Lord Shadow

‘Seven’ he said

Then hearing the number Erika understand.

‘Seven…huh…Seven.’ She got a hint of how Loki divided himself and why but she needs confirmation

‘Why seven?’ she asked.

Loki sighed first as he come closer to Erika and then he wipes away the leaves on the ground and sit beside her.

‘I am a guest and you don’t invite me for a seat. I have been walking a lot today’

‘I didn’t think you would bother’ she replies. 

‘Well, that is quite right. But the gesture would be nice’ he said. He grabs the herbal drink inside a wooden cup that stand on top the connected root of the tree and take a sip.

He had seen it since the moment he came here

His face turns weird for a second and he almost vomited the concoction. But he felt rejuvenated in his entire body and then he turns toward Erika and ask

‘What kind of drink is this? It even has a trace of Time essence in it’

‘Something I created from the herbals plants that I found inside the forest. And the fruits from this thin tree gives it that essence of Time’

Loki nodded

‘It is certainly effective. At least, I don’t have to worry about you croaking early. It would be too boring to play the game with only Yewa Hafar accompanying me.’

Loki out of everyone knows that the price for looking through the Veil is the sacrifice of longevity, of health and life force.

Erika used to have a temple that worship her in Greece and in the Republic. 

At that time, it is easy for her to get herbs to replenish her life force and her longevity.

Of course, the more she sees and the more she uses it, the higher the requirements for the herbs.

It is also why Loki when visiting her would also give her some herbs and pill. He even persuades Sina to concoct some pills that could help people with such condition

But after drinking that concoction, he is pretty sure that Erika might have a solution to this dilemma of her longevity and health solved. 

After all, this Erika, while she is not the Erika that Loki knows, she is the Erika that have the memories of the future.

Loki did not know whether at that time whether Erika had found a way to break through that cruel chain 

‘Why seven?’ she asks again

Loki smiles and said

‘Because there is seven events’

Erika think back and then she nodded

‘So, you regarded those seven events as some kind of bookmark? Well, when I think about it, those seven events could be considered one of the big ones’ she could guess which events Loki had chosen as the seven big events

Loki just chuckles and then he said

‘Instead of saying it is a bookmark, I think you could consider each event as a turning point in Azief life. These seven events affect millions if not trillions of living beings’

Erika nodded as Loki continues 

‘I expected a long time ago, that my memories would slowly be erased. Of course, I also thought of other possibility that might have happened to pay for the price of travelling through time. Loss of memories is one of them. And since I expected it, of course I have try to prepare for it’

‘Separated yourselves into seven part, each one holding the complete memory of one event of the seven big events in the future. Lie some kind of sealing magic’ Erika nodded

Then she smiles

‘It is ingenious. I don’t know much about the Dark Price and I myself don’t know how to stop it since it is an invisible force in the Omniverse, but it seems you have found a way, trickster’

‘I did not find a solution to the problem. I just went around it and trick it’ Erika nodded again

‘Then which one is inside Pandemonium?’ Erika asked. Loki had never intended to hide anything from her so he reply honestly

‘Number One’

‘And the memories he has is none other than the number one event, right?’ She asked

Loki smiles and reply

‘The Time Crisis.’ Erika nodded

‘So, his memories have all the things that happened before the Time Crisis and the Time Crisis itself’ He nodded, affirming her words

‘You are number five. If I have to guess which is the five event of the future that is in your head, I guess it is The Annihilator event.’

Loki nodded with a smile

‘The ability of the Transformation class is really quite mystical’ She lamented and then she asks

‘Where is Number Seven then?’ 

‘He is out and about. But he rarely comes out.’ Loki answer

‘No wonder, you progress slowly in your levels. So, this is the reason’ she said. 

‘I always wonder about that’

Loki only smiles.

‘But, if you are number five then you have the complete story of what happen before the Time Crisis up to the events of the Annihilator right. 

‘So why ask these question? She asks

‘Because I don’t know whether that one of the events that I saw unfolding is because I truly don’t remember, or it truly didn’t happen.’

‘And you think I know?’ she asks back. Loki only sneered and then he said

‘Oracles, Seers and Soothsayers that has been touched by Borgan is connected in a mystical cosmic connection. It did not matter how far you were with each other, it did not matter how many dimension or universes that separated them, this connection remains strong’

‘The stronger a clairvoyant is with their abilities, the stronger they could sense other that possess such abilities and the stronger the connection. This connection is like the Speed Source that connected all Speedster in existence.’

‘Time for Oracle has always been a subjective matter. It is not broken. Like you have the knowledge of your future self by piggybacking the Time Changing that Time God had done and manage to send a message to your young self. This is the connection that connected oracle to all time lines.

‘As such, the memories inside your head is accurate. Whether it is interpreted wrongly or not does not matter. It is accurate. And that is what matter’

‘And now I need to know’ Erika frowned as Loki finally come to the real reason why keep visiting Erika all these years.

‘I need to know, whether Void existed or not during that timeline. Was he present and fought Death Monarch at that time. Was he truly Azief rival? Or was he just some passing enemies that I don’t have to pay attention towards?’

He asks. Erika is still silent. Loki continued

‘Because if he did, then that means I had forgotten him and I have to expedite and prepare more preparation for the future to deal with such uncertainty factors than I should have. If he didn’t, then that means he is a variable. Depending on the answer, I will have to employ different method. Against him and against myself.’

Erika was silent for a while and she sighed.

‘I could not tell you’ She answer. Loki did not lash out. Because he knew it is useless. So, he just calmly asked

‘Why not? It is quite a simple question. And I need only a simple answer.’

Erika takes a deep breath and exhale. Then she looks at Loki that is sitting beside him and she said

‘We are both chess player, Loki. You have the King and the Queen. Yewa Hafar is preparing his Pawn. And I am cultivating my Knight’

Loki eyes narrowed.

‘Void wanted the death of Death Monarch’ Loki said, and his eyes is cold. There is a trace of killing intent in his eyes 

For a split second, he had that thought of intention that he might have read Erika wrong.

But then Erika answered

‘Is that so?’ She said smiling, her eyes clear

‘Do you know something I don’t?’ Loki ask.

‘About everything else, I would not be confident if I say I know more than you do. But for Void, I think I know him better than you.’

Loki then thought to himself. 

If that is the case, it means this Void is not some passing enemies. 

But is he the result of my meddling with Time or is he destined to be the enemy of Azief and repurpose by Erika to achieve some objective.

That is still something that I need to think about

Loki was silent for a while

‘Will it harm Azief?’

‘Probably’ she answers calmly.

Loki did not ask whether it will kill Azief or not. Because he knows that such kind of question does not need to be said. Azief would not die that easily

‘You don’t intend to kill him? Loki ask

‘And follow Morgana path to destruction. Nuh-uh’ she said and then she laughs a bit

‘And if I really wanted to kill him, do you think I am capable of doing such thing?’ She asks. Loki eyebrows furrowed and he replies.

‘I have learned not to underestimate you. You are capable of doing such thing. Because it is you. You don’t have to kill him yourself. You could just put the right knife in the right hands and you could destroy your enemies. That is the way how you always operate’ Loki said.

‘Glad that you think so highly of me’ she said.

There was silence between them once again. 

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