The sensation of the two Laws overloaded Dorian's senses for a brief moment. The completely opposing forces swarmed within his soul, energy greedily flooding in as he grasped at them.
He intended to use the energy to protect himself. After all, he hadn't been able to even move when that evil bubble was keeping him still. Anything that could power him up to break out was something he would grab hold of.
As he reached for this energy, however, a somewhat familiar feeling settled upon him.
Fluctuating energy washing his soul in power… crackling light that shivered around him, increasing the strength of his soul… a oneness with the world around him…
He was undergoing a Baptism of the Laws of the Universe.
And not just a single Baptism of the Laws… but two at the same time. And not a normal Baptism, either. For, the Laws of the Universe had a very weak presence on Moria. As a result, a large amount of strain was placed upon Dorian's soul as he forcibly drew the presence of the Laws of the Universe towards him.
'Oh dang.'
That was Dorian's only thought before the opposing Laws of Lust and Chastity swarmed his mind, undulating sensations serenading him. Instantly he took several deep breaths, throwing everything else to the side as he focused fully on containing the energy.
The two very different energy sources were currently trying to escape his grasp. If he let either of them go loose, they would tear into his soul, badly damaging it.
Normally, this could be resolved by simply focusing on the concept and sensation of energy, absorbing it bit by bit.
However, thanks to the opposing natures of the two energy sources, Dorian was forced to actively balance each one. He let one part of his soul immerse a bit of one type of energy while shifting around the other type to a different part of his soul.
The primal, raw energy from the Law of Lust could not come into contact with the chaste, devout strength from the Law of Chastity, not unless Dorian had fully harmonized his soul with each Law.
As it stood now, his soul was trying to reject both energies. Until the Baptism was finished, he wouldn't be able to freely control either power source.
"Ughhhh." Dorian grunted out loud, his body shaking. As that happened, he faintly realized that he had exited that vision world where the bubble had been, returning back to the top of the stairs where the throne was.
He couldn't spare any more thought for this, sweat covering his forehead as he did everything in his power to prevent his soul from rupturing.
'Perfect Body, activate!' He didn't dare to draw upon any other Laws, even the ones that could power up his soul. Instead, he used what was left of his willpower to forcibly activate his Perfect Body Ability.
Immediately, the world around him lost some of its color as it faded to a grayer tone. At the same time, Dorian's mind and body were greatly enhanced. His perception of time increased, letting him see the world in slower motion.
WHOOSH
Dorian felt the whiplashing energy moving around in his soul and imposed his will on it, forcing it to obey him. With his Perfect Body Ability active, he was able to more easily direct the energy, keeping it from injuring him. The Ability sheared off a great deal of the stress put on him.
Still, he suffered a large headache from his efforts. The work and pain his soul and mind had been put through were abnormal for even his standards.
Gradually, the two opposing energy sources began to calm down. The sultry energy from the Law of Lust completely covered his soul, successfully imbuing it with the power to control that energy. Right after, the same thing happened, but this time for the Law of Chastity.
As Dorian gained an instinctive level of control over each law, knowledge flooded into his aching head. Specifically, knowledge of what each Law did.
Once again, despite their opposing natures, Dorian discovered that the two Laws had very similar effects. It seemed that the Laws of the Seven Great Sins and Seven Great Virtues mirrored each other.
Pride and Valor were seen as opposing Laws, he realized at that moment. Leader's Pride centered around believing in himself for the sake of himself, while Dorian's Valor centered around believing in himself for the sake of others.
Both Laws, despite their contrary beliefs, gave the same raw effect. Great power imbued to enhance one's physique.
The Law of Mercy and the Law of Wrath were opposing Laws, yet both Laws gave the ability to enhance the power of your attacks, imbuing them with powerful energy, energy that could be used to attack individually as well, if so desired.
Both the Law of Greed and the Law of Charity enhanced the overall power of one's soul, granting one better offensive and defensive powers.
And, now, as Dorian picked up both the Law of Lust and the Law of Chastity, he realized what they brought to the table.
Both Laws gave powers that were related to both the soul and the mind. The Laws didn't give powers that were solely one or the other, but ones that mixed with both. The two Laws enhanced the power of one's mind, allowing one to think clearer and faster, granting the ability to multitask multiple things at once.
But, more importantly in Dorian's eyes…
The two Laws affected one's perception of time. And not only in the mind or soul, but also the perception of time for his body as well, at a physical, base level as he interacted with reality.
His eyes flashed as he realized what this meant.
'When I draw upon these two Laws, it'll be like when I use my Perfect Body Ability… only stronger.' He could instinctively tell that by using each Law, the world around him would slow down. Or, rather, he would speed up. From his perspective, however, it would slow down.
The amount he could enhance his perception of time would start at a rather small amount, and increase with his understanding of the two Laws. How exactly much it would enhance his perception of time would be something he figured out on another day.
'Wow. That's an incredibly useful power! It's just like the power I had in that dream vision a while ago, back in the Life Years Dream Zone.' He muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
'Alright, damn ghost bubble. Maybe your Inheritance wasn't that bad after all. Still, to try and force it on me…' He shook his head, mentally rebuking the uncaring Array Genie.
'Status.' He called his status to mind, feeling a sizable increase in the power of his soul.
–
Dorian – Soul Status
Soul Stage: Lord Class (Pseudo-King)
Health: Perfect
Energy: 215,877/230,900
–
'Oh man! Another big increase! Soon I'll overtake what the genius Vice-Head of the Diamond Department had achieved in terms of raw Energy.' He smiled at the thought.
Abruptly, Dorian's thoughts were broken as he looked around, jerking himself to awareness.
He was currently kneeling on the floor of the large, stone platform. The stark throne he had seen lay against the wall before him, solemn and foreboding.
Directly in front of him was the stone tube he had seen before, covered by a metal cage. The source of the uneasy, ominous Aura he could feel.
Dorian took several deep breaths, waiting for his Constant Regeneration to kick in and help lessen his aching head, as he studied the tube. He frowned slightly as he looked at it, leaning closer.
'Now that I'm up here, I might as well figure out what you are.' He had just gained quite a bit from being up here and it was very likely he would never return.
The ominous Aura this tube gave off might be unnerving, but it also drew Dorian in. He could feel a connection to it, now that he was so close, a connection he felt in his soul.
'Is it related to the Demon Emperor?' His eyes narrowed as he studied it.
Slowly, he raised his hand till it was hovering over the top of it. As he did this, he flinched, his eyes widening.
For, the moment his hand was placed directly above the tube, raw sparks of energy began to flow around the metal cage that kept the tube securely locked to the dais. Dorian could visibly make out some sort of green symbol glowing atop the previously smooth surface of the tube.
'Huh.' He stared at the symbol, unblinking. He felt a strange familiarity here, as if he knew what this was. The cage that surrounded the sides of the stone tube also felt oddly familiar, though he couldn't quite place why.
After a moment, however, he came up with nothing. He didn't remember ever actually seeing it before, not at any point while he had the Jade Memory Ability. At least, nothing that was a perfect match.
'Hmm… Is it like the Array? Related to the Demon Emperor?' Given the location of the tube, it seemed like a likely guess.
He studied it for a few more moments before sighing.
'Nothing ventured, nothing gained.' He put his entire body on high alert as he reached down with his right hand, his left hand ready to jerk his arm back if needed. He would even go so far as to cut his arm off, knowing he could regrow it using his Growth Points.
He grasped the top of the stone tube, his hand clenching down upon the shining glyph.
Immediately, an electrifying flow of energy covered his body. It set his cells to tingling, a warm, dazzling feeling seemed to hit every cell in his body. As this occurred, Dorian felt something strange.
He didn't get a feeling of danger. In fact, the ominous Aura seemed to have completely disappeared. Instead…
WHOOOSH
A mental image filled Dorian's mind.
A vision of a world that was teeming with life. Beautiful grass, plentiful trees, a plethora of wildlife and plants. Beautiful rivers and rocky mountains, sweeping plains and vast oceans. A world that looked like a virtual paradise.
As this vision bloomed in his mind, it began to change.
From out of nowhere, hundreds of large, metal chains appeared, each one thicker than a mountain. These chains were full of foreboding and powerful energy, energy that seemed to Seal the planet itself.
For, as these chains appeared, the planet began to wither. Life fled from it, energy coming to a still. The Laws of the Universe weakened, their presence almost vanishing completely.
'These chains… they are what caused this world to die! Moria is a frozen, lifeless planet because of them!' An epiphany struck Dorian as he witnessed this, the knowledge from the tube pouring in.
'And if I truly want to cleanse Moria… I need to remove these chains.' The thought processed in his mind for a moment.
'And these chains… they are inherently connected to this metal tube. And not just this one… but several other ones.' Dorian could feel a connection between the tube he was holding and the chains, but only for a portion of the chains.
'But a small number, nevertheless. The reason the castles reappear even after they are destroyed is probably related to this. This must be some sort of grand secret of this world… something that the Demon Emperor left behind.' All the pieces to the puzzle fit together in his mind as he nodded.
'Legends about cleansing Moria must've arisen from people that divined Fate, learning that it was indeed possible. You just needed to have a special soul… or at least to have studied some Demonic Laws.' Dorian doubted that anyone that hadn't studied a Demonic Law, or at least had the aptitude to, could get up the stairs. He didn't think they would make it up even if they were a Pseudo-Angelic expert, though he wasn't sure about Angelic Class experts.
'And if I pull out this, this Sealing Tube, for lack of a better name, I will shatter a large number of the chains… and change the world of Moria itself.' His eyes flashed as he looked down at the tube.
And then, without hesitating, clenched on tightly and pulled.
.
