Chapter 4887: Adversity! I

In Alfheimr, the vibrant twilight burned across skies that held every color of flame simultaneously.

The Primordial Realm of THE Creature was a place where existence itself felt more real than anywhere else in Observable Existence, where the weight of simply being pressed against visitors with authority that reminded them they existed only because Existence permitted it.

Mountains rose toward horizons that couldn’t be reached, their peaks shrouded in mists that held secrets accumulated across eons. Forests of trees older than most civilizations spread across valleys that had witnessed the birth and death of countless powers.

And on the same mountain that THE Living Origin and THE First Hunger had descended a little while ago, after Origin had received her answer from THE Creature and given her answer to Hunger, two different figures were now walking up.

THE Living Emotive skipped up the ancient stone steps with manic energy that made her hair bounce with each movement. She hummed a tune that shifted between melodies without ever settling on one, her existence radiating weavings of emotion so intense that the very air around her seemed to feel what she felt. Joy and excitement and anticipation and a dozen other feelings wove through her aura in patterns that would have driven lesser beings to madness.

Beside her, THE Living Elemental walked with a frowning expression.

There was something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

A sense of wrongness that had been building in his foundations for what felt like hours now, a disquiet that refused to be silenced no matter how many times he tried to dismiss it as paranoia. Even the prospect of a discussion with THE Creature, one of THE Four themselves, felt like something he couldn’t properly focus on right now.

There was one figure he was worried about.

THE Youngest!

Before, when that weak being had tried to encroach on his Civilization, Elemental had been so enraged that he’d paid a significant cost to exert his power outside THE Loom when all those holding THE designations were suppressed. He had laid out a savage curse upon THE Youngest, one designed to burn and isolate and torment until the target either perished or well...killed themselves to perish!

It had been a declaration of superiority. A reminder of the gap between Civilizational and whatever THE Youngest had been at that time.

But now, that weak being who wasn’t even at THE Civilizational Scale of Existence before had become one of THE Four.

THE Youngest now held a Claim.

THE Youngest was now counted among the more powerful entities in all of Observable Existence.

The time from then to now was what, a mere matter of days? It was absolutely nothing in terms of time to Elemental. He had existed for eons. He had watched civilizations rise and fall like waves upon a shore. Days were less than heartbeats to someone of his existence.

And yet things had changed that drastically in such an insignificant span of time.

He wondered what the resolution for this situation would be. He didn’t know how many months or years he had before THE Youngest would make a move against him. The grudge between them was clear.

He had to secure his power before then.

The assurance of those among THE Four would be ideal. If Paradox or THE Creature vouched for his protection, perhaps THE Youngest would hesitate before acting. Perhaps the weavings of THE Four’s relationships would provide protection that his own power could not guarantee.

So he climbed the mountain to see THE Creature.

HUUM!

His existence buzzed at this moment.

Elemental raised his head high, his eyes scanning the twilight above as his Civilization sent out warnings that screamed through every aspect of his being. He was initially confused, not understanding what his foundations were trying to tell him. Then astonished, as he perceived something descending from above with speed that exceeded what should have been possible. Then shocked, as he recognized the weight of what was coming.

From above, a terrifying authority descended!

A single golden page burning with blue-gold light that painted the twilight in colors that didn’t belong in Alfheimr. It fell like a meteor, like a judgment, like something inevitable that could not be avoided or redirected. The weight it carried was immense, pressing against reality itself as it approached.

"What is that?!"

THE Living Emotive stopped her skipping, her manic humming cutting off as her crimson eyes locked onto the descending page with sudden intensity.

THE Living Elemental didn’t waste time on questions.

"I am the culmination of all Elements! I am the authority that governs the fundamental forces of Observable Existence! Nothing may touch me without my permission!"

BOOM!

His Embodiment erupted outward with force that would have devastated anything below Absolute, the declaration pressing against reality with weight accumulated across eons of existence. The authority of Elements themselves rose to meet the descending page, fundamental forces rallying to protect the one who claimed dominion over them.

THE Living Emotive’s eyes widened as she realized something crucial.

The page wasn’t targeting her.

It wasn’t targeting the mountain or the surrounding area or anything else in its vicinity.

It was targeting Elemental specifically, its trajectory locked onto his existence with precision!

"What the..."

She moved away from Elemental even as she released her own Embodiment to help him.

"Emotions are the foundation of all action! Fear shall rise against what descends, and that fear shall become a shield that protects those I choose to defend!"

BOOM!

Two Embodiments now pressed against the descending page, the combined authority of THE Living Elemental and THE Living Emotive creating a barrier that should have stopped anything of weak Absolutes.

Yet...

The page continued to descend.

It didn’t slow.

It didn’t waver.

It passed through their Embodiments as if they didn’t exist, as if the declarations of two Absolutes were nothing more than suggestions that it chose to ignore. The blue-gold light burned brighter as it approached Elemental’s position, and no amount of authority seemed capable of stopping it.

Because the Embodiments weren’t addressing what the Inscription required.

The Inscriptio Nominata had been written with a specific condition: it would strike any target whose foundation did not exceed the foundation of the one who wrote it. As long as that condition remained true, as long as Elemental’s Depth did not exceed Noah’s newly elevated foundations, nothing could stop the Inscription from reaching its target.

Embodiments that declared protection were meaningless.

Embodiments that declared immunity were irrelevant.

The only thing that could have stopped it was an Embodiment or authority that directly addressed the foundational comparison, that changed the underlying truth upon which the Inscription operated.

Neither Absolute had done that.

Neither Absolute had even known to try.

The page reached THE Living Elemental.

It branded itself upon his forehead with a flash of blue-gold light that seared into his existence, and then it disappeared. The golden page was gone, absorbed into his being, its payload delivered with precision that left no room for resistance.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then THE Living Elemental began to feel it!

Oh!

A burning sensation erupted across his Depths, starting at his Surface and spreading rapidly toward his Intermediate and Fundamental foundations. It wasn’t the kind of burning that could be ignored or suppressed through willpower. It was the burning of existence itself being set aflame, of his very foundations being subjected to constant torment that had no source he could identify or target!

His face became pale.

Then ashen.

His legs buckled beneath him as the pain intensified, and THE Living Elemental, one of the Absolutes of Observable Existence, fell to his knees on the ancient stone steps of the mountain. His hands pressed against the ground as he struggled to maintain composure, his entire body trembling with agony that exceeded anything he had experienced in eons of existence!

But he did not scream.

He was someone grand. He was an Absolute. He had existed since before most civilizations had been born, and he would not give whatever had done this the satisfaction of hearing him cry out!

But man was it painful.

THE Living Emotive rushed to his side, her manic energy replaced with focused intensity as she knelt beside him and began analyzing what had happened. Her crimson eyes burned with authority as she examined the remnants of the Inscription’s effect, tracing the curse through his foundations with perception that few others could match.

Her analysis took only seconds.

Her face went wide with shock and awe.

"That was an ancient expression of Civilization."

Her voice was quiet.

"An Apophasis..."

She looked up at the sky where the page had descended from, her mind racing through possibilities.

"Who could possibly..."

She was just about to ask the obvious question when her eyes stopped and she went silent.

"Haha, No way... right?"

She had one person in mind. One being who had recently ascended to heights that shouldn’t have been possible. One entity who had a very specific grudge against THE Living Elemental that stemmed from a burning curse laid during their previous confrontation.

The moment she thought of it, Elemental also thought of it.

His body trembled even more violently, horrid pain tearing across his very existence as the Apophasis continued its relentless work. He could feel his foundation beginning to deteriorate, could feel the weight of his Depths slowly being torn apart by an authority that seemed to ignore everything he threw against it.

It couldn’t be, right?

THE Youngest shouldn’t have this power right now! It was too quick!

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