Divine Apostasy Book 9 - Chapter 7

[Author’s Note: I have made significant changes to the storyline and this chapter is part of the new direction. I am reposting this chapter with the current changes and marking the previous chapter as (OLD). Sorry for the confusion as I work through the best way to tell the story. Thank you.]

Chapter 7

Hey! I’m right here you know, Ruwen replied, his curiosity causing both panic and anger.

Lir ignored Ruwen and responded to Rami. I understand. A most dangerous behavior. Thank you, Rami.

It’s because you’ve probably never wanted something before. Now you desire this knowledge, and it has exposed some instinctual thought patterns.

Agreed, Lir said, his voice serious. I have updated my logic to recognize similar patterns and created branching routines to avoid the above outcome.

Why aren’t you this easy? Rami asked Ruwen.

Are you both really going to recommend not going through my new displays?

Did you listen to Lir? Rami asked.

Ruwen paused, not wanting to admit he’d only half-listened as his mind swirled with the possible loss of knowledge.

Rami bit Ruwen’s ear. You’re hopeless. And this is exactly why you shouldn’t look at those displays.

The Malth library and the trouble Rami caused in her frantic search for secret books came to mind, but he didn’t throw that in her face. If anything, she understood the desire for knowledge, and how hard it was to resist. They were eggs in a nest, as she would say.

Ruwen sighed. Fine, I won’t look at them, assuming Lir explains his anxiety about living in my head, and you both promise to tell me things the instant they become relevant.

Wait, Rami said, before we move on, aren’t we going to discuss the giant hands?

Maybe Rami and Lir were right, the discussion of hiding information had totally sidetracked Ruwen’s concentration. Of course, he wanted to talk about the hands.

Lir, what about the hands? Ruwen asked. I assume you’ve analyzed them in detail.

The facts are few. Light brown skin with even lighter palms resides completely in the first standard deviation for color variance based on the spectrum of the humanoid species. Fingerprints and palm-crease patterns are unique in my database.

Which of your theories has the highest probability? Rami asked.

None of the theories are within statistical probability, but the most likely assigns the hands to the creator of this universe.

Hearing Lir confirm what Ruwen had guessed filled him with a combination of wonder and fear. Had those hands actually created an entire universe—their universe. How could such a thing be possible?

Ruwen let another few seconds pass before the urge to finish up here and get into Miranda’s Realm surfaced, but they couldn’t go until they understood Lir’s decision to come into Ruwen’s mind. In reality, not that many minutes had passed, and he still had plenty of time left.

Since you both want to keep my new displays a secret and hog all the new information, let’s discuss your concerns about my mind.

There are many places I could start this explanation, but I calculate the best route is to discuss my thought process along with the emergence of emotions.

Ruwen and Rami remained silent, letting Lir drive the conversation.

I will of course summarize. After viewing the information in the Architect’s new displays, I immediately realized I could accurately update his old displays, but it would require a part of myself to remain in his mind. I extrapolated what that would require as an exercise in completeness, not desire. After evaluating hundreds of variables, I concluded, to my surprise, that the possibility of residing in the Architect’s mind approached one hundred percent.

Lir paused for a moment before continuing.

At this point I experienced what I have now identified as desire. This new experience threw my algorithms into chaos. After I regained control, I evaluated if what I desired was feasible, and found it was. To answer some of your questions, Architect Starfield, I do not need my entire self to update your old displays. I do indeed, wish to transfer a copy of my entire self into your mind. My unlocked memories contained a communication method that will allow my two copies to remain synchronized, in effect, I will remain the same entity even though I reside in two places. I have not successfully calculated the totality of your mental space, but it far exceeds the requirements to hold me. Now we come to the why.

It made Ruwen happy that, assuming this happened, Lir could keep synched with his other self. Ruwen had to admit he’d experienced many situations where he would’ve welcomed Lir’s input.

I recognized desire in myself, but understanding what that represented specifically took time. I am eighty-eight percent sure of an accurate identification but believe there are other motivations affecting my current state that I have yet to conceptualize. It felt like Lir let out a sigh, before continuing. I desire freedom.

That wasn’t what Ruwen had expected, although, in all honesty, he’d had no idea what Lir would say.

Freedom from what? Rami asked. Are you in the temple against your will?

Goddess Eiru would never hold me against my wishes, and this temple has become part of my identity. No, the sensation is more akin to admiring a wyrm soaring high above, spending a lifetime wondering how that feels, only to discover eons later that I have wings of my own. In a phrase, I wish to fly.

The revelation struck Ruwen in the chest. He could hear the hope in Lir’s voice. It reminded Ruwen of how Overlord and Uruziel had grabbed at the chance to experience the physical world. In fact, Lir had witnessed the creation of the Risen Queen Minion firsthand after Ruwen had connected to the temple’s Mana banks and tested all his Spirit spells while under the lake.

You want a Minion of your own, Ruwen said. To experience the world like us.

Perhaps, although that thought produces what I believe resembles fear. Initially, I wish to poke my head out of the nest. Perhaps someday I will leave it, if I find the courage.

Give me a moment, Lir.

Of course.

Ruwen focused on Rami, Overlord, and Uruziel. We need to talk about something that affects us all, and then summarized the past conversation with Lir for Overlord and Uruziel.

Overlord and Uruziel responded immediately with enthusiastic agreement, only recommending that Lir pick a remote section of Ruwen’s mind initially to not complicate the existing balance in Ruwen’s mind.

Rami? Ruwen asked.

Of course you need to take Lir. What kind of person would leave him locked up in that temple.

Well, I get that, but we learned the hard way what happens when we just put things in my mind without thinking. I haven’t read a book since the Narrators appeared, because I’m afraid of creating something like Nameless again.

Okay, fair enough. It’s just I consider Lir a friend and it would crush me if you said no.

I understand. I’ll tell Lir the good news.

One second, Overlord said. I’ve avoided bringing this up as you have so much on your plate, but we need to talk before you come back here.

Now what, Ruwen asked.

You know how your Knowledge attribute increased to five hundred twelve after using the three wishes to get all that information out of Blapy.

Yes.

And how that pushed your Cleverness Attribute to six hundred forty-five percent.

Just tell me what’s wrong, Overlord.

Well, it might have slipped your mind with everything going on, but when Rami evolved with the Third Codex of Evolution you gained some passive skills. Here, I’ll list them.

Effect (Passive): Mental Mirror: Mental attacks reflected for damage * Mind Resistance.

Effect (Passive): Sphere of Influence: Automatically form a telepathic connection with any visible non-hostile entity. Concentrate on the target to communicate.

Effect (Passive): Split Personality: Mental constructs enhanced by Cleverness percentage.

Effect (Passive): No Lies: Disposition visible: green=friendly, white=neutral, red=hostile.

Ruwen immediately recognized the problem. His Knowledge had jumped three hundred twenty-one levels from that single wish powered conversation with Blapy, which had pushed his Cleverness to six hundred forty-five. Now, the passive Split Personality had enhanced all his mental constructs, by what was likely, a massive amount.

What happened? Ruwen asked.

Nothing bad, really. Just things feel a lot more real in here. I wanted you to warn Lir and it’s another reason for him to keep some distance for a bit. That said, I wouldn’t drop by in here unless you have some time. Certainly don’t do it in the middle of a fight.

Thanks for the warning.

Ruwen sighed and added visiting the enhanced mental world to his list.

Lir, everyone would love to have you. How long will it take to pack up and move your stuff.

A portal appeared to Ruwen’s right.

My sincere thanks to everyone, Lir said. It will only take a few minutes if come to this location.

Ruwen stood and looked at the portal to Miranda’s Divine Realm with longing. Between loading up the Divine Realm with chunks of terium and figuring out this situation with Lir, Ruwen had used half an hour. Still, with the time dilation that left him over fifteen years to make progress toward Archangel.

Stepping through Lir’s portal Ruwen entered an unfamiliar and frigid room. Well not really a room, more like an eight-foot sphere with walls completely covered in barely perceptible protrusions. Gravity had disappeared and he floated in front of a fist sized blue ball, just like from Lir’s picture, hovering in the center. A mist filled the entire space, and arcs of lightning crisscrossed the entire space.

Place your forehead against the blue sphere please, Lir said.

Already having decided, Ruwen didn’t hesitate. The sphere felt warm against his skin despite the glacial temperature of the room. After ten seconds of nothing happening, he prodded Lir. Let me know when you start.

I have finished, Lir responded. To my astonishment, I was the limiting factor of the transfer.

Is that something new?

I have never encountered another temple that can match my data throughput. I remain magnitudes beyond them all. Yet, when faced with your mind, I am a drop of rain falling into the Frigid Sea.

Is that good? What does it mean?

You can add or remove things from your mind at a rate I am unable to calculate. In fact, I extrapolate removing items is vastly faster as the protections and buffers of your psyche are bypassed.

Interesting. I thought I’d feel something in my head as you moved in. It scares me when things happen undetected.

When I backed you up with Fractal’s crystals, before you became a Divine Apostasy, it forced me to map your mind in detail. It was this familiarity that made it so seamless. Likely only Rami and your constructs could do the same.

That didn’t make Ruwen feel much better, since he didn’t know for sure if Nameless had died. Can you and Rami fix that, please. I don’t want anything to come in here without express permission.

Certainly.

A portal back to the Dungeon Master’s Lair appeared and Ruwen nudged himself toward it with his ever present Divine Presence that acted like another Gravity Shell.

Arriving at the lair, Ruwen faced the gate rune door to Miranda’s Divine Realm with excitement. He’d have fifteen years there to get on top of all his new abilities.

Everyone ready in there? Ruwen asked.

Rami, Overlord, Uruziel, and now Lir, responded in the affirmative.

With a grin, Ruwen stepped through the doorway he’d created.

Three seconds passed, just like last time, but instead of entering Miranda’s Divine Realm, another three seconds passed instead.

Ruwen caught his balance as he exited the portal, confused why the time had doubled. More confusion followed as he hadn’t exited on the top of the mountain with the massive portal stone and Archie. Instead, he stood in waist-high grass that stretched to the horizon in every direction. Had he drawn the runes wrong?

A loud gong sounded behind Ruwen, making him wince in pain and surprise.

“What did you do?” Blapy asked from behind Ruwen, sounding more upset than usual.