The Unyielding Vaengir…

Skullius seared that name into his mind.

Naturally, he'd assumed that the Primeval Deities had armies of freakishly powerful subordinates, but this was… different.

'Freedom, huh?'

Loyal and powerful beings that granted the Primeval Deities freedom?

Were the Primeval Deities, quite like the Parallels, severely restricted? Skullius doubted it. The Primeval Deities had just proven that they could meddle as much as they wanted in his life. Heck, the reason Fulgardt 'died' in the past was because one of the Primeval Deities had not been pleased with his insolence to even try and suggest breaking out of AKHASHA's Divinity Contract.

…But perhaps the fact that the Primevals bothered to visit Skullius in order to use him was evidence enough that they were indeed limited. At least SVEERCUSK, DRADPAS, and ABBON-RIGGIE were.

'Just how powerful are these Unyielding Vaengir that they can make what's already easy for the Primeval Deities easier?' Skullius thought, only to catch sight of the countdown racing towards the end. He was about to ask more about these enigmas when he stopped, remembering something even more important.

"You said you, AKHASHA, and COLMUUN are the strongest Primeval Deities. AKHASHA is a YOMMR`, you're allegedly neutral, but what about COLMUUN?"

[Oh, you don't know even that much? COLMUUN is YOMMR`. He's the one responsible for Fundamental Barter. Then again, he's probably the only good YOMMR` you'll find]

…!

A broad grin swept over Skullius' lips.

Well, wasn't that convenient? He'd been grappling with it, the nature of the Primeval Deity responsible for Fundamental Barter, and what implications that would have for his subordinates if they fell too deeply into that power. He'd been terrified of the possibility of the Primeval Deity responsible meddling in his plans and stripping his subordinates of their powers when it was convenient for him.

…But he needn't have worried.

'That sockethole could have told me!' Skullius thought, imagining a smoldering grin on Future Skullius' face. 'But now I know for sure. I can employ that to the Adaptor Gene too!'

He was overjoyed, so much so that even TITEMIUS caught a whiff of his excitement.

[COLMUUN chose to go rogue with a clone of yours, right? My vision while entrapped here is limited, but I've seen them in action]. A pause. [That doesn't bode well either. They plan to kill AKHASHA and undo what he and the YOMMR` have done]

"Of course, they do…" Skullius said, smothering his excitement and bearing a solemn look.

His future self's intentions had been vague, but even back then, Skullius could tell he was hiding plenty from him. It must have been something truly great that he was aiming for, and there was perhaps no greater task than striving to kill AKHASHA and reestablish Divinity as it was intended.

Skullius spared a moment to mull it over. 'Who inspired who, I wonder? Was it COLMUUN or…?'

"You think they will fail?" he asked.

[Almost certainly]. Another pause that made Skullius frown, worrying about what time he had left. [AKHASHA is beyond strength. Frankly, after a point, titles and every facet of the Common Reality Leagues cease to matter. All that dictates one's value… is one's comprehension of the |Greater Cosmic Law| - how far they are to recreating it within themselves]

[AKHASHA is the furthest along. His mastery doesn't stop at Conste, as many presume. Had COLMUUN and the other YOMMR` not contested his ambitions, he might have calibrated the entire Common Reality Leagues on his own and placed granular restrictions on all of them, similar to the one that governs one's entry into Divinity. Already, he reaps immense benefit from the Contracts he forces on all new Divines. Just imagining how much stronger he could get…]

Skullius considered it.

Truly, it was already difficult trying to comprehend just how much power AKHASHA had amassed from the Unit to Ascension Methodium. Because most Divines were under this Contract, which forced them to adhere to the Common Reality Leagues for growth, AKHASHA reaped something whenever a Divine or Deity was slaughtered, their life converted to AKH Units for the slayer.

How many beings were there in this Reality? Quintillions? Sextillions?

How many beings had existed and died since the Common Reality Leagues were enforced? Nonillions? Decillions?

How did Future Skullius intend to kill AKHASHA in the first place, even with COLMUUN's assistance?

"I heard he's not very happy with the Acceleration – AKHASHA, I mean," said Skullius. "And now I'm the target of his rage."

[I advise steering clear of him. However strong you think are, however strong you think you've become… don't. I'm trapped because he chose to spare me – nothing more]. An unnerving pause. [It just so happens that now would be the worst time to try him too]

"Because the Acceleration allowed some number of Divines to escape his Contract?"

[No. He couldn't care less about that hiccup]. Skullius frowned at that. [Our Reality is constantly expanding. Not by much, but expanding nonetheless – a product of the Eklhesh. When the Absolute Sun was revealed, prompting Acceleration, the rate of expansion wildly erupted, throwing many things awry. For the average entity, it was impossible to tell, but as of less than a Consternal ago, many forces of nature have been tempered. One of them concerns the Primevals and their enemies the most].

Skullius guessed it right away, despite not having the full answer. "Breaking Chasms?"

He knew, because of Boron, that the only thing Primevals and their enemies, the Aspire to Divine in particular, were invested in, was these massive, natural pools of resources. And through his own deductions, Skullius had figured that what the Primeval Deities truly desired was probably the same thing Serenity did: to travel to other Realities.

(A/N: Refer to Ch.1746.)

[That's right, but moreso the orbit of the Breaking Chasms].

…!

Again, Skullius figured it out almost immediately. It made frightening sense.

Breaking Chasms orbited around Reality at wildly different patterns and rates. This was part of the reason they were incredibly hard to locate. The Power of Dimensions didn't help in locating the ones that weren't already known because all of them were rich with the |Greater Cosmic Law|, far more than even the Richest worlds.

"You and your kind… your goal is to leave this Reality, right? And somehow, Breaking Chasms allow that," Skullius said. "If it's a matter of their orbit then…"

[Yes. It's all Direction. Plenty remains mysterious about Breaking Chasms, but they are absolutely tied to it – the written word DAWN.]