40 Completing Sense of the Realm (1/2)

\”Did you feel that Gates?\” Mao Lu asked urgently.

The hairs on his neck were standing upwards and a peculiar chilly sensation ran across his entire being. As he breathed his breath came out in icy clouds.

He shivered.

\”I do not know what you mean? I did not sense anything Mao Lu?\” Gates was confused.

\”There is something very wrong, I feel that something is very wrong… Very wrong.\” he shivered violently.

It was as if someone had walked over his grave, he felt violated.

\”How can you not feel it Gates?\”

\”My abilities are not as infinite as yours, nor are they as invasive and as connected to this Realm as yours. I am but a tool used for guidance. I am not a living being, simply a guide. There are many things that you will notice that I will not.\” Gates explained.

It watched as Mao Lu shivered more violently, his lips turning blue.

\”What happened, what did you sense?\” Gates asked, feeling increasing concern.

\”It-it-it's not that I sensed anything. I can't sense it, yet I know it's there… Something is wrong. I can't explain it. I feel like this might be one of the irregularities I was warned about.\”

\”An irregularity... a disturbance in the Realm. If that is the case this is very serious. If we do not find the source of this irregularity soon it will only grow bigger and bigger until it could lead to the possible collapse of your Realm.\” said Gates

\”I already know that! But I can't sense it. I… I don't know where it's coming from.\”

\”That is because you're too panicked. You need to calm yourself, expand your mind and expand your senses. That way you will find this irregularity. Remember you are in control.\” Gates advised.

\”Un.\” Mao Lu said as he tried to control his breathing and calm himself.

He was in control.

He wouldn't let this irregularity turn him into a panicked mess.

He crossed his legs and closed his eyes. Soon he was back in the world that existed in his mind.

A silver flower that looked like a lotus and a rose, bloomed in the centre of the empty space.

It's petals and leaves stretching out to the white walls showing a map of the Realm.

The petals were whispering to him, so quietly that he couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, but he could still hear it.

He tenderly touched the leaves and smelt the petals as he concentrated.

So far he could sense 150 Galaxies, and from all of them he felt the trillions upon trillions of countless living creatures existing inside them.

He felt something wrong, but there was so much going on in the Realm that he couldn't pinpoint it.

Where was it coming from? Where was the disturbance coming from?

He searched intensely, his consciousness overturning every rock, every ripple, and every breath but he still couldn't find anything.

\”It is difficult for you to find the source of this irregularity because you have yet to grasp this entire Realm.

A Realm is like a glass and all the information of the Universe or Realm is inside that glass. In this case the irregularity is a small crack in that glass. How can you find the crack when you can't see the entire glass yet?\”

\”So I must sense the entire Realm before I can pinpoint this irregularity?\” Mao Lu summarised.

\”It may be the only way. The irregularity is good at hiding. It is created by a key, and the key was made to go against a Gatekeepers senses. If you don't sense the entire Realm then you will continue to overlook it, even if it were right next to you. At least that is my conjecture.\” Gates confirmed.

\”Then I will sense it all tonight.\” Mao Lu gritted his teeth.

\”Tonight!? Don't be ridiculous Mao Lu, pushing your body to such an extreme may deem fatal. You know how hard it has been for you to sense all the way up to 150 galaxies, you need to take your time to sense the remaining 250. There is no rush. I am certain with the amazing speed and progress you have shown so far, you'll be able to sense the entire Realm in less than a month or two months. You don't need to rush.\”

\”Chàng Bo has been in this realm less than a month. The key was used less than a month ago and yet there is already an irregularity that is causing me to worry so much. There may be more irregularities than this one, if that is the case then two months or even a month is too long.

This Realm is my home, this Realm is filled with my loved ones. If there is something out there that could hurt them and something happened to them because I decided to wait two months to sense this thing. Then I would hate myself for eternity. What's the point of having all this power if I can not protect those closest to me.

I feel that this irregularity is nearby and it is scary. I want to find it soon. So Gates I am going to sense this entire Realm and no matter what state I am in, no matter how much I scream. I do not want you to stop me.\” Mao Lu's words were icy and determined.

He was a rock that could not be budged.

\”I… I guess I'll let you have your way.\” Gates conceded, \”but you must know I am not happy about this.\”

Mao Lu smiled slightly, \”Thank you Gates.\”

Gates didn't like being thanked like this. It felt like It was sending Mao Lu away. If he overextended himself, his mind may break and his body may crumble. Even if he recovered it may take longer than any time he ever took to recover before and he may not be the same Mao Lu. But these were the worst case scenarios.

Gates had faith that Mao Lu was a one-of-a-kind genius who was meant to be a Gatekeeper. \”He can do it, he can do it successfully without breaking himself. He can do it.\” Gates quietly chanted.

Mao Lu sat cross legged and concentrated on pushing the barrier.