– Nero, my son, you must survive at all costs.
– Even if the odds are one in a hundred, one in a thousand, you must never stop striving to survive, Nero.
– It may seem foolish, meaningless, but giving up on life is something that must never happen.
– You can live. You must believe without a doubt that you can survive, Nero.
Orphelia Adams
°°°
Nero woke up the next morning after dreaming of his late mother. Her loving touch and the many pieces of advice she had given him filled his mind. She was the only one who truly loved him; if it weren't for her, he would have died a long time ago. Thinking about her words, his will never wavered. It was because of her that he never hated his own existence.
Shaking his head to clear his mind, he focused on his current state and couldn't help but frown.
"I never thought I'd end up in this state after using my eyes' ability on myself," he mumbled before moving into the bathroom to clean his bloodied clothes and then taking a long, refreshing bath.
Thirty minutes later, he was dressed in another set of clothes. He did not immediately go downstairs to eat breakfast; first, he needed to understand what exactly had happened to him last night.
Sitting in silence, he recalled everything that had transpired, from the moment he used his eyes' ability on himself through the mirror to the discovery of the world beyond the tangled lines—the nine stars sealed by black chains—and lastly, the vortex nestled where his core should have been, if he ever had one.
Grouping those elements together, he began to draw a complete picture.
Tapping on the table in front of him, a habit he had when lost in thought, he reorganized his ideas.
"The thing sealed within that vortex must be responsible for my inability to sense the primordial energy needed to form a core. If you already have a core, you can't create one. But I've never heard of someone possessing a core resembling a vortex before even creating one. Only at the highest stage can you have a core in the form of a vortex. Maybe it's because of this unusual core that I can't sense the primordial energy; everything must be stored within. If I want to use the primordial energy, I must understand this core.
Secondly, the nine stars— I believe they must correspond to laws. However, there are seven laws known to us; among them, some might have sub-laws, but those are related to the original Law and thus don't count as a Law on their own. So, I must ensure that my assumption that the nine stars correspond to laws is justified. I arrived at this conclusion because seven of those stars corresponded to the seven colors of the laws, while the colors of the remaining two stars couldn't be identified as being linked to a specific law.
The nine stars were sealed with black chains, probably why I couldn't receive blessings. I'm glad to have gained a little understanding of myself. From now on, my goals became clearer. Firstly, I need to find a method to unseal my core, or perhaps I should first attempt to break one of the stars?"
He pondered for a moment, weighing his options and searching for the most plausible solution. Normally, one would start their journey by sensing the primordial energy and then creating a core to be able to use a law. However, he couldn't do that; he discovered he had a completed core but sealed, along with nine stars that were also sealed. Typically, one could only receive one blessing from a law, meaning one could only use one law. Yet, from what Nero had seen and the conclusion he had reached, he might be able to wield seven, if not nine, laws—something unheard of. His existence could only be considered unorthodox, a bizarre existence.
Because of this, possessing all those things yet unable to use the primordial energy or wield any law, Nero thought he must approach things backward. Instead of trying to unseal that vortex (the complete core) to use a law, what if he began by unsealing one of the stars?
Nero nodded, thinking, "It's the most likely solution."
He believed this method was the easiest; he had a feeling that by unsealing the stars one by one, he could potentially unseal that core in the form of a vortex.
"Maybe before unsealing the nine stars, I can fully use the core."
Nero couldn't help but smile; the prospect of being able to wield different types of law was thrilling. Previously, he thought he might never use primordial energy or wield a law, which led him to contemplate a way to become a knight. But now he realized he could use primordial energy and laws like others; he just needed to unseal what was sealed. As for why he was born this way, with these things sealed within him, he didn't know, but this would be one of the mysteries he would seek to unravel on his journey—a journey that was beginning to help him understand himself and why he was different. His journey had truly begun. With a bit of understanding of himself, he would slowly discover more as he continued down this path.
For a moment Nero contemplated wether to try his eyes ability on himself again but after a moment decided against it.
"Time to head down," Nero said, feeling hunger knocking at his door.
His steps were lighter as he moved, his goals clearer than ever. Although, his face remained expressionless, he felt a sense of happiness bubbling within him.