OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 115: Marcus Aurelius’s Trial

The walls of the memorial room were adorned with murals that spanned the entire spectrum of imagination.

Each mural told a story-a visual chronicle of Marcus Aurelius's journey and his contributions to the understanding of Aether...

The cosmos itself.

"Wow..."

Emir breathed as his gaze moved with reverence from one mesmerizing artwork to another, his eyes tracing the details of every brushstroke.

They seemed to come alive, depicting landscapes of distant galaxies and swirling nebulae.

One even had a massive but majestic being that towered over a galaxy of stars.

It appeared to be human... in shape, at least.

'...A primordial maybe?'

In another mural, Marcus was depicted as a figure of authority, surrounded by swirling currents of Aether.

His outstretched hand reached towards the cosmos as if beckoning its mysteries to reveal themselves.

'A bit much... no?'

Another mural depicted Marcus in the midst of experimentation, surrounded by arcing bolts of Aether and rune patterns.

He appeared as a master conductor, orchestrating a symphony of the Arcane.

'Or maybe not.'

The murals spoke of his timeless wisdom, inviting Emir to partake in a legend's legacy.

The legacy of Marcus Aurelius.

They served as a gateway to the secrets of the universe...

Bridging the gap between the mortal realm and the infinite expanse beyond.

And as Emir stood amid this chamber of remembrance, he felt a connection to those who had come before him.

It was a place where the Celestial and the mortal converged.

Where the past and future intertwined.

A testament to the infinite possibilities that laid within the grasp of those who dared to seek.

Emir stood in awe, his eyes transfixed on what was before him.

But as he took a step back to fully take in the room, a wry smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"Fucking hell," he muttered under his breath.

"I guess I'm in for a long, long game."

'Too bad I can't sell these though, he won't allow that.'

Emir began to look around, searching for what else he could find.

"Well, Marcus, let's see what you've got cooking in here..."

With a smirk, he stepped forward, his heart filled with anticipation.

"Hopefully, it's not just leftovers."

The walls of the room seemed to come alive as his eyes scanned the engravings on them, tracing the patterns that adorned the chamber.

And as he drew nearer, a peculiar sensation tingled at the back of his mind.

The engravings appeared familiar, resonating with an otherworldly energy.

It was Aether but not at the same time.

Unbeknownst to Emir and solely due to 'It,' his body was granted a heightened sensitivity to this script.

Something that only Paragon-ranked Celestials could think of comprehending.

His fingers hovered over the engraved symbols, not daring to touch them.

Emir felt the power emanating from them as if the language was alive and resonating with the unknown laws of Aether.

His mind was overwhelmed with a mixture of curiosity and frustration.

The symbols appeared to be taunting him.

He could sense the immense magnitude of limitless potential encapsulated within this script.

Yet their swirling forms existed on a plane of existence so far removed from his grasp that it appeared as an ethereal mirage...

Forever eluding his attempts to decipher any of its secrets.

So despite his tireless pursuit, he didn't get any of its meanings.

His understanding merely brushed against the edges of its significance.

It was a maddening dance.

A futile struggle that left him humbled by the vast expanse of knowledge.

Breaking through his frustration, a soft and gentle voice, reminiscent of a distant whisper, echoed in the memorial:

"This wisdom..."

Its elegant timbre carried a weight of incredible wisdom and a presence that seemed to transcend time itself.

"Is beyond the grasp of Ascendants, a vast chasm that separates you from its depths."

"Though you yearn to understand it, it's a journey that may span hundreds... even thousands of lifetimes, a quest that may forever elude you, Order's Chosen."

The voice seemed to caress each word and in its hushed utterance, there was a sense of both guidance and warning.

As if they carried the burden of knowledge too immense to be contained within a single

existence.

Emir's eyes widened as he turned to face the source of the voice, his gaze falling upon a holographic figure that materialized before him.

It stood tall and noble, a manifestation of Marcus Aurelius himself, fashioned from shimmering strands of light.

The holographic avatar exuded an aura of serenity, its features mirroring the stoic countenance of the ancient philosopher.

His long black hair matched quite well with the understanding reflected in his green eyes.

Emir, taken aback by the unexpected encounter, quickly regained his composure and spoke

with amusement:

"...So it's you. I really should've expected that."

The holographic Marcus smiled.

"Indeed, young one. I am but a hologram, a vessel for the wisdom and insights that I have accumulated over countless lifetimes. You may call me Silent, as I was made to manage this Archive and have built this very memorial."

"Your presence humbles me." Emir said, his voice tinged with respect.

Silent continued while nodding:

"I must say, I waited a long time for someone like you to come along, I thought of getting rid

of those pesky bugs upstairs, but I held my patience."

"...Do you know of them Silent?"

"The bugs, you mean? Unfortunately, I do, an unpleasant bunch the lot of them, some are

fanatics while others kneel for the Order."

Emir's eyes widened as he understood an underlying meaning in his words.

"Is the Liberation Army really in cahoots with the Order?"

Silent chuckled.

"Cahoots? No, they are but hounding dogs, begging the Order to let them live, thinking that it

would be better to switch sides than die manning the ship."

'So that part of the novel was true...'

"But enough about them," he said, cutting off Emir's thoughts.

"I have watched your journey unfold, Emir."

"Lyra loved mentioning you in a blindingly bright light, but that had not clouded your true

feats."

"The trials you've faced and the strength you have shown mark you as a worthy heir to the knowledge contained within this chamber, as small as those trials may be."

"The Script of Creation holds secrets that transcend most celestials' understanding, even though what you see in front of you is a simple page of the script..."

"The basics you can say, as it is the boundary that blocks Paragons from ascending to become

an Apex of this world, a true godlike being, and you are an unimaginable distance away from

attempting to understand it."

A chuckling Emir nodded.

"That's something that I fully acknowledged when attempting it."

Silent smiled.

"You have all the time in the world, unlike my true body that died long ago... You have a path

laid ahead of you, all you need to do is tread it."

"And that's what I'll do. Knowing what to look out for in the future is a major help, and

although I am thankful for all of this, I heard from Lyra that you wanted to test me?" Emir posed a question that had been stuck in his mind for a while.

"That is correct young one, although I deem you worthy of knowing this, the man my creation

was based on wouldn't have accepted you to gain knowledge that most celestials wouldn't

dare believe without a trial."

"Well... There is nothing I can do about it, so let's get to it." Emir said while a frown adorned

his face, not matching the excited tone of his voice.

"Prepare yourself to be surprised young one."

Soon after woes echoed, Silent's holographic form disappeared, and at the same time, a

section of the memorial opened, revealing an egress.

'There we go...'

Step by step, Emir passed through the doorway, only to have his path blocked by a towering

portal.

It was a gateway pulsating with Aether.

It defied the boundaries of the physical realm, a testament to the Warp Weaver's mastery over

the fabric of space and time.

Its appearance was mesmerizing, captivating his gaze as he observed the swirling vortexes

within.

It seemed to shimmer with an iridescent glow, casting ever-changing colors upon the surrounding chamber.

The Aether within the portal rippled and undulated, as if it were a living entity, beckoning

him to step through...

To venture into the unknown.