"They grow up so fast," Triny sighed, wiping away her tears as she ruffled Aetheris's hair with the kind of tenderness that only a mother could muster as if she was trying to hold onto these last moments forever.
Two weeks had passed in the blink of an eye. The mother and son duo had spent their time together in relative peace, despite the impending decision that loomed over them.
They had taken walks in the sprawling gardens, sat in the library where Aetheris lost himself in ancient texts, and shared meals where silence spoke more than words.
Aetheris could tell his mother was trying her best to make these moments count, to make sure he would never forget the warmth of home, no matter what awaited him at the imperius cademy.
"Don't leave me; I am sorry for being late," huffed Vedic as he approached the mother-and-son duo. He was carrying a small, harmless cat, and Yuuki slowly followed him with the carriage.
"Mother he's going too???" Aetheris questioned with a confused expression because from Triny's explanation, the imperius Academy is too dangerous and Vedic is very weak in his eyes
"No but he's quite talented in some aspects... he might be useful in some ways," Triny replied with a cunning smile.
Aetheris understood the true meaning of her message, Vedic was cannon fodder for extreme situations and a spy for her.
"Yuuki let's leave this place, "sighed Aetheris as he approached the carriage
"..."
""Ehhhh,~… hahhh! Yuuki, please, help me!" Aetheris sighed in exasperation, jumping and stretching as if he could magically reach the door handle. "I'm practically doing a vertical dance here!"
Vedic flinched for a quick second as the memories of him being humbled resurfaced but he began to calm down as he circulated his Mana and activated a Sutra of calmness
"Holy son, would you like us to instantly teleport to the site of trials or take it low and slow?" Yuuki asked as she picked him up by the waist and opened the door; although Aetheris felt a little embarrassed about being handled like a child, there was nothing he could do.
"Low and slow, according to mother the trials will take place in a few weeks/months so we should be fine"
....
"Kyu Kyu Kyu, it's been a long time since we talked," laughed the woman with a tone filled with joy as she lazily sat on a beautiful throne made of trees. She was currently staring at eight hollow projections representing eight figures, though two were grey, indicating she was speaking to six of them. "How are things in the physical plane?"
"Apathy!!! You do know that Cardinals only discuss important matters, not all of us are unmotivated like you"Roared one of the figures with a tone of disappointment and excitement, this was the Cardinal Hubris a prideful Tsundere
"Haahh you prideful bastard, there are only 8 of us and the first Cardinals to exist are absent can't you appreciate the little moments we share together" replied Apathy with a sigh, Hubris Coughed as he heard her indicating a form of apologizing
"I have serious matters to attend to, what is this gathering about Apathy" inquired the Cardinal of Temperance Aka Cassiel with a tone of annoyance, she had serious matters to deal and that didn't involve tea parties
"Ok, ok, ok, big sister, I have news. Our family has grown once more: Apathy, Hubris, temperance, Excess, Forbearance, Humility, Fortitude, Benevolence, and... Intemperance, Indignation"
"INTEMPERANCE AND INDIGNATION, TWO OF THEM AT THE SAME" Questioned Forbearance with a tone full of shock, one should know sometimes infinite eons can pass without the birth of a single cardinal so the Birth of two simultaneously shocked Forbearance
"Yes, Yes, their realms just manifested a year ago, but they haven't been accessed yet since they are not part of our group chat, meaning... they have yet to reach the fourth authority using their marks," Chuckled Apathy as a sense of nostalgia overwhelmed her.
Cardinals can only access their realms once they reach their 4th authority. They access these realms through a combination of willpower and their inherent authority.
They don't physically travel to these realms; rather, they invoke their connection to the principles that govern their realm (e.g., Intemperance or Forbearance), and this link allows them to open a gateway into their realm.
These Cardinal Realms would exist outside infinite realities and beyond normal space-time, functioning similarly to how the realms of the [Formless Absolute Eternal Void] operate but in a better way.
They are metaphysical planes of existence, tied to the essence and authority of each Cardinal, yet still capable of interacting with realities in specific ways.
Each realm embodies the principles of its Cardinal, and the way these realms are accessed and utilized would be a reflection of those principles.
"Hmmm, are these newborns perhaps hostile? We Cardinals don't follow the norms of common men, which is why we are free from fate and destiny... The Visionary and The Akashic Records might not be pleased if we interfere with the principles of Entropy," Fortitude questioned, his tone laced with curiosity. These unknown factors were troubling and difficult to manage.
" I think that we should not intervene, the last time Apathy made a mess and the rulers God verse did not take it well... Imagine if the tribunals intervened or worse the primals"
The entire group remained silent, contemplating their next move, fully aware that their decision would shape many events to come.
"Well, I think that they are within the origin boundary, and that place is no joke, so. I am just going to sleep for a few hundred years or a thousand so I'll wait until then" replied Apathy with a yawn, the surrounding figures were not even surprised by her laziness
"If they're within the origin boundary and haven't accessed their realms I can say that they are weak and very young... I'll wait too the war against the @##@## has become stale so these two might bring us surprises" Replied Hubris with a cunning smile, the other Cardinals could only sigh with disappointment.
...
Thank you for reading 😊 🙏
Posting twice a day since I won't post tomorrow
Chapter dedication to That_Annoying_guy, Red_Dragon, KarmaRune and Akaza14