Immediately after I said “We need to talk” one of the bigger eyes that were looking directly at me fired a beam of light through the Chaos. The eye had to be 1,000 miles across as the beam leaped towards me at the speed of light. I had expected dialogue. I’d expected to be able to talk to the creature, but I guess asking for a little bit of intelligent discourse was out of the question this time. Also, I can be quick, but I was less than 50,000 miles from the surface of the sphere when it attacked which gave me no time to dodge, even activating faster than light travel or teleportation took longer than I had to move. If I’d been fully integrated with my Thor Aspect I probably could have dodged the beam easily. Instead, I took it, I took it all.

Chaotic Abyssal Horror has attacked you with Chaotic Eye Lance.

Chaotic Eye lance has hit you for 0 damage.

100% Immunity to all Chaotic Damage noted due to ability “Resistant”

Chaotic Eye Lance from Chaotic Abyssal Horror reduces all resistances to the effects of Chaos by 100%

100% Immunity to Chaos effects from soul Ability Chaos Forged negated

Temporal Sheer has opened.

Soul and Aspect had been recombined due to soul abilities Inviolate and Adaptable.

Temporal Sheer has closed.

I Finished reviewing the combat prompts and integrated my Thor Aspect back into myself. As the light from the beam faded, my vision returned. I looked around and noted that the beam had completely destroyed the group of beings on the edge of the Astral Plane behind me. Well, most of them anyway. The Prismatic Dragon had seen better days. The Astral plane was gone and it simply floated in empty space with both Chaos and the energies of the Astral racing towards it. I watched it disappear, most likely teleporting away. If I had a chance I’d need to go look up that Dragon, I might be able to have an intelligent conversation with something after all. As I became fully integrated again I noticed that something had changed, something significant, though I didn’t have time to figure it out right this second because the Chaotic Abyssal Horror was attacking me again.

Now that I was fully integrated, dodging became easier, and my movement less sluggish. I hadn’t noticed that problem before, though if I was being honest I hadn’t had a reason to since my soul project and soul had been separated by time. I dodged the beams of light that were shot at me as well as all the tentacle strikes it was trying to land. As I dodged, I allowed my nanites to infiltrate and take over this horror. I dodged to and fro I looked back at the border of the Astral and this realm of chaos and noted that tears had been ripped out of the Astral. Raw chaos was rushing into the void to fill what it could, like a tidal surge rapidly flowing into an inlet during a high tide. The chaos was filling what it could but the Astral was also rushing in to fill the area that had been burned away. Where there were rips in the Astral I could layers upon layers of energy, almost like ribbons or layers in a cake. I took those images and examined them closely with part of my mentality and realized that I was seeing the physical representation of alternate universes layered upon each other. There were a lot of them. As I watched the Astral energies flowed back over the tears they sealed and faded away. This creature’s Chaotic Eye Lance had damaged the fundamental structure of this Cosmos, which was definitely not a good thing. The lesser attacks didn’t seem to be doing that kind of damage, nor did they seem to have the kind of range that the main eye had produced. With my nanites spread throughout this area of chaos, I made my decision and accelerated towards the eye, I didn’t need it doing that kind of damage again.

I entered the eye and started flying back and forth in it. I felt, more than heard, the scream of pain as the mouths of this beast howled into the chaos that surrounded it. Chaos being Chaos, the screams were amplified and reduced randomly but the vibrations through the beast’s body were unaffected, and I could feel them from the mouths that were closest to this eye. As I flew back and forth I made sure to go along the inside membrane of the eye. As I neared that barrier I drew forth my Chaos Blade as I reviewed the message I’d received when my sword Ender had been converted into my soul-bound Chaos Blade.

A Chaos Blade may only be wielded by a creature of Chaos.

This weapon is drawn and sheathed at will from Chaos.

Damage is Variable

This weapon is indestructible.

This weapon is Soul-Bound to the Fundamental being Johnathan Bennard

This Note: may only be seen by creatures with “Fundamental” abilities. The Blade of Chaos ignores all barriers, spells, and armor that do not have the trait “Fundamental” as part of its makeup as if they are not there. Any creature struck by this weapon will react as if touched by raw chaos. As Chaos by its very nature is undefinable, the effects of what will happen cannot be quantified. Though the entities Luck may or may not determine if the exposure to chaos is beneficial, neutral, or ruinous just as your luck did since you are ‘lucky’ enough to be holding this item and reading this note…Johnathan.

I hadn’t pulled out my Chaos blade because I honestly viewed it as a WUD, Weapon of Utter Destruction. While there was a small chance that whatever I hit with it would be converted into something truly powerful it was more likely that it would be reduced to raw chaos. A little too dangerous to be pulling out willy-nilly. I hadn’t forgotten about it though and this seemed like the perfect environment to test it in. The sword easily pierced the membrane, and I started zipping around the inside of this huge eyeball leaving an open wound that blood was oozing out of. As I’d thought, this creature was unaffected by the chaos effect of the blade, but it was still affected by the damage. Honestly, as I flew along the inside dragging the sword below and behind me, with my right hand, it kind of felt like I was plowing a field.

I released the Chaos Blade back into my soul storage and exited the eyeball. Flying around inside it had been somewhat disgusting. It felt like I was flying through cottage cheese. I’d kept my mouth firmly closed and used my nanites to seal off my nasal cavities. I was grateful that I could neither smell nor taste the fluid I’d traveled through. As I left the eye at high velocity a geyser of the fluid followed me out and was immediately absorbed and converted into chaos by the raw chaos it came into contact with.

I headed off laterally then started in a direction that would take me behind the horror. The horror didn’t turn but it did move in my direction and began to follow me. I guess I’d hit a nerve, pun intended. While I was flying I decided to review the information I’d gleaned from the blue man in The Divide. After I’d gone through his memories I learned that it was a sorter for basic souls. At the end of The Divide, souls would be further sorted into the pantheons and gods they’d followed. Those that didn’t believe in an afterlife were recycled back into the mortal realm while those that did believe in an afterlife were turned into servants. The Gods of this realm prepared the souls to join the battle the great one, whose name he did not know because it could never be spoken aloud, would need them in.

So Textrix had subverted this Cosmos to generate souls for an army she’d need. What would one of the Aspects need an army for, unless she was trying to take power from one of the other main Aspects of reality? Could they gain even more power than they had? Why would anything or anyone need that level of power? I mean sure, I’d take that power just to keep it out of someone else’s hands. Why? Because existence would become boring if there were no struggles or nothing could struggle against you. While I was reviewing the knowledge I’d uncovered I kept an eye on the Chaotic Abyssal Horror and the propagation of my nanites through it. Every time it would speed up, so would I.

Next, I reviewed my Personal Information:

Name: Adamantadine

Identity: Adam

Age: 35

Weight: 170

Birthday, July 16th, 2001

Soul Projection: Ahrem Bianci

Identity: Ahrem

Age: 15

Weight: 135

Birthday, September 19th, 1985

Abilities: None Chosen

Soul Type: Advanced

Soul Level: Absolute, 99.99%

Soul Projection Level: 104,879,885 Ascendant Human

Soul Rank Disparity: 1.0E+8

Soul Abilities (Note: Soul Abilities are Always Active in your Soul Space and your Primary Aspect. Soul abilities remain through every tribulation that a soul is put through. Be it death, rebirth, trauma, magical modification, technological modification, etc.)

WARNING Changes have been made to your Soul Abilities during a cosmic occurrence. Normally this is only possible between such events. Something that occurred in this Cosmos has affected you in a significant way and modified these core abilities. Modifications received are based on your Karmic Luck and Luck and the catalyst that affected you. Changes may be beneficial or detrimental accordingly. After this warning, further changes will be italicized for easy recognition the first time you view this information.

Soul Abilities

“Perfect Memory” - Like Photographic Memory except for all five senses with an automatic recall of desired information.

“Pansophical” – Skills that are known to you or known by you are performed as if you have achieved the level category of “Rare” as defined in whatever Reality, Cosmos, Universe, or Dimension you find yourself in.

“Temporally Inviolate” – Your soul is sacrosanct. Your soul cannot be destroyed. As you have learned Energy cannot be destroyed only converted. Any action taken to affect you through time manipulation has no effect on you. When the timeline of your current local stabilizes your soul will remain in its current local, from which you can reform and continue along in the timeline you are in. This process is almost instantaneous. You are not subject to Grand Father Paradoxes or harmful magic that utilized the manipulation of time. Additionally, you may now place items into your Soul Storage or Soul Space from your Primary Soul Projection and pull them out if your Soul space and Primary Soul Projection become temporally separated. This is a unique ability due to your ability to create copies of yourself with your nanites. Normally in such occurrences, the Soul Projection will eventually catch up to the Soul Space when it dies or vice versa.

“Chaos Forged” - Your soul had been inundated with Chaos and forged your soul to withstand all forms of chaos. During this process, your will has held your core identity together and permanently changed your soul. You may enter and exit any environment flooded with Chaos 100% resistant to any further changes. Additionally, the chaotic nature of your soul allows you to designate and change your normal abilities as you desire. These abilities are fixed and may not be modified. You may add, remove or change out your normal abilities as you desired. Doing so has a cost in Karmic Luck, which is locked away while those abilities are chosen. Release your current abilities to regain the tied-up Karmic Luck and chose new abilities as you desire. What abilities are available and usable in any specific local are determined within that local. Abilities that are locked out are automatically removed and the Karmic Luck cost is replaced. Maximum number of normal abilities within a specific local: 2

“Chaos Tempered – In addition to being Chaos Forged your Soul Space has been tempered and quenched by Primal Chaos. Your Soul has been scoured clean of artificial limitations imposed by The System. This grants no additional access to the various interfaces that are available below the System level but does erase any requirements for Soul Progression based on Cosmic Occurrence. Continued exposure to Primal Chaos may produce additional soul Abilities.

“Adaptable” - Chaos has modified your body so that you may adapt to any environment. From Absolute Zero to the Gravity well of a Singularity your body can and will adapt to all environmental conditions. This includes the ability to survive in those environments. Example: the ability to breathe underwater if necessary. This Adaptability is limited to your soul only. Projections or duplicates that you control also gain this adaptability.

“Willed-Movement” - As a being of Chaos, you have the ability to move through Chaos as you desire at any rate you desire. As Chaos is present in all aspects of reality, your will allows you to move as you desire. This is a sub-ability of the Fundamental Ability “Adaptable” and is available to all projections and copies.

“Incessant”- Should your physical body be destroyed your soul remains and will reform your body immediately. This is a by-product of your chaotic and nanitic composition as well as a benefit of your Karmic Luck. You are immortal

“Resistant” No Change - You are 50% resistant to all Primal Magic and natural manifestations of those magics. Additionally, you are 100% resistant to all magic from the following spheres of power; "Chaos, Time, Space, and Gravity, and 50% resistant to Holy and Demonic Magic

“Open to new Ideas”- The changes to your body have severed any clerical link to the divine you had. Reality is vast, there might come a time in the future when aligning yourself to the divine or joining their ranks and becoming subservient to one or more may be required. The limitation of never serving a divine has been removed.

“Convergence” - The very nature of your Soul draws Chaotic Energy and converts it as you desire. In any Reality, you have access to and can utilize any magical energy normally. Additionally, your Mana Regeneration is increased by Willpower + Endurance per minute. From Eternity and the Place between Places you may start a Cosmic Occurrence, you may choose to be Born, Cross Over, or Manifest. Being born requires that you follow the rules of the Cosmos you are entering with your Soul Space in tow for a normal birth as if reincarnated. Soul Abilities may, or may not, be in effect depending on the laws of that Cosmos. To Cross Over means to bring your Soul with your Primary Soul Projection and any copies you desire. All Soul Abilities are in full effect. Finally, you may Manifest within a Cosmos. Manifesting into a Cosmos leaves your Soul behind but allows you to spend Karmic Luck to create copies of yourself in a Cosmos. This copy will have your mind and memories but the amount of Karmic Luck spent determines the power level that the manifestation will have up to your current power level at the time of the manifestation. While in a Cosmos a Manifestation cannot contact your soul. Such Manifestations are a fragment of yourself and return to you upon their death. This is instantaneous and all memories, experiences, and karmic luck are gained, unless the fragment is destroyed when it returns to you. (NOTE: The Soul Ability Chaos Tempered allows you to Cross Over or Manifest into any Cosmos which would normally not allow this type of entry. You may still not be Born in a Cosmos that does not allow reincarnation for souls above the basic level.

“Spellweaver” - You neither memorize nor permanently add spells using spell slots. Instead, you may weave magic into any form of your desire so long as you have the skill and mana to do so.

“Soul Storage” – The area inside your soul space is as small or large as you desire and follows any rules you wish to impose. You no longer have a storage limit and can summon any item out of your Soul Storage as you desire to the current projection of yourself. Items placed into or taken out of the space appear or disappear to the hand touching them. This space can be represented by slots if you prefer. Changes to your Soul require this clarification, you may only place items into your soul storage from copies of yourself in the same cosmos as your soul or from your Primary Soul Projection. Manifestations may be created with soul storage but upon the manifestation’s destruction, all items in the manifestation’s soul storage are deposited into the chaos level of that Cosmos.

“Affluent” - As needed you may produce or create any type of physical money in any reality you visit. In realities where you have integrated yourself into the global markets, digital currency is always available to you.

“Allegiance” – You are now a power in the Inter-multi-universal arena. As such other beings can submit to your will. Allegiance is shown by paying a tithe of 10% of your Karmic Luck after each Cosmic Occurrence. Karmic Luck is Hard locked after each Occurrence. If an Allegiance is declared the tithe only counts for that specific Cosmic Occurrence. Previously earned Karmic luck is not counted.

Allegiance allows those that have dedicated themselves to you to request assistance or boons from you. Also, Allegiance allows those that have allied with you to choose abilities known or possessed by you or any others that have joined your pantheon.

Converted from the True Prophet ability to the Soul Ability: Prophet – The mysteries of life and death are not mysteries to you. You know there is something after death and something even beyond that. You will always be able to remember your previous life and speak of it to others. Death is no longer something to be feared but a doorway you may walk through knowing that you will be able to make your way back

Abilities: None

Attributes

Strength 8.08E+11

Agility 8.08E+11

Dexterity 8.08E+11

Endurance 8.08E+11

Constitution 8.08E+11

Intelligence 8.08E+11

Wisdom 8.08E+11

Willpower 8.08E+11

Perception 8.08E+11

Charisma 8.08E+11

Luck 8.08E+11

Primary Stats

Carrying Capacity 7.27E+12

Hit Points: 3.59E+22

Base Health Regeneration

4.84E+27 per second

Stamina 8.98E+23

Base Stamina Regeneration

8.98E+21 per second

Mana: 1.80E+24

Base Mana Regeneration

1.20E+22 per second

Movement

Normal Running Speed: 1.62E+10 mph, 2.37E+10 fps

Standing high Jump: 1.35E+10 Feet.

Note. Falling Damage is not mitigated by maximum jumping Distance.

Base Attack

Unarmed Base Attack: 1.80E+22

Max Damage: 7.18E+22

Critical Damage Maximum Damage x2

Skills: See Soul Ability “Pansophical” above

I double-checked everything while I kept an eye on the Chaotic Abyssal Horror behind me then realized that the changes to the soul ability adaptability implied that I hadn’t been using that ability to move. I thought about it for a moment, reviewed my memories, and realized that I had been utilizing mana to move. My regeneration was so high that I hadn’t realized that My Thor aspect had designated some of my mentality to utilize my Spellweaver ability as needed to meet mimic my abilities adaptability and willed movement. But then how did my body survive its encounters with high gravity, faster than light travel and such? Sure there were spells that would allow that. It must have been my Incessant nature and my high attributes. They were so high and my regeneration rates were so fast that my body didn’t die until they hit me with an orbital strike through a portal after they had suppressed me. That had to have been what “The Agency” had used.

I checked the nanite infiltration of the Chaotic Abyssal Horror behind me and realized it had been at 100% for a little bit now. I sent the command back to my nanites to freeze it in place. It came to a stop and I turned to face it. My True Sight, which was still active showed me that its aura was angry, malevolent level angry. Yeah, not an issue. I copied its neural structure into my memory. As I suspected the memories it contained were a jumble of eating and devouring. The last few had been satisfaction in how it had tricked the beings in the realm of lacking, its name for the Astral, into bringing food to it. It couldn’t enter that area because it couldn’t swim through it and any part of itself that entered started to come apart. That was good to know. This Chaos creature that was infused with Chaos required an environment of Chaos to exist. I wondered how long it would take to fade away if it were teleported into a Universe. Probably longer than it would take to wreck whatever was near it. Better not to find out.

Once I was done copying its neural structure I downloaded the data my nanites had acquired into the storage I’d created in my Soul Space then converted the whole creature into nanites and stored them in my soul space as well. One second it was there, the next it had evaporated and was flowing toward me as a multicolored swarm of nanites that disappeared as they touched me. I’m sure I’d find a use for all those nanites later. I had a little time to kill and a few things to check out before I headed back to the station orbiting North America where Katja and the Director were. Then part of my personal information registered, “Soul Level: Absolute 99.99%”