Lord Shadow

Phaitos sudden action shocked everyone in the forge.

It is clear now what Phaitos is trying to do. He is going to sacrifice himself and jump into the fire of the forge. 

He is running fast and he is closer and closer to the forge

Phaitos determined dash towards the forge seemed to happen in slow motion, as Asargan, the fastest of them all, watched in a state of heightened perception. 

In those crucial moments, time appeared to stretch, and every detail of Phaitos sprint was magnified. 

The air shimmered with tension as he approached the forge, where a blazing fire awaited.

The seconds ticked by, laden with a surreal sense of time itself aligning with the weight of the moment. 

The forge’s fire flickered with an almost sentient awareness of the events unfolding before it.

Asargan, the Speedster, wasn’t going to let Phaitos sacrifice himself without a fight. 

Lightning swirled around his feet as he activated his power. The world around him began to slow, his control over speed and perception is revealed at this moment

He wanted to dash forward with incredible speed, determined to reach Phaitos before the latter could leap into the fiery abyss of the forge.

Time and space itself seems to swirl around Asargan before he even took the first step. 

The fire, the forge, and Phaitos himself all seemed to move in agonizing slow motion as Asargan is about to take that one step

“One step” he thought to himself.

With only one step, he could reach Phaitos and stop him. One step that divides life and death

He is the first Speedster. This is nothing for him to do

Azief who is now looking at this vision through Asargan eyes could also see everything became slowed down 

Asargan speed-altered perspective allowed Azief to witness the details of the scene more vividly. 

“He is smiling” Azief thought to himself

Azief notices that even in the face of death, Phaitos, as he runs closer and closer to the fire of the forge, he smiles.

Phaitos smile, genuine and serene, shone through the slowed-down chaos of the forge. 

This wasn’t a desperate grin but something more profound, like acceptance.

In that moment, Azief could see the determination in Phaitos eyes. 

The fire of the forge loomed closer, the inevitable collision drawing near with agonizing slowness.

It is not a smile one makes when trying to be brave.

It is a sincere smile if Azief had to describe it 

“No” Asargan mutters and there is determination in his eyes

Asargan was about to use his speed, the kinetic energy around him exploded instantaneously, his feet are ready to kick the ground. 

And fast as Asargan is, he could reach Phaitos but before he could take that first step, but then something unexpected happens.

In that span of one moment, Borgan waves her hand and vines broke out from the ground and caught his feet

lightsΝοvel Borgan intervenes. 

Vines burst from the ground, winding around his feet like serpents ensnaring their prey.

“Borgan! What are you doing?” But Borgan just look at Asargan. 

Borgan, her gaze heavy with unspoken sorrow, simply stares back at Asargan, offering no words to clarify her actions. 

Her silence and the profound sadness in her eyes spoke volumes.

And in that brief moment, Phaitos reach into the fire. 

The moment Phaitos makes contact with the fire in the forge, his entire body erupts into a brilliant, blinding white. 

The intensity of the light is almost unbearable to look at.

This explosion, however, is peculiar.

 Unlike a typical fiery detonation that would shatter the surroundings with its shockwave, this explosion is unnaturally contained.

 It doesn’t produce a deafening roar, nor does it send destructive shockwaves rippling through the room.

Instead, the explosive force remains confined within the forge’s boundaries, as if held by an invisible barrier. 

The light, though dazzling, doesn’t sear and incinerate everything in its path. It swirls and dances within the chamber, a contained tempest of ethereal white flames.

The explosion’s energy doesn’t spill out towards Vorgan, Asargan, and Borgan, protecting them from harm even as they stand in close proximity to the blast epicentre. 

It’s as though the very fabric of the explosion is under precise control, causing it to be a contained phenomenon, an otherworldly spectacle of self-contained destruction.

Azief look at this and he could not help but shake his head

“There is a will in this fire.” He mutters and Borgan only nodded at Azief remarks. 

In the aftermath of the explosion, as the dust of the blast slowly settles, the once fiery and tumultuous forge now stands in eerie stillness. 

The silence in the chamber is profound, as if all sound has been consumed by the blast.

The most dramatic change, however, is the forge itself. 

Where there were once raging fires and molten metal, now there’s a peculiar sight. The forge is no longer a place of fiery intensity. It’s transformed into something entirely unexpected.

The once white-hot fire has transformed into a deep, azure-blue flame, burning steadily. 

It radiates a calming and serene energy. The air is cool and soothing as opposed to the searing heat that was once present.

And where the Ten Ethernas once struggled and suffered, they are nowhere to be seen. It’s as though they have merged with the azure flame, their beings consumed by the very essence of the forge.

“Why?”

“Why?” Asargan ask again. There seems to be tears in his eyes. 

“He did not have to die” 

Borgan only smiles bitterly and spoke

“He did not want to watch those ten Etherna suffers any longer” she paused for a second and then added

“And also, because he knows there is something lacking in the rings”

Borgan’s statement about something lacking in the rings intrigues Azief.

Asargan did not seem to hear Borgan words. 

He is enveloped by grief. 

There is tears that is forming in his eyes. 

The weight of Phaitos death presses down on Asargan. 

His heart aches as he grapples with Phaitos sacrifice. 

Throughout the war, he’s witnessed death and suffering on an unprecedented scale. 

The loss of friends, family, and fellow Etherna has taken a toll on him, and Phaitos sacrifice serves as a stark reminder of the price they’re paying.

But is this the price that they should be paying? No, should this price be paid on their heads? Of these eleven people?

They never died before.

 They were hurt and even if they die, they did not die in such a tragic way. So, he never understood it.

He never understood the pain. 

Azief, watching through Asargan eyes, can’t help but be deeply affected by the raw sorrow emanating from the Etherna.

Asargan had killed countless races before when he runs through a planet, his speed alone is enough to shatters planets, moons and suns.

The pleading and the grief and the sadness of those creatures at that time is like ants pleading

And when ants plead, do you listen? 

You could not even hear it. 

Even if he hears their screams and hears their curses, he did not feel anything. Because he doesn’t understand. 

But now he understood. He understands. And he knows now why those being curses and screams and shouts at them

And these days, judgment come to them

Azief felt these thoughts and these feelings translates into words in his mind and in words, he understand more about Asargan

And how he changed

Asargan perspective has undergone a profound transformation. 

In the past, he was an unstoppable force of nature, shattering entire celestial bodies without a second thought. 

He was merciless, he was ruthless

He was deaf to the cries and pleas of countless beings whose lives were extinguished by his actions. 

Their suffering meant nothing to him; he couldn’t comprehend their agony.

However, the experiences of this war, the losses they’ve suffered, and the sacrifices they’ve witnessed have opened Asargan eyes to the consequences of their actions. 

He now comprehends the depth of the suffering they’ve caused, and he’s overwhelmed by guilt and sorrow. 

This newfound understanding weighs heavily on his heart, making him acutely aware of the pain they’ve inflicted on others.

And now inconsolable grief envelops him. Azief had to shakes his emotions from feeling Asargan emotion overtaking his emotion.

The feeling of that grief is very strong. 

As for Vorgan, he pays attention to what Borgan said. He is sad but unlike Asargan he did not lose himself. He simply asks

“What does the ring lacks?”

“Life”

Vorgan snorted. He clearly could not believe this

“We gave them ten lives and that is not enough. Each of their lives could power tens of thousands of planets”

At this Borgan only shakes her head

“Ten lives to forge ten rings. Each life for a ring. But what would connect their souls, their essence of life, to the ring?” she asks

Borgan was the mastermind of the plan to create the ten rings. She was the mastermind that created this plan

Even though the vision did not show Borgan being the mastermind, Azief could tell by the way how familiar Borgan is with the forge and she seems to be the leading figure in all of this conversation

“A bonding agent is needed. So, it needed not ten lives. But eleven. And Phaitos knows this. And he knows that I know this”

“How did….”

“When I look at him, I see a future where he explains this to us. And he smiles at me because he knows when I saw him, he knows that I see that future. And he knows that I would hold Asargan back. Because I know it would be necessary”

“And now, the ring would be complete” 

For a moment they waited. 

All of them are silent. 

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