Opening myself up to the changes plaguing this realm, a mystifying change rippled through the core of my being as my bones, hair, eyes, flesh, and more evolved. I was changing. And it wasn't by a little. On a fundamental level, I was evolving, as was my Shadowfell. They all could feel it. And knew to keep their mouths shut.
Still jittery with this sensation that felt both painful and pleasurable, I focused more on refining the blood laws within me as Lily had recommended.
"Can I ride with you?" Seraphina asked, galloping to my side with a pale expression. "This cold… It's eating away at my reserves."
"Sure, you not just horny?" I teased with a large grin.
Snorting cutely, Sera flicked me off. " Screw off, Arsene."
"Is that an invitation? As a man of culture, I'll take one for the team!" I chivalrously said, clasping my hands over my chest in a gentlemanly manner. "Seraphina, thou shall be bedded!"
'I hate you."
Laughing, I beckoned her aboard.
Seraphina snorted but still hopped on as Kuro sent the horse back into the void of darkness. The little fox stared at me with pure judgment.
"I'm telling master." She said, narrowing her eyes.
My lips twitched. " I'm a man."
"I'm telling."
"I'm a king…."
"She's going to kill you." Said Kuro. "I'm going to tell Lilith too."
A chill colder than this Eternal Winter ran through me as I groaned and ignored the little girl. "You're a dick."
Kuro nodded. " You taught me well."
Lost for words, Lily laughed. " You sure that's not your daughter?"
"I hear that. Although, she is practically adopted." I mused, with a small smile, slowing the horse. I gave Kuro some head pats, watching as she tilted her head with confusion. She reached her head up like a little cat, being met with affection.
"Just over that mountain, we'll…." Adrian paused as a wave of heat suddenly clashed with the cold.
The winds spiraled out of control as the clouds twisted into a spiraling frenzy that stretched far over the grey horizon. I stared with growing unease and caution.
"What the hell is that?" Said, Adrian
"The clashing of elements," Sera said, tightening her grip around my waist.
Dismounting my horse, I took to the skies and stared towards the south, north, east, and west, towards the terrifying desert to the northwest, the blistering winter to the south, and the disaster of the west, consumed with tornados and storms.
In the east, however, the direction we were heading seemed calm. It appeared like the most normal, but I was sure the east Provence would be ravaged by this destruction when this stalemate with the elements ended.
"What do you see, Master!" Adrian shouted.
"Hell," I answered, returning on horseback. " We got lucky. We best hurry and make it to sea before anything else happens."
"Wouldn't it have been better to have a starship?" Kuro mentioned, but I only shook my head. "The ships were designed for space, and even the ones meant to travel on various planets didn't account for this level of destruction by the Elements." Kicking at the Mare to continue forth, I pushed on. "Put it out of your mind for now. Time isn't on our side."
Galloping, unsure when the stalemate would end, I pushed out my killing intent to scare off any fool. I'd hate not making it in time and being forced to swim or walk over an ocean.
Keeping the pace for seven days through sheets of hail and rain, even I felt my energy drain. Despite adapting to the cold, the elements constantly grew stronger and adapting took energy.
"I see it!" Kuro shouted with excitement.
I nodded, seeing a port city with a dock filled with ships. My heart thundered as I held the reins to my horse tighter. "Keep pushing."
The horse could move at light speed, but Ilutathat was so goddamn big that it made transversing everything difficult.
Gods, I hope Arcadia isn't like that. I hate big worlds now.
DING!!!!
Pulling out the Holocube as it chimed, I frowned as the image of Avar appeared. "How far are you?"
"... Aren't you tracking me?"
"I am," Avar coldly said. "Make it halfway into the Calvor Sea, and I'll have a star cruiser waiting for you. One that can survive in this elemental hellscape."
"Just how far along is Genisis?" I hesitantly asked, and Avar severed the connection.
"It's super far along. Science is an amazing thing." Lily answered. "Long ago, before Zariel and his regime over Ilutahath. It was the people of Genisis who invaded the Overworld, slaughtering so many. Dozens of wars broke out. Killing so many that the other realms had to intervene."
"Why? Genesis doesn't seem like a civilization that cares much for war or territory."
"Of course, they don't," Lily remarked. "They do it to steal the genetic mutation ability of the Overworlders. Once they got it, the rest of the war was a formality. A scheme to hide that fact. By the time the Lords of the Overworld figured out what had happened, the war had ended, and a new World Order had begun in Genesis. One of cybernetics and enhancements."
Genesis… the realm created by sloth. A realm that could change everyone's lives with a single piece of technology if they wished.
"Compared to my Shadowfell. How do we stand against Genesis?" I asked lily.
"Flip a coin. You might have the advantage in genetics, but the people of Genisis have the advantage with technology that rivals paragons. It will be a good fight. But it's really up to leadership in the end."
"By the Holy Order of Ophelia! Halt!" Shouted a bannerman near the gates to the Port city.
"Shit… it's them." lily muttered.
"You know them?"
"Sadly. Good luck."
Intrigued by Lily's regard for these people, my eyes scanned the dozen or so guarded, armed like knights. Draped in silver-plated armor with ancient-looking runes over each plate.
"By the Order of the Bishop Knight, Lorell Grovnic, none are allowed entry. Turn away or be fired upon!" Bows grew arched, and arrows nocked, as dozen of guards stood with coldness in their eyes.
Quite aware of the hidden eyes watching me from behind the Wall, brewing coldness sank into my veins. "Is there a reason for this… Transgression?" I calmly asked, glancing toward Adrian and Kuro.
It was only a glance, but they understood.
"Retreat!" Shouted the bannerman. "I shan't ask again!"
"Arsene," Sera whispered. " Don't do it. We can sneak in."
"I don't sneak." I coldly said as my forsaken qi erupted.
As if an atomic bomb went off, the armor, weapons, arrow, bows, and the Wall became atomized. Dust flared like a wild whirlwind, but at that moment, both Kuro and Adrian flickered like two gods of death and carved into the defenseless men and women.
"Idiots," I muttered. " I swear, who the hell do they think they are? I ought to slaughter this entire port. They're lucky I'm a merciful king."
"There is nothing merciful about this," Sera spat angrily, pointing towards the corpses drenching the snow. Some of their eyes were still bloodshot and wide, in their final moments with regret and hope.
"Hmmm? Suicide is always an option Sera. These people dared to point their weapons at me. What other outcome was there?" I casually mentioned, stepping over the snow, guzzling blood like a blood fiend.
Smiling like nothing here was my problem, the port city alarms bellowed, stirring the city awake. Lights flared, and knights of all kinds armed to the bone began to approach, their eyes hidden behind their helms wide and frightful.
"Greetings. I am Tenebrous. King of Noctom. And I require a ship. Fetch me one."
The area being watched by citizens and soldiers grew alarmed as my killing intent fell upon the city, withering the elderly and youth to the End. The greyish skies shifted to the color of blood as if attuned to my will, leaving only the winds that carried the scent of death.
"Let me through, I say!" A haughty voice with an unmistakable obnoxiousness shouted, pushing through the line.
"My Lord!"
"Stand aside, I say! Useless buffoons." The Lordling spat, entering my line of sight; he stood tall, well over seven feet, with a light shade of blue in his eyes that seemed to have faded to grey over time.
Fixed upon how the Laws of Time bonded to his being like nats on shit. I instantly knew he was a Time Lord.
"He's from the Badlands," Lily muttered. "Careful. He might be a paragon or damn near close to it."
"Lorell—"
"Ser Lorell Grovnic," He spat, snorting as his eyes slid to the butchered bodies behind Kuro and Adrian. Lorell slid his gaze to me with a darkening glow. "Do you know what you've done?"
"Is this Ophelia an enemy?" I asked lily.
"Does it matter? You do you, Arsene. I've never seen you listen to anyone anyway." Lily mentioned, as a matter of fact.
"Is something funny!" Shouted Lorell grimly. "You slaughter my brethren, destroy our Wall! And you smile!"
"He smiles because he smells a bitch," The venomous Kuro coldly chimed in. "Keep barking, doggy. And see what happens."
The smile on my lips deepened. But Lorell had gone blue with rage. He flashed, but so too did Kuro.
Meeting each other halfway, Kuro's dagger 'Pride' clashed with Lorells fist, sending a radiant shockwave throughout. Divinity rippled out as Kuro's blade arm was pushed high into the air, leaving her open.
Seeing a clear opening, Lorell's right arm shuddered with deadly sword intent. He stabbed at Kuro's neck with the intent to run her through. Nevertheless, with a quick reaction, Adrian appeared with a cool blaze in his eyes, already wielding his spear.
"Shadow Slash." Whispered my disciple calmly.
Almighty essence flared like an eternal storm, sucking the divinity from heaven and earth. Blood danced over his eyes as Lorell retreated with a small gash over his plated armor.
An Almighty attack did so little damage? Just how strong is that armor? Interesting.
The prestige on Lorell dipped as he touched the wound over his left shoulder; barely an inch deep, he looked up with calm eyes. The arrogance he held dead.
"Stand back.' I calmly asked, sensing a few alarms go off.
Whispers amongst the crowd rang but quickly went silent as Lorells battle intent awakened.
As if a feral beast that had fought every day of its life had been torn from its slumber, I felt a wave of anger, a loathing of all things alive, swell from Lorell.
'You'll pay for that."
"My Lord," Kuro whispered, retreating behind me. "His fist… it has a terrifying vibration to it. I think he can control the frequency of his attacks. I—"
Kuro paused, and my eyes widened as an Abyssal aura erupted off Lorells body, causing laws of all kinds to recede in fear. Lorell fingers twisted and warped into deadly claws, sure to shred laws apart, while his muscles began to bulge.
In but an instant, the man had evolved into something else. He still appeared human, but he was clearly not.
'Hmm. I forgot to tell you he had an Abyssal Bloodline. A Lycan, I believe." Lily casually added.
"How the hell is that possible?!"
"Might have happened during the trial to open Iluthath. I believe he is what you all call Halfbloods. He's no abyssal fiend, nor is he whatever he was before. Although he does have a system. Godspeed, Arsene.
Fuck!
Unsheathing Noctem from the darkness of night. I rested the blade over my shoulder. "An Abyssal Bloodline. I wonder how you managed that."
"I was chosen! Chosen by a True God, a higher being within the Abyss. He blessed be, or perhaps cursed me." Lorell answered as black veins stretched from his neck to his eyes.
Well, that explains a lot.
"Holy Order of Ophelia," I mentioned, observing the revere trickle in and fade. He smiled slightly and took his stance.
"Kill everyone," I said to Kuro and Adrian, not taking my eyes off Lorell, who only stared without care. "That includes the old and young. Everyone."
Flashing the moment, I felt something dip in Lorell. Time froze as Noctem shredded apart time and space. It parted the laws, like gods prophet at the red sea.
Dreadful blacklight swallowed by the storm struck Lorell, who barely had time to parry. The ding of steel on steel hammered through the realm, releasing a pillar of light as I tore through the gaps. Lorell's defense shattered as my spear skidded through his claws.
Blood whipped over my cheeks and eyes.
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