The Primordial Record

Chapter 2035  Prove Your Intent

“So, you will give me power, knowing in the end it will only lead to my doom,” Nyxara chuckled.

“Why is that so strange?” Eos replied, “Did you not do the same thing to me as I grew up? I only took the things you have unknowingly taught me and applied them in a manner that suits my needs.”

Nyxara suddenly stopped laughing and looked at him suspiciously. “Now, why do I think this benefits you in more ways than you speak?”

“I could say the same to you,” Eos countered, “Your actions reek of desperation and madness, Nyxara. Despite the power you are bound to gain from the deaths of your siblings, you must know of their uses… but, you no longer care, don’t you?”

Eos lowered his voice to a whisper, “When did it begin, Nyxara, that chill that slowly creeps through your spine, those fleeting moments of clarity when you realize how far you have fallen… Was it when you all fought against my Incarnation and saw how long you have forgotten the light? Or was it when you tasted your brother’s blood and realized that you must have more of it, loyalty, blood ties, all meaningless, before the endless hunger of End… when did you finally realize that you were nothing but a puppet?”

Each word from Eos struck her like a whip, and she shuddered, her eyes turning red, “Good… good… Eos, I had forgotten that you have a serpent’s tongue and the venom in your tongue can threaten even me.”

“I speak nothing but the truth,” Eos smiled, “I have discovered that the truth tends to have more weight, because it is simply what it is… the truth. Interpretations may be twisted, and lies may be told, but it would never change the facts about the matter. So, Nyxara, would you answer my question? When was the moment you turned desperate?”

Nyxara was quiet for a while, and when she began to speak, her voice was so low that only Eos’s supernatural senses could hear them. “Your words are striking, Eos, but you do not see the entire picture. As a child, the thing I craved for the most… was power, and every decision I made from the first moment I crushed a child’s neck and took their food so I did not die of hunger to the time when I betrayed everything I know to become the Primordial of Souls, had all been for one particular purpose, and it was only power. I don’t hate you or love you, Eos, and in the same way, I don’t hate or love my siblings… I simply have no use for those emotions, so I chose not to feel them. Over the years, I have gotten so used to pretending that I felt those things, that sometimes, even I forget that everything in existence are tools for my rise.”

She looked up to see Eos’s eyes focused on her. There was no judgment or anger; his gaze was clear, and he listened without bias or fear. The depthless pools in his eyes made Nyxara continue to speak, even when she did not want to, because there was something comforting about his presence.

“I remember when Enoch found us and promised us power, while my brothers could only see the allure of Origin, I found my sight focused on End. More than anything, its nature called to me, its endless hunger and desire for power was pure, and I was the one who convinced my siblings to choose Enoch’s gift… If not for me, Eos, there would be no Ancient Primordial or Limbo. My brothers were willing to struggle together and perish as one, but I showed them the path forward, and now, I am simply harvesting the fruits of my labor. Do you think me mad, Eos?”

Eos slowly shook his head, “You are not mad, Nyxara, you are just who you are… The person I was becoming in the past, that person was a reflection of you. From the first moment, I was cursed with the Flesh of Madness as a mortal. Every choice I have been making, and the losses I have been suffering, were you, Nyxara, trying to mould me into your image.”

Nyxara cocked her head to the side, “You were becoming? Don’t tell me you have changed Eos.”

Eos smiled coldly, “If I had changed, would I be here with you?”

Nyxara assessed him for a moment, and then she smiled, “I want power, Eos, but that power need not be directed towards you at the moment. You know that I would still come for you and your dominion. I don’t care about the expansion of Limbo or the consequences it would have on End… I will break the Agreement when it suits me, but for now, Eos, knowing all that you will stand to gain from the deaths of my brothers, and not denying the sweet revenge you have craved for so long, would you join me?”

Eos laughed bitterly, “It looks like that would be the direction I will be taking in the future.”

Nyxara stepped closer, until only an inch separated her from Eos, and he could feel the terrible heat and cold radiating from her naked body, as if she were a cold corpse that had been set on fire. “I tasted Asteroath’s light and understood one truth: alone among the Primordials, I can ascend further. They are anchors. Chains. Obstacles. Kill them for me, Eos. Use me as your blade. In return, when only I remain… You may try to end me. And perhaps… perhaps… You will succeed. You have secrets of your own, Eos. I do not need to pry; in your eyes, I see the confidence of inevitable victory.”

Eos studied her, and then he suddenly said, “Prove your intent.”

Nyxara smiled, and she turned around, the flesh on her back tore open, and her wings emerged from them, and she flapped them once, causing this chamber they were in to vibrate, and then the walls faded away, and Eos could finally see the full might of the forces being created by the Ancient Primordials, and more than that, he saw all five of them, Xylos, Eldrithor, Xyris, Elgorath, Vorthas, busy with their foul task, and Nyxara showed him the connection she had made with all of them.

“My Soulwraiths were not created to battle your Origin Realms. Within them is the doorway to the Origin of all my brothers, and the key in your hand can be used to access that power. Is this good enough for you?”