Chapter 48: Touki, Essence, & The Crown

"Are y-you sure you should be wearing that when you're about to try Touki...?" Kuroka hesitantly asked me. I cracked one eye open, looking at her worried expression. 

I laughed lightly, "It's fine! Sure, it could 'potentially' be dangerous, but that's why they're here to supervise," I stopped and waved at the four women seated a bit away from Kuroka, Shirone, and me. "They'll be here in a flash, plus I'm sure it will have a good effect on it, hmm maybe, no, I'm fairly certain my lifeforce is aligned to both sides... hmm maybe my aura can..." I began muttering to myself about the possibilities. They were endless, but at the end of the day, nothing ventured nothing gained!

"I b-believe in Ryu-san! He's a dragon, that should help, I think!" Shirone said in response to Kuroka's worries. 

I thank her for the vote of confidence, but either way, I do happen to have a bit of a worry about what might happen. I'm still here in the training room, but I had asked the four women to stop for a moment because I wanted to try out one of the items I got. They had agreed and at that time I got Jibril to bring the two nekos so they could help me with their power. Of course, they're not experts but every little bit counts. 

I then hear two poofs and my lap gets a bit of weight added on, I peek down and find two little cats curled up on it. Instead of reprimanding them, I stay quiet, they're circulating their lifeforce right now, taking in the excess volatile energy that is flowing out of my body.

I keep my cool, trying not to let it run rampant as I try to focus on having it flow easier throughout my body. Honestly, it should be a bit easy since I constantly use my Aura of Infinity, but something about it is different from Touki. I dig deeper, swimming deep within the recesses of my soul trying to piece together the puzzle. Power sends me spinning out of the way, but I brace myself. I concentrate on what is hitting me, trying to get a feel for what sent me away and I find my answer. An amalgamation of energy. Everything that makes me up dialed up by infinity, and then the word for it hits me, something increasingly similar to the liquid I drank. Essence. Pure essence makes up my Aura of Infinity. It's why it's so frustratingly hard to train and though I have gotten better at controlling it, it still takes way too much out of it. It's probably why I get winded because the infinity is making it into pure essence. And it's not like I can't use mana, pseudo-divinity, or touki, it just goes through a different process when using different skills. 

It's confusing, but I can somewhat understand...? 

I start to breathe heavily, knowing that I've reached my limit within the soul space where this raw essence is, so I move away and concentrate once again on Touki. The two girls work hard to create a perfect balance so I do not fail them and begin my control over my life force. 

I know that physical training is necessary, but I wanted to see if I could feel it and obtain control this way because of my unique constitution and skills that already allow me partial use of this energy. Honestly, I already have a mess of energy within me that is volatile sure, but the boost in power will help in the long run. I seep a bit of my Aura of Infinity over myself and go from there. 

No changes take place, but I feel a pulling force from the crown. Energy lashes out and gouges deep trenches on the ground, and when I take a peek at the damage, I also see that the two nekos don't react but I do feel the others stand up in response. I hold out my hand and grit my teeth, trying to reduce the pressure from the crown. 

I cut off the drain and sagged in relief, it broke my concentration in circulating what I felt to be Touki, but that was a successful attempt! I'm sure it'll get easier the more I train physically, but if I continue with this it'll help speed up the process!

I then monitor the two nekos on my lap, and no harmful changes have occurred so I close my eyes once again and dive into my psyche to grab hold of the lifeforce. Nothing seems to change, but at the corner of my vision, I see a golden whirlpool of energy, the same one that I stayed near the edge last time to circulate successfully, or at least for a bit before using my Aura of Infinity.

I then tentatively go to it and my spiritual body gets smacked. I let out a groan of pain unconsciously, spooking Shirone, but Kuroka holds her down as she pats my leg- I know this mostly because my aura can pick out the details of what is happening. I try once more, this time covering myself in bits of golden energy that seem to have clung to my spiritual body. 

Kuroka and Shirone both quiver when I reach the edges of the whirlpool, but I pat them gently in reassurance. Once again the energy lashes out, but I move instinctively out of the way by twisting my body. Soon bubbles of energy begin to shoot out from the whirlpool knocking me off my spiritual feet and launching me away. I flinch in response, but manifest some wings inside and fly toward the energy. Golden tentacles begin emerging preventing me from getting close and one of them ends up clipping me on the side, but instead of being thrown back by the hit, I grab hold of it and bite. The energy sparks and though I brace for an explosion, it just poofs into clouds of energy and before it gets sucked back into the whirlpool I quickly latch onto them and circulate it into my spiritual body. 

Soon the energy begins seeping into my own physical body lighting it up and making the crown on my head glow ominously. I grin in triumph, but before I even begin to get control over it, it dissipates and I am left gasping for air. 

The lifeforce that I thought I had control over quickly rushed to the whirlpool and it rumbled. I cut off the connection to it and exit the soul space. 

I breathe deeply as the two on my lap meow cutely and rub against my tummy. I scratch their heads in response, thanking them for worrying. 

It was a different reaction and though I grow increasingly wary of the ominously glowing runes across the crown I want to try once again. I breathe in deeply and once again look over the description of the crown, it might help me in some way if I dig deeper. 

The Crown of Chaos and Order is not for the faintest of hearts and I knew that it'd be risky, but it's best to try this out in a controlled environment. Thinking it over once again, I prepare myself to teleport Kuroka and Shirone away just in case something goes awry. 

You'd think I learned my lesson in not doing stupid shit, but these powers are so fucken cool, not to mention necessary. I must prepare myself, both to protect and back up the people I care for. Intelligence gathering is going well, thanks to Jibril, and though Grayfia has been giving me reports about any suspicious activity about the Old Satans there hasn't been anything yet. That doesn't mean preparing is useless, everyone will need to get used to the increase in power and additional abilities that are within those items.

Soon I'll be distributing the useful items. I'm also hoping that I get good pulls in the gachas that are going to be placed on automatic. Thankfully, most of the items don't harm the user, but most of them have cryptic writing so I wouldn't know how it would affect the user only when they begin to use it. It largely depends on the circumstances surrounding how it is used and the flavor text within the description. 

I breathe deeply and check it over once again. 

[ Mythical Rank Item: Crown of Chaos and Order -

This legendary artifact of immense power was forged in the crucible of creation far outside the boundary of this World by the hands of Primordial Entities who shaped the fabric of reality itself. This enigmatic crown is adorned with swirling patterns of light and darkness, symbolizing the eternal struggle between chaos and order that lies at the heart of the universe. Countless runes and symbols that shimmer in a mystifying pattern are etched onto the crown itself creating a brilliant array of unfathomable archaic power.

The crown itself was crafted from a mysterious substance that seems to shift and change in color and form, reflecting the ever-changing nature of the cosmos.

{ Abilities } --

**Harmony of Chaos and Order**

The Crown of Chaos and Order grants its wearer grants mastery over the forces of chaos and order, allowing them to balance and harmonize the opposing energies of the universe. They can manipulate the ebb and flow of chaos and order, restoring balance to the world and averting catastrophes born of imbalance.

Note: Power capability/control is connected to how much the wearer has of the essence of Chaos and Order, including how much they have been tainted by Chaos and disciplined by Order.

As a consequence of this mastery, the wearer has enhanced affinity with both chaotic and orderly forces. They can harness chaotic energies to unleash destructive forces or invoke orderly precision for intricate spells or strategies.

**Judgment of the Cosmos**

Those who wear the crown are granted insight into the workings of the cosmos, enabling them to pass judgment upon the actions of gods and mortals alike. 

They become arbiters of cosmic justice, dispensing punishment to those who disrupt the natural order and rewarding those who uphold it.

*Reality Distortion**

By tapping into the Crown's power, the wearer can momentarily distort reality itself, creating illusions, altering probabilities, or temporarily bending the laws of physics within a limited area. This can also be manifested as a visible energy field capable of creating distorting effects upon foes and random beneficial buffs to allies. 

**Transformational Potential**

In moments of dire need, the Crown allows the wearer to undergo a transformative experience, evolving their consciousness and abilities to better resonate with the cosmic balance. This transformation emerges and/or is unlocked when the wearer has obtained perfect harmony between the two Primordial Concepts including their own power that they wield. 

**Limitations/Warning**

Despite its immense power, the Crown of Chaos and Order is not omnipotent. Its abilities are tied to the wearer's understanding and mastery of balance, and its use requires careful consideration to avoid unintended consequences. It is a symbol of cosmic balance and transcendence, so much so that it has the capability of bestowing its wearer with the power to shape the destiny of worlds and the fate of galaxies. Careful manipulation is necessary in handling such a powerful artifact. Those who possess it become the custodians of the universe, entrusted with the sacred duty of maintaining equilibrium amidst the chaos and order that swirl around them. Should the balance between chaos and order collapse to a critical point where one aspect overwhelms the other, the Crown of Chaos and Order triggers a safeguard mechanism: the creation of an entity known as the Harbinger of Equilibrium. 

]

The power within this mythical artifact is nothing to scoff at, even if I can hardly use it to its full potential, I still need to be careful. Even though it grants me an affinity, it doesn't mean I'm filled with primordial energy. The minuscule amount that I do have is nothing to write home about, especially when it will only trigger during fatality, so either way I can't wield it. Soon I will, but for now getting a look at how it feels when I'm wearing and how it interacts with my own energies is step number one. 

I gulp knowing full well that I'm treading on thin ice with it being on my head and being exposed to my swirling energies within, but this will be a good way for my volatile race energies, affinities, and divinities to interact and be in harmony. They're only in place because of my connection with infinity, the sheer amount of mana is holding it together. My Aura of Infinity does it automatically, but that is because of the system, I'm not the one who is directing the Essence Amalgamation to seep out of me like that. 

Well, here goes nothing.