Lord Shadow

Thinking about it again he should notice it.

He presumes that Azul race were Asuras because Celestial exists there.

But thinking about it now, in Azief journey with Will, they heard about Celestials and Celestial soldiers but not True Celestials.

True Celestials died out long time ago, and their legacy floated along the Universe and could be found in some broken stars, secret dimensional rifts or abandoned planets.

And Azief heard Azul said that he lives for eons before he reincarnated himself. Then how long has he exists?

Thinking about it again, what kind of eternal existence that could live for eons?

Everything that lives will one day in one form or the other. Some fades, some forgotten and some die by having their soul depleted.

No matter how immortal one might be, things that exist will one day cease to exist. Since there is a beginning, there will be an end.

Since there is life, there is death.

And since it is created, it would be destroyed. That is the cycle of creation and destruction, of life and death, of blooming and wilting.

Everything has its time of prospering and time of decline and nothing and no one escape this cycle even the heavens.

Living for eons, epochs after epochs passes by.

Azul is not some kind of eternal existence that Azief ever heard before.

Maybe it is not because he is forgettable, but his name has been lost through those long epochs

And if that is true…when did Azul first live? In what epoch and in what era? When True Celestial roams and his race was a slave, in what epoch does that fits in the timelines of the Universes outside the Milky Way?

Azief sighed as he said

“I will find all of this out wouldn’t I, Azul?’ He said to no one but he knew Azul intent is listening.

‘That is one of the reasons of this trial. I don’t know what you want to achieve but I know by the time I reached the six sabers, I would understand all of it.’

He said it for the intent of Azul to listen.

What he did not expect that the intent reply him back, his voice seems to be echoing inside his ear and his ears only.

It was like the only thing that exist in this world is that voice and Azief alone.

‘Everything you see now and you see before and that you will see later is connected. You will not understand it now, but in the future you will understand. You are one of the fated ones to encounter this saber and to refine it…but are you the fated one for me?’

The word said with a feeling of hope and then his voice dissipated.

Azief sighed as he waited for more words to be spoken. But there is only silence so Azief focused back to the teenager Azul he is looking at right now.

Azief notices that in this memory, Azul didn’t remember who he was.

‘So, he truly reincarnated himself as the people of this race’

He truly reincarnated himself without any memories. If Azul remembers, with his might and powers as the Divinity of Fire he could do anything he wanted.

But thinking about it Azief heard what Azul told him.

Epoch comes and goes, yet, his regret did not lessen, eve through all of that time.

He could not break the cycle of creation and destruction and maybe by reincarnating himself, he tries to seek the answer to that question.

And another question formed inside Azief mind as he is thinking about the matter of Azul life.

Did…Azul succeeded in the end? Did he unravel the mystery of Creation and Destruction? Did he break the cycle?

Or is he still experiencing never ending lives, trapped in the cycle never breaking free, wandering among countless reincarnations without purpose?

Considering that he had six saber and each sabers seems to contain his memory of his life, Azief is sure that at least, he survived this world and gain enlightenment in the end.

That enlightenment is clearly not his regret.

But then…what is Azul regret?

In this life, Azief knew that Azul would grow up to be the Saint of Ten Thousand Worlds. This title is a grand one and elicited a feeling of respect and admiration.

Not many people could claim themselves as Saint in the Universe and clearly not such a grand title like the Saint of Ten Thousand Worlds

With this Azief understand that maybe someday, Azul in his mortal form gains enlightenment and remembers who he is and ascended once again to a higher realm.

Each lives…could it be there is a regret for each lives? Six regrets, six sabers.

Six lives, six sabers, six regrets.

The first trial was full of struggle but not the struggle of body but the struggle of the heart.

Even though Azul only speak a little about his life as Asura, Azief could imagine and even visualize Azul life.

This is probably because he was Azul at that time and not Azief, it was like what Azul had experienced, he experienced it too.

He had all of his memories.

Azul hardship when he was a child, shunned because of his relations with Meihul, and the fact that he knew he was destined for greatness but was hindered because of his compassion for Meihul and his merciful heart.

He hardened his heart and kills the woman he loves only to regret it for eons.

Azief solves that regret by promising that no matter what they would be together, in life or death.

Azief didn’t know what happens after that. Did he change anything? Or is that just an illusion…that life and that feeling?

Or could it be something really changed…reconstructing the Laws of the Universe for Meihul to bring her back once again?

Azief shakes his head.

How could one do such a thing for love?

Azief clearly underestimated the power of love. In the future, Sofia sends Loki to the past solely to change the future.

Even now, the endgame is not yet seen. Plans are hatched by Loki every day but the true objectives of the plans are never revealed.

Even though it is safer and probably faster to kill Azief from the get go, Sofia did not mind gambling with the fate of the Universe because of her love.

And how about Azief himself in the future?

He knew exactly that the cause of his Fall is Sofia, seeing in his prophetic dreams that she would be the one that will cause him to fall yet he could not bear to kill her and only distancing himself away from her.

And when Katarina died, regardless of the consequences, he executed two Sovereigns with True Death, scattering their soul and grinded them to nihility with no hope of reforming back.

Six lives, six sabers…the first life full of struggles, while this second life is full of human emotions and temptations.

For some reason Azief was reminded of some inscription written on a Temple he use to hide during his fugitive states in the Jade Empire.

Could it be Azul six sabers is like that? It really acts like that? Azief thinks to himself.

Azief also sense another flaw in Azul words. Azul said he is the first wielder of the Six sabers. But Azul found the sabers in a cave.

It is not like he crafted it. So how could he be called the first wielder?

But it is also serve no reasons to lie to Azief. Why would Azul lie? Since in the end that memory will be seen by Azief anyway.

And this time Azul also stressed the word that he is the first welder of the Dragon Giving Life Saber.

The lingering will of Azul clearly knows that Azief has already seen that memory where Azul found the saber in that mysterious cave but why Azul continue saying he is the first wielder?

Azief have two conjectures on this matter.

But it is still too early to tell. So Azief will wait until he got enough information to formulate a deduction on this matter.

Then he sighed as he looked back at Azul looking stomach sick. Azul seems afraid that the peasant he knew would be offered for the Reaping.

Azief searches his memory and then exclaimed

‘Ah’ he said with a hint of surprise and then he smiles

‘Another girl’ Azief said smiling a bit.

Could it be like his first trial? But Azief don’t think it is that. The trial seems to be trying to teach him something.

He still didn’t know what Azul is trying to teach him but Azief don’t think the task this time is as simple as his first trial.

One name popped up.

Zinar

Precisely Zinar. Azief also had Azul memories. So, he knew Zinar.

And then Azief closes his eyes as he saw that memory inside his mind.

Azul used to hunt with his brothers and they will ride up Rosehill, when one day Azul met this peasant.

He was taken aback of how attractive she was for a peasant and he was attracted not for some superficial reason and not in the fact that her face is beautiful but her demeanor.

She was lean, and sun parched, but her smile and confident stance were strangely charming.

She was blocking the way of his brother, telling him that the way ahead is dangerous, that the dike on the river path was broken and flood would come and no trek could be seen.

When she was asked to identify herself by Azul brother, she states that she worked under the estate of the Duke of Margon

For a peasant she seems confident and unlike the peasant Azul met before.

At the time, Azul brother was baffled at the impunity of this peasant and wanted to whip the little girl for her impunity.

But Azul then interfered, saying the girl worked under the estate of the Duke of Margon and it would breach noble etiquette to discipline other people servants and peasants.

Since then Azul met with Zinar almost every day in secrets from his maids and servants and his father and brother.

It wasn’t until a few months after knowing her, that something struck Azul, opening his eyes to the cruelty of the world he is living in.

One of the peasants close to Zinar was brutally slaughtered by his masters.

The old man named is Bent.

The old man has a few daughters and children. His masters wanted to sell his children to some Old nobles in the capital.

When the slave collector wanted to drag those children Brent pleaded to his masters.

The daughter of his master were upset with Brent attitude unbefitting of a servant and asked her mother to punish the Old man.

The Old man was hauled out back into the stables, beaten with threshing flails, until those whom love him couldn’t tell him apart from common meat in the market.

Azul, a sore thumb in gatherings of peasant and poor people, attended the funeral in secret when the peasant buried that old man is some patch of land in the forest, digging it deep enough so that no beast would ever eat his remains not that there is much remains that was left behind.

It was there he also got to knew Tyr.

He is also a peasant and the friends of Zinar from the same stock, a peasant class. He made no secrets among the peasant that he hated the Empire and the Church.

Of course he did not say it openly or else his life and the lives of people close to him would be forfeited.

As the three of them started knowing each other, they talked about many things. Tyr at first was intimidated and distrustful of Azul since he comes from the Blue Bloods.

They talk about the Church, the Empire, and the rebellions that are against the Empire occupation and its forced indoctrination of their religions to the people of Aethens.

While he talked about other things with Zinar, with Tyr they were like brothers. Tyr is huge and burly, strong and sturdy.

It is probably why his master bought him from other lords. He is handy for field work and for strength consuming tasks.

But Azul from he was a child while he did not inherit his father hatred for the peasant who his father described as fouling the air of his estate, he inherit his father talent in fighting.

Since he was young he trained with blademaster from the Capital and strategies and battle tactics from a teacher his father hired from the Capital.

One day, they fought each other, him and Tyr because of a provocation.

Tyr could not believe that such a well-bred son of nobles who never had to endure hardship since they were a child would be able to contend with people of the land like him, who have to labor away at the field from morning till dusk.

While Tyr is stronger, he is not nimble neither is he utilizing the energy he possessed in an effective way.

Azul was agile, good in utilizing force, his attack aimed at vital parts. No matter how big and strong Tyr was, how could he endure repeated attacks at his weak spot?

When the peasant group saw how Azul, a kid two times smaller and younger than Tyr defeated that giant with only wooden blade, they were truly impressed and in awe.

Azul then started teaching battle tactics and blademanship to the peasants as more and more of them were interested in learning.

In the beginning, Tyr was full of disdain as he describes that battle tactics is for the weak. But slowly he was open to the idea and surprisingly he is a fast learner.

As Azief saw this memory he snickered.

Azul did not realize it but he is unintentionally creating a private squad.

He saw in that memory that the peasant start practicing with clubs and staves in secret for self-defense and slowly even when Azul squared off with them, they are slowly putting a good fight.

Azief also saw how Azul in that memories slowly changing.

In Azul weekly meeting with the peasant around the forest, he slowly understands who he is. He would never truly belong with the peasants since he is a different status no matter how nice or generous he is.

The fear of peasants towards the nobility is ingrained in their soul.

And in one occasion he could understand why. One day, he comes to the meeting place when he notices no one is there

News come a day alter from Zinar, that one of the peasant who worked in the estate of Count of Cartegena were caught eating phollum, a plant to induce miscarriage.

If the person eating it was a noble, then at least she would only be sent to the Church to atone for a few months before returning home.

But for peasant…they were not allowed to abort their children for the Reaping needs lives and blood.

How could the servant class keep their numbers if they started aborting children from their belly?

When asked, the servant did not dare say who it was that impregnated her but she pointed her fingers at Tyr.

Tyr was angry and got up in anger. One of the servants is friend with Tyr and defended him saying that the Countess son was the one that impregnate the servants.

And unsurprisingly, the Countess son denies the charges and pointed to Tyr.

Tyr, a strong man, fought off the other servants, cracks the neck of the guards trying to arrest him and fled the estate.

He is now hunted by slave hunters.

The servants that try to defend Tyr were subjected to punishment. The Count estate took the servant tongue for lying and his bones were broken.

At night Tyr once again broke through the Count estate and took that servant away.

When the peasant group that heard of this matter, they do not dare to come out of their estates to meet fearing they would be discovered by the slave hunters.

It was then Zinar ask him how far would he go for the peasants? At which point that they will lose him?

It was at that time Azul understand that he had to make a choice,. He made a choice to stand with the oppressed.

It was also that moment when they affirmed what they were feelings for each other.

But other than an unspoken understanding it did not go more than that.

In the years that followed, Azul saw how cruel life is for the peasant of the Remusian Empire. And how cruel its nobles.

Since then he met with Zinar and they talked about many things, thing that could be considered heresies to the Temple of Thonos.

He never saw anyone that spoke more freely about the world then Zinar.

And as he saw the world, not only through his eyes, but through the eyes of the peasants, the people below him in both status and wealth, he began to secretly despise the Empire.

But what he loathed the most about the Empire, more than the fact that the Empire brutal disregard for the rights of common folks,, it was the fact that peasants are treated as less than humans, like cattle, and above all the harvest of their blood in the Reaping.

The more intense the war in the borders, the more peasants is sacrificed to the church for blood magic.

Azul was a noble…but he was no simple noble. While his father agreed with the doctrine of the temple, the Canon and even revered it, obedience above all, his mother is different.

Azul mother reminded him when he was a child before her passing that a noble duty is to keep everyone under their lands safe and fed, protecting its people from harm and fear is what it means to be a noble.

Even though his status and Zinar status is different, they both share the same feeling about the empire.

They were kids at the time but both of them are not normal kids.

While Azul was born into the aristocracy and descended from a noble old lineage, he himself share not the passion of his father for the Church and its teaching that seems like a perversion of the Holy Canon to excuse all the horrendous things done by the Church.

And while he sympathizes with the peasant, Azul never show his support openly since he himself could be dragged as heretics.

Most nobles view the peasant as pig waiting to be slaughtered for the next reaping.

Azul on the other hand did not share the same opinion. As he was thinking of this he spotted Zinar among the crowd.

He did not shout to her, he only beams at her with his clear blue eyes. Zinar face is turned towards Azul and Azul could see that she seems worried.

She seems to be searching for someone else in the throng of peasant crowds.

In the town square the priest began its recitation of the Holy Book, once again hammering down the fact that nobles have the right of self-preservation and the peasant have the duty of self-sacrifice.

Every time Azul heard it he felt uneasy and repulsed.

Azief saw all of this in Azul face, his expression shows disgust. He is standing beside Azul looking at his every movement, his body ethereal and translucent, unnoticed by everyone.

Azief knows that Azul lingering intent did not show this just for nothing.

It must have something to do with Azul regret somehow. And Azief also knows why the phrase of duty of self-sacrifice seems to disgust Azul very much.

Azief knows that while Azul has reincarnated himself and have no memories of the past, there is still some resonance of his lives.

When he was Azul of that Asura tribe, The Celestials reaped the lives of his race like they were cattle and they were servants and slaves of the Celestials.

It wasn’t until he broke through and avenges the Celestial that his race could live and prospers in the Universe.

Now, once again, in this life, that same situation occurs. This Empire sacrifices its people like cattle to power the Wall of their Borders, sacrificing innocent lives.

However this time, the position of Azul is reversed. In his life before, he was the oppressed class, he was the slaves. This time however, he was the oppressor class; he is the master, a noble of great powerful house.

Yet, he still fights the injustice he saw and not be distracted and tempted by his new life. Azief believe this has something to do with that Defiant Heart of Azul.

Azief then looked back at the Reaping that is about to begin. Azul seems relived when he didn’t see Tyr among the crowd of the Reapings.

As Azul look towards Zinar, Azul spotted his father in the stand looking at him. His eyes seems to ask

‘Why are you among them son?’ Azul heart sinks and Azief could feel it too.

From the glare of his father eyes it seems that after the reaping is done his father would inquire about his relationship with peasants.

His father has always suspected that Azul is quite sympathetic towards the peasant class.

Meanwhile, the ceremony of the Reaping is about to be started.

‘Exalted Magus, please begins’ The magus is a red hair woman, with a scar on both of her cheeks, that seems deep and painful.

She brought out a phial of blood from the box on the altar.

Through the blood of the people, would the world be prosperous. Then she crushes that phial of blood and the blood seems to seeped into the Magus body.

She waved her hand and manacles from below the stand of the Reaping flew snap closed on the wrist of the peasants.

The manacles are silver in color and seem to be imbued by some magical properties.

Then with another swish of her hands, a dozens of blades flew out from below the altar stand surrounding the frightened and crying peasants.

The magus and the Learned Ones, the Avengers of the Chaos look coldly and snorted.

Then the Learned One spoke what they always recite before the Reapings.

‘Those who sacrificed themselves to God and held back the Chaos are blessed by the Angels and Heaven is their rewards’

Azul look at this and heard the words, yet his heart could not truly agree with the doctrine of the Church

‘Those who resides in heaven shall know that the rewards in Heaven is great and beyond anything in earthly realms. But those who are selfish, love life more than their love for God will forfeit both their lives and the promise of heaven.’

Then the Learned One turns to the crowd of peasant that is below the stand

And then he ask

‘Who is hiding from the sacred summons?’

Then as Azul is about to join his father in the podium among the nobles he saw something that takes his breath away.

The crowd gasped and Azul felt that he is getting dizzy and his throat parched. He saw someone he knew being dragged to the Reapings.

He could not believe it and something burns in his heart. Azief notices this too. Not the obvious expression on Azul face but that beating heart.

It seems to be beating with such power that Azief could only imagine the force behind that. Normal mortal would not sense it but Azief is not a normal mortal.

It was like as his heart is beating, the sound echoes through all Universes. The fire in Azul heart if it could be taken out could burns world.

Azief smiles bitterly.

‘He is not enlightened’

‘If Azul is enlightened his heart could burn everything. With only his Will he could burn anything in this Universe. The title of Divinity of Fire is not wasted on him’

As Azief look at the scene that took Azul by surprise, a trace of sadness also appears on Azief face.

He sighed and closes his eyes

***