The Harvester

“Realm Synchronization?” Flavia raised her voice in curiosity. “That sounds ambiguous…”

 

“A fine way to put it,” Hans snorted. “It is a hypothetical phenomenon, after all. Different people have varied opinions about it, but the truth of the matter is simple. The Realm Synchronization implies doing a few things; get Existence under control, organize Realities, extrapolate the Worlds and Planes within it, fuse them, and then confine all of it inside a stable frame.”

 

“Next, you ‘synchronize’ that frame with the Major Realms and establish a sort of osmosis rapport between them. Eventually, the ‘Framed Existence’ will learn from the Major Realm… and become one itself.”

 

“To turn our Existence into a Realm…” Nyx mumbled to herself with a weird expression. “I… don’t really know how to take that. On one hand, Realms are considered to be the highest possible form of self-sustained reality. But, on the other hand, Realms are said to orbit Existence. There never was a time I thought of the latter as an inferior construct…” 

 

“But it is,” Hans immediately retorted and she trembled. “Existence as of today is frail, chaotic, and unstable. Dimensions overlap and shatter, Worlds collide and fall apart, Planes of Reality futilely divide the resources of a Reality, and Realities themselves are born and killed at a fateful whim.”

 

“…” Nyx pursed her lips, forced to admit those problems did exist… but she had always taken them as a natural occurrence and never thought much of it.

 

“In the first place,” Hans sighed. “The Lost Era was a Realm.”

 

“…!”

 

“If you use Solar Systems as an analogy, the Existence is not the sun. It is all the debris, asteroids, dust, and natural satellites littering space. The planets are the Realms and the Sun is the Spiritual Tree. Though, before Yahweh created the latter, the Lost Era used to fill that role.”

 

“…the more I hear, the more I think ‘Big G’ is carrying our sorry asses,” Allan uttered blankly.

 

“‘Big G’?” Ceresta repeated confusedly.

 

“Ah, uh… don’t mind that,” the blond cleared his throat. “Anyway, so, what you’re saying is that this System is all about fixing the destruction of the Lost Era? Isn’t that… cool?”

 

Hans snickered. “Right, certainly. It is a ‘cool’ affair.”

 

“No need to be sarcastic…” Allan retorted sullenly.

 

“No, no, you are correct,” the azure-haired boy assented with a smile. “It is an attractive idea. The possible benefits are incomparable. Our current Existence is far too unkind to the creatures living within it. And it was even worse before Eternal Night abolished the Original Creators, who had outgrown their programming and let their opposite natures clash.”

 

“But did you not listen? In an incompatible environment, what happens to the dwellers?” He asked and Allan instantly realized. “It is a binary state. We survive at 1, they survive at 0. Change it up, and it means we die at 0, and they die at 1. The Synchronization essentially flips the switch.”

 

“At least, in theory,” Hans added. “There are at least three more main conjectures as to what would occur. And only one of them is favorable, but is considered a pipe dream. Which is why there was never much of an effort done to accomplish it.”

 

“But the Phantasms care about none of that, huh?” Kaelith frowned. “No matter the result, they’ll have what they want… But how about they just ask for help from someone like Eternal Night? Or heck, someone like the Crystal Sage?” She said whilst pointing her thumb at Rakna. “They would know how to do it, no? A positive Synchronization.”

 

“Perhaps that would have been fine if it was not for the Royal Phantasms,” Hans replied. “I believe I mentioned them, but have not explained who they are, right? For the lack of a better term, on top of being the rulers of the Broken Depths, they were born with an ‘extra’ ingredient.”

 

“Grossly said, the very essence of the Lost Era mixed with them,” the author said and then rubbed his chin. “How to explain…” He mused aloud and glanced at Ceresta. “Let us put it this way, imagine that the Lost Era has a ‘World Formula’ that constitutes it, based on this girl’s magic. What I mean by ‘they received a part of the era’s essence’ is that some of the Formula became part of them.”

 

“That is tantamount to being one with Existence. Since the rules are different in this era, as I am sure I have insisted enough for you to understand, it is limited, but not inconsequential. The term coined to describe what they are is ‘Beacon of Fate’. They are hyper-aware of the fate of every single life that ever gets registered by the Spiritual Tree.”

 

“This does two things. One, it aggravates their madness, and two, it makes the Synchronization an even more terrible prospect. If the Lost Era returns, the Beacons of Fate will fade into their essence as something worse than Gods or Devils. Royal Phantasms have become obsessed with the concept of ‘freedom’ over time. Who knows how badly their madness twisted it.”

 

“Giving them control over the rules and possibly the fates of all lives within Existence would be a disaster,” Hans snickered. “In a way, it is a world-domination plot. How quaint.”

 

“…I don’t think it’s very funny though,” Evelyn couldn’t help but comment.

 

The azure-haired boy shrugged. “What can I say? My humor is transcendental.”

 

“Yeaahh… I think you should give up on jokes, pipsqueak,” Zialtra deadpanned whilst dragging her words. “You’re not good at them.”

 

He clicked his tongue and raised an eyebrow. “And are you any better?”

 

“Well, better than you? For sure.”

 

“Lovely. I am happy for you,” Hans deadpanned and a vein popped on her forehead, which was only provoked further by his next words, “The gorilla’s opinions aside, I believe this sums up everything you need to know about Phantasms. The only thing left is the System.”

 

“The project known as ‘Systemakva Etr Zotan’ was spearheaded by the Royal Phantasms. It is with their unique nature, as I have explained, that they began constructing it. That was… a few billion years ago, I believe. Unfortunately for them, it never went far. They did not possess the resources or the expertise to craft such a thing.”

 

“However, much more recently, they received help. Perhaps… accounting for time dilations, about ten thousand years ago,” he hummed. “And it is at this juncture that my information stops. Because soon after, the System was completed and it began to escape even the Realms’ surveillance.”

 

“But I do know one thing,” Hans raised one finger and looked at Rakna. “The first individual to have made contact with the Phantasms to assist their project was one of the Five Dragon Kings. He was called The Watcher; Chronepsis. I do not know much of what he provided, but I am aware he had a daughter soon after… one presumed to be from a union with a Royal Phantasm.”

 

“Eh?” Evelyn blinked in confusion. “Didn’t you say Phantasms couldn’t have children?”

 

“Good catch. But I was not lying,” Hans said. “As for an explanation, I do not have one. There must have been unknown circumstances that allowed it or perhaps Chronepsis found a way. Regardless, what I do know is that he was killed soon after. By whom? For what? I cannot know. But the death of The Watcher was confirmed even more recently. Relative to the System’s time; about twenty or so years ago.”

 

“Along with that, another piece of information was revealed. ‘The Daughter’, as the Phantasms call her, was confirmed to be alive; her soul had been rescued by her father and sent to a far-off world to reincarnate.”

 

Hans smiled mischievously and pointed at Rakna. “And this is where it becomes interesting. At the same time as the recovery of Chronepsis’ grave, the woman known as the Timeless Invocator, Layla Reigen Blade, was confirmed to possess ‘The Daughter’s soul.” 

 

The therian first blinked at that and then recoiled slightly, his expression seemingly wondering if he had just heard correctly. “When you say… ‘Reigen Blade’…?”

 

“Yes. She is your uncle’s wife.”

 

Rakna was dumbfounded. “That old man… married someone?” He mumbled in shock. “There must be something wrong with that girl. Maybe she received some madness from her Phantasm side…”

 

“That’s your first thought, huh?” Kara chuckled.

 

“I mean, devourer of mine, all of us are also crazy enough to love you, you know?” Higure grinned at him and he briefly glared at her.

 

“No, I already gave up on you,” he blankly retorted and the lioness didn’t know if she should feel offended or proud. Though the others had already made their voice.

 

“Oi, I feel offended,” Kaelith chimed in.

 

“So do I,” Nyx nodded.

 

“No comment,” Flavia smilingly said.

 

“…” Evelyn pursed her lips and Ceresta tilted her head innocently.

 

“Oh, I love it,” and Kara, of course, went against the flow.

 

Astraea sweatdropped with a wry smile. “Lord Monarch…”

 

Zialtra blinked at the girls and looked at Rakna with a renewed outlook. “You… you’re one heck of a guy, aren’t ya?”

 

“Whatever opinion you just made of me, please erase it,” the therian immediately pleaded.

 

Hans let out a snort at the live comedy show in front of him and leaned on his hand. “All of this to say, if push comes to shove, the Kind Demon may have a way to reach the System on his own with his wife’s help. But the main reason I mentioned this is that a certain Espectro has been acting out on his own and indirectly put her into the picture.”

 

Everyone concentrated on him again and Rakna recalled a certain name. “Tormento, was it? Since he supposedly revealed secrets to the old man, did he betray the Phantasms?”

 

“Well, it is unclear. As I said, this is information relayed to me by Tita--” He paused and seemingly spent a few seconds thinking of how to continue. “…by a clingy woman. She likes to play house and watches any troubles arising in Existence. But she has no way of intervening personally and cannot discover more than what she sees.”

 

“Shortly said, all we know is that Tormento uncovered Chronepsis’ corpse and revealed some of their plans to Eternal Night. That conversation transpired somewhere called the Sunset Star, the home of the Phoenixes, where Ra-Horakhty still resides. Naught can be done to know what was discussed between the Kind Demon and the Espectro of Torment in that place.”

 

Allan hummed at that. “So, a lot of shit is brewing up outside the System, huh?”

 

“But will the Kind Demon intervene even if he can?” Marie raised a question. “His ‘Echo’ did say he would do more harm than good by doing so. Not to mention, you implied time differences earlier, no?” She asked Hans who nodded calmly.

 

“You have a sharp mind,” he praised. “And yes. However, rather than time flowing faster or slower, it is more accurate to say that Meuro is isolated from any flow whatsoever. To the outside, we could exist in the past, present, and future, as well as die and live simultaneously. But there is nothing to worry about. Arimane Blade should be able to find the System either way.”

 

“Admittedly, it would take time for him to do so, and while his time is dissociated from ours, each being in Existence has a personal ‘timeline’. So, if the Kind Demon takes a year to find us, then he will also come a year later from our perspective because his timeline is linked to Xiorra’s.”

 

“But there is one exception, I suppose,” Hans added. “If the System suddenly loses its defenses or stops functioning, he would most definitely be aware of us in a matter of seconds.”

 

‘Loses its defenses…’ Rakna thought. ‘If the System starts ‘dying’, then that would happen, no? If that is the case… the old man probably used that gap in Shin-Woo’s future. Tiamat, and thus Nyx by proxy, might have been the only one capable of handling his power to send someone back in time...’

 

“Ah, speaking of ceasing to function,” Flavia hit her palm with her fist. “I don’t know if you’ve heard him when you were unconscious, but Wis left a message before disappearing.”

 

“The shitty hat?” The therian raised an eyebrow. “What did he say?”

 

“Well…” She made a difficult expression. “He said, ‘Don’t dally on for too long. Those idiots really did it this time. They overfed Eden with Eternal Night’s power. Systema… is dying even faster’.”