Bro, I'm not an Undead!-Chapter 1436 : Nullmancy 101 (4)

These words were still gnawing at him.

There were realisations Skullius was coming to as a result of the scolding he got from Kintar and Elita.

It wasn't that Skullius hadn't considered what they told him before. He had, but perhaps he trusted too much in the strength of his allies. Perhaps he had too much faith in their rate of growth when matched against the strength of his ultimate enemy.

Skullius was still trying to find out where the disconnect was, where his flaw was. He had yet to find it.

'To think all this was prompted by the idea of how devastating it would be to lose my Apostles.' He almost laughed. 'I did my best to ensure that the Stark Troops wouldn't be stolen from me with the Stark Constellation, but is there nothing I can do if my Apostles were the target of a Nullmancer-like foe?'

He sighed. Unbeknownst to him, Sila was eyeing him closely, as though he was reading his thoughts.

Skullius paid a look to Unnio-Lak again. Now wasn't the time to question his ideals. He had come here for a reason.

Skullius gestured towards Eternity's Weaver.

"You're very knowledgeable. I'm glad," he said to the paper cut-out. "I intended to summon my fifth Apostle earlier – a stand-in, really – but before I even decided what race to choose for him, he became this: a Nulliergrapher. It's like the race forced itself into the body I used. How did that happen?"

Unnio Lak gave several nods and hums as he stood up to collect the cups. Only when he grabbed Skullius' did he answer.

"Nulliergraphers were probably the first beings to pass into the Cycle. They understand Null Life better than most. I'd say in all of history, only someone like the Colossus Warmoth ever matched their understanding of Null Life and its essence. I believe that even after passing on, they remain – and not in the same way I imagine Gurron-Lavaan remains. I believe they can wind Null Life Essence even as conceptual beings," he said. He gave a shrewd look to Serenity. "If you don't have a direct answer, then I don't either. But to the best of my knowledge" – he pointed at Eternity's Weaver – "that Apostle might be the incarnation of one of the oldest Nulliergraphers in the Null Verse reborn after escaping the clutches of death. As you wanted, Serenity."

Eternity Weaver wore an innocent smile throughout the explanation. Everyone looking at him suspiciously, even Skullius.

Could that be what this Apostle was?

He did have an astounding level of knowledge, now that he thought about it.

'That would explain a lot,' Skullius thought. 'But he genuinely seems to be oblivious about his past life. He just accepts the wealth of knowledge and power he has without question. He doesn't even bother to rebel like Araeyn."

Serenity might have chuckled or perhaps coughed – it was hard to tell.

"The one thing that makes it difficult for me to keep track of events in the Null Verse is the fact that everything is constantly evolving. Even I did not imagine that the Nulliergraphers would transcend death here when they were supposed to be essences floating about the edge of the Null Verse." She sounded proud of herself. "But this was the chaotic, limitless world I intended, so I shouldn't be surprised."

"Your ego is massive," Skullius commented.

"Colossal," Unnio Lak added.

"I won't deny that," Serenity shrugged.

Both the Hybrid Warmoth and the paper cut-out shook their heads.

"What about Apostle Traits? What do you know about the way to give them to Apostles?" the former asked.

Unnio Lak sighed.

"You don't know that either?" he said. "What do you do with your Apostles, honestly? It's bad enough that you don't even have five of them to exploit the Apostle Ranks."

"I do. I just didn't bring the last one here!" Skullius defended himself hotly. "He has a Rank."

"Oh, good. And you didn't think to give the others Ranks too?"

"… I was going to get to that."

But inwardly, Skullius was cursing. Of course there were other Ranks he could give his Apostles, but they obviously didn't have as many perks as the First Rank. He hadn't bothered with that before leaving for the Null Verse.

Unnio Lak scoffed.

"Well, since Apostle Traits are triggers that constrain an Apostle's growth scope in exchange for giving them a tremendous advantage in one area or field, it stands to reason that to get an Apostle Trait, the Apostle in question must – first and foremost – have a field they excel at. This field must match their personality too, otherwise—"

"The process will backfire. Yes, I got that part," Skullius cut the paper cut-out with a frustrated sigh.

"That's right," Unnio Lak said. He had taken the cups back to the kitchen and sat back down. "In some cases, to avoid this backfire, it's best to strip some abilities and Skills from the Apostle in question – those that contradict the Trait you want to give. Only when you are sure can you begin the process."

"What does this process entail, really?"

"It differs from Nullmancer to Nullmancer. Gurron-Lavaan used to say it's the most intimate bond between an Apostle and their Nullmancer. It takes time to truly understand your Apostles and how deep your connection goes dictates how you will go about it."

Somehow, Skullius found himself staring at Araeyn with a scowl. The Apostle looked elsewhere, folding his arms.

"Intimate, you say?" he said.

He got a feeling this was going to be a real pain.

His bond with Red Rage, Ferex and Beyrmir rangers from good enough to excellent, but with the one Apostle of his destined to rebel in the future…

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Cursing, Skullius said, "Is there anything else you can tell me about Nullmancy? Something I probably wouldn't know?"

Unnio Lak considered him for a few minutes.

"There is, actually, but before I say, would you mind answering a question of mine. I have been wondering - agonizing, actually," he said with a frown.

"What?"

"What is wrong with your soul?"