Chapter 422 Ancestor
The area became silent for what seemed like an eternity, even though only a few seconds passed. William, still reflecting on Efretta's words, found himself questioning his own upbringing.
I am her child? Even if she said it was indirectly... how is this possible? William thought back to his early childhood.
He remembered his parents clearly, even though he couldn't before. His biological mother had red hair, but her facial structure and even personality were completely different. She couldn't possibly be Efretta.
His father looked like your average soldier, with a tapered haircut and neat appearance at all times, but his natural aura had nothing in common with Efretta's. When William looked at his old self from an outward perspective, his aura also didn't share any similarities with hers.
There was no connection at all!
It was common knowledge that family members had very similar auras to each other, and twins would often have identical auras at birth. Since Efretta's aura was completely different from his own, there was no chance that they could be blood related.
She created me...? William still didn't understand, even after picking every bit of her statement apart.
A tiny wisp of light suddenly flew through the chains and past William's head, passing through the wall of Laws as if it didn't exist. He turned his head to follow the wisp as it glided a few meters further and hovered next to the molten lava.
The wisp landed shortly after, slowly transforming into a bare human figure with no distinguishable features as a barrier appeared and protected them from the heat.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The transformation didn't end there, as a pair of green eyes, reddish-brown hair, and a defined nose took shape while clothing wrapped around the human.
By the end of the process, the figure looked just like a random stranger that William might have passed on the street, no different from him or another. It stared in confusion at the environment around it, then another wisp of light flew over and entered its head, providing a purpose for its existence.
Understanding what it was supposed to do, the human figure nodded and twirled its fingers, conjuring a knife out of nowhere and slitting its own throat before falling lifelessly into the lava. Read exclusive content at empire
Even though he saw the entire process, William couldn't believe his eyes. She was bound by a massive number of Laws, yet Efretta was able to create human life and control it to kill itself in an instant.
What more, the newly created human used some sort of ability that William had never seen before!
"That was cruel." William looked at Efretta with disappointment. He revered this woman for her strength and ability, but something about the way she could easily create and take the lives of others made him feel uneasy.
-You've done the same before.
I get that, but even I wouldn't go this far. Especially not now. William shook his head.
"It was the only way for you to understand. I already said I created you, but you didn't get it until now, right?" Efretta said.
-Status Panel updated. Race is now registered as Efretta's Lesser Human.
William nodded, "You created the human species, then? My entire World, and everything I know, was fake?"
"I created a series of human races. I don't dare to lay claim to the formation of an entire species that has existed for longer than I can remember. I am a human myself, after all." Efretta explained.
She continued, "Reius, if that's still what you call it, is not fake. It's my World. I created it, just like its inhabitants. I am your World's God, if you will."
"What about this World, then?" William asked.
"Ha! This is nothing but a prison to bind me. That should be its real name, My Prison." Efretta scoffed. "It's not a true World, but after feasting on my Mana for so long, it is close. If I died, so would this World, and when I escape, the same outcome awaits it unless I don't want it to."
William organized the thoughts in his head. If what Efretta said was true, then she built Reius and transformed it into what it was now. Not only that, but she created the humans inside, who propagated over and over until he was eventually born.
In that case, her claim as his mother made sense, though he would rather label Efretta as his Ancestor.
William thought about Fria and the Players that were able to move freely between Reius and Efretta's Prison. From what Fria told him, she was able to pass to this World through her VR headset, which implied some sort of soul or mind transference.
Did it have something to do with the wisps that Efretta could make?
He decided to adopt a respectful tone and ask, "Ancestor, where is Reius? And how are your... descendants outside when you're trapped in here?"
"It seems that Master was wrong. You do use your brain sometimes!" Efretta praised William in a mocking manner. "Reius is inside me, the same way your Dantian is inside you. I've been trapped here for a long time, but my captors have become lazy."
A small vortex opened just outside the wall of laws, hundreds of wisps of light flowing in from afar while others exited the vortex just as quickly. The exchange happened many times a second, speeding up and slowing down with seemingly no pattern at all.
"I keep this open at all times, you just couldn't see it before because its level surpasses your current understanding. If you can survive the Ascended Realms and become anything other than cannon fodder, you might be able to do the same someday."
William was too focused on the vortex to pay any attention to Efretta's rude remark. "How do you have enough Mana to maintain this?"
"I have my methods. You don't need to know about this."
The vortex and wisps disappeared from William's view, though he could still sense its presence. He switched his attention back to Efretta, whose eyes blinked a few times before looking elsewhere.
"I have nothing more to say to you." she said simply.
William frowned. He still had so many questions for Efretta, but she didn't seem to want to talk. For someone that was trapped for nearly a million years, William would have expected the complete opposite.
He decided to remain, since Efretta had no choice but to listen to him. Even if he was her descendant, so what? There was no way Efretta was stronger than the System she called her Master.
"What about the others? If I release you, what will happen to them? And you said this World won't last without you. I have friends here." William asked.
"You care about these beings? You're going to Ascend soon; friends and family will only be a liability. Even with fragments of Master's soul supporting them, they won't be able to keep up with the main body. Those without Master's help are even more worthless."
Efretta's disregard for human lives made William feel somewhat cold. Is this what happens when the Humanity stat becomes too low? Will I become like her?
-There's a possibility.
William shook his head. His respect for Efretta had declined even further, but he also felt some pity for the woman. Clearly she had gone through a lot to become like this.
"They're your children, and this is an entire World of humans. OUR race! I'm not a villain or a saint, but I won't allow you to throw them away like trash, even if you are our Ancestor!"