[Chapter 6 part 2] Silver - Underground Habitat

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Dawn spoke next, “The place where my… ——where Astra’s name is written, it’s at the Isle of Dreams?” She corrected herself in time.

“It’d be more accurate to say the entrance is.” Simon answered. “The Wall of Legends is a separate space, a dimension created by the HEAVENLY DAO.”

“What does it look like?” Dawn pressed.

“It’s filled with stone pathways and floating marble. Immortals are inscribed on the block above the first platform. From there, the path splits and descends endlessly, one side for the living and the other for the dead. It’s said if you walk far enough you can find any name, although it might take decades.”

Dawn frowned, “These pathways… what’s under them?”

“A sea of clouds. You needn’t worry as death isn’t possible there.”

Dawn grimaced ever so slightly. Maybe it doesn’t fit her aesthetic. Anyway, it’s about my turn again. Silver’s patience was running out. I’m like Free at times. Before the thrilling, he had difficulty reining himself in. The resemblance ends there though, since I never ‘quit out of frustration’. Free had no such tolerance. You can often see her eyes glazing over. With a smile, he remembered when Astra had tried teaching her politics and history. It became a battle of intractable wills. In the end, they’d come to an agreement. Free would seriously study ‘uninteresting’ subjects fifteen minutes each day. In exchange, Astra wouldn’t nag her the rest of the time. That was mother’s loss.

“These ‘separate spaces’ are fascinating.” Free said. “Isn’t the Endless Library another one?”

Simon nodded, “It holds everything ever written. Be warned, however, its contents can’t be brought outside, or it'll dissolve away.”

“Wait, they can’t be removed? How annoying…” Rose transitioned from shocked to grumpy. Her raiding plans have been thwarted.

Simon smirked, “If it was too convenient, it’d be abused. The rarer a book, the harder it is to obtain. Those no longer in circulations are kept in a closed-off, forbidden section. In this dungeon, the difficulty correlates to the value of what’s sought. For instance, Sola’s research notes are guarded by reproductions of the Dark Gods and the dread knight Byron.”

Enough about libraries. “Regarding the Stone Coliseum…” Silver asked. “Are fights held regularly? Could we compete? Or rather, how would you go about competing?”

Simon chuckled, “Yes, matches are held every day. Anyone can sign up.”

Great! They’d trained their whole lives for this. What better place to show off than the first coliseum.

On the Isle of Dreams, you could pitch proposals to the HEAVENLY DAO. Incredible things, even a Dark Age, could happen when a supreme god supported your vision. Eons ago, the immortal Roy Sigfried had suggested a coliseum where real fights could be held without lasting consequences. Woven into its arena walls, necromantic enchantments would prevented souls from departing, and healing enchantments would mend all wounds. Amplified by the diety, these magics would allow unrestrained battling.

“I must warn you,” Simon continued. “Competing can be traumatic. Many visitors don’t consider how painful——

“I’ll stop you there.” Silver interrupted. “We have one and are familiar with how they work.”

“Really?” Simon said. “There’s functional coliseum at Earth’s End?”

“Yup.” Silver said with pride. “The healing rate isn’t great, but it’s properly deathless.”

There were coliseums around Enera today. Having loved the result, the HEAVENLY DAO supported every properly constructed arena. I don’t know why we’ve got one, but it’s a luxury.

“Interesting. I didn’t expect that…” Simon’s features darkened. “Have you already experienced death?”

“All of us, multiple times.” Silver confirmed. “I mean, I’ve been eaten alive, and Free’s been decapitated.”

The room froze. I shouldn’t have said that. Soul groaned, “Again, sorry.” I must try harder. He hurt his siblings more then he should, and it felt terrible each time.

“It’s fine.” Free responded with exasperation. “Stop apologizing already.”

Although death was averted, the pain of it wasn’t. They refrained from nasty injuries whenever possible, but accidents happened. Soul shouldn’t blame himself.

Simon was staring hard, “You said you were eaten? Please expand.”

Silver sighed, “I’ve a talent for summoning, but there’s no one to teach me. I had no choice but to experiment in the arena. It mostly worked out well, with a couple exceptions. Kinda embarrassing actually…”

Summoning involved calling servants from the Ether. Whereas the physical world was well-defined, the Ether was conceptually structured: the clearer the concept, the more established that portion of space. So while a sea of chaos, there were islands of stability within, realms ‘real’ enough to visit. What interested Silver were the beings which could be drawn from there, ‘Loose Concepts’ and ‘Unique Entities’.

The ice fairies from earlier were loose concepts. They were formed from the minds of those who channeled. When Dawn was cultivating earlier, her thoughts were flowing in the other direction, shaping the Ether. Loose concepts had no will of their own and were archetypes for a ‘type of thing’. Their personalities were a blank slate influenced by the ideas which spawned them. Fairies were playful, and dragons fierce.

Once a loose concept was brought to Enera, it could grow and learn. If Dawn had keep her fairy a few weeks and given it a name, then she could’ve summoned it back again. Unique entities were born from such interactions, having their own memories and temperament. They could even be killed.

Becoming a summoner meant calling ‘loose concepts’ and developing relationships with ‘unique entities’. Since Astra only knew ice-based creatures, Silver had been left to trial and error. This had a downside. It can go horribly wrong. There were nightmarish things in that conceptual space which very much wanted to cross over and rip you apart. It didn’t happen frequently, but it was unpleasant. Luckily, those beings couldn’t exist long without a living summoner. Aside from this occasional brutality, his sessions had been productive, and Astra had allowed him to continue without supervision.

Mother didn’t think that through. Coliseums didn’t prevented damage to the mind and soul, and some rare monsters in the Ether were capable of harming both. He’d summoned one. None knew what it’d looked like. His own memories were fuzzy. It was black with twisting teeth. He’d awoken confused, having lost two emotions. I should be resentful. Yet he felt nothing.

The silence had lasted a minute. Silver noted Soul and Rose exchanging glances. They’re close, those two.

“Isn’t it normal?” Hope asked. “Astra told us people practice in arenas all the time…”

“They do, but mostly as a safety measure.” Simon answered. “Training where you die repeatedly is extreme and is rarely done with children.”

That’s not surprising. Astra believed in results, and putting her children through hell was just her nature. Concerns over how it’d be perceived wouldn’t have stopped her. If she was depended on external validation, she would’ve never endured the isolation.

Silver defended his mother, “Astra had us fight to prepare us. She told us coliseum matches would be our quickest path to fame. This still makes sense.”

“That’s true.” Simon took a deep breath. “Sorry for being taken aback. For those aiming for the wall, competing in coliseums is normal. This situation is special, so I’ll trust Astra’s judgment. I won’t ask at what age you started, but you should know the minimum at the Stone Coliseum is fourteen. If people learn of your activity here, some might think less of your mother. Please keep that in mind.”

Good to know… Also, should I be angry? He examined the others. For the most part, they seemed unsettled rather than upset. Good. He didn’t want to act cross with Astra. It never ended well.

“I’ve been wondering about Necromancers.” Free began. “Is lying outright impossible? Or are there terrible consequences for doing so?” She sure loves her technical details…

“It’s mostly impossible. The mere thought of it triggers immense pain. New oath takers often double over from the agony.” Simon smiled. “Old habits die hard.”

“I say ‘mostly impossible’ because elder necromancers acquire an incredible tolerance for suffering. Such individuals could conceivably speak an untruth, thereby forfeiting their lives.”

”Even without this price, it’s pointless. The instant a falsehood is spoken, every oath taker would become aware of it, also knowing the nature of the duplicity. A lie which is instantly exposed is worthless. So to answer your questions, both are true.”

Wow, those are heavy consequences. No wonder everyone trusts what they say.

“So you really can’t fib about anything?” Free persisted. “Not even a little one like telling someone they look good?”

“Intentionally providing false information is forbidden under all conditions. That said, it’s not as if one *must* speak the truth. If someone is ugly, I’d keep silent or complement their positive traits.”

Free was aghast, “That’s so sad. I can’t imagine such life. It must be awful.”

Compelled honesty didn’t appeal to Silver either. He’d be unable to hide his condition. Wait, does the restriction only apply to words? If it did, that’d be a huge loop hole. Silver knew a thing or two about sham behavior.

Simon laughed, “I sometimes get that reaction. It’s true some miss the ability to deceive the world… and themselves. I’m not one.”

“Even before the oath, I never did so. I’ve always found it unnecessary… and dangerous. Fabrications must be maintained. I’ve seen them grow and consume the lives of their tellers.”

“And in the rare cases where subterfuge is necessary… Books are filled with tales of demons, genies, and necromancers who swindle their victims out of everything with only the sincerest of words. Used skillfully, the truth has an effectiveness no lie can match. It’s the most powerful weapon on Enera in the hands of a capable wielder.”

“Nevertheless” Simon smiled gently. “I’ve nothing against habitual, well-intentioned liars.”

Silver suppress a giggle. You walked into that one, Free. His sister stared back, processing the comment. “Ah!” Her face flushed. “I don’t do it that much…”