章 78: Xolotl and my altered being.
I awoke with a start, and the first thing that caught my attention was the transformations taking place within me. Delving deep into my inner self, I was astounded by the plethora of novel elements that had emerged in my psyche, as well as the altered structure and substance of my inner world.
It is difficult to say how this occurred, but the Me of the Dragon Devourer did not retain its independent existence as a separate entity or spiritual artifact. It was incorporated into my divine essence, incorporating the souls of my former eighth shell and expanding its capabilities.
Previously, the eighth shell served primarily to prevent regression and provide protection for my spiritual selves. Now, it has evolved into a sophisticated trap and absorber, capable of intercepting and neutralizing any radiation or influence directed towards me, ranging from energy to kinetic forces.
While I was unconscious, the eighth shell operated at full capacity, drawing power from the ambient background, which no longer constitutes a constraining energy void. The energy it extracts is harnessed to support and expedite the ongoing transformations occurring within my soul.
The first thing that immediately caught my attention was the transformation of my first and second chakras. Now, my physical body and my second chakra, which is responsible for the flow of prana, are inextricably linked. As a result, my body has become semi-energetic to some extent, and this deep interpenetration of our bodies has benefited both my individual chakras and me as a whole.
My mastery over prana had been honed through the expertise, skills, and knowledge imparted by Dracula, but when prana merged with the vital energy generated by my own body and the radiance of my aura, it imbued me with an extraordinary strength and unparalleled tenacity.
It is worth noting that my second layer of the soul, responsible for managing prana, has not significantly expanded in size or volume. Rather, its potency has increased by an order of magnitude, which is what allows me to exult in the fusion of prana with my physical form. Previously, I had clear boundaries beyond which operating with prana would have resulted in the destruction of my physical body due to its excessive intensity.
Prana is among the most potent energies of the soul in terms of aggressiveness, and in its raw form, it poses a grave threat even to the body that produces it. The damage it inflicts on the mental information matrix stored in the astral body is substantial.. Should I, by chance, inflict harm upon myself, it would be necessary not only to heal my physical body but also to mend my very essence. In essence, even if I were to possess an abundant supply of prana at my disposal, I could only utilize a fraction of it at any given moment. My body simply could not withstand any further strain.
However, having transformed into a semi-corporeal being, with my flesh now a tapestry of concentrated prana and life energy, I have retained the advantages and abilities of both my previous first and second forms, allowing me to harness all available prana without concern for my own well-being.
Regardless of my current state, whether I am conscious or not, and whether my mind can control my body's processes, even if my body were completely destroyed, I would rise like a phoenix. I wouldn't even need my ashes to do so. Rossamaha from Marvel smokes nervously on the sidelines alongside Deadpool. What incredible power!
Now, both my former first and second forms have ascended to the divine realm. What became clear to me in the process was that my new body readily responded to my desires to explore its depths. Without hesitation or regret, I can now call myself the god of blood and flesh. The metamorphism seamlessly integrated with the overall transformation, even providing an implicit impetus for further development and potential realization.
Now, regarding the astral body, if it were a feeble divine rank before, it is now a veritable Chthonic archaic monstrosity in this respect. The store of astral energy at my disposal has increased exponentially, now equaling my magical prowess.
The sole aspect of my soul which has not yet attained the level necessary to elevate me to the status of a High Magician in this field is my sensual essence. It lacks the necessary strength for this stage.
It is imperative that I overcome this barrier as soon as possible, as my astral, sensual, intellectual, and magical components of my soul are rapidly converging. I desire for all these aspects to be at an equal level of potency when this occurs. However, based on the current rate of progress, it may take anywhere from fifty to one hundred years, assuming I do not accelerate the process. Thus, I still possess the time necessary to attain divine status in each facet of my soul.
Indeed, what a curious turn of events. Will I, in the course of the next millennium, become the possessor of a soul possessing only four shells? Such a prospect has never been mentioned before, nor have I encountered any indication of the possibility of such an evolution of the soul through the process of merging shells. However, this development is not entirely surprising, given that it would likely only occur among powerful deities, who would naturally keep their transformations and inner workings private.
Upon examining the soul of Fesalia, one might have arrived at this conclusion long ago. This is assuming, of course, that we exclude Khokhnan and the other Cimmerian Archmages, whose veins carry the blood of the Aryan lineage.
Now, let us delve deeper into the details and examine the changes in closer detail.
The most significant transformation, without a doubt, is my metamorphosis into a fully fledged winged dragon. I have finally acquired wings, and while their appearance does not offend me in the least, it can be said that they do catch my aesthetic sense and sense of beauty. They are feathery appendages, and the only thing pleasing about them is that they at least superficially resemble eagles. How sad it would be if they turned out to resemble pigeons!
Now, I am as large as the opponent I devoured recently, measuring two kilometers in length in my true, full form. How well I have grown in mass! Imagine a massive, dark emerald serpent with a bony crown, two sharp horns protruding from it, its neck encircled by a halo of feathers that absorb light, creating a halo of darkness even around seemingly dangerous miasma, and all this magnificence is crowned with pristine, snow-white angelic wings!
And while a part of my consciousness lamented this universal injustice that caused my appearance to suffer, several streams of my thoughts were engaged in diagnosing these very feathers and were already constructing theories and hypotheses about how they might be put to use.
The scientist and experimenter within me, however, was not disheartened or despondent. Think of feathers, indeed! But what an intriguing and epic ingredient they could be in potions or artefactual creations. I even envisioned in my mind which of my acquaintances might benefit from a magical wand with a feather core.
Moreover, I recognized and sensed a new dimension. If previously my dragon-snake essence was manifested and concentrated in my astral body, influencing all other aspects of my soul, now my focus as a dragon is heightened in my symbiont of the ninth and eighth spheres, which have merged.. But another astonishing and remarkable fact emerged, namely, that I was capable of sensing my Atman. Whereas previously I had merely been aware in theory that data on all my prior incarnations was recorded and preserved within it, I now possessed a precise understanding of this concept, having the ability to delve deep into my reincarnation as a basilisk. Should I perish now and embark on a new cycle of existence, in my subsequent life I would eternally retain the memory of being a dragon, and with effort and intention, I could even revert to that form. How delightful!
And if one considers that my marital vows shall now accompany me throughout eternity, it becomes clear that I shall never lose my beloved wives, for our vows have become indissoluble.
Neither they nor I can ever return to the past. I am bound to this existence as a dragon, for all eternity and in all my future incarnations, and we shall not surrender our very selves to anyone while living! And all this, with the possibility of carrying the memory of this life with us. I cannot say for certain about the others, but I will never forget this one, under any circumstances.
My introspection and analysis of my inner self, the essence and soul, did not take a moment of actual time from the instant my mental sphere became conscious. As soon as I completed this process, I opened my eyes and surveyed my surroundings. I had not done so earlier because I perceived no threat to my well-being and was aware of no life beyond my beloved, within a radius of several hundred kilometers.
Now, upon visual inspection, I discerned that I was at the very edge of a desolate metropolis, adjacent to a colossal pyramid, which served as a gateway to Earth.
"And we had quite a bit of trouble with the predator!" — for tens of kilometres everything was in ruins, so much so that the remnants of houses and buildings we destroyed were reduced to nothing but dust and rubble. There, the agonizing death of the adversary, as he began to writhe under the weight of my actions, along with my appearance in the form of seven bodies, and the consequences of the crushing sound of my jaws closing on the body of my prey, did their work.
Gazing ahead, a desolate forest of lifeless, gray skeletons of immense, towering trees stretched for a dozen kilometers, while behind it, following a distinct line, a lush, vibrant, and enchanting subtropical forest flourished. Yet, as I listened to its emanations, I sensed the overwhelming dread of a hundred thousand beings paralyzed with fear, trembling before me.
My aura, spanning half a thousand kilometers in all directions, exuded an aura of menace to those who encountered it. It was not a friendly presence, but rather a reminder of the depths of the subconscious, evoking memories of the bloodlines of their ancestors.
Now, my aura is a wild concoction of echoes, a fusion of the fluctuations of my divine soul principles that have ascended to this realm, augmented by the essence of True Light, Eternal Darkness, and Primordial Chaos.
My mere presence was enough to instill fear not only in the minds of mortals, but also in the hearts of deities and other beings of comparable power, for my very aura radiated a sense of impending doom, a foreboding of my newly awakened nature as a destroyer of worlds!!!
Having discerned this and discovered yet another novel aspect of my abilities, I refrained from collapsing the aura and completely concealing my presence. My initial intention was to reconstruct the protective barrier surrounding the city, which would serve as a safeguard against the encroachment of the dense forest and its denizens.
I had no intention of abandoning such a valuable asset as an enormous city with a well-established infrastructure, including communications and pre-built homes capable of accommodating tens of millions of rational individuals. However, I had traversed less than one thousandth of one percent of the structures within the first ring, consisting of elite residences, when I reached this realization.
Immediately upon this thought, portals in the city began to materialize, through which my illusionary replicas from the realm arrived. Without hesitation, I summoned two thousand of these duplicates, only to later discover that my capacity now extends to summoning up to four thousand replicas simultaneously.. The gift of illusion has also grown significantly. Why, it is quite like a Boxing Day indeed!
It was not necessary to provide instructions on their subsequent actions, as I had already imparted a comprehensive set of information regarding the past two days to each of them upon creating a mental link with the illusions summoned from the realm. Consequently, they are now cognizant of the city's intricacies as well-versed as I am.
Their initial course of action was to meticulously search the local dwellings for artifacts and weapons infused with adamant, ensuring that no opportunity to acquire such weapons fell into the hands of outsiders. I intend to extract all traceable metal from these objects, subsequently distributing it among my wives, instructing them to maintain it in their dimensional pockets. As I have ascertained, this practice significantly augments one's reality, consequently enhancing one's capacity to influence the world. This enhancement is indispensable, and I have long refrained from denying myself this means of self-improvement.. All the metal extracted by the clones within the domain of the One is promptly transferred to my dimensional pocket.
Hmm... But had my wives not become gravid earlier, under the present circumstances, when I have once again risen in strength, the disparity in my own power relative to the girls would have become more pronounced, and as a result, we would not be capable of conceiving a child at this juncture. Their energy infrastructure would not be equipped to handle such a task. It seems to me that the time is fast approaching when my wives will bridge the gap in power with me, and we will be able to bear children once more.
However, let us not dwell on melancholy matters. It is time to delve into the depths of my archmage's staff and extract the truth from the soul of the dragon I consumed, unveiling its true identity and exploring its history, which I promptly embarked upon.
«Quite unexpectedly», I mused as I absorbed the narrative of my adversary. It transpired that he was Xolotl, the deity of thunder and mortality, the sinister twin brother of Quetzalcoatl. However, it appeared that the Aztecs and, in general, the entire pantheon of indigenous South American deities were mistaken. A considerable amount of time had elapsed since the last encounter between the gods and the priests of South American natives. More than ten millennia had passed since that day. Indeed, only two genuine deities had interacted with the natives and cultivated a following among mortals, namely Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl. They had arrived in this realm of magic over eighty thousand years ago, hailing from the astral realm as celestial beings.
The convergence of the realms that occurred at that point in time, spanning over thirty millennia, marked a period during which the realms initially drew closer and then began to diverge. This convergence gave rise to an extraordinary commotion and agitation in the astral realm.
It was during this time that two youthful deities with a reptilian essence were drawn to the scene. Their curiosity ultimately led them to the enchanted world, where they immediately encountered a race of semicivilized anthropomorphic reptilians, with whom they formed an instant bond. Only after visiting Earth did they begin their journey.
For two decades, the two siblings Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl devoted themselves to fostering the advancement of the reptilian civilization that revered them. However, their visions for their flock diverged significantly.. And if Quetzalcoatl was content to build up his strength humbly and gradually, drawing upon the power he had received from the flock, his dark brother, Xolotl, sought to expedite this process to the utmost extent possible, thereby inciting and confusing the minds of the priests, driving them to the notion of sacrifice in honor of their divine brothers.
And he succeeded. Initially, criminals and those who were gravely guilty fell victim to his machinations. Quetzalcoatl, unwilling to engage in conflict or contention with his brother, chose to turn a blind eye. However, when the lizard priests resolved to conduct annual ritual sacrifices, selecting candidates among their own kind at random, lauding it as an honor bestowed upon the chosen ones, Quetzalcoatl could tolerate it no longer. For the first time, he and his brother clashed, and he emerged victorious in this battle. He spared his brother's existence and even granted him forgiveness.
Xolotl was not content to leave things as they were, and after that initial defeat, he began to seek a way to rid himself of his brother, who was so meticulous and negative about sacrifice. For ten millennia, his quest for a solution to the issue of Quetzalcoatl was delayed, and in order to accomplish this goal, he was compelled to engage with an ancient, true dragon who, like the brothers, had entered the magical realm at the stage of world pairing, where he had settled.
Incidentally, it was this dragon who served as the prototype for the folklore depiction of dragons in China, as his chosen abode in the Magical Realm had numerous natural portals leading to Earth, which is now home to China.
The Chinese dragon's name was Lun, and he was an expert in the manipulation of water and air elements. The price for the poison he provided to Xolotl was the lifeless form of Quetzalcoatl.
The dark twin brother succeeded in poisoning the Feathered Serpent, Quetzalcoatl. As soon as he felt the effects of the toxin, Quetzalcoatl did not hesitate to abandon the magical realm, retreating to the deepest astral plane, where he concealed himself from Xolotl's sight and awaited the dissipation of the poison's effects.
While the poison was incapable of slaying the god, it significantly weakened Quetzalcoatl, necessitating over ten millennia to recover from its aftermath. During this time of absence and disengagement from the believers' flock, Xolotl, as the sole ruler of the reptilian flock at that time, embarked on a vigorous course of action, resuming the practice of sacrificial rituals. However, he encountered challenges in terms of sustaining himself with sacrificial energy, as his appetite for it grew with each passing year, yet the magical realm without a bloody cult proved perilous, resulting in a meager increase in the reptile population.. However, Xolotl continued to demand ever more sacrifices in pursuit of his own goals, leaving the lizards with a difficult decision to make. While the priestesses remained devoted to their dark deity, their fanatical devotion was tempered by a sense of responsibility, lest their actions lead to the extinction of their race. This realization spurred them to consider expanding their presence beyond the magical realm and into the physical world of South America.
This event occurred some twenty-five millennia ago, marking the first encounter between the lizard-like beings who had arrived on Earth and the indigenous populations of South America, as well as the isthmus that connected it to the region that is now home to Mexico.
Consequently, this led to a protracted and bloody conflict for the people, in which thousands of individuals met their demise each month on the altars of sacrifice in the name of Xolotl. Indeed, at the rate of destruction inflicted upon the Native Americans, their population would diminish by a factor of ten from its initial number upon their encounter with the followers of the dark Quetzalcoatl.
The lizards were forced to reconsider their approach, no longer blindly following the desires of their deity to be satiated with sacrificial energy. If they continued to slaughter the indigenous population at such a rapid pace, they would soon deplete their own resources, necessitating a return to their own practices, which they had initially sought to avoid.
This is what compelled the aggressors to alter their approach. Instead of exterminating the captured human communities and towns of the early American civilization, they refrained from annihilating them. Amongst the desperate natives, they began selecting individuals with exceptional abilities, whom they proceeded to educate in the art of magic. These individuals subsequently ascended to positions of leadership, ruling over their people and serving as priests.
It was these reptilian beings who bestowed upon the South American natives knowledge of corn and other agricultural products, significantly augmenting the availability of food. This enabled the new leadership under reptilian influence to restore the population. They imparted a wealth of information on agriculture, irrigation techniques, animal husbandry, and other valuable skills, aimed at enhancing the quality of life and standard of living for these newly emerging American populations.
However, the lizard race did not establish a unified state with centralized governance and control within the human settlement. During the early thirteenth century BC, they constructed numerous cities, between which a state of perpetual conflict was maintained. Due to this ongoing warfare between the city-states, the lizards were never lacking for sacrificial offerings on the altars, which were provided by both sides of the conflict.
Upon regaining his strength after a severe bout of poisoning, Quetzalcoatl returned to the realm of magic, only to be met with horror at the sight before him. While he may not have been a paragon of virtue in the eyes of mortals, the sanguinary orgy perpetrated by his twin brother, Xolotl, in his domain within the magical realm and on the earthly plane was certainly not to his taste. To say the least.
During his absence and gradual transformation into a vampire-like entity fueled by Xolotl's sacrificial energies, Quetzalcoatl had ceased to be his brother's equal. Having consumed an abundance of power, Xolotl now possessed at least twice the might of Quetzalcoatl himself.
Thus, the Feathered Serpent was compelled to seek assistance from the outside world in order to topple his brother, who had transformed into a full-fledged dark deity and lost all semblance of humanity.
Xolotl became aware of his brother's return, and the Feathered Serpent's intention to overthrow him was no secret to him. However, due to his prolonged reliance on the energy of sacrifice, he had greatly diminished in terms of personal integrity, acquiring an excessive sense of self-importance that made him incredibly arrogant and confident. He was firmly convinced that his brother could not match him, and thus did not attempt to prevent Tom from discovering a method or means of defeating him. He no longer regarded his brother as a threat, dismissing thoughts of him from his mind as he continued to revel in the abundant sacrificial energy provided by the lizards.
The lizard priests, maintaining close ties with the priesthood, gifted individuals, and Indian rulers, descended upon earth only during the annual «celebrations» to participate in ritual sacrifices, which were a constant feature of these events. These sacrifices served as a conduit for redirecting power to their deity, Xolotl, through a ritual process.
With time, Xolotl grew dissatisfied with the tens of thousands of offerings brought to him by the lizard priests. He began seeking new avenues to quench his ever-growing hunger for strength and vitality. This led him to explore the realms of the magical world and the earth in search of knowledge that could satisfy his needs. And lo, he encountered Vasilisa, the very same entity that had compelled me to venture into the realm of the devil to address her concerns, ultimately leading to her banishment along with all those who had betrayed the Slavic pantheon and their realm to Chaos.
At that time, Vasilisa had not yet transgressed against her father, the lord of the underworld in the Slavic pantheon, by stealing the fruit of the serpent tree. She entered her father's abode, feeling at ease among her divine kin.
Xolotl, however, managed to capture Vasilisa but refrained from killing or devouring her, for even his self-assured nature did not wish to confront the entire pantheon of mighty deities. Instead, he succeeded in intimidating her sufficiently, compelling her to pledge an oath to provide him with all the knowledge she possessed and any she could acquire from her father.
Thus, the Lizard, as the ruler of the underworld and the afterlife, and consequently a dark god, patronized dark magic, necromancy, and other domains of magical arts that could now be classified as prohibited. Among this vast repository of knowledge inherited from the dark astral deity Xolotl, he discovered a ritual believed to grant him immense power, making him potentially more lethal and dangerous by an order of magnitude.
Upon reaching this point in my recollection of the captive held in the confines of my staff's dungeon, I discerned in him striking similarities indicative of his affiliation with the essence of Ermungand.
Speculating on the true nature of this serpent, catastrophes and threats on the scale of the universe could be long and interminable, as I lack complete knowledge of its origins. However, drawing on Vasilisa's recollections, I know that it resulted from a foolish act committed by one of the irrational descendants of the lizard, who consumed the fruit of the Yggdrasil tree, imbuing the serpent with insatiable hunger and the capacity to absorb everything — from any form of energy to space and time itself.
However, it is difficult to place complete trust in this information. My suspicion is that the Yggdrasil is not a product of natural processes and evolution. The properties and powers it possesses, which it bestows upon its owner, seem too extraordinary. Most likely, it is a result of a successful fusion of ritualism, spatial magic, soulcraft, chimerology, and a dozen other arcane disciplines. Thus, it may very well be that Ymir's serpent is an experimental creation.. The ritual performed by Vasilisa in honour of Xolotl, which she obtained with a portion of the knowledge stolen from her father's library by his wayward daughter, can serve as evidence of this. Indeed, this ritual undoubtedly underpins the power of the World Eater, and it likely represents an early stage in the process of creating the ultimate form of Ermungand.
Regarding the reason why I remained unaware of Vasilisa's past contact with Xolotl, despite her having granted me access to her entire memory upon my capture, it is worth noting that their brief relationship was concealed within her memories through the use of an oath, maintained by Xolotl's power. This explains why I failed to discover any trace of him within Vasilisa's recollections.
Upon seizing the opportunity presented by the ritual, the dark twin brother of Quetzalcoatl swiftly initiated preparations for its execution.
In order for everything to proceed smoothly and without hiccups, Xolotl needed to imbue his «womb» with as much power as possible. The amount of power he had at his disposal would later determine his future strength, and a significant amount of energy was required to activate the ritual. According to his calculations, even the entire population of South America would not suffice. He did not wish to venture to other continents where other pantheons engaged in their own power struggles. The stakes were simply too high, and he opted not to take unnecessary risks.
With this in mind, he decided to augment the ritual with the assistance of his loyal lizard followers in the Magical Realm. They possessed a spiritual strength surpassing that of humans, being Faeries with magical abilities. Thus, he embarked on executing his plan.
And now the day arrived when all was ready for them. Undetected by the lizard priests, he had managed to place a vast ritual diagram in the shadows of the city, using the astral realm, of which he himself was a deity, and then, employing one of Vasilisa's father's innovations, he spread the web over the city of lizards in the magical world, paralyzing beings with a snake-like essence. To overcome it required immense strength and power akin to that of the divine, but no such creatures existed among the fae lizards, and they all became sacrifices to fuel the ritual, infusing it with the energy needed to transform Xolotl, the astral deity, into the form of Ermungand.
It seemed like everything would have gone according to plan, he would acquire the spiritual artifact Me, granting Xolotl immunity to attacks from a creature capable of devouring and absorbing any form of energy. But he had overlooked his brilliant brother Quetzalcoatl in his arrogance.
At the critical juncture, when the ritual commenced its operation and began to effect changes in Xolotl's soul, Xolotl was rendered virtually defenseless. It was then that Quetzalcoatl intervened, disrupting the ritual at its most active phase. His intervention allowed him to manipulate the ritual and alter its course.
Quetzalcoatl employed his powers to protect an expansive realm in the magical world where Xolotl's lizard city resided. He shifted this realm into the dimension of emptiness, transforming it into a dungeon for his dark counterpart. Conceptually, he imbued this space with a meaning that prevented Xolotl from ever leaving its confines.
Moreover, Quetzalcoatl bound his curse to Xolotl's newly acquired ability to absorb energies. This curse resulted in a loss of clarity in Xolotl's consciousness, and it was intended to swiftly transform him into a deranged beast. This is precisely what transpired.
However, these actions demanded an immense amount of strength, which Quetzalcoatl was obliged to sacrifice a considerable portion of his own power for. Consequently, upon the completion of his scheme, he was weakened by a factor of five compared to his previous state.
Following the successful imprisonment of his brother within the now defunct lizard city, Quetzalcoatl chose to depart from this particular branch of the multiverse. While this transition was relatively effortless, given that the boundaries of the magical realm remained hazy and permeable following the conclusion of the twinning era, he departed from this reality.
Before his departure, Quetzalcoatl conveyed this final message to his brother, leaving Xolotl with a final memory before his descent into madness.
A fascinating tale indeed...
Nevertheless, during the process of consuming Xolotl's body, a portion of Quetzalcoatl's essence embedded itself within Xolotl's very soul.
Delving into his soul within the confines of the staff's abyss, one could discern substantial breaches in its spiritual armor, rendering Xolotl one-third less potent prior to our encounter. Nonetheless, time shall mend all, for within a few decades, his soul shall regain its former integrity, regaining its previous strength, and soon, its full power shall be at my disposal. Yet, I have already attained an unparalleled level of power, independent of any external energy sources.
Now then, it is time to return to the wives, who are currently feeling lost in this realm. While I am occupied with soothing their shattered spirits and restoring their nerves, my duplicates will gather all that is valuable in this city, simultaneously revitalizing the sources of magic. They will reconnect them to the energetic system of the enchanted world, while also erecting a protective barrier around the city to conceal it from all prying eyes. In a few years, I anticipate that the energy landscape of this once-dead city will be restored to its former state, making it suitable for habitation. However, my immediate needs do not require it. Who knows what the future may hold?
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