Chương 83: Chapter 70 – Law 101

Vorduun's ember-lit eyes locked onto Cade's.

"A Law Seed," the Duke began, "is the beginning of understanding that which governs reality itself." Cade remained still, listening intently even as the essence inside him continued to move. It flowed through his channels in a steady, controlled loop—no longer something he needed to force. The thin boundary layer he had formed held firm, guiding the current as it circulated through him, brushing against his senses with a constant presence. Vorduun continued.

"You have already learned that essence is the foundation of all things," he said.

"It is the base unit from which existence is formed. Life, stone, flame, water—all are expressions of essence." Cade nodded faintly.

"But essence alone is nearly formless. It is potential," Vorduun said.

"What gives essence meaning—what gives it structure, direction, and purpose—are the Laws." The word carried such weight that even hearing it spoken aloud made something in Cade's mind tighten.

"The Laws," Vorduun continued, "are the greater concepts that govern reality itself. They dictate how essence behaves and how it transforms." Cade's gaze drifted slightly, though his attention never left the Duke. Inside him, the essence continued its steady cycle.

"To cultivate essence," Vorduun said, "is to refine the body and mind. To strengthen oneself. And while essence is necessary, it alone is not enough. The true path to power lies in the Laws." Silence settled between them for a moment.

"To understand them is to begin understanding reality itself," the Duke continued.

"To embody them is to align your existence with their principles. And to master them is to impose your will and change reality." Vorduun's gaze remained distant for a moment before settling on Cade once more.

"Tales passed down tortoise to tortoise claim that if one follows a Law far enough—if one comprehends it fully—then one may surpass it." Cade frowned slightly.

"How do you surpass a fundamental Law of reality?"

"By pursuing it so completely," Vorduun said, "that your will no longer moves in accordance with the Law… but instead, it becomes the Law." Vorduun's gaze darkened slightly, something heavier settling behind his eyes.

"Even the Grand Ancestor, Drax," he said, voice quieter now, "never reached such a height." Cade stilled.

"When this realm was sealed from the multiverse," Vorduun continued, "he stood at the peak of all who remained. And even then… he possessed only two Law Seeds. To speak of surpassing a Law is to speak of something far beyond even him… something none in this realm have ever approached." The words lingered between them and Cade let out a quiet breath.

"These Laws sound…" he hesitated, "…familiar." Cade shifted slightly.

"Back in my world, there were stories and philosophies. About something called the Dao." Vorduun's head tilted faintly.

"I do not know this 'Dao,'" he said.

"But it would not surprise me if your world brushed against fragments of truth." The Duke fell silent for a brief moment, as if weighing how best to continue.

"A Law Seed," he finally said, "is the first step." Cade's focus sharpened again.

"It is not mastery. It is not even true understanding, far from it," Vorduun said.

"It is the moment you touch upon a Law. When your perception aligns with a fragment of its truth. As your understanding deepens, that seed will grow and it will sprout." Cade leaned forward slightly.

"And when it does?" he asked.

"Your connection to that Law strengthens," Vorduun said.

"Your ability to perceive it. To act in accordance with it. To shape essence through it." Cade considered the old tortoise's words.

"If that's the case…" he said slowly, "then wouldn't it make sense to create as many Law Seeds as possible?" Vorduun chuckled. The sound was quieter this time, but no less amused.

"If you possessed infinite time, infinite resources, and infinite inspiration" he said, "then yes. But you do not. None of us do." The Duke's gaze sharpened.

"Time is limited," he said.

"Resources even more so. And most importantly… so is space." Cade blinked.

"Space?"

"Yes. Space in your soul." Cade stilled.

"So Law seeds are formed in my soul?" he repeated. Vorduun looked at him, faint light flickering in his ancient eyes.

"The frogs truly taught you nothing," he said.

"Where else would a Law Seed take root? You create the seed within your soul when you connect to the higher Laws, and it is there that it will grow." Cade swallowed slightly.

"And there's limited space within the soul?" he asked.

"Yes. Each being may only cultivate so many Laws," Vorduun said.

"Each connection takes root. Takes space. Takes… part of you." Well that complicates things. Vorduun continued.

"The Laws one chooses to follow are deeply personal," he said.

"Among my kind, they are rarely shared." Cade glanced at him.

"You don't teach them?"

"We teach the foundation," Vorduun said.

"Essence and control. But the Laws… they are a path each must walk on their own." Cade considered the old tortoise's words.

"Then how do you know about your ancestor's Laws?" he asked.

"You mentioned Drax had two… seeds?" This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Vorduun inclined his head.

"That is different."

"How?"

"Because Drax is not merely some ancestor," Vorduun said.

"He was the progenitor of our kind."

"And that matters because…?"

"Because every ash tortoise is born with an instinctual understanding of him and of his path." Cade's eyes widened slightly.

"Wait… like—just built in?"

"Yes."

"So… do the frogs have the same thing?" he asked. Vorduun nodded once.

"Yes, of their progenitor Sil. They carry her imprint just as we carry Drax's." Cade rubbed his chin slightly.

"Then why train?" he asked.

"If you already know his path, why not just follow that?" Vorduun chuckled again.

"You mistake knowledge for understanding," he said. Cade frowned.

"One may know a thousand paths," Vorduun continued, "and yet fail to walk their own." The words settled heavily.

"I teach," the Duke said, "not to force a path… but to help each hatchling find their own way in the great Cycle." Cade tilted his head slightly.

"So why do they all just end up following the path of desolation? The frogs have three paths that they follow, so why do the tortoises only follow one?" Vorduun's gaze drifted, something distant flickering behind his eyes. He paused before he exhaled slowly.

"I do not know," he said.

"Perhaps it is our nature. Perhaps it is fate. Or… perhaps… it is the result of endless Cycles spent cleansing creations the frogs leave behind." Cade's gaze drifted past Vorduun and unfocused as his thoughts turned inward. Back to Earth. To everything he thought he understood. Cultivation novels. Fantasy stories. Power systems built on neat, structured logic. Clear paths with defined stages. Characters who always seemed to know what to do next. He had consumed as much of it as he could.

He analyzed it and enjoyed every moment spent in the escapist fantasy. And yet… how much of that actually mattered? When the Initialization came, none of it had helped him survive. He'd been thrown into the wrong Tutorial. Surrounded by people stronger than him. And he had been nothing. Coreless. Useless. A liability to the entire group. He had tried to ask questions. Tried to understand. But every time he reached out—every time he tried to bridge that gap—he had been shut down. Cade's jaw tightened slightly.

At the time, he thought that was the problem. That if he just had the answers—if someone had explained things properly—he could have kept up. But now… now he wasn't so sure. Would it have actually helped? No, it wouldn't have. The answer settled with quiet certainty. Because understanding something in theory wasn't the same as living it. Wasn't the same as becoming it. Cade exhaled. He could be told about essence and the Laws and how to gain power.

But none of that would matter unless he walked his own path himself. Unless he understood his path. Not someone else's. At the same time, that didn't mean knowledge was useless. Far from it. Mentors mattered. Their guidance would matter. But he had to keep in mind that their truths were not his. Cade's gaze flicked briefly to Vorduun. He could learn from Vorduun—he already had. He just needed to remember to take what was useful without blindly following someone else's teachings.

Just because he could breathe their white flames didn't mean everything that worked for the ash tortoises would define his own path. That would be no different than before. Just another attempt to force himself into something he was never meant to be. Cade's expression steadied. He wouldn't discard what he learned. That would be wasteful. He would break it down. Strip it to its fundamentals. Take what remains useful and use it for his own purposes. Just like the ash tortoises do with essence.

Cade shifted slightly, refocusing on Vorduun.

"Why are you teaching me?" he asked. Vorduun didn't answer immediately. The ancient tortoise's gaze remained forward, distant for a moment before settling back onto Cade.

"I have reached the peak of my path within this realm," Vorduun said calmly.

"Peak?" he echoed back.

"It has been many Cycles since I have encountered anything my flames cannot reduce to pure essence," he continued.

"With few exceptions."

"The Ashen Emperor," Cade said.

"And First Elder Rowana of the frogs," Vorduun confirmed. Cade absorbed that information for later.

"And… that's it?" he asked.

"Yes. Refining essence strengthens the body," he said.

"But as I told you before… it is not enough. When I reached my limit, a choice remained. I could challenge the Ashen Emperor for his role in the Cycle or I could step back and teach the young." Cade's brows rose slightly.

"…And why didn't you challenge the Ashen Emperor?" Vorduun's gaze remained steady.

"I would lose." There was no hesitation. No pride or doubt tinged his voice. Just a calm certainty.

"So you didn't," Cade said.

"No." Vorduun continued, "Instead I chose to remain. To refine what I could. To guide the next generation. To continue walking my path… even if it no longer led upward, it is still my path." His gaze shifted slightly toward the distant Ashen Front moving along without them. Cade studied him for a moment. There was no bitterness or regret in his voice. Just a calm acceptance of his own limitations. Vorduun's eyes snapped back to Cade.

"That is enough," he said abruptly.

"We have strayed off the path." The shift was so immediate that it caught Cade off guard.

"What—?"

"The flow of your essence has stabilized, yes?" Cade stilled, turning his awareness inward.

"…Yeah," he said after a moment. Vorduun nodded.

"Then you have reached the point where further discussion serves little purpose." Cade frowned slightly. Something about that felt incomplete. Like Vorduun had cut the conversation short intentionally. But he let it go. The old tortoise's reasons were his own.

"You have done well," the Duke said.

"Better than most hatchlings." Cade raised an eyebrow slightly at that.

"You have learned to circulate essence. To stabilize it. And to produce the flames of desolation." Cade nodded faintly.

"I believe you are ready for the next step."

"What's that?" he asked.

"That thing Brahm did—the Ashen Vortex?" Hope and excitement tinged his voice. Vorduun laughed again, deeply amused at Cade's words.

"You may learn quickly," Vorduun said.

"But not that quickly. No, you have learned the basics of how the path of desolation breaks down essence. Now you will need to learn the basics of our path's defense." Vorduun pushed himself upright, the ash around him shifted softly as he moved.

"Tell me," the Duke said, turning his gaze toward Cade.

"What is the greatest form of defense?" Cade blinked. The question felt… obvious. Too obvious. He frowned slightly, considering it anyway. This wasn't the kind of question Vorduun would ask without purpose. But still— What would a tortoise think?

"…A shell," Cade said. Vorduun chuckled, deep and rumbling.

"A shell makes a mighty defense indeed," he agreed.

"Yeah, well," Cade said, glancing down at his naked body, "humans don't exactly grow those." Vorduun's ember-lit eyes studied him.

"That may be true," the Duke said.

"But I believe you can learn." Cade lost control of his expression. He could learn to grow a shell? His mind immediately flashed back to the shattered tortoise shell he had used in his fight against Brahm. It had been strong and reliable but wielding one was very different from growing one. Besides, he wasn't even sure if he liked the idea of wielding a large, bulky shield. Vorduun made a low, rumbling sound.

"I see hesitation within you," he said.

"As I told you before, it is not my role to force you down my path. But I can show you what I know to help you find your own." Cade's expression eased slightly and he let out a deep exhale. Whatever Vorduun was about to teach him, he could adapt it and make it his own. Vorduun turned away from him. Then— The massive tortoise shook. The motion was sudden, forceful, and, if Cade was completely honest, a little bit silly. It reminded him of a dog shaking off water after going for a swim.

But instead of droplets of water, fragments of his shell broke free. Dull grey pieces sloughed off, revealing Vorduun's pearlescent shell underneath. Fragments scattered across the ashen ground. Cade's eyes widened. At first, he didn't understand what he was seeing but recognition soon struck. Those fragments looked remarkably like the shell shield that shattered during his fight with Brahm. The realization settled in as more fragments fell away, collecting in a loose scatter around Vorduun's clawed feet.

After a few moments, the old tortoise stilled. Ash drifted lazily through the air between them. Vorduun's gaze locked onto Cade.

"It is time," he said evenly, "to return this shell to its rightful owner."