Lord Shadow

Azief is travelling through an explosion of lights as he seems to be enveloped by the Laws of Time and Reality.

He seems to be traveling through a downward tunnel that seems to be endless, limitless and boundless.

It felt like eternity passed him by or it might just be a second. It is like any measure of time is meaningless here…in this space.

Then as he is falling down he heard a voice that seems to hold the weight of the Universe echoing through the infinite expanse of this limitless space.

‘Mastering Others Is Strength; Mastering Yourself Is True Power, With One Slash Rendering the Heaven Apart. My name is Azul the Divinity of Fire!’

The voice boomed and Azief felt his emotions in chaos. The space seems to be invaded a fierce heat and Azief could feel even his veins is burning up

‘I am the first wielder of Heaven Sundering Saber and I was called the Divinity of Fire and comprehended the pinnacle Laws for Fire. My fire burns everything to nihility and sunders the Heavens of the Infernal Realm and I broke through the Source Wall and left this saber Down Below the Wall. I left my will and memories to the people destined to find this saber and refine it! Solve my regret and you will gain what you want!’

Then the voice ended

‘The Nirvanic Fire burns everything, let Reincarnation flourish and Death slumbers.’ The voice enters his head as he woke up in a hut.

It was like he was suddenly jolted awake.

It is a cold night; the candle in the hut is flickering. He got up from the bed and look around. There is only a single bed and chair.

Near the bedside, there is a young girl wearing a plain, white dress sleeping, leaning on the wall.

Azief look at the mirror on the other side of his hut and saw his face. His height is 6’6 and on his forehead there is a crystal, his hair is long and straight, reaching his neck.

His iris is purple and his body is tough like diamond.

‘Where am I?’ he asked. But the he remember the voice and he immediately reached a conclusion.

‘I am in his body. Azul the Divinity of Fire.’ And then he looks around for that saber, feeling excited.

But he did not see it at all.

‘Where is the saber?’ He looks below the bed, but he saw nothing other than smelling some dust and seeing dirty rocks

‘Do I have to live in his memory and play his role? And what is his regret?’ He sighed before looking at the young woman sitting on that chair.

He then smiles bitterly, as he suddenly is hit by a wave of realization and then said to himself, looking at that beautiful woman sleeping so peacefully, leaning on that wall.

‘It is always about a woman isn’t it?’

***

MEANWHILE SOMEWHERE ON THE VAST OCEAN OF THE PACIFIC

The seagull is flying freely on the blue sky, traversing through the white clouds.

Sometimes these seagulls would dive down and grab a few fish on the surface of the water. If this is before the Fall, this is nothing extraordinary.

But after the Fall the difference is obvious.

While this is what seagulls always do, the difference is that this seagulls is at the height of eight meter length and the fish is also the size of small buffalo.

This kind of view is normal now for humanity. Gigantic creature roaming the earth is normal scenery.

And people with abilities to be considered as a God swinging around and causing mass destruction are also common.

If there is one thing humanity got going for them, it is their adaptability.

It what makes humanity survives all those period of almost near extinction, and it is also that trait that will make humanity to be able to ride this wave.

This ocean is stormy and even as storms and thunder gathered on this ocean, a large plank of wood is seen sailing through the water in an incredible speed.

Standing on top of a large plank, is the Oracle, her white robe seems to flapped around because of the wind pressure, her white pupil look forward, a smile on her face that seems mysterious.

She seems to be traveling using this plan.

The plank seems to possess some mystical power that allowed it to form invisible barrier that prevented sea monster and the waves from causing it to flip.

Standing behind the Oracle is her loyal bodyguard, Antonius decked in his armor, looking like some Greek God statue.

Anytime there is a monster that seems to near, he would shoot the spear on his back killing them instantly.

She is heading to Pandemonium after she heard that the Death Monarch is there. She did try to locate Loki but Hirate even after using his Mind Probe could not seek him.

Even when she use her divination magic, she could not see where he was. It was like he possessed the ability to hide form her divination.

Many people speculate that Loki and the Death Monarch has a falling out after the event in the Island of Peace.

But Erika knows better than to just believe some rumors. Loki specialty lies in disseminating fake information and making his target felt at ease.

The fact was, Loki is always will and always will be a Trickster.

After a few days in the World Government, she has finally departed. Her vision is getting worse these days even though she sealed her eyes sometimes.

Sometimes, even without meaning to she would see that gigantic eye in the center of the Universe.

Those eyes, seems to see everything and desires destructions throughout all Universes.

And in those visions of hers, the Death Monarch, or his silhouette could always be seen. He is heavily connected with her vision.

That is what she concluded.

So, now, she is traveling to seek an answer of her own. She looks in front of her and saw the vast blue of the ocean, with sea monster sometime coming up for air.

Then they were either get eaten by those giant seagulls or speared to death by Antonius to be served as food when they are hungry.

‘What is your connection to all of this Death Monarch?’ Her eyes glint dangerously as she said this to herself.

Even as she sails the stormy seas, up above the plank, following it all the way is a black raven, looking at that plank with its green eyes

***

While this is all happening, in the World Government reconstruction of the residence and the district is underway and people are diligent.

Many of the districts have been rebuilt and some semblance of normal life has return.

But the people trust toward the Central Government has deteriorated.

Even the nobilities of other nations that threw their lot with the World Government is wavering.

The Republic on the other hand is expanding their reach on land. While it is true they could not wage war, they did not gain those new territories through war but with diplomacy.

In the Republic, those rulers that followed them while they have limited power they still could vote in the Assembly and direct the course of the Republic general policy.

For weak and small country the Republic enables them to have a voice of their own.

In the World government, only the founding countries and the powerful country would have their voices heard.

Nonetheless, the World Government is calm and regaining back its peace.

But inside the new Chamber for the Quorum members, their face is tense and some are sweating in fear.

Some sighed while other closes their eyes, contemplating on something.

They are looking at the footage of the satellite they put in the moon a few years ago. It could capture images far beyond the capabilities of satellite before the Fall.

And the footage shows them something very disturbing on a star far away from Earth.

Something so disturbing that it forces all of the highest echelon of the World Government to convene an emergency meeting

Hirate is looking at the footage and this is his third time looking at it. Raymond is also looking at the footage, analyzing it, his eye is filled with cautiousness.

Almost everyone in the room could sense the tension that is building up. No one wanted to be the first to say it, like saying it would make it true.

Even the secretary that is inside the room was shocked when they saw it and some of them even forgets to write the meeting points.

Jesse sighed as he bite the bullet and ask

‘Do you think that…..we are not seeing this wrong?’ Jesse asked.

After the fiasco of the Sofia kidnapping, Jesse was reinstated back to his position by Raymond authority and then he joined the Quorum council as members.

‘I reckon it is real’ said one of the other members.

‘We need to make sure of this claim before we say anything to the public and to the world. We don’t want a worldwide panic that would cripple nay measures we could employ’ Hirate said as he scratched his chin.

The other members nodded.

‘This footage could induce mass panic if not handled carefully.’

Raymond nodded

‘We don’t want worldwide panic…but we also don’t want to hide this information. This information….haish’

Then Raymond looks at Hirate with a complicated emotion and said

‘Your decision at that time was correct. We truly should have built that satellite. If we built it even faster, then maybe the Weronian Invasion would not caught us so off guard.’

Raymond said this but Hirate shakes his head.

‘What use of speaking of the past?’ Hirate said as his face is still stiff.

‘But if this is real, then what should we do? One of the other council members ask.

This one is a Council member from South Africa. He came here after the successful attack by the Republic during the chaos of the battle in the Island of Peace between The Death Monarch and the World Government.

He is effectively exiled and the hold of Africa continent by the World Government is wavering there with their influence being uprooted and exterminated there.

‘Do you think we should ask for the Death Monarch help?’ Raymond ask

‘Would he agree?’ Hirate ask

‘This is bigger than our bad blood. This might concern the entirety of humanity.’ Raymond said

‘I refuse to believe that the Death Monarch would doom his entire race just because of some bad blood between our organization and him.’

Hirate knew that Raymond is right but he did not yet want to acknowledge that the picture is real.

He did not want to acknowledge it because then he has to acknowledge Pandikar was right.

That he did not do enough.

So, he tries to ask another question.

‘How about the construction of the new Battlestar? Is there someone leading the project? Hirate ask one of the council members.

A person holds up his hand. It is Mimic. This person always covers his face so no one knew how he look like.

‘It is being built. Though it is not as technologically advanced as the Budiman series of Battlestar, it is enough to achieve what we discussed. It is bigger, sturdier and better’

Hirate nodded. Raymond takes a deep breath and then asked.

‘You think Project Genesis would work?’ Raymond ask. Hirate shakes his head

‘I don’t know. I really don’t know.’

Suddenly Raymond started getting angry, hearing this kind of response from Hirate.

‘Then why did you send those people to space? There were hundreds of thousands of them.’

‘A chance.’ Hirate answered as he smiles bitterly.

‘I wanted to give them and us a chance. Raymond, I did not decide on that matter on a whim. I know how many people; I commanded to board that ship.’ He then sighed as leaned his body back on his chair.

‘I know what is at stake. Since the Fall, human population dwindle so drastically that it would not be an exaggeration to say it approached the level of an extinction level event. And if the monster roaming the earth is not enough, we were then invaded by an intergalactic barbaric race of aliens. We learned it the hard way Raymond’ And he smirk with a hint of resignation..

‘We are no longer the apex predator, the top of the food chain. Out there’ and he pointed to the ceiling,

‘Up there, is thousand and millions of alien races that could be stronger and smarter than us. We now learn we are not alone in this Universe….and those aliens are not as generous as we imagined them to be. They are as vicious and as barbaric like we are. So, sending them there might be me sending them to their death in the vast emptiness of cold space. Or…..they might be the hope of our humanity should Earth perish and humanity on Earth become extinct.’

Raymond slumped on his chair.

‘Hirate, that is the worst case scenario. There is still the present. For all we know all that thousands of lives have perished in space.’ Raymond said.

‘We are still here and we are still fighting’ he said.

The other Quorum member just shut their mouth as they did not want to enter this debate between two of the highest authority in the World Government.

‘I could not afford to think like you. I know you like to think positive Raymond and you have your ideals. It is your greatest strength but it is also your greatest flaw. I am just preparing for that worst case scenario. If humanity is wiped out then that Battlestar I sent to space to seek a new home would be the seed of humanity.’

This is the reason why the World Government did not have any Battlestar during the Massacre on the Island of Peace making the Seven Fleets of Battlestar to easily mow down the defenses of the Island of Peace.

But Hirate did not regret sending all of his Battlestar into space. He knows what is important. He likes power….but that does not mean he is blinded by it.

He was never a noble person but surrounded by noble person long enough, he began to emulate them, trying to be them.

He is surrounded by people like Raymond whose Heart of Justice is strong and uncorruptible and Jesse who embodied the concept of loyalty.

He sent that Battlestar as a contingency measures, to make sure the human race did not die out.

While the Death Monarch is strong, in Hirate opinion, he never cared about other people other than his closest friend and allies.

The world could be damned; and the Death Monarch would not be affected in the least. He is not like Pandikar that insisted Azief should use his power to calm the world.

Because he knows people with power will do whatever they wanted.

What use is responsibility when no one could force the Death Monarch to do anything? Nothing could compel him to do something he did not want to do.

He could not be swayed by public opinion, or threat. Instead he had proved time and time again the more people threaten him, the more defiant he becomes.

If he is just a weak nobody, then that is fine but when that person is the strongest person on Earth that would be a calamity.

He shakes his head and let that thought to disappear. He then looks at the picture that has been produced from the video footage.

He shakes his head and then thought to himself.

‘Pandikar is like a prophet. He always had stressed the threat beyond and we never take him too seriously. I guess we are the fools’

Then waving away his regret, he said to his secretary

‘Send it to the Visual Image Department of the Intergalactic Surveillance Bureau and ask them to confirm once again about the validity of this picture. Whether this is truly what we are thinking about or if this is just some light reflecting of some stars.’

No one believes that the picture is just some light reflecting from some stars.

They knew that Hirate just hope that it is not true. But they are all prepared to do what needs to be done when the picture is verified.

The Secretary of the Office nodded and exited the room.

‘For now, we rebuilt. When the news is verified, Raymond, you might need to go to Pandemonium. If this is true, then we need the big guns.’

Raymond nodded and then they went out of the room. Still paused on the video footage on Hirate table is a blurry image.

It is an image of a large fleet….in space, heading to Earth.

***