Lord Shadow

A person open his eyes like he was being awakened from a long dream. He looks groggy and unfocused before his eyes shone with brilliance once again.

He coughed a few times, feeling the backlash of ending his training early. But it is worth it.

This person was inside a cave. He was always closing his eyes to the matters of the world, almost looking to merge with the world itself, unfettered by anything.

But today, that person open his eyes. The cave was protected by enchantment and ancient writings of otherworldly origins.

But when that person open his eyes, the cave shook and the enchantment in place crack.

The man got up and was about to move outside the cave when he remembered something very important.

He looked toward an altar. On top of that altar is an urn. Inside the urn is a wisp of a slightly silvery lightning.

The person said

‘Master’ the wisp glows brighter

‘I ask for a leave’

The wisp glows brighter and dims at a certain moment. The person nodded. Somehow, they are communicating.

Bowing his head, that person come out of the cave. Outside the cave, was a scenery of impossible and extraordinary scape

That person saw timelines, worlds entangled together by a string, and images of many possible future and choices.

This person was in a sealed dimension

This person stood on the air like he was being suspended by some invisible road.

Then without looking back, he runs forward as energy gather blew his feet moving him in a speed almost equal to light as he puncture through this weird dimension, creating a portal and went out to appear on Earth Prime.

Without even looking left and right, this person darted straight to…..Poland.

***

MEANWHILE AT THE SAME TIME

POLAND

Evening clouds floats, light wind blows. A person look over the distance on top of the peak of the world

The figure seems lonesome and aura of death and gloom surrounded him.

That person eyes could see people dancing on the village below, as firework blooms in the middle of the day.

His eyes could even see a hundred kilometers away… and he could see the billowing clouds and see the winds, see the people.

Nothing escape his gaze.

A person is standing on top of the peak of mountain in Poland. This is a mountain that has never been here before.

With the changing geography, borders are redrawn and nationality is the thing of the past. For this man, he couldn’t care less.

His hand behind his back, his eyes closed, his hood opened showing the flawless handsome face this man possesses.

He was closing his eyes letting the cold harsh winds hit his body.

‘Hah’ he sighed

His black robe fluttered by the wind, energy spirals around him, and ripples of vibration in the air resonated each time he breathes.

He then opened his eyes, his eyes looking over the entire world, overseeing the world. That was the feeling one would feel if one matched eyes with this man.

As a snowflakes fell upon his brows, he was reminded of that woman.

Katarina.

That visage of her, that image of her as she sacrifices her life force for him, that feeling he felt when she embraced him….how could he deny the feeling that is blooming inside his heart.

He sighed again as the snowflakes melt from his eyebrows, melted by the energy given off by him.

Yet, his heart also yearns for another. The story of his and Katarina everlasting romance has spread wide across lands.

As he think of that woman, he felt conflicted.

‘At least, you have heard me utter love. But she didn’t. Regrets….can it be undone?’ he asked himself

‘When the wind of springs came, could we all look at each other with a smile in our faces?’ he asked himself.

The wind blows and the snowflakes keep falling. Only the sound of nature responded. He smiles bitterly, shaking his head.

His eyes open, as a glint of determination appears. Waving his hand, the winds changed direction as he also dissipate his chaotic thought for this moment

But the wind blows again, and the thoughts lingered. So, he sighed deeply. Tired and frustrated at himself.

Today he wanted to form another Disk.

Precisely because of that he wanted to calm his heart. He look at the white cloud flying being steered by the wind, but his heart is still conflicted.

Even if he smell the most pleasant fragrance, he doubt it will calm his chaotic heart.

He thought by taking a walk on top of the nearby mountain, his heart could be calmed. But he is still thinking.

And by thinking, his heart get chaotic.

Because the feeling he has could not be solved by thinking it out. Because what his mind and his heart is telling him is two different things.

Since, even now, looking at the white clouds, feeling the wind, does nothing he sighed. So, he walk down the mountain path instead of flying.

With each steps, he tries to blow away the hazy mist in his heart. The cold wind blows as his steps remains the same.

The wolf howls in the distance and the roars of beast could be heard not far away, but with each steps he taken, the sound fade away as the beast dissipated.

The mountaintop was full of monsters.

Yet, none emerge to attack this black robe man.

Instead each time he steps his foot into the snow filled land, the subtle energy emission from his footsteps alerted any monster in the vicinity.

The aura he emitted kills anything…and everything. The snow where he steps, returns to nothingness after he pass.

These beast, these human eaters, tucked their tails, spreads their wings and disperse, trying to go as far as they can.

Why?

Why does these kind of monster fear the man?

Death aura ripples from each footsteps, startling life and jolted it to stop, the clouds turns colors and the earth recede.

Those who were late will die with a single glance from this black robe man. The aura he emitted was akin a Destruction God that descend upon the mortal realm.

There is only one person in this entire world that had these kind of characteristic and such a terrifying presence.

He is the Prince of Darkness, Azief.

He got down from the mountain path and continues his walk along the forest.

The sun goes up, and through the woods he walked. And as he walked, he reflected. With all of that has happened.

And what will happened. He needs to be stronger. He did not think too much of his assassination attempt.

What is important for him right now is to assess the situations and strengthen himself and save Katarina.

The cold wind seeps into his body, dissipated almost instantly by the very involuntary emission of energy.

‘Disk Formation.’ He muttered.

It is one of the stages of cultivation in Jade Empire. But this stages is unique compared to the other stages of cultivation.

What does cultivation in Jade Empire means? Is it cultivating food? No. Is it cultivating the energy surrounding them?

Not entirely true. Is it cultivating the energy inside them?

That is not it either.

It is cultivating the heart. It is cultivating the mind. Those two quality must be cultivated first. And only then one could harness the power of Earth and Heaven.

What does Earth and Heaven means? Does the Earth refer to the place where your feet stepping upon?

Does the Heavens means the skies atop one head?

It could be interpreted like that. Or it could be interpreted by other meanings. Where one step their foot, that is their earth, the skies they saw as they look up that is their Heaven.

It could also be interpreted like that.

But what has this got to with Disk Formation. It has to do everything with Disk Formation. There is a reason why Disk Formation is unique in the stages of cultivation.

It is because one could opted out of it and directly enters Divine Comprehension. Why this is possible?

Because of the fact that Seed Formation sow Laws. Divine Comprehension stage is comprehending the Laws.

One could even say Disk Formation is unrelated to Seed Formation.

Seed Formation purpose is to turns Laws into Seed so that when one reaches Divine Comprehension one could ponder over the Seed of Laws inside their consciousness.

But how does one opted out from being a Disk Formation leveler?

The path of Disk Formation in the conventional way was for one to create nine Disk and reach to Divine Comprehension.

One could even forcefully enter Divine Comprehension early if one desires if a person stuck too long at the Disk Formation stages.

But one could skip that stage entirely by not taking that step forward straight to Divine Comprehension by forcefully blooming one of the Seeds in one consciousness.

But then if such method is accessible why does other people like Raymond, like Oreki, like Hikigaya did not skip that stage and directly enter Divine Comprehension.

Why Azief himself did not enter Divine Comprehension

Because Disk Formation form energy.

What energy?

All kinds. And all is a lot. Only an idiot would skipped it. One could studied it alter when one reach past the Divine Comprehension but who could guarantee they would pass the Divine Comprehension.

But one has to understand the energy they sought to form. These are the Disk that will be formed.

Azief was not as frozen in the Mountain of Everlasting Love as the whole world believes him to be.

Instead he was forming his Disk even in his condition.

The kind of tenacity, the will and determination he possesses was like a fire for him inside that cold mountain.

When that fire burns him, it brings him knowledge. Like Prometheus bringing fire for humankind, the same could be said about the Fire from Jade Palace.

For one moment, in his baptism of fire, his eyes oversee the entire Universe, boundless wisdom passed through his mind

Like being awoken from a dream, Azief saw the vastness of the Universe and the entangling of myriads of energy that could be formed.

The limit is your own limited understanding of the Universe. The energy that could be formed is from the very essence of creations that made the Universe.

And when he decided to form his Disk, not even the Heavens could stop him, nor could an Ice Mountain suppress him.

When Azief created his Disk inside the Ice Mountains, all clouds in the world gathered. And all truly means all.

White clouds from the skies gathered above the Ice Mountain, making the whole stratosphere naked.

Lightning rampages through the skies, thunder shooting about striking anything that dares flies approaching the clouds.

The skies were at war.

The waves of the sea rage, creating large tidal waves destroying seashores. The earth trembles and mountains shakes.

Rain and storms plagued the world

At the time many of the influential people believes it was a natural disaster.

Only some believes it has something to do with the Ice Mountain. But after a year of inactivity one would also forget.

At that time, Azief was forming his first Disk. The seed which was created in his consciousness disperse like during his Energy Disperse Stage.

This time the seed inside the black hole inside Azief consciousness meld into his consciousness. The energy it gave off was heaven defying.

Azief possess a powerful constitution and a powerful energy that defies the order of things. He, himself was a taboo.

An existence unpermitted by the Laws of the Universe. He should have been strike down by the starry skies.

But the Fire came down. And the Fire washed him over.

And when the Fire washed him over, even though he was unpermitted to exist, because of the fire, he gained approval of the Will of the Universe.

What is the Will of The Universe?

Azief knows it exist. But he didn’t know what it is. Because that question was not for him to know.

Not to mention, he is unworthy to know.

So because he do not know and unworthy to know, he did not concern himself with the Will of Universe.

He did what he had to do to become stronger. That is the only thing that matters for him during his baptism.

The energy he gave off when his seed meld bound each other, entangled together in a seemingly chaotic way but was still in a way, interconnected.

‘Ssss’ Azief eyes perked up as his thought strayed for a while as he heard the sound. It sounds like the wind.

If not for Azief powerful Divine Sense he might also been fooled.

So, he walked again.

Azief walked through the forest as he stopped for a while. He heard the sound again. He closes his eyes for a while before he smirk.

He shakes his head.

Then he continues walking.

He senses something and know it. But he did not say anything.

He treated it like it does not exist. He continues reflecting on himself remembering his first experience breaking through to Disk Formation.

When the energy melds inside his consciousness, like a thunderclap exploding inside Azief mind, the suction of previous energy was unleashed.

That energy, that overwhelmingly powerful energy that could summon the clouds, commands the thunders and causes the earth to tremble slowly compacts into a giant spherical orb inside Azief consciousness.

The Sea he created was sucked into it, his Life vitality was sucked into it. Everything he is, everything he was, everything inside his consciousness was sucked into that orb.