Chapter 4926: A Bond of Emotions!

Because of the Inscription that he had laid out on that waste of life that was THE Living Elemental, Noah was able to perceive what was happening around this being and his immediate surroundings.

The curse burned across Elemental’s foundations with relentless precision, but it also served as an anchor for Noah’s perception. Through that anchor, he could observe the region of Alfheimr where the cursed Absolute currently cowered, could see the beings that surrounded him and the conflicts that unfolded in his vicinity.

So he saw both THE Living Elemental and THE Living Emotive as she fought against an Undivided One that actually did not even seem like it wanted to be there.

The observation struck him as peculiar the moment he processed it fully.

THE Undivided One was a massive thing whose body resembled a great winged lion with the face of something that had never been mortal. No features of any realm Noah had witnessed could describe that visage, that configuration of angles and expressions that spoke of existence before existence had learned to differentiate itself into recognizable forms.

Its mane was made of writhing serpents that hissed with individual malice, each one a separate consciousness bound to the greater whole, their eyes burning with hunger that their host seemed reluctant to act upon. Its wings stretched wide enough to cast shadows across entire territories, vast expanses of feathered darkness that should have been beating with aggressive intent.

But there was something hesitant in its assault. Something reluctant in the way it pressed against Emotive’s defenses!

Where its paws touched, existence forgot what solidity meant. The ground beneath it became uncertain, wavering between states of matter as the undifferentiated nature of the beast leaked into its surroundings. And yet those paws moved with reluctance, striking toward Emotive with force that should have been devastating but pulling back at the last moment as if the winged lion feared the consequences of actually connecting.

Noah narrowed his eyes.

He wasn’t able to fully perceive everything that had occurred, but there should have been another Undivided One or two that came out with this one from THE Prima Indifferentia. He had felt their brief auras when the crack first opened above the mountain, terrible pressures that had made even his distant perception waver for a moment.

But those auras had disappeared rapidly, snuffed out with casual efficiency that spoke of overwhelming power.

He only attributed this to THE Creature.

So THE Undivided One that was attacking Emotive had to know that it could be taken care of by THE Creature at any time. The being at the peak of the mountain had already demonstrated his capacity to eliminate such threats.

This remaining winged lion understood that its existence continued only because THE Creature permitted it.

But since THE Creature wanted adversity for Emotive and Elemental, he did not interfere. That was the reason why the assault continued. Not because THE Undivided One posed a genuine threat, but because THE Creature had decided that his allies needed to struggle.

Emotive was defending as if she did not want to be there. Her Embodiments flew toward THE Undivided One with power that should have been devastating, but her movements held reluctance that her manic energy could not fully disguise. She threw attacks because she had to, not because she wanted to.

And THE Undivided One was attacking as if it also did not want to be there!

The winged lion’s serpent mane hissed toward Emotive with malice that seemed performative rather than genuine. Its massive paws swept through the air with force that would have devastated anything of an average Absolute, but the movements were perfunctory, going through motions rather than genuinely seeking to kill. Its wings beat with power that should have generated storms, yet they created only gentle breezes that barely disturbed Emotive’s constantly changing hair.

It knew that true aggression would invite THE Creature’s attention. It knew that actually harming these beings might transform it from permitted pest to consumed meal!

It was a unique and laughable situation.

But as Noah continued to observe, he noticed something else entirely.

His newly elevated perception, enhanced by THE Numerical Sovereignty and THE Infinite Observable Harvest flowing into his foundations, could perceive things that he had not been able to see before. His eyes broke down both languages and numbers now, moving between Differentiation and Undifferentiation with ease that allowed him to observe the mathematical relationships underlying existence itself.

And he saw something flowing from THE Living Emotive.

An extremely clear and intense definition of emotion was streaming from her existence and going into THE Undivided One.

The flow was invisible to normal perception. Even most Absolutes would not have been able to observe it. But Noah could see it now, could trace its path from Emotive’s foundations into the weavings of the winged lion with clarity that made the phenomenon undeniable.

Uniquely, THE Undivided One had no idea what was happening to it.

Its weavings were filled with light of undifferentiation, as was proper for a being that had existed in THE Prima Indifferentia. The serpents of its mane continued hissing with individual malice, unaware that their collective existence was being subtly altered. Its face that had never been mortal remained fixed in expressions that predated emotion itself. And yet, at this moment, something silent and invisible was flowing alongside its undifferentiated nature.

Something that was giving it a very clear and intense definition and differentiation based on emotions.

Noah leaned forward on his throne in THE Interstices, the churning infinity symbol around him pulsing with increased intensity as his attention sharpened. He watched the flow of emotional definition pour into THE Undivided One, watched it weave itself through the winged lion’s foundations without triggering any of its natural defenses against differentiation.

It was like watching someone slowly poison a drink while their victim remained oblivious.

His eyes flashed coldly as realization settled into his consciousness.

He had truly been underestimating THE Living Emotive!

Because as she threw out Embodiments here and there to keep THE Undivided One at bay, her actual power was focused elsewhere entirely. The attacks were distractions, performances meant to make it seem like she was fighting when in truth she was doing something far more insidious. Most of her authority was concentrated on this emotional light of definition, on the flow that was slowly transforming the winged lion from the inside out.

After a few more seconds of observation...

BOOM!

An impact occurred between THE Living Emotive and THE Undivided One!

Emotive breathed heavily with an angry look that twisted her features into something between fury and exhaustion. The figure of that worthless heap of burning foundations known as THE Living Elemental was blasted backward by the shockwave, hitting the surrounding trees of the mountain like a sack of ugly potatoes.

His cursed form crumpled against the ancient bark with impact that would have been satisfying to witness if Noah had cared enough about the wretch to feel true satisfaction.

But his attention remained on Emotive.

A unique scene unfolded after that impact.

THE Living Emotive looked toward the peak of the mountain that Noah could not perceive too well, the region where THE Creature’s temple sat shrouded in multicolored flames. Her expression held accusation that exceeded her previous anger, and she no longer attacked THE Undivided One.

Instead, she actually began to float toward it.

Uniquely, THE Undivided One had gone still.

The winged lion’s serpent mane ceased its hissing. Each individual serpent blinked with confusion that should not have been possible for extensions of a being of undifferentiation. Its wings, which had been beating with performative aggression moments before, now folded against its leonine body with docility that contradicted everything its form suggested. Its face that had never been mortal shifted through expressions it had never worn before, cycling through confusion and recognition and something that looked almost like affection.

Its entire massive form shook as if it was remembering something, as if new information was integrating into its existence that changed everything it had believed about the situation.

And then the ridiculous scene occurred.

THE Living Emotive floated up toward THE Undivided One’s shoulder, her now crimson hair blazing with manic energy that seemed more petulant than threatening now. She settled onto the winged lion’s massive shoulder as if it were a chair, her small form perching upon primordial horror with casualness that defied comprehension.

The serpents of its mane that had been hissing with malice moments before now regarded her with something approaching protectiveness, their eyes softening in ways that their undifferentiated nature should not have permitted.

She looked up toward the mountain where THE Creature resided and spoke with an angry gaze.

"Because you did not want to help, you forced me to use my last Bond on some random Undivided One!"

...!

Her voice carried across Alfheimr with weight that pressed against the glorious twilight.

"I was saving that for THE Youngest! Just because you can resist our Bond doesn’t mean you can bully me like this, Creature!"

...!

Noah was astonished as he looked at the body of THE Living Emotive.

She was filled with manic energy that seemed to contradict the gravity of what she had just revealed. Her angry words came across more like pouting than genuine fury, complaints directed toward an unseen being who apparently cared nothing for her displeasure.

Below her, the winged lion shook its shoulder with motion that caused her to drift off her perch. The serpents of its mane hissed with what sounded almost like apology as their movement disrupted her seating. She pouted toward it with expression that would have been more appropriate on a child denied a treat than on an Absolute.

THE Undivided One was still adjusting with confusion that Noah could perceive even through the distant observation of his Inscription anchor. Whatever bond or definition had been placed on it had fundamentally altered its perception of THE Living Emotive. She was no longer prey. She was no longer enemy. She was...

A friend.

Someone it did not want to harm.

The transformation had occurred in seconds, invisible to many except Noah’s newly elevated perception, and now the winged lion treated Emotive with something approaching protectiveness despite having no logical reason to do so.

Where its paws touched, existence still forgot what solidity meant, but it was careful now to keep those paws away from the small woman.

But she had revealed something that painted a much clearer picture.

Noah had asked himself how this woman had moved from THE Creature to THE Living Paradox, how she had ingratiated herself with beings who should have had no reason to tolerate her presence. He had wondered how she managed to cling to THE Primordial Chaos in Alfheimr, how she inserted herself into dynamics that had nothing to do with her own agenda.

Now he understood.

She had a unique power of definition or differentiation based on her terrifying manic emotions. A power that allowed her to form some sort of Bond with beings, even someone as powerful as THE Creature. A bond that influenced the target to treat her differently, to feel closeness toward her that they had not chosen and could not explain.

...!

Emotive. THE Broken Doll!

She seemed to be among the few unique beings in Observable Existence whose capabilities exceeded their apparent classification. There was more to her than what met the eye, depths of power that her manic surface behavior disguised behind seemingly unhinged emotion.

Her methodology interested Noah greatly.

The invisible nature of it seemed very similar to THE Entity, even though the two of them were clearly not related. Both operated through subtle influence rather than direct confrontation. Both altered the targets they affected without those targets realizing what was happening until the transformation was complete.

But the differences were equally significant.

THE Entity, THE Primordial Mycelia, took over and controlled the entirety of the will of another. It subsumed consciousness into its unified network, dissolving individuality into collective purpose. Its targets ceased to be themselves entirely.

THE Broken Doll formed bonds that made one feel like they were her family or lover.

Her targets remained themselves. They retained their will, their consciousness, their individual nature. But their perception of her shifted, their emotional responses to her presence transformed into something that served her purposes.

They believed they cared about her because she had made them believe it through definition so subtle that they could not perceive its presence.

Noah filed this information away for future consideration.

But even as he observed all of this, he had to divide his attention.

The churning infinity symbol around his body in THE Interstices continued processing THE Infinite Observable Harvest, unit after unit of amplified and elevated resources flowing into his foundations. His perception of Alfheimr through the Inscription anchor remained active, observing Emotive and her newly bonded winged lion with analytical interest.

But in THE Agora of Primordial Judgment, Bazuman had begun to move.

Noah had to see exactly how his newly elevated Immensity and methods would work against THE Undivided One that had chased him across THE Prima Indifferentia!

Because while the winged lion that THE Living Emotive had just bonded to was powerful, a being that would have devastated most average Absolutes in direct conflict, a creature whose very paws made existence forget what solidity meant...

It was nowhere near the level of Bazuman!

That ancient horror, that entity who had pursued Noah through corrupted proto-matter with hunger...

Bazuman was something else entirely.

And Noah was about to discover whether his growth had been sufficient to reach him!

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