Lord Shadow

Azief was floating, feeling his body weightless amidst the cold air he felt caressing his entire body.

The cold that caressing him was refreshing like the sweet air of summer. But he was not relaxed as he does not recognize this place.

After opening his eyes he saw himself in this weird area.

‘What is this place?’ he asked as he looked at the vast emptiness in front of him. He look at his hand and he was shocked to see his hand is there.

But he quickly calms himself down. Why was he shocked? Isn’t it natural that his hand is there? Then pain assaulted him.

‘Arghh’ he screamed as memories flooded him.

Holding his head in anguished pain he slowly remembers what happen. He remembers when he unsheathes the Sixth Saber his hand dried up and burst into nothingness.

His physical body regarded as almost invincible could not stand the pressure of the price of using the sixth saber.

No wonder it is called World Extermination Saber.

That kind of price was truly astronomical to pay.

He didn’t expect that it would even dimmed all of his seed and even drain almost all of his life force.

If not for that foreign energy keeping the flame of life inside him, he might be dead.

Azief slowly release his hand from his head as he finally remembers as he look to his left and right and see only emptiness of black with dots of light in the distance like the scape of a galaxy.

He understand. He knows where he is now.

‘My consciousness.’

And then he laughed.

‘I was truly a fool.’

As his memory returns, it comes with realization, an enlightenment of certain thing he has been blinded of.

Like a blind man that could see again, the dim path that he is walking on is now illuminated by a thousand candles.

The way he is doing things is wrong.

What did he realize?

He realizes he has been a coward.

When he closes his eyes after the fight ended, he realizes it. As his body hurtle down from the sky and pass over the clouds, he realizes it.

As he crashed on the ground amidst the fields of fire, he realizes it.

He felt the EXP gains were enormous. So enormous that he is in the cusp of creating the ninth seed after he formed his eight seed.

It was then he realizes his error. And what error is that? The error of his ways of doing battle and picking enemies.

‘I was truly too content. Too arrogant and too stupid that I did not realize it earlier. As I stand higher than the rest I forgot what drives me to this height’ he said to himself as he wills himself to move forward

Like following his will his body floated towards the dots of light in the distance as Azief could guess what those dots of lights are.

From afar they look like the sun.

As he is flying forward he could reflect on himself and his realization.

After he broke through to Energy Disperse Stage and perfected his Physique he has always been fighting smart.

Pick an enemy he could beat, never picking an enemy you could not beat. Hide and wait until you are strong enough.

That was what he thought the ideal way to survive.

But that is not the path to become strong. If Azief goal was only to survive, yes, this strategy of his would work. But to become strong….this approach is wrong.

It took today battle for Azief to realize it.

He was wrong.

He became invincible to the eyes of the great heroes of the world. Because he has never lost a battle.

How could he?

His enemies are all weaker than him.

Of course he would win. People say he was brave….but he is not. It is because he knows he would win that he appears to be brave.

He defeated the World Government using many strategies, and depends on his power as a Seed Formation.

Azief always wondered why after the initial easy level up in the beginning that to rise up as fast as before is hard compared to the beginning?

He thought it was because he became stronger and so the EXP gains become thinner.

It is partially correct but it is not the entire truth. He realizes it in this fight with the Seven Horn Weronian.

A Seven Horn Supreme Expert means he was Disk Formation almost reaching the Disk Formation High realm.

With each blows traded, with each attack, Azief improve drastically.

Not through the EXP gains but through understanding of certain concepts.. As he fight and breaking past his limit every time, his attack become more refined, become stronger, become faster, tempered by the desperate desire to survive.

He uses the Seed of Elements and his understanding of the elements increased each time his attack connected like his mind opened and was bestowed with knowledge.

He wield water like swords, he uses fires like sabers, imbues lightning on his fist, being one with the wind increasing his speed, created walls of Earth to obstruct, strengthen the body with metal element and cancel energy based attack with Void element.

He wrings every bits of his abilities to contend with his enemy, the Weronian Commander, each moment, each moves could determine his life or death.

Azief had never fight so desperately after his promotion to Seed Formation.

He has never been that desperate or vulnerable. He has never been pushed that hard.

So he exploded with all of his potential, his heart beating, screaming to him, to live. At that time he was entering into some kind of state of concentration.

Everything fades away and the only thing reflected in his eyes and mind was his enemy.

This kind of concentration was something he once experience when he was in Seresian world when he was trying to survive in the blood soaked war of the Demon King.

His focus was intensified in that moment, in that state.

He could feel everything that is happening inside his body, listen every heartbeat, feeling the thrums of his nerve, and feel the flowing blood in his blood veins.

It was a state where his body was optimized for battle, for survival. Once again, he could enter that state of concentration.

Everything useless fade away. All that matter is to fight this enemy in front of him. Everything that matters was to defeat the enemy in front of him.

To win. To live!

No other thoughts enter his mind other than thoughts about how to defeat the enemy.

All moves were employed simply to kill and to win, vicious, precise and have no useless movement.

It was not elegant.

It was not pretty.

It was functional and deadly, fatal with every move. In that state, he trade blows for blows, strike for strike, dodging and evading with his life on the line.

He understand at that time.

The reason why it was so hard for him to level up was because he did not breaks his limit. By breaking the limit in battle, in desperate life and death battle the gains of EXP will become higher.

The World Orb rewards the brave. Brave sometimes means being stupid. Like fighting someone who was a whole realm of power above you.

Azief knows that if he killed a few Weronians after he wakes up he could form his Ninth Seed.

But breaking the limit not only gives him a lot of EXP but also opens new understanding of his technique.

This goes beyond level promotion.

This is technique mastery.

Azief believes that someday if he reached a level high enough, this status window will disappears and at that time the true competition began.

He believes this system of grading powers by level is only the prologue since it is meant to improve the strength of humanity

The level system came from the Nervian race that inhabits the Mtrainan system.

Asgardian strengthen themselves using runes, the Olympians with their armaments. The World Orb granted all this system of strengthening all to humanity.

There was so much more to discover. Humanity could now combine all this powerful strengthening method of Supreme Being civilizations.

Azief was determined to stand at the top of the Universe.

He would be like the Supreme beings that roamed the Universe and stand at the top and views the Universe.

Because he wanted to know.

To know the truth of this world, of this Universe. He wanted to be strong so that he would never feel so helpless.

But the stronger he became, his goal, also changed. Now he wanted to know what scenery he will see as the apex of existence.

‘Break the limit’ he muttered to himself even as his body is floating to the light.

Azief had a premonition. That the more he advanced, the more he has to risk his life.

He also believe many will be stuck at Disk Formation later if they do not understand this concept.

After being strong, one would find it hard to risk their life and will plan first. There is nothing wrong with planning but it tends to make people avoid danger or circumvent it.

After all planning is the way from people to avoid confronting with danger. To confront danger one does not need strategy.

One need bravery.

The World Orb do not only want humanity to survive. It wants to strengthen them. And that will not be achieved by playing it safe and coddling humanity.

Azief remembers early in his journey the hardship he encounter and overcome.

He fought Mutated Sapiens levels above him. Yet, he still fights, his blade unhesitatingly cut them down without any doubt in his mind.

He move forward because he wanted to survive. And to survive he has to fight and kill his way out.

He remembers when he risk his life to fight the Super Croc to save Sofia.

Did he hesitate then?

No, he did not. Like a fool, he risk his life.

He push himself to the limit and almost lost his lives but he did not. And the reward? It propels him to become the strongest in the world.

It is that fight that helps him form his perfect Foundation.

That day, he was destined to walk forward ahead of everyone else. It was not luck. It was the determination to move forward regardless the obstacle that presented itself.

Azief has forgotten that.

Now he plans. He schemes. He avoids. He circumvents. Any danger was avoided. Any danger could be circumvented.

Because he is smart and to avoid danger and circumvent it is easy. But it was the wrong path. He must not avoid danger.

He must not circumvent it. Instead like a moth drawn into the fire, he must fly towards it and be baptized by it.

He must be like the Phoenix, rising from the ashes. He has to seek danger, push himself to the limit, temper himself in that fire…..and only then he can be world strongest.

Only then can he survives. Maybe because he was hailed as the strongest, Azief sometimes forget that feeling of threats.

Even now when Weronian invaded Azief did not panic. He was not afraid. But that feeling created contentment in his mindset.

He forgot how desperate he used to be.

He remembers when he was in the other worlds, in the Seresian world, pretending to be slave and obtaining the Ten Eternal Rings.

How desperate he was back then to become strong.

When he was whipped under the Three Suns of the Seresian World, as lashes upon lashes fell upon his skin, how he look towards the Heaven and swore that he would never be stepped on ever again.

That ferocity, that obsessiveness to become strong has slowly dissipated by the feeling of contentment.

But now after this battle like being awakened from a long dream Azief realizes what he had to do.

Smiling as he come closer to that dot of light he understand

‘Do not run away from danger. Seek it.’

Temper yourself inside the fire. And be reborn like the Phoenix. To become the strongest…..you have to risk your life.

The only thing Azief felt fortunate about is that he realizes it this early. If not for this battle he encountered he would never have realized this.

The world Orb did not only grant EXP when you killed monster but it also consider the severity and the difficulty of the battle.

If Azief fought an Eight Horn Weronian and survives, Azief had no doubt he would have been able to create his Tenth Seed even.

As he was thinking of this he arrived at the dots of light and his eyes widened.

So, this is how it looks.

Azief was looking at seeds the size of a huge mountain. This seed was spherical in nature. Azief could feel the invisible energy emanating from each of the seeds floating in this Consciousness-Scape of his.

The seven seed was orbiting something. Azief floats closer passing his seed and look towards what his seeds is orbiting around

In the middle of the orbiting seven seed, standing like the center of the Universe, propping the heavens was six branches of a thin tree.

On those branches are three leaves

‘Three Leaves of origins, Six Branches of Creations’ Azief muttered in awe as he floats closer and he touches the thin tee as he could feel the veins of the tree is thrumming with life force.

It was the thing that supplying his body life force so his soul would not dissipate.

‘If I create Nine Seed….The Tree of Life will be formed. And if I form Ten, the ultimate Seed…’ And his determination to form the Perfect Seed strengthened

‘Yggdrasil’ Azief suddenly said remembering what the Old Jotun said to him. The runic language of the Asgardian and the cultivation practice of the Jade Palace.

The World Orb replicate this top notch strengthening method all over the Universe and bestow humanity, with the gifts of these intergalactic civilizations.

‘Form the Tenth Seed and summoning the Purifying Fire.’

As he pull his hand away from the thin tree a voice sounded, the voice was deep and wise

‘It has been a long time, Midgardian Kid!’ Azief eyes widen as he turns his face toward his back and was shocked as he saw the person in front of him.

To be more accurate it is not a person. But a Jotun. The Giants of Jotunheim. The Old Jotun he met in his journey across the Eight Realms of Asgard.

‘Kid, what is the first rule?’ The Old Jotun suddenly quiz him and Azief remembered the lesson under the gigantic ash tree.

Smiling, Azief spoke the first rule.

‘Do not owe somebody unless necessary’

‘Second rule!’ the Old Jotun exclaimed as he was like a lecturing teacher and Azief reply

‘If you owe somebody, quickly pays it off before he could collect it from you’

‘Third rule!’

‘Never swore an oath carelessly for an oath is a binding covenant’

‘Fourth rule!’ The Old Jotun was smiling and Azief smiles as he remembers those days learning from this Old Jotun.

Will do not like the Old Jotun but Azief appreciates the Old Jotun wisdom and very much wanted to free him from his seal.

It was only that he was incapable as his strength is too low. But even as he reminisce the old memories he answer the Old Jotun question

‘If you swore an oath, better to abide by it rather than break it’

The Old Jotun was smiling

‘Fifth rule!’

‘Never promise something you could not do’

‘Sixth rule!’

‘Do not meddle with Time arbitrarily’

‘Seventh rule!’

‘Do not interfere with the cycle of life and death without preparations’

‘Eight rule!’

‘Never, ever, ever sell your soul under any circumstances’

‘And the ninth rule?’

‘Be careful with giving name to a stranger’ Azief said as he recites the last rule he was bestowed by the Old Jotun before Azief left last time.

‘And why?’ the Old Jotun asked.

‘Because name has meaning. And meaning give the name power. And those who knows the name also gains power.’

‘And that is the essence of runes’ The Old Jotun said.

‘Words.’ He added as he smile mysteriously. And there was silence for a while. The Old Jotun in his consciousness is standing instead of kneeling.

He is as tall as mountain with face bright as the dawning sun.

He was beautiful and was clothed in garbs of lights and fire. His hair was dark red and flames sparks on the ends of his hair.

His eyes were blue flames that burns brightly.

The Old Jotun once revealed to Azief that he was a fire giant that lives in Muspelheim.

Azief when he saw the Fire Giants he understand who has saved him.

‘That foreign energy…was that you?’ Azief ask

‘The Old Jotun smiles.

‘It was my last gift. I might be imprisoned but I could still give a bit of essence to you, kid.’

‘Why?’ Azief was puzzled.

‘I could not help you that much during that time. All I did was weaken a few seals and that did not even affect the main structural of the sealing formations.’ Azief ask

The Old Jotun smiles as his body slowly feeling less imposing. The Old Jotun also realizes it but he continues

‘Because we were destined. Kid, for thousands of years, powerful beings enter the Eight Realms in search of treasures and artifacts, but none of them ever met me. But you did. Destiny and Fate….this are powerful concepts. Nothing is truly random in the vast universe. Even in the most chaotic and disorder system there is a semblance of order if you look closely.’

‘Is that the reasons why you imparted some of your essence to me? Because of fate and destiny?’

‘That…and because I owe you. Now, I owe you nothing’ The Old Jotun replies

‘I did not do much’ Azief said again

‘To you it is not much. To me it is a great deed. How many millenniums since I could freely talk with someone and have a grand feast. Do you think only the Aesir like to have feasts? We Jotuns also like to have feast even more than those despicable Asgardians.’ As he laughed joyously

I…do not know what to say. I could only thank you.’ Azief finally said feeling grateful

‘Don’t thank me yet. I still have a gift for you. I prepared this for you’ and he lift his finger the size of a hill.

In that finger was a rune image. It was a rune unlike anything Azief has even seen before. He has seen many runes but he never saw this rune before.

‘What is that rune?’

‘An ancient rune.’ And the Old Jotun smiles

‘The Asgardian forgets. But the Jotuns remember. We do not forget the Old Runes. It is ancient as time itself.’

‘This is my gift. And by accepting this gift you will owe me.’ The Old Jotun said. Azief suddenly smiles.

‘What use I have for runes?’

‘Aren’t you preparing for Disk Formation? I might be rusty in Rune training but I know a bit about the Jade Palace cultivation system. Don’t you have a few clues about what Disk Formation is, kid?’

Azief nodded.

‘I understand a bit but I will not know until I form the Disk.’

‘If you understand a bit that is enough. You will understand how valuable this ownerless rune to your future growth.’

‘But I will have to owe you? What will you ask for payment?’ The Old Jotun laughed his laugh echoes inside Azief consciousness as his body slowly turning ethereal indicating his time is limited inside here.

‘What else?’ He ask back

‘Your freedom? I am not capable.’ Azief immediately said. The old Jotun laughs again

‘Yet’ he replies back and Azief eyes beamed.

‘You believe in me that much?’

‘I believe in Destiny. You have a great destiny ahead of you, Kid.’

Azief was silent for a while, thinking a lot of things before he nodded.

‘Then, please trust me. I accept your gift and one day when I am strong enough I will repay this debt’

‘That is good enough.’ As the old Jotun was about to hurl the rune to Azief

‘Before you gave me the rune, please tell me your name’ Azief ask and the Old Jotun smiles

‘Ah, getting smarter aren’t you.’

‘Fine, my name is Alsurt’

‘I will remember your name, Alsurt’ Alsurt smiles and then with a wave of his hand he hurl the rune to Azief.

The rune enters Azief body and Azief understanding about runes deepened.

And he smiles.

***

OUTSIDE AZIEF CONSCIOUSNESS

ISLAND OF PEACE

Azief body is on a bed made of ice that promotes energy circulations. He sleeps underneath an ice palace.

Standing on the entrance door of this room was Will. Will was looking at the people around the bed of his brother.

‘He is asleep but damn he is lucky.’ Holding Azief cold hand with teary eyes is Sofia the Divine Archer.

Sitting a few meters away from the bed looking at the Divine Archer with laser like eyes is Katarina with a face as cold as ice.

But Will could not help but praise the beauty of the Ice Princess. With black hair and white eyelashes she looks otherworldly.

Her face was also otherworldly.

There is this sense of majesty and dignified sense of beauty originating from her.

She was bright face, shining and dazzling but Will could also sense the cold and lonely heart of this woman hailed as the strongest woman in the world.

While Sofia was tender looking. Her overall look was simple and relaxed and has some aura of heroism.

It was like the contrast of golden winds and autumn dew.

‘Two beauties is tending on you brother. If this is known to the world, you would become the subject of envy.’ Will muttered under his breath with a smirk on his face.

The Divine Archer is a top notch beauty and so is the Ice Princess as many regarded her as the world number one beauty.

Will shake his head and sigh. He don’t know whether to sigh or laugh. His brother is unconscious but his brother is also so lucky.

But then something suddenly happens.

Will who felt it first quickly reacted as he moves and grab Sofia when a foreign energy exploded inside the room originated from Azief body.

It was a tempest of wild and unrestrained energy as boundless as the sea and as overbearing as the Heaven

Even a speedster like Will with his Kinetic Shield and his Speed were affected as he was thrown back five hundred meters, his body was sunken five meter under the ground with his chest bones caved in.

Katarina who was a bit farther way manage to construct an Ice Hill and dampens the damage.

‘What happen?’ Sofia shouted as she was about to run and check on Azief after she got up from her landing spot a few meters away from Will.

Will was about to stop Sofia when Katarina said coldly.

‘Shut up, you idiot. The Prince is forming his Seed’ and Sofia quiet down. But she glared at Katarina and Will could swear she saw spark flying off from her glares.

‘Hmph!’ Sofia snorted.

Will on the other hand asked Katarina

‘Is there anything we could do to help?’ Katarina shakes her head.

‘We just have to wait. And believe.’

So, they wait looking dumbfounded when Azief body floats up from the destroyed ice residence that Katarina constructed and started absorbing all the energy around the Island of Peace.

***