The level of mastery Kayden had reached in manipulating souls was completely surreal; he could easily fool a god while being just a mortal. Of course, if it were a god focused on souls, things might have been different, but that was not a concern Kayden had to worry about. People capable of dealing with souls were incredibly rare.
"How is your world, Kayden?" Amanda asked politely as they waited for their children to gather. Like Kayden, they had also received an invitation from the natural gods.
"It’s developing, but there’s still a long way to go to reach the ideal point," Kayden responded, and they chatted for a bit. A few minutes later, everyone was gathered, and Yan teleported them directly to the meeting point.
Kayden found himself floating in space alongside a few hundred people, mostly mere companions. Very few could receive an invitation from the false gods.
The people around them were the peak of the universe. Almost every person was accompanied by a god at their side. This was the pinnacle of the universe, representing the absolute future in terms of strength.
"Hello, God Yan, and welcome to everyone," a false god appeared to greet Kayden’s group. He wore an outfit made of a white material that looked like clouds. His voice was indistinguishable and left no artistic impression of himself. In fact, it was just that mortals weren’t capable of perceiving it. "The other plane will open in a few minutes; we just ask that you read the rules first." The god left a small piece of paper for everyone and disappeared.
The rules were relatively simple and also explained what exactly they should expect in this environment. It was a flat world with four directions, practically the inside of a cube, with the four planes being dominated by different factions and laws.
The average level in that place was the seventh realm. Most of the inhabitants inside could manipulate incomplete laws with relative ease. Those capable of manipulating complete laws had been killed by the gods to make this visit easier.
They were free to do almost anything but could not kill certain beings or certain organizations that would be there to offer them support and had connections with the natural gods. Furthermore, the space was vast, so many areas had no idea or connection to the fact that they were living in a special spatial plane.
Each side of the cube had an environment focused on specific laws, making wars between the planes rare because each plane was superior in its territory. The laws were very different and had all been numbered.
The first plane was entirely focused on natural and basic laws—laws of fire, water, and related elements. This was an environment where the simplest and least talented individuals would seek, as mastering these basic laws granted great power, but they would never put someone at the top of the gods.
The second plane already contained slightly more specific laws—laws that combined with the basic ones to take effect. For example, the law of the storm is a combination of water and wind laws. It was a world of entirely different difficulty, and this was the environment that those with true talent would seek. Here were found mostly mages with eight rays.
These laws represented most of the gods in the universe. They were strong but incapable of taking you to the top. You would only be a median god among thousands, above many but below a few.
The third plane was where the complex laws resided—laws that required learning at least a dozen incomplete laws to manipulate. Here was the absolute peak of the universe. Weaker mages here held nine rays. An example of a law in this environment was the law of space, the laws of time, and the laws of destiny. These were laws with no explanation; they were laws you had to have absurd talent in just to have a chance at reaching.
These last laws were capable of placing you at the top of the universe. You would be above nearly all beings in the universe, with only a few exceptions, barely numbering a few dozen. But, of course, these estimates were only for beginner gods because, after an incredibly long life, most were able to ascend with far more complex laws.
Yet, something was amusing—just like a building could not grow infinitely with a weak foundation, so were the gods. Time could give you many advantages, but it wouldn’t easily fix all the mistakes of your past.
The fourth plane... were the nonsensical laws. These were laws that could not be learned randomly. They were generic and baseless laws. For example, the law of madness—what was that? Only those who had learned it knew. Another law would be the law of the oppressed—what was that? Only the oppressed knew.
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These were extremely specific laws that were not part of the universe’s natural laws. They were laws that appeared over time, along with the forms of life. These laws were something entirely random—they could create one of the greatest monsters the universe had ever seen, but they could also create a weak god, one who could die at the hands of a mortal with a lot of luck.
"I recommend you go directly to the third plane; you have enough talent to reach the top, but it depends on your will," Yan had stopped giving orders to his children a long time ago; now, he only advised them at this stage of their lives.
"And the fourth plane, father?" Matheus asked, and everyone paid attention to the answer.
"It’s too great a risk. You could spend thousands of years in that place and learn absolutely nothing. There’s a 99.99999% chance of failure and only a minimal chance of success."
Everyone there knew what it meant when their father said something—it was always true. Yan didn’t err easily. They would all go to the third plane, as their father had chosen. They would emerge ridiculously stronger.
"Master, where are you going?" Atlas asked. Kayden had taught him well, and Atlas already knew where he and his master were headed.
"I’m going to the fourth plane." The other children and Yan couldn’t understand Kayden’s actions; it was too much of a risk. Only Atlas understood because he had been directly taught by Kayden.
"Why, Master? This plane will never be opened again. Don’t throw away this chance," Matheus intervened this time. The next time this plane could be opened would be in dozens of millions of years, and by then, there would no longer be any gods around. That’s why the natural gods had notified me that this was the last adventure of this plane.
"Indeed, Kayden, it’s not worth the risk," Yan commented. He actually understood Kayden’s decision because he would have done the same, but he didn’t want his children to risk their lives and their future for something uncertain. He preferred to see his children weaker than dead.
"If you’re going to fight, fight for the top," Atlas said, and Kayden just nodded in agreement.