Rise of the Limitless One

----

'She had over 400 Accumulated Destinies?' Lucian thought as he gazed at Alana with a conflicted expression. Not only did she have enough Accumulated Destinies to heal his siblings, but she was also the only Guardian he knew that was so close to the Extraordinary threshold.

Though, it was a shame that Guardians only underwent a second Awakening at the time of reception. For Alana to capitalize on the Destinies in her possession, it would require her to undergo her advancement.

Unfortunately, she was nowhere near the authority needed to activate her advancement, and she was aware of that thanks to her background.

Still, Lucian could only shake his head, 'If I were to receive the stone with her circumstance, then my siblings wouldn't be in their current situation.' Again, Lucian rued his current plight even though there were ample ways for him to acquire destinies.

Unlike the rest, while he held a cheat-like ability, it seemed like he still needed to put in a substantial amount of effort to bring out its highest worth.

Meanwhile, after sensing his thoughts, the stone disagreed.

〈That is incorrect! I needed an empty vessel to merge with. One that was barren. You would have exploded if there was destiny from another you at the time of merging.〉

'Exploded? Why? Don't you absorb destiny, anyway?'

〈I do not absorb! I transmute! I change destiny into pure tangible power for you.〉

'But still, I don't understand where the issue fits. You could have simply transmuted the power into what you say,' Lucian countered. An infuriated groan sounded in his mind as the stone's sentience seemed to become incensed by his questioning.

〈No! No! No! My power would have separated throughout the cosmos searching for your doppelgangers. Once found, this vessel would be the principal root! So, you would experience a collision beyond a nuclear explosion when they came together.〉

Immediately, Lucian blanked. It seemed like the power of destiny wasn't as straightforward as it seemed. After all, Lucian had learned of the destruction of nuclear weapons from history. They were simply tools of inordinate destruction!

And, there was no way for him to survive a blast like that. Therefore, Lucian simmered down and even stopped grumbling over his circumstances. Because it was clear that meticulous planning went into choosing him.

If not, then that voice who spoke to him wouldn't have summoned him to the Monolith to find the stone hidden in plain sight from those who sought it.

On the other hand, Alana tilted her head when she noticed Lucian's prolonged silence. She thought that her revelation had short-circuited him! "Are you… okay?" 

Lucian blinked before focusing his gaze back on her, "I'm fine, but was the Guardian Corps always on an island? I thought the world turned into a Pangea after the Priming."

"OH! Are we here already?!" Alana exclaimed before looking out the window. But, she then started to blink as all she saw was water expanding into the vast distance. If that was the case, why did Lucian ask that question?

"Huh?" Alana looked back at Lucian, unsure of what to make of this situation.

Of course, Lucian didn't reveal that while he couldn't see the Guardian Corps. Several auras were launching into the sky beyond the vast border of water. At a glance, Lucian knew it had to belong to the Guardian Corps because the vibrancy matched that of the Fractal Force.

What Lucian was sensing was the Fractal Force of many Guardians gathered in one general area. As Hypervigilance was an SS Rank Ability, it turned Lucian into a monstrous scout, surpassing many radar technologies.

"Relax. It's just an observation. If there's a ring of water previously unaccounted for, then obviously there's an island nearby because a Pangea is a simple mass of land," Lucian chuckled.

"Ah," Alana nodded before taking a seat. For a moment, she thought Lucian had the perception of a monster. After all, from what she estimated, they were still over 10,000 miles away. 

Soon enough, they fell silent as Lucian started to close his eyes after finishing his meal. Now that his stomach was full, all he wanted was some sleep until they reached the island.

However, he felt a light breeze and a tickle on his cheek, causing his eyes to flutter open. He saw Alana leaning across the table while rubbing a few locks of his hair between her fingers.

"So… soft," Alana muttered. She was astonished by how soft it was. Similar to Aurora, she wondered just how he managed to have better upkeep than she did. Of course, she didn't understand that Lucian's body was forged from a divine item.

How could its qualities be compared to a mere human's, even if it was terrifyingly incomplete?

"Have you… had your share? I'd like to rest if you will," Lucian muttered while closing his eyes. After experiencing Aurora's behavior, Lucian understood that some girls had an attraction towards finer things.

So, the attraction wasn't to Lucian; it was because the superior qualities of his current appearance were quite beguiling.

"I'm sorry. I just had to," Alana said with a short giggle before once again sitting down. 

In the meantime, Lucian simply closed his eyes. Gradually, he fell asleep, except it was a kind of sleep he had never experienced before. He drifted to an astral space where a crimson glob floated before him.

Numerous rifts surrounded the glob, giving Lucian a familiar feeling. It was the same Creation Rifts created when he used his Manifestation ability. Apparently, this was somewhere related to the stone.

'Where is this?' Lucian muttered while waving his hand around. A string of ethereal afterimages followed his hand as it moved, creating a breathtaking illusion.

〈It is the Boundless Dimension. That cluster is the current amount of destiny in your possession. In order to become limitless, you need to fill this boundless space.〉

'WHAT?!' Lucian exclaimed in shock. This area spanned farther than he could see. In fact, as the stone said, this space was boundless. And, it had another name.

〈Yes. This is my true form. To become limitless, you need to fill me up. As you know, all of our actions rely upon that form of energy.〉

As a divine item, it was something without bounds. And only now did Lucian understand how true that was. His remaining destiny was merely a drop in a vast ocean!

In addition to learning of this place, Lucian also felt an indescribable sensation that felt beyond him. But, since he couldn't put it in words, it wasn't addressed. Steadily, Lucian just floated before the crimson cluster with a mystified gaze.

'So this is the appearance of destiny.'

〈Unpurified destiny. Once you become a master of it, the color will change. But, until you have assumed the Limitless mantle, this will be the color. Also, it is time.〉

Suddenly, Lucian felt the space rumbled.

…

Lucian awakened with a deep gasp as he looked around.

His sudden movement startled Alana, causing her to jump in fright, "Eh?! Who the hell wakes up like that? Are you having some type of nightmare?"

But, Lucian didn't answer and instead looked out the window. Sure enough, just as the stone revealed, the island housing the Guardian Corps' main headquarters appeared before him.

It was on an immense island whose outer perimeter was formed by a ring of verdant mountains that produced a dense mist. From what Lucian could tell, the headquarter wasn't one building, but a collection of stadium-size constructs. The number totaled over 12, with each of them possessing independent training domes.

"Sheesh. Way to go overboard," Lucian muttered in awe.

"Yeah, the Skybreaker is definitely one to go overboard," Alana agreed. But her statement caused Lucian to snap towards her.

"Skybreaker?"

"Yeah. That's the title of the Guardian Corps' Chairman. Alteria's strongest Guardian, Skybreaker," Alana answered.

'A title,' Lucian thought to himself. He then remembered people talking about the Flame Sorcerer, Frost Witch, Byakko, and other monikers, which made him realize something.

"Do Guardians gain a title?" Lucian asked.

"Only after becoming a True Alpha, which is clearing up to the last floor of the Alpha placement," Alana replied with a nod.

Seeing as there weren't many Titled Guardians, Lucian presumed it was hard to make it to that point. Perhaps the number of people who did so far could be counted on both of his hands.

Just then, the turbines of the jet powered down as they began their descent into a building that opened to reveal a designated hangar.

The view Lucian saw made him entertain a few of his ignored thoughts. 'Perhaps this is a leviathan that I need more than I know.' Thus, Lucian started to sprout some branching ideas.