The plant stalk shimmered and came apart at the molecular level, its structure unraveled as the space it occupied rejected its existence. Within two seconds, it had completely dissolved into nothing, leaving not even ash behind.

Finn watched with rapt attention.

Osmund lowered his hand and gestured for Finn to examine where the plant had been. Finn stepped forward, crouched down, and studied the spot. The ground was undisturbed. The surrounding grass was also untouched. Only the single plant stalk had been dissolved into nothing, precisely and cleanly, as if it had never existed.

"That," Osmund said, "was a spell. An actualization of a specific effect I've practiced hundreds of times and refined until speaking those words triggers the exact result I want with minimal conscious effort."

He raised his hand again, this time pointing at a small cluster of three plants.

[Space Edict: Dissolve]

The effect was different this time. All three plants wavered and began to break apart, but the dissolution spread unevenly.

One plant vanished completely in a second, another took three seconds, and the third only partially dissolved before the effect faded, leaving behind a withered stump.

"That was an Edict," Osmund continued. "It uses fewer words but has a broader effect and a less specific outcome. It's best used to affect multiple targets or something that has multiple parameters. But it requires more mental control to direct. The power is there, but your precision will suffer if your focus wavers…"

He was breathing slightly harder now, Finn noticed.

Then Osmund raised his hand one final time, and his entire body tensed. Sweat beaded on his forehead despite the soft breeze blowing through the clearing.

And with a voice that was thick with weight and presence, he spoke:

"In this space, matter cannot maintain cohesion."

The air above his palm immediately warped into a spherical distortion perhaps six inches in diameter, where reality itself seemed to bend according to Osmund's words.

A leaf fell from a tree branch overhead, drifting down. The moment it touched the edge of that sphere, it simply... ceased. It hit the boundary and stopped existing, as if that space had declared the leaf incompatible with reality.

But the effect was limited. The sphere was very small — barely larger than an apple. And Finn could see the obvious strain on Osmund's face and the way his hand trembled with the effort of maintaining it.

After five seconds, Osmund gasped and closed his fist. The distortion vanished instantly, and he staggered slightly.

"...That," he said, breathing hard, "...was a Declaration. A spatial law imposed on reality itself, within a limited area," he panted. "I just defined what space can and cannot allow within that boundary…"

Finn stared at the spot where the sphere had been with a burning gaze, thinking of how his own fragment could actualize its own effects in such a manner.

"The difference between them," Osmund continued once he'd caught his breath, "comes down to control over the concept. And that control is directly tied to the grade of fragment you possess."

He held up three fingers.

"There are three grades of fragments. Lesser fragments," he folded down one finger, "grant basic access to a concept. Enough to learn spells with practice, and maybe a simple Edict if you have talent. This is the most common level of fragment bearers you will find..."

He folded down a second finger.

"Greater fragments provide deeper connection to the concept. Edicts become natural. Declarations become possible, though extremely difficult. The two other fragment bearers on this island and I — we all possess Greater Fragments of Space."

He folded down the final finger, forming a fist.

"Core fragments are the complete embodiment of a concept. Those who possess them can issue Declarations as easily as breathing. They don't just manipulate their concept, they themselves are the concept made manifest."

Osmund's expression darkened.

"The being you encountered in that temple — Egon Callahan. He's the possessor of the Core Fragment of Space. His Declarations can reshape entire regions. What I just showed you, that tiny sphere requiring all my concentration? He could blanket a city with the same effect without even straining."

Finn didn't need to be told. He could clearly remember the deleted space that had nearly devoured him and his colleagues back on Aethelos.

"So it's just a game of what grade of fragment you have?" Finn asked. "Whoever has the higher grade wins?"

"Between fragment bearers of different grades?" Osmund nodded grimly. "Yes. Absolutely. A bearer of a Greater fragment might have superior comprehension, decades more experience, incredible creativity in applying their concept… but against a Core fragment bearer, they die. That's all there is to it."

He leveled a gaze at Finn.

"If you ever meet someone with a core fragment, all you can do is run. Don't fight. Don't try to be clever. Just run, and hope they don't consider you worth chasing." He warned before continuing in a more measured tone:

"Within the same grade, that's where comprehension matters. Where creativity and personal understanding of your concept make the difference. Two bearers of Greater fragments might have vastly different capabilities based on how deeply they understand their concept and how cleverly they apply it."

Osmund gestured around the clearing.

"The only reason the three of us fragment bearers on this island maintain our territorial status quo is because we're all of similar grade. Greater fragments, all of us. If one of us had a Core fragment..." He shook his head, leaving the rest unsaid.

Finn absorbed this, fitting it into what he already knew about fragments and Transcendents. Then a question occurred to him.

"Wait, then how do you advance to a higher grade?"

Osmund's expression became solemn for a moment, then his eyes became hard and he shrugged.

"You devour another bearer of the same concept path."

"Beat them into submission while they're still alive," Osmund continued, not softening the explanation at all. "Then absorb their fragment directly from their soul. It must be done while they're living, while their soul is still structured and their fragment still bound to them. Because if they die first..."

He gestured vaguely.

"The fragment reverts to its chaotic mass state. But unlike normal chaotic soul masses, it disperses and spreads like a cloud, actively seeking a new host. And it instinctively won't choose another fragment bearer."

"It's how new fragment bearers are born," Osmund said. "A fragment's previous holder dies, it disperses across sometimes vast distances, and eventually finds someone compatible. Someone who doesn't already possess a fragment."

He met Finn's eyes directly.

"This is why fragment bearers who want to advance hunt others of their same concept. It's why territories are viciously defended. Why meeting another bearer of your own path almost always means one of you will die."

He explained as if it was the general plight of fragment holders. Even if they weren't looking for death, death could come find them so long as a fragment bearer of the same path was in close proximity.

"Now," Osmund said, refocusing on the main matter. "Let me explain how you actually use your fragment."

He began pacing as he spoke, his earlier exhaustion fading.

"Your fragment will want to lead. Just like soul masses have their own desires, fragments have their nature, the fundamental expression of their concept. Your instinct will be to let it guide you, especially at first when everything is new."

Osmund stopped and turned to face Finn.

"Don't. You must be the one directing its power."

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