Chapter 1013 Mastering the seed of creation
The seed of creation brought a completely different inner voice to Max's consciousness that was different from the seed of destruction but not quite the opposite.
While understanding the motivations of the seed of destruction were easy as it prompted him to simply destroy without bias, to understand the motivations of the seed of creation were harder as it toyed with Max's mind in ways that made it impossible to distinguish its voice from those of his own desire.
Since the dark realm was empty and unlit, a very small part of Max sometimes longed for there to be a small house and a warm sun within this realm but it was never a pronounced desire, yet the seed picked up on it and began from there.
"Build a castle," it coaxed, "a fortress of light to pierce this endless night." The idea unfurled in Max's mind, a grand structure of gleaming spires and luminous walls, a beacon in the darkness. He could almost feel the smooth stones and see the warm glow against the black sky. Yet, he held back, understanding the deceit in this splendor. Such a creation, born from the seed's manipulation, would be a monument to his weakness, and would only worsen his situation in trying to control its powers.
The seed, undeterred, shifted its approach. "A companion," it suggested, more slyly this time, "someone to share your solitude, a creation of your own heart." The vision was powerful: a figure, born from the very essence of his longing, a perfect ally in this lonesome exile. A truly breathtakingly beautiful woman who had the flair of Asiva, the figure of Anna, the possessiveness of Mira and the personality of Hazriel.
Max's heart yearned for this connection, but he recognized the danger. Such a being would not be a true companion, but a puppet of the seed, a chain to bind him further to its will.
With time, the suggestions grew more elaborate, more enticing. "A garden of wonders," the seed whispered, painting a picture of a place where exotic plants bloomed with radiant colors and unknown fruits promised untold delights. It promised an oasis in the desolation, a paradise created by his hand. Yet, Max saw through the allure. This garden would be a trap, each plant and fruit another link in the chain, binding him to the seed's insidious influence.
With each of the seed's prompts, Max felt a tug in his soul, a pull towards creation that was almost overwhelming. But he knew that to give in would be to lose himself. Each vivid temptation was a test, a battle not just for control, but for identity.
" You can be god….. you can make this dark realm a universe of its own, there can be countless planets, countless creatures living here and you can be their one true god!
Why go back? Why struggle needlessly? When my power can manifest anything you want into reality" the seed prompted and Max struggled to find a reason to deny this request.
The true challenge finally laid bare before Max as the seed played the role of god-maker in his mind, promising him the power to create anything he wished for with just a flick of his fingers.
If Max was a weak man, he would give in to the seed's temptations and eventually become a slave of his own desires. However, a true self-made man knew that it wasn't the destination that was beautiful but it was rather the journey.
Anything which was obtained too easily had no value, whereas it were the things that were difficult to get and needed one to struggle for them that held the most value.
By making everything possible, the seed of creation made the path before achieving something difficult redundant and hence reduced the value of desires.
It was the most insidious type of poison that made a man lose their purpose of existence as once they began getting everything they wanted without putting in the effort, the more they gained the emptier they would feel until they would be driven mad from having everything.
The seed was not a benevolent gift, but a test of one's very essence. To master it, one had to recognize its prompts not as opportunities, but as pitfalls dressed in the guise of his deepest desires.
In this unlit realm, amidst the silence and the void, Max came to an epiphany. The greatest act of creation he could perform was not to shape the world around him, but to shape himself.
To forge his will against the seductive power of the seed and use it to temper himself into becoming a better man.
Here, in the heart of darkness, Max resolved to not succumb to the whispers of creation and to not play god as he soon started to find balance between the whispers of creation and destruction as he was able to distinguish his own voice from theirs.
His body was a mess as some parts were overflowing with destruction energy while the others were overflowing with creation energy.
The two of these energy absolutely refused to mix and as a result they clashed and caused chaos within Max's body leading to him randomly losing large chunks of his HP.
The overall situation was dire as there were many instances when Max was suddenly driven to the edge of life and death, but then recovered due to his excellent arsenal of healing spells and abilities.
It was only when he was able to suppress the power of both seeds at once that his HP stabilized and he regained the clarity of thought as only after that did he start his experimentation on trying to mix the two great powers that could not be mixed by mixing his own will and energy as a medium.
As expected, he failed miserably at the first few attempts, but he did not lose hope.
He had all the time in the world and was determined to learn how to fuse the energy of creation with that of destruction to create the ultimate force!