by Aer-ki Jyr
Paul laughed at the metaphor, partly because he didn’t use it right. “What did I do to make the breakthrough?”
“It is a natural erosion of the limiting factor. Only a builder or protector can attain it without outside help. One seeks to enhance life rather than end it. You must become in tune with the harmony of the universe, and when you get close the barrier begins to disintegrate. Combat is not harmony, and you are almost always in some combat mindset. You had to relax out of it in order for the erosion to take place. Normally it would occur gradually, but you altered so much without resting that your erosion occurred quickly…then you shut yourself out again when duty called on you. Once you relaxed, the opening reappeared and began to erode a bit more. I then stepped in and wiped away much of the crumbling barrier, ensuring that it could not recrust over if you became steeped in death and destruction again. It is necessary at times, but runs contrary to the harmony.”
“Define this harmony.”
“To understand harmony you must understand the scope of the universe. I am still learning, but what my race discovered over the vastness of time was that nothing remains the same. Everything is in motion, and the universe continually updates itself, either through adaptation of those currently in existence, or by creating new Life Springs to insert updated lifeforms into the Continuum. It will not let the Continuum stop, no matter what damage occurs. Nor will it allow stagnation to stop it. There can be no permanent peace, and no permanent death. The Continuum must always flow.”
“Are you talking about reincarnation?”
“The Sha’kier believed so, but in my solitudes I have explored a great many things I would not otherwise have the chance to. I cannot find any proof of reincarnation. I have not seen a single instance of it anywhere, and the mathematics of it are mind boggling. How many Cores are there? Is there a limit? Are new ones being created when needed? How many are being recycled? And how often?”
“The Apocalypse Monsters culling seems to suggest a population limit,” Paul noted.
“The Neofan are wrong about them. They are not a counterpart to the Life Springs. They are a lingering abomination in the Saiolum. We were not the first the break the barrier, nor the first to meld our Cores to it. What they have done I do not understand, but they are like me, bound to it in immortality, but they can also affect the physical in some way. Their harvest of life is connected to it, as is their fleeing the swirls of stars. They are not part of the makeup of the universe as the Life Springs are, the Apocalypse Monsters are people like us who have chosen a dark and sickening path.”
“You encountered them?”
“I did not, but others of my race did, and I was grafted with their memories. We Ju’en’xa are tasked with holding more than our own experience. We are also repositories of knowledge, so that if disaster befalls our race we can protect our legacy and rebuild it from a mere seed. We did not think it possible for all seeds to be destroyed. When we became weakened, threats from everywhere emerged to take their shots at us. We were not destroyed in one war, but by a swarm of enemies sensing the opportunity to eliminate us. Even without coordination they were thorough enough, and none of the survivors had, or were able to make the breakthrough thereafter, leaving me helpless to fulfill my mandate. That is why my previous position of ascension has become a curse. I once felt omnipotent in my immortality, then it became a prison until I saw the spark of the galaxy through your eyes once again.”
“Are any of your race still out there somewhere for us to recover, no matter how primitive and distorted by time?”
“I have searched this galaxy and the others extensively. If they survived I would have found them.”
“How?” Paul asked skeptically. “This galaxy alone is vast.”
“I do not have to travel to a place to see it. I can sense from afar, looking through the Saiolum to view things in real time from elsewhere. It is very specific, while broad sensing is much more limited, but I do not have to rely on travel alone to search.”
“Realtime?”
“The Saiolum does not operate on particle physics, but rather connections. Insulated ones, but even now I can see your brothers on Earth. I put markers on them, establishing a link wherever they go. I can monitor them at will because of this. They are transforming partly as you are. Your brother Jason was the first.”
“They’re making the breakthrough?”
“No. They are not close enough. I checked previously when you all assembled, and even before. They are less of builders than you. You see the galaxy as an interconnected puzzle, while they view it as a playing board. The difference is a subtle one, but it diminishes the erosion of the limiting factor. They are also hopefuls for the future, given your longevity, but you and you alone were prospect for the breakthrough now, which is why I have continued to travel with you rather than staying with them.”
“Why travel if you can mark us?”
“The marker keeps me connected, but the greater the distance the thinner the connection. It remains instantaneous, with the depth being the limitation rather than the lag. I could not have helped you stabilize your breakthrough had I not been with you. It required envelopation of my Saiolum matrix.”
“So why can’t you search and find the other Ju’en’xa with your galactic broadband sense?”
“They make no ripples if not active, and without an Avatar or a Ke’lar we cannot be active. Without a ripple to follow or a knowledge of where to look, I cannot find them.”
“Is your interacting with me creating a ripple?”
“A very small one. If they were in this system they could sense it, but not far beyond. And that is only due to the quietness. When my race was at our height, there was enough noise of multiple ripples to hide ones as small as this. Now it is silent, other than you.”
“How noisy am I?”
“Your power level is tiny, so you could not attract attention from afar even if you wished it, but your scent is all over this galaxy. That is not your connection with the Saiolum, but your actions and thoughts. Your very state of being gives off a scent, as does every other living thing in the universe. These flow along the connections of the Saiolum, and from these I can learn much of what is happening near and far. These are black and white, whereas an action in the Saiolum itself is in color, if you understand the metaphor adequately.”
“The color is easy to spot even in crowded areas?”
“Indeed. As you grow you will become more visible, and in time that will attract enemies to you.”
“You said Jason and the others were not breaking through, but that they were transforming. You also said multiple things were occurring to me. My blackouts weren’t from the breakthrough, were they?”
“No. Your breakthrough unleashed a lot of pent up transformations that your obsessive training had kept suppressed. You are catching up on many of them, but you are also utilizing a power that the Sha’kier never possessed, though I have learned of it since. Your adaptation does not come from Essence, but Essence can trigger it. In this way, you are not confined to your physical form’s limitations. You can customize to greater heights if you attain the necessary prerequisites, and that is what you have attained. Thus your Essence is triggering a rewrite of your genetic code to level up your avatar while other adaptations kept pending are also unfurling simultaneously. There is a hierarchy amongst the universe. Not all races are equal, and your Human race is not the equal of the Sha’kier. This is why we were able to reach the breakthrough point with many of our people. But you are now transcending your race and becoming a new one. One which you can reproduce if you wish, assuming the changes aren’t so radical to make you incompatible with female Humans.”
A weight on Paul suddenly left him, as well as a facepalm moment hitting him luxuriously hard. He and the other trailblazers had felt constrained after they reached Goku level and their bodies had very little room to improve based on their cellular density. It was a plateau that they could not break, but then was cheated
with the Saiyan genetics, and then even more so with Essence. But the plateau remained none the less, and that had always felt wrong to Paul. As if plateaus were meant to be temporary, and that there was always a way to break through them, even if you never discovered it.
Now he was breaking that myth, and his own physical limitations as his Essence was somehow rewriting him into the next level of ‘avatar’ that would unlock more physical levels to train towards.
The last bit of wrongness with the universe that he had been carrying around like a noose finally broke free, and despite all the horrors and unfairness inherent in life, Paul now saw he was back on his path…and in fact had never left it. Rather, he had been going through a foggy section where he couldn’t see where to go or chart his course, but his aim had been true and he had gotten to the other side…after relaxing and making himself ‘small’ again.
He owed Cal-com for that, but now that he was past the blind spot everything felt right again, and more potent than ever.
Limits were a myth, and however cruel the universe was, it had layered in a pathway of continual advancement if you were worthy enough to discover and utilize it.
“This is the way,” he said, quoting the Mandalorian, and knowing that Azoro would know what he meant since he was able to hear his active thoughts.
“It is, for your empire. You have a long way to go to catch up to what we were, but with the combination of your knowledge and mine, you have a possibility to one day exceed us. And for that reason…along with a healthy dose of revenge…I am willing to share my knowledge with you, if you want it.”
“And a new Avatar?”
“That is far beyond your biotech capabilities now and in the near future, but one day later, if you and I can succeed in this endeavor, then yes. I would like to breathe the air once again and take part in the universe.”
“There is one condition,” Paul said warily.
“I may be no Jedi, but I abhor the Sith as much as you. I will not turn to the darkside. Your lightside philosophy is the greatest strength your civilization has, and it is one that exceeds our own, in retrospect. You must continue to pursue it, for it is the glue that holds your many races together. Without it, you would crumble quickly. This I say from great experience observing others fail.”
“Well then, Azoro. What’s the next step?”
“You need to complete your physical upgrades. Be patient and let them unfurl. You cannot force this. Once you are finished, we will speak again. Until then I must let your connection rest. It is taxed greatly already. Do not attempt to connect to the Saiolum for several days. Now rest, youngling. You have much work and many adventures ahead of you, and you need to begin on a solid footing.”
The Zen’zat image disappeared and a huge wave of fatigue smacked Paul so hard he fell back onto the dirt/sand and nearly passed out, but he resisted enough to sit up and look at nearby Cal-com who was noticeably worried.
He gave him a thumbs up gesture, then laid back and passed out again.
9
July 8, 154930
Solar System (Home One Kingdom)
Earth
Jason blinked his very groggy eyes as he woke up, feeling stiff as he rolled over and realized he wasn’t in his own bed. He was in a medbay, with numerous people around him.
“Welcome back, sunshine,” Wilson said sarcastically from his right. “That was a 22 hour nap.”
“What…the…fuck…”Jason said, sitting up as everything in him hurt in some ambiguous way.
“Did you use your Essence at all prior to blacking out?”
“I haven’t used it at all recently.”
“They’re pulling data constantly,” Wilson said, gesturing towards the medtechs that surrounded him. “But I think you and Vitor have hit a Limit Break and your Essence auto triggered some effect that is so efficient it doesn’t produce an Essence rush.”
“Vitor?” Jason said, looking around.
“In another room, still blacked out. When he touched you, he went out too, but I didn’t. I think you’re all so close to the Limit Break being exposed to the transitional Essence was enough to trigger him. The others have been told to keep their distance.”
Jason held his hand to his head. “Either that was really confusing or my head is hurting for some other reason.”
“Your genetic code is being rewritten,” Wilson said flatly. “I think it’s upgrades, but we’ll have to wait and see. Already some of the muscular limitations of your cell density have been surpassed. Goku levels aren’t going to be your peak anymore, and we’re seeing activity in a lot of other areas. I think the blackout was a way to hyper process, and the active readings aren’t showing a stoppage. You’re still changing.”
“How can you be sure this isn’t tampering by someone?”
“Can’t, just a gut feeling, but if someone has a way to alter your genetic code, we can’t find the tool they’re using to do it, but your Essence is flowing inside you in a way I’ve never felt before. Same with Vitor.”
“Has he woke up?”
“Not yet. I’m relieved you are.”
“I don’t think it’ll last long,” Jason warned. “I’m loopy enough I might pass back out.”
“Then don’t stand up. Try and calm yourself as much as possible. Relax and let this play out. I’ve been hoping for something like this for a long time, and you don’t want to squash it by treating it like an enemy.”
“You never said anything.”
“It was just a hope, nothing more. The universe is structured for continual advancement and adaptation. You and the others hitting physical limits didn’t feel right. Essence was a relief because it was a work around, but if it can actually change your genetic code and upgrade you into a higher form, that lets a lot of other puzzle pieces fall into place for me.”
“Me too,” Jason agreed. “I hope that’s what’s happening. I can’t confirm or deny. I’m just a mess right now. Do you know what the trigger was?”
“Not using your Essence is related. Maybe it was just a matter of letting it settle inside of you so this could happen, and constantly draining it prevented the change. Might be that this could have happened long ago and you’ve been stalling it. Could be something else entirely. Your biomonitor data isn’t revealing, and that leads me to believe it’s definitely Essence causing this.”
“Which means we can’t analyze it,” Jason said, leaning over on his elbow as he stayed on the elevated bed.
“Nothing in the Temples can either. Either the Neofan are holding back information, or this is something beyond their knowledge.”
“Paul?”
“No word. But he’s got Cal-com with him. If he blacked out like you then he’s got a bodyguard.”
“I had no idea this was coming.”
“Nor did your biodata. Whenever I start to think we’ve solved most of the universe’s mysteries, it smacks me in the head like this, and I rather like it. Training was getting kind of boring with caps all over the place.”
“Am I getting any new super powers?”
“So far it looks like an upgrade of all existing base functions, but you’re still in flux so who knows where it will stop. I don’t think there’s a risk to you, and none is showing as of yet. But if this happened in the field, you’d be helpless.”
“That would be ironic. The universe gives you this monster upgrade and gets you killed by some passing newb at the same time,” the Archon said, laying back down again. “I’m starting to lose it.”
“Let yourself process. I don’t think there’s anything you need to actively do.”
“Guess you’re not grown up enough to be affected.”
“Insulting as that is, it’s better so I can sense your Essence by touch. If there’s a problem I want to know immediately.”
“Thanks,” Jason said, with his voice wobbling, then his eyes closed and his hands folded over his abdomen as Wilson felt him lose consciousness again, though in a more controlled manner than last ti
me.
“Another spike,” a medtech said, referencing the rate of change.
“Good boy,” Wilson whispered to Jason, guessing that had to do with his state of mind as he put his hand over his forehead and tried to sense as much of what was happening on an Essence and Ikrid level as he could, but he was like a two year old trying to understand calculus. There was just too much to comprehend more than the occasional tidbit that he caught.
“Increase his foodstuffs,” Wilson ordered. “If he puts on a little fat that’s fine, but we need to overestimate his requirements. I don’t want any roadblocks for the changes.”
“Then I recommend atmospheric alteration,” a medtech said. “His oxygen levels are a little low, probably due to consumption overdraw rather than blockage.”
“Do so, and Vitor too, on both counts. We need to aid the transition as much as possible, and cross our fingers that I’m right about this.”
“If you’re wrong, we’ve already passed the threshold for the regenerator to return their genetic code to normal.”
“I know, but I don’t want to deny them this because of misguided caution. No known external source created it, and if it’s coming naturally then we’re running with it, for better or worse. And I doubt it could be worse than their Saiyan transition.”
“Things can always get worse.”
“Thank you, Captain Negativity,” Wilson said, his hand still on Jason’s head. “He’s going to get through this, and with a little luck he’s going to open up a new whole new avenue of advancement for the Archons and our medical science.”
“I don’t think this is completely new,” another medtech said that was analyzing a series of holographic displays.
Wilson took his hand off Jason’s head and turned around. “What have you got, Gerald?”
“I’m starting to see some familiar patterns emerging. It’s early, and far from conclusive, but these advancements have the slightest feel of another genetic code I’ve examined in detail. I thought so a moment go, but this new spike is adding to the pattern.”