A Conversation in the Void

The stars shone together, their light answering the echoes resounding through the void. The grand proclamation spread far and wide, stirring the entire boundless starry sky and revealing the power of an unknown existence to Ryan, who stood stunned.

Ryan grew even more alert and wary. There was no doubt that the being calling itself the Titan Star Soul had spoken its true name.

However, in the world of Faerûn, the revered names of great beings also contained their power. Calling out the name of a true god could indeed draw its gaze. Of course, whether what came next would be a benevolent reward or a thunderous punishment was anyone's guess.

There was no doubt that a name alone had shaken the void and drawn a response from the stars. This Titan Star Soul was unquestionably on a level no lower than that of certain lesser gods. When dealing with a big shot among big shots like this, Ryan was being twelve times as cautious as usual.

As the saying went, mushrooms that lived only through the morning could not understand the alternation of night and day; cicadas that lived only through summer could not understand the cycle of the seasons.

Compared to a life so magnificent, humans who tried to gain sympathy from it were like ants at a giant's feet—ridiculous.

As if it had seen the wariness and caution in Ryan's heart, the purple crystal core among the stars flashed. Once more, a solemn, authoritative thought reached him:

"Enough. No matter the world, you humans always like to judge good and evil and divide races according to outward appearances.

"To make our conversation easier, I'll speak with you in human form."

As the words fell, the dazzling crystal core in the vast sea of stars shone brightly. Layer upon layer of brilliant light flickered to life among the stars, and a figure suddenly appeared before Ryan.

Hair like a cascade of iridescent crystal strands fell over its shoulders. Its moon-white robe was both simple and exquisite, and its features were handsome and noble. Its violet-gold eyes reflected the brilliant starry sky, and the glittering pupils seemed to hold an entire sea of stars.

A grand, invisible aura radiated from the figure before Ryan. Its heavy pressure, together with its solemn expression, made the entire starry sky seem dim.

The only incongruous thing was the stark contrast of such a grave and imposing expression on the tiny, cherub-faced visage of a child.

That was right. The Titan Star Soul, Skylight, who had appeared before the Mage, had taken the form of a human child.

Ryan's eye twitched. Good grief, was this old monster pretending to be a cute little kid to lower my hostility?

I admit, it worked. I'm not that nervous anymore. I'm just a little speechless, with a faint ache in my balls.

"Put away that disrespectful look and those presumptuous guesses, Mage. Among my kind, by the age at which I gained consciousness, I really am still a child."

Although the Titan Star Soul's innate ability to see through hearts and peer into souls was useless against a Planeswalker, Skylight could still guess what the Mage was thinking from the subtle changes in his expression. It retorted with ill humor.

"Sorry, I was being shallow. For you to have such powerful abilities at such a young age, you must be exceptionally talented. I was too focused on appearances."

Embarrassed to have his thoughts exposed, Ryan apologized, then took the opportunity to flatter it. Flattery never hurts. When you're under someone else's roof, bowing to a big shot is nothing to be ashamed of.

Who's to say a child who's lived for tens of thousands of years isn't still a child, right?

Ryan silently mocked himself, forcing himself to accept this premise. A Star Soul born after being nurtured inside a planet for tens of thousands of years was still in its infancy. That made perfect sense.

"Mm. Since you're the first being I've spoken with in hundreds of years, and you have good taste, I'll forgive your insolence."

Skylight felt a little guilty. It had begged its master for the Neutron Star Fortress modifications and the Alaya-version Protoss Evolution Tree. If it had begged its way into getting them, didn't that still count as talent?

That's right. I, the Titan Star Soul Skylight, am exceptionally talented!

"Lord Star Soul, I'd like to ask what this trial was about.

"And why was I teleported here? Wasn't I supposed to receive the reward for the second trial?"

So far, the Titan Star Soul had been very kind. Ryan had no idea where this inexplicable goodwill came from, but that didn't stop him from choosing his words carefully while taking advantage of the opportunity.

The Mage promptly put his questions to Skylight, who stood before him. Even now, Ryan remembered to ask where his vanished reward had gone.

"You mean the trial? I changed the difficulty.

"But I have to admit, you're even more outstanding than I imagined.

"Especially that last shot. I didn't lose unfairly."

Speaking of the trial, Skylight calmly revealed what had really happened, then praised the Mage's performance.

Yet Ryan wasn't overjoyed to receive the approval of a big shot. The young man let out a quiet breath, then asked with a smile in a gentle voice:

"Phew. So the spirit phantom I fought was you, sir? And were all those strange and interesting tests your idea, too?"

"Of course. I carefully studied all the records and rare texts my master left in the Tower of Babel's archives. I'm familiar with the designs and construction of every dungeon and Demon King's castle, and I carefully compared and investigated the kinds of encounters people have across different worlds."

The Star Soul's face was full of pride and satisfaction as it spoke of the trials it had designed.

My fists are clenched. They're really clenched.

In the Mage's furious inner monologue, he hammered the air in front of him, seething helplessly.

"With that mechanical, rigid way of thinking, the Tower Spirit was easy to hack. I only had to move a thought to get into its logic module and alter the trial program.

"As for the trial, Dunblinton's a blockhead. He even left the Tower Spirit in charge of the inheritance trial.

"The Tower Spirit's just a glorified housekeeper. What the hell does it know about trials?

"Actually, little fellow, you're much more outstanding than I expected.

"In the Virtual Martial Arena, the Tower Spirit judged your trial complete the moment you dodged the Lightning Bolt.

"But I still wanted to see where the limits of your strength lay. After all, Planeswalkers are rare in Faerûn."

Looking at the inscrutable smile on Skylight's handsome little face, Ryan suppressed the anger welling up inside him, reminding himself that there was no point getting mad. It wasn't worth it, especially since he couldn't win.

Ryan stared silently at Skylight for a moment. After weighing their respective fighting strengths, he decided to swallow his anger, secretly added Skylight's name to his little list, and promptly moved on.

"What did you mean by Planeswalker?"

Although he knew Skylight had seen through his identity as a Planeswalker, Ryan still wanted to coax more information out of it.

"A Planeswalker is someone like you, who has awakened a Spark. They travel through the endless multiverse, observing, recording, thinking, and learning from what they encounter. Using the knowledge and experience they gain along the way, they grow stronger.

"You must have experienced the wonders of this power already: traveling across planes, exploring the universe, and seeking the truth."

Skylight made no secret of anything and kindly explained it to Ryan.

An apprentice Planeswalker who awakened his Spark not long ago and is still lost, is he? I wonder if he can become the one I hope for.

In the Star Soul's unique field of vision, the boy's soul shone like a diamond, obscured by a burning Spark that flickered and danced. A thought flashed through the Star Core.

"Mage, after you awakened your Spark, did you ever visit a blue planet?"

After giving a general introduction to Planeswalkers, the Titan Star Soul suddenly asked, watching Ryan with keen interest.

At its words, Ryan's heart stirred. At last, we're getting to the real point.

"I studied for a few years on a planet the locals called Earth. It was a very peaceful and comfortable world. The people there didn't have powerful magic. Instead, a wondrous force called technology was everywhere.

"I learned many things on that strange and fascinating land. I don't know if it's the place you mean."

Ryan retold his experiences with a mixture of truth and fabrication, then answered Skylight with an earnest expression.

"Just as I thought. You're lucky, Mage."

Skylight seemed to have gotten the information it wanted from Ryan's words. It spoke with waning interest and a sigh.

"Lucky? What do you mean by that?"

Ryan's curiosity was piqued.