Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse novel Chapter 4448

Chapter 4448: Duty I

Officium.

Duty.

A word that carried different weight depending upon who spoke it, who heard it, who lived beneath its shadow.

For some, duty was nothing more than chains disguised as purpose...obligations imposed by others who claimed authority over your existence.

These beings viewed duty as surrender, as relinquishing the freedom to determine one’s own path in exchange for the comfort of being told what to do.

For others, duty was sacred covenant- a binding agreement between self and something greater that transformed mere existence into meaningful purpose.

These beings viewed duty as elevation, as recognition that individual desires paled before collective necessity.

And for a select few across existence’s infinite expanse, duty was neither chain nor covenant but choice...deliberate decision to serve something beyond self because that service aligned with personal values rather than external compulsion.

The question that plagued peasants, warriors, and kings alike was simple: What constituted true duty, and who possessed authority to define it?

---

In the Earliest Folds, in times beyond current reckoning.

There was a moment when The First Leader, Gilgamesh, fought against a Disciple of THE Creature himself.

Just having a more concentrated Everything of THE Creature did not mean one could become a Disciple!

Nobody knew the complete results of that battle as it occurred in domain others could not perceive, hidden from ordinary observation.

But at its conclusion, Gilgamesh lay on shattered folding of existence itself...reality cracked beneath him like broken mirror.

His chest was rent open with wounds that leaked essence rather than blood, his breathing labored with pain.

Yet his expression remained stern. Unyielding. Unbowed despite catastrophic defeat.

He stared out into a golden fractured sky where reality itself seemed wounded from their confrontation, and his voice emerged with the weight of someone questioning their fundamental assumptions.

"What is our duty in existence? What are we bound by? Is our duty always to follow The Way of Existence of THE Creature and THE Living Existences? Is that all that our existence amounts to...perpetual service to those who came before, adherence to frameworks established by others? Are we nothing more than instruments of their will?"

Gilgamesh asked such questions as he addressed the entity who had defeated him so thoroughly.

The Disciple of THE Creature stood without single injury visible anywhere on her form...a woman with dark hair cascading like shadow and blue eyes.

Her expression carried no malice, no satisfaction at victory, only calm certainty of someone who knew their place.

When she spoke, her voice held reverential conviction.

"Duty is not burden to be questioned or chain to be broken. Duty is the very essence of meaningful existence. I am a follower of THE Creature whose Primordial Civilization encompasses Existence itself. My duty is therefore infallible because it serves the foundation upon which all else is built. My duty is to Existence itself, not as an abstract concept but as a living principle that sustains all things."

Her eyes hardened slightly.

"You speak of duty as if it constrains you, First Leader. But true duty liberates by providing purpose beyond selfish desires. Those who reject duty in pursuit of personal freedom often discover that freedom without purpose is merely chaos wearing pleasant mask."

At such words, Gilgamesh’s expression twisted with spiteful rejection.

Blood, or what passed for blood in his primordial existence, continued seeping from his chest wounds as he responded with bitter defiance.

"I reject that type of duty. I am tired of following the Way of others, of walking paths established by those who came before and expecting gratitude for my obedience. I want to find my own duty...one that serves purposes I determine rather than purposes imposed upon me by THE Creature or any other authority."

"Even if that duty is wrong by your standards, at least it would be mine."

The Disciple of THE Creature scowled at such declaration...her serene composure cracking to reveal something approaching contempt for what she viewed as foolish pride.

"For that ambition, you would need to usher forth your own Way and establish your own Civilization. You would need to create framework from nothing, to convince others that your path holds merit equal to or exceeding THE Creature’s Primordial Civilization of Existence itself."

"Are you exceptional enough to accomplish that? Do you possess the capability to forge something from void when THE Creature required giving his Everythings to accomplish what he did?"

"Find your own duty if you wish. Forge your own Civilization if you can. But understand that duty defined by personal desire rather than principle is merely ambition wearing duty’s clothing. And ambition without wisdom leads only to destruction."

Duty.

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