Shaw's Consolidation of Power
"Now, I must consolidate my knowledge and develop my power—which, in turn, means developing my world—to prepare for the coming battle with the Watchers," Shaw declared.
…
Upon entering his dream world, Shaw first took stock of it. He currently possessed only a single star within it. The concept of a star—a self-luminous celestial sphere of plasma, sustained by nuclear fusion—had required him to grasp foundational principles: atomic theory to achieve fusion, the basics of light's wave-particle duality, spatial laws governing gravity, and celestial mechanics to establish orbits and a day-night cycle.
His current weapon was a primitive spear, and his most frequent technique remained molecular manipulation.
His key items were:
The Causality Map,
The Primordial Index,
A dimensional portal crafted using a dimensional stabilizer.
His strength lay in the development of his dream world—his greatest asset and battlefield.
If he could create a star outside his world and hurl it at the Watchers, it might not kill them outright (given their advanced technology, mystical defenses, and mobility), but it would certainly make his life easier. And if that star died? Depending on its size, the resulting supernova—or even a black hole—could eliminate some Watchers. Unfortunately, Shaw couldn't yet manifest a star beyond his dream world. The limitation? Insufficient Origin Energy to sustain such a feat.
Later, he might attempt to project a fragment of his world's domain into another plane, granting him control—or even creation—over the laws (concepts) within that space. But these were just ideas. For now, he lacked both the knowledge and the Origin Energy required.
With this in mind, Shaw's priority was clear: accumulate more Origin Energy. His options:
Assimilate other planes: A crude but fast method, flooding him with energy and stolen concepts—though without deep understanding.
Develop his own world: A slower refinement of energy, solidifying his grasp of existing concepts.
Shaw drafted a plan:
"First, I need a means to eliminate the Watchers swiftly and efficiently—while also preparing countermeasures against whoever they serve."
After contemplation, he continued:
"If I accumulate a bit more energy, I could devour this 'Tree' whole from within my world, leaving no trace—but the outside repercussions would be catastrophic. Alternatively, I could slaughter all Watchers and seize control of the Tree, simulating normalcy… but I don't know their protocols. Do they file reports? Undergo inspections? All I know is they dump collected artifacts into that pit."
"The safest path is stealth: avoid confrontation, grow stronger silently. But growth here is limited. My best option is to escape the Tree undetected—altering my appearance, energy signature, and acquiring knowledge of the outside world: geography, culture, what's considered 'normal.' To do this, I'll refine my Molecular Manipulation, craft a better weapon, and study Navy's lab dimension for replication. Bringing Navy with me could be invaluable."
…
Back in Navy's lab, Shaw immersed himself in study, consulting Navy and Rose when stuck. He learned:
Space as a fabric that could be folded, stretched, or torn—a 3D continuum where events and objects exist.
Time as the sequential dimension measuring event duration and order.
Spacetime as their unification into a 4D entity, with potential for higher dimensions.
This granted him rudimentary time manipulation and the ability to store physical objects in his world (previously, he could only copy them, and items vanished when he left).
He also studied energy weapons, atomic structures of minerals, and toolcraft.
Weapon & Gear Development
Shaw began crafting:
Weapons: Bows, energy firearms, daggers, axes, spears, swords, halberds—mastering basic metallurgy and runic engraving.
Armor & Utility: Filter masks, herbal poisons, healing potions (gaining alchemy and species anatomy knowledge).
His signature outfit became a black three-piece suit (overcoat, vest, dress shirt, tie, trousers)—inspired by Mnemosyne records of common attire outside the Tree. Black was chosen for stealth in shadows and urban settings (camouflage would suit forests better). Runes enhanced the suit:
Presence suppression,
Self-repair,
Self-cleaning,
Energy dampening.
Upgraded Techniques
Molecular Manipulation 2.0: Now masked odors, energy emissions, and spatial presence (thanks to spatial concepts).
Shadow Teleport: Leveraging light's absence (shadows) and spatial manipulation for short-range teleportation.