Envie De Voyager

Freewriting #2 - The Master I Know Little Of

[Log Number XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX...]

As my hands run past the numerous Orbs that lined the shelves, I cannot help but feel intrigued.

I have known Master for many, many years now. Yet, in all that time, I have never learned why he is so attached to the Palace. It is beautiful yes, stunning even, with all its grand pristine halls, golden hues unparalleled in grandeur, and nigh-indestructible polished tiles. Each of its near-infinite rooms had treasures that I cannot even begin to comprehend or count in number, all mementos of times long lost and former owners of the divine abode. And of course, there are the Ymmanium Imperiax Orbs, snow globe-like constructs that sit upon the shelves of Master's Infinite Library, dwarfing the number of stars of any night sky with their sheer quantity. All of them are praise-worthy, awe-inspiring, and enough to be called the Heaven of any sort of person.

But why would an almost omnipotent god need such a place?

Master needs no sleep, yet he insists that I leave him alone during certain times, for he would use this time to sleep in his bedroom. He requires no food, but would often invite me over to dine with him on his long banquet table. Truly, it was strange. The attitudes of a mortal on a being as powerful and wise as he? In my world, almost all believed that should a being of such power exist, it would be one with a way of life that is completely incomprehensible. I suppose, that in a sense, this was true—I could never comprehend why he would live a life that is comprehensible. Instead of extraordinary, his way of life was 'extra-ordinary'.

I have lost count of how many times I've visited the Library. Numerous books exist, on different subjects, topics, all of which would be useless to either one of us. Tables that are hardly used for little more than placing objects other than books. Magnificent, but utterly useless to being of our level.

But I have never really come here for the books. My visits are always to watch the Ymmanium Imperiax Orbs, our looking glasses to the faraway points of light that speckle the darkness outside the palace windows. Here, in a place outside the Boundary, there are no sights beyond the Palace and the distant Ymmanium Imperiax itself.

Now, looking glasses would be pointless for beings that are nigh-omniscient. But just as the other absurdities that Master carries with him, it just exists. It is simply there, unquestionable for there is no answer as to why. Or at least, the answer is something I will never be able to find out until I myself become the Master of the Palace.

As usual, I am spending my time peering into the Orbs. Because of the fluctuating nature of the Negative Force and the flaws of the Ymmanium Imperiax, I have to constantly check whether or not the Universes have gotten off their path. Strange, really. While each Universe already has preset outcomes due to each one's logical system, there is still free will inside each being. A flaw that allows the Universes to collectively decide the path they would go down—of course, the problem is, with the Negative Force around, new paths that shouldn't be possible are appearing. But I suppose that the defence systems of each would handle their own. If not, then I'll have to treat them the same way I treat the "Dark Doubles" that the Negative Force spews out—with a trip to the Remnant's Void.

As usual, my first concern is the Axis. Should this Universe fall, I cannot guarantee the safety of the rest.

But as my eyes look into the Orb, I saw this Universe's defender, the legendary SHON in his normal state. Just like all the other times, he is still in a state of dormancy, having meditated so much that his body has learned to serve justice even when his soul has already departed. His swords, which are exposed to the elements and laid before him, have gotten rusty—or in the case of his bronze sword, patina. Despite this, I still firmly believe that he could still cut his opponents down with them. After all, they are eternally sharp due to their enhancements.

On the other hand, the next Universe I happened to look at still has its defender in top shape. In fact, the orb shows him teaching his children how to fight, showcasing the various fighting styles he had accumulated over the years. While his ability to strengthen himself is simple, the magnitude of his boosts and how trained he is with using it gives him a cut even above his counterparts.

The third Universe I have chanced upon has a more violent defender, ruthlessly shooting down his enemies with the handgun he brings with him everywhere. He isn't the strongest among the defenders, or one with the most interesting ability, but his survivability and skill despite the odds he faces is respectable. Sort of reminds me of myself when having to destroy the corrupted copies from the Negative Force.

On another shelf, my eyes catch a glimpse of another Universe. In this one, the defender is still young, learning how to control his magical abilities. His world has few people who are weaponmancers by birth, and his Imagination Forge seems to be a cut above the rest who have it. I still wonder why he is the defender instead of his more adept older brother and relatives, who are mages of an extraordinarily high degree, but Master continues to hold the answer from me. He can see the logical systems of all the Universes, and see where things go, but as far as I see, should the Negative Force come to throw those off trajectory, he isn't ready.

The one beside is one of the stranger Universes—it has not one defender, but multiple defenders over time. So while the other defenders would become one of my agents upon their deaths, this one would always have a defender. However, this opens up the possibility of a weak and inexperienced defender having to battle the Negative Force, since the Negative Force likely hits Universes when they still have a defender. In that case, I am ready to intervene. But for now, its young defender is enjoying his life, beheading monsters with a single swipe of his sword.

I meander over to another shelf to check one last Universe, and I see my Master's clone. Well, not exactly, but Master has expressed that this Universe's defender has a few similarities with him that the others lack. They even both share a name. Both powerful servants of their fathers' causes, both Alphas in their own rights.

"I see you're doing your job well."

I turn to see my Master, a smirk on his face as he taps his foot on the lacquer floor. I still had to get used to it—he was not really my Master, but an avatar of him. But since they are so alike, there is no difference in the way I treat either. I just needed to keep in mind that while my true Master is powerful beyond compare, this avatar is only a fraction of that. Which is why we cannot intervene so much with the Universes, lest we break them.

"When have I ever done a terrible job, Master?" I asked with a smug tone, which he accepted with a smile.

"Oh, I can think of a few times. But just like every day, I prefer that you refer to me by the designation I have given myself."

"I don't find 'Veritas' to be a particularly respectful way of addressing you, Master. So leave me to call you as I wish." I respond with firmness in my voice. Despite his insistence that we treat each other like friends, my insides wouldn't have it. He was the one who saved me, yet he puts so much trust in me. Makes me feel elevated, though I will always be keenly aware of our difference. As a result, I can only refer to him with his true status over me.

"I suppose. Now, would you like to join me on the banquet table, Remnant?"

"I don't see any reason to refuse."