(1)
"It doesn't do anything," Nul said.
It has to do something, Akanos replied. It wouldn't be in the design if it didn't do anything.
"But it can't do anything. That sigil is meant to alter causation, the basic flow of natural events. The markings around it do the opposite. This entire design should cancel itself out."
Roran said it worked, yes?
"According to Roran, yes, though neither he nor his father know what it did. The evidence that this etching ever did anything at all is dubious at best."
You could always etch it into him and find out.
"I'm not putting a random etching on Roran without knowing what it does. As far as we know it could interfere with his other designs and cause one of them to burn out. Also, we don't even know the correct medium to use to get the desired effect."
Just use his blood.
"You can't just do every etching in blood. You'll get skewed results at best."
Results are results, even bad ones.
Nul groaned and paced around the workshop a few times. They'd spent the better part of the morning trying to parse out the purpose of Roran's butterfly design. The design had originally belonged to Alira, though she had passed away many years ago and couldn't provide any insight. There was no information on how she'd received the etching or what it was supposed to do. The only clue they had to go on was that the etching was called 'Fatebreaker' and that the design originated in the northern monasteries.
Nul paused in their pacing.
"Akanos, why is the table on the ceiling?"
You wanted to look at the etching upside down.
The butterfly etching was indeed upside down, though so was the corkboard that it was pinned to. The shelves and bookcases were also glued to the ceiling. Even their mug of coffee, now cold, was sitting on the workbench upside down, the liquid inside perfectly happy to be defying gravity.
"Well that's odd," Nul said. After a moment, they let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of their nose. "The room isn't upside down, is it?"
That's a matter of perspective really.
"I'm disoriented again. No wonder we can't figure this design out, I can't even distinguish up from down."
Nul reached for a scroll in the bookcase and unfurled it. The scroll unrolled upwards, extending towards the ceiling.
"I don't think any more stimulation will help. Clarity is also relative to basic mind function so adjusting that will have limited results. Maybe I can alter some of the blood flow and oxygen levels."
Glucose may be a factor. Living brains require sustenance. Given that yours is operating half again as long as the average person, you should try increasing your food intake.
Nul grunted. "Can't we work out a design to sustain me without the need for outside resources?"
Even when you break the laws of reality, the energy has to come from somewhere. Besides, creating a brand new godspell just to avoid eating sounds a tad absurd. Just have a second meal throughout the day.
Nul grumbled some more as they consulted the scroll. It contained a representation of their current etchings. A small portion of them anyway. Nul's new etchings were densely packed and capable of shifting when needed. When laid out on paper, the etchings could cover Nul's entire body several times over.
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Kings Game
Adventure[Updates Daily] THE FINALE BEGINS!!! After losing friends and family, fighting in two wars, and suffering through more than they could possibly imagine, Roran and his comrades set their sights on the Kings. Every obstacle has been cleared from their...