In the novel, there are twelve Primordials in this universe. Twelve colors that existed before any world, any rule, any living thing. Their ranks were decided by how important each one was during the genesis of everything that came after.
Verde holds rank three. She is one of the primordial colors, and her authority is Flourish. Anything that exists, she can make it grow. Faster, stronger, bigger, better. It doesn't matter what it is. As long as it has form, thought, or concept, she can push it forward.
In the beginning, Verde was known for being kind and strict. But authorities always affect their wielder over time, especially ones as absolute as hers. Flourish didn't just expand the world. It expanded her, for centuries, maybe millennia, that push to improve and grow twisted her personality.
Her kindness became extreme. Her strictness became extreme. Care became obsession. Discipline became fanaticism.
A psycho, shaped by an authority that demanded endless improvement and development.
I planned to use that side of her without restraint.
The chamber I stood in was quiet except for my breathing. I walked in slow circles as I waited for the bangle on my wrist to signal the start of the awakening process. The room felt too clean and too empty, with white walls and bright lights, nothing to distract the mind.
The bangle vibrated and beeped three times.
The atmosphere changed immediately. The air thickened and pushed against my skin. Not warm, not cold, just dense. Thrum filled the chamber, compressed enough to feel like wet clothes. My ears rang as the pressure rose.
"Here we go..."
I already knew the most effective method to absorb Thrum. Not the officially taught one. The official method was slow. It made people breathe in ambient Thrum, refine it inside their lungs or channels, then store it in their body until it was ready to compress into a core.
It worked, but only because present weavers didn't know any better. They tried to force logic into something that was built from the fiction side. They created a rule and shackled themselves to it.
This world's power, "thrum" came from fiction and thus needed to be treated like fiction.
I grabbed the neckline of the tightsuit they gave me and ripped it open. I kept my movements controlled so I wouldn't damage the bangle by accident. Once the suit was torn enough, I closed my eyes, drew a long breath, and let go of the method they taught.
The best way was for the entire body to absorb Thrum.
Not lungs.
Not channels.
Not circulation.
The whole body.
I let my awareness slide inward until I could feel every inch of myself. My body was still the same as the one from my previous world. Too skinny, a bit of belly fat, not much muscle. A twink. Nothing impressive. But it didn't matter. Thrum didn't care.
I imagined myself as a hollow space. An empty hole. Something that naturally devoured everything around it.
Thrum rushed into me so fast it felt like my skin warmed from the inside. A thick mass of energy started forming in the center of my torso. I didn't resist it and I didn't try to control it yet. I let it gather until the pressure was noticeable, only then did I start molding it.
I shaped the growing energy into something round, smooth, and solid. A clear sphere like polished glass. The base form of a core.
Right as I started stabilizing the shape, a metallic voice rang inside my skull.
[Universal World Line System Detected a New Factor Within Host].
[Adjusting Awakening]
[1%]
[3%]
[7%]
That was as expected. The system, set at adjustment mode, tried to help the awakening process when something unusual was detected. Normally, a weaver's full awakening would take a few hours. In my case, it would be seconds with the system's help. But I didn't want seconds. I didn't want the system to finish it on its own. I had other plans.
I called out directly to the system.
[Universal World Line System Call!]
[Code 0003]
[User :Verde]
[Proceed Awakening Aid Until 80% of Completion]
[If User Host ==99% Then, Break]
[If Else, Break]
[Universal World System Call Break]
The moment my command ended, the world shook. The vibration crawled up through my feet, past my spine, and rattled my teeth. The Thrum in the air distorted for a moment before settling again. Everything went still.
Then the metallic voice returned.
[Accepted User Input]
[34%]
She definitely noticed.
My thoughts stopped as the ground in front of me cracked open. Vines shot up from the floor, exploding outward in thick coiled tendrils. They grew so fast the air whistled around them. Bright green, pulsing with life, climbing toward the ceiling like living pillars.
Here she comes.
I held my ground. I didn't blink. I didn't look away.
For someone who used to live in a normal world, watching something like this unfold was unreal. Vines erupting from steel flooring, Thrum waves bending the air, the smell of fresh leaves overwhelming the sterilized room. If this were an anime panel, it would have been a double-page spread.
My lips curled into a grin.
"To think the first magic I'd see is a manifestation of a primordial, quite the spectacle."
The vines grew until they filled half the chamber. I checked mentally if alarms were going off.
Nothing.
No evacuation notices.
No rush of footsteps outside.
They probably thought the shaking was just from my awakening. Good. That meant fewer interruptions.
The system voice inside my head still kept chiming.
[37%]
[43%]
The largest vine bloomed. The bud swelled, quivered and then peeled itself open petal by petal. Light spilled out. When it settled, a figure stood inside it.
Her form glitched in and out. It was unstable like a projection. Her outline flickered. Parts blurred. But there was no mistaking who she was.
Verde.
Even without a solid body, she radiated pressure. The same way deep ocean water crushed everything beneath it. Arms crossed with a rigid stance. Her presence pushed against the air like a physical force.
She looked annoyed.
She looked furious.
She looked confused.
Maybe something in the middle, I honestly could not tell because her face was nothing more than a gliched mosaic.
I observed quietly with flat breathing and steady hands. This part mattered more than anything. Information was everything.
The system still continued its diligent work as it ticked upward.
[52%]
[55%]
Verde didn't speak. She stood there, waiting for me to say something first.
That was exactly why I didn't. Speaking first meant revealing my thoughts and my intention. In this case, however, I will most likely just reveal something suspicious, so I did what made the most sense here.
"To remain silent meant forcing her to show her hand." I firmly said to myself
I let the silence stretch. The only noise was the voice in my head.
[76%]
[79%]
She clicked her tongue, loud, sharp, and noticeably Irritated.
She stomped.
The vines trembled and cracked. The floor vibrated. I almost reacted out of instinct. Almost. But I held still. If I flinched, she would assume guilt or infer weakness. Either one would kill me.
She finally spoke.
"Have you finally gone insane and senile from self-implosion, Schwarz? Using my access? You know this alone is enough reason to take you before the Tribunal and strip your authorities, don't you?"
"I know your situation is quite peculiar, and while I may want to blame you, I am aware you cannot help it. However, this has gone too far. As one of the founders, this is utterly disgraceful. Not to mention, you've gone so low now that you have become a human just to exist."
Her voice was clear despite the projection glitch. Direct and cold, the tone someone uses right before they decide whether to punish or tolerate.
For a split second, my thoughts lined up perfectly in what I need to do.
Most likely, she assumed I am Schwarz because of the system that is constantly adjusting my existence using his personal code and user. While I did not know the whole story behind the self-implosion thing, I don't want to stop her delusions here.
And precisely because of her delusions, I can even milk this girl even further.
That was an opening.
I exhaled lightly.
It seems I was given a blank check after all. I wonder how many zeros I should put.