Lord Shadow

Azief look at all those people that prostrated toward his figure on the sky and he felt wistful. In their eyes is awe and respect. But deeper than that, there is fear.

Only in Pandemonium, there is awe, respect and love. The people of Pandemonium fears him but they respected him more than they fear him.

Probably because they believe they are under his protection. 

He owed them this time. 

Because he could minimize the damage of Time turbulence because of Divine Law. Because of their faith, finding a way back home is easier.

They are closer now to Pandemonium. Azief still did not dispel the laws around Sasha. Because he still wanted to say something and ask something.

‘I want to ask you about something’ Sasha reply with an affirmative.

‘Do you know where is the Oracle?’

‘The Great oracle Erika?’ 

There is a track of surprise in Sasha tone of voice. 

The oracle once came to Pandemonium but at that time it didn’t seem that Death Monarch wanted to meet with the famed Great oracle of Greece.

Azief just nodded as he comes closer to Pandemonium continent. 

Sasha then said

‘No one have seen her since six years ago’ Azief ears perked up. 

‘Six years ago? You mean she disappeared the same time I disappeared from Earth?’

Sasha reply. And then she voiced out her suspicion

‘Yes. That what makes the matter very suspicious. I know you never ask me to investigate the Oracle but I always felt something was weird about that White Eyed Oracle. She came to Pandemonium in the past and she was clearly intending to meet you. For some reason, she never met you and then she disappeared the same year Your Excellency also disappeared. It is too coincidental. People said she could see the future. And thus, I deemed her an important target’ 

Azief nodded

‘You were not wrong’ he said. Sasha then continue and said

‘However, we never found out where she is. Though, her guard, Antonius could always be seen all over the world. So, I am confident that the Oracle is not yet dead. If she is dead, then that would truly be a huge matter. She had a lot of believers. She had a cult of her own in Greece and the Seven Warlords of Greece is loyal to her. Even though the Seven Warlords of Greece are now senators under the Republic, they still respect The Oracle and fears her. The Republic also would not want the Oracle to die and they have also been searching for her all this time’

Azief nodded and his mind is thinking about all possible reason why she would hide herself. 

It is not like someone is hunting her and if Azief remembers right, she did not have any great enemies.

Even though she defected from the World Government, the World Government had never hold it against her and always treated her with respect. 

After all, the Oracle gives her prophecy regardless whether there are from the Republic or the World Government as long as they give her the appropriate reward for her.

Azief hated this. It felt like it is directly related to him. 

The stronger he became and the closer he is to the Laws of the Universe, he could also sense the premonition of fate and destiny.

Even now, he still feels the binding of the Etherna will on him. It is not some physical weight that he had to endure with his body but some kind of mark that did not leave his soul

‘Any clues?’ he asks.

‘I did not have the resources to pursue the matter. And I had to look at Loki. He is not a weak opponent’

‘Did he obstruct you?’ Azief ask

‘No. But he didn’t help either. I believe he too had something to do with the Oracle’ Azief chuckles a bit and said

‘I would be surprised if he doesn’t. If you investigate everyone who had contact and relations with him, you would be surprised of how many people he knows and consorted with. But no one could tell you what Loki is really like and what he really wants. 

‘That is why he is called the trickster. If everyone could find out what he wants and what he needs and what he wants to do, then there are no tricks that he could do that could deceive others. It is because people don’t know that they will always get tricked by him

‘And how about you, Your Excellency? Sasha asked. Azief smiles bitterly and then he said

‘Even I do not dare to say I understand what he is thinking about. It is because of that I have to be cautious of him’ Sasha was silent for a few second. 

Azief was also silent for a few second. By now, they could see the thunderous clouds of Pandemonium in the distance. 

The reason why Sasha was silent and why Azief is silent is the same right now. 

there is a question that Sasha didn’t ask and there is a question that Azief do not like hearing and answering

That is why they both suddenly become silent. Sasha clicked her tongue. In front of Death Monarch, she has never been brave. 

She always fears she would be dead if she said the wrong words or did the wrong thing.

Even when she felt like Death Monarch would forgive her, she would never dare test that theory. 

Because like Lee Sangmin who was watching that sword descend from the comfort of the Heaven Pavilion of the Lotus Palace, heaven is always unpredictable.

But today, she musters her courage to ask that question she had bene holding herself back from asking and the question that Azief did not like hearing.

She asks him

‘Then, why would Your Excellency don’t just kill him?’ she asks and Azief flight halted. 

Sasha stopped because Azief stopped. 

She did not dare to look at the eyes of Death Monarch if Death Monarch turns his face to look at her. But Azief keep looking forward. He did not turn his face to see Sasha pale face. He just looks forward and then he sighed.

‘He asked me that question too’ he answers. Sofia did not say anything as he waited.

‘I said he is family. I think of him as my little brother. Mischievous and naughty little brother. and he did some things I did not approve of, making a mess and trouble all over the world, but I thought of himself as my family and as such I ignore such things. I am a very biased person. There is not a lot of things I care about in this world. But for the things I care about I get very protective. Because I don’t like losing people. Especially people I care about. I treated and loved him like he is my brother. And I think he felt the same.’

He sighed a bit.

Sasha listen intently. 

Azief rarely talk much. And every time he talks with Sasha, his words and sentence has always been short and curt. 

But today, there is a lot of things in his mind and there is a lot of words coming out from his mouth.

He did not know that today, Loki too had a lot of words coming out from his mouth, talking with a white eyed woman below a tall thin tree.

The reason for Loki speaking so many words was because he did not know whether he could meet that woman again as friends. But the reason why Azief talk a lot of things today is because he felt that Sasha could be his friend.

Friends. 

He himself would scoff at that word. He did not have many friends. Whether before the fall or after the Fall. 

Maybe because he lacks such an existence of friends that when he has one, he cherished them very much. 

Those who are most cynical about relationship sometimes is the kind of person who want a true relationship. 

They become cynical because they see it fail and they did not want to fail. And as such, they did not even want to start. 

Because if they did not start, how could they fail?

Sasha trusted him. And he trusted her. And as such trust needs to be rewarded and disloyalty needed to be punished.

The reason why he is talking so much is because he trusts her. He knows that and she knows that.

They are both in a process of being friends. They are trying to tread that line between a superior and a subordinate.

Between one with power and one who submits under that power while maintaining respect and affection for each other. This is a hard line to walk on and it is hard to balance.

So he continued

‘But then he let Will and Sofia become bait. Loki. My own brother. My little brother did this. So, I was conflicted. Should I kill him? It would be very easy if you ask me. To kill him, that is.’ 

‘I ask that question many times when I found out his schemes against me and for me. For most thing, I don’t hesitate. We all live in an era of great disaster’

Sasha who was flying behind him nodded

‘We fought monsters and people that was monster-like. We all see the consequences of being weak. And so to survive we all strive for strength. We all reaches this height because we fight with our life in the line’

He sighed and then continued

‘Of course, some people are lucky and I myself could survive not only because I work hard in trying to stay alive but also because there is an occasional luck and fortune that enable me to survive. We all learn to survive with all we had. And one of the rules of survival that I learned was that if you have an enemy that wanted to kill you, kill them first. Don’t give them a first strike when you could strike first

‘But Loki did not want to kill me. Probably what he wanted to do was the opposite. He wanted me to live. And he wanted me to be strong. But, the problem is he wouldn’t mind anything else. Even if that anything else is my woman and my sworn brother. I said it didn’t I?’ 

‘Loki thought of me as his brother. But he didn’t think of anyone else as his brother. He might feel sad if Sofia and Will die because he had got to know about them but I know he will justify it because he is doing it for me.

Azief did not turn back but Sofia could feel Death Monarch emotions roiling towards her like a powerful wave.

‘I don’t know how to justify his killing in my heart. If it’s for survival, I could excuse it saying to myself that if I did not kill him, I would die. But he is not trying to kill me. And while he had made Sofia and Will as bait he managed to rescue them. But what if one time he miscalculates?’

‘Your Excellency said he could calculate a lot of thing’ Sasha asked

‘yes. But one mistake is all it takes. One mistake of his calculation and I could lose my woman and my sworn brother. I am afraid’ hearing this Sasha gulped.

In this world, how many people wanted to know what in the world could scare Death Monarch. Some people even thought that Death Monarch fears nothing in this world

After all, he even dares to fight the Heaven and beat the Heaven back and put his Will into the world, so what could make such a fearless man, fearful

‘I am afraid to become enemies with him. The reason why I didn’t kill him, ignoring anything else is because I couldn’t find it in my heart to kill him. So, that is why I ask you to watch him and prevent him from doing anything that is harmful to the others. I want to prevent that worst case scenario. Because if I have to kill him, I would really get tired of all of this.’ 

He sighed and then the thunderstorm that was about to form suddenly dissipates and the sun once again showing its face.

That powerful pressure that was roiling also subsided and like nothing ever happens, it is calm and serene as they keep flying over the clouds, above the sea, like some kind of immortal touring about in the mortal world, enjoying the scenery

Then there is another silence between them and then Azief said

‘This would be the last time I answered this question’ Sasha understood and answer 

‘yes’. She understood what Azief was saying to her. His word means that this is also the last time he would accept such a question from her.

Azief look forward. 

There are many things to settle he thought to himself. There are many things he need to be briefed on. 

He needs to look what had happened to the Six Great Powers, he also needs to consult Will and he would also need to seek the Oracle. 

Then there are also the Eternal rings on his finger. There are new abilities that has been opened up to him since he reached the Divine Comprehension level.

He also need to confirm something about Void now that he had reached the Divine Comprehension level. 

At that time before he leaves Earth, he had confirmed something with the Will of the World and the Heavens. 

He had confirmed that the energy in Earth is not limitless. And when he was on the Supremacy Stairway, he also found out that energy in the Universe is also not infinite.

He also had a new theory about the reason why Etherna rebelled and why they probably had to rebel.

He now had a newfound interest on the Etherna race. After all, he is now shouldering their fates. 

It is a burden but it also had its own blessing. Since at that time he had accepted it, he would not regret it.

And he slowly felt that his body is changing and not only his body, his entire being seems to have some metamorphosis that he could not exactly explain.

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I have made thsi chapter nad teh subsequent chapter as Privilege chapters. There is to many sites that pirated my work. 

I have been thinking about using privilges before but I did not apply for it. But. there is too many sites hosting my works without asking my permission. I would not take long to explain this since it has bene tocuhed before. And I’m new to thsi privilige thing so I might mess it up ( if ist possible to mess it up)