Crucible Aeternum: Ascending through Skill Trees

[Symbiotic Devour has evolved into Shaper.]

[Shaper is being defined.]

[Shaper: You are your own master. Your Body is your temple. Your Mind is your liege. And your Will is your instrument. No one may decide who or what you are. Only you can do so. No one may decide what you can and cannot do. Only you can do so. You are the Shaper. Now, shape your very Existence.]

A resonant hum rang out in the depths of Galeon's mind. He shivered in ecstasy as he felt a level of control over himself that was seemingly free and unburdened by any weight. It was as though he had always grappled with shackling chains that coiled around him like relentless serpents trying to suffocate him to death.

But now he was free.

And as though something finally clicked in place, the fluctuating Prisma Core on his chest finally began settling down. However this time, it continued to shrink until it was only the size of half his fist. But that was not the end of the changes to his body.

The Prisma Core had long been merged with himself, but perhaps he did not truly understand what it meant to be merged with a Prisma Core. He always saw it as something foreign, a product of a wicked experiment of some demented madmen. But was it truly the case? As he felt the changes of the Prisma Core at this moment, he began to doubt himself.

The Prisma Core submerged into his body, suffusing every part of him with itself and its power. His suit and wings seemingly melted into him as he felt a deeper connection between him and the Prisma Core.

No... rather than a connection, it felt more like oneness.

This was no longer the same as what he had felt before. Previously, the Prisma Core was like an additional limb that he could command with his mind. Command..., what kind of body part needed one to command it? A limb moved with its owner's thoughts. There was no need for command. And this was a major difference as it meant a gap between them existed.

But now, the Prisma Core was like a vital organ. It was like his lungs taking in oxygen in the air. It was like his beating heart, pumping oxygenated blood throughout his body. It was like his liver and kidneys that filter his blood. It was like his brain and his nervous system running all these automated physiological systems without his manual input or command. Without just one of these, complications would arise.

And indeed, without the Prisma Core, Galeon felt that he would be extremely vulnerable and weak. It felt like the ethereal chains that had been forcefully ripped apart would return with a terrifying vengeance. And most of all, he could feel that the Prisma Core's pure energy was no longer being given to him. It was being produced by him.

He is now the Prisma Core itself.

Galeon's gaze shifted toward the corpse of the giant worm that he was now burning with his light. From the moment it appeared, everyone knew that it was not a beast. It was a monster spawned from Prisma itself. But to think it actually had a Prisma Core within it, this just changed Galeon's understanding of it. And it also gave him a glimpse into the undefined quality that Symbiotic Devour obtained that allowed it to evolve into Shaper.

The Prisma Core within the giant worm must have been alive somehow, perhaps similar to his own but also in a different way. While his Prisma Core became alive as a part of him, the giant worm was created to be the vessel that carried its Prisma Core. The Prisma Core was basically the brain or the heart of this monster. It was such a strange thing that even now, Galeon found it difficult to accept.

Just how powerful were these alien rocks? They destroyed his world and mutated the creatures within it, and now they were even creating new life. It was a terrifying thing as it seemed to open a window toward grander and more fantastical things that could be found outside Corrin. But such things could easily corrupt the mind and overwhelm them all. Humanity was not yet ready for such powers.

And when he reached this thought, Galeon remembered a conversation he recently had. Verglas had warned him of an invasion. He said that they were already here in Corrin, spreading their corruption to humanity. Galeon did not believe it then, but now, he was starting to think that there might be some truth to those words. He needed to have a talk with Verglas and maybe even their leader, Latonai the Divine Blade of Retribution.

He added another note to the list that was now steadily growing. Things he needed to know, things he was curious about, things he must be wary of, he listed them down in his mind. But they can all wait. He had just finished a major battle, but his commission had not yet ended. Not until he had confirmed that Sairen had returned to Melchior safely.

So without waiting any further, he turned around. The suit that had melted back into his body did not appear anymore. He felt that he no longer needed it. His body was Prisma, what more could be better than it. Instead, liquid crystal formed a set of clothes on his body. He had a black dress shirt and pants matched with a pair of sleek black shoes. And to top it all off, his favourite white coat.

He jumped into the air before shooting out with speed as his wings unfurled with an even more natural appearance. No longer did it look out of place on a human body. It instead seemed to have always been a part of him as though he was some kind of angel made of Prisma. Behind him, the corpse of the giant worm had been reduced to ashes.

As he headed straight to Melchior, Galeon focused on the status screen that appeared before him even without the HUD of his helmet. His hair now fluttered freely with the wind. No longer was it ashen white. It instead looked reminiscent of the liquid light that he wielded. He did not even look like a human anymore, but rather an ethereal and mystical being.

[Name: Galeon]

[Titles: Master of the Vernal Bloom | Divine Blade of Finality | Shaper of Self]

[Aspects: Cor Ena – Vernal Bloom | Prisma Core | Bringer of Light]

[Skills: Lux, Bringer of Light (T3-S2) | Retroactive Physique (T3-S1) | Shaper (Unique) | Pyrokinesis (T2-S1) | Vibration (T2-S1)]

There were only two notable changes to his status: the skill or trait called Shaper that was still designated as 'Unique' without a specific Stratum or Tier; and the title Shaper of Self. There was not much to say about them that has not already been said.

The very fact that Shaper has been designated as a unique complexity meant that it was very likely to no longer be capable of evolution. And while this may seem like a bad thing, Galeon no longer fretted over it. Even now, he could feel invisible chains on him disappearing. He was reaching a level of potential that not even Retroactive Physique could give him.

But with both Shaper and Retroactive Physique now working in tandem, he could not even imagine just what boons he would obtain in the future. Furthermore, with his new level of understanding of himself brought about by Shaper, he could sense a peculiar kind of power emanating within him corresponding to three distinct things in his status screen.

His three titles:

Master of the Vernal Bloom

Divine Blade of Finality

Shaper of Self

There was something profound about them, a weight that their mere presence exuded. It was a weight that was now a part of him. He is the Master of the Vernal Bloom whose growth is practically limitless. He is the Divine Blade of Finality who sought to reach out into the distant Eternity. And he was the Shaper of Self whose very existence was inviolable and paramount.

They were not simply names. They were powers. They were his honours and dignity. They were his authorities with which he affected himself and the world around him. Finally, he was catching a glimpse of a new level of power. Something that lay beyond Finality. Something that could be bridged by potential evolutions. Something that lay within Shaper.

Power... to mould things to his wishes, to his own design.

He could feel it. The Eternity he yearned for was ahead of him. He previously could not even see it. He could only dream of it. But now, there was a clear path ahead. All he needed was to walk it.

But before one could walk, one would need to learn to crawl and stand. And so he would begin with smaller things. His gaze shifted to another part of his status screen, his first test subjects.

[Shaper is attempting to influence the complexities of Pyrokinesis and Vibration.]

[The Vernal Bloom rejects the influence.]

[Shaper of Self overrides the Vernal Bloom's authority according to the wishes of the Master of the Vernal Bloom.]