Lord Shadow

‘She will be your downfall. Mark my word, O God of Death; she will be your downfall. And you will be her’s.’

The words linger in his ears

Hearing this, Azief did not need any explanation to whom the Oracle is referring to. The vision he saw all pointed toward this

Someday, somehow, Sofia would be his downfall. And he would be hers. But…. this time there is a difference. 

The path of time that had been trod by Azief before this were all the same as Loki, as Yewa Hafar, as the Oracle had predicted.

All along, Azief had strike the right notes, walk the same chord and while there is difference along the way, it always veers back to the right predestined path

It strays a little bit…but it did not stray much. It did not change anything too drastically. But this time, a great change had happened.

Azief had seen things…. things that he had never seen even in that other timeline. Loki did not know this. 

Yewa Hafar did not know this. 

And even Azief does not know this because he did not have future knowledge.

Even Erika did not have full knowledge of what happens in the future that Azief had visited. It is different if Azief had seen it in her Veil

At least there, Erika would have been able to see a sneak peek. 

But Azief had seen the future with Will and even though Erika could guess that Azief had seen more than what he should have seen, she would probably not expect that Azief sees so much more than what she expected.

The change happens because of his strength, his power and the fact that he had walked the Thirteen Steps of Supremacy

His control over the Laws was strong and he himself was strong. The words that the Oracle had said was that if you are strong, believe. 

The Azief of this timeline had seen far beyond then just the simple image of Sofia betraying him. he had Loki beside him telling him in the past that he would become the destroyer of worlds

He then sees himself fighting the heroes and heroines of the world. So, now when he heard the oracle words, something clicked. 

Why would Sofia betray him? 

Why would he betray her? 

And for that moment, it was like Azief could put all the puzzles in place as he seems to be in a verge of some understanding.

There is this feeling in his heart, a premonition of sorts that there is a plan. And when he heard that she would be his downfall, he was not hurt. 

Instead, he felt relieved.

If she truly become his downfall, it would not be that bad of a thing. 

Because, unlike the other Azief in that other timeline, Azief had seen what he could become. He now could understand the roots of the problem

If he truly become the destroyer of worlds and if he became so not because the world had done something bad to him and it was actually him that wronged the world, it would not be so bad to be foiled by a person he loves.

And as for him becoming her downfall, Azief could guess what would happen to Sofia. If she really fought in that battle, there is without a doubt that she would die.

The him in the future, the him that fought against the world seems like an invincible titan that have unlimited power that Azief himself could not describe it clearly

So, his reaction this time was different. It is not a prophecy that he had wanted. But it is a prophecy he needed.

Because it tells him something much more important.

He laughed

That is what he did when he heard the prophecy. This time, the future might not end in the way that it ended before.

Azief would probably not misunderstand Sofia from the beginning.

And for the first time since the beginning he had met with the Oracle, Erika face turns pale, clearly she was shocked, like something did not go the way she had expected. 

She leans back and look at Azief laughing and she did not understand.

She did not know why he had laughed. All of this has happened before……but this time it is different. That is the feeling she is feeling right now.

And for some reason, she wanted to smile. 

Even as the pain is throbbing on her eye socket, even as she could feel the wind entering from the eye socket to her skull, she wanted to laugh.

Because she thinks this is the beginning of her hope.

Azief had changed. 

And because of that she believes the future would change. 

She had told him everything he needs to know. 

What he would do with the information is not her job. 

She only needs to tell what she had to tell. Since that is over, Erika took a stope backward and then she presents her eyeball.

Azief had stopped laughing but there is still a smile on his face. 

This is a different face than what Erika had seen in the other Azief. 

In that other timeline, Azief face after hearing the prophecy was full of worry, anxiousness and there is even a trace of anger and disbelief.

At that time, even Erika understood why Azief felt that way. Azief in that other timeline was a lonely person. 

There is no Loki and Sina around him. Loki at that time is still an unknown person. 

Sina on the other hand is not as elegant as she is today and is known as the Mad Alchemist instead her current title of Genius Alchemist and Divine Alchemist

Azief did not have Pandemonium and he had not influence as he did today. He was a lone wolf. Feral and dangerous. And the only one that this lone wolf had trusted is Sofia.

Hence it was understandable why he was so angry and full of disbelief when he saw himself being betrayed by the person he loves and trusted the most.

But at the same time, he was also concerned that he would be her downfall. Yes, he was angry. 

Yet at the same time, he was worried about her. This kind of feeling is hard and contradict each other.

It wasn’t until later that Azief understood what the prophecy means. And the same could be said for the Oracle.

This time however, Azief had none of that expression. 

Instead, he was genuinely happy. 

And this time, just like the first time Erika had told this prophecy before, she did not understand. She did not understand at all.

But, she didn’t hate it. 

Azief look at the bloody eye on top of Erika left palm. The veins on the eyeballs is wriggling some kind of parasitic worm.

That is the best way to describe the veins. 

There is also this aura and strings around it that seems to be connected to the Will of Borgan. Azief could see this with his eyes. 

Of course he did not notice that when he is seeing these strings of Laws, his eyes are actually glowing deep bright blue. 

Erika of course notices this and recognizes it for what it is 

The power of an Etherna. 

This must be one of Loki tricks, she thought to herself. She knows that Azief walk the path of perfection. It is without a doubt that it is Loki that enables Azief to walk smoothly in this path

She waited for Azief to take her eyes and then Azief took it. She then relaxed as her other eyes look what Azief would do

Her other eyes are twitching as her entire body sis till trembling because of the pain. Until the eye that she had gouged stabilized, she would always be in pain.

Because even now, the eye still wanted to return to her. Visions swarms her mind. But this vision is unlike the usual vision she had seen before

Instead it is distorted and this distortion had made her head to suffers headache like her head being split apart.

Azief on the other hand look at the eyeball that he is now holding. The eyeball is small and there is still blood dripping out from the veins of the eyes.

Remarkably enough, the eyeball itself is clean and flawless. There are no scratches or any wound on the eye.

The eyeball seems to be influenced by a certain force. Time and Destiny power is par for the course. But there is also the Will of Borgan holding it up.

The veins wriggles around his fingers and then he slowly put it inside his eye socket. 

The moment he puts the eyeball into his eyes sockets, the veins started to latch onto the Laws all over his body, like it melded into it. 

BOOM!

Thunder roars up in the sky as a powerful force envelops Azief like he is being bestowed something.

And at the same time, Azief could see many things with his left eye. 

He saw visions. Like a film that flashes by. Some of them were vision of his past. 

Some of them is things that would come to happen. 

But it is all fuzzy, and blurry. 

All he could see was some glimpses and he could feel the Will of Borgan all around him, like he was connected to it.

And the more he sees, the more he felt pain in his head.

And before he knows it, a vision of a planet enters his mind. Out of all the images he had seen swarming his mind, this image of a planet is the clearest for him.

It was like there is a connection between him and this planet

Azief did not know the name of this planet, but the knowledge come to him.

It is Belthana, the planet in which Borgan had turned herself into. 

Thunder echoes in the sky and dark clouds gather again as Azief felt pain all over his body

This pain originated from his eyes. It is different from other parts of his body. This is a burden on Azief body but fortunately it did not change the Perfection properties of his Laws

The Laws melded with the eye and contain the power of the eye and powerful Law emanations exploded from Azief body, causing the Laws all over him to experience changes.

Azief then closes his eyes and then he calmed himself down even as the vision fills his mind.

But, this is nothing for Azief. 

This vision that swarm his mind is trying to overwhelm him with so many information but Azief stand strong. 

One needs to have powerful mental energy to withstand such thing.

Azief had lived six lifetimes in the saber of Azul, he had lived in other worlds and experience many lives and as such, it did not take long before it calmed down

But in that time where his mind is swarmed with vision of the future, he also understands something. 

>>>>>>>>