08-17-2017, 07:08 PM
"Well, Strazio..." Tearen said, looking up at the stars that were peaking coquettishly through the cloud cover, "...if we were in my native universe, nothing could stop me." the ex-enigma said in a tone that made the statement more than honest. A silence fell across the two men as they crunched through the damp underbrush. Tearen could feel Strazio's discomfort wriggling free from his poorly-tended emotional filter, and decided to assuage it.
"...not that I would, such that I am. Or, potentially, you could stop me, if you had enough conviction. Otherwise, you are the universe and I am the universe, and our thoughts are one another's. This is one of the more...advanced lessons of my previous tutelage, and not entirely relevant to the Omniverse, so I was planning on omitting it for these proceedings." Tearen said softly. His voice was coated with a veneer of calm and reassurance, but Strazio still felt his skin crawl at the thought of anyone having that sort of power...even himself.
"What's the Omniverse got to do with it?" Strazio asked. It was an obvious question, and one that Tearen probably would have answered anyway, but Strazio wanted to feel as if he had at least a morsel of agency in this conversation.
"That sort of leads into your second question; what of Omni?" Tearen said trailing off. The rage mage had anticipated the Shadow to have a ready answer for this, but Tearen's honesty was disarming.
"I don't really know about Omni. On the surface, he reminds me of one of my betters in my homeworld; a fragment of the universe so intimately self-assured that it decides to assume dominion of the rest of creation by placing himself above it."
Strazio thought for a moment.
"So...wouldn't that actually mean he's disconnecting from the universe? Wouldn't that make him less powerful?"
Tearen smiled warmly, but facing away from Strazio. It pleased him that the irate man was allowing his mind to settle down and absorb part of a larger picture. Tearen had never doubted Rockwell's capacity for this; he was strikingly intelligent once he was able to work past his emotional blockages.
"Yes...after a fashion. After all, a God is that which is able to exist apart from the system they control. Above the law, as it were. In the process of doing so, they free themselves from the laws of the universe, but also forfeit direct interaction with it."
There was another crunchy silence, and the song of a thousand frogs shimmered deep into the darkening sky. Tearen let out a long sigh.
"...at least, that's my working theory. Like I said, I don't know for sure."
The Shadow paused to see if Strazio had any follow-up inquiries.
"...not that I would, such that I am. Or, potentially, you could stop me, if you had enough conviction. Otherwise, you are the universe and I am the universe, and our thoughts are one another's. This is one of the more...advanced lessons of my previous tutelage, and not entirely relevant to the Omniverse, so I was planning on omitting it for these proceedings." Tearen said softly. His voice was coated with a veneer of calm and reassurance, but Strazio still felt his skin crawl at the thought of anyone having that sort of power...even himself.
"What's the Omniverse got to do with it?" Strazio asked. It was an obvious question, and one that Tearen probably would have answered anyway, but Strazio wanted to feel as if he had at least a morsel of agency in this conversation.
"That sort of leads into your second question; what of Omni?" Tearen said trailing off. The rage mage had anticipated the Shadow to have a ready answer for this, but Tearen's honesty was disarming.
"I don't really know about Omni. On the surface, he reminds me of one of my betters in my homeworld; a fragment of the universe so intimately self-assured that it decides to assume dominion of the rest of creation by placing himself above it."
Strazio thought for a moment.
"So...wouldn't that actually mean he's disconnecting from the universe? Wouldn't that make him less powerful?"
Tearen smiled warmly, but facing away from Strazio. It pleased him that the irate man was allowing his mind to settle down and absorb part of a larger picture. Tearen had never doubted Rockwell's capacity for this; he was strikingly intelligent once he was able to work past his emotional blockages.
"Yes...after a fashion. After all, a God is that which is able to exist apart from the system they control. Above the law, as it were. In the process of doing so, they free themselves from the laws of the universe, but also forfeit direct interaction with it."
There was another crunchy silence, and the song of a thousand frogs shimmered deep into the darkening sky. Tearen let out a long sigh.
"...at least, that's my working theory. Like I said, I don't know for sure."
The Shadow paused to see if Strazio had any follow-up inquiries.
And, we dream of home I dream of life out of here Their dreams are small My dreams don't know fear I got my heart full of hope I will change everything No matter what I'm told How impossible it seems We did it before And we'll do it again We're indestructible Even when we're tired And we've been here before Just you and I
Don't try to rescue me I don't need to be rescued
Don't try to rescue me I don't need to be rescued