In theory, all willpower derives from the mind. And yet, it is able to exist physically, and able to impact the laws of the world.
The Eikon of Progression, now lost, once told his students that will went against every law of the worlds, yet still existed in harmony with them, as if forcing itself to exist. Because that is the will to support all wills.
I exist.
The will to exist, the will to simply be, rooted deep into the minds of every living creature. And those who lost that became naught but phantoms.
And yet Aldr found himself drifting through his mind. The endless expanse of the twilight sea continued on and on as he stared blankly through the waters.
'Did I just...die?'
Dying in an illusion wouldn't exactly kill the physical host, but something felt odd about the illusion. Every hit felt breathtakingly real, even the most advanced of illusions he experienced had something off with human senses, but this one was blindingly perfect, except for small visual mishaps.
'That thing must have created the vision from the people around at that time.'
When he thought about it, he couldn't remember the faces of the people on the street in the illusion, the only people he noticed were ones on the mountain at the time. Hunter having his dagger still was a mistake that a normal person probably wouldn't have noticed, but Aldr showed off his experience from time to time. It wasn't his first rodeo, after all.
'...huh. Well this is strangely calming.'
Drifting upon the peaceful twilight sea was almost refreshing to him. He hadn't even gotten a break since the end of his last campaign.
'Maybe I should just close my eyes for a second...'
His eyes felt heavy, weighing onto him like a thousand pounds of force was being dropped onto his head. But the silence of the waters was interrupted by golden sparks coalescing into bright words.
[I didn't think you'd give up so easily.]
"Hmph, I'm not giving up I'm just-"
A furious spark formed another sentence as he grimaced slightly.
[Why don't you go ahead and remember your identity? It seems you've forgotten after all.]
"The hell are you talking about?"
The sparks vanished, leaving lingering sparks of gold in the air before they fizzled out as well.
'Great.'
What was he exactly? A servant of some god? A butcherer? Killer? Or someone with no purpose?
'Right.'
He stopped drifting through the water and stopped himself. Standing still in the middle of tranquil waters.
'Aldr, firstchosen of the world tree, servant of the Eikon of creation, world butcherer...'
The twilight sea started to shudder, before the tranquil sea turned into a large riptide, sucking him into it.
[Attribute [Legacy] has partially awakened. Gained skill [Loop].]
Aldr stood once again in the ruined streets of the city of illusion, the house behind him still cleanly cut in two.
[Skill name: Loop
Description: The bearers of time slowly could not determine between past, present, and future. So they borrowed from them all.]
His jade eyes shown with an odd coldness to them, unbreakable focus.
'Borrow...ah.'
He deciphered the description of the skill rather quickly. But didn't have time to enforce his will, instead being met with a vermilion blade to his neck.
'Dodge!'
He yelled at himself in his head and used his will to shove himself to the side.
'Time, anything but time...'
He grunted and reached for his belt, but felt nothing beneath his grasp.
'Huh?'
He looked towards the ruined home, it's illusion slowly collapsing, and noticed a glint shining from the rubble.
He cursed quietly and created some distance from his younger self, soft lunges backwards.
Yet the distance was closed almost instantly, it felt unnatural. The speed of the boy was far beyond human, maybe even superhuman.
'Hmph, this must be around then...'
He twisted his torso to dodge the glowing vermilion tachi and made a run for it, exploding his will beneath his feet to shoot himself towards the tunnel.
He skid across the ground, dirt flying under him as he broke through the rubble, struggling to grab the black dagger in time, but a heavy pile of rubble seemed almost immovable, and by the time he was able to grab the dagger, he would already be dead.
'Dammit...let's try this agai-'
His thoughts were interrupted by his head being cleaved from his neck by a vermilion tachi.
This time he wasn't swallowed by the twilight ocean, instead just ending up at the gates of Elsire.
'Hmph...'
He looked out beyond the gates, where the illusion was crumbling.
'...will I just end up collapsing with this place.'
He let out a sigh and sat on the ground.
"Let's perform a test run, shall we?"
Vermilion sparks flew through the air like mini bolts of lightning as he concentrated his will and intent.
'the past...'
He tightened his grip on the vermilion sparks until they burst through, being replaced by flame of their color.
[Skill Borrowed: Song of Fire. Time limit: 1 hour.]
Aldr's grimace turned into a toothy grin as he stared at the flames.
'Excellent.'
He focused the flame into a greatsword that matched his height, it's blade and hilt swelling with furious flaming rage.
Yet it was if the boy noticed almost instantly, a vermilion tachi blitzing across the sky towards his neck.
"You're quick, huh?"
He took a step to the side and slipped the greatsword to where the boy's feet would end up, but he wasn't met with a slip, instead the boy had already converted his momentum to Aldr's direction.
'Did I seriously have better reflexes back then?'
He grumbled and blocked the tachi with the side of his blade, causing sparks of flame to fly through the air.
And the boy adapted in an admirable speed, twisting his torso along with his blade to perform a sweeping attack towards Aldr's neck.
"Always going for the kill, huh?"
He smiled and squatted below the slash, meeting the side of his younger body with the blunt edge of a flaming greatsword.
"Well, that's one hi-"
Yet the boy did not cease to sever his head.