The immersive memory experience doesn't forcibly alter a person's character or emotions, but like the Persona Mask amplifying certain feelings, if the wearer wavers in the illusion, their corresponding emotions are intensified.
Naturally, recording another's emotions and memories has prerequisites: either the person willingly lowers their defenses, or their soul must be completely suppressed to force the recording.
"Honestly, the Persona Mask's abilities are pretty unsettling. I've just been using it as a healing tool, so its dangerous side hasn't shown up. But if a nastier mini-Nyarlathotep got hold of it, yikes!" Alaric mused internally, still quite pleased with the new function.
Sometimes, words alone aren't enough. Letting someone experience emotions firsthand can be far more persuasive than mere speech.
Moreover, both masks' usage limits had increased. Each now supported up to 20 users, so Alaric wouldn't need to worry about running out of slots anytime soon.
"I could even hand one out to every Sequence 0 I'm on good terms with. Aside from me, there's a max of 22 Sequence 0s," Alaric quipped to himself, satisfied with the number.
Not that he had that many friends who'd need a mask. Most didn't require one.
Of course, if Klein, Medici, or others ever wanted to use a mask to stabilize their humanity as an anchor, Alaric wouldn't mind giving them one each.
Unused masks were just wasted potential, after all.
Beyond the enhanced mask abilities, his emotion manipulation gained a new sub-skill: "Puppeteer." Simply put, if Alaric successfully manipulated someone's emotions, he could activate this skill to issue suggestive commands.
Unlike the Persona Mask's total control, those under "Puppeteer" remained conscious but compelled to follow Alaric's orders. The drawback was that only one command could be issued at a time, and it couldn't severely violate the target's will. The advantage? It could affect up to a hundred people simultaneously.
His Avatara ability didn't increase the number of avatars he could create, but the process became easier, with lower requirements.
Additionally, because Lilith's blood was used as an auxiliary material, Alaric gained a healing ability tied to the Planter pathway... something he'd long coveted.
Beyond these enhanced and auxiliary-derived abilities, Alaric also acquired the Playwright's core skill: "Book of Stories."
This skill centered on interfering with fate and had two components. The first allowed Alaric to amplify or diminish the likelihood of a specific outcome.
For example, if someone had a 50% chance of successfully advancing with a potion under perfect ritual conditions, Alaric could write in the "Book of Stories" That they "fail" or "succeed," altering their fate.
This ability wasn't without limits. The stronger the target, the harder it was to interfere with their fate. Writing something like "Lilith triumphs decisively over the Mother Goddess of Depravity" would have a near-zero chance of success.
The biggest restriction was that it could only affect events currently happening or imminent, not create possibilities out of nothing.
It was a powerful skill, but heavily constrained.
The second ability of the "Book of Stories" was particularly intriguing, which Alaric dubbed "Rule Lore."
Alaric could write rules targeting specific people or places in the "Book of Stories" and choose how to enforce them. The first method consumed his spirituality, akin to how Arbiter pathway Beyonders imposed rules. This allowed instant activation, but the rule's strength depended on Alaric's Sequence level, and it continuously drained his spirituality.
The second method resembled the Avatara ability, relying on others' belief. When enough people believed in a rule's existence, it would manifest in reality. The larger the rule's scope or the stronger its targets, the harder it was to activate.
This method was slower but had a high ceiling and didn't consume Alaric's spirituality.
Both methods had limitations: rules couldn't affect beings with Uniqueness, couldn't create matter or life from nothing, and couldn't alter life and death, such as resurrecting the dead.
"Sounds a lot like the Arbiter's abilities, but way more fun," Alaric thought, sighing. "Too bad it can't create something from nothing or reverse death."
The "Book of Stories" was undeniably powerful. For a Sequence 5 ability, it could arguably rival a Sequence 1 core skill.
Normally, Alaric would be thrilled with such power, and he was.
But the limitations were real. Without them, the "Book of Stories" could have been a game-changer... resurrecting ordinary people or even pulling the Sun God back through a resurrection rule.
Sadly, that path was blocked.
"It's just a Sequence 5 ability, though. This is already insane, so I shouldn't ask for more," Alaric consoled himself. Then another thought struck him, and he murmured internally, "Manipulating emotions, rewriting personalities, interfering with fate, and imposing rules on others... yep, the Chaos pathway is clearly aiming to turn the world into one giant stage!"
If the "Joker" and "Actor" phases were about Alaric performing as the actor on stage, the "Mask Maker" phase marked a shift from actor to director.
Until now, his performances had been small-scale. The "Avatara" phase seemed to revert to acting, but this time, it drew in a massive audience, making countless people part of the show.
They thought themselves spectators, yet were tools in Alaric's hands, making his "Avatara" real... like puppets believing they're free while bound by invisible strings.
The "Playwright" phase dropped all pretense, granting Alaric the power to meddle with others' fates and impose binding rules, turning the world into a theater of sorts.
***
Every 100 Power Stones and 5 Reviews will earn you a Bonus Chapter.
And if you want to read up to 50 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (remove space)