Chapter 5: The Prophecy Stone & the Killing Order

Odin's heart leaped into his throat as he tried to stabilize his chaotic mind. He felt like he'd just escaped death by a breadth of a hair when he had been pushed back by the sheer force emanating from the book.

"How can I escape from this endless space?" Odin muttered to himself as he glanced fearfully at the golden book.

"Good question," a deep voice rumbled across the entire space, causing Odin to jump up in shock. It was ancient and filled with the vicissitudes of life as if no one could resist its influence.

"Who are you?" Odin queried while glancing around fearfully. He was now really terrified by all the abnormalities in the endless space.

"Off course, I'm before you, young man. How can you not realize that? It should be pretty obvious unless you're an Idiot."

"You're the huge book?" Odin asked, his mouth agape.

"That's me," the hoarse voice sounded again.

"How can you speak?"

"Dumb question," the voice replied. "I won't answer that."

Odin's mouth twitched slightly at the corners on hearing the response. "Can you tell me why you've imprisoned me in this space?"

"Good question," the hoarse ancient voice replied. "You have just been selected as the new chosen to inherit the ancient Codex Infinitus."

"You mean you?"

"Yes, of course, I mean me, dummy," the voice said with impatience. "Who else is here in this space aside from you and me?"

Odin didn't have a response to that. He was just shocked and felt like he was in a dream. He didn't understand his reality — and that was why he was asking a lot of questions.

"Anyways," the voice reverberated across the entire space after a short while. "As I was saying, you have just been selected as the new chosen to inherit the ancient Codex Infinitus. But before you become the true owner of the codex with actual authority, you'll have to go through various trials."

"The first trial was the 'Human Spirit Trial' — which you've just passed. Your mental functions of awareness, insight, understanding, and willpower are incredible, especially since you're just an ordinary mortal. That's why you were able to endure through the path of darkness for an infinitely long time before arriving here."

"Oh," Odin said, feeling his heart start to race. "So, does that mean I can finally leave this place?"

"Yes, you can leave at any time," the deep voice replied. "However, since you have already passed the Human Spirit Trial, it would be a shame to leave before receiving your rewards."

"There are even gifts for passing trials in this space?" Odin was now getting more excited than stunned as he looked towards the golden book with a flicker in his eyes. At that moment, he resembled a weasel that had just chanced upon a chicken's coop.

"Of course, there are gifts, you greedy fellow," the voice turned solemn. "For passing the Human Spirit Trial, the Codex Infinitus will award you two rewards."

"Wait," Odin shouted hurriedly. "Is there any price I need to pay before receiving these rewards?"

"What a brainless question!" the voice exclaimed. "What if you find out that you have to pay a certain price before accepting the rewards? Then, so what? Do you possess the power to say no to those conditions with your meager strength? Can you resist me if I wanted to force an unfair condition upon you? What is the whole point of asking?"

Odin could only smile sheepishly after not finding a counter. He had nothing to say since he understood that he couldn't resist the mysterious book entity by himself. As long as the book developed some ill intentions toward him, then he wouldn't be able to survive, no matter how fast he escaped.

"The first reward for completing the human spirit trial is a level-1 prophecy stone," the voice reverberated again after a moment. "It's a one-time-use treasure that can allow you to peer into the fate of a world. By using the prophecy stone, you will be able to observe some of the details of the major events that'll transpire within the world in question over the next ten years."

"Here, take it!" The voice rumbled again. A purple jade square box, about five inches in width, miraculously appeared within Odin's hands. It manifested out of thin air as if it had been teleported into his hands by the book entity.

"OMG!" Odin yelped excitedly while looking at the box with anticipation. His hopes had already soared to the skies at that moment. "Doesn't it mean I can predict the future with the prophecy stone?"

"In essence, that should be the case," the voice replied. "However, the future you see might not be the future that happens due to various butterfly effects. So, you have to use the prophecy stone very carefully. Additionally, as a safety measure, you can only use it within the boundaries of this space."

"Does that mean I have to use it before leaving here?"

"Yes," the voice replied. "Otherwise, you'll attract calamity when you take it out into the fundamental material world."

"Why?"

"There are powerful entities that can sense its power as soon as you use it while outside. The safest way is to use it here."

"Oh, then that's understandable," Odin said while placing the box to the side. "What's the second reward?"

"The second reward is one of the Origin Orders contained within the Codex Infinitus," the voice replied with a sigh.

"An Origin Order!?"

"Yes, an Origin Order," the voice confirmed.

"Can you explain?"

"An Origin Order is just a condensation of the essence of the Origin Law controlled by a higher entity. The law can be anything from magic, devouring, ying-yang harmony, destruction, war, music, etcetera. This particular Order that I'm rewarding you is called the Killing Origin Order. It simply has one use. That is to kill in order to grow stronger. By killing, you'll be able to grow more powerful."

"Oh, such an evil order exists!" Odin couldn't help but crease his brows slightly. Wouldn't he soon become a wanted criminal if he used such an Origin Order? Unless he wanted to turn into a domestic animal butcher or someone who spent his days killing small insects, then such an order was useless on Earth, where almost every creature was under the protection of the law.

"Young man," the voice said with a deep chuckle. "You're naive. An apocalyptic calamity is about to descend upon your world. You'll have to kill to survive through the next few years. This Order will be perfect for you."

"An apocalyptic calamity!" Odin gasped, his eyes widening. "Could it be related to the growing ferocity of the wild animals?"

"Enough with the questions," the voice said impatiently. "If you wish to know more about the calamity, use the prophecy stone."

"Oh, okay." Odin nodded while glancing expectantly at the purple jade box beside him. After utilizing the prophecy stone contained within, he would know what sort of calamity was about to descend upon Earth. He would then be better prepared to protect himself and his loved ones during the supposed apocalyptic times.

"I have to ask this now." the ancient voice became more earnest. "Do you wish to receive the Killing Order as your second reward for completing the Human Spirit Trial?"

Odin's heart skipped a beat as he caught on to something. "Does that mean that I have a choice on what kind of reward I can receive? For instance, can I choose to receive another type of Origin Order?"

"Your only other choice is to refuse the order," the ancient voice said. "And if that happens, the Killing Order will automatically return to the Codex Infinitus while you, yourself, will be left with nothing. So, let me ask you again. Do you wish to receive the Killing Order as your second reward?"

"Of course, I want the Killing Order," Odin was quick to reply. "Why the need to ask if there's no other option?"

The deep voice chuckled. "Here, take it," it said. "The Order will activate right after you return to the material world. Then, you can slowly explore its functions and learn more about it."

With that said, a golden streak emerged from the humongous book before cutting a parabola through the endless space and sinking into the space between Odin's eyebrows. The whole process was painless and didn't cause any discomfort to him. He recovered within seconds after receiving the strange Order.

"Okay," the ancient voice reverberated once again. "You've already received all the rewards entitled to you after passing the Trial of the Human Spirit. You can only receive more rewards after completing the next trial, which is the Trial of Ascension."

"The Trial of Ascension!" Odin exclaimed. "Is it possible to try it now?"

"With your current abilities, there isn't a chance. A hundred out of a hundred times, you'll surely perish if you undergo the trial. So, better give up and only return after you've experienced your fourth major evolution and transcended mortal life."

"Transcending mortal life!" Odin's heart skipped a beat. He could now tell that he'd chanced upon a rare opportunity that could help him begin his path on a unique adventure. He was truly blessed as far as he was concerned.

"Do you wish to use the prophecy stone now?" The voice asked abruptly. "If you don't want to use it now, you'll have to wait until the next time you return to this space. And that will be after you've experienced your fourth major evolution. So, make your choice."

"I choose to use the prophecy stone now," Odin was quick to reply. Of course, he wouldn't leave such a treasure collecting dust in some unknown endless space. It was better to use it right away to reap some immediate benefits. That way, he would be able to gain the ability to protect himself and his loved ones during the upcoming calamity.

"Okay," the ancient voice reverberated. "Since you've already made your choice, I'll now help you to activate the prophecy stone. First things first, start by unsealing the jade box."