Chapter 102: Aspect Adaptation Finn’s eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" The man leveled his gaze at him again. "On this island, I’m not the only space fragment bearer. There are two others," the man explained with a tinge of graveness to his tone. "They live in their own distinct territories on the island. And they have very different ideas and perceptions about the Pioneer that is meant to come." "They already know you’re here. The moment you crossed the Stagnant Sea, every fragment bearer on this island felt it, though it was vague." "Then why haven’t they come?" Finn asked with a frown. "Because they can’t simply tear through space within my area of influence," the man explained. "I would spot the spatial disturbance long before it stabilizes enough for them to come through, and I would stop them. This territory is mine, and within it, my control over space is absolute." His expression darkened. "But that won’t last forever. The more radical one of the two is... particularly persistent. And creative. It’s only a matter of time before he finds a way around my defenses, or simply decides to approach through conventional means." "If you’re not ready," the man said flatly, "you might not come away with your life." The man stopped at that and stood up, straightening the creases on his robe. "So, while you may take your time to make your observations and come to your conclusions," the man moved toward the door. "Don’t take too long. Because whether you trust me or not, and whether you enter this contract or not, the others are coming regardless. And by then it may be too late." With that, he stepped out and closed the door behind him, leaving Finn alone with his thoughts in the quiet room overlooking the forest and the distant, frozen waves of the Stagnant Sea. Finn sat in silence, as his mind churned through everything he’d learned. The Transcendents. The Gods. Faith versus mana... And now, two other fragment bearers who knew he was here. Who had their own plans for him. He looked out the window at the vast island stretching before him, at the Stagnant Sea looming in the distance like a reminder of the impossible thing he’d accomplished. First, I need to use this time to finally stabilize my Ferropteryx debts. He was tired of feeling compelled by the bestial nature of the Ferropteryx Eagle. He was tired of having to suppress the debts just to remain sane. Even during his talks with the man just now, he was subconsciously suppressing urges from the stacked debts. It was time to adapt a mythological aspect. Finn clenched his fist and stood up decisively, conscious of his wings as they scraped the bed behind him. He moved around the room, checking every nook and corner like an overly paranoid person. He knew he was going overboard with it, but he didn’t care. Not now that he knew about gods and divinity. Normally, Finn knew that besides the obvious change that would occur with his wings that would finally retract and return to normal, no one could actually tell it had anything to do with stealing divine aspects and embedding them into the soul mass’s nature. But he couldn’t be sure. As Finn roamed around the room, checking for scrying artifacts or anything of the like, he heard footsteps approach again. Before the doors even opened, he knew who it was already. The tall man from before — Vrylla’s father — entered the room and locked his gaze on Finn after his eyes searchingly went first for the bed where he sat earlier. "Sage Osmund asked me to be your guide if you need anything," he walked up to Finn and stretched out a hand. "I am Uxio." Finn stared at the tall man’s outstretched hand blankly. "So you can speak human language?" He asked with a mirthless chuckle, thinking back to how the tall man had acted during their first interaction. The man — Uxio — shrugged lightly and motioned for Finn to shake his outstretched hand. "I was simply being cautious," he said as Finn grasped his hand in a firm shake. "What about your daughter? The same?" Finn asked. "No. She knows nothing about the outside world. Just like the general populace here." Finn raised a brow, wondering how that could even be possible especially with the history of their race that he’d learned. But he chose not to comment specifically on it, instead he asked: "Is that why they called me a Fallen and wanted to lynch me when I washed up here?" Uxio paused for a second, choosing his words wisely. "There are some... established beliefs — beliefs that draw inspiration from our original history — that keep things here running smoothly." "Ah..." Finn nodded. What better thing to control the masses than belief? It had proved to work repeatedly over the course of human history back on earth, so why wouldn’t it work here too? "You will learn more about us when you are fully recovered," Uxio said, gesturing to Finn’s frankly frail-looking body. "Your body did not take well to the fluids we tried feeding you when you were unconscious," he said. "Yeah..." Finn drawled, saying nothing to buttress further despite the inquisitive tone of Uxio’s statement. He instead directly asked: "Do you have somewhere where I can hunt?" "..." Uxio stared at Finn blankly, trying to relate their earlier talk with Finn’s seemingly random question. The man grunted with a shake of his head, as if discarding the thoughts of understanding Finn’s logic and answered. "Sure. The forest below has some game." Finn nodded. "I would like to hunt there. And after that, I would like to be alone for a few days..." he said, then added, "...to recuperate properly." Uxio stared pointedly at Finn for a silent few seconds, obviously not believing the reason he gave. But eventually he simply nodded. Well, that was straightforward... . . . The two days that followed after that were interspersed with bouts of hunting sprees and calm moments of reflection and consolidation as Finn satisfied his Ferropteryx urges and primed his mind for the Aspect Adaptation he wanted to begin. Within these two days, the debts flared very strongly, almost as if the Ferropteryx soul mass in him could feel his intention to change its nature. But Finn indulged and satisfied its every urge fully, pacifying it to stillness. He climbed trees, roamed around the forest below, hunted and lived like a wild beast for the most part of the two days. The building he resided was well away from the general settlement of the Anaelle — as he had come to know the name of Uxio’s race. The hill where the house — or rather, special containment, sat on, was deep inside the forest on one end of the southern part of the island, while the Anaelle settlement was on the opposite end. During the moments where Finn’s debts were well satisfied and he was calm, he extensively consolidated all the knowledge he had of the King of the birds and Lord of the Sky – Garuda. And the Aspect of Garuda he had chosen was Divine Servitude. Despite the fact that Garuda is a king among birds, a being of immense power and sovereignty, he is also famously the vahana — the mount and vehicle — of Lord Vishnu, one of the principal deities in Hindu mythology. This wasn’t a servitude born of defeat or subjugation. It was a willing, purposeful service that defined Garuda’s very existence. His strength and sovereignty were in no way diminished by serving Vishnu, rather they were validated by the fact that he was chosen for such an honor. Finn had spent hours contemplating this paradox during his two days of preparation. The Ferropteryx soul mass within him was pure, isolated tyranny. It was a creature that ruled the skies alone, that saw any form of submission or connection as degrading. Its debts reflected this nature. The compulsion to hunt alone, the inability to accept touch, the pride that rejected healing, the obsessive need for heights and isolation. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂 That was why Garuda was the most logical choice for this adaptation. Despite being even more powerful, and even more sovereign than the Ferropteryx could ever dream of being, Garuda chose service. Not because he was weak, but because he was strong enough to recognize that true kingship wasn’t about isolation, it was about purpose. Garuda protected Vishnu. He carried the god across the cosmos. He accepted physical contact. He landed when needed, flew when called upon, ate when appropriate rather than when compelled by base instinct. He didn’t hold petty grudges because his focus remained fixed on his greater purpose. He accepted care and treatment because to do otherwise would make him a liability to the one he served. By adapting the Aspect of Divine Servitude, Finn would be embedding this paradox into the Ferropteryx’s very nature. The eagle would still be a sovereign of the skies, still powerful and proud. But now that sovereignty would be expressed through willing partnership rather than tyrannical isolation. The soul debts would dissolve not because the Ferropteryx’s nature was being suppressed, but because it was being transformed. Finn sat cross-legged on the floor of his room as the sun began to set on the second day, casting long shadows across the wooden floorboards. His partial Ferropteryx transformation was still evident. His wings were folded behind him, his eyes and senses were still sharp and predatory, his body had fleshed out more healthily after hunting for the past two days, and now it carried that dangerous quality of a raptor. But soon, that would change. He closed his eyes and turned his focus inward, toward the churning chaos of the Ferropteryx soul mass within him. He could feel its agitation, its resistance to what he was about to do. It sensed the coming transformation and fought against it with every fiber of its bestial consciousness. Too bad, Finn thought grimly. You’ve had your way long enough. Finn opened his eyes one last time, checking the room’s doors and windows to ensure he was truly alone. Satisfied, he closed them again and let out a slow, deliberate breath. Let’s begin. . . . A/N: Third Chapter incoming...