Chapter 501: Funny Discovery

Bruce spent the remainder of the afternoon immersed in his studies. He began with the lecture manuscript, a compact but remarkably dense document written by a scribe named Halven, who appeared to have specialized in advanced target-seals. Unlike the basic manual Bruce had studied earlier, Halven’s work assumed that the reader already possessed a strong understanding of seal construction and was interested primarily in taking that knowledge further. The manuscript explored more sophisticated applications, including methods of modifying the behavior of individual seals, reducing energy consumption, and combining several independent structures into a single functioning system. Bruce found the material difficult, but the difficulty only made it more satisfying. There was a particular section devoted to linked seal structures, explaining how multiple seals could be connected so that the effect of one became the condition or trigger for another, allowing a series of relatively simple seals to produce a much more complicated compound effect. Bruce found the concept particularly interesting and ended up reading that section three separate times, mentally reconstructing several of the examples before moving on.

When he eventually needed a change of pace, Bruce turned to the theory-of-talents book. It was less technical than Halven’s manuscript, but in some ways it proved more valuable because it gave him a theoretical framework through which he could better understand his own talent. The author divided awakened talents into three broad categories based on what they acted upon. Object-acting talents affected discrete objects or clearly defined targets, such as weapons, creatures, materials, or individual structures. Space-acting talents operated upon volumes, regions, distances, or other forms of spatial territory. The third category was considerably rarer: fabric-acting talents. These did not merely manipulate an object within the realm or alter a region of space. Instead, they interacted with the underlying substrate from which the realm itself was constructed.

According to the book, fabric-acting talents were extraordinarily uncommon, occurring in perhaps one out of every ten thousand awakened souls. Their rarity, however, was not their only distinguishing characteristic. The author emphasized that such talents were also considerably more difficult to develop than ordinary talents because the realm itself could, under certain circumstances, resist them. The statement was brief, almost as though the author considered it an accepted principle that required no lengthy explanation, but it immediately caught Bruce’s attention. He reread the sentence several times before lowering the book slightly and staring into the distance.

The realm itself sometimes resisted them.

Those words connected with something Bruce had read previously in Elenora’s research papers. Her writings had described the experiences of previous Ascendants and the increasing difficulty they encountered as they advanced toward the higher ranks. At the time, Bruce had interpreted that phenomenon as something associated specifically with Ascendants. He had assumed that the difficulty came from the extraordinary amount of power required to advance, the interference of Sisel Marn, or perhaps some other unknown limitation placed upon souls that reached a certain level. He had never seriously considered the possibility that the resistance itself might have nothing to do with the title of Ascendant.

Now, however, the theory book offered him another possibility.

Perhaps the realm did not resist Ascendants because they were Ascendants. Perhaps it resisted them because the talents that allowed souls to reach those heights were fundamentally different from ordinary talents. A sufficiently powerful fabric-acting talent would naturally allow its wielder to interact with the underlying structure of the realm. If the talents that overloaded the awakening orb were predominantly fabric-acting talents, and if every Ascendant who reached the higher ranks possessed an ability capable of interacting with the realm’s underlying fabric, then the connection between the two phenomena became difficult to ignore.

Bruce slowly began reconstructing the idea in his mind. The higher an Ascendant climbed, the more deeply their talent would presumably penetrate into the structure of the realm. The deeper their interaction became, the more the realm would have to accommodate an external will acting upon its own underlying architecture. From that perspective, the increasing resistance described in Elenora’s papers was not necessarily evidence of some arbitrary limitation imposed upon Ascendants. It could be a structural reaction.

The realm was resisting interference with itself.

Bruce considered the possibility carefully rather than immediately accepting it as fact. There was still insufficient evidence to prove the theory, but it provided an explanation that connected several previously unrelated pieces of information. The awakening orb, the rarity of certain talents, the difficulty faced by high-ranking Ascendants, and the mysterious nature of the Codex all began to appear as parts of the same larger mechanism.

He filed the thought away for later investigation.

The theory book did not directly discuss the Codex, but its description of fabric-acting talents gave Bruce another way to think about the ancient entity. If the Codex truly maintained, regulated, or otherwise interacted with the underlying fabric of the Soul Realm, then its function could not be entirely separate from the domain occupied by fabric-acting talents. The difference was one of scale and authority. A talented soul might be able to manipulate a portion of the realm’s underlying structure, while the Codex appeared to possess a relationship with that structure on a vastly greater level.

That raised an uncomfortable possibility.

Perhaps fabric-acting souls were not merely rare because their talents were difficult. Perhaps they were rare because the realm could only tolerate a limited number of beings actively interfering with its underlying fabric. The Codex’s architecture might have been designed around a certain balance, and sufficiently powerful fabric-actors could eventually begin to interfere with that balance simply by existing at a high enough level of mastery.

If that interpretation was correct, then the increasing resistance faced by previous Ascendants made considerably more sense. The Codex would not necessarily need to be hostile toward them. It would not need to consciously decide that they were enemies or attempt to kill them. The resistance could simply be a consequence of the realm’s own architecture. As an Ascendant grew powerful enough to alter the fabric directly, the mechanisms maintaining that fabric would naturally push back against the intrusion.

Bruce found that possibility considerably more unsettling than the simpler explanation that the Codex was merely an enemy.

An enemy could be defeated.

A structural limitation was something else entirely.

He closed the theory book and remained silent for several minutes as he considered the implications. If his interpretation was correct, then his future advancement would involve more than overcoming Sisel Marn, political opposition, powerful enemies, or the ordinary limitations of cultivation. At some point, he would have to confront the resistance of the realm itself. The closer he came to the levels where his talent could meaningfully alter the fabric of reality, the more significant that resistance would become.

That might even explain why no known Ascendant had reached SS.

Perhaps Sisel Marn had indeed killed previous Ascendants before they could reach that level, but that might not have been the entire explanation. Even without Sisel’s interference, perhaps the realm would have made their advancement progressively more difficult as their talents began to encroach upon the domain maintained by the Codex. Their enemies might have been only one obstacle among several, while the greatest obstacle had been built into the very structure of the realm itself.

Bruce’s thoughts became more focused as he considered his own path.

If he wanted to reach SSS, he could not simply overpower the resistance. He would need to understand it. More importantly, he might need to find a way to cooperate with the Codex, circumvent the restrictions imposed by the realm’s architecture, or perhaps even establish some form of compatibility with the system responsible for maintaining the fabric.

For the first time, Bruce began to suspect that reaching SSS might not be a matter of possessing enough power.

It might be a matter of understanding what the realm actually was.

He carefully stored the theory in his mind and returned to his studies.

Across the room, Kael was reading Yolen’s essay, which Bruce had handed to him after finishing the section of Halven’s manuscript concerning target-seals. Theron, meanwhile, had continued working through the basic manual Bruce had given him earlier that day. Unlike Kael, who frequently paused to consider the implications of what he read, Theron progressed methodically through the material, occasionally returning to earlier sections whenever he encountered something he had not fully understood.

The three of them continued reading together in the quiet room for the next several hours. The atmosphere was peaceful, and Bruce found himself appreciating the difference between studying alone and studying alongside others who were capable of understanding the same material. There was no need for conversation. Each of them was pursuing a different line of knowledge, yet the occasional exchange of observations helped connect their discoveries.

Bruce also made an unexpected discovery during those hours. The endurance of his soul-body was significantly greater than that of his physical body when it came to prolonged reading. His eyes never became strained, his concentration remained unusually stable, and information seemed to remain clearer in his mind even after hours of continuous study. His physical body would eventually become tired after extended intellectual work, but his soul-body seemed almost designed for it.

The discovery amused him.

Apparently, the Soul Realm rewarded scholars in ways the physical realm did not.