Thales and Beatrix vs. themselves.

Thales woke up; apparently Beatrix had fallen asleep too.

"Well Beato, have you cleared any trials thus far?"

"Yes I think I won in the wheel of rebirth but I don't know for sure since I teleported after I defeated the river"

"Well in the Lab even in just individual trials so far it has contained sub trials, so it is possible the river is a sub trial of the wheel and hell maybe only an aspect of it, wait is the wheel even the stage?"

"No actually that's my bad the actual stage is called the jungle of Karma"

"Yeah scratch that we are not going to try and clear it anytime soon I just had to be sure, so we'll continue here 2 trials have been completed, I can certify that since no guardians or siblings are here and the Lab internally hasn't forced progressions meaning it is a choice"

"A choice to journey forward"

"How do we bathe by the way?"

"Well I'm sure some maps can have facilities, but pretty much have a change of clothes"

"Oh… I didn't bring any either"

"You really are detached from the material aren't you, you dolt"

Yes…

They walked beyond the pleasure houses.

They ended up steps before something, which was incorrect.

"What the hell is this" Beatrix said with shock

"It's a void, wonderful an end, if you're scared Beato just hold my hand and you'll be ok"

"I just didn't expect to see nothingness, what could possibly be the challenge"

"Well we won't know until we jump"

So they jumped into the unknown.

They jumped one with reverence and the other with fear

When they came too they immediately heard the sounds of battle.

It was an 18ft tall giant of man, could it be a man?

He was fighting, someone who had angelic wings and combating the beast with a light spear.

That was not all it seemed a man was maintaining a field, and supporting this women.

Another man, an impressive man who looked like a great Prospero,

 An arch mage if you will,

But in reality middle age no matter what aura he imposed.

This man looked as if he was carefully considering things but he didn't look as if he were paying the battle any mind.

"We were in utter emptiness so their solution was battle it out?"

Thales noticed.

"Beato look, an impressive amount of corridors it seems that is what they are fighting over not just a traditional battle to the death."

"Wait I know one of these dudes, He is Magnus Logos the wizard looking guy"

"What is a wizard? The wisdom cultivators who use bullsh*t magic"

"Yeah that is just make-believe, Thales" Beatrix said with a deadpan expression.

"Anyway I know the other one too that is Renee Descartes"

"I assume the others are their guardians not sure who Renee's one is."

"But the giant is famous, in raw battle strength he is a high prodigal genius cultivator, his name is Xander apprentice of Magnus for that they call him great one, he is a life path walker"

"They say in terms of conquering he is a great favorite"

"We might be cooked I honestly have no clue what I can do here bar commenting, for now so it is up to you little dragon"

The giant and Renee clashed, the giant was fast he looked to be unstoppable, Renee despite 2v1ing him looked to be on the back foot.

The green eyed man, in a business suit of sorts who was with Renee was called Hobbes apparently.

It wasn't like these forces didn't notice Thales and the like they just didn't care.

"Renee you mustn't commit to the fantastical forces, how about we try something a bit more inclined to human nature on this beast"

Hobbes had said.

"Beast go easy on her isn't there a way we can truce, for example did you know I have a collaborator who said they will leak your divine weakness out into the world the moment they confirm my death"

"Only a hypothetical, but what if it is true?"

Xander the great one had hesitated at these words; this created an opening for Renee.

She got in close and threw the spear straight through Xander; it made direct contact with not the body but the soul.

Magnus looked at this sight and snorted, he proceeded to walk away disappearing down the path with no one bothering to stop him.

Xander was practically at gun point, for the first time in his life he surrendered.

He would be forcefully transformed back into a man or even killed if Renee cultivated that deeply, even in his battle state.

"Hey Renee I am turning off the device now"

"You should call me Lady Descartes"

"Oh, is that in the contract?" Hobbe asked.

"Fine it isn't, feel free to turn it off"

"If you'd like that feel free to re negotiate my contract and get Lady Sophie to pay it adequately"

Hobbe had said this expressionlessly as if it were just business.

They turned their attention finally to The Dragon and the Pixie.

Hobbe asked them, what business do you have here Children?

Xander was back to human form he was bounded by chains.

"We've come here to win!" They said in unison.

"He he, isn't that a little ambitious. I don't know why you would win, but I like it, what are your thoughts Renee?"

"Sophie is going to win of course, but these two don't seem to be strong so I don't care, I could easily kill the pair but why would I waste effort, you don't work for Sahib do you children?"

"No, we work for ourselves"

"That's great, then you can just come with us and then die when we get bored of you, I mean if you're not with Sahib you're against him that means you are dead."

"We have no reason to protect you but I want to doubt you doubt you real well, so I'll take you two to go as study material"

Beatrix was about to reject but she couldn't, Thales covered her mouth and agreed but he also asked questions.

"I have no problem working with anyone as long as it benefits us, so I'd like to ask instead of confidence what else do you have to offer? For example you defeated this flaxen haired man over here but what is his cultivation, more importantly what is yours?"

"Oh he's a heart path cultivator"

"Heart path" Thales was confused audibly.

"Yeah heart path, are you surprised, well he believes he is the son of gods, a demigod of sorts so he uses his will to manifest that reality"

"Of course since it works on his inner strength he has an Achilles heel, which I can perfectly exploit."

"Who is Achilles you ask? He was a fairy tale cultivator who was invincible everywhere but his heel, so he didn't drown in a particular river"

"Anyway I'm a life path cultivator and my butler here is a heart path cultivator too. Xander the so called great one is a rank 11 heart path prodigal genius cultivator, while I am amazing a rank 9 life path cultivator while Hobbe is Rank 10"

Thales thought "So these guys have deeper level than me in heart path, I for sure need that resource point"

"You've made more than a fair point, lead the way"

"I can tell we will be great playmates, what are your names I don't want to forget."

"I'm Thales Miray and the red head is Beatrix Hecate"

"Oh Miray, so cool, your big sis will look after you until you die"

Thales was not interested by these words it seemed to come from a place of superiority and from the perspective of a child playing with a toy until it broke.

"How strong is that Magnus guy? Oh he is an exalted venerable one of the strongest people in this competition"

Beatrix had asked this, she was shocked. No wonder he could leave with no care in the world.

"Yeah let's go and kill him he is alone now."

They went down paths on the way there they were filled with ecstasy and then that excitement was replaced with immense dread.

They walked and walked through deep blackness, it runs thicker than blood.

They hadn't even found Magnus.

What they found was a riddle in unknown language to proceed; apparently they had to solve 10.

The first filled the blackness with light it scattered their forms into maddening shapes for all 4 people who were there, Xander arguably was no longer a person but a mere hostage with no rights the chains were metaphorical, his mind palace had been sealed.

A wisdom cultivator who couldn't cultivate was like a fish that couldn't swim.

In the darkness they danced wildly.

The fact that they exist was all they had their parts were scattered to the wind, Renee could only say she could exist, Beatrix could only believe the illusion of her existence and Hobbes his envy existed he knew that so he could move on but that wasn't enough to satisfy this whole's hunger.

Thales pulled his copy of <<PARABLE of HIS PLIGHT>> by ETERNAL MONOMYTH primordial.

Thales insisted if he could not make it out of this himself than an author better than himself could have written a way out, so he flipped through until he found something, anything.

Legacy 13, Thales read quickly deeply, how long could mere wills persist for.

Xander had actually been locked up in the dungeons of Renee's mind palace.

I charged through this impossible battlefield.

I won in this impossible battlefield.

If I won, of course I obtained great merit, honor and rank.

I bit my nails, not hungrily but anxiously.

Honor and rank are poison for the self.

Honor and rank can revive the witch, the witch of calamity an old classic I battle.

Gaining great favor that too makes me feel anxious, ever so anxious.

I look to my heavens, and I in a breath I could disgrace this favor.

I look to the inferno it isn't mine.

Swirling in that pit you can seek benefits; to gain it all, to lose it all both are great anxieties.

I battle the immortal witch again, she is too gluttonous.

She eats me, but I only fight her because I am, if I had no notion of me what is there to fight?

Whoever cherishes all freedom under heaven as me, can lead all rationales under heaven.

Whoever loves all under heaven as self, can be trusted with all under heaven.

Thales held his hand to his chin his eyes were closed for 1 moment, 2 moments and several moments.

"NO, I exist, the eternal I means I love and whatever I sense is whatever I sense, nothing more nothing less until I love and that love does marvelous things"

Thales carried the rest on his back, is what he would have said.

But in truth he used heart cultivation to imitate Renee and his time with Beatrix to love all under Heaven as the Eternal I even if it were only for a gap in time.

"Well well, Thales you are quite impressive using a page in such a profound book to shape the answer with ease, most impressive, so what will you do next now you have filled the silence with such a beautiful song"

"Yeah boy a few of us were useless there so well done, good on you. Here is my business card."

Hobbe offered his card to Thales, which Thales stored in his mind palace while thinking carefully.

"Hobbe can for sure be bought with benefits"

"I know that currency well, but I've been thinking what exactly the currency of this world is, I guess that is a problem for later, you'd think there would be books on it"

The Void swallowed them all again.

Renee became a puppet on the strings dancing her physical body, playing a tune on a piano that served to attempt to impale the rest of them.

Thales was trapped in a container.

"No problems pay attention"

"Thales became a ghost and went right through it, this isn't real so the limits are your imagination appreciate that lesson Beatrix you unrealistic girl"

"Right back at you Thales, you hyper realistic boy"

"No self therefore what is a ghost? Whatever I want it to be."

"Renee you may die here big sis"

The puppet Renee could not accept this lying down so she pulled out her trump.

"Reverse stream crying Cicada"

It was an object that opened a hole where her body and mind interacted it reversed them in time through dreaming and woke up, bang she was all fine.

"Wow that was cool big sis Renee" Beatrix shouted with enthusiasm which Renee responded with a smug smile.

Even Thales was impressed.

"Yeah I may become a puppet again and again, but who cares I can come up with infinite whys and solutions to those why with my strong foundation" She hollered,

"There are a lot of things that try to cage you, then I'll laugh crazily at that cage and say how, can you cage something that is so free the very act of I is rebellion itself, I'll embody that axiom"

Almost as if it was responding to her declaration, she was thrown out into an endless cycle to go ahead and prove it, which was the third riddle for her to undertake, alone.

Alone she was condemned to be free, which she said she would be judged by god in the end so she was aware she had to take responsibility for assuming she could think freely.

The next one they became a dainty mayfly and confront the fact they only had a day to live, they realized life had no meaning once they lost the illusion that they were not eternal, but that was ok, they'd just live that moment to the fullest as it was there last only then they became fulfilled.

They fought a war it roared loudly, with the cicada Renee watched as Hobbe and Thales was silent every time. Who cared for what their enemies had to say? At least Beatrix was as loud as their enemies so they moved on.

"I thought it was rational to cooperate effectively because our minds in total outweigh their might, but in the end you two idiots were greedy for benefits" she scolded them.

They thought it was valuable resources to contribute to the team, who knew even betrayal weren't simple.

They achieved great glory on that battlefield thanks to Thales however because he had got back every time he fell, he preserved in an endless sea of blood; he kept swimming like a shark.

That was the perseverance of a bug that was pushing for an unknown no matter how much he was told no, he screamed yes.

 Renee was at least inspired at this so she told him her thoughts on something.

"Hey Thales, what are you chasing for, or no that isn't the right question. Who are you chasing for?"

Thales looked at her puzzled.

"You're not pretending? Pretending so well you forgot who you are?"

"Forgot no, I'm just a guy trying to live my life to the fullest without an end in sight for the right reasons"

"Well ok, wisdom is powerful, I'm glad you can be yourself in a world that constantly tells us to tell stories about everything we are not, that is a greater accomplishment than anything I've done, so I'll tell you this it all starts with I"

"Very well done, that is 8, boys and girls what do we suppose 9 is"

At first Thales thought that was Hobbe but it wasn't him in this darkness, it was silent.

"Then who are you?"

"I've come to take what is mine" he said with a cocky smile.

"Magnus has returned"

"With absolute strength that comes from an absolute leader"

"Hey Descartes you sorry b*tch, here is a present from Sahib"

The magic looking wise man, he stormed at Renee.

The unexpected happened, with a flash of light as if it were bathing her in the light of wisdom.

Renee attempted to pull out her light spear, but her cultivation was removed as if she couldn't assert its existence.

In fact she couldn't do anything at all almost like she was a sitting duck.

He thundered forward, with a long smile drawn across his face.

Hobbe attempted to defend his employer, the light flashed again.

His cultivation was stripped too; his thoughts were as slow as a snail.

The pair was a fish out of water.

Magnus, wanted to eviscerate Hobbe with his bare hand on his neck he attempted to twist.

Thales had already been at a loss of what to do.

Surprinsgly he looked as if he had tricks here.

 Renee had used a spear and attempted to slice off Magnus arm, but wait hadn't her cultivation been sealed, what was the meaning of this?

"I used reverse stream crying Cicada as soon as he showed up out of pure fear, I got lucky I get another chance"

Hobbe was reduced to such a lack of ability he had no idea how to effectively wager using Xander's life.

Renee brushed him back.

"Remove my guardian from your prison before I break down the walls" Magnus echoed.

Thales told Beatrix to cover him, so she did.

Thales knew Magnus could not be bargained with this is a venerable.

To disregard your existence as an ant or to devour you like a calamity, that was the choice of the venerable.

It seemed like Magnus was barely trying too.

Beatrix pulled out a wand.

"Temporal bubble"

The wand blew a bubble; Magnus used his cultivation and sealed that too.

His face nearly was blown off though, Thales had a gun, seemed he cultivated that on the way here.

Magnus had already used them as a tool to solve all the riddles before this one and was now trying to dispose of them, tricking a venerable as a non venerable was directly not an option.

The shot fired from Thales, it was like it never happened.

This was something separate from the cultivation denial though, this monster was unbearable.

Renee was soaring around, she told Thales to shoot him while she attempts to draw him away.

But there was that flash out of light and once more she was an ordinary woman.

He flashed it again as he simultaneously negated Thales's shot.

She fell out of the sky like Icarus, while she fell.

Thales jumped in front of her and was grasped instead of her.

Magnus didn't seemed to be using any physical amps, so Thales attempted to wrestle with him he was a tall, young man vs. a near middle aged man it should have been fine but the moment Thales tried to apply a takedown to Magnus, it was negated.

"What you can stop physical phenomena too? And why is it so fast-"

Thales had his head literally torn off, the life of Thales Miray should have been finished here, but his head reformed and he was able to throw a lick against an unguarded Magnus giving them space to breathe.

"Wish upon a star"

That item had clutched, luckily Beatrix only had a specific cultivation sealed due to the unknowns of it rather than her mind palace in general.

Magnus was sent spiraling across the void.

He was bruised; Renee attempted to kill him she had recovered.

She struck gold, but it didn't matter he never had been kicked by Thales. The power to negate it is called dynamis.

He used this chance to attack the bigger fish, she attempted to defend herself but he wasn't playing around all potentials of attacks were negated and something different happened this time.

He had sent an attack that killed her when that wasn't possible, the result was her death. The power to assert it is called energeia.

Thales could only spit out damn it.

Magnus didn't waste time, he flashed with a light again and Beatrix had her cultivation sealed, Thales attempted to shoot again with his atom destroying gun, the attack was negated.

"Well she can't save you going to cry, you cannot cultivate unlimited lights shine what you know and what you know is you know nothing."

Magnus said coldly.

"You were mistaken if you thought you could beat me, mistaken as she was."

With nothing to bind him Xander was released.

It was now nuke vs. coughing babies as if it wasn't already.

So what he was using was qualified as solving the 9th he had really used them that deeply.

"No, I know one other thing Thales said, I learned it from our sister and not the one still alive the one who only exists in my memories"

"I think therefore, I am"

"Eternal I, as in I exist"

"Go on negate that possibility"

"Fine, well played you solved the tenth, how pathetic, life threw you a bone so you savored it dipped it in gravy, truly appreciating that has allowed you to see the truth, chase me then, Boy of truth, chase me to the next battlefield"

Magnus walked away with Xander in hand, he had no reason to stay when he already lost and killing the winner would have not made him happy.

For that would make him sore down to the soul.

The void overwhelmed that feeling of loss and was now sparkling with bliss, to overcome the fear of not existing, they now must accept the responsibility that they do for those that don't.

Thales stared at her body. The body of the deceased

"I can't believe I'm alive putting my pride on money has not netted me a loss thus far" Hobbe said grinning ear to ear.

Thales requested from Beatrix that he be left with the body, for her belief in her principle may not have saved her own life, but it did save their life.

He said they would win and give her a proper burial, so he paused and stored her corpse in his mind palace.

And then just sat on that spot where she used to be, where the cicada cried.

"Well you could kill me now, but I'm only a guardian, any point in doing that?"

Thales shook his head no, while he stared at his sisters corpse in his mind palace, porcelain skin, light green hair, dark brown eyes, she had long legs.

Thales would preserve the image of her beyond the flesh.

"Well I have to run to Lady Sophie now, if you escape this place, Renee she had collaborators in the wisdom cultivation world, call me from my business card and I can build connections, bye"