it matter?” another voice replied, similarly distorted. “Hall Master ordered us to clean up our mess. However, it doesn’t seem like the two of us will be enough.”

“Hm,” the other figure nodded. “I never imagined we’d be witnessing the birth of a Dark Dragon… especially so in this backwater place.”

“You go back,” the figure spoke. “Although we can’t do anything to the Dragon at the moment, it’s still far away from coming into being. I’ll suppress this bastard for as long as I can, but I suspect I can delay him for a few months at most. If we engage in battle, I won’t be able to handle him alone, so hurry back.”

“Do you think he discovered us?”

“Of course he has… otherwise, he wouldn’t have remained holed up down there for this long. Go now, and be quick about it.”

“Yes!”

**

“Despicable brat!!!” Lynne was jolted awake from his sleep as screeching voice of the Phoenix resounded in his mind. “What the hell did you tell them?!! Just what the hell did you do?!”

“Oh, bird? It’s nice to hear you’re safe and sound!”

“Safe and sound??!!” the bird screamed out. “I woke up to some disgusting brat licking me!!! He was licking me, you despicable human!!! Just what the hell did you do?!”

“Wait, seriously?” even Lynne was taken aback a bit; they licked him? Did they never see a woman in their lives?! “Relax birdie, I’ll compensate.”

“Compensate my ass!!! Give me back my dignity and pride, you despicable human!!”

“Dude, you let me ride you,” Lynne scoffed lightly. “Any pride and dignity you had had long since been washed away by my butt.”

“… release me from my contract, and let me eat you alive!”

“Nah, I like you this way more.”

“Damn you!”

“Come, hurry back,” Lynne suddenly said in a serious voice. “I’m getting a bad feeling here… something’s gonna happen soon.”

“… screw you!”

Lynne immediately jumped onto his feet, extremely vigilant. He was never the one to believe the ‘bad premonition’ people ‘felt’, but his entire body felt fidgety and he couldn’t calm his heart no matter how hard he tried. He felt a tingling sensation through his whole body, and shivers ran like rivers down his spine.

The monkey also jumped onto Lynne’s shoulder, sending his perception as far out as he could. Even he felt deeply uncomfortable, but he still couldn’t discover anything unusual. Just as Lynne was about to relax, seeing that he was perhaps wrong, the ground beneath shook. Earthquake erupted from within the earth’s depths, causing nearby mountain to shake, its summit falling apart. Lynne was barely able to forcibly stabilize his body, looking towards the mountain with fear and awe in his eyes.

“Dammit bird, where are you?!” Lynne cursed inwardly.

“Crap!! Look towards north-east!” the bird replied.

Following the bird’s instruction, Lynne looked towards the direction and was quickly frozen stiff: far, far away, beyond the distance he could measure, there was a ghastly pillar of completely black flames rising towards the sky. The pillar broke trough the sky and assailed the heavens themselves above, causing earth beneath to turn into mellow splinters as countless cracks appeared on its surface.

“What the f*ck is that?!!” Lynne bellowed atop his lungs as he took a step back. From within that pillar, he felt a familiar kind of energy, one he faced when he assailed the path of two Origin Paths.

However, that black pillar of flames exuded much thicker aura of eternity, as if it would never collapse. Lynne could feel countless laws embroiled through the pillar, as if it governed the world all by its lonesome. Yet, Lynne felt even deeper fear that didn’t come from that pillar, but its source, lying deep below. He could feel his heartbeat quicken, and the six symbols suddenly shook. Before he even had a chance to take another step back, space around him distorted and a black hole appeared, sucking him and the monkey directly.

Lynne suddenly felt his body ache as if thousand swords pierce him fully through, and as if his head was falling apart. All around him was nothing but darkness, and he could hear faint sounds of thunder echo out from the distance. Despite the endless darkness that encroached him, he could still feel himself move, as if he was crossing vast dimensions. His ears began bleeding, and soon after his nose, eyes and mouth followed. He felt his skin tear and his muscles distort; blood within him suddenly reversed and ran backwards, and just as he felt he would die a miserable death, it all stopped.

Lynne felt wet earth beneath his fingers as he realized he finally escaped that place. His entire body was soaked in pain akin to ten thousand years of torture, and he approximated that it’d take at least three months to fully heal. He groaned lowly, trying to move his body to sit upright, but to no avail. The monkey next to him was similarly hurt, but due to the creature’s innate understanding of space, it was hurt less than Lynne.

Lynne’s hearing suddenly came back to him, as did his vision; in the distance, he heard the flow of river, unhindered, and even faint sounds of breathing. This startled him, and he immediately moved his eyes towards the source. As he looked, what little hope he had perished, and cold sweat broke out profusely. Before him stood a gigantic creature, its two red eyes like two moons in the sky; it was completely encased in shadows and black flames, as if it didn’t even have a physical body. Lynne could barely discern its head, while the rest of its body stretched out into infinite darkness. What the f*ck is this?!!!

The creature stared at him indifferently, as if he was a mere bug, undeserving of its attention. It suddenly lowered its head, relaxing it against the earth beneath; yet, even still, its eyes were at least a dozen meters away from the ground, signaling the sheer size of its head. Lynne gulped, trying to calm his heart to no avail.

“Human,” the creature suddenly spoke in a deep, hoarse voice; strangely, although it spoke in a language Lynne never heard before, he could still perfectly understand it. “Your soul is encased in aura of Origin. It means you comprehended at least two Origin Laws. Is that correct?”

“Y-yes?” Lynne stuttered, unable to process anything of what just happened.

“It is not enough,” the voice continued. “Luckily, you are still young, and there is a chance. I wonder, are you willing to make a deal with me?”

“Eh?” Lynne was completely stunned; didn’t you bring me here to eat me or something?! What are you talking about you gigantic ball of death?!

“I am unable to hide my existence any longer,” the creature continued, a sliver of defiance present in its voice. “And many eyes have recognized me. I still need time, but even if I had all the time in the world, I would still be unable to escape my fate alone. I smell a faint presence of Hellfire on you, which, I gather, is because you grasped Origin Law of Flames.” what is this thing talking about?! What is a damn Origin Law?? Origin Path?

“O-oh Almighty Lord and God and Harbinger of Greatness,” Lynne spoke flowery words, seeing that the creature apparently didn’t want to eat him. “Could Your Greatness be referring to Celestial Emperor of Flames Magus Origin Path?”

“If that is what you call it,” the creature replied calmly. “But, your accomplishments are still lacking. You are too young, your lingering flames too mild… you should have begun understanding the Laws recently, no? It doesn’t matter,” the creature continued before Lynne even had a chance to reply. “There is still a chance. Do you wish to make a deal with me?”

“O Almighty One, what deal is Your Supremeness referring to?”

“The best time for me to emerge is in five years,” the creature replied. “However, I will not be able to do so in peace. I ask you to join me at that time, and fight alongside me.” are you nuts?!! Just you alone can fart and blow me to smithereens! What the hell can I do? Who the hell did you even anger? Damn beast! “Naturally, I will help you reach the point where you can help me in return,” as if it read Lynne’s mind, the creature continued. “Two or three Origin Laws are not enough; in return for your oath, I shall impart upon you three more: Origin Law of Darkness, Origin Law of Void and Origin Law of Space. Your comprehension of them depends solely on you, but in five years, regardless of how far you’ve progressed, you must come here and help me.”

“...” what the hell?! Wasn’t following two Origin Paths already a legendary deed? Why is this thing talking like it’s commoner’s tale? And he wants me to follow at least five or six? I get the Void one, but where the hell did this Darkness and Space come from? Weren’t there only seven Origin Paths?

“I understand your confusion,” the creature spoke again. “After all, you were born in a realm lacking any true foundation. Origin Laws – or, according to you, Origin Paths – simply refer to all Natural Laws. From my understanding of this realm, you people believe that Natural Laws are simply means to procure greater strength; however, Natural Laws are akin to these Origin Paths you people have constructed.”

“Eh?”

“Natural Laws move and suspend the universe; their depth is immeasurable, and one could spend a lifetime never fully comprehending them. Origin Law of Fire that you have uncovered is just one of many; even the fact that your understanding is close to the way it is showcases that someone, long time ago, had understood this principle within your realm. Alas, we do not have time for lessons; I have forcibly awakened myself for a moment, and I soon need to return to my slumber. Do you wish to make a deal?”

“Y-yeah, yeah, sure, deal, yeah…” Lynne simply stuttered unconsciously; he was still trying to process what he had just learned. Endless Origin Paths? Are you freaking kidding me?!

“Very well,” the creature’s red eyes suddenly shone brilliantly, casting deep, scarlet rays atop Lynne’s body. “Darkness, Void and Space; three are roots of the same tree. Understand them, and perhaps you may touch the Law of Death itself.”

Lynne suddenly felt his entire being burn, as pain stimulated every fiber of his being. He immediately broke out in screams, but his lungs suddenly burned out, and he couldn’t breathe. He felt space around him distort and tear, causing his body to deform; he felt his eyes bleed out completely as darkness surrounded him; he felt his soul fall into the depths of endless abyss, never to return. This was far, far worse than when he tried to comprehend two Origin Paths. Lynne’s body fell onto the floor, shaking as if he was on the brink of death, while a storm of nine symbols assailed his mind, trying to stabilize themselves next to the six existing ones.

The monkey, who remained completely silent thus far, stared at the scene as if he was seeing something from a dream. Due to his bloodline, he had certain understanding about the Magus Paths, and he already knew there were more than 7 of these supposed ‘Origin Paths’, but he never mentioned it to Lynne as he himself lacked understanding about the matter.

“Hm?” the creature hummed silently as it looked at the monkey. “Divine Ape… I thought your kind perished in the Celestial War.”

“In the eyes of the world, we did.” the monkey replied, relatively calm.

“During the war, one of your brethren had saved my life,” the creature spoke, a tinge of nostalgia and gratitude in its voice. “I had thought I’d never get a chance to repay the favor… but, alas, fate is but a river with no end. Your bloodline is yet to awake, so allow me to help you. Consider this down payment, for once I’m free of my shackles, I will help you regardless of the matter. Even if you wish to exterminate Divine Hou Clan.”

“Hm?” a cold glint flashed through the monkey’s eyes as he looked at the creature before him. “Y-you… could you be… impossible!” the monkey exclaimed. “You died! You definitely died!”

“I am a Guardian, little one,” the creature replied, its deep voice mellowing slightly. “If I were to truly perish, it would become a truly unimaginable catastrophe… alas, only will is eternal. I have paid a heavy price to survive, and have been recovering here since the last day of the war. If you ever have a chance, lead the boy towards the far East of this realm. My brother should have hidden there. Although he is in a far worse state than me, he should be able to help the boy a little bit.”

“Who is eyeing you?” the monkey suddenly asked. “It can’t be the Huo Clan…”

“Almost all of Divine Realm has been searching for me and my brethren, and brethren of my brethren, ever since the end of the war five million years ago. Who knows how many generations have passed… but, in the end, the ancient words never perish. Although Huo Clan hasn’t still recovered completely, it doesn’t mean they are weak little one. Without the boy’s help, even if you had millions of years in your veins, you perhaps would never be able to fulfill your dream.”

“Do you truly think he’ll be able to help you five years from now? You don’t even know him…”

“Whether he will or won't… I cannot tell.” the creature replied, slightly shaking its head as it looked at Lynne who was still rolling on the ground, his face deformed, tears swelling like rivers from his eyes due to pain. “However, for now, you two should be safe from the prying eyes,” the creature continued. “A friend is recuperating in this realm as well, and he’ll awaken much sooner than I will. I wish I could help you two more, but alas, I am still far too weak…” the creature then looked at the monkey again, its red eyes shimmering crimson. “While I can’t awaken your bloodline fully, it should be enough for now. I will let the two of you remain here for a week to recover, and then send you back. I wish you both succeed… and meet me five years from now.”

Blindingly bright, scarlet ray washed over the monkey’s body; a moment later, the little creature felt its blood burn as it sped up through its veins, his head splitting as if cut by a sword, as countless images and words poured into him. Like Lynne, the monkey fell down immediately, screeching and howling in pain, as agony washed through every orifice of his body.