Chapter 463: Worlds Within World

Chapter 463: Chapter 463: Worlds Within World

Chapter 463 – Worlds Within World

The White Phoenix was completely silenced by those words. For a moment, she was lost in their meaning, and for that same moment, she entertained the thought: ’What if this little bastard is right?’

Unfortunately, that thought didn’t have time to take root in her mind before she burned it to ashes, once more glaring down at the burning Cassius the way an eagle would at a snake.

She refused to be swayed by the words of a man who had failed so many times.

After all, it was always easy to claim success when the actual test hadn’t come yet. And so far, Blanche had no tangible proof that this young boy in front of her would make it.

As if Cassius could perfectly read the mind of this monster, he hissed, "You also don’t know if Emrys would succeed, if I may add. You have no proof of this belief of yours. After all, tell me, has Emrys ever succeeded?"

"He has never been given the opportunity to participate," she replied, cold despite the flaming environment.

"And you think, dear Phoenix, that you are smarter and more realistic than Kaden? After all, why would he be so hellbent on not choosing Emrys?"

Cassius cocked his head.

By then, his body was crumbling, and his Sun Core was clearly visible, rotating at immense speed as it absorbed the flames and essence of the sun itself while refining itself.

"Do you perhaps know better than him?"

"You are courageous and daring, I will grant you that," Blanche replied, her eyes narrowing further. "But how long do you think you will last once your barrier disappears? A barrier that will disappear in 10 seconds?"

"I will go back, if you stand firm on your own beliefs," Cassius replied, coughing. "I have no interest in tiring myself out trying to convince someone who doesn’t want to be convinced. It’s a waste of time, forgive my bluntness, and time is the one thing I lack the most. So if you believe in Emrys, then please, dear White Phoenix, by all means, choose that Storm boy."

He smiled a ghastly smile, his right eye slowly melting.

"You plan, and I will plan. And let’s see who the better planner is."

"Are you challenging an Error? You, a mortal?"

"More ridiculous things have happened in this world. Don’t be surprised."

"And you plan to do it without even knowing what awaits you?" Blanche retorted sharply, her beastly flaming head lowering further to get closer to Cassius, as if she wanted to sniff out his fear.

Oh, the fear was abundant. But so were his courage and determination.

"Do you think you are that capable?"

"The same way I managed to get this far," he said. "I will keep walking forward, slowly, always forward, and eventually I will find the information I need."

His 10 seconds were over.

The System’s barrier suddenly vanished, leaving Cassius completely exposed to the flames of the sun. He braced himself for the howling, mind-numbing pain... but the killing heat he expected never came

He blinked his left eye, which was still intact, and looked around. The fire was still burning, but its intensity was only enough to mildly hurt him, not to kill him.

Swallowing a cry of agony, Cassius lifted his head towards the White Phoenix and saw the Devourer of the Sun gazing down at him with sharp eyes.

"You know how to use your damned mouth, vermin, don’t you?" she growled.

"Does that mean I have your support?"

"I do not support worthless failures," she said sharply. "Because you might have forgotten all those failures, thanks to Kaden’s mercy in not burdening you with them, but I have not. I witnessed them every single time, and every single time I wanted to kill you with my own hands for your stupidity. Over and over. This is an Abyss-cursed nightmare no one knows the end of."

The Last Born fell silent. On this point, he had nothing to defend himself with. He had failed, and if he tried to look at the whole situation from her point of view, he could perfectly understand why she didn’t trust him.

That was fair.

But in most situations, Cassius didn’t care about fairness.

This situation was one of them.

"Everyone fails," Cassius replied. "That’s part of life, part of how it has always been and how it was meant to be. After all, tell me, what would life even be without failure? It’s practically impossible to attempt something truly challenging and succeed without failing at least once, because that’s how we learn."

"Are you lecturing me?" The White Phoenix sounded outraged.

"I’m reminding you of something you might have forgotten because of the heights you’ve reached in your existence," he replied. "You have always been something special, even in Darklore. A White Phoenix, the first and only one to have ever existed. Alongside Kaden, you grew powerful enough to become an Error in this world. Bravo, should I say? But let’s go back a little, shall we? Let’s return to the very beginning of Kaden the Undying, and you tell me how that worthless, bullied young man became so powerful that even Death itself could no longer claim him. Humor me."

That question made Blanche’s beautiful phoenix face tighten into a deep frown.

She was beginning to hate talking to Cassius more and more, because this bastard knew Kaden, and it had been so long since she had spoken to anyone who knew him that every mention of his name seemed to catch her off guard.

And the worst part was that this beautiful little shit was right.

"By death," Blanche replied reluctantly. "Kaden grew stronger by dying."

"By failing, then."

She ground her teeth and made no reply.

"See?" Cassius sighed, his resistance to the Sun Essence increasing at a tremendous rate, though still nowhere near enough to stop his body from crumbling beneath its power. "Kaden failed far more often than he succeeded throughout his life. Hell, we could probably say he failed five times for every victory he achieved, and yet look at what he became. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying all this to justify my failures or pretend that failing is somehow a good thing. I’m saying it because, like every other being in existence, I have the right to try again when I fail. And to try again. And again, for as long as I still have the chance."

He shrugged, and his left hand crumbled into dust, though he acted as though he hadn’t even noticed, merely letting out a grunt before finishing his thought.

"That’s one of the deepest truths of this world, in my opinion."

Blanche shook her head slightly, no longer quite certain how their conversation had reached this point, but she could feel her anger diminishing, the fury that had been burning within her gradually giving way to something calmer.

Eventually, she sighed. "I still won’t trust you again."

Cassius narrowed his eyes.

’This beast is difficult, alright.’

"I didn’t ask you to trust me," he replied. "I’m asking you to give me what I need to walk, and I’ll learn by myself how to run. I need information, White."

"So your words still stand?"

"You’ll have to be more precise. I’ve said quite a lot of things here."

"Your arrogant ’You plan, and I will plan. And let’s see who the better planner is.’" Blanche smiled coldly, looking at his ruined face. "I see that they do. Perfect. I prefer that to putting my trust in you. But your words do hold some truth. So I will give you the information you need to plan, little vermin."

He opened his scarred mouth to speak, but coughed up blood instead. The agony was reaching another level, even though he was visibly growing stronger.

The Beast of the Sun paid him no mind. "This world, Sunu Gaal, little vermin, is not our world. Not mine, not Kaden’s, not His, not even yours. This world was a world of its own, a Seed saved from that End Battle, before it was changed by the worlds that entered it and infected it."

"Oh?" Cassius exclaimed after his terrible coughing subsided.

"The World you are in is a World with three worlds within it. Let’s call them three Mini Worlds, and you can come across them if you travel deep enough. Those you call Holders were not simply created out of nowhere. They are beings born when a world was integrated into this one, changing it to its core and birthing a Being that represented that world."

"Now this is some kind of bullshit," Cassius exclaimed. "What?"

"I am not done yet," Blanche said with a twisted smile, unfurling her wings even wider. "The Third Holder, Desdemona, your Ancestor, was born when Darklore was integrated into this world. Now, at this point, you will ask me what all of this has to do with what Kaden wants from you?"

"I like talking to smart beings."

"It’s simple," she whispered now, ignoring his annoying sarcasm, as if afraid she might be overheard. "Each Holder came with a Book that defines their whole existence and grants them power beyond imagination. Which means there are Three Books. Your world calls them the Book of the First Revelation and the Book of the Second Revelation. Your Book, the Desdemona one, is the Book of the Third Revelation, which was taken by the First and Second Holders."

"Wait! Wait!" Cassius shouted. "This is the part I never get. Why did these Holders take our Book?"

"What else?" Blanche arched an eyebrow, as if this were a stupid question. "Because the Third Book’s power was more complete, more powerful, and more special. Why would they allow such power to be held by... Desdemona? An unpredictable being?"

Cassius listened, dumbfounded, his mind aching as he tried with all his might to understand. "But... then what?"

"What do you mean, then what?" she hissed. "Your job is to take all three books, combine them into one Final Book of Revelation, and destroy the chains binding the First Vaelgrim, before existence itself is destroyed."

’Queen’s breath, please fuck me.’

—End of Chapter 463—