I was upset, and understandably so.
Here I was, standing in the presence of these magnifiscent, awe-inspiring, and boundlessly powerful entities, now witnessing their greatness… yet I couldn't help the rising feeling of annoyance within me.
"You're all so powerful. You could stop Legris. You could so something, anything, to prevent all those calamities he has been causing."
Yet why hadn't they acted? They couldn't even tell any of us about Legris or assist us in any way.
Instead, they remained in this perfect realm, watching as realities got destroyed as a result of Legris and his actions.
I wanted to know why.
"You are reasonably upset, Jared. The one called Legris Damien is an incredibly dangerous force that even we recognize as a threat." I heard Aries say.
"Then why—?"
"Because we can't do anything about him. It's both an internal and external problem…" This time, it was Libra who spoke.
I didn't understand what they meant when they put things like that.
"Ask yourself this, Jared. Why were we unable to act when The Nether attacked the Aether Realm? His level of power back then would have been no problem for one, not to mention all, of us."
The moment they brought that to my notice, my eyes widened in realization.
'Ahh… I never thought of that!'
Why indeed hadn't the Constellations helped back then? Of course, I wasn't much aware of their existence at that point, but they should have been able to easily handle the Nether with their combined strength.
Yet… they did nothing.
"W-why…?" It confused me so much.
"We couldn't."
"Isn't your purpose to maintain the Aether Tree and everything within it?" I asked, unknowingly raising my voice to respond to Capricorn.
I instantly felt bad the moment I did so, but my rising annoyance did not allow me to dwell on those emotions.
In fact, I soon forgot all the awe I had towards the Constellations.
"It is indeed. However, there are unwritten laws that even we have to abide by." Cancer answered with what I could only see as a sigh.
"Unwritten laws?"
"Yes. Laws that even the Primordial Ones—Aether and Nether—abide by. It is the unwritten law of existence itself that binds all things that exist in any measure."
Even the most powerful existences were bound by these laws? That made no sense! They were the architects of the very fabric of our reality.
How could they be under a higher law? No, that wasn't the real question here.
"Laws are made. If you are all bound by these unwritten laws… then who made them?" I asked, my eyes narrowing in sheer confusion.
For a moment, silence pervaded the world around me.
No one spoke for a moment, and I suddenly felt all eyes flowing in a single direction.
It wasn't on me… but on a Constellation—the last Constellation I laid eyes on.
"We do not know."
As I heard the voice from Aquarius, like an endless stream of waters, and a feminine voice rising to the surface, I could not move.
It felt more powerful than any other sensation I was feeling at the moment.
Her voice completely overwhelmed me.
"That is why they are referred to as the Unwritten Laws. No one knows who established them. The time before existence. The time before the primordial entities and realms were built… no one knows the architect that established these things."
What could I say in response to her words? I was rendered speechless as I watched the primeval body of seas that glowed before me.
"I am the oldest of the Constellations. I was the first to exist after Aether herself. Even I… no, even Aether has no clue about the identity of the one who established our existence."
At this point, I could only utter one word.
"So what are they? God?"
"We call them the Crafter. They exist at a point no one can reach. A realm beyond the Root itself." As Aquarius uttered those words, I felt a strange tingle within me.
However, it was so subtle that it vanished as soon as it appeared.
"So… this Crafter made some laws that you are unable to defy? That's why you couldn't stop the Nether, and why you refuse to do anything now?" I blurted out my inquisition, not even knowing what I felt at this point.
I couldn't blame the Constellations any longer, but I could not direct my rage at one whom I did not know.
"It's more complicared than that, Jared." Virgo spoke to me in her sweet tone. "The unwritten laws are not as precise or particular as you imply."
"Indeed. They are simply limitations to the interference we can initiate on existing reality." Gemini added.
The more they spoke, the more I understood. However, I still had to know what these rules were.
Surely, even if they did not know the Crafter, they knew their laws!
"The reason we could do nothing against the Nether was due to the Unwritten Law of Heirarchy. As lesser beings, we can not challenge a higher existence like the Nether." Aquarius once again iterated in her wave-like voice.
What they were trying to say was that even if the Nether was weakened, he still had an advantage of authority beyond them.
"I-I see…"
"Aether is bound by a different Unwritten Law, which prevents her from directly interacting with reality except through the one she has chosen."
"A Singularity." I muttered.
"Indeed." Aquarius responded, and the others nodded as well.
"Aether dwells within the Root, and the Unwritten Laws prevent her from interacting with much of reality, which is why we exist as Constellations. We are the extension of her will, and the ones who manage existence on her behalf."
I now understood the roles of the Constellations and their relationship with Aether. However, they were still yet to address my main question.
The one that burned within me above all else.
"Which Unwritten Law stops you from stopping Legris?"
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[A/N]
Thank you all for reading!
I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It's filled with exposition, but I just thought you'd all like to know these details
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