Chapter 169: A Walk With Melvin (2) - The Creators Are Watching
Hearing Akasha’s question, Melvin slowed his pace.
The snow continued to fall in thick, unhurried flakes, gathering on the shoulders of both men as Melvin turned the words over in silence.
The promise he had made to his sister rose unbidden in his mind... it was quiet, absolute, and still binding even after all these years. When he finally spoke, his voice carried the weight of that memory.
"I plan to raise the Blackwood Kingdom into an empire," he said.
"Something worthy of my parents and of my sister." His tone dropped lower, colder, the words edged with iron.
"And on the road to building it, I will kill every last member of the Loria bloodline."
Akasha’s chuckle sounded into the frozen air.
’This makes things with Amber... a bit more complicated, doesn’t it?’ he mused inwardly.
He’d anticipated some problem, sure, but he hadn’t expected that Melvin had already made up his mind to wipe out the Loria.
On the outside, he kept his composure, offering only a single nod, the faint purple glow of the overcast sky glinting off his luminous brown skin.
"Just so you know... whatever path you take," he said, "I’m behind you all the way."
Melvin’s eyes stayed fixed on Akasha’s back for a moment longer than usual.
Then a faint, almost uncharacteristic smile curved his lips before he gave a simple nod and moved back into stride beside him.
They continued onward through the unbroken expanse of white, their footsteps the only sound.
After a comfortable silence, Akasha spoke once more, his tone steady and tinged with quiet reflection.
"With me being so busy... and you having your own path ahead," he said, his pace easing slightly.
"It’s been a long time since I last gave you anything... and I think it’s fair to say, you’ve earned this."
He came to a halt and turned toward Melvin, their eyes meeting—deep purple and white locking onto his.
Lifting one hand, he gently tapped two fingers against the younger man’s forehead.
[Lord of Dreams (Divine)]
HUMMMM!!!!!
In that instant, the dream Akasha had once taken from Jovian... the pure, relentless desire to become the supreme swordsman, it was no longer a borrowed vision.
It sank into Melvin as something solid, tangible, and irrevocably his own.
HUMMMMMM!!!!!
His eyes widened slightly, and before he could utter a word, a sudden, violent surge of divinity and sword burst forth from him.
The Tier 7 Sword Aura that he had achieved long ago... it expanded without resistance, climbing in a continuous, unbroken wave until it locked firmly at Tier 21.
The air seemed to sharpen around him, each drifting snowflake pausing as if recognizing the sudden power emanating from his presence.
’And... now for me,’ Akasha mused to himself, knowing that with his innate power, any dream he bestowed upon another would, in turn, become a quiet source of strength for him, flowing back without effort.
In that very instant, he felt it... a subtle yet undeniable swell within, as though the essence of the dream was slowly weaving itself into his being.
[Congratulations on reaching Max Sword Aura (Tier 21/21)]
[+2 BP]
[Congratulations on breaking yet another fundamental authority of Pantheos!]1
[The Creators... Are Watching!]
----
’Come again... say what?!’
In that instant, Akasha’s sword aura, now matching the peak of Melvin’s, faded into the background like it didn’t even matter.
This wasn’t the first time he’d gotten a notification that felt like some kind of twisted applause for breaking the rules of the verse.
But this... this was different.
This time, it felt like someone—no, something—was actually watching him.
’I just know this thing isn’t talking.... about the damn Creators of the verse,’ he thought, his mind spinning as the unease settled in.
Then, as the last flickers of his transformation came to an end, Melvin’s voice cut through the haze and pulled him back to reality.
"Master... what is this?"
He flexed his fingers slowly, his eyes unfocused as though trying to grasp an elusive thought.
After a brief pause, he spoke, his voice tinged with quiet awe.
"It’s strange... I feel more in tune with the sword now, even though I haven’t set foot on the river of swords in years."
Since returning home, Melvin hadn’t given much thought to advancing along the river of swords—truthfully, neither had Akasha.
But now, with him clearing the entire thing in a single stage, the moment felt almost unreal, as if it defied all logic and expectation.
’Alright... fuck it,’ Akasha thought as he chuckled, ’I know who should have some answers...’
His thoughts shifted to his innate power; realizing he could instantly grow by planting dreams, his ambitions had expanded.
Outwardly, his tone remained light.
"Well, I planted a Dream inside you," he said. "The Dream of becoming the Supreme Swordsman."
He started walking again, and Melvin matched his pace, brow furrowed.
"A Dream? What do you mean by that?"
Akasha’s lips curled into a small, almost teasing smile.
"Did you think the title Lord of Dreams was only for show?" He glanced sideways, deep purple and white eyes carrying a glint of amusement.
"Since you are my disciple, I might as well enlighten you a little.... I can control the Dreams of all things."
’Of all things,’ he thought.
With such a revelation, Melvin took it in stride, all the while realizing his Master was far more mysterious than he had imagined.
He had believed that as he grew stronger, he would uncover more about Akasha, but even at the same rank, the gulf between their abilities was still beyond anything he could comprehend.
They continued through the white landscape in comfortable silence for a time. Eventually Melvin spoke again, voice quieter than before.
"Is ...there truly no task for me?"
Akasha shook his head, his purple and snow-white hair swaying with the movement.
"No, I’ve already told you before... you’re free to live as you wish," he said, his visit meant only to check in on Melvin and give him a bit of an upgrade.
"Just don’t forget to visit your old master from time to time."
The word "old" made Melvin slow his pace, his brow furrowing as he glanced at the man beside him with a look of genuine puzzlement.
Tilting his head slightly, he studied the other’s face, as if trying to reconcile something in his mind.
"Why does it suddenly feel like you’re the younger one between us?" he asked, the question tinged with both curiosity and mild disbelief.
Akasha just shrugged, the motion casual and unconcerned.
He’d clearly noticed the anomaly too, but since he had no idea what caused it, he didn’t bother looking into it... especially since he saw no harm in it.
"Well, it came with the evolution," he said, letting the topic fade.
"Also... You should visit the mountain soon. There are a few other things I still need to give you. No real rush, though."
----
They continued on, two figures side by side, moving through the endless curtain of falling snow.
After a long stretch of quiet walking, Akasha’s thoughts turned inward.
A brief mental message slipped across the distance to his True Self, the request simple and precise: another Dreamer’s Drift was to be prepared.
The response came almost at once, a quiet acknowledgment that the vessel would be ready when needed.
Over time, the scenery began to change, as the vast expanse of white plains gradually transformed into a wide, icy shoreline where one of Kalpa’s sprawling oceans stretched out to meet the land.
Thick sheets of ice covered much of the surface, yet dark water still moved beneath the cracks, and the faint shimmer of an active passage into the Underside pulsed at the center of the half-frozen expanse.
The air here carried a deeper cold, sharp enough to sting the lungs with every breath.
Akasha lowered himself onto a broad slab of ice near the water’s edge.
Melvin followed after a moment, settling a short distance away.
For a while, neither said a word....
The snow drifted down in thick, lazy flakes, settling on their hair and shoulders as the distant creak of shifting ice broke the quiet.
At last Akasha’s voice broke the quiet, calm and unhurried.
"Melving... what do you think about death?"
I know I may have previously referred to it as the Fundamental Rule or something similar, but since we’re getting closer to “Authorities,” I’ll use the proper term now.