Chương 40: Chapter 37: Sidereal Infinity

The Void Tower was composed of a trapped microcosmos. Literally speaking. Nolotl's Simulacrum found himself floating in a colorful nothingness as he was surrounded him was a dark void littered with stars of myriad colors with nebulae, pulsars, black holes, white holes, and many other cosmic phenomena appearing around him.

"None of this is real," he whispered to himself, which might as well be a thought considering the entity that uttered those words was composed of pure information.

"I am not… floating. My feet are on the ground and I think there are walls, floors, and ceilings… even if they aren't quite visible." Nolotl walked backwards to the door, which had now assimilated with the cosmic void of the whole tower. He could touch what used to be a wooden door even though it had been dyed with sidereal paint. In some twisted sense, it was easier to feel the walls and the door with his cyan hands as they began disintegrating whenever he applied any force on a surface.

It was a weird feeling and sight. His eyes could see an infinite beyond, but there was a clear invisible wall in front of him. Of course, he couldn't see it by virtue of that aforementioned invisibility. It was messing with his senses.

"Ugh…" He groaned as his cyan arm reconstructed, then he looked around the solitary void of the cosmos.

"There's not even presence of this in the Cognition. All of the towers barring the Space one had an accurate cognitive description. They are mostly mirrored copies but this place… it's as if it doesn't exist."

"Oh, but it does exist, paradoxically enough," a voice said next to him. The real Nolotl was surprised by this and looked around in a panic, only to realize that it was the Simulacrum that was being talked to. And yet, no matter how much he looked around, he couldn't find anything through his divination.

"Oh, sorry," the voice apologized.

"I keep forgetting that it's hard to acknowledge inexistence." Nolotl was unable to describe the subsequent events as he had a hard time comprehending what was happening. Out of absolutely nowhere, space rippled with the starry cosmos twisting around and a man came out. The sight was as breathtaking as it was disturbing as space—with both meanings of the word—behaved like a liquid fabric that dripped from the mage until it reconstructed once again, leaving no trail and only a whole man in front of him.

The Empyrean of Information could only remain static whilst looking at him, his brain having difficulties to process the man's existence even though he was barely a couple of meters away from him. He was sure the mage had distinctive traits, certainly a robe and perhaps pale skin, but he couldn't be so sure.

Information about him completely escaped the gnosiamancer's mind in a far more brutal way than the akyromancer assassins, completely bypassing his Perfect Recollection Boon even if he used it to inspect his memories ex post facto. You have resisted Madness. Void Alignment increased by 0. 0001%. Void assimilation progressed by 1%. Those last two notifications scared him more than the man's presence. Or rather, lack thereof.

Perhaps assimilating Void this fast would help him with his objective of using his gifted free year in with more ease, but he had increased his Void Alignment a lot in a short while. Whilst he was mostly sure that type of growth wouldn't last, Nolotl couldn't afford to get down from his 75% Information Alignment. That thing alone was what made him interesting to Enantyum's eyes and worth keeping in the time loop. Without it, he wouldn't be a time looper, only something to be disposed of.

"And I also keep forgetting that it's hard to get acknowledged," the nondescript man sighed and pressed his hand where the door out of the Void Tower should be, a locking sound echoing after his gesture and the small fissure of space that wasn't the cosmos but the outside reality vanishing.

"But that's not excuse to let the tower open. You seem to be able to handle its might, but not many non-akyromancers are able to do so. Remember to close the doors behind you."

"…Right, sorry." Nolotl apologized, not knowing what to make out of this whole situation.

"I wanted to meet with someone but this is my first time at the Void Tower and the sight has left me… confounded."

"Confounded? I would have wished more for bewilderment," the man added, his traits almost melding with the sidereal background.

"I am also bewildered," the Empyrean added.

"But my confusion takes precedence."

"Confusion or confusion?" The akyromancer inquired.

"Uh, the normal kind. I've resisted all status effects that the tower tried to impose onto me."

"That you know of," the man—who Nolotl now believed to be somewhat old—ominously added.

"That I know of," the terian nodded.

"But considering my focus as a diviner and Alignment appraisal, I can certify with high certainty that nothing has affected me. I once tried before to get into the tower and I was aware that I was afflicted with apathy."

"Glad knowing you are aware of your limits but that statement is problematic," the celestial—or so guessed Nolotl—rubbed his chin.

"How so?"

"Well, I would've been aware that a non-akyromancer stepped into my tower." He spoke that sentence casually, but there was one word that took precedence before anything else. My.

"I'm so sorry for my behavior, Tower Master Dol," Nolotl instantly knelt down in Tezlan fashion with one knee on the ground and one arm at eye-level.

"Bah, get up," the archmagi scoffed.

"And call me Tramma."

"Uhm, sure," the Simulacrum stood up and looked at one of the ten tower masters directly at the eyes. He still couldn't make out any characteristics out of the man, but now his eyes shone for him. Though perhaps shone was a bit of a misnomer as they were black. Though not quite like Beta's. The Empyrean of Void still conserved her sclera, but that wasn't the case with the man in front of him.

It was a weird mixture as his eyes were perfectly reflective like a normal eye, which contrasted with the light-absorbing darkness of the background cosmos, unlike Beta's conjoined iris and pupils that were of a dead black that couldn't reflect light. Not quite a black hole, just dead. How ironic that Void of all elements has this much variety in the way it can represent in the eyes, Nolotl jested to himself before doing his best to appear confident in front of one of the most powerful mages in the world.

"Er, right," and he failed.

"So, Tower Master Tramma-""Tramma alone is fine," the akyromancer interjected.

"So, Tramma, what brings a Tower Master to welcome a random student?"

"Ah, a proper acknowledgement of your superior and humility? I wish I saw this much cordiality in my tower," the Archmagi chuckled.

"But it's hard to answer your question when it's already based in such a flawed foundation. You're no random student after all, Nolotl Xocoyotzin." It brought the terian no end to his elation to hear someone pronounce correctly his whole name. Even gnosiamancers failed to pronounce it from time to time as not everyone had Perfect Recollection.

"Can you blame me from being humble when my peers are quite literally peerless?" He chuckled softly himself, though in a far more derisive manner.

"I'm aware that you aren't as excellent as your fellow empyreans, but if I were you, I wouldn't besmirch your Title is such a rude way," the Tower Master's voice deepened.

"Not everyone can become an Empyrean, so act like it." You have resisted Suppression. That notification scared him, chilling him to the bone. Whilst it wasn't as awful as what Enantyum had made him feel already, it was a terrifying status update to read. Suppression was a physical status effect, which meant that the archmagi had been able to affect his real body with the Simulacrum as a proxy.

Nolotl's real self looked around himself to see that he was still alone on the sky-bridge, only adding more to his apprehension. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

"I will… try to live more up to the name," the Simulacrum responded hesitantly a moment later.

"So, er, could I get an answer to my previous question?"

"Of course," Tramma Dol added in a more soft-mannered behavior.

"As I've implicitly stated, I can feel when anyone enters my tower. Not all of us can, I think Xanax and the headmaster are the only ones who can do so too."

"Xanax can feel the flow of all people coming in and out of the Information Tower?" That piece of trivia surprised Nolotl.

"I knew he was far more connected to the Cognition than most, but that's… incredible."

"Mm, yes," the Tower Master scratched his chin, but the gnosiamancer couldn't tell if there was a beard present or not, any detail remaining elusive.

"All of us are especial in some way or another, but if anything, Xanax's more especial about his exploits on hoarding knowledge rather than mental ones. But what's the purpose of your visit? I don't mean to pry, only that it's surprising to have non-akyromancers on my tower."

"I mostly came to ask Methasome some insights on the Void and perhaps some spells," he decided to refer to her by her surname as it made him uncomfortable to refer to the Void Tower Master by his name and his mind was aching for some formality.

"And why not ask your own Tower Master?" Tramma inquired.

"I just said it offhandedly, but he really is that knowledgeable." Nolotl was aware that the master of his tower was one of the most knowledgeable mages in the world, but he was hesitant to ask him anything related to any other Alignment as the archmagi only knew about Nolotl's interest in gnosiamancy and especially divination. This wouldn't be like dealing with Enala, the man knew him before the time loop, and somewhat well at that.

And even if he wanted to, Enantyum especially 'requested' him to search for Beta's tutelage.

"I've just been recommended to seek my fellow's advice and pick their minds a bit," Nolotl answered cryptically with the hope that the archmagi would misunderstand it and think that the recommendation would come from Xanax. Not even a white lie, in that sense. Just mild obfuscation.

"Well, that's commendable in that case. Not that many people try to understand other Alignments, especially if they aren't walking simultaneous paths. Or are you intending to walk down the path of obscuramancy?"

"Not at all, and you wouldn't be the first one to ask," the terian shook his head.

"There's an Information Boon that compels me to understand other Alignments and I'm just doing that."

"You certainly picked the most dangerous one to start with then," the akyromancer said with a soft smile. Or so Nolotl thought he was doing. Ugh, akyromancy gets too weird on the higher levels. I hate that I cannot ascertain anything with utmost certainty, not even my memories. Nolotl smiled back if he was right with his observation. At least the words the archmagi had spoken were true and also amusing to him. I'm doing this first because it's the most dangerous Alignment, after all.

He wasn't pleased to interact with akyromancy, but he could deeply understand Enantyum's choice. I hate to say this, but I would do the same if I were in his place and had a second looper. It's just the most pragmatic choice.

"Though, this raises the question," Archmagi Dol continued.

"Why have you come in person to the Void Tower?" The man blinked and looked at the translucent cyan student.

"Well, I guess not in person, but you understand my words."

"I do," the Empyrean of Information nodded.

"It's just that it's hard to divine the position of akyromancers, especially Methasome's, so I came to the tower in the hopes of pinpointing her position with more accuracy."

"If that's the case, I could guide you to her current location," Tramma Dol offered.

"Oh, I couldn't bring myself to waste so much time of a Tower Master I'm not affiliated with," Nolotl declined.

"Nonsense, I insist."

"Well… I guess I would be wrong to deny your help in that case." The archmagi grinned.

"You would be. Follow me." As Tramma Dol walked on the invisible floor that was hidden in the vastness of the cosmos that was the Void Tower, Nolotl noticed some ripples in the man's steps, not different from those of a puddle.

"So… it's the Void Tower an excerpt of the cosmos or what is happening here?" The Empyrean casually asked as he looked around.

"Not quite," the Tower Master replied as he kept his head facing backwards. The student feared that if he removed his eyes from him for just a split second, the akyromancer would just meld into the background.

"What's happening here is that we are stabilizing a rift of the Void. Not the cosmos as such, but the ever-present liminality that composes it. There's also a certain state of superposition, that's why you can walk around on the actual floors of the tower and also being able to breathe… though I guess that later is not that useful to you now."

"I'm glad to know that I could breathe if I were to bring my real body," Nolotl added.

"This tower is a bit… uncanny. But knowing that the cosmic aspect is mostly some trickery helps out."

"I wouldn't call it quite 'trickery', but yes. If you're able to withstand the effects of the Void, then there's little to no difference between this and any other of the towers." Tramma then stepped into what should have been the central axis of the tower, but instead of plunging to his death, he started to slowly levitate upwards. The archmagi twirled in his own axis and looked at the diviner, telling him to come with him. Death matters little. Death matters little.

Funnily enough, the terian repeated that mantra as he thought of the time loop, rather of his current incorporeal state. With some moderate hesitation, Nolotl followed suit. Immediately, the cyan construct that was his body experienced weightlessness upon stepping into the tower's central hole. He became instinctively aware that the weightlessness wasn't wholly tied to gravity but some other effect as his thoughts allowed him to fly in the direction he desired. Upwards in this case.

"I would dare to say that this is not like any tower," Nolotl jested, mostly to reign over his nerves.

"The Space Tower has similar elevators, but I will admit that they don't occupy the whole middle section of the tower," the nondescript man chuckled and ascended at a faster rate, forcing Nolotl to reciprocate. Maybe it's because everything feels so far away but… my Animal Spirits are not screaming in protests. Calling vertigo to his condition was a misnomer, but the emptiness and far distances of sidereal space didn't affect him in the same way ascending usual heights did.

Maybe it's because there's no frame of reference at all… His thoughts almost caused him to overshot as the akyromancer suddenly stopped, the fact that he had no momentum further confirming that this wasn't an outright manipulation of gravity but something else. Nolotl answered in kind, thought at least his lack of inertia made sense considering her state as a construct of pure information.

"This is Beta's workshop and bedchambers," Tramma Dol pointed to nothing in specific as his feet once again touched down the invisible floor.

"She gets a workshop in her own bedroom?" Nolotl squinted.

"Well, it's weird for us to get more than ten students each year compared to the hundreds of Information Tower as akyromancy is usually taken as a secondary discipline rather than a primary one and people tend to prefer sticking to their main towers, so there's a lot of free space in the tower," the archmagi explained.

"Though from my understanding, it wouldn't be hard to get a workshop or laboratory if you ever petitioned to Xanax."

"I'll think about it," the Empyrean responded diplomatically. They weren't few the times that Xanax had told him to abuse more his power, but Nolotl had been raised to have a humble mindset and treat everyone equally. It certainly didn't help that he was down the line of inheritance as he was the only son of his father's second wife.

If it weren't for his destined position as the High Priest of Nochochenca, the humility of his position would have been real, perhaps even lower than some nobles considering his mother's foreigner nature. But both his matrilineal education and religious teachings told him to be one of the many, so abusing such privileges made him hesitant, no matter if the time loop would undo any petitions.

Without even knocking, Tower Master Dol pressed his hand on what should be the door to Beta's bedroom and he opened it, revealing a rather standard room.

"I… expected more… outlandishness." Nolotl said, unsure of what to make of the normal sight. One that only became odd as the entrance to the bedroom was surrounded by infinite void, seamlessly floating as if its existence weren't a fact but a suggestion.

"Bedrooms and common spaces maintain their normalcy, but you might see more of the expected outlandishness in workshops and laboratories," the nondescript mage explained, his figure becoming more outlandish as it was no longer covered by the colorful cosmos. Ugh, it hurts my head even more now to look at him. There's details now that I have a frame of reference, but I cannot make them out! Perhaps there weren't any status notifications, but that didn't alleviate the gnosiamancer's annoyance.

"Was that a sales pitch?" He asked, trying to ignore the pain. The old and powerful archmagi snickered coyly.

"Can you blame a man for trying to bring some life to his home?"

"You are rather… cheerful for an akyromancer," Nolotl had to admit this wasn't how he expected the Tower Master of Void to act like.

"I've been told that before. But you mistake my behavior," his voice now got serious as when he closed the door out of the tower.

"Akyromancy is a discipline that demands sacrifices and my attitude isn't a symbol of my power, some representation that I haven't been consumed by the void. If anything, it's the polar opposite. I haven't sacrificed enough. I'm the pedagogical figure that has sacrificed their own growth so others might sprout taller and wider. As far as akyromancy goes… well, I'm not the best. Just the most proficient at surviving."

"Woah…" The Empyrean remained speechless at the man's admission. Hearing such words coming out from one of the most powerful mages in the world humbled him.

"If you aren't the best at akyromancy, then who would even be better than you?" An indescribable smile appeared in the Archmagi's visage.

"At knowledge on akyromancy as such? The headmaster certainly beats me at that. But if I had to say someone that could beat me in raw power, that would be Beta."

"…what?" The gnosiamancer, even with all of his enhanced mental capabilities, was unable to process what the akyromancer had just said.

"Beta? You have a visitor!" Tramma Dol casually announced into the opened bedroom, ignoring Nolotl's existential crisis.

"Whoever recommended you Beta as a teacher was quite the knowledge person." The Archmagi pressed a hand against the Simulacrum's shoulder and the real Nolotl felt it.

"Good luck with your quest, young Empyrean." And with those words, the Void Tower Master meld into the sidereal background, his nondescript figure disappearing with the same ease as it had appeared.

"What?" Nolotl reiterated like a parrot, unable to comprehend the last exchange, remaining alone in the oppressing solitude of the Void Tower as his real body still shivered with Tramma Dol's touch.