Chapter 8:The Age of Ascent and struggle
Chapter 8: The Age of Ascent and Struggle
The stars shimmered in silent reverence as Elias stood at the edge of the galaxy. Behind him, Solis hovered in his ethereal form—light coalesced into the shape of a man, pulsing gently in cosmic rhythm.
It had been a million years since they last intervened in their creation. Long enough to understand something vital: peace, while beautiful, often birthed complacency. The carbon-based humans and silicon-born silians had achieved remarkable things—scientific brilliance, social stability, interstellar cooperation—but they were beginning to stagnate. Without new pressures, challenges, or goals, their civilizations would eventually erode into decay.
Elias folded his arms, eyes deep in thought. "We've given them a utopia," he said. "But what if perfection itself becomes a cage?"
Solis nodded. "Then it's time to break it open."
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They devised something radical: a System that could operate independently, without their constant supervision. It would track every sentient being and reward effort, evolution, and strength with a structure—a path to ascend. But more than just a leveling system, Elias wanted to shape destiny itself, make the universe dynamic.
First, he and Solis returned to the core of the system world, where the laws of reality were fluid. There, he summoned the raw data of every known lifeform and every structure of existence they had catalogued. With Solis's input, they began forging the System of Ascent.
They debated for decades—what should evolution look like? How would it affect lifespan, ability, and purpose? With gentle but deliberate precision, Elias began to build the levels of evolution:
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Evolution Hierarchy:
1. Order 1 Being – The base form. Standard lifeforms with no enhancements. Typical lifespans.
2. Order 2 Being – 100× stronger than Order 1.
Human lifespan: 100 solar years
Silian lifespan: 1,000 solar years
3. Order 3 Being – 10× stronger than Order 2.
Human lifespan: 1,000 solar years
Silian lifespan: 10,000 solar years
4. Order 4 Being – 10× stronger than Order 3.
Human lifespan: 10,000 solar years
Silian lifespan: 100,000 solar years
5. Order 5 Being – 10× stronger than Order 4.
Human lifespan: 100,000 solar years
Silian lifespan: 1,000,000 solar years
6. Order 6 Being – 10× stronger than Order 5.
Human lifespan: 1,000,000 solar years
Silian lifespan: 100,000,000 solar years
7. Order 7 Being (Dominant) – 1,000× stronger than Order 6.
Human lifespan: 1/5 of a Universal Day
Silian lifespan: 1 Universal Day
Incredibly difficult to attain, but not impossible.
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Battleship Evolution System:
Inspired by a concept Elias once read in a now-forgotten timeline—a story called National Star Ocean Era—he devised a system where evolution and advancement weren't just biological but technological. Every sentient being would command a ship. Their ship's level would determine their eligibility for personal evolution.
Ship Classes:
1. Shuttle
2. Frigate
3. Cruiser
4. Destroyer
5. Battleship
6. Dreadnought
7. Star Systemer – A living ship able to manage an entire solar system.
To evolve, one must first upgrade their battleship using rare resources and cosmic materials scattered across star systems, space-time rifts, dimensional vaults, or earned through trials.
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A Spice of Chaos:
But even this structure would not be enough. "If everything is predictable," Elias mused, "they'll adapt too well, and peace will return too fast."
Solis, with his now sage-like understanding, agreed. "They need fear. Mystery. Struggle."
And so Elias birthed something new—The Grotesque. Lifeforms not bound by desire or culture, but a single instinct: to devour.
Shapeless, evolving abominations that fed on energy, DNA, even systems. They could destroy stars, assimilate technology, and even mimic higher beings if they consumed enough. They would emerge randomly—sometimes a single creature, sometimes an entire brood. Not frequent enough to eradicate life, but just enough to keep civilizations on edge.
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System Activation:
When the System launched, it did so with elegance. No sudden announcement. Just knowledge, delivered directly to the minds of the sapient.
On the human colony worlds, engineers dropped their tools, students stared blankly mid-lecture, and children gasped in awe as information flowed into them.
On silian worlds, their crystalline cities flickered in harmony. They convened in mindspheres—telepathic forums—and deliberated with ancient grace.
"What is this… gift?" asked a silian matriarch.
"Or challenge," replied a war-veteran.
In both civilizations, reactions diverged.
Humans split into schools of thought. Some saw the System as a divine blessing. Others feared its potential for corruption. Military organizations restructured overnight. New academies rose, focusing on battle strategy, resource acquisition, and ship mastery.
Silians approached it with spiritual reverence. They began to craft evolution temples and crystal databanks. To them, evolving was a harmony with the universe, not dominance over it.
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Daily Life Under the System:
In the years that followed, the System redefined daily life.
Students studied ship mechanics as early as childhood.
Explorers ventured into uncharted systems, seeking evolution stones or rare elemental cores.
Guilds formed, some merciful, others ruthless.
Grotesque raids became a part of training. Civilizations built alarms, borders, outposts—all monitored by the System's satellites.
Solis and Elias watched from afar, occasionally disguising themselves and living among the people.
Elias, now a famed biologist, visited bio-labs on both human and silian worlds, working with native scientists to understand the impact of evolution on brain chemistry.
Solis, a renowned professor, taught the philosophy of power. His lectures would echo for millennia.
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A New Age Begins:
With the foundations laid, the Age of Ascent and Struggle began.
It was no longer their world—it was the people's. The System would lead them, test them, teach them. It was alive in its own way, molded by logic, morality, and mystery.
And far beyond the rim of the known universe, the first Grotesque Leviathan stirred in a dimensional rift, opening an eye the size of a planet.
The era of gods and monsters had begun.