Lord Shadow

That figure like always…is always too blinding. Like the sun…too bright to see, to hot to be approached.

And like always…..he is at the center of everything.

That woman like always could only see that wide back of his. Large and reliable. But also suffocating. To always know…you could never compare with such larger than life figure.

She wanted to erase that shining back…but she also knows, even if a thousand year passes….that figure will always be on her mind.

Even now…even at this moment. And her hand almost falter. Looking at him from this translucent dome, she did not know what to feel.

But she knows what she must do

Inside the dome, it was Morgana who looked at The Prince figure, dazzling and heroic even in his weakest moment, that valiant sprit could not be hidden.

She looks as the Weronians pierced The Prince heart. Morgana was not shocked. Neither did she worried.

She knows better. Her father….would never have fallen so easily. He must have some plans or scheme

The White Witch appeared out of nowhere from a rip inside the Dome.

The White Witch looking at the sudden and surprising development shouted

‘Now!’

Morgana hands gripped tightly at her spear. But she did not release the spear. Her eyes keep observing.

Whispering under her breath she said to herself

‘He will not die that easily’ It was her belief. And also her pride. She of all person knows how hard it is to kill the would-be Sovereign and future ruler of the Dead.

And like proving what she said, the resulting clash ended in The Prince snapping the Weronians horns and killing it, as he floats to the sky waiting for the reward

Perfection!

The moment Morgana knew that her father will pursue the path of Perfection she knows one big weakness of that path.

And she is banking on that weakness.

The White Witch that did not know about this was angered at first when Morgana let go of the opportunity but before she could even registered what happens, the Weronian has already fallen under the feet of the Prince

Morgana only look at the White Witch and smirks and the White Witch nodded as an understanding dawn on her.

The Wicked Witch truly knows the Prince. It is because she knows she is cautious. Because she knows, she has to make every move counts.

Fighting against destiny and fate was never an easy path.

So, she grip her spears tighter.

The White Witch the moment she has calmed herself down keep chanting as her tattoos beneath her skin keep crawling and changing, painting different future all over her body.

Morgana notices that and could not imagine the Price Loki pays for doing this kind of magic on Giselle.

Morgana closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

She relaxes a bit of her grip on the spear. Then she opens her eyes. She is ready. But for now like the Prince she looks at the sky.

And she waited.

‘When will the Purifying Fire descend?’ Ask Morgana to no one in particular. Like the Prince she is also waiting for that Fire to descend. Because only fi the fire descend she will have a chance to assassinate the Prince.

And while they are watching and waiting. That invisible dome is still and hidden, watching in a safe distance, calm and unmoving.

It was a terrifying calmness….as the moment come, this dome will shoot a spear to end the Prince life.

***

Meanwhile on Italy, a young man look toward the skies of Spain, his eyes could see it and his heart could feel it.

He knows the Prince has achieve his objective.

‘Perfection’ he whispered with a bit of trepidation and regret.

This young man was Loki. He was walking among dead corpses, skipping over dead bodies that is scattering through the ground, mutilated and rotten.

Even now, a thousand miles away, he knows everything that is happening on Spain.

Morgana will target that one moment of opportunity. She believe she will succeed. But like Louise, and like other before them, they know too little of fate, destiny and Karma.

There is also that snowstorm that is falling on England.

Combined that with what he knows, he could already see the scenario that will happen. It might divert a little but it will not change the grand plan.

Everyone knows, Loki specialties in the future was Karma. But if one would ask what is his second specialties…it is Calculations.

After all to predict Karma and understanding the root causes of Karmatic effect and Karmatic Causes, one needs to calculate the massive amount of fates and destiny intertwining, of how it all began and how one could end it by paying Karma, reaping it, or sowing it.

Calculations….this is how he survive amidst powerful beings like the Six Sovereigns. It is also the reason why he doesn’t like The God of Death.

After all, when people die, the Karma is resolved.

That is the most effective way to end a Karma. Unless that soul was reincarnated, then Karma had to be pay in the next life.

Loki sighed.

‘A true hero indeed’ he praised Azief secretly deep in his heart.

‘You will not die of Morgana scheme….but I hope this will delay you…even if this means that your fate and Katarina fate will get tangled early. If my calculation is right, then today will seal the fate of Katarina. If she will do what I calculate her to do, then her position as the Third Sovereign will be decided today.’ Loki thought to himself.

Loki knows that the Battle for the Divine Throne only began during the Selection of the Third Sovereign.

For the First no one could challenge Azief.

For the Second, Azief crown Raymond. It was only the third that the Battle truly began since there are a few people that is eligible to become Sovereign at the same time.

At that time Jean and Katarina was competing for the Divine Throne.

Because Azief owe Katarina way back, he crown Katarina forcing Jean to wait and resulted in the tragedy of Paulette.

If Jean was a Sovereign during that time, Paulette would not have died. In all of this events, lies Karmatic Cause and Karmatic Effects.

And when the Karmatic Effect has happened, it creates more Karmatic Causes

Karma…is feeling…the resolution to move forward….create karma.

When everything is still, and do not move….then Karma is not created. When one has no emotions and feelings, Karma disappeared.

And that was Death. Death robs every one of feelings, emotions and Time. Karma of the past forces Azief to help Katarina and then it resulted in Paulette death and Jean sorrows.

This cycle of Karma then prompted Azief to once again interfere and help Jean broke the Prohibition of Sovereigns.

It is ironic that this event all started the day Azief decided to help Katarina but this was where the Karma began.

Loki only shakes his head then turns back to look in front of him as he walk among the land of these scattering corpses.

He is searching for someone. Not far away from where he was walking, he could hear it. The sound of hard breathing…someone that is about to die.

And from the sound, his breath slowly is getting slower and slower, like he is about to lose consciousness.

So Loki walk calmly, his hand behind his back as he arrived in front of that person, wounds all over his body with holes on his shoulders and blood streaming from all over his chest.

The face of that person was full of frustration and unwillingness.

Then crouching down as his face look straight at the face of that person covered in wound Loki ask

‘Are you the person people called the Inventor?’

The person did not reply but he nodded his head.

Smiling mischievously Loki put his hand on the person neck and apply a little pressure and ask with an excited tone

‘Do you want to make a deal with me?’

***

Somewhere in Peru, a woman archer saves a handsome man with holes on his body and blood covering his golden armor.

The Pillars of Fire in Nazca was crumbling. Below that pillars were thousands of human corpses, dying honorably fighting the Weronian force.

That archer look towards the skies, see that the red fiery skies, now slowly return back to the way it was before, blue and calm.

She then turn her gaze to another direction knowing in her heart, that is where Azief is. And she wanted to go to where the storms is ending but she could not leave that young man

The young woman was Sofia and the handsome young man was Raymond.

While Azief was fighting the Eight Horn Weronian in Spain, Sofia, Raymond and twenty thousand soldier went to ambush the Pillars of Fire in Peru and bringing it down.

Raymond was hurt protecting Sofia. So, she could not easily abandon Raymond here. So, she stays.

***

Meanwhile on the Stonehenge where one of the Pillars was erected, the Pillars of fire was suddenly deactivated.

A young tall man with a stave designed in an eccentric design strapped on his back was below the slowly dissipating pillars of Fire.

He wears a purple robe laced with black color and he covers the lower part of his face and wears a black bandana.

All over him were twenty thousand Weronian corpses. He was alone surrounded by corpses of Weronians.

If everyone could see this they will be surely shocked beyond belief. Among the corpses were Seven Horn Weronians commander and generals.

This person was shrouded with white mist like he came from the white mist.

His eyes are sharp and a trace of steely determination could be seen in his eyes when he saw upon the thousands of Weronians he killed.

What is creepy about this silent area of graveyard was how the way all of these Weronian died. They have no wounds or any injuries.

They were sprawled down on the ground like they were sleeping. But they all actually have died.

This person took one steps as white mist covered the area as he takes another steps and the fog of mist thickens.

‘The Prince of Darkness…..is he as strong as rumored?’ That person ask himself his voice was deep and commanding.

‘Maybe someday, we will meet.’

And he takes another step and the white mist covered him as he disappeared like he merged with the mist.

When the mist recede he was no longer there only leaving an area full of twenty thousand Weronian corpse without injuries that will surely baffles anyone who found this.

The extinguishing of the pillars at Stonehenge clearly attract many attentions.

Yet, when anyone tries to probe the person responsible for that matter, they were blocked by some invisible force.

Hirate who was at his secret chamber even though two pillars has crumbled and he can use his Mind Probe he could not get any clue.

Instead the more he tries to sense the energy of the person that extinguish that pillar the more he became sleepy and almost feel asleep in his chair.

Hirate frowned as he now knows there is other expert in this world that does not reveal themselves to the world.

Meanwhile on the South America Wilderness, a three hundred kilometers radius of forest disappeared along with the pillars that used to be on this place.

Standing in the center of this unprecedented destruction of wilderness, was a young woman. She has pointed ears and fiery red hair, her face was perfect in the way it exudes grace and charms in the most natural way possible.

Lightning covered her entire body like she was the embodiment of lightning.

Time and Space distorted around her as it ripples and undulates like the waves of the sea, rippling unceasingly.

Her lightning was pale white as the wilderness were crowded with lightning snakes formed by the mass concentration of lightning coming off from the young woman body.

Wherever the lightning snakes passed, everything turns to atoms particles and dissipated into its Origin.

The lightning snakes were like a mini laws of time. Lightning flashes inside her eyes.

‘This pillars is too noisy’ she said complaining.

She hears the Song of unsealing from the world and knows the force of this world rejects this Pillar.

This young woman knows what is restricting the Weronians from unleashing their true power on Earth Prime.

She know what it is. And it is because she knows, she knows better than to covet it.

The moment she wakes up, she immediately could feel that invincible and grand momentum energy.

The Source of Everything. And the Source of Nothing.

It’s the All Source.

And she knew better than to mess with it. So, she only need to seek “it” instead of focusing on other unrelated stuff.

She had narrowed her choices.

Now she has to verify.

But this pillars is too noisy when she want to think. So, she destroy one of the pillars with one of her hand chop.

The surrounding Weronians that guarded the pillars were instantly turned into particles of dust the moment she releases her hand chop.

That hand chop of her freezes and accelerates time simultaneously, the pressure of which such conflicting concept colliding against each other, was beyond terrifying and meddles with the Laws of this World, crushing and grinding all the Weronians into nothingness.

She was about to rush to other place when she stops as she look towards the skies and frown.

‘Purifying fire of the Jade Palace?’

Then looking toward the direction of the horizon of Spain she understand something.

Someone is walking on the path of Perfection.

‘No wonder, no wonder’ she said only this word before she takes one step as lightning and speed around her was absorbed into her feet as she merged with the world and disappeared leaving a barren wilderness in what used to be a green and lush wilderness.

By now three of the five pillars were destroyed strengthening the restriction on Weronians.

All Weronians on Earth felt it, the screaming of their Ancestors deep inside their mind each time a pillars were destroyed.

And with each pillars being destroyed, they felt the gravity of this Earth pushing them down, making them slower and weaker.

It was like the pressure of Heaven is pushing them down.

Meanwhile Sasha was on Norway, talking to someone before paying the person she was talking to with some gold coins and went away.

She sighed as she recall that moment

One of the orders she received from Azief was to spy on Loki and the people Loki met. While it is not easy, Sasha manages to find some people that have some connection with Loki.

But she did failed shadowing Loki. He was too slippery and has long escape her surveillance.

So, instead of chasing him, Sasha decided to dig up anything she could find about Loki and the more she dig the more she felt suspicion in his heart about Loki.

She seems to discover many secrets and many absurd conclusion is forming inside her mind after finding out the many actions of Loki in the past.

The hypothesis she formed was chilling even for her.

She only hopes she was wrong.

Meanwhile when the snow has stopped falling in the Island of Peace and the snow is now falling all over Europe, a couple sneak into the secret facility of the World Government supporting each other, undetected and stealthily.

‘Only till here, Lihua. You go and do you task. When I am finished, I will come back to you.’ The man said calmly and with a tone full of love towards the woman holding his hand.

The woman seems hesitate to let go of the man hand but the man nodded. And the woman let go of his and said

‘Promise me’

‘I promise’ he said before using his brush to create a portal and entering into that portal.

Xu Cong is infiltrating Island of Peace. That was his secret edicts. Azief will no longer be caught unaware of any schemes the World Government has for him.

Lihua look as her lover enter the portal.

Sighing she uses the Teleportation Stone she bought and crush it on her hands as she was transported in a wide plains of Mongolia.

She was ready to execute her secret edicts.

Which is to train, rear and tame as many monster as she can. Unlike Beast Tamer Lihua skillsets was more like enchanting the beast with melody.

They will not be permanent pets like Boris ability but it is enough.

Imprint melody into the monster mind is what Lihua could do.

She didn’t know why Azief wanted her to imprint as many monster with her melody but she could guess.

Azief wanted a monster army behind him if one day he decides to dominate the scene.

Even though the relation between the many factions is now in peace, one knows that if the Weronian problems is solved, a greater storm will ensues.

And only powerful faction will have a voice in the upcoming era. Like before, Azief wanted his voice to be heard….and obeyed.

So, she will obeyed the orders and after finishing this task, she and her love will once again secluded themselves in some remote corner of the world, no longer participating in the affairs of the world, living like carefree immortals.

With the melody of her flute, behind her, like the Pied Piper of Hamelin is swarms of beast of different kind and sizes following her from behind unlike the Pied Piper who lures children.

The sight of a woman standing on top of a large sharp tusk gigantic elephant leading thousands of monstrous beast is a sight to behold as her melody fills the Plains.

The Heaven Flute Lihua is carving her name among the name of great heroines of this era.

***

JADE EMPIRE

THREE THOUSAND WORLDS

The Three Thousand World of the Jade Empire. It consist of Three Thousand Planets separated by three barriers.

The Three Thousand World is separated by Three Realms. The Human Realm. The Immortal Realm. The Heavenly Realm.

The Human Realm is where a race resembling humans live as they tries to break the barrier of their world and enter the Immortal realm.

The Immortal Realm lies people who have cultivated their strength and become an existence that could move mountain and sea with a wave of their hands.

These two Realm lies outside the Source Wall. But the Heavenly Realm lies inside the Source Wall.

The Heavenly Realm is where the Jade Emperor, his Heavenly Generals and ministers resides, possessing powers unimaginable, controlling rains, allotting fates and destiny to the two realms below them

And sitting on the Golden Throne of The Jade Palace is the Jade Emperor Yu Wang. Even though his body is sitting on the throne, he projected his astral body to cover up the Cauldron.

‘I will not let you terrorize the Nine Hells of the Three Thousand World again!’ Yu Wang vowed.

When Time was reset with the power of Time God, certain beings in the Universe was not affected.

Time resets, but their memories didn’t.

Beings like Odin, Ra, and Yu Wang was unaffected. Zeus was also unaffected but Zeus chose to erase that memory by himself since he got to know some secrets he wasn’t supposed to know.

And Yu Wang remembered. In that timeline, even though Azief did not reach perfection, he sweeps through the Universe with his Ten Eternal Rings.

He was invincible and unbeatable across the vast starry skies and the vast Universe. The High heaven could not suppress him, and Hell feared him

With his uncountable Ghost Army, Soul Reapers, he plagued the Universe and he even wanted to invade the Nine Hells.

Yu Wang at the time had no choice then to close Hell and sealed the Heavens and their Jade Palace was thrown into Deserted Dimension.

Yu Wang did not fight Azief because he was slumbering after the Tribulation of Heaven. Thus, only his General were left to protect the Palace which is no match for Azief.

Because of this reason Yu Wang could not let Azief attains perfection.

Even not attaining Perfection has turned that person that powerful.

If he attains perfection, Yu Wang is afraid when he would be slumbering, that Azief would open the closed gate of hells and break the sealing of his Heavens.

After all, Yu Wang knows that the Tribulation of Heaven will still fall and he will still slumber.

Which means, if nothing changes that much, someday, that million Ghost Army will once again terrorize the Universe.

The Cauldron was exploding with fires but Yu Wang palm was clean. Even Nirvanic Fire could not burn his hand full of Divine Energy and Universal Energy.

If he could wait until the Cauldron realize it is futile to resist his power, then Azief attainment of Perfection will be broken and the Path of Azief perfection will be broken.

As he was waiting suddenly through the void of the area around the Cauldron was rip apart by a powerful energy. This energy absorbs the stars in its vicinity as the stars nearby exploded.

Then a floating star appears protected by a blue dome of primordial energy. Yu Wang instantly recognized that star.

‘Interium’ he said to himself. Killing intent surged out from that stars that blotted out the colors of the Universe

It is not surprising since that star embodies war and battle.

How many souls has fallen inside that star, in an eternal battle that will never end as it roams the Universe searching for Great Warrior to joins its Lord in its eternal battle

‘Release your hand from the Cauldron, Yu Wang!’ A voice booming across the million years away pierces Yu Wang hearing.

‘Wargod!’ Yu Wang shouted back his shout shatter a nearby star.

Sitting on his Red Throne emanating aura of madness and bloodlust, Wargod appears with his throne in front of the astral projection of Yu Wang.

Skulls and bones decorate the handles of the thrones. He then spoke

‘Let him fulfill his destiny.’ Wargod said gently. Blue aura surges from his body that surges up to the Heavens and pierced the Three Realms of the Jade Empire.

‘And let him come and destroy my territory! What of my people? What of My dignity as the ruler of my Universe? I didn’t come to his Universe and started wrecking things and destroying stars and planets did I?’

Wargod closes his eyes, sighed and then opens his eyes as his eyes was full of grand wisdom that seems to see through every concept of the Universe and then said

‘And he will also fight me and heavily injured me. But I did not scheme against him. I did not pay attention to him and acted like the first time around. It wasn’t until he is walking the Path of Perfection I started watching him and you. Because I know if he succeed until this stage, he will face his greatest obstacle. You. Since the Nirvanic Cauldron is inside your Universe.’

Yu Wang hand is still covering the Cauldron as the growling and explosion is slowly getting slower.

‘We both know what will happen. But to think it will truly happen like that….that isn’t necessarily true. Our act might not change many things….but it change something. Yu Wang, I owe you. And I owe him. Then as paying what I am owed, I feel obligated to tell you this. If you want to create Karma…then create Good Karma. Because I owe him, I ask you to remove your hand and let him fulfil his Destiny. This time, if he succeed will it be that bad for you?’

Yu Wang was thinking.

Then he asked

‘What if he attains Perfection? Then in the future, even I could hardly stop him if he break through the Source Wall.’

‘There was never any guarantee. Only faith.’ Wargod said

‘I know your true identity’ Yu Wang suddenly said

Wargod smirks and nodded

‘I know you know’

‘That is why I feel it is ironic to hear you talking about faith after what happens to your race’

‘It is lack of faith that leads to my race being like that’

‘Faith about what?’ Yu Wang ask

‘Faith that everything has a Price. That there is retribution and repayment. For every blood spilled, for every lives taken, there is a Price for that. And it is lack of that Faith that leads to my race to be subjected into such condition’

Yu Wang close his eyes and trying to weighs Wargod words.

He sighed as his sigh traveled the three realms and everyone could feel in their heart some sort of heavy burden and this feeling haunted some cultivators for weeks while some for months.

Then Yu Wang open his eyes. Smiling he said

‘Then let me make a bet. That if a Good Karma is formed, then a Good resolution will be found. As he said this he releases his palm.

The weakening fire surged into life and the Cauldron roars as the heat could incinerate and purify black holes.

Wargod still sitting on his Red Throne smiles and nodded as he teleported back to his star.

The star overstayed it welcome so another rip in space was opened as the floating star went inside that rip and disappeared from the Source Wall.

Yu Wang then pointed his finger to the Purifying Fire that is about to descend and inject something inside the fire.

‘Since I already decided to form Good Karma then I will do it all the way.’

He injected something inside the Fire, something that will help Azief.

If this Karma that is formed will be good, then maybe, someday, that sight of a million Ghost army invading the jade Empire will not happen.

On Earth as Azief was about to float down, he suddenly felt it.

A surge of energy is about to descend. He look back at the skies, and all he could see the reddest flame he has ever seen in his life.

And he smiles.

***