Chapter 204: The Hub of Knowledge (2)
After Calista’s words, Akasha began to work.
In this moment, the library remained unchanged—ancient dark wood, towering pillars, and wide steps that still faced the golden-tinted ocean of Noxara.
Inside, though, the space had already started to swell beneath his will.
The enormous wooden hall rose higher and higher in a smooth, unbroken motion, the ceiling melting away into a haze of soft purple mist while the walls drifted outward into distances that seemed endless.
What was once a single magnificent chamber unfolded into an infinite vertical expanse of open sky.
Akasha did not immediately begin creating the layout Calista suggested.
Instead, he lowered himself to the floor in the center of the open space, settling into a cross-legged position directly in front of the three women.
The purple infinity symbols in his eyes drifted through the high emptiness as he closed them and reached inward.
Far away, within Dream Land... even in the Dungeon, his true self had begun creating.
[You have created Cosmic Knowledge - Ranks of Power (Divine)]
As the status disappeared, a book bound in black leather and deep purple threading appeared.
Without wasting any time, he let the knowledge dissolve into a soft light that sank directly into his mind.
In that instant, the complete hierarchy of ranks up to the Multiversal level flooded his thoughts—covering the power system, artifacts, bloodlines, and other ranks.
Yet, in this case, the other ranks aside from the Power system ranks stopped at Divine, simply because Yume himself was still at that stage, though he clearly understood there were higher ranks beyond it.
"And the next rank... marks the beginning of Universal Ascension," he murmured, noting that the Unbound rank signified the point at which a being’s power would begin to accelerate through the universe, edging into the Multiversal level.
But as he pondered this, something didn’t make sense.
"There are already... Cosmic Union beings, and I haven’t even left the Star System."
If the next rank truly marked the start of Universal Ascension, then why were there so many beings already just one step below it?
"Well... I guess I’ll find out soon enough," he muttered, continuing.
Hour after hour, the process continued.
Books with the same black-and-purple design appeared one after another in his hands, only to dissolve into him.
They contained detailed records of bloodlines and their origins, thorough classifications of races across countless cosmologies, the full range of known Affinities and the rare higher forms that bordered on something more primal.
They contained detailed records of bloodlines and their origins, thorough classifications of races across countless cosmologies, the full range of known Affinities, and the rare higher forms that bordered on something more primal.
However, every bit of information came with the same limitation.
The records stopped just beyond the Universal level—the Divine rank—leaving most of the details sparse and incomplete.
----
While Akasha remained seated in that long, unbroken focus, Calista turned her attention toward the two women who still stood nearby.
The initial formality that had kept her posture rigid began to loosen as the hours stretched on and the library’s silence settled around them.
"Well... Mistresses, am I allowed to know your names?" she asked at last, voice careful but no longer distant.
"Or is that something left unspoken to disciples?"
Luna’s heart-shaped eyes curved with gentle amusement as she brushed a strand of pink-and-purple hair behind one ear and spoke first.
"Oh, look who’s letting herself loosen up," she teased, before adding more simply, "I’m Luna, your Master’s eternal lover," she said with ease.
Yume followed, her cool tone laced with a hint of playfulness.
"And I’m Yume... his second eternal lover," she said. "It’s nice to see you finally being more yourself... seeing you like before was exhausting."
Calista paused for a moment before giving a small nod.
"Luna... Yume. Eternal lovers, huh?" she murmured, casting a glance toward Akasha’s motionless form before returning her gaze to them.
"So, I guess that means you’ve both been around him for quite some time?"
Luna let out a soft, knowing laugh.
"Indeed... you could say we’ve been by his side since the moment he was born," she replied in a teasing tone, even though it was, in essence, the truth.
Tilting her head, Luna studied Calista with open curiosity.
"How are you taking this whole new change?" she asked, referring to both the physical and mental aspects.
Faced with the question, Calista fell silent, unable to find the words to express how she felt fully—but she knew without a doubt that it was nothing bad at all.
"I’m not sure... everything feels far beyond anything I ever imagined," Calista admitted, her fingers curling lightly at her sides before easing as she glanced up at the two with a warm, radiant smile.
"Still, I suppose it wouldn’t be right to dwell on such things for too long, would it?" she added, recalling their earlier words about how, in essence, these things were considered normal.
She wasn’t some naive child unable to grasp when matters were simply outside her immediate understanding.
Ever since becoming his disciple, she had resolved to take everything as it came, meeting it with calm acceptance.
Yume smiled in turn as her blue-streaked hair drifted as she shifted her weight.
"Well, I must applaud that," she said, knowing most people would get stuck on things they would never fully grasp.
"It’s good to take things as they are... Master tends to move quite fast, so it’s best to be grateful and prepared to return the favor if he ever asks for anything."
At this, Calista folded her arms, turning back to look at Akasha.
"Speaking of moving fast..." she muttered. Before recent events, her first few weeks around Akasha had felt painfully slow.
But in the past few days, everything had happened so quickly she could hardly believe she’d witnessed it all.
"Is it always like this? The constant forward motion?"
"Pretty much," Luna answered, a warmer note entering her voice.
"You see, your Master... is a bit weird." She admitted, "Deep down... he doesn’t desire anything more than wanting peace and being able to enjoy the world around him."
She gave him a wry smile, her gaze lingering for a moment.
"Still... ever since he was born, it’s been like everything’s on fast-forward. Mostly because he’s been working nonstop to make sure everything around him is completely safe."
Yume nodded once Luna finished speaking.
"With the Star System almost secure... I think Master might finally slow down... maybe."
"Yeah... he’s different. No doubt about it." She said before tilting his head. "But why are you all speaking like Master was born... yesterday?"
Luna’s laughter came first—warm, bright, and edged with genuine amusement. Yume followed a moment later, her cooler chuckle carrying a note of quiet mischief as blue-streaked hair drifted across her cheek.
"Because in some ways," Luna said once her laughter softened, "it still feels that way."
By the time several more hours had passed, the last traces of rigid formality had slipped from Calista’s shoulders.
She stood more naturally among them now, the formal distance of a new disciple giving way to something quieter and more open, as though the shared waiting itself had begun to make room for her.
After several quieter hours, his eyes slowly opened, revealing purple infinity symbols swirling gently in their depths.
He rose to his feet in a single smooth motion, the long cascade of purple and snow-white hair settling across his shoulders as a small, satisfied smile touched his lips.
"It’s time," he said, voice calm and carrying quiet finality, "to finish everything up."