Lord Shadow

The world was in preparation, plots and schemes are hatched the moment the Death Monarch declaration sounded all over the world.

They all are thinking ways to get the biggest benefit and trying to divine the Death Monarch meaning. Why one year? Why not now?

There are people sole job trying to understand and analyze the Death Monarch intention. Everybody did not dare to act so wantonly like before.

The Republic held an Assembly to discuss the matter, the Senate pass an order to cease all military operations.

And another news shocked the world in that one week period.

The Snow Princess Katarina changed her moniker to Ice Queen and she is also elected High Chancellor by the Senate, effectively holding the three department of power under her hand when there is a disagreement between the two Chancellors.

The World Government on the other hand relinquish their powerbase in Europe and order John Winston to relinquish the Emperor of Australia title and was summoned back to the Island to be one of the new Quorum members after the Massacre of the previous Quorum members.

Since Death Monarch has claimed Australia as his dominion, how could Hirate dares contend with him right now?

The League of Freedom while they stop their military activities in other region they insist that Kashmir is won by them before the declaration by the Death Monarch and claimed that Kashmir is now theirs.

The other factions nearby are all angry

Kashmir is a small region in the border of many nations but what make it so important that so many factions suddenly being so angry that the League of Freedom claimed the region as theirs?

It is because after the League of Freedom managed to occupy the region, finally the other faction understand why the League of Freedom wanted the place.

It is full of new minerals and some are so sharp that it could cut normal energy barrier and probably there is a trove of other things hidden beneath the rocky surface of its soil.

The world right now is in a state of flux, susceptible to change now that the Death Monarch returns

While all of this chaos is happening, while the whole world is in waiting of that one year period, and while the city of Pandemonium is being built without stop, no one actually knows that the Death Monarch is on a deep cave on the other side of his city instead of resting in his Palace.

He burrowed himself deep into a cave like tunnel and begin researching something he had delayed for a while.

It is one of his objective and it also helps him from thinking of some other problems he is facing. Primarily the thing with him and Sofia.

He did not chase Sofia that day. He could. But he didn’t.

Not because he can’t. He could use the Will of the World to seek her. And in all probability he could find her just like that in a matter of seconds unless she decided to hide from him.

But he did not do that. Not because he did not love her. It is precisely because he does love her he did not seek her.

But even now…he did not know whether that was the right thing to do.

He believes it was the right decision. But as he was told by her, he knows nothing. And if he knows nothing before…could he still know nothing…now?

Because he know that even in her anger that day, she did say something right. He does not know anything.

He thought he knew everything.

But when he heard her talk, saw how she is, how painful it was for her to feel as she did and to experience what she did, he knew he had made a mistake.

He knew nothing about her. He knew her pain…and he thought that was enough. He thought he knew her…because he knows her pain.

He thought that the pain defines her…as his pain defines him. But in the end, that was not it at all. He got half of it right and half of it wrong.

The pain did not define her….but it does serve her as a reminder. A reminder of a broken heart. He promised her before; he would never break her heart.

He would make her happy. He thought he could keep it. But, reality does what it does best. It breaks dream and it break all of your faith.

Grinding it into dust. He thought he was a realistic person….but turns out he is the same like any other idiot in front of love.

In the end he could not keep his promise….not then…..and not now. It was like he is running in circle with his eyes closed.

How laughable it was. He thought she was the one that would break his heart someday so he guarded it carefully and tightly.

Who would have thought he would be the one giving her such pain?

Azief sighed as he thinks of this matter.

The mistake was thinking he knew everything about her. He knew things about her. That is true. But he never knew anything that matters, the things that are important.

And that hurts him more than it hurts her…though he would never admit it.

The fact that when you thought you know someone, truly know someone, someone you thought going to be by your side, always, but to find out you were wrong.

That you were grievously wrong…nothing could be more shocking than that.

It makes you doubt everything you knew about that person and make you yourself question your actions.

So, Azief decided he had to take some time. For her…and for him. Because…..there are some things you need to be alone for you to see something you did not see before.

That is why he did not chase her. And why she did not seek him. Because they both need time apart from each other.

To see and to think, to make sense and to truly see where they are going and why they are going there.

To ask their heart what they truly want. When people are so close together, sometimes the obvious do not come as easily.

Because they are too close. It is because they are too close, they could not see clearly.

It became like a blind spot. Because they are close, they did not see it. The closer they became, the more they could not see.

But if they were far apart…would they be able to see it?

And if they saw it…would it be something beautiful? Or would it be something ugly? Something that both of them never saw before?

And whatever that conclusion is….both of them hope it is a conclusion that would not end in tears.

Because they did not want to hurt each other. But because it is love it hurts, whether it be farewell or a new beginning.

Because a love that does not hurt….rarely is love. Most of the time that is just two people playing house.

Not all love hurts. But most love hurts. Most true love is like that. Why? Because in the process of loving, inevitably, you have to let someone in…and that would require you to show yourself to that other person.

Showing to that person all of you. And there will always be a part of you that seems ugly to you and maybe seem ugly to her.

And you have to show it all the same.

All the beautiful parts and all the ugly part.

Sometimes, you even have to show all of it. And then they will see it. All the things you want to hide, all the things you keep for yourself, all open. That is terrifying, too see the ugly part only you recognize

The thing is not to ignore it. It is to overcome it in spite of the ugliness, in spite of the hardship and all the impossible thing in front of you.

And maybe when it is all over, when you are battered, broken, bleeding all over the body with wounds and scars, feeling too tired to continue the good fight for love you would find yourself knowing it in your heart, despite of all the wounds and scars…despite of all the pain and suffering, you still are not giving up…and found yourself still standing up, despite it all.

And then you would know.

It is not you could not give up. But you just impossibly can’t give up, no matter how hard and how painful it is.

Love makes fools of people. This has always been the case since the beginning of time.

But there was another reason Azief did not chase her. He simply is afraid…afraid to hear her answer.

Did he still have time….or is it too late? And then there is Katarina. What should he do about her?

What should he do?

This question could make him go crazy if he thinks about it in his every waking moment so instead of thinking about it he decided to fulfill his objective and make him mind preoccupied.

And his objective is to form another Disk.

In front of him, laid out on the ground is the Six World Exterminating Saber. He is sitting cross legged, his eyes look at these six sabers that is brimming with power.

His eyes itself is glinting with excitement; his mind is now filled with the desire to reach the next level of his power.

He traces his finger on the six sabers reading the first saber inscription.

‘Mastering Others Is Strength; Mastering Yourself Is True Power, With One Slash Rendering the Heaven Apart’ He smiles reading it.

It is the Heaven Sundering Saber. It is a saber that could induce Nirvanic Fire and one of the most used sabers in Azief collection.

As Azief finger traces its outline, red mist shrouded the saber, hot and domineering.

Azief still remembers that he uses this Saber to fight off the Demonic Invasion on Earth two, slaughtering tens of thousands of demonic soldiers, like a farmer harvesting wheat.

‘A monarch of fire’ he whispered. Using the Heaven Sundering Saber, he cleaves the Heavens and brought down heavenly fire, swallowing them all with inferno that burns the clouds and evaporates the rivers and lakes.

Then he traces his finger on the second saber that has the inscription ‘Changes Are Common, Don’t Resist It. Let Things Flow Naturally. Unlocking The Secret Of The Bodies, With One Slash Sever The Covetous Heart.’

It is the Dragon Giving Life Saber, capable of sucking an enemy vitality and life energy giving the wielder of the saber that energy

In the past if he uses this saber, his bones would break because of the backlash but now Azief doubt that would happen.

If he uses it this time, he is sure he could bring out the Dragon and suck the vitality of the world, making him to be able to replenish his vitality easily at the cost of the world draining of energy.

He sighed as he look toward another saber that has the inscription ‘One Slash To Shatter The Stars, Worlds Cleaved To Half, Do Not Restrain The Heart, With One Leap Soar Through The Stars Unhindered, With One Slash Render Worlds Apart’

Azief felt his finger tingle when he traces his finger around the saber. It is the Star Shattering saber.

He tap the saber and sparks of golden fire is produced.

When Azief uses this saber an image of a gigantic shattered planet cleaved in half would appeared behind him, covering the heaven.

Until recently, Azief did not have a clue what that image means. But, he had a suspicion that it had something to do with that race.

The more Azief travel the starry skies and the Otherworlds, the more he discover that many powerful artifacts and weapons that comes with a heaven shattering and reality defying power is usually connected with that race.

Their race might be destroyed but their legacy lives across the scattered galaxies in the forms of artifacts and manuals that teaches the road to the Grand Path.

He then closes his eyes, his mind thinking of possibilities and at the same time his heart strengthened, his will sturdy and firm.

And he contemplates many matters.

He had been with these sabers many years. It is one of the ultimate weapon he got when he started his journey.

And in the years after, he uses these six sabers to carve a path of survival and to gain fame and power.

He felt a bit of sentimentality regarding the sabers but then he quash the thought. He know it is not the time.

The world is getting dangerous and the playing field just got bigger.

Human is no longer the apex predator and while on Earth Azief could be considered an apex existence, he knew, that out there in the starry skies, there were beings stronger than him, that could split galaxies and alter reality just by a wave of their hand.

If there is one thing he learned from his enemies, it is this.

Without power, you are insignificant. Without power, you can’t even choose how you die. Without power, you couldn’t even be kind even if you wanted to.

Azief used to chase power because he did not want to let his fate to be decided by other people.

But now….he wanted strength for a slightly different reason. He wanted to peer through the heavenly skies and seek the truth of power.

Where does this power come from? What is the limit? What is the truth?

He wanted to know all these and wanted to see through everything. He then took the fourth saber.

He read the inscription written in something that resembles Sanskrit but automatically translated by the World Orb when he tries to read it.

‘The Sky As Chessboard, The Stars Are It Pieces, Gods Do Not Care About Mortal Live, Carefree Roaming The Universe. With One Slash, Cut Apart Worldly Concerns’

Azief felt the most resonance with this saber.

The World Cleaving Saber.

Azief took it to his hand and waves it.

The air around him collapsed, and the air turns to needle-like shape after being compressed as it shot out front embedded itself deep into the cave walls, drilling continuously until it break through to the sky before dissipated in the atmosphere.

Reality wavered as he casually swing with that saber.

A purple mist shrouded the saber. Azief could feel that the saber is howling. Screaming for the destruction of worlds.

During the last time he uses this saber, his seed were spent. Now he is at Disk Formation, he wielded it almost effortlessly.

It is the Saber most adept in destruction.

Azief last used this saber in Earth 39. He saw it himself how terrible this saber is in terms of reaping lives.

It could forcefully plunder the world energy and devouring it like a gluttonous beast.

The energy gathered from the result of that devouring would produce an almighty divine power.

The reason why he felt resonation with this saber is probably because the essence of the saber is destruction.

If he reach Divine Comprehension he could probably cut concept and even Laws, rendering it useless against him.

But the other reason would probably be the image that appear when he utter the Sky as Chessboard to activate the deadly power of this saber

It was an ancient language that Azief did not know and he could feel an almost ancient power coursing through him when he spoke the word.

Azief still remembers it and remembering it now, he still feel sweats on his back.

The last time he uses this saber an image of a dark Universe was shown behind his back.

Inside that dark universe, stars are aligned like chess pieces and two beings with unrecognizable face could be seen using the stars as chess pieces, in a casual game that determines the fate of realities and Universes.

Azief could feel the immense power of that two beings like they encompassed all things and all worlds.

Azief felt that if they wished it, the whole Universes could collapses and reform whenever they wished it.

These two beings sits on a gigantic planet that serves as their chairs and their chessboards is the sky of Universes that spans realities and vast space that spans from trillion of light years away from end to end.

Beneath their feet are the pathways of stars and belts of asteroids.

These two beings, one of them wear black robe that seems to be made by darkness and another was clothed in white robe that seems to be made from stars and light

The Supreme Being that wears the black robe seems to possess boundless and unlimited destruction energy.

He seems to be the source of all destruction and nothingness and his eyes is made of the darkest stars in the galaxies that seems to be able to incinerate everything regardless of its origins or concepts.

His simple eye gaze could destroys Heavenly Laws, Destiny, Fate and Time.

He governs over all destruction. Behind him, countless of races and legions of dark beings, killing and warring behind him, locked in an eternal battle.

The person wearing the white robe; however seem to embody a different aspect than the black robe. Whatever the black robe is, the white robe is not.

While they are different, they seem to balance each other out. They are one in a way but also separate in a way.

They even seem like a different side of the same coin, both of them counter-act each other.

Divine Light seems to gather on the white robe being and life seems to blossom wherever his eyes gaze.

Azief at that time did not have a clue what that image means.

But now, he got the feeling that the two beings playing chess using the Universes as their chessboard is the Supreme Being Alsurt once told him about.

When Azief first heard the story he thought it just a belief or religion of other worlds.

He thought it was a myth or something to explain the creation and destruction of universes and worlds.

But Azief didn’t think like that anyway. Because he heard the rumors in the Three Thousand Worlds.

The stories are all real.

The Destroyer exists. And The Destroyer has awakened.

It was then Azief realizes that the so called Destroyer, the Devourer of Worlds, the Enders of Universes is not regarded as some mythical figure.

He exists and his existence is known to some civilization on the vast galaxies.

And when Azief accepted that he could understand a bit about that image. It is the image of the Destroyer and the rarely seen Creator.

If the Destroyer exists, then probably the Creator also existed.

It was then Azief believes that these sabers serve more than just a weapon. It serves as a record. A record of what?

Azief still don’t know. But knowing the history of Asura race, these images might be recorded during a Great War.

He put down the World Cleaving Saber and took another saber.

‘Slashing Realities Apart, Overturning Fates And Destiny, With One Slash Render Time Immobile, Sunder Fate And Destiny’

‘The destiny severing saber’ he said.

Out of all the saber this one baffles Azief the most.

It is not as strong as the other saber but for some reason, it could cut through time turbulence and if Alsurt words is to be believed, it could cut through fate and destiny and even cut apart Karmatic cause and effects.

Azief hold it and a green reddish mist shrouded the saber.

He made a slashing motion without putting any power and the time around him were cut, making the area to be what is called in a state of timelessness.

It was like the area around him moves faster than time causing time where the motion break through the constraint of time, making the area seem to lack any sign of time, or moments to move.

Then that timelessness broke and time moves the again.

Azief still did not understand how to use this saber but he understands that this saber is not used to kill.

It is used to sever intangible concepts.

But how to cut?

That is the question.

He put the saber down and took another one. The last saber. He read the inscription

‘With One Slash, Driving Gods and Devils Away. Struggle with Fate, Kind Nature Must Be Cultivated, With One Slash Cutting Apart Existence’

The last time Azief brought out this saber form it’s sheathe, an illusory image of Gods with divine haloes shrouding their entire being appears.

In that image the Gods seems to fighting a Celestial War with Demonic Creatures, and below the feet of the Gods were myriads of races propping the Heavens of the Gods and Immortals being.

Beneath the feet of the Demon, are also myriads of races sacrificing their lives and blood to aid the Demonic army

And when he lifted his saber and attack with it, a Wheel appears and the myriads of races on both sides were sucked into the Wheel of Reincarnation and Rebirth.

It is the saber designed to destroy the Divine, to cut down Gods and Demons, to cut upon the sacred and the infernal.

It is the Divine Slayer Saber. Azief believes that the saber would help him understand one of the rarest energy to be practiced by any kind other than Demonkin and Devilish clans in the Universe.

He felt it when he touched this saber a long time ago. A killing energy so condensed that it could attack the Heavens and induce the wrath of the highest divine.

But it also possessed such rebellious intent that it could not be hidden.

The sabers desire to rebel against the orders of the Universe, to cut anything in front of them, to break apart anything that constrained their freedom.

They yearned for freedom, to be released from their shackles of destiny, time, creation and destruction.

So they rebel against them. Against time, destiny, fate and any other things. It is the energy of Asura.

The Demonic Energy. Azief look at these six sabers that hold such secrets and smiles. His eyes are flashing with confidence and excitement.

Then he said

‘Refine!’

Out there on the starry skies, residing in the Dark Universe, the High Emperor of the Asuras Vritra opens his eyes, his Killing Heart is stirred.

‘Hmph!’ He snorted.

Like all the other great civilizations of the Universe the Asuras and the Devas lives beyond the Source Wall, so they were only slightly affected by the Time God altering the Laws of Time.

Vritra once clash with the God of Death and the result of that battle left a lot of things that Vritra felt lacking.

His Killing Heart stirred

‘A few years and he is already this far? This is different. Too different! Hate that is not returned, a threat that is not vanquished! Damn the plans of the Creator and Destroyer. Treating the entire universe as their chessboard, I will follow my Killing heart!

‘I will not let this stand!’ He got up from his Loka, overturning his Soma, making the entire residence to turn anxious, the entire Asura realm shakes and trembles, inauspicious signs covered the Heavens of the Infernal Realm of the Demonic kind.

Vritra flies out of his palace and turns to his original form of ten million meter Black Dragon that cowed the stars and pressure the galaxies to explode

He is about to cross the Source Wall to descend down to the Realm below the Wall and kill the human that will grow to be the God of Death.

Even though he has passed the Nine hundred and nine tribulations from the Great August Emperor of The Three Thousand World and still weak, he is confident with his power he could still kill that human even though his power will be restricted in the Realm Below the Wall.

The moment he went out a golden light appears from the open skies, a holy mountain appears, sitting on the peak of the mountain is Indra, light spills out from his body, the humming and songs of praise could be hear resounded in the ears of all Demonkin and the Demon Realm is stirred.

‘May he, Indra, kind leader, come hither to us with his help and favor and drive this evil. Driving off Raksasas and Yatudhanas, he the god is present to drive off evils and suppress Demons’ The song praise Indra and his light seems to replace the sun in the Asura dominion.

Smiling, Indra looking like a young boy, wrapped in golden satin sitting in a position resembling the position of a monk meditating, put his finger forward, divine light and energy derives from his understanding of his Grand Path condensed on the end of his fingernails.

His brow is golden and his face is flawless, but when the Demonic tries to see his appearance, their eyes burst into flames and explodes

‘Cease this Vritra!’ His voice soothed the dead and brings peace to the living but to the Demon his voice seems really grating

Vritra did not answer instead he roars, the mountain trembles and the divine light turns dimmer, the Universe distorted and the Source Wall translucent barrier turns solid.

‘My Killing Heart will destroy anything! Indra, you will stay out of this or we will wage war against your Loka and we will ally with Ra to end you!’

The moment he said this, millions of Demons from every region of his realm fly into the air, their Demonic energy covered the Light and extinguish the Divine light oppression.

Indra eyes beamed and divine fire is formed inside his pupils, as Divine Flames shoot out from his eyes desiring to burns these little demons that dare interfere in their talk.

Vritra swish his tail, bringing with it dark matters and stars and planets as he broke the Divine Flame.

Vritra is about to pounced into Indra when suddenly a sigh resounded in every ears of great existence all over the Universe.

Asgard hears it, Olympus hears it, and The Jade Palace hears it and Vritra felt his heart turns cold.

He immediately turns to his demonic form and retreated but a voice sounded deep inside the void

‘Stop.’

The word is gentle yet the entire Universe seems to stop. The word seems to be able to dictate the Universe action.

Vritra felt like his body is being shackled by something so powerful that he felt his body experiencing such pressure and force him to reveal his dragon form.

A rip in space opens and then that Being appears. Spoken in myths and legends and praised through the many vast expanse of the Universe.

The Creator shows his form.

And what a form that is!

He is so big that he towered over above all existence; his fingernail is the size of Vritra entire realm.

Vritra felt like he was a dust not worthy of attention by the Creator. Vritra could not even see pass the foot of the Creator that seems to be made from starlight.

Then the Creator shrinks into only six feet, transforming into mortal form. Yet, even in mortal form the pressure coming out of him could collapse All Universes and break through the Source Wall with a touch of his finger.

Then he said, his voice resounded through all inside the Source Wall

‘Everything…..is my creation. As humanity is my children so are you Demons. There is a time for everything Vritra. Calm your Killing heart.’

He said it gently like a father reprimanding his children. The most fearsome thing was that the moment the Creator asks Vritra to calm his Killing Heart, his Killing heart calm down.

That is hard to do and almost impossible.

Asura possess the Killing heart. While it makes them reckless and easy to anger, it is also the source of their power and to calm down that fire of anger in Asura heart is one of the tribulations they have to pass.

With one word, the Creator calms down the heart of the High Emperor of Asura. That is terrifying in itself.

Then the Creator walk away, beneath his feet the Universe that seems to almost be broken reform, stronger and more powerful, the Source Wall were strengthened just by the Creator breath.

He walks away and slowly like he was merging with all creation he disappeared.

Vritra calm down and return to his Loka and Indra return back to his Realm.

The Universe on the other hand is scared silly.

First the Destroyer comes out from his slumber, now the Creator shows Himself. Something big is about to happen in the Universe, something so momentous that it might rival that Great War five thousand years ago.

For those who live beyond the Source wall only they know what war they are fighting and why they are fighting it.

But to those who live Outside the Wall, they only know two beings that have always been regarded as myths and old folks tale in some corner of the Universe is true and they have come out in this epoch.

This portent into something big.

And while the Universe is in unease, the Creator and Destroyer are still playing a game only they know, moving pieces yet knowing exactly who will win.

Yet, the Creator smile like he know something that the Destroyer didn’t know

***