World System's Wrath: Primordial Architect of Taboo Creations

Cyrus felt his etherion converging in the roaring flame dancing wildly on his palm.

He wasn't supposed to feel the flow of Etherion in his body as an Awakened, but the vacuum-like suction of the flame made him feel as if his energy was being sapped. As more Etherion converged, the burning fire rose and spiraled wildly, seeking the destruction of all things.

Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

Pushing his concentration to its peak while feeling the flow of etherion, Cyrus finally cut off the connection. The flame first rebelled, then turned docile like a fire deprived of oxygen, shrinking until it vanished completely.

Cyrus slumped against the wall.

"Why is it that the first test of my skills is always so strenuous? Fine! Testing Chained Lock the first time was my fault for not thinking, but this…" he muttered, frustration evident in his voice.

He mused:

'At least I tested what I needed, but it seems I can only use it when I grow more powerful. I should focus on Chained Lock, and then ask Albert for an advance payment for another neutral skill. What about teleportation? Is it a neutral element? Space shouldn't be a problem with my physique. But… while adding other skills to my body would be cool, I'm not in a position to test new things. Who knows how Chained Lock will react?'

'Maybe I might lose both since my understanding of the Power Module is almost non-existent. I brute-forced my acquisition of Chained Lock with a bit of skill and a lot of luck in play. And I even got corruption and doomed fate as a "reward".'

All he did was attach the edge of the rune to the etherion vessels originating from the Power Module, letting etherion flow through them.

Feeling his body, he noticed that his Etherion reserve was only half remaining.

'Let's start testing Chained Lock.'

He picked up a bottle of water and a pincer, raised it in the air, and activated the Eyes of Void before performing Chained Lock.

For the first time, Cyrus witnessed the mechanics of the Chained Lock: a black dot formed just a hair's breadth from the center of his palm, and an ethereal black thread snaked out, shooting forward and running through the hovering bottle of water. While the origin lay in his palm, the thread's destination was obscured by a white fog after it passed through the bottle.

'The threads are like… chains holding it in place. Although they came from my palm, I don't feel any tug, or connection to it. This means the anchor isn't dependent on my physical strength but also, I can't control them. This might be my only hope to break this watch and escape… if all goes as planned.'

Like a pair of scissors, he raised the open pincers and snapped them shut, horizontally severing the bottle of water at the center. The separated parts remained hovering, but water leaked from the cut.

'Chained Lock can't hold liquid? Wait! Maybe it has nothing to do with liquid. Since it doesn't freeze space but instead anchors it to… something behind the fog, it might be an external lock, like a mystical shackle. Or does it only lock solid objects?'

With furrowed brows, his completely black eyes gazed at the black thread turning invisible as time passed.

The hovering bottle fell after fifteen seconds. Cyrus had already discovered that this was the maximum time he could lock objects.

Still unsatisfied with the result, he picked up another bottle, emptied it, and filled it with tiny pebbles.

Raising it in the air, he activated Chained Lock again, the ethereal black thread extending from his palm and penetrating the bottle filled with stones, holding it aloft. He severed it like the previous one.

Tiny stones tried to force their way out of the cut, with the smallest ones falling out.

That showed Cyrus what he needed to know. He deactivated the Eyes of Void, but a splitting headache followed.

The Eyes of Void had a passive ability to see in the dark, but the active ability to see through objects caused a significant mental burden. That's why he only activated it when necessary.

'Chained Lock only freezes the external body, tracing the outline; the internal parts remain untouched. How I wish it could freeze the internal body.' He sighed wishfully, but it also heightened his vigilance. 'So, it is really dangerous to lock a human and become relaxed. The skill might stop their movement, but it can't stop their thoughts and Power Module. That means… they can activate their skills. I need to test the limits of this skill. Also, it can't be used to remove the watch.'

Cyrus dove into multiple rounds of testing, resting, and repetition until evening arrived.

Now that he understood his acquired skill, he knew it was time to return.

On his way home, thoughts spurned in his mind as he approached Silvaran.

'If it's a mission involving an Archon and he can't handle it alone, it must be very dangerous. What's odd is that he didn't request backup from the council. Why? Something is fishy. I need to raise my power. But raising my power requires beast cores, and hunting for them will be slow since I don't know when the mission will start. Buying beast cores? The impurities will hamper my potential. What should I do?'

Cyrus's brow creased in frustration.

He soon reached Silvaran and strolled into the town, his vigilance heightened. 

As he neared his shop, he noticed three ladies standing as if waiting for someone, and his footsteps paused. It was Tracy's team.

"CYRUS!" the petite one squealed upon spotting him and rushed forward, throwing herself into a hug, oblivious to the attention she was drawing.

Cyrus's face twitched, and he had no choice but to embrace the petite girl with twin pigtails.

Hiding his suspicion and discomfort at meeting Tracy's team, Cyrus asked, "Bubble, what are you guys waiting for?"

The girl pulled back from the hug, her fists clenched tightly in excitement. "We went to hunt a big monster. It was really big and powerful! With a swipe of its paw, it broke big trees and uprooted many…"

Cyrus shut his eyes and rubbed his temples at the sight of the enthusiastic Bubble, her eyes gleaming with unfettered excitement as she narrated her adventure without pause.

"I know, I know." Cyrus quickly interrupted her. "What are you doing at my shop? Yuna and Tracy are waiting."

"Oh!" Bubble regained her senses. "During the hunt, our equipment got damaged, so we came to repair them."

"Coward! Did you survive? Why did you get arrested?" 

Cyrus raised his head from Bubble to see Tracy approaching.

He felt conflicted, unsure if she was involved with the Archon. Depending on how he responded to his suspicion, it could create a rift between them.

"I saw your daughter leaving for the academy," Tracy added, and Cyrus's pupils dilated.

That was the nickname she had given Freya.