SYSTEM ASCENSION

Kael opened his eyes in the same place he had seen in his dream.

The colorful sky sat above his head, and the glass ground beneath his feet.

He looked around. Despite observing a very confusing scene, he let himself enjoy the view around him. Drawn in so hard, everything reflected in his eyes.

”You like it?”

A voice sounded from all directions. Calm and elegant. Kael turned his gaze and saw the same person in his dream.

Same elegant posture, same blindfold and same flute between his fingers.

”You’re supposed to be dead.”

Liumin laughed softly. ”What do you think death is?”

He stepped closer to Kael.

”End of a life?”

Liumin walked in circles around him. ”If a caterpillar evolves into a butterfly, is the caterpillar the butterfly or not the butterfly?”

Kael narrowed his eyes. ”Its is—”

”Wrong.” Liumin chuckled.

”What? The caterpillar is clearly the butterfly!”

”It’s the butterfly, but it’s not. The caterpillar is dead.”

”What?”

”The caterpillar is an incomplete being, boy. It’s not the same when the butterfly is complete.”

He leaned down to Kael’s height.

”In our case,” he pointed to himself. ”I am the caterpillar, and you,” he tapped Kael’s chest. ”Are the butterfly? There is a possibility that we’re still both incomplete and there would be a more complete version of us. Think of it as a butterfly, walking.”

Kael leaned back slightly. ”Are you happy with addressing yourself like that? You’re saying you’re dead so I can evolve.”

”Boy, death has no meaning. It’s only a force that was created to exist when your current form does not. Only evolution. I am me, the incomplete version of both of us, and you’re you, the complete version of both of us.”

”What?”

Liumin leaned back and began to walk away. ”I am not dead, we simply merged and evolved.”

Kael ran after him.

”Why did you choose me?”

Liumin shrugged. ”It was just a gamble. I didn’t choose you.”

”What?”

”I guess we just attracted each other, like polarity.”

”So you didn’t choose me. I...choose you?”

”Wrong.” Liumin confused him again.

”What?”

”You’re still thinking we are different. You, me, the ability. It’s all one. There is no choosing. It just happened.”

”...”

Kael stared at him with a skeptic frown.

”I think you’re sick in the head.”

Liumin gasped. ”How could you...”

Kael stomped off towards a random location.

”Wait for me!”

”Don’t follow me!”

”Boy, sure have anger issues,” Liumin appeared before him. ”Do you know where you’re heading to?”

”Away from you.”

The man laughed. He turned around and began walking in the opposite direction.

”Finally.” Kael groaned.

Since there was no barrier before him, he shut his eyes and felt the space. The unusual wind, the flowing coloured sky. He just let his leg carry him.

”Elias was pretty harsh on you, right?” Liumin’s voice sounded.

Kael froze and opened his eyes. He looked back. The man was supposed to be in the distance since he was walking away, but for some reason, he was an inch behind Kael.

The baffling part is that he was still walking away.

”What...are you doing?”

Liumin stopped and turned to him. ”Huh?”

”Why,” Kael pointed to his spot. ”Are you still here? You should be,” he pointed further ahead. ”There.”

”Distance doesn’t exist here.”

”Distance doesn’t exist?”

”Nothing exists. It’s all the mind.”

Liumin waved his hand, and suddenly the place changed. They were suddenly in a place covered with white trees.

Liumin walked towards one of the trees, and sat by the root.

”I didn’t expect him to toss you off a cliff.”

”Did you tell him to?”

”Oh? No. Just no.” Liumin laughed. ”I was shocked. I’m pretty sure he wanted to toss you down again if you survived the first time and didn’t awaken.”

”How did he know that I’ll awaken an ability that prevents me from dying?”

Liumin cocked his head. He thought for a while, and when it seemed like he would finally speak.

”I dunno.”

”What?!”

He laughed. ”Here’s a tough guess. Elias is a child borne by a disciple and a protector.”

Kael’s eyes widened. ”A disciple and a protector?”

”Yes, and because of that, he can perceive both. He would know if something happened to a disciple or a protector. In other words, an anomaly. What I don’t know is how he came to be born.”

”Huh?” Kael moved closer. ”Is there a different way for a child to be born?”

”No...it’s just. A child between both of them is a walking disaster. He cannot be born like a normal child. His soul must be different.”

A thought suddenly struck Kael.

”Mona.”

”What?” The man raised his head.

”He’s split from Elias.”

”That’s odd.” Liumin narrowed his eyes. ”I can see Elias but I have never seen anyone named Mona.”

”What?! He moved with us, all the time!”

”Really?” The man pounded on it for a moment, before shrugging. ”I don’t care. If I can’t find out, you find out.”

Kael huffed. ”I have a question.”

”Ask away, boy.”

”Did you create the system?”

”Oh no. The disciples did. I only gave them permission to use it on Qld.”

”Why?”

”Because Qld is one of the only world that remains for our creator. Clave have taken over the rest.”

Kael stepped closer. ”I don’t understand.”

”If I start going into details, your human form will take a damage, so I’ll not explain,” he heaved a sigh. ”Think of it like this, there are worlds attached to the creator.”

”Omeo?”

Liumin laughed. ”That crappy name still stands?”

”Did you just insult your creator?”

”No. The name itself is an insult. A name is something used by species like you. It’s a limitation of what the creator is. In other words, you all named the creator so you can measure the entity according to your capacity.”

Kael was stunned.

”Back to what I was saying. The creators worlds were taken over, and Qld is one the last standing world that Clave haven’t taken over. The system was made for its people to protect the world.”

”Why didn’t you protect it yourself?”

”I can’t. I was locked out.”

”Why?”

”Clave did it.”

”Why did the creator create a world in the first place?”

”What?” Liumin raised a brow. ”Why did you say that?”

”I mean, all this won’t be happening if the creator didn’t create a world in the first place.”

Liumin stared at him for a moment, before bursting into laughter.

”You think the world was created?”

Kael frowned. ”Wasn’t it?”

”So you think, if I am the creator, I’ll create a weird blob, and trap some people inside it, so I can rule them? Isn’t that stressful?”

”I thought so too.”

Liumin grinned. ”Take it as an assignment. What is a world.”

”What?”

Kael felt his body begin to shimmer.

”What’s going on?”

”You’re waking up,” the man smiled. ”It seems our chat will come to an end here.

He tossed the flute, and Kael caught it.

”Here’s another assignment,” Liumin raised a finger. ”It’s not unusual about a disciple and a protector deciding to have a child. The question is why they choose to have that child in the middle of a crisis. Myai might do something stupid like that, but Richard won’t.”

”What?”

”Elias.” Liumin smiled as he continued. ”He’s not supposed to be inside the world. He’s breaking the balance. But despite that, Richard kept him in, and even went as far as to block any disciple or protector from communicating with him for a while.”

Kael’s body continued to shimmer, fading into space.

”Find out. There just might be something we’re missing.”

”Wait!” Kael tried to move, but his leg wouldn’t listen. ”How can I protect Qld alone?! You couldn’t even do it!”

Liumin shrugged. ”Figure it out. You’re a complete version afterall.”