Concentrating intently, his own mind and soul sought out Devashtich's, proceeding with caution. He didn't want to accidentally trip any fail-safes or other contingency measures that the one who had caused this development might have hidden in the Naxsir.
Perhaps, he had been a bit too worried about vanishingly unlikely possibilities. By the time that he finally 'laid eyes' upon the twin's soul, nothing unusual had occurred.
When compared with his own, Devashtich's soul was far more massive and radiated a terrifying, outright 'divine' aura. If it hadn't been for the fact that he was his Slave–which made it impossible for him to harm his Master–then even Theodore would have needed to rethink his plan of action.
'It's just like Vigi stated. A seal has been placed upon a portion of his memory. However, due to the strength of this seal's influence, his entire soul has turned sluggish and almost been frozen. If this state persists for too long, then he might simply outright die. It's likely that this was the original intention of whoever gave rise to this issue to begin with.'
Patiently examining the mysterious symbols flashing on a part of Devashtich's soul, effectively binding it and isolating it from the outside world, Theodore's preliminary analysis quickly concluded.
Whilst he wouldn't care much if this individual lived or died, he would prefer to keep even cannon fodder alive for as long as it was feasible. That aside, this one held very important information, therefore he couldn't allow him to exit the stage just yet.
'... I would stand no chance of success if I tried this with anybody who isn't my Slave, but a favourable outcome should be almost guaranteed under these circumstances.'
Choosing to give it his best shot, Theodore approached Devashtich's soul, before slowly carving a path into it with his own, getting closer to the anomaly. Every action of his was measured and precise, all cuts flawless.
A Divine Soul like this one should have normally been practically invincible against the souls of lower lifeforms, even automatically counter-attacking and obliterating whoever dared to lay their 'hands' on them. However, due to them being Master and Slave, it was absolutely impossible for this to happen.
Having arrived directly next to the seal, he busied himself with forcing away all of the surrounding soul. Due to the incredibly thin slashes that he had made, he didn't actually destroy much of anything–most was simply moved aside without being damaged.
'Although parts of it are familiar, and a few of its functions apparent, I've never seen this Array before. It's evidently not a wide-spread creation. Still, it shouldn't pose too much of a problem. I'll just need some time...'
Filled with both intrigue and a desire to challenge his limits, broaden his horizons as well as learn something new, he got to work. Having isolated the anomaly, he had practically ensured that Devashtich wouldn't come to much harm, even if he messed up here.
As if solving a puzzle or learning a new language, he started his detailed analysis in all of the places that his existing knowledge still covered. Based on these few already put down puzzle pieces, these loanwords, he could make certain inferences about the whole picture. It was like a ridiculously more complex game of sudoku, one that finally presented him with a welcome trial of wit.
He had no idea how much time had passed, as he had got way too invested into figuring out the solution. But eventually, he was finally fully confident in having understood this seal.
There was no reason to keep it around now that it had outlived its usefulness, therefore he got on with swiftly undoing it, freeing the locked-away memories as a result.
'While I'm at it, I might as well take a look myself. It will be far more effective, quick and thorough than asking him again.'
Reaching out directly with his soul, he made contact with the mass of memories. The next instant, a flood of new information entered his mind.
-----
It was a time very shortly after Devashtich and Spandarmad had broken through to the Celestial Stage. With this significant milestone achieved, and having ascended to 'divine' status, it was finally time for them to be clued in on more details regarding the 'great undertaking'. Everybody else in the Naxsir's society who hadn't made it this far simply wasn't worthy of learning the grim truth.
"My Lord, my Lady. Please follow me."
With a respectful bow, one of their father's Retainers motioned for the twins to follow him. Despite also having reached the same heights as them–even surpassing them by a realm or two–his gaze carried nothing but respect and a hint of adoration.
As they were amongst the Venerated Ikhshid's most treasured offspring, those closer to their family would also hold them in high regard. Their lack of potential alone wouldn't make them fall out of favour that easily.
'Looks like even Darma is quite solemn today.'
Usually, Spandarmad would have begun a jovial conversation already, but during their entire journey, she never once opened her mouth. Part of this was due to the excitement at finally getting the answers that she had so desperately craved, but she also didn't want to mess up such a formal occasion.
Smiling to himself ever so slightly, Devashtich accompanied her at her side. Familiar halls, pathways and buildings soon gave way to those that they had never been allowed to enter. And not long after, even structures which they hadn't heard of or previously perceived came and went.
'Was there such a place on the ship? How come I don't know?'
Confused, he observed his surroundings in detail, yet he couldn't figure out a satisfying answer to these questions. To his astonishment, he found that his perception was useless! Exactly like most other cultivators, he relied upon it even more than his regular senses, but here, it provided him with no information at all. It was as if everything beyond the twins and their guide was merely all just his imagination.
'That's absurd! I'm positive that my eyes aren't playing tricks on me–so why can I not properly perceive this area?'
Eventually, he settled on the explanation that some unknown technologies or Talents were being employed. This filled him with intrigue and relief. On the one hand, he wanted to learn more about them and understand them, but on the other, he was now certain that this place was indeed ridiculously secure.
'If nobody can perceive it, then nobody would think to look for our secrets here.'
Eventually, they arrived in front of some sort of central tower whose purpose he couldn't even begin to guess. Led inside, they entered the main chamber, where a scarcely perceptible ball of light, Energy and something more floated in mid-air. It was constantly being fed additional Energy via countless complicated runes and symbols that had been etched into the ground, creating a mind-bogglingly complex Array.
"This here is our core legacy: A memory left behind by our predecessor, the very first Venerated Ikhshid. If you sit down at your designated spots and close your eyes, you will be able to access it. Prepare yourself before doing so, though–there is no rush."
Motioning at two conspicuously painted areas on the ground, where meditation mats had already been laid out, their father's Retainer stepped away, patiently overseeing their actions from afar. It was merely a formality, of course–there were countless other security measures in place.
"Deva... I'm a little scared."
Whispering these words to him after they had both taken a seat, Spandarmad's worried gaze caused him to pause. The two had repeatedly been warned that what they would soon bear witness to wouldn't be pretty, therefore he could understand her hesitation now that they were about to take the plunge.
"Then let me go first to test the waters."
Rolling his eyes at her in an effort to ignite her competitive nature, he didn't wait to see her reaction and simply closed his eyes, as instructed. After a brief period of confusion and disorientation, he 'became' somebody else.
-----
Despite appearing not a day older than his early twenties, Tarkhun had been the leader of his people for too many ages to count. The extreme peak of the Celestial Stage had been achieved so long ago that he could barely even recall his last breakthrough.
The Patram were a studious, peaceful people. Other than ever aiming for greater heights, they were generally happy. Due to their civilization having originated in an extremely high Energy concentration environment with abundant resources that they could scarcely consume in their entirety no matter what they did, they were not warmongers.
Defensive battles had been common, yet not once had they ever attempted to expand beyond the borders of their home world, Samar. If there was one thing that they could be criticized for, then it was their stubbornness. Once they had latched on to a certain idea, they would not give up on realizing it.
Tarkhun and many others had never been able to make it past the Celestial Stage, barred at the doors with no way to open them. This was not due to a lack of aptitude, as quite many of them would have been able to go further. No, it was simply due to there not being a high enough Energy concentration for them to work with!
Many experiments had already confirmed that some sort of artificial limit had been placed in this regard, by an entity, faction or will that they weren't aware of. All of their efforts in circumventing it had been for naught. But admittedly, they had all been rather small in scale and not especially forceful.
'All of that is going to change today, though. After all of these years, will we finally welcome a new dawn, and unprecedented opportunities?'
Ever the dreamer and pioneer at heart, Tarkhun sported a bright smile. He wasn't overconfident. Just in case, he had relocated the entire population of his people to a couple of huge Voidfaring Vessels which they had created on pretty much a whim in the past. This time, the entirety of Samar could potentially be implicated if something went wrong–and he didn't want his people to suffer!
"Is everything ready?"
Turning to face the expert in charge, he patiently awaited what he hoped would be a positive response.
"We're doing a final round of checks. If nothing's amiss, then we can begin immediately once I get the news."
Nodding in approval at this, Tarkhun calmed his nervous, excited heart. Not only his people, but also he would have to give his absolute best very soon.
The minutes trickled by painfully slowly, but eventually, it was time. Darting to the central spot of a world-spanning Compound Array–the greatest work of the Patram civilization–he took a seat and focused on a bottleneck that he had always hoped to overcome.
Simultaneously, all of the Energy in Samar was rerouted to this place, then forcefully injected into his body and automatically assimilated into his own, becoming new Divine Energy for him to use. This process would usually take a fair bit of time, but they had found workarounds. In essence, this entire Compound Array could effectively serve to convert regular Energy into Tarkhun's personal Divine Energy.
They had always known that the outside concentration couldn't be improved further, but when it came to a cultivator's own reserves, such a limit didn't exist! After all, it would be unreasonable to punish those of higher cultivation stages for simply existing in a world with a lower limit. Right?
Following that logic, they sought to artificially and indirectly blast a hole into the barrier separating those at the Celestial Stage from what lay beyond. And who better to be the guinea pig than their most talented and beloved ruler?
Not daring to waste any time at all, now that the opportunity was at hand, Tarkhun immediately chose to break through, his instincts leading the way. Never had he faced any difficulty while cultivating–all that had prevented him from going further was that loathsome, unsurpassable limit!
'I... I've done it!'
Being an old hand at this, the moment that he felt that final shackle loosen and eventually snap, his smile turned ever more radiant. It was exactly like he had always believed: There was no restriction that could not be overcome with a generous dose of creative thinking!
As the readings on their devices reached unprecedented heights and their leader began to exude a powerful sensation that made even his prior equals shudder involuntarily, a joyful, celebratory mood started to spread.
Little did they know that although they had just made history, what they had invited was not a bright future, but rather a merciless, prompt punishment which would forever alter their people's path.