Genetic Ascension

Chapter 2232: Refractory Index

Its formation suddenly slowed to a crawl.

Sylas' pupils constricted into pinholes and he understood what was happening instantly, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Faelan was using a time ability to slow the formation of the Rune, actively memorizing and learning from it in real time. And because the Rune was being bent and twisted from his frame of reference, Sylas had to both decipher the twists in time and understand the Rune at the same time, while Faelan only had to do the latter.

Sylas had already met a Thryskai with time abilities, but this seemed to be the second one. Was this common amongst the Demi-God Thryskai?

From what he saw on the Mortal Plane, the Thryskai were very different from Clan to Clan. Each one had vastly different abilities.

Were the Thryskai on the higher Planes converging toward a singular path?

How would it be like on the God Plane, then?

Sylas' gaze became eerily cold. If things stayed like this, he would lose.

He wouldn't lose to anyone.

Sylas' pupils dilated, the weaving lines of emerald in his gaze unwinding and dancing in relation to themselves. The shades of green felt as deep as the universe. It almost felt like one was staring at a star of combusting emerald energy.

Honestly speaking, Sylas couldn't remember the last time he had ever been pushed in Rune Mastery. Trying to comprehend a Rune through distortions of time that weren't under his own control was another challenge all together.

It made his blood boil.

Faelan suddenly felt as though something had shifted in the air. As though a slumbering beast had shaken awake just the slightest bit, his own heart began to beat more rapidly as well.

Sparks flew and the world around them solidified in a clash of ocular abilities.

The lines of the Runes seemed to slow down even further. But this time, it was only from Sylas' own perspective. He rarely needed to use his Progenitor Flame Abilities these days, but they had undoubtedly grown even more powerful now.

His eyes darted back and forth, the crawling lines of the Rune reflecting in his eyes from every shape and angle.

The geometry of the lines shifted, and Sylas noticed something.

The Aether in the air was being trapped within the body of the Runic characters, but that was impossible.

Runes were the smallest unit in all of existence. You couldn't shrink them or enlarge them by normal means. So, it was impossible to trap something within them.

'No. The Rune is trapping Aether within a mesh of Runes. It just looks as though the Aether is being trapped within the individual Runes. Almost like a… refractory index.'

On Sylas' Earth, they had reinvented a version of fiber optic cables as well, small glass-like tubes that trapped light within to send signals at a speed only one element in existence could match in raw pace.

To do that, it relied on refractory indexes. Essentially, it was perfectly engineered so that light couldn't escape.

When light entered water, for example, it shifted a bit, its speed changing just the slightest bit. This was why when one tried to spear a fish, you would have to adjust the angle lest you miss entirely.

This Rune was—.

Chi.

Sylas' Will moved and the Rune shattered.

Faelan took a heavy step back, his pupils constricting into pinholes.

"You…" his eyes widened.

He couldn't believe it, he had actually lost. And, much like Nyssenne… it was a Runic Path that he had been learning about for years. How much time had he poured into this…?

And he… he lost?

Sylas had already felt like he was cheating enough before, so using Temporal Delay just felt like overkill. But if the skills of these Rune Masters were truly so great, then he would just have to use more of his strength.

He had already lost enough.

He would never allow himself to lose again.

Faelan was looking for answers in Sylas' eyes, but Sylas was lost in thought, his insights multiplying in real time. He had seen too many unique Rune Paths, but while the ones before this was fascinating, they weren't enough to move him.

This, however… this moved him.

He felt like he was getting close to something.

The refraction method of the Rune was fascinating. It wasn't just Will Priming anymore.

All Will Priming did was adjust the environment around to laws that already existed elsewhere, often on the same planet. You were just adjusting the concentration.

For example, if you wanted to draw a lot of ice Runes, but you were in the middle of a desert, there wouldn't be a lot of those Runes readily available. Even if you were a Spark Master and could spontaneously form them, you would be burning through a lot of your Will and the efficiency wouldn't be all that great.

However, if you Will Primed, you would be changing the terrain of the desert into more of a tundra in the first place. The ultimate result would be far more pleasing.

This method, however, was a much stronger, much more powerful form of Will Priming.

You weren't just borrowing from what already existed, and you weren't just priming the environment either.

You were approaching a problem from two sides, priming both the Strokes of your Runes and the environment, not just with laws that already existed… But Laws of your own creation. Or at least Laws twisted to suit your needs.

Sylas couldn't help but recall one of the first lessons Gralith had passed down to him. The 10 foundational Strokes that built the Scorpion Armor… There were only so many ways you could draw a single line, even if you curved it. Yet, every foundational Stroke felt so very unique… It was all shaped and morphed to the Will of the Scorpion.

How could an animal have a Will? It was a creation of the universe just like everything else? Where was the Human Will, then?

But now, the Scorpion had become the embodiment of a Sin.

Sylas' eyes shone brighter and brighter.