Villain: The Play of Destiny

Inside the secret Chamber under the Tower or Nox, Keith was sitting on top of a crystalline throne that he had created.

His eyes were closed, and his mind was much clearer after an hour of meditation, where he reigned all his senses and dropped all his guards.

There were only two other people in the Chamber with him, and they were his Shadow and his ever-so-obedient daughter, both of whom were sitting at different locations, busy with their training.

One of the reasons why Keith decided to listen to Ingvild's request to bring her to her sister as soon as possible was that he needed some time and a place to start with the special reward he had received from the System.

The Nine Discs of Demise was one of the Immemorial Battle Arts, a Hell-Grade Batte Art capable of causing destruction that would even stun an Immortal.

Even in the Plans of Destiny that he had read, this Battle Art was only mentioned to have been lost in the annals of time, but Keith knew that those Plans were limited to the person they focused on, and the Realms out there were much bigger than what any Child of Destiny was meant to explore in their journey.

He highly doubted that there was no one else who possessed it, but it was not his concern as the Nine Discs of Demise were unique in each individual's hands. Well, except for the first Six Discs.

Keith opened his eyes and then took out a strange-looking black crystal from the System Inventory, which was as big as a standard football. It was a rhombus-shaped crystal, and it had mysterious red veins on it that were pulsating in a faint light.

This crustal was special as it was the highest-grade Memory Crystal in existence, and as the name suggested, it could store memories of a person.

However, what this Crystal contained was the knowledge of the Nine Discs of Demise.

Keith closed his eyes again and then channelled his Aura and Mana through his hands that held the Crystal before pouring them into it.

Suddenly, the red veins inside the Crystal brightened up, and strange red and black Runes started crawling onto his hands and his arms.

He felt them, but his attention was somewhere else.

His mind was focused on a stream of very complex information, and if it was any normal person or even some other talented Auror, they might have not been able to understand much of it, but Keith was blessed with a very sharp mind, and his comprehension ability was enviable.

Hours passed, and by now, Minami and Yingying had seen the Crystal and the strange Red and Black Runes on Keith's hand.

They were curious, but both stayed in their places and watched what was happening in pin-drop silence.

More time passed, almost a day, but Keith was still sitting on his throne with his eyes closed, still holding the black Memory Stone.

Both the girls were still not anxious, and they were now once again focusing on their training.

No one could enter or leave this Chamber without Keith opening the door, and so, they were stuck here for as long as their Master planned on staying in the state he was in.

And they had to wait for another day before he finally moved. The red veins on the Black Crystal dimmed as the Runes receded into it, and then the Crystal disappeared.

Keith's brows furrowed a little as he opened his eyes, and he felt a little light-headed which made him close them again. He felt drained, and needless to say, it was not a pleasant feeling.

"I am fine." He told the girls who were now standing right in front of him, a little anxious, but they both relaxed after his words.

The weakness was only because he had constantly supplied his Aura and Mana to the Memory Crystal, and his reserves were a little lower than what he would have liked.

However, only half an hour later, he opened his eyes again, having recovered enough Aura and Mana, and then he stood up, which resulted in the throne of crystals he was sitting on to disintegrate into specks of light, before dispersing completely.

It took him over two days to completely comprehend how the Nine Discs of Demise needed to function, and now all he had to do was tune in his Mana and Aura and practice as much as he could.

"What was that Crystal, Master?" Minami curiously asked.

"A Black Memory Stone." He told her, and her eyes widened in surprise.

She had read about Memory Stones in the storybooks he gave her to read, and though she was very curious about what was inside that Memory Stone, she did not ask another question about it.

Keith smiled at her behaviour and nudged her nose with his finger.

"Show me the progress you have made." He said, and his adorable Minami smiled brightly before she created dozens of small deer of both Darkness and Water, making them dance around them and perform all sorts of tricks that ran through her mind.

He was pleased to see how much she had improved and then reached forward to pull up her chin and taste her soft lips.

"Good work."

His simple compliment made her feel very happy and brought a light red hue to her fair cheeks.

"As for what was in that Memory Stone," He smiled at her. "It contained a Battle Art, and I will allow you to learn it when you are ready."

Minami obediently nodded her head, not asking him any questions. But she was excited after hearing his words.

She was smart to not raise questions, as they would have only roused her curiosity more. And she was a very patient person, a trait that she had had likely inherited from him.

"Should I go and prepare a meal?"

"Yes." He nodded and then turned to look at Yingying. "How do you feel?"

Yingying frowned a little at his question, seemingly searching for the right words, and it made Keith chuckle.

"I know that the sense of weakness is not a pleasant feeling." He said and then gestured for her to step forward.

Keith pulled her into a kiss and placed his hand on the back of her heart, checking the state of her developing Aura Hub, or the Aura Sea as some people liked to call it.

Everything was fine, and though the process of development was a little slower by his standards, which was not a fair comparison since his standards were outrageous and Non-Human, she could still put even the most talented of Human-Aurors to shame.

"Go with her." He said to her after he separated from her.

"Yes, Master." Yingying nodded to him.

The more time she had spent with him since he had returned last year, the more she had realised that he did not need her protection all the time. Well, he did not need her protection at all.

Though still not comfortable leaving him alone for extended periods, she was a lot less stubborn than before.

This also allowed her to focus more on her training and Cultivation, and she was glad that she was getting stronger faster.

After Keith opened the door for the two of them to leave, he took a deep breath before closing his eyes and tuning in his Aura and Mana to the Nine Discs of Demise.

As the name suggested, it involved Nine Discs and each Disc was unique and had its own functions.

The first two Discs were the simplest as they were meant to be the User's Shields. One had the basic function of Repulsion, which could repel all Physical Attacks thrown at you, and the other's function was Absorption, where it could absorb all the Physical Attacks.

Their functionality was restricted by the User's strengths, so there was a limit to what Attacks could be Repelled or Absorbed, however, they could be used together to negate much stronger Attacks.

Keith raised his hand and opened his palm to the front. He then channelled his Aura and Mana, and soon a transparent disc, the size of his body, and in the colour of his Aura, appeared in front of him with some intricate patterns on it that constantly revolved in a Clock-Wise direction.

This was the Disc with the function of Absorption; The Void Mirror, a name given to it by the one who created the Nine Discs of Demise.

He willed it, and the Disc changed in size, getting twice as big, and then shrinking to the size of a dinner plate.

Keith stopped channelling the Aura and Mana and stood there as he reflected on the outrageous cost of his reserves that was needed to summon and maintain it.

He knew that there was no other way around it than to work on it, and only then would he be able to bring this cost down to the desired level.

Just out of curiosity, he raised his hand again and opened his palm forward.

An amethyst and transparent Disc appeared again, the size of his body, and the same as the one he had summoned earlier. However, there was a difference, and the difference was that the intricate patterns on it revolved in a counter-clockwise direction.

This was the Disc of Repulsion, the Reverse Mirror.

He did not try to test the limit of its size as it was just as taxing to summon and maintain it as the Void Mirror was. And after dispersing it, he took a deep breath.

Right now, he could only use the First, Second, and to some extent, the Sixth Disc of Demise. This was only because the Sixth Disc of Demise was an Elemental Disc, and his outrageous Elemental Affinities and control could allow him to use it.

The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Discs were very complex and much more taxing on Aura and Mana reserves, and then the Seventh, Eight, and Ninth Discs varied from person to person as they needed to be integrated with the Laws that one forms, something which he had not done yet, so he could not use them at all.

Keith decided to take a day off and replenish his reserves before returning here tomorrow. He also had to spend some time with the ladies as he had been a little unfair to them for staying away from home for so long.