Lord Shadow

“But that is not the story I wanted to tell you. This is not the story of the death of my race. This is a story about a ring. About a particular ten rings. And in seeing it, you might be able to see a new path” 

For a moment there is silence between then. 

Azief sighed. 

And for a moment there is silence between them

Azief discerning eyes fixed on Borgan, a silent dialogue of intent and motive passing between them. 

She looks at him and when she looks at him, it was like she is seeing through him

The eyes of someone who is the source of all clairvoyants in the Universe is not some normal eyes.

Her gaze seems to hold infinite secrets and when she looks at you, it was like she is looking at your past, present and future.

Under the gaze such person, one would always be nervous.

But Azief is not

Because he knows something. And he knows that she knows that he knows. 

He is useful to her. 

And because of that he was not nervous. 

In the many years of his life, he had gathered all kinds of experience

And in his long years of life, whether it be his real life or the one that he experience in a state of reincarnation like when he experience six lives in the Sabers of Azul, he had learned many thing 

and in that journey of his, he had encountered many beings of immense power and elusive intentions. 

There was Azul. There was the Orvanian. There was that gate that appears out of nowhere when he was stepping on the Supremacy Stairway.

There is many more, the one that he knows of and the one he doesn’t

The complex interplay of motives and schemes was something he had grown accustomed to, and he knew better than to take things at face value.

He pondered the Etherna motives. 

What was the true outcome she sought by sharing this knowledge? 

Was it merely to enlighten him, to warn of an impending doom, or were there deeper layers of intent hidden beneath her words?

Azief was not naive, nor was he entirely trusting. 

His past had taught him that even those with the best of intentions often carried hidden agendas. 

It wasn’t lost on him that even when dealing with beings who transcended limitations, there was room for intrigue and subterfuge.

After all, when he met Azul, even that being who transcended many limitations also have his own schemes and plots

Orvanians also has their own plots. There si also the Creator. The Destroyer. And who knows who else? 

Azief contemplated the possibility that Borgan had her own designs, her own goals. 

No, it is not a possibility. 

It is the fact. The fact that he is here means he was schemed upon

Probably from the moment he took that ring, he was already in this cause and effect

However, Azief is not entirely angry even if he is being schemed and plotted again

He understood that even within the most intricate schemes, there is always room for opportunities. 

He had seen how treacherous plots could lead to unlikely alliances, and how certain intentions could sometimes create fortunate circumstances.

the scheme of plots and others does not always mean that you would be disadvantage in following such plots and schemes

Even if you are being planned and schemed upon, the ending could be different. 

A bad plot and scheme would end his life, but a win-win plot and scheme would benefit him and the others 

And if it could benefit him….he could stand being used. 

Sometimes people hated being used. But sometimes people wanted to be used. What is more unfortunate sometimes, is that you have no use. 

There were times when people despised being manipulated or used as pawns in another’s game, but there were also moments when individuals actively sought purpose and direction in the service of a greater cause.

What made the situation even more complex was the existence of those who found themselves devoid of purpose, trapped in the void of meaninglessness. 

In such cases, the search for meaning, for a reason to exist, became a central quest.

Azief knew that the choice between being used, using others, or grappling with a lack of purpose was not always clear-cut. 

The intricacies of life often posed such profound questions.

Had she presented him with knowledge that could be wielded as a weapon, a tool, or a guide? 

Or was it a mere strand in the intricate tapestry of her own motives and machinations, full of thread he did not see?

everyone played a role, sometimes with awareness, and other times without. 

And so, he asks

lightsnοvεl “I never understood your plan”

Azief sometimes look at Phaitos and Asargan and Vorgan speaking with each other but right now, they are speaking about plans to defeat the Destroyer and the Creator once again

Azief focus more on Borgan that is guiding him right now

“What plan?”

Azief is silent for a second before he sighs.

“I have seen my future. And I could guess a few bits and pieces of it. But I could never understand why I became like that. I know I am not the most virtuous person or the kindest person. But….to annihilate everything like that…. that doesn’t seem like me. I am hypocritical and when it comes to people I care about, I could do terrible thing. I am not saying it is a good thing, but I know what I am. But when I look into the future, and saw what I became, I did not recognise that person” he paused for a second and Borgan did not interrupt him

Silence lingered on as Azief tries to find a word to explain what he felt

And the words come to him.

“it was like I was dead”

“I believe that your plan has something to do with that” Borgan is silent for a moment. And she nodded

“In a way, you are right” Borgan was about to speak again when suddenly she turns to look at the vision.

“they are here” 

Azief gaze shifted toward the entrance of the chamber as he saw more Etherna entering. 

At the same time, he could feel vibration from the outside and he narrowed his eyes and activated his senses

Now, he could activate certain abilities that he have. He is quite sure that this must be also the method that Borgan has allowed him to do

His senses heightened, and he strained to catch any sounds or clues about what was transpiring outside.

The ongoing battles in the skies raged on, the tumultuous clashes sending shockwaves and resonating echoes throughout the Heavens.

The world shakes and the heaven splits open. Even though Azief is not looking at the battle, he felt that this might not be far from what he imagines.

He could guess who the Ethernas in the sky are fighting with 

Each booming impact created loud sound. But maybe because this forge is special, the sound did not do much nor is the blast destroys the forge. 

But even from his vantage point, he could see from the large window that outside, the lava river is moving wildly like there is a gust of wind that forces them to move in such a weird way

“The battle out there is getting more intense”

“Who is fighting there?” Azief ask but Borgan only smiles and did not answer him

Azief also notices that sometimes Borgan is very enthusiastic in answering him and at times she would not answer certain question

Azief then focus back on the Etherna that is now entering the chamber.

And he was surprised that this is a group of Etherna that came inside. Is there some gathering here, he thought to himself. 

There is ten Etherna that come into the chamber. Each one of them gives Azief a very different feeling. And the way they look is also different

The ten Etherna had an uncanny quality about them. 

As Azief gaze settled on each one, he could clearly see their distinctive features, the peculiar expressions in their eyes, and their unique characteristics. 

Yet, it was as if their faces and attributes refused to stick in his memory.

Azief mind, trained to analyse and remember even the most intricate details, couldn’t retain these images. 

It was as if he were looking at apparitions, and when he shifted his attention away for even a moment, their appearances vanished from his recollection, leaving only an elusive feeling of their presence.

The more Azief tried to grasp their individualities, the more he realized that these Etherna were unlike any beings he had encountered before. 

This experience was disconcerting, and he felt a growing sense of mystique surrounding these mysterious figures.

if he look away for just one second, when he tries to recall that face and appearance of that Etherna, he could not help but draw up a blank.

Azief frustration grew as he attempted to focus harder on the Etherna before him. It was like grasping at mist, trying to hold a dream before it slipped away into the recesses of his mind.

No matter how intensely he concentrated, the faces of these Etherna remained distorted and blurred, like a fading dream upon waking. 

He couldn’t shake the feeling that his memories were being tampered with, as if a mysterious force was obscuring their identities from his recollection.

Like he was in a dream and the faces doesn’t matter. Like his memory is being tampered. 

“Like a code that is self-correcting” he mutters as he look at Borgan. Azief eyes is full of meaning and Borgan understood. 

“It is a bit like that. What they did….” Borgan just shakes her head not finishing her words.

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