The Primordial Record

Andar digested her words and he bowed again to her, "Thank you for putting my mind at ease, your Eminence, I will not disappoint your expectations and those of the Tower Master, but I'm a bit confused, where am I and is this the Feedback I'm expected to be receiving."

"Aahh, I'm getting old," She slapped her forehead dismissively, "You are inside my Realm, a location where every Child of Fire who creates a Talisman that is deemed worthy of my attention, shall be bestowed with my grace. This is a benefit of being a member of a Supreme World. Well normally I don't do this personally, but you are not just any random genius, are you, child?"

Andar had no replies and the older woman smiled, "Okay, let's get back to you and why you are here. I cannot tell you my name yet or your Tower Master would go to war with me. My name can… influence you."

"Your Tower Master, he's very protective of you, and for good reasons, I must say." She laughed aloud before continuing to speak,

"This place inside my realm is called the Isle Of Rest. Although you don't feel it now, you are being primed in order to absorb Primordial Aether, something you would be lucky to come in contact with only when you become an Archmage or like in your case, if you create a Named Item."

Andar's heart shook, he did not know the true significance of Primordial Aether but he knew about Named Items. He always thought that the chance of creating items like that was very slim.

Named Items were occasionally created naturally by the fundamental forces in the universe or they could be created by an individual. A Named Item can be anything, from a Pill created by an Alchemist or in Andar's case, a Talisman.

There was seemingly no rhyme or reason for why something could become a Named Item, for there had been instances in the past where a carefully forged weapon with all the best materials ended up being just a powerful weapon without any chance of becoming a Named Item and then something carelessly produced caused a Tribulation and became a Named Item.

Andar was mute for a short while before he stammered, "How is it possible that I could create something as impossible as a Named Item?"

"Well, that question is something you have to ask the universe, and that silly girl is tight-lipped." The old woman laughed,

"I control portions of the Isle of Rest, but not all, this universe is still strong, total control would only happen if I can win it from the other Tower Masters, as they all hold a portion of this place and if this universe dies, there is a chance I could take it all."

Her expression was distant for a short while before she sighed, "Named Items are a mystery, but with my experience, if you find that valuable at all, then I will say it depends more on the person and the emotions they were feeling when they were creating whatever it was that called the attention of the Universe."

"Emotions…" Andar whispered, "But I was not feeling much of anything when I created this piece, the only time my emotions went haywire was when I began to fuse the bracelets, but by then the Tribulations had already begun. I had not anticipated that change and I thought it was something that happens whenever you create a Set Item, so I was wrong about that assumption."

The old woman shrugged, "That's my two cents, every universe is different and what works for one, does not necessarily mean it would work for another. Well, it has been nice chatting with you and I expect you to go far in your journey. When you reach the Rank of Archmage, come find me, I shall have a mighty gift for you."

Andar bowed again, everything happening was a little confusing but he would remember everything that happened here and go through it once more in his thoughts.

"Brace yourself, focus your thoughts on your Meditation Art. Primordial Aether is a force that is expansive in its scope and can easily lead to unwanted mutation in your body and Spirit Matrix if you don't have a firm will to direct its powers."

Suddenly she grinned like a little girl, "Normally for the grade of your Named Item, you would get seven drops of Primordial Aether, but I will give you ten times this amount as I believe you are capable of handling its potency. Your physique is a wonder, and you would be a great asset to our civilization. Will you accept this boon?"

Andar did not easily answer, getting ten times the amount of Primordial Aether that was allotted to him from the Universe was a gift that was impossible to measure, and he knew such a great prize could not be taken for face value.

"What price do I have to pay for this boon?"

The old woman smiled and Andar suddenly saw the endlessness of a universe inside her eyes, "Don't die."

Placing her hand on his chest, she shoved him and he disappeared. The darkness over his vision faded away and he saw himself standing with the Bracer in his hand as if no time had passed at all.

"Don't die?" Believing the words of maybe the most powerful being he had come across Andar braced himself for the storm, but he felt nothing and he waited, about to relax he felt it.

Like a mountain range descending on his head, a wave of power like nothing he could ever fathom, it tore through every defense he had, hurriedly activating Gray Will he could only channel all this power into his Spirit Matrix, where it sank into his Engraving Tiles.

The hundred tiles, both white and black began to glow until his Endless Vault Meditation Art seemed to reach a sort of breakthrough, and a pure wave of power was sent into every single cell inside Andar's body.

His feet left the ground and he began rising as a bright silver beam shot from his chest and penetrated the skies, pushing back the colors of the Archmages in the sky.