Lord Shadow

Another Etherna jump onto the forge and Azief gets another vision. 

This time what he is seeing is a method of life, a method of death, a spell of light, a spell for darkness. 

A dark witch cackles and her laugh echoes like a song.

In this vision, Azief saw things blooming with life, he saw blood, he saw death, he feels happiness and he feel despair.

It only took a moment and, in that moment, he sees all this and feel all of this in the vision that is swarming his mind. 

Then another Etherna jump into the forge and he saw symbols. All kinds and all shapes and sizes. 

Some of the symbol he recognizes and some he did not. 

And then another jump into the forge and the moment that the Etherna jump into the forge, another vision swarmed his mind.

This time, there is floating words. He was in a space that is all black. 

All he could see was himself floating in this space of pure darkness

And then he saw floating words, each word a source of light, a source of power

And then as Azief look at the words, he could hear the words. 

Someone is speaking the words and each time that someone speak the words, Azief could understand the words and its meaning

And understanding, he knows which ring this is. 

The Ring of Ancients

Because the words are names. 

And at first there is only one name. 

He hears it and for a moment he remembers it but then, like a fog covering his mind, he then forgotten the words, just like when one in a dream and then being woken up from the dream.

And then more names are uttered.

Two names, three, four, five, six, ten and then the voice is overwhelming.

The names are spoken in fast succession. From a dozen, to a hundred, to a thousand, to ten thousand and more and more names is uttered

And all Azief could hear was the chaos of the voice and all he could feel is sadness and grief and despair as each name is spoken

And Azief understood where the despair and grief came from. Each name is a name of Etherna that have died.

And the name come from a Star Tablet

The voices continue, each one sound sadder than the rest. 

More and more despair accumulated

At this point, the voice seems to overlapped each other and the despair become more intense, the sadness envelops Azief like a cocoon that wanted to swallow him alive

And then this despair, this sadness turns into anger.

 That is what Azief felt And then each name is spoken with anger

and not before long, Azief could not recognize which name is being said and which is just noise

And Azief knows that this must be the historian that Borgan talks about. 

lightsnοvεl When each name is being spoken, Azief could feel ancient magic, a magic that felt out of place, out of team swirls all over him, feeling its supreme power. 

And then just as he expected he saw runes when another Etherna jumped into the forge. 

At first, he saw runes and then he saw a hieroglyphic-like writing and the more and more carved words that he did not realize. But each word has a meaning and each meaning make the word possess a power. 

And then he opens his eyes and he could see only four Etherna in the forge right now. The ten Etherna has all jump into the forge. 

And their body is now being recast from the fire. 

The Etherna that is still in the forge is Asargan, Vorgan, Borgan and Phaitos. 

There is a heavy atmosphere in the forge. Azief look at Borgan and Borgan simply said

“Do you gain knowledge?”

Azief think for a moment on how to answer this

“Gain some, lose some”

And Borgan nodded

Azief began understanding why Borgan wanted him to see all of this.

 Unless he understands how the rings are made, he could not make a true connection with the rings.

 Because the rings, even though it looks like a dead object is actually full of soul

However, right now, Azief is still no understanding why he is still here. He had seen all of the sacrifice that the ten Etherna made.

BY now, it should end

And Borgan seems to understand what Azief is thinking and she spoke

“It’s not over yet” And then she chuckles

“Don’t worry. I will let you go. After you understand some things. If you understand it….it might save you”

Azief frowns and then ask

“How much did you see?” 

Azief is actually horrified with Borgan ability to see through the future. 

If the fact he is meeting her here has been predicted trillion of years ago, how could Azief not horrified by Borgan?

If she could see through such a long amount of time, then……how much more she did see. 

Azief understood why in their conversation it was like Borgan knows what he is going to say. This is the manifestation of Borgan prophetic ability

She could see the future so how could it be surprising that she knew what Azief is going to ask? 

Maybe, all of her expression, all of the things she shows him, all of them are calculated.

But Azief did not ask this. 

He also wanted to understand. 

There are still so many things about the future he is uncertain about. Since he watched what he will become in the future, each step he takes is cautious 

He did not want to become what he become in the future. But he did not know how he became like that

Azief do not know whether he could trust Borgan or not. But he knows that at least right now, Borgan is helping him to become stronger. 

Maybe, this is her fattening up the pig before it gets slaughtered. Or maybe her plans are a bit more complicated

Azief knows now that from the moment he put on the ten Eternal rings, his cause and effect is now extricably linked with the Etherna.

He did not know it then. But he surely does now. Borgan looks at Azief and them smiling she answers

“Everything” she paused for a second before she reiterates “I see everything. From the moment I was born, I see the End of my race” 

Azief hearing this could not help but frown. He could not imagine that kind of burden on anyone. 

But there is doubt in his heart. If she had known that her race would be eradicated like this, why did she not stop it?

He was just about to akas this when Borgan said

“I am but an instrument of fate and destiny woven by the Supreme One. When I saw the future, I was but a baby. I did not understand it and the visions comes in the form of symbols, of allusions, of confusing images”

“As I grown older and stronger, I deciphered more and more of the vision” she chuckles bitterly for a second like she was remembering something unpleasant and then she said

“When I first deciphered all of the vision that I have seen, the first reaction I have is not trying to stop it. I deny it” Smiling and laughing in such a sad way, she mutters

“There is such thing in your world right. The so called five stages of grief. I was in that kind of state”

Borgan paused the happenings in the forge for a second

“Would you like to hear it? My story?”

“All of it?” Azief ask and hearing this Borgan chuckles

“Parts of it”

Azief nodded and Borgan laughed 

“Maybe you would learn something from my experience. Maybe you won’t. But at least, you would understand me a bit. And maybe when you return, you could give some advice to one of my children”

Azief did not understand what Borgan is talking about but before he had the chance to ask, Borgan already begin telling her story

“When I first deciphered what I was seeing, I was in an empty star” she sighed for a second and then laughing she mutters

“Even in the current form that I am, that memory still is vivid. Maybe, it is because of how shocking it is. Or maybe, because I try so hard to deny it” she sighed again

Azief could feel Borgan emotions right now. He looks around and he could see the scenery around him also seems to distort. 

Azief confirm something in this moment. 

The scenery he is seeing is the vision from Borgan thoughts.

And maybe that is why, when she sighed, Azief could feel the sadness, permeating in all direction.

Because he is in the thoughts of Borgan. 

If not for the fact that Azief had reached a high level of attainment of power, he himself might be affected by Borgan emotions and get caught up in it.

He looks back at Borgan

And Borgan continues his story 

“When I put it all together, the only thing I feel is numbness”

“I try to find ways to make sense of it. And for a few years, I try to carry on as if nothing had been seen. I try to be blind” 

“I see but I pretend to not see. I pretend that what I see is wrong. For a few years, I did not dare to see beyond the Veil”

She chuckles a bit 

“Like that child”

And Borgan looks at Azief. 

“That child?”

Azief paused for a moment and then he recalls what she said before

“And maybe when you return, you could give some advice to one of my children”

“Is it……her?”

Borgan smiles and nodded

“Erika?”

She nodded again

“what a curse is it to be chosen by you” Azief mutters. Borgan was not surprised at Azief remark. Azief then added

“What a fortune to be chosen by you” And Borgan chuckles. 

“Two sides of the same coin”

Azief shook his head

“Life is not that simple”

Borgan only smiles but Azief had more question

….