Eight authorities.
Infinity.
True Dragon.
World.
Spirit King.
Null.
Finality.
Door.
Error.
Aleph was far from incomparable to his previous self. The sheer amount of intersecting authorities enhanced his power to another level.
An example of that was the four-way synergy between Infinity, Finality, Door, and Error. The latter three had authorities corresponding to time, thus their effects overlap. Coupled with Infinity's individual enhancement to the three of them, it was enough to manipulate time within the enclosed area of the imaginary barrier.
It was one of the few perks of the said barrier. It was isolated from the rest of the universe, hence the variables needed to be rearranged aren't complex—the lack of other Aeons take a major part for this.
There was also the synergy between Infinity, True Dragon, World, and Door. They could form a world and summon it to the outside world. The superimposition of this synergy makes it extremely powerful.
"Tsk, tsk. This feels more and more like a game." He muttered while strolling the streets. "But Door and Error, hm? I see…"
Ironically, Aleph used Error's [Decryption] to know what's going on between the two authorities.
Turns out, the two of them, along with another authority known as [Fool], could fuse as one. It belonged to a strong god known as the 'Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth'. In terms of the "rankings" he and Metatron fished up, they are right above normal True Gods: Great Old Ones.
In Aeon terms, they are the oldest Aeons to exist in this universe. Qlipoth is a good example of them.
As for the ones above them…
"Original Creator."
It was something stored not only in Error, but also in Door. It was the deepest information to be dug.
"All of these authorities… are part of them."
Aleph felt a chill in his spine whenever he thought of it. His eight authorities seem absurd enough. That was until he knew about the Original Creator. The information stated how both Error and Door were once a part of them. It wasn't just these two authorities—dozens of them, at the very least.
They are also the reason why True Gods needed anchors. If they were not careful, they would assimilate with the Original Creator's "self" embedded in each authority, ending up with nothing but a machine for the concept itself.
This was also the sole knowledge that brought comfort:
The Original Creator does not have any independent will.
Simply put, it was a very powerful being with zero independent will. It was completely different from Terminus whom Aleph faced.
"Error still has to be tested. It's better if I could gain the missing Fool authority. Once that day comes…"
Aleph stopped walking. His eyes came in contact with the small pink-haired girl in front of him. In the corner of his eye, he saw several Realm-Keeping Commissioners (Earth equivalent of government officials).
Aleph recognized them as the officers who frequented Hua's dojo. As for the girl in front of him, he was fully aware of her identity.
"Can we have the talks at the dojo?" He spoke first.
"Ah. As you wish, Honored Guest."
*****
'...It is the same as that day.'
Fu Xuan recalled the 'blind old man' in her memories. It was an ordinary encounter with no peculiarities.
She went inside Yuque's 'library'. A blind old man was present as its attendant.
The old man initiated a conversation with her, to which she began responding with her true thoughts. It was as if the old man could draw out her deepest thoughts within herself.
By the time she snapped out of her daze, she felt the closed "third eye" present on her forehead.
The delayed realization struck her:
The person she met was none other than Erudition themself.
Looking at the tall man beside her, she felt closer to the answers she sought.
"I won't use that trick on you. That old man sure is willful, aren't they?"
Aleph's words brought her to a grinding halt. Her widened eyes met Aleph's teasing gaze.
"Your teacher must not have told you. Though, it is completely understandable. How would he have the face to meet his student when his own belief failed him? Then again, he's alive and well. What a dilemma, indeed."
"...Perpetuity."
He replied merely with a smile.
"How does it feel? You are one of the few who met me."
Unlike the old man who gave off an aura of wisdom, the Aeon beside her acted youthful; with a little bit of narcissism, to boot.
"That's because I am still young."
As if reading her thoughts, Aleph continued explaining:
"Would you believe it if I told you that I am only eighteen years old?"
"...It's possible."
"Heh. That's right. After all, the possibilities are limitless."
Before Fu Xuan could speak, she found out that they had already arrived in front of the Taixuan Dojo.
Aleph gently opened the wooden gate.
He was about to step inside when his eyes narrowed down. He became still for a few seconds before making way for Fu Xuan.
"You can go inside first. You can watch the students of our dojo with their daily routines. You might be able to find something interesting."
"What about you?"
"I will meet some guests first."
Although bewildered, she followed his words.
Bam.
The soft closing of the gate caused several changes.
Crack.
Fu Xuan saw a transparent crack appear on the nearby tea table. It was akin to shattered glass.
Bits of blue-colored light came out of the crack. It gradually expanded until someone appeared out of nowhere.
"Ah?"
"Ah."
The Memokeeper and Diviner exchanged awkward glances.
*****
It wasn't just Fu Xuan who saw these strange events.
Hum-!
A sea of flames appeared out of nowhere. It filled up the entire training area. Once it died down, everyone lost consciousness.
Well, everyone except for Hua and Senti.
"Ah. It is the first time I see them acting like this."
The memokeeper with a humanoid body greeted them. She wore a helmet that covered her entire head. Her lively voice could not mask the exhilaration she felt upon touching the memories connected to this dojo.
"Ahem. I am sorry about that. It's my first time seeing such brilliance. It could definitely compare to that of the sun." The Memokeeper explained slowly. "When it shines, even the moon and stars show their hidden brilliance. I am responsible for capturing these moments for the time to come."
"You are using sophisticated words, yet you turn out to be a shameless stalker."
The feather in Senti's grasp turned into flames. It transformed into a pair of burning knuckles.
Just then, Hua held her shoulder. She motioned to Senti to wait for a while.
"What do you seek?"
"I want your memories, Miss Hua. I will pay for it!"
*****
A/N: Well, the time for "daily life" comes to an end. I mean, it did last for some time. What comes next is this small arc leading up to a somewhat big arc. As for the biggest arc, it's set to come later. All I can say is after that, we can finally focus on travelling to different worlds. My plan for this fic was to tie up most of the things in Honkai, then proceed to other worlds. Though of course, there are still many interesting places in Honkai (Ahem, Amphoreus) which will be tackled later.