Chapter Three: Lineage
“Yarn spoke to Lavata: ‘Her will is not her own. She is bound by blood, shaped by blood, and so are you. Let go of your delusions of power, for you have never been free—you have always been a slave. Your traditions, the birthright you believe you possess, are all illusions. Who hides behind your mask of violence and tyranny? After the truth remains, what else is left?’”
This moment marks the end of the third phase of the Gasse ritual: “Lavata’s Fall and Rebirth.”
As the incantation of prayer concluded, the fourth phase followed: the Sacrifice.
Kradashe’s heart roared. She wanted to reach out and touch the pentagram pendant hanging from her neck, which contained the BIO species’ [Drive Command].
“Ms. Kradashe Wiedel, do you need assistance?”
Shaxiu, without her noticing, had appeared at her side. He extended his index finger and gently touched Kradashe’s throat. His finger slowly slid down to rest on the chain of the pendant, then twisted, causing the chain to wind around his finger.
Kradashe stared at the blonde youth, who smiled with narrowed eyes, her gaze filled with bitter rage and disbelief. How could a BIO species defy her?
“Oh, I forgot—you cannot speak. Beautiful lady, would you care to dance with me?”
Kradashe glared fiercely, but Shaxiu had already taken her right hand, bowed his head, and gently kissed the Lavata’s Mark on the back of her hand. Then their right hands intertwined fingers, her left hand rested on his shoulder, and his left hand supported her slender waist.
“Come, let us offer a dance to Yarn.”
Shaxiu led the stiff Kradashe in a dance across the hall. The dance was awkward and unnatural, yet Shaxiu seemed to enjoy it immensely. He dragged her through the dance for a full ten minutes before finally stopping the ridiculous performance.
“Ah, madam, thank you for the dance, and…”
After finishing, Shaxiu deliberately stepped back, maintaining a respectful distance, and bowed politely in thanks. Kradashe suddenly realized she could move again. With burning red eyes, she violently tore off her pendant.
“You bastard! I will—ugh—”
As Kradashe tried to activate the spell within the pendant, she felt her hair begin to detach, her skin sink, followed by her fingers, and then her nose bridge...
Kradashe transformed into a mass of flesh at an astonishing speed. She struggled like a flesh-colored jelly, reaching out toward the smiling blonde youth. Her two eyeballs shifted unnaturally amid the excess flesh; one eye rested near her mouth, the other atop her head.
“Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Equivalent Exchange: Human Body.”
The blonde boy with golden eyes placed his index finger to his lips and spoke to Kradashe. Crimson patterns appeared on the back of his hand, and the numbers beneath his eyes vanished.
“Next is the offering, Archmage Yarn!
I present to you the most fascinating sacrifice: a foolish soul,
and, a trace of heavenly bloodline.”
Phase Four: Sacrifice—Complete.
Hidden Condition: Spectacular Performance—Complete.
The magic array lit up. Kradashe, now a mass of flesh, struggled fiercely. On the other side, the blonde boy identical to Shaxiu also began to undergo gradual degeneration.
---
The statue of Lavata revealed a chilling, eerie smile. The statue began to emit strange chewing sounds. With each chew, a portion of the flesh mass vanished into thin air.
As the chewing accelerated, soon only Shaxiu remained within the magic array. The Lavata statue fixed its gaze on him, while Shaxiu grinned widely.
“Enjoy your meal, madam.”
The statue’s mouth twisted upward toward its eyes, forming a grotesque, sinister grin before Shaxiu’s eyes.
Seems she’s in a good mood.
At this moment, the patterns on Shaxiu’s hand fully formed into a bright red circle, surrounded by swirling layers.
Ritual Effect: [Mark of Yarn: Whirlpool]
“Bzzzz—”
A tremendous ringing sounded in Shaxiu’s ears as his soul detached from his body. This was the ascendance of the soul; at this moment, his spirit projected into the [Aether Ocean].
Upside down, bizarrely dazzling.
He could see the vast starry sky, the inverted ocean, floating ethereal spirits, and burning demons...
“Now—”
“Return of the Third!!!”
A great roar shattered his hazy consciousness. Shaxiu awoke within the Aether Ocean, quickly stabilizing his floating spirit. This was a critical moment.
The ascension of spirituality, transcendent awakening, and the linking of lineage.
“Orin!”
Shaxiu rapidly recited the linkage phrase of the [Carnal Desire Lineage]. An ancient parchment appeared before him. He quickly placed his hand on it, and his name appeared, inscribed in archaic Terra script.
[Authorization Granted]
Ordinary people who recited lineage linkage phrases without authorization often died terribly.
At the moment the linkage completed, Shaxiu glimpsed the boundless form of [The Overturned Infinite] in the Aether Ocean. It was a colossal, boundaryless monster, its shape constantly distorting and shifting. Shaxiu knew this being would become his “anchor” in the Aether Ocean.
Shaxiu had officially become a member of the Carnal Desire Lineage. He was now both an observer of the Aether Ocean and a component of it.
[Aether Ocean]: The barrier layer between the realm of actual positive matter and antimatter space. A world composed of concepts and the source of transcendent primal matter.
Terra’s transcendent system is based on the [Aether Ocean] and collectively called—Arcana.
The essence of Arcana is the alteration of concepts.
Lineages are aggregates of concepts, also known as STC (Standard Template Construct) system technology.
---
[Ping—]
[Lineage Linkage—Template Generation In Progress—]
[Welcome, my dear Orin]
[Shaxiu]
[Rank: Orin]
++ Lineage: [Sin-Eating Church (Carnal Desire Sect)]
++ ARad Field: None
++ Profession: Return of the Third (Guardian of Resurrection, Transformation, and Child Protection)
++ Phase One: The Measurer
++ EVE Particle Content: 100 Spirit
++ Loudness: 10 dB
++ Timbre: Non-Constant Wave
++ Frequency: 164–698 Hz
++ Distortion Field: 100 (Normal)
++ Entries: [Flesh Sculpting Art], [Mark of Yarn]
No doubt about it, this is a personal template. Any “NPC” in Terra with a lineage basically has one.
The game “Terra Chronicles” has a ridiculous early setting: the game system and player templates are also Terra’s lineages. This means they are visible to each other; lineage holders can see others’ templates since they all use the same server.
Confused players looked at NPCs’ more elaborate personal templates (game initial templates are like base skins), unsure how to play.
The native inhabitants of Terra soon taught players how to play—players were hunted relentlessly by Terra’s major factions. From the first expansion to the second, the chase was relentless. It only eased when it was discovered that players could switch lineages once without cost and could not jump recklessly.
All the so-called Fourth Calamities were nothing but a myth; players nearly got wiped out.
If it weren’t for this game being Blue Star’s first full-consciousness virtual infiltration game, with an exchangeable currency system linked to Blue Star’s, no one would endure this masochistic game.