Lord Shadow

As such, now seeing her, he felt like he does miss this woman that keep scolding him.

Loki like always had the uncanny ability to play dumb. If there is a completion of who is the best in playing dumb, Azief was confident Loki would win it.

He looks at Loki and Loki look at him and their gaze clashed. His eyes like always look shifty. From the beginning Azief had known him until now, that eye did not change.

An unchanging eye. That is quite a determined eye even though it looks so shifty. The moment lasted only one second but they were many memories rushing into his mind.

Loki looks at him and Azief could sense that he is anticipating something. A person who had seen how it will all ended, Azief thought to himself.

It would be surprising if there is something that could surprise him. But that is what Azief wanted to do. 

He wanted to surprise the man who could not be surprised and jump out from the chessboard.

He felt it when he was on that Stairway and he felt it when he looks at Loki eyes. He is a chess piece in large chessboard. 

But how could he accept the fate of being chess piece when his path clearly lies beyond the chessboard?

He was not willing. The day he surprised the man that could not be surprised, then that is the day that he would jump out from the chessboard.

Like always, there is a smile on Loki face. And like always Azief wanted to wipe that smile off his face

As Azief stop there on that step, the thunder dragon on the sky stop roaring.

It dances among the clouds and it waited. Azief had something he wanted to say to Loki. He saw something about Loki too in that Time Tunnel.

He saw many things. And he saw many betrayals. And he saw how different he was and how different Loki was.

And so, he wanted to say something. But he recognizes this is not the time. Maybe later, he would summon him and speak with him at the balcony of the throne room.

He then looks at the left side of the throne. Standing there is a beautiful woman. Azief had a complicated smile on his face. He really did not know how to feel right now.

After all, he sees her face too in that Time Tunnel. Sofia did not know the kind of emotions in Azief heart right now

She looks at him and there is many meaning in her gaze. Azief remembers his promise with her before he decided to try his luck with the Supremacy Stairway.

He had promised that he would try not to die. 

At least he had fulfilled that promise

He smiles a bit towards her and she smiles a bit towards him. Like a gaze, a smile could also tell many stories. And Azief smiles had a lot of stories that he wants to hide from Sofia.

A vision robs him the happiness of going home.

So, his smile looks a bit unnatural. But Sofia did not notice it. Because for people who is in love, they are all a little bit blind.

Sofia loves him so she was blind to the emotions inside him. And Azief is in love with Sofia so he is trying to be blind and trying to become a fool.

But unlike Sofia, Azief did not have the luxury to truly become blind or truly become an idiot. So, the next step he would take would surely brought him closer to his own destiny

On the other hand, as Azief is walking closer to his throne, Sasha is looking a bit lost. She follows Death Monarch from Socotra to Pandemonium.

Now, she had suddenly is thrust into a packed throne room of the Centre Palace fill with old enemies and people she did not want to see so she did not know where to stand right now. 

She is usually granted a personal audience with Death Monarch so she rarely participated in the meeting of the members of the government

She looks at the two rows of lines full of people from the two factions and she click her tongue.

To stand with the official’s side, she is not willing. Most of them hated her and she too hated most of them.

And when she looks at the military faction. They all look like righteous, high and mighty people who disdain people like her who kills people in the dark, 

She did not think that was the place where she could stand. She would not be welcomed

To Death Monarch, Sasha and her Shadow Guards is his sword that he wields to kill his enemies in the dark

Death Monarch appreciate her and protected her organization

But to the officials of Pandemonium, Sasha is a dog that Death Monarch rears. The reason why they did not dare to hit the dog, is because the owner of the dog.

Because if people hit the dog, then the owner would be very angry. And today, the owner of that dog had shown the world the extent of his wrath when his dog is being beaten.

Today, an archipelago was cut. Tomorrow, it might be an entire continent. 

To the military, she is a nuisance and have too much power in the administration.

They didn’t like how the Shadow Guards could meddle in the matters of the military and issue decree on behalf of the Death Monarch

She is not welcome by both faction and she did not mind because this is Death Monarch arrangements. Death Monarch would not be happy if the sword he used could be used by someone else.

It is his sword and as such it could only be wielded by him. 

If the sword had the idea to be used by someone else, why would Death Monarch sharpen the sword?

If such thing happen, Death Monarch would not mind breaking the sword to a thousand pieces, never to be put whole ever again.

She had the thought of following Death Monarch to climb the stairs to the throne but then it would be inappropriate right now.

They might have broken some invisible barrier of relationship between each other and become more open with each other but in Pandemonium, Death Monarch is still her superior and she is still the subordinate.

She did not dare to test Death Monarch patience limits

Since Loki is on the left side and the Divine Archer on the right side. 

She glares at Loki but she also knowns the intention of Death Monarch. He had explained to her that much. It also serves as his explanation. Death Monarch will not kill Loki.

That is what he had told her and that is also a reminder, an explanation and a warning.

She had to let him go. Not that she ever had the means to capture him in the first place.

She notices the Golden Speedster on the corner of the side of the entrance door and she was about to take her step to him before someone called out to her

‘Hey!’ She turns around and then she finally notices Sina and Sasha unconsciously smiles. To see a familiar face in such a solemn room, it relaxes her

Sina like always had that kind of smile that disarm people. She was smiling happily and then she gestured with her hand to sit beside her.

Sasha nodded and she quickly take her steps to Sina. She thought to herself

‘Only those who were with Death Monarch in the beginning could be this relaxed when Death Monarch returned with such fanfare’

Sina had her own chair and table inside the throne room and she is relaxed. She is sitting while everybody is standing at attention and she is sipping some kind of herbal tea like this is the backyard of her hut. 

She appears unfazed even if the thunder dragons outside rushed in through the balcony or the red clouds spouts off red thunderbolts.

She arrived and sat down across her. Sina looks at her and looks at Death Monarch who was climbing the stairs and she said to her

‘Sasha, you worked hard for Pandemonium. I saw what had happened.’ Then she sighed and said

‘Don’t blame Loki that much. After this, let’s go to my hut. I let you try some of my pills. It would strengthen you and your constitution’ Sasha nodded as Sina conjure up a ceramic cup and then pour her the herbal tea.

She smiles and said

‘the smell is a bit unappetizing but it tastes very delicious’ Sasha understood and then take a sip as she could finally calm her heart down.

Azief notices all of this interaction. He notices even the smallest details. The exchanged glances between his officials, their nervousness and he could even hear their beating heart.

He halted only for a second and then continues climbing the stair and then he looks at his throne. 

He did not feel any sense of nostalgia looking at the throne. Since he actually rarely sits in that throne.

He then sat down

He put his left hand under his chin and then he looks up with his cold expressionless eyes and then he said with his usual cold tone

‘I am here’

And thunder boomed in the sky, shaking the firmament. That declaration is a promise. It is also the best words to calm Pandemonium

Death Monarch is here, so even Gods and Demons have to make way!

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