The Primordial Record - Chapter 1839: Versions Of Evil
Chapter 1839: Versions Of Evil
If there was a person in all of existence who had the flexibility of spirit and soul to handle the malevolent and powerful forces in all of creation more than him, Rowan had not yet found that person.
Again and again, he had plunged his mind into the abyss of madness, placing no defenses upon it so that he could experience it in full. The fact that Rowan had experienced all of this madness and could still be considered to be conventionally sane only meant that his sanity was just another form of madness.
No one should be willing to plunge their mind into the fire the same way Rowan did, and he did not hesitate, partly because in one of his estimations for the future, an event like this might occur.
Eosah had asked him not too long ago why he had not brought his main body to check the secrets behind Origin. The first time that he had arrived here and saw Eosah, the power from this layer beyond Origin had driven Rowan to the ground; in fact, he had perished.
Like an ant thrown into the sun, there was nothing he had that could safeguard him from this power, and his escape had only been because he was careful not to peer past the curtain of madness.
Such a power that could erode everything he knew and understood could not just be left aside. Rowan knew that if he was patient, he could slowly cultivate his strength to the extent that he would break through the threshold of Origin in the future without any fear. Still, he was always under pressure to succeed, and so he could not leave such resources to waste.
More than anything in Reality, Rowan desired the secrets that lay beyond Origin, but he knew the risks associated with such a thing.
However, despite these risks, Rowan was not afraid of the complexities of a higher power; what he was wary of was whether that power had a personality or there was a conscious barrier stopping others from attaining that power.
His speculations were not unfounded. When Rowan had deepened his fusion with the Primordial Record and became an Apex Omniversal Titan, while also acquiring other Reality-defying powers, Enoch had come for him.
With the strength gained from the fusion with the Primordial Record, Rowan had been able to fight off this malevolent influence, and his victory brought certain benefits… it revealed some of the secrets of this being.
For one, Enoch had claimed to be the First…. The First of Everything.
Since the beginning of consciousness, mortals, gods, Titans, maybe even the Primordials may have wondered what came first… how did all of existence begin?
Rowan did not know this truth, even at his present level, and he believed that this was the ultimate door that blocked the throne of existence; anyone who was capable of understanding this single fundamental question would be the ruler of all existence, yet Enoch claims he was the first.
And Rowan feared that this might be the truth.
He did not know what killed Enoch or even if the concept of Death could be applied to such an entity, but what he knew was that in that confrontation, Rowan had been able to obtain certain great powers, including a new bloodline that he was not able to touch because he feared the corruption from handling such great powers when he could still be considered weak.
All of his fears could be laid to rest if he could reach the ninth-dimensional level and properly integrate all these new powers, but there were roadblocks in his path, one that may have been artificially set up by a being that ruthlessly suppressed all signs of growth in existence.
When Rowan had battled with the consciousness of Enoch, one truth became known to him: that he had drawn the attention of this entity because Rowan was able to walk a unique path. He was the first of his kind in all of existence, and for that reason alone, Enoch would suppress him.
His uniqueness meant that his road to the layer beyond Origin was open, and he was not bound like everyone else. This meant that every knowledge beyond Origin was safeguarded by Enoch.
Before meeting Eosah, Rowan had already speculated on the sort of answers he might receive from her, and he knew that if he asked the right questions, he would be led to answers he craved. He had hoped that Eosah might have immunity against the power of Enoch, but he was wrong.
With his habit of always planning for all eventualities, Rowan had to make a plan for the instances where his worst fears became reality. What if, in the process of asking for guidance from Eosah, he touched upon a topic that would draw the attention of Enoch? What should be his response?
There may be an opportunity here, but the question was whether he was capable of obtaining it.
Rowan had observed that Enoch had great powers, but it seemed as if he could only act through a medium, and most of the time, those media were inadequate to properly express his powers.
When Enoch had attacked Rowan during his fusion with the Primordial Record, one of the reasons for his loss was that the Primordial Record had been fighting against the influences of Enoch, and was not a willing host to his corruption, and Rowan was placing a bet on eosah, that if he begins asking questions that delved into the realms beyond Origin, she would be a barrier that would erode the power of Enoch.
As it turned out, he was right. Eosah had been torn in two, but Rowan knew that this sort of damage was not enough to kill her. He knew this because reality still existed, and although the hand reaching out towards him was travelling faster than he had ever seen, the fact that it had to travel to reach him and not instantly appear on his body was the sign of the erosion that was brought about by Eosah’s Will.
Did Rowan use her and manipulate her intentions for his own benefit? Yes, but Eosah could not accuse him of this, because it would be the pot calling the kettle black. In their realms of existence, to find a trustworthy ally was difficult, as everyone had an agenda. Rowan was always grateful for his children and allies whose visions aligned with his own, but he did not give others those benefits.
If he could be deceived by Eosah after knowing the truth behind existence, then he deserves the loss.
Using Eosah in this manner gave Rowan the opportunity to do something he always wanted to do when he first clashed with Enoch in his mind, and when he met his influence again during his battle with Primordial Demon inside the Arena, he wanted to consume!
But to do that, first he needed to learn.
All of these thoughts flashed briefly in Rowan’s mind as waves of relentless agony pounded throughout his consciousness as he pressed it against the hand that was slowly reaching for him.
Incomprehensible data poured into his consciousness, accompanying the pain, yet his anomalous nature allowed him glimpses. Flashes of meaning in the madness.
He did not see a face as much as he wanted to see one. He did not sense a name, but he already knew who this enemy was; instead, Rowan perceived a function.
The hand was not an attacker; it was more like an editor, and the power holding him was not malice; it was a corrective algorithm.
The target, as it turned out, had not been him. It had been Eosah. She was to be purged because she had knowledge she was not meant to possess, knowledge of the system’s deepest, most protected layers—the Cradle, the Primordial Beasts, the true nature of the Cosmic Record. She had become a security breach. And he, by engaging with that knowledge, had been flagged. Quarantined.
The force holding him was not trying to kill him. It was analyzing him. It was running a diagnostic on the anomaly, the unrecorded variable named “Rowan.” It was assessing whether he was a glitch to be patched or a virus to be deleted.
Eosah was not supposed to be able to reach the conclusion she had come to, but the presence of Rowan had brought about a spark that could not be extinguished, and that spark had led to something that was not allowed.
Rowan was an abomination corrupting the system.
The sheer, impersonal, absolute nature of this hand was more terrifying than any Primordial’s hatred. This was not an enemy he could reason with, bargain with, or overpower. This was the existence’ anti-virus software, and he had just been detected.
And Rowan realized in a single awful moment that the version of the Enoch he had come across inside the Primordial Record was different from this version here.
Enoch… had Incarnations!
