My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Chapter 770: Chapter 771: Nature Of Authority

An Authority is not magic... it is not a power or a skill.

An Authority is the will to rule... authorities are the right to rule. The power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior.

The right to command or control.

Lazarak lifted his head, his small frame straightening as if preparing to give a lesson. His fingers brushed lightly against his robe, smoothing it with a subtle air of self-importance.

”That is what an Authority is.”

Damon gave him a deadpan expression, his eyelids lowering just slightly. He tilted his head as if questioning Lazarak’s sanity.

”You just gave me a textbook definition. I already knew that. Tell me what it actually is.”

Lazarak cleared his throat softly. He looked at Damon with a somewhat awkward expression, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. His gaze flickered to the side before returning to Damon.

”I was getting there...” he muttered.

He glanced at Damon again before continuing.

”An Authority is a truth the universe has been forced to accept. A truth so absolute that the world obeys it without requiring power, mana, spells, or training.”

His brows furrowed as if he were peeling apart the concept in his mind.

”Magic is an action. Divinity is a state. Authority is a law... a truth... Once an Authority is born, the world cannot contradict it.”

Damon found himself leaning slightly forward. He rested his hand against his hip, eyes narrowing with a growing spark of interest.

His curiosity came from experience, not ignorance.

With the Unknown God, Damon knew better than to pry into the mysteries of gods, but he was already too deep to turn away.

Lazarak glanced toward the sleeping Mirror Seraph. Its reflective feathers rose and fell slowly, the creature curled in a quiet heap.

”Authorities are unique but can also be similar. It is possible for more than one entity to have the same type of Authority, or rather a different type of Authority within the same domain.”

He placed his small hand on his chest, chin lifting as if stating something important.

”Take me for example. I have Authority over serenity and darkness, basically wherever my godhood extends. However that does not mean another god of darkness cannot wield an Authority in that domain.”

Damon said nothing, but he nodded faintly. His eyes flickered with recognition.

”So what happens when you meet someone with the same type of Authority.”

Lazarak shrugged, raising both hands in a helpless gesture.

”The person with the greatest mastery of the Authority wins, I guess. I am not clear on that. Normally when someone with an Authority, for instance darkness, meets someone using magic to wield darkness, the Authority can simply stop the magic with will alone.”

Damon nodded slowly, letting the idea settle.

He placed a hand on his chin, rubbing it thoughtfully.

”It is reality obeying will, not power.” Damon whispered softly.

Lazarak had not cast anything earlier. Damon had sensed no mana. There was no magic seal.

The world had simply enforced his will, like a subject kneeling before a ruler because it had no right to resist.

”An Authority is the right to rule.” Damon muttered.

Lazarak walked toward the statue of the Goddess of Doom. The statue had been untouched in the battle with the Mirror Seraph. His small fingers reached out and brushed the shards from her glass foot with a gentle, almost reverent touch.

”It is not that simple.” He tilted his head toward Damon.

”Authority is not a skill or a power. It overrides even concepts, and they can be absolutely anything.”

He gestured to the goddess statue, his movements slow and deliberate.

”Take my creator for example, a true god. She has Authority over doom, and by that measure everything that falls under the definition of doom is within the scope of her Authority. One Authority can do many things, all according to the user’s will.”

Damon narrowed his eyes, shifting his stance.

”What if someone has an Authority over will itself. Will everything fall under them? Will all Authorities become their own.”

Lazarak smiled. The corners of his mouth curled upward as he shook his head, a slight sneer forming.

”You are thinking too simple my friend. It is not that easy. Authorities can counter Authorities. At the level of a true god they are boundless and undefined. At least you can comprehend mine when I use it. You might not even comprehend a true god’s.”

Damon was silent as he thought of the true beings. His arms lowered to his sides as he exhaled quietly.

More importantly, he thought of the Unknown God. Damon had heard the names of a couple of his Authorities.

Lazarak walked slowly, trailing his fingers along the statue’s robe. The glass goddess stood tall, her face hidden beneath her veil.

The Goddess of Doom. Bride of the Unknown God.

Come to think of it, Valarie had once referred to her as a spinster, which was amusing since she was considered the bride of the Unknown God.

Except she was not his wife, just a bride. Similar words but different meanings at their core.

Damon kept his gaze on Lazarak, waiting as the small god continued to speak.

”Authorities are feared because they cannot be scaled or trained.”

”You cannot improve it. You cannot strengthen it. You cannot learn it. It is once. Forever and absolute.”

Lazarak paused, his expression deepening.

”Though you need a deep understanding of it to wield it properly, or you risk breaking something or tampering with universal laws you do not understand. Basically it is like a king who does not know everything that happens in their kingdom.”

Damon nodded slowly, letting the logic settle.

”I see. The more you know of your Authority the more power you gain, and the deeper your influence.”

He glanced at Lazarak with a soft smile forming.

”How do I get one.”

Lazarak raised a brow, tilting his head.

”Get what.”

Damon sighed, shoulders sinking slightly.

”An Authority. How does one gain one. Are you just born with it.”

Lazarak nodded with a sly smile.

”Actually I was born with mine. So yes. Though you can gain one. I just do not know how. Maybe if you became a god.”

Damon lowered his head in disappointment, his shoulders slumping just a little more.

”Oh I see.”

Lazarak scratched his cheek, guilt flickering across his face.

”I mean if you do not have one I can share mine with you. It is not a big deal.”

Damon lifted his head, eyes wide.

”Huh. You can share it.”

Lazarak nodded with a bright smile.

”Yeah I can. Gods do it all the time. How hard can it be to give someone a small chunk of your Authority.”

Damon’s eyes widened in surprise. The very idea seemed impossible, yet Lazarak said it casually.

Having learned what an Authority was, he could not help but think further.

”Hmmm the Authorities kind of seem like the Pillars. I mean each of them represents a concept. I wonder if the Pillars are proto Authorities.”

Lazarak paused mid gesture and looked at him with surprise.

Damon winced a bit.

”I mean each Pillar is the cosmic Authority of its concept, anchored into the root of existence. Your Authority is like a micro Pillar. A localized truth.”

Damon spread his arms wide.

”The Pillar of Conflict is a cosmic Authority. All living things must struggle. It makes sense.”

Lazarak stared at him without blinking.

”That makes sense... but...” he whispered softly.

”There is actually more than one. I had a theory but I was not sure of its veracity.”

Damon nodded with a faint furrow in his expression. It seemed Lazarak did not know everything.

”Yeah there are like twelve of them.”