章 1634: Insight
With the Empire and Confederation entering a tentative period of peace, at least on the surface, Vahn decided to shift his focus away from existential issues and politics. There were a countless number of ways to spend his time more productively, so, until Theo, Arika, or Eva requested his assistance, Vahn decided to just cut loose and do things he enjoyed.
Though it couldn't quite compete with the reality he experienced on a daily basis, especially as the Supreme Overseer of a Realm, Vahn still enjoyed reading, perusing manga, and watching anime. He always found it interesting how Authors had manipulated or construed certain Laws to add realism to their worlds, as, on the most fundamental level, these were actually ways in which the Laws could manifest. This inherent truth had made quite the impact on Da Vinci, and, with his blessing, she had made a number of breakthroughs in her attempts to test the limits of 'reality' itself.
Vahn always felt blessed to have someone like Da Vinci in his camp. Her personality made her fun to be around, and, though she could get out of hand at times, her research had become more than just a foundational pillar of the Empire; it had become one of his principal sources of strength. She was constantly making breakthroughs in various subjects, and, after learning about the true nature of his existence, much of her research was directly focused on helping increase his comprehension and strengthen his abilities. She had even made several breakthroughs regarding Innates, breaking down the various different types, the method to awaken them, and, most importantly, the different ways in which they might 'evolve'.
Though Innates were fundamentally unquantifiable existences with no upper limits on their growth and development, that didn't mean it was impossible to quantify the variables surrounding them. To that end, Da Vinci had managed to define Innates using nine standardized categories: Mind, Body, Spirit, Emission, Absorption, Mitigation, Creation, Manipulation, and Sensory. Everything outside of these categories were classified as a 'non-standard' Innate, and, while it was possible for an Innate to have aspects from multiple categories, Da Vinci hypothesized that people could not develop two Innates in the same category.
If Da Vinci's hypothesis was true, it meant that, no matter how much a person trained, they could never develop something like two Body Innates. Instead, their existing Innate would evolve to be more adaptive to their intentions, even branching out into other categories if necessary. This was something Da Vinci had proven herself, as, after being artificially elevated to Tier 5, she managed to develop and 'customize' her Innates to the point that, even if he removed her Authority, she would retain much of her power.
Fortunately, Da Vinci didn't care about power in the slightest, disdaining all conflicts as a 'waste of time and resources'. The only things that really mattered to her, in a very specific order, were him, their children, her research, and the stability of the Empire. It was for this reason that Vahn could trust her with virtually unchecked Authority within his Realm, as, even if she had the power to create stars in the palm of her hand, Da Vinci couldn't even rationalize misusing her power. She had never cared about things like status or arbitrarily declaring herself superior to others, and, if you were to ask her, she could drone on for hours about how inane it was to even consider pursuing something so 'meaningless'.
Thankfully, while she considered such pursuits a waste of time, Da Vinci understood the situational need for such power. Thus, after learning about The Path and his desire to link the Records, she had been working tirelessly to help him understand the nature of reality itself. She had even helped to classify his Innates, and, further cementing her status as an Omnipotent Genius, Sis actually verified that Da Vinci's assertations were correct.
After reading through various research papers Da Vinci had compiled in her ongoing efforts to try and understand him, Vahn learned that he actually only had three Innates. This had come as quite a shock, as, according to the same research papers, he had barely even reached Tier 4, much less the pinnacle he assumed himself to be at.
In the end, it was his Source Energy that allowed Vahn to exceed the average Tier 4 and emulate the abilities of Tier 5. It was a form of energy that even exceeded Origin, the energy that gave form and function to all things within the Tier System. As a result, it was actually 'easier' for Source to emulate higher forms of energy, such as Realm and Divine, than it was to dilute into something like Magical Energy or Ki. This meant that his Source Energy actually become more powerful the higher the Tier of a Record, as, with the presence of purer forms of energy, the conversion process would become progressively easier.
Unfortunately, while the results of Da Vinci's research had been very insightful, it meant Vahn was much further away from Tier 5 than he anticipated. As for the reason why, this was largely due to the fact that his [Keeper of the Akashic Tome] wasn't actually one of his Innates. Rather, it was what Da Vinci referred to as a 'non-standard' Innate, an ability that, unless certain conditions were met, simply couldn't exist as an inborn ability. Instead, non-standard Innates were 'inherited' or 'given', and, as had been verified by Sis, Vahn's [Keeper of the Akashic Tome] had been directly given to him by The Path.
Though non-standard Innates could drastically increase a person's power, they had very little effect on the development of a person's Soul Tier. This meant that Vahn currently only had three Innates, his [Will of the Emperor], [Rakshasa Body], and [Eyes of Truth]. The former, rather than being related to the Mind, was actually classified as a Spirit Innate, and, as could be expected, [Rakshas Body] was principally classified as a Body Innate. As for his [Eyes of Truth], they were actually categorized as a Creation Innate, as, despite their apparent effect on his eyes, Vahn was actually able to 'see' without eyes at all. He could also create and destroy things simply by focusing his intent on a specific point, so, with the concept of Oblivion serving as their cornerstone, the [Eyes of Truth] had stronger ties to Creation than any kind of Sensory enhancement.
If Da Vinci's research was accurate, which was heavily implied, this meant that Vahn had managed to reach Tier 4 with only three Innates. This was, once again, largely thanks to his Source Energy, as, even at Tier 2, he had been able to sense, manipulate, and emulate Divine Energy. The presence of so many Goddesses around him also helped to drastically increase his comprehension, but, more so than anything else, it was his ability to 'meld' with an existing Divinity that allowed him to reach Tier 4 with relative ease.
When Vahn first learned these things, it really put into perspective just how phenomenally powerful Source Energy was. It might not have any 'actual' power, requiring a conversion into other forms of energy to have any real effect, but, so long as he understood what he wanted, Vahn's Source Energy would adapt to suit his needs. It truly opened up all paths to him, as, without exception, all things in the order of creation, no matter how abstract, could be traced back to Origin. Since Origin itself was only possible due to the presence of Source, there was, quite literally, nothing beyond its scope, as, on the most fundamental level, 'everything existed as a result of Source'.
The only real restrictions on the use of Source Energy was the comprehension of its user. It could not emulate things they did not understand, and, while it could certainly 'fill in the gaps', this was primarily due to the significance Willpower and Intent. The Records themselves were derived from an amalgamation of these two things, so, when the conditions allowed, such as within a Realm, the influence of Source was 'absolute'. If he really wanted to, Vahn could 'erase' beings much stronger than him, as, within his Realm, they couldn't even exist without his 'permission'.
With his understanding of Source, Vahn had been developing a skill that would, theoretically, allow him to defeat any foe. Unfortunately, the conditions to trigger this ability required a nigh-absolute understanding of the Laws within the Record he inhabited. This meant he would need to become an existence on the level of a Record's Overseer, a level of power that basically invalidated the need for such an absurd ability. Still, it was something worth developing, as, during the creation process, he would be required to learn how to reconcile the differences between the Laws of different Records.
One of Vahn's primary objectives was to develop a means to manifest people from within his Realm into the outside world. Pulling them inside was actually pretty easy, as he could simply create a new body for them the moment they entered his Realm. Manifesting them externally, however, was very difficult, as, due to the nature of the Ego, they were comprised of energies referencing very specific Laws. This meant, unless their Ego was erased completely, it was virtually impossible for a person to traverse between the Records. The only exception to this rule were entities that had been named by the [Keeper of the Akashic Tome], as, from the moment they received their names, they functionally became an extension of Vahn himself.
Since there was a fair chance that he wouldn't be able to pull anything outside of his Realm before he reached the pinnacle of Tier 6 and created a Record of his own, Vahn had previously decided to focus on the development of his unawakened Innates. Sis had given him a few hints, pointing out that most of his 'original' abilities were directly tied to his Innates. This included his [Chainbreaker], and, though he had originally thought it was related to his Source Energy, it seemed that skills like [Yggdrasil's Favor] and [Friend of the Spirits] were actually tied to something else entirely.
To his surprise, Sis pointed out that even Development Abilities such as [Spirit Healing] and [Wound Transfer] were already related to unawakened Innates, so, if he included [Veil of the Traveler], Vahn, from the very beginning, had the capacity to awaken seven Innates. This seemed to be the case for most people, as, with the restrictions of the Tier System, it was generally impossible for people to develop more than seven Innates. All Records existed between Tiers 1 and 7, and, regardless of how powerful something became, exceeding Tier 7 was impossible unless you already existed outside of the system.
As the wielder of The Path, Vahn's 'true body' currently existed outside the Tier System entirely, so, if he really wanted to, it was possible for him to exceed Tier 7. Doing so, however, served no real purpose, as, according to Sis, Tiers 8 and 9 were known as Aspect and Origin. The former was where all the Laws were derived from, and, though she couldn't go into any specifics, Sis surmised that the only way to reach Tier 8 was to 'abandon everything'. As for Tier 9, Origin, it was a place where 'all things existed outside the governance of the Laws'.
The most important takeaway from the information provided by Sis was that the Laws themselves were derived from Tier 8 Aspects. As a result, they were 'absolute' within the Records, and, if your understanding was advanced enough, you could basically 'ignore' the difference in Soul Tier. This was the reason Grandmaster swordsmen were able to cut through concepts, as, even without truly understanding the nature of their opponent, they could simply 'ignore' everything else as a result of their mastery.
Vahn's swordsmanship had already reached a transcendental level, to the point he was confident in being able to defeat most opponents within relying on most of his Innates. Despite this, he was far from the pinnacle, as, at the highest level, even cutting through Realms and severing fate should be possible. Thus, in the hopes of pushing his swordsmanship to even greater heights, Vahn had set his sights on developing a Sensory or Mind Innate. He wouldn't mind obtaining an Innate in any of the other categories, but, considering his current skillset, developing his senses and mind had the most potential for qualitatively increasing his capabilities.
Since Innates were heavily influenced by a person's intent, desires, and comprehension, Vahn was 'absolutely certain' that his Sensory and Mind Innates would enhance his abilities. The problem was, even with Da Vinci's research, Innates were still difficult to awaken. Her research concluded that the most effective trigger was a significant emotional event, suggesting you either had to experience a tragedy or push yourself to such extremes that your perspective of yourself and the world around you was fundamentally altered.
As tragedies weren't something you could artificially create, Vahn felt the most effective means for him to awaken his Innates was to focus on blacksmithing and trying to comprehend the Mantra of Eternity. The former was intrinsically related to his state of mind, and, though he understood very little about it, Vahn felt the Manta of Eternity greatly influenced his mentality. It also had the effect of allowing him to replenish his reserves at an accelerated rate, so, while this might not allow him to develop a Mind or a Sensory Innate, it had always been worth exploring...
---
With the cryptic sounds of the Mantra of Eternity whispering in the back of his mind, Vahn couldn't help but smile wryly when Asuna, who had been reading next to him, began to spontaneously 'kick' him with her socked feet. She was laying down on the same sofa that he was sitting on, and, though she seemed to be engrossed in one of the various versions of a manga called Fairy Tail, Vahn knew she was always paying close attention to him.
Having just finished reading through his own manga, the seventeenth volume of a rather pleasant adventure series called Tama's Journey, Vahn tossed it into his Inventory as he said, "I was thinking about grabbing something to eat. Want to join me...?"
Snapping her manga shut with a loud 'pa', Asuna transitioned to a seated position, smiling as she answered, "Perfect timing. I was actually just beginning to get a little hungry. Come on, we'll make it together this time. I want to try cooking a dragon steak~!"
Chuckling lightly at the twin-tailed Princess' antics, Vahn habitually extended his hand to stroke her head as he said, "Sure. Go wash up and I'll meet you in the kitchen. When you're done, I'll show you how to prepare Dragon Hamburger Steak."
Though it wasn't exactly what she had in mind, Asuna wasn't going to argue. Vahn always made the most delicious food, so, in response to his statement, she became even more bubbly as she happily exclaimed, "I can't wait~!" before running into the bathroom to wash her hands.
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Da Vinci, "Ain't nobody got time fo dat!"','Source Energy is dummy strong','I would also like a Humber Steak-desu...')
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