As I felt darkness sweep over the land above me I closed my eyes. A small and inquisitive part of my mind turned away from the immediacy of choosing how to have the bear evolve and instead composed a quiet message to the system. It was a simple one, a question. "Can you give me a real explanation about "Domain-sense"?" I asked the system, curious to hear more about this strange and powerful seeming ability that I possessed but didn"t know much about and also hadn"t begun to use. The first response I received was a gentle chuckle. And then a few moments later I received a real reply.
["Domain-sense" is an extremely potent knowledge-based ability that causes you to gain extrasensory perception and knowledge. Specifically, it causes you to gain an awareness of whenever something related to a domain you influence happens.] The system explained, beginning to reveal the nature of one of my odder abilities.
[I used the example of healing earlier. Hmm... This time perhaps I"ll use the example of dreaming. As a lesser deity, you have the power to detect whenever creatures in the universe you"re in fall asleep. There are a few things you ought to know that may help you understand the real power of this power.] The ent.i.ty told me, speaking cryptically.
[This power"s reach expands across the universe. Now... that"s not all of existence, there are countless universes, but that is still quintillions of lifeforms. You"ve had this power for little over twenty-four hours, and over a quintillion lifeforms have fallen asleep in that time. Creatures on the far end of the universe, and in other dimensions that are still in this universe have fallen asleep.] The system declared, and as it did so my eyes opened in shock.
[Your ability to enter the dreams of other creatures has some limitations. For instance: you can"t enter an animal"s dream. But one limitation it doesn"t have is distance. If you can detect that a humanoid is dreaming, you can enter their dream. And you can. Your "Domain-Sense" doesn"t just detect sleepers, it can also detects dreamers.] My one constant companion said to me, my eyes opening even further in shock as I realized the incredible implications of that.
[G.o.ds are incredible beings. Their ability to adapt to situations is remarkable, and so is the rate at which they can gain world-changing abilities. Let me make this clear: if you want too you could conquer the world. This world anyway. Others... well others would be trickier. But right now, thanks in part to your mind-based abilities and the fact that you gained influence over light and darkness your powers can reach across the universe.] The strange voice whispered, speaking a bit reverentially.
[You can detect and even cure diseases in creatures the instant they get them. You can inflict diseases upon alien-emperors in the most remote reaches of the universe. G.o.ds are... truly incomparable ent.i.ties. Mortals have forgotten the incredible powers of the G.o.ds, but we haven"t. We"ve waited.] The voice uttered, speaking almost mechanically at this point.
I chuckled, in awe and shocked at the extent of my own powers. It was difficult for me to fathom that I possessed such an incredibly mind-boggling ability. Especially given the esoteric nature of some of the things I possessed influence over.
I wasn"t entirely sure what "Domain-sense" meant in the context of the domain of light. A part of me wondered if it really was as broad a category as the domain"s details implied. If it was that meant that I"d likely know whenever someone did something as vague as lit a campfire in a dark cave, or when the sun"s light began to vanquish the darkness of the night over a cornfield.
And if I could detect darkness, then that meant that would explain my ability to sense the spreading darkness that covered Puerto Rico"s surface. As would the fact that if something is shrouded darkness I can reach out and touch it. I still had questions though.
"What can I detect with regards to agriculture?" I asked the strange ent.i.ty that seemed to live in my mind and the minds of all lifeforms.
[You can detect the planting of seeds, the tilling of the ground when creatures begin the process of domesticating other creatures when creatures begin to starve, and a few other things.] The system alerted me. I chuckled, enjoying the simplicity of that. At least it was direct.
I quietly decided to activate my "Domain-sense" ability, allowing a portion of my mind to be opened up to the flood of information that would no doubt surge into it. And I grinned as I felt my prediction become a reality.
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One of the other parts of my mind remained focused on the bear in front of me. I studied it and watched as its shivers began to calm down. It didn"t take me long to make a decision regarding what to transform it into.
"And this one will become an earth-bear. That way I have an ally who can tunnel through the earth. I really should make some ants into earth myrmekes." I mused as I willed the bear to undergo the transformation.
Before my very eyes, the tower underneath the creature began to move. It rolled around my ursine companion and then wrapped it in a cac.o.o.n of earth. It was surprising to say the least that that was how the creature"s evolution began.
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With my attention split in two directions, a small and quiet chunk of me asked the system to do one more thing. It was a small favor but it was one that was critical in getting me to understand the current breadth of my powers.
"Can you tell me about the cla.s.ses I have under my belt? Specifically the patron and G.o.d cla.s.ses?" I asked the eerie ent.i.ty who liked to speak cryptically. I received a response immediately.
[Why yes, I can. And I"m so delighted that you asked.] The voice replied, and I could hear the smile in its tone. I grinned, excited to begin to more fully and properly understand myself. I wanted to genuinely understand the full scope of my powers, and so long as mysteries about what I could abounded, I would never have the understanding I sought.