The Sovereign Veil Chapter 4: Chapter 4: The Three Axioms

Read chapter 4 of The Sovereign Veil by GodEmperor on NovelPedia.

Valerius Locke, the Initiate Star Official, was practically vibrating with excitement. To receive personal encouragement from an Apex Operative was something he had only dared to dream of during his grueling training regimens. Within the Sovereign Veil, only operatives of Tier 4 and above were granted the title of "Apex." Locke couldn't even fathom the kinetic and political power a Tier 4 member wielded. Even a lowly Tier 1 operative had just effortlessly shattered a moon over Terra-Nova, openly flouting Interstellar Law to dictate the survival of billions. If he could forge a connection with an entity like this, Locke could accelerate his promotion to full operative and leverage the Veil's resources to elevate his Neo-European lineage to unprecedented glory. "Your Excellency... may I humbly ask for your designation?" Locke asked, his voice thick with reverence. "I suppose it won't hurt for you to know," Lucian smiled inwardly. With a mere thought, the towering, mist-shrouded avatar Lucian inhabited within the Void shifted. Above his head, a singular, heavy designation materialized in burning gold: [Codename: The Primordial] An oppressive, ancient gravity cascaded from the title, carrying the weight of a dying universe. Locke's heart slammed against his ribs, his avatar swaying as if physically struck by the pressure. The Primordial. It was a name that sounded older than the stars themselves. Locke's expression shifted from awe to absolute, terrified humility. "Respected Lord Primordial," Locke stammered, his military bearing crumbling, "have... have you ever visited the Terra-Nova Sector?" He was sweating bullets. He knew the mandate to annihilate the moon had come directly from this ancient god. He was terrified that The Primordial harbored some deep-seated grudge against his home planet. Seeing the man's sheer panic, Lucian mentally smirked. "I was merely passing through on a cosmic tour. I have no intention of causing further collateral damage. It is but a minor planet..." Lucian initially wanted to brag that it was a speck of dust he could wipe out with a flick of his finger. But he caught himself. He was supposedly a Tier 7 cosmic overlord. Bragging about blowing up a tiny rock was something a low-tier grunt would do. It lacked the necessary detached elegance. "I have already departed the sector and crossed into the Andromeda Sector," Lucian amended smoothly. "You may rest easy." Locke's mind short-circuited. The Andromeda Sector? That was a galactic zone over a hundred thousand light-years away! Even traveling at the absolute limits of light-speed, it would take eons. Yet, for The Primordial, traversing that distance was a casual afternoon stroll. This casual flex was infinitely more terrifying than blowing up a moon. In reality, Lucian only claimed he was in Andromeda so Locke wouldn't deduce his true location. All signs pointed to Locke being physically stationed on Terra-Nova, likely deeply embedded in the Planetary Defense Council given how fast the global Aether-shields had been raised. "Have you encountered other Apex Operatives in the Veil recently?" Lucian asked, steering the conversation. "No, My Lord. I read in the archives that due to a multiversal catastrophe ten millennia ago, the vast majority of our Apex Operatives entered a deep, restorative slumber," Locke replied dutifully. "Exactly," Lucian seized the opening without missing a beat. "I only recently awakened from my own stasis, and my memories of the current era are fragmented. What is the current operational state of the Veil? Why is the hub so deserted?" Locke didn't doubt him for a second. The gap in their power levels was too unfathomable for suspicion. "There are actually a vast number of operatives active, My Lord," Locke explained. "Full operatives are titans who manipulate the geopolitical and evolutionary arcs of entire civilizations. However, because they are spread across the Multiverse, the local sub-hubs often appear empty." Lucian realiz