CHAPTER 98: THE TRUTH OF TRANSCENDENTS (1)

"Where to even start..." the short man massaged his temple in exasperation, as if he wanted Finn to know just how much he detested having to be a history teacher to him.

"Do you know who Transcendents are?"

Finn paused for a bit, then shook his head slowly.

What he knew about Transcendents was just that title, and the fact that they used to be people who could use Abstract magic during their lives. And their soul masses seemed to be broken up into fragments that only select Ossuarists could use.

Besides that, he knew nothing else.

So he simply shook his head so the man would give him a thorough explanation of who they really were.

The man sighed deeply then cleared his throat. And without a preamble, just delved into it.

"Okay. So you know how in your world there are Ossuarists and Arcanists. Well, a step above both, there is a rare set of people called Transcendents," he started.

"All classification is based on Soul density as you surely know. So for Transcendents, what separates them from Arcanists is that they are born with Soul density that is right at the edge of the threshold between an Arcanist’s, and an Ossuarist’s."

He paused.

"That means, to an Arcanist, a Transcendent’s Soul density is absurdly high. But to Ossuarists, that same soul density is nothing worth mentioning..." he looked at Finn with a look that said: ’You had better be following, because if you’re not, I won’t bother to repeat myself.’

Finn almost rolled his eyes but begrudgingly nodded his head to show he was following.

"It is that higher soul density that allows something strange to happen when they interact with mana," the man continued.

"Instead of using mana in the three established forms — controlling elements, strengthening the body, or nurturing beasts and artifacts — their souls can touch upon concepts... Abstract things that dictate an aspect of reality itself..."

His tone grew solemn.

"From those concepts, with enough understanding or creativity, they can even recreate regular Arcanist magic as offshoots—"

Finn raised a hand. And the man’s face squeezed into a scowl.

But before he could snap, Finn quickly asked his question.

"But soul density increases over time even for Arcanists, it’s just that theirs is way slower than us Ossuarists," he said. "So when Transcendents keep growing and eventually cross that threshold... Do they suddenly become Ossuarists and stop feeling mana?"

The man dragged a hand down his face.

"No, they do not. That is impossible. Who even was your teacher..." he muttered under his breath.

Finn wanted to retort, at least to defend Isis’ honor, but the man continued unabated.

"Do you not know of the Arcanist Paradox?" He asked with a brow raised.

Finn scoured through his memory for anything of the sort but came up with nothing, making the man sigh like an exasperated teacher yet again.

Now it was getting on Finn’s nerves. He could very well tell that the dramatics were intentional. The man was putting on a show, making sure Finn saw just how much wisdom was being ’bestowed’ upon him.

He probably wants something from me afterwards...

Finn nearly scoffed, but held himself back and instead asked with a dramatic flourish:

"Please, what’s the Arcanist Paradox?"

The man paused for a second, noting the heavy sarcasm in Finn’s voice, and realized he was making it too obvious.

Immediately, he toned down his dramatism and replied in a more subdued tone:

"The threshold into Ossuarist-level density can’t be crossed. The closer an Arcanist gets, the less they grow. At the Archon level, progress all but stops. Even more so for Transcendents."

Finn frowned. "But shouldn’t that make Transcendents a step below even the weakest Ossuarist?"

The man snorted.

"You’ve seen a Transcendent fragment holder in action and yet you still ask that?"

He looked at Finn with a sharp intensity in his pale gray eyes.

"You have no idea how broken someone becomes when they can influence mana at that scale. What you saw inside Egon’s Mausoleum? That was just the tip of the iceberg. Transcendents are extremely

terrifying."

He paused, then settled deeper in his seat, studying Finn’s face.

"Tell me. Is an Ossuarist’s power not simply just a result of the Arcanist souls they can assimilate?"

Finn nodded slowly, seeing where the train of thought was headed, so he instead asked the glaring question:

"Then why not just assimilate a Transcendent’s soul mass when they die? Just like any other normal Arcanist’s soul mass?"

The man immediately threw his head back and burst into a genuine, belly-deep laugh that echoed through the room. And it took him several seconds to eventually compose himself, wiping at his eyes.

He looked at Finn, still chuckling. "The fact that Ossuarists assimilate only a fragment of a Transcendent’s soul should tell you everything you need to know, shouldn’t it?"

His expression then turned serious again. "What do you think happens when someone who manipulated mana at such a conceptual level dies? What level of chaotic decay do you think the intertwine of their soul with mana causes to the very world itself?"

He didn’t wait for an answer.

"Do you think a single Ossuarist can purge the resulting chaos alone? Even ten Ossuarists? A hundred?"

Finn opened his mouth, then closed it.

"In that dead state when their soul becomes a chaotic mass,because of the level at which they had operated with mana, because of how they had manipulated the very concepts of reality itself, the resulting chaos is not remotely close to something any Ossuarist ever can handle on their own..."

He stared Finn dead in the eye and emphasized word for word:

"No matter their strength. No matter their experience. No matter their talent. No Ossuarist alive can deal with that. Not one. Not ever."

The man stood and walked to the window, looking out over the forest that spread below.

"This is why their souls are split into fragments..." He paused, then corrected himself. "No. It is why they allow themselves to be split into fragments..."

"Because unlike normal chaotic soul masses, even after they die, Transcendent souls retain their full consciousness and ego... Entirely."

The weight of that statement hung in the air.

"If Ossuarists think they are supreme because they can assimilate chaotic souls for themselves and use their powers..." the man turned back to face Finn, and there was something almost like respect... or fear in his eyes, "...then Transcendents are the peak supreme. Because even in death, they are not truly dead. They’re just... free..."

"Free?" Finn whispered.

"They keep using powerful Ossuarist bodies, one after another, across generations. As long as a host is talented enough to hold their core consciousness, they use them as vessels until their bodies cannot take the strain anymore...

...then they simply move to a new talented vessel. One compatible with them... And the cycle just continues."

He walked back to his chair and sat down heavily.

"They are the true parasites, kid. Not Ossuarists." The man’s pale gray eyes bored into him. "Because unlike Ossuarists who just use soul masses for their own benefit for the extent of their life... Transcendents can just keep going, and going, and going..."

He paused, letting the words hang in the air.

"...likeundying parasites."

.

.

.

A/N: Many thanks to Daoistchii for the Magic Castle Super Gift!

For this, I’ll be releasing more Chapters throughout this week!