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nRoley’s eyes were wide open. His skin had crawled into a bumpy layer, and his heart was racing at a wild pace. Daniel’s words had rooted him on the spot, leaving him unable to utter a single word, even when the former turned away, and went ahead without him. It took a fair amount of time before Roley was finally able to calm down.

nUntil now, Roley had only entertained the idea that Daniel had changed. He did not behave like he did before.. A behavior that, while cold and calculative, was still aimed at granting the safety of his friends and family. But now, Daniel was another person. A person he could hardly recognize.

nAs he watched him leave towards the interdimensional portal, Roley had started to wonder whether following Daniel was the wrong decision, or if he would be better off leaving, and trying to rescue his friends without him. Yet, as he remembered what had happened to Der, Roley put the idea aside. Not because he was scared the same fate would befall him, but because now, Daniel was holding Der hostage.

nHe had no choice but to follow, and so, as Daniel approached the portal, he did. With hastened pace Roley caught up with Daniel, and together, the two barged into the interdimensional portal under the suspicious scrutiny of the champions of Sacrifice.

nOnce inside, the two felt an immense difference between the universe they had just come from, and the one they were currently visiting. To Roley, this difference lay in the behavior of its inhabitants, who, instead of living their lives respecting the sanctity of life, transported offerings by the millions out of the portal, all stuck into cages that could hardly contain them.

nTo Daniel, however, the difference went much deeper.

nIn this universe he could feel the power of Life being oppressed by the nature of Sacrifice, just like he could feel the greed, cowardness, vanity and devotion of the domain’s champions. A stark contrast from the holy power Life’s champions emanated, resembling more a stench of corruption and ignorance.

nYet, while less appealing to what was left of his human side, this grim atmosphere felt more comfortable to Daniel’s nature as the aspect of Karma. The reason for this odd affinity, he knew, was the fact that peaceful creatures tended to produce less karmic power than malevolent ones. And to confirm this, was the amount of karma each type of champion possessed.

nThe champions of life generally possessed a positive karma, yet the amount was quite negligible. Sacrifice’s champions, however, lived to take lives, offering them to their lord, to their superiors, or to gods they did not believe in.. amassing an incredible amount of negative karma. And while the domain of sacrifice possessed a noble side to it, that of self sacrifice, its concept was a minor part of the entire aspect of existence.. Making the domain of Sacrifice one of the most malevolent within the multiverse.

nAs the two observed their surroundings, they found themselves in a sort of junction. A large space station where thousands of convoys filled to the brim with offerings were forced to form the single line Daniel and Roley had seen continue out in the Trigate. These prison transports came from all directions, carrying the most valuable member of each civilization to the main universe of Sacrifice’s domain, where they would serve as ‘reserve offerings.’

nAs they passed by them, the champions of Sacrifice eyed Daniel and Roley with interest. Their domain did not prohibit entrance from anyone, and for a simple reason. Any visitor was a possible volunteer.. Especially the powerful ones who did not belong to any other domain. That was what the two were in their eyes. High quality offerings.

nBefore any of them could even attempt to capture them, however, Daniel opened a rift with a casual motion of his hand, and alongside Roley, left for the depths of space.

nAs the rift closed behind them, Daniel and Roley found themselves in an unknown part of the universe, very far away from where they arrived. In fact, they were so far from the interdimensional portal that they failed to pinpoint the characteristic light blue shine it possessed, meaning that the light of the portal had yet to reach the space they were occupying even after billions of years.

nOnce away from prying eyes, Daniel turned to look at Roley, and with a much calmer tone, ordered, “Find the planet.” The planet he meant was, of course, the one his system of Karma had created for him. The world he had been able to form thanks to the power of his comprehension of the elements, and that he had left for the members of his group to inhabit.

nA planet that, in theory, was similar to the elemental world within Roley’s body, but that in reality, could not be more different.

nThe way in which this planet differed from the elemental plane inside Roley’s body, was that Daniel’s planet was a physical object, and used the essences of space, time and sound of the multiverse as the foundation on which to build a living world. Roley’s elemental plane, however, was entirely shaped by the powers he had merged with, and therefore lacked space, time, and sound, giving it a calmer feel, not much dissimilar from that of an abstract painting.

nWhile Daniel’s planet was more complete, however, the elemental plane was far more complex, for its elements were not a copy of mana’s concepts, but true primordial essences. Once completed, Roley could have claimed to have created a new universe. One separated from the multiverse and the Trigate they were bound to.

nRoley, of course, knew what Daniel meant, so he quickly formulated a mission with the use of his Elemental system. He then read through the translucent window’s content carefully, before ordering for it to disappear.

nDaniel waited for Roley to report what the system had come up with, but before he could even ask, Roley spoke first, “When do you intend to let go of him?” He inquired while looking at Daniel’s body, inside which he assumed Der was being imprisoned.

nSlightly annoyed by the question, Daniel struggled to maintain his composure. He needed Roley’s cooperation more than he needed Der’s, so he could not simply trap him as well, and spend the next million years looking for his planet. “No harm is being done to him. I am keeping him there until he calms down, then I will naturally let him out.” He explained with a calm, yet still slightly indifferent tone.

nAll Roley wanted to know was that Der was safe and sound, after all, the memory of Horror’s power caging them into a never ending cycle of suffering was still vivid in his mind.. He would have never allowed Der to go through that hell again, especially not after seeing the state of mind he had been in since.

nNow that Daniel had confirmed that no harm would come to his friend, Roley felt a wave of relief wash over his body. There was still a slight possibility that Daniel was lying, but, seeing how he had behaved towards them not too long ago, he somewhat doubted Daniel would even entertain the thought. They weren’t worth lying to.

nKnowing that Der was not suffering, and that his imprisonment would not last much longer, Roley became more cooperative. He then approached him, willing to share the content of the system’s window, but before he could begin, Daniel’s voice appeared in his mind.

n“I know what you two think of me, and I understand why.” He whispered directly into Roley’s mind. “But you, in particular, I hoped would understand my position.” Daniel’s voice was not spoken, but transmitted through mental power directly into Roley’s mind. Not even the Elementalist could hear these words, for Daniel had wished so.

nSlightly confused by Daniel’s words, Roley asked, “What do you mean? Why would I understand?”

nDaniel shook his head in disappointment. Then responded by saying, “Did you think there would not be a price to pay in exchange for the gift of Destiny? That nothing would have changed?” At this point, Daniel turned to look away. “Your new power is still a cocoon.. One you cannot stop from breaking apart, freeing you from all the worries and ties you impose on yourself.”

n“What if I don’t want this.. change?” Roley asked, slightly nervous. He could not imagine living a life where nothing meant anything to him.. Nothing but himself.

nSlightly amused by his old friend’s naivety, Daniel showed a faint smile, then said, “You have a choice.. Destiny’s champions lack all but choices.” he then turned serious, and continued, “What you lack is the certainty of what choices you will make. Look at your goal.. Can you truly achieve it while avoiding reaching your highest potential?”

nDaniel was speaking from experience. He still recalled the day he had been forced to forsake his humanity in exchange for power. At the time, he had done it to survive.. But that was only the case because survival was his goal. What if he had a broader dream? What if he had the same goal as Roley? To save an entire species from oppression.. Maybe then he wouldn’t have felt forced into that choice, but would have welcomed it.

nHis words gave Roley much to think about. After all, he had only just recently become a champion of Destiny. In his mind, perhaps due to the Elementalist’s presence, or maybe because he had never felt that the system was his, that notion had not settled yet. He still looked at himself as the lord of the Elementals.

nAs Daniel noticed Roley’s conflicted expression, he decided to do something he too felt was uncharacteristic of the new him, and that was to reassure him. “I may have changed, and I may not feel what I felt before, but my goals have not changed. I will keep you safe.. All of you. I owe it to the person I was.”

nHis words were able to draw Roley’s attention. He had found what Daniel had just said curious. Yet, before he could ask for clarification, Daniel said out loud, “The planet. Let’s go, I will follow you.”

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