[The beginning of Volume 2 will follow Ash for a few chapters.... then everyone else will be roped in. Character images are still on the way as well.]
For the past fifty years, the Haven had not known a single sound.
Not the rustle of silk, not the whisper of breath, not even the quiet thud of a heartbeat. The air itself seemed to have frozen in reverence, thick and heavy with the weight of absolute focus. Outside the Haven, only five years had bled away beneath real stars. Inside, time had become clay in their hands.
Most of the others had needed weeks—some months—to settle their minds, before locking themselves into cultivation.
Ash however, had not wasted a heartbeat.
After finding out that he'd been living essentially under a fake sky, he was motivated to see the true world of cultivation.... So, that's what he did, dove deep into cultivation....
Well, the S rank was anything but sitting cross-legged and gaining insights. For Ash in particular he spent the last five years creating items. That's what he needed to do to progress down his path of being the one true architect.
In five years, he created ten items that were all unique. Nine of the items were all SS-ranked and ranged from things like a ring that adjusted his outfit to whatever he felt like (silk one moment, battle-plate the next, always perfect).
Earrings that constantly regenerated his mana, pouring it back into his veins like warm starlight.
He also made an orb that floated above the Haven that amplified all the effects by two times, though he hadn't put it to use yet.
Other things were random and didn't have particular uses: a small mirror that showed him tomorrow's weather across any kingdom he named, a single black quill that wrote in languages yet to be born, and a tiny crystal vial that captured the scent of any moment he chose to remember forever.
In his free time... which he had a lot of he spent with his women of course. He also gotten closer to Seris, Sonna, and Yonna. All three of them could be considered his lovers at this point, but he hadn't taken any of them nor had he bonded with Seris and Yonna.
He wanted to wait a bit longer, for that.
When he wasn't with them, he spent time with the twins and Thalion.
These two would be his swords whether he ran a kingdom or not, so he needed to get to know the twins more. They sparred atop floating islands of compressed gravity, blades singing against his palms until the air bled lightning. They even tried out fishing... in which they caught some things from the haven's water.
In the fifth year leading up to his next creations, Ash spent the entire year to himself.
He spent time looking into the deeper aspects of nature, humans, physiques and more. With his eyes and using inspect he found out he could see much more depending on how long he studied something.
When he stared into nature for months on end, he was fed not just one trait, but he learned the workings of how mana flowed, how nature operated.
With this thinking he went back to the Death Wall and watched it for three months straight. What he learned was that one, he couldn't select another trait from the same source. That was indeed a bummer, but he did gain something… and that was a bit of insight into what the essence of origin was and also what a law was...
From his time spent not much was learned in depth though, aside from Laws being a higher form of power after affinities and.....
The essence of origin, it was... everything.
Now he didn't truly know what 'everything' consisted of, but it was enough. With that he spent the next few months gathering traits, knowledge, and other insights from things around Elaris and even the Haven.
In the final month of the year, he sat inside the haven far away from others and began creating. With his knowledge of everything he gained and insight on things like time, dimensions, space he gained from inspecting the haven he moved to create something not even he knew how to properly describe.
Using his path, imagination, and the basis of his creation he got to work using 999 traits including the Origin's essence. The outcome was a single tear that held all the colors imaginable.
[Tear of Origin - Combines the user into one inseparable entity: core, physique, soul. The tear will also enhance the user's current aspects 500-fold. Pattern cannot be replicated. Rank N/A]
He made something that couldn't even be properly ranked by the status. This one creation was enough to push into the SS rank. As the mana began to rush towards, Ash and wrap around him the tear shot into head, then the cocoon solidified.
This time there wasn't any weird memories, but what he did see was something unique... He had the option to create two talents. Nothing more nothing less, after doing that he lost consciousness and spent 2 years evolving.
[A/N: A status screen showing all new aspects will be shown next chapter.]
During this time the others all found themselves taking steps towards the next rank as well. Some faster than others, Vaeloria for example was someone who was the closest to Ash's progression. She needed to embrace true darkness until only her light remained... which was Ash.
She unlike others spent her time cultivating in pure seclusion. What she decided was to subject herself to the time she spent sealed in nothing but endless darkness. Since the time she crossed her legs and went back to a darkness that was once a prison.... she hadn't moved a muscle... however she was slowly changing.
When Ash's evolution finally ended aside from all the new things he gained from the tear of origin.
He gained a new ability from stepping into the SS rank. At the SS rank one would fuse with their path and gain a permanent buff or ability depending on your path. Their sea of consciousness would also fully open allowing them to access their soul... but in Ash's case it was a bit different.
Since Ash, path was focused on creating new things from existing aspects. His ability reflected that.
[Architect's Sole Right - Once per year the user can look at any one thing and instantly birth a brand-new original variant of it. The new variant is superior in every way.
-No one can ever comprehend how the user's creations are made as long as you're alive.
-Copies of the user's creations are always 50-70% weaker than the original.]
[You have Ranked Up.]
Now, that he was officially SS rank, he immediately set his priority to the next realm. Fay and Sia had both told him, to first comprehend a law. After that they vaguely mentioned something about having his existence recognized...
Since, he didn't understand what they mean clearly... He decided to focus on what he could right now.
And that was Laws.
Before he took time to comprehend nature, the wall of Death, and the Haven.... he didn't know what the hell a law was.
However, he now knew laws were higher forms of Affinities... they were small building blocks of reality itself. So, as he sat down and began comprehending, he chose something he always felt closest too... and something he had an authority over...
Lust.
That wouldn't be all either because after absorbing the tear of origin he became a completely different monster.
So, as he sat down time passed swiftly and before he knew it 3 more years had passed by.
He opened his eyes with a smirk on his face as notifications showed onto his screen. Inside of his body he felt five seeds materialized.
[You have comprehended five Laws.]
[Law of Lust 100%]
[Law of Paradox 25%]
[Law of Time 5%]
[Law of Fire 5%]
[Law of Space 25%]
In the three years he comprehended five laws, and he found them quite easy to learn. He would've continued, but he still needs to complete one final step before reaching the SSS rank. And that was to have his existence recorded.
However, before that he wanted to do a few things and the first one being.
'Status'