The silence of the void lingered for a time before Aurelia finally spoke.
"To be honest, it's because of the selfishness of the empires and the clans that no Volumes beyond the first three exist. The Empire of Lexaria could have created more… but they never did."
Adrian blinked. "Empire of Lexaria?"
"Yes." Aurelia's eyes were distant, as if she were sifting through centuries of memory. "They are the creators of the Volumes. Though… even they do not fully understand the Language of Mana."
The command chamber's soft lighting cast shadows across her face as she spoke. Her fingers traced idle patterns on the console before her.
"Long ago, the ancestors of Lexaria discovered a treasure. Within it were fragments of the Language of Mana, shards of a greater whole. They spent generations deciphering it."
"What the treasure had was incomplete, broken phrases, strange grammar, scattered meanings. But even fragments of the true Language were more precious than any weapon."
Adrian leaned forward, his Source stirring with interest. The white-grey mist within him seemed to pulse at the mention of fragments.
"At first, they could only trace symbols in the air. Over time, they found a way to inscribe them. From there, runes and scrolls were born."
"But knowledge fades if not passed on, so they needed structure."
"That is when they created the Volumes. The goal was always the Language. The concepts tied to it were added later, to ensure their children could learn both together." Aurelia's voice carried the weight of millennia of accumulated knowledge.
"No one was expected to master everything in those books. Even in the galaxy, the most a being does is learn the Language enough to recognize symbols and grasp their own concept."
Sentinel's brow furrowed. "Then why no more?"
Aurelia's lips curved bitterly. "Because to create more, someone would have to take the discoveries of countless generations and compile them for the entire galaxy. No one would do that."
"Even if someone was willing to do it, do you think the empires would just offer it?"
The ship's systems hummed quietly around them as the implications sank in. Adrian's hands clenched at his sides.
"Empires hoard their secrets, clans guard their spells, individuals protect their lifetimes of comprehension. Even the Lexarians themselves would never again gift the galaxy so much."
"Instead, knowledge is scattered here and there. A clan's archive. An empire's private library. A spellbook written by a single wanderer."
Aurelia gestured toward the viewport where distant stars glittered. "Those who know the Language record their insights and sell them as skill books. That is why the three Volumes are unique, they are the gateway. Beyond them, knowledge is a marketplace."
Adrian exhaled slowly, the truth sinking in. Not that higher volumes didn't exist, but that no one would ever share them in one complete form.
Sentinel nodded slowly, his eyes reflecting the weight of millennia. "This actually seems very normal, even if you take a look at our planet's history, you will see how many were selfish. Only because of external threats are we united now."
He turned toward Adrian, his expression carrying the weariness of someone who had watched civilizations rise and fall. "I have seen Earth grow for thousands of years. These patterns repeat themselves."
Adrian absorbed this, realizing how his perspective had been shaped by an era of unprecedented cooperation. The unity he had known was an anomaly, not the norm.
Aurelia's voice cut through his thoughts. "Even the first three Volumes were not an act of generosity. They were strategy."
She gestured toward the starfield beyond the viewport. "By teaching the galaxy the Language, Lexaria ensured the galaxy would have the foundation to record its discoveries."
"People learned the Language, began writing their insights, and selling them. What began as knowledge became trade." Her tone carried bitter admiration for the empire's cunning.
"And Lexaria made themselves the brokers of that trade. Auction houses, markets, shops, every secret, every scrap of knowledge, eventually passed through their hands."
"In gathering the galaxy's scattered wisdom, they rose not only as a neutral empire, but as the gatekeepers of knowledge itself."
Silence stretched between them.
The galaxy operated on principles completely foreign to Earth's current unity. Knowledge was currency, wisdom was power, and sharing either was seen as weakness.
But this also meant opportunity. If knowledge could be bought, then he could acquire it.
"But how does one buy such knowledge?" Adrian asked. "Do you exchange? Or is there some currency?"
"Exchange works," Aurelia said, "but most prefer crystals. Mana crystals. They're the universal currency of the empires."
Adrian tilted his head. The term was unfamiliar, though he could guess at its meaning.
"Mana crystals?"
She smiled faintly, "Yes. They are condensed essence of mana, formed naturally when a planet matures and its mana density grows high enough."
"They are more than currency, they are life itself in the void. In the void, mana does not exist." Her voice grew serious.
"Without mana, nothing works. Even we can't restore our reserves. Ships cannot fly, weapons cannot fire, runes cannot function. Mana crystals solve this."
No ambient mana meant complete dependence on stored reserves.
"Without crystals, even the strongest warrior becomes helpless."
Her gaze softened as she looked toward Earth through the viewport. "It's hard to explain everything. You'll only truly understand when you live in the galaxy yourself."
"For now..." Her lips curved with something rare, longing. "...let us return to Earth. I want to see my home properly."
She turned to the console, her fingers moving across the controls. "Descend to Earth."
The AI's voice resonated through the chamber. "Acknowledged, Lady Aurelia. Beginning descent sequence."
The stars shifted as Aurelia's vessel turned, its sleek hull catching the light of distant suns. Through the viewport, Earth grew larger, its blue marble beauty unmarred by the cosmic violence that had just occurred.
Adrian watched his home planet approach, his mind churning with new possibilities. The galaxy was vast, dangerous, and mercenary, but it was also filled with knowledge waiting to be claimed.