Evan looked at the sphere in front of him, and couldn’t help but ask,
"So this is your true form?" he asked, without saying anything more.
He had always thought of Bruce as some kind of non-material entity, something more abstract, that was how he’d always perceived the system, so seeing him now in the form of what looked like a sphere came as a bit of a surprise.
[Not quite. What you’re looking at is a manifestation of my original form. Think of it as an avatar of mine, one I’m using to access this dimension] Bruce said, his words flowing more freely and directly than usual.
Evan naturally noticed that shift, and finally asked the question that had been weighing on him most since he’d arrived in this dimension.
"An avatar? Is that why I haven’t been able to communicate with you this whole time?"
[Exactly. This dimension is like a spatial pocket hidden within the folds of time and space. Its particular nature makes it difficult for beings from the original world to access it in the first place, especially if a trace of that being already exists in this place]
"Hm? You mean you already had some version of yourself here, and that’s what made it hard for you to access it?" Evan said, assuming he meant his so-called avatar.
[Yes. My current form here is what remained from past cycles. Bringing my original form from the current cycle here would have been problematic, so I first had to access this form in order to reach you here] Bruce said, and hearing those words, Evan couldn’t help but dwell on them.
He had just learned several interesting pieces of information, and they immediately sparked his curiosity.
’He was here since the previous cycles? So he didn’t appear because of my reincarnation?’
His understanding of the System had always been vague.
Even though he had learned more about it over time, he had never truly understood what it was or why it existed in the first place.
Was it there to help him?
Yes.
But why?
Bruce had told him it was because it was preparing him to host multiple divine bloodlines, but as for the reason behind that, he’d never answered.
He had always said that it wasn’t the right time yet.
But now Evan couldn’t help but wonder if that time had finally come, especially considering everything he already knew at this point.
About how the cycles had begun, what that individual who’d started the cycles had done and why, and about the small possibility that he himself might be connected to that same individual.
Evan kept all of this in mind, and with every exchange he had with Bruce, he couldn’t help but strengthen some of the assumptions that had formed in his mind.
In the end, Evan didn’t waste any more time on pleasantries and asked directly,
"From what you said earlier, I assume you were waiting for me to arrive here. Why?" Evan asked.
From Bruce’s words, it was clear that Evan would eventually end up here.
And this was exactly what Bruce himself had been waiting for.
But why?
Could everything be connected to his sudden arrival in this place?
Could he have been the one who caused that strange phenomenon with the spatial cracks that brought him and several others here?
As if he had read all of Evan’s doubts, Bruce spoke.
[Hmm. I can see you already have a vague idea as to the reason behind your current situation, and I can confirm that’s exactly right. You were brought to this dimension by me, so I knew you’d end up here sooner or later]
Bruce’s voice was calm, solemn, and hearing those words, Evan didn’t react much, staying silent, letting the other side continue.
[You see, at a certain point in your development, you were supposed to arrive here regardless of the circumstances. It was simply something that was meant to happen much later.]
[However, the situation has changed, and I cannot say that it changed for the better. I had to bring you here earlier than planned]
Bruce’s voice carried a hint of frustration, as if the entire situation was something he found troublesome.
Hearing this, Evan couldn’t help but ask,
"What do you mean? What exactly is going on?" Evan asked.
Bruce’s words seemed to be hinting heavily at the real purpose behind the system’s existence, and why Evan had ended up receiving it in the first place.
[From what Seraphine’s told you, you should already have some idea of why you obtained all these bloodlines, right?]
"Because that’s the only way to become a Supreme?" Evan said.
[Yes, but that’s not entirely accurate. You see, the world contains various elements, each following its own concept or Law. But these can be divided into two types: primary concepts, and secondary concepts.]
[Only primary concepts, when fully comprehended and developed, can allow someone to achieve true godhood. Secondary concepts can only reach the level of a demigod, since they are almost always derivatives of primary concepts, meaning they only contain a fraction of that concept, and can’t reach true Godhood.]
Evan wasn’t sure why Bruce was suddenly explaining the various concepts present in the world, but he tried to follow the explanation and quickly understood what he meant.
Elements like fire, water, earth, and so on were primary, while ice, lightning, metal, and so on were secondary, since they were derivatives of those primary ones.
If the primary ones represented complete divinity, then the secondary ones were only fragments of that divinity, meaning they could never hope to go beyond the rank of demigod.
He didn’t take long to grasp this, it was a simple, obvious concept once he understood the basics, but he still didn’t see where Bruce was going with all of it.
[The reason I’m telling you this is because this is also what determines whether a person becomes a Supreme or not] he said, and without waiting for a response, continued.
[A Supreme fundamentally needs two things: complete mastery over their main concept, which must be one of the primary concepts, and complete mastery over every secondary concept tied to that primary concept.]
[In other words, a Supreme whose fundamental concept is earth needs elements like wood, metal, and any other derivative that has formed into its own true concept, not just manifestations in different forms.]
Evan nodded, though he had doubts about a few points, this wasn’t the time to ask, he was far more interested in understanding why Bruce was telling him all of this in the first place.
[The reason I had to bring you here earlier than expected is because the situation with the Abyss has changed.]
[There have been too many appearances recently, and this is not solely because of your experiments with Void Energy.]
[The restrictions placed on the Abyss to prevent it from accessing this world were supposed to last at least a few more decades. And yet, they’ve already started collapsing, leaving more and more gaps for the Abyss to exploit]
Hearing those words, Evan couldn’t help but grow a little serious.
It had, in fact, been centuries since the last large-scale invasion from the Abyss, and since then, sightings of other Hollows or portals opening had been practically nonexistent, at least none that were public knowledge.
Only recently had a few started appearing, and some of them were connected to him, though Evan understood not all of them were, the one at BranLeaf, for instance, hadn’t been his doing, but the Duke’s.
Evan had never truly blamed himself for the damage he’d caused at Lirath by opening that portal. This was a cruel world, one where you couldn’t hope to survive just by being good. If doing something bad was what it took to ensure his own survival, then Evan would do it.
That portal had helped him escape without too much trouble.
Could he have found a better way?
Perhaps.
But Evan had always made decisions based on the situation in front of him.
And at that time, it had been his best option.
[As you may already know, one of the reasons the Abyss still hasn’t fully succeeded in wiping us out is that a good portion of the Abyssal Gods are sealed within this dimension]
[But do you know why that’s had such a significant impact on the Abyss?] Bruce asked, and Evan wasn’t sure how to answer.
The obvious answer was that if the most important entities of the Abyss were sealed, that would weaken the Abyss itself, and any attacks it could launch would be far more limited. But thinking it over, was that really the whole story?
The Abyss had the power to corrupt beings, so even an attack on a smaller scale could still cause massive damage, not to mention the fact that beings at the rank of Paragon, or even demigod, were still free within the Abyss, not sealed at all.
[It’s because, to complete its mission, the Abyss also needs a being at the level of Supreme, and that being’s power is determined by the various Abyss Gods]
[By sealing these Gods, that Supreme’s power has been limited, along with its influence over the world itself]