บท 85: Icy Shade of Blue

"The shock from the attack gave me no time to contemplate the truly terrifying part!"

Rhea wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"When I entered the final part of the future, I sensed the grayness in the city. I felt uneasy, but it wasn't horrifying enough to make me feel fear. Then I saw that gray man... There was a bad feeling but not enough to make me feel fear. But then suddenly, I started feeling fear like never before from that man. It was spontaneous and happened in a fraction after seeing that man. This was the most horrifying part!"

Rhea tried to remember the details of the vision as she contemplated further.

"Something happened in the fraction of mini-seconds that made me feel fear. I don't know what happened, but whatever it was... made me feel that the gray man has the ability to wipe out the entire world. Now that I think of it...I sensed a faint trace of.....!!!!"

Rhea started shaking as she thought of what she has sensed. She was someone whose bloodline originated from Lords Of Time, so she was sure her senses couldn't be wrong.

"No! There was something even more terrifying matter as far as I am concerned!" Rhea shook her head.

"How could I forget what that gray existence told me before I was engulfed by the gray vortex?"

The words he said were still fresh in her mind: "Bitch, you want to die?"

Rhea's scalp turned numb as she thought of this.

"I am alive! This is the strangest part!"

Rhea was sure the gray existence in the final vision was capable of killing her and yet, she was alive. His voice was filled with killing intent, and yet he didn't truly kill her.

"The gray matter is corroding me, but it has never truly tried to kill me!"

Rhea's back turned cold.

"It is like the future I saw was a part of a trap!"

Rhea didn't dare believe her guesses. She realized the attack from the future wasn't as horrifying as the other things.

A few minutes later, she cleared her mind and focused on Poseidon who was looking at her with concern.

"Holy Seer, I am answering your summons," Poseidon gave her a polite bow.

"I called you for this," Rhea waved her hand, and a small white crystal appeared in the air. The crystal flew to Poseidon.

"This is..." Poseidon looked carefully at the crystal.

"I have tried to inscribe the images of the existence we couldn't afford to offend," Rhea explained, "Alas, the gray matter would corrode my organs whenever I try to inscribe the images of that existence. The pain is so strong that I couldn't even think, much less inscribe."

"Then this crystal?" Poseidon asked. He now understood why she was struggling with the gray matter minutes ago. She must have paid a heavy price trying to inscribe the images.

"I was able to inscribe one image from the first future, but then the attack of gray matter turned far too stronger for me to continue," Rhea explained, "The crystal contains that one image."

"I understand," Poseidon thanked her again, "Could you explain to me about that existence?"

"I can't," Rhea shook her head before saying, "If I try, the gray matter would attack me again with far greater intensity. I have suppressed the gray matter temporarily, but I am sure it would become active once again."

"There is no need then," Poseidon felt chills just thinking of the words Rhea has spoken. It was as if the gray matter has its own free will.

"You can leave," Rhea said as she closed her eyes. She wished to recover enough before the gray matter attacked her again.

Poseidon gave her a bow before turning around to leave.

"One more thing," Rhea suddenly opened her eyes. She chose her next words carefully, afraid she will activate the gray matter.

"Yes?" Poseidon looked back.

"Just remember to never underestimate someone due to their weak outer appearance," Rhea said, thinking of the multiple forms of that existence.

Poseidon's eyes turned wide with realization. 'Someone' was definitely referring to that mysterious existence.

"Thank you for your guidance."

Poseidon left the temple.

****

The throne room of Atlantis.

Poseidon sat on the golden throne. Inside the room, there were the important officials of Atlantis.

Mermaid, siren, sea serpent, Leviathan, and sea monk were among the officials who knelt in front of the throne.

Poseidon's wife, Anthea, stood below the dais, looking at her husband.

"Rise," Poseidon commanded.

"Thank you, your majesty," The officers said as they rose.

"I have summoned you all to share important information," Poseidon's voice was heavy as he brought the white crystal.

He tapped the crystal, and soon, everyone in the throne room saw a life-like image of a handsome man sitting in a restaurant. The man has black hair and blue eyes.

Anthea looked at the image carefully. From what she could judge, the man seemed to be a human in his early twenties.

"Who is he?" Anthea asked the question that everyone in the room wanted to ask but didn't dare.

"I don't know," Poseidon answered.

Don't know?!

Everyone looked at Poseidon in confusion.

"Don't look at me like that," Poseidon coldly said, "I only know he is someone from a human city known as Delta City. This image was given by Holy Seer."

"Holy Seer?!" Anthea and others sucked in a breath of cold air. Poseidon was their king, but Rhea was their god!

The awe for a king can never compare to the devotion to the god.

"Holy Seer has warned us to never offend this man," Poseidon's eyes traced everyone, "Our sea race rarely participates in the matters of humans, so the chances of offending this man are low, but it is better to be safe than sorry."

"Holy Seer has warned?!" Anthea couldn't believe the words.

The man seemed to be in his twenties... and yet Holy Seer gave him such importance? She didn't dare believe this youth had the power to make Atlantis dread him.

Poseidon then passed Holy Seer's message of not underestimating this kid due to his weak outer appearance.

Everyone looked at each other in dismay. It was clear that there was more to this youth than what he let the world know.

"Should we spread the information in Atlantis?" A mermaid asked.

"No, some of our race members have been corrupted by humans," Poseidon replied, "If everyone knows this information, then the humans will learn it as well. So keep this information among yourselves.

"Just make sure our race members never enter Delta City or the surrounding area. You are allowed to use force to ensure this order is strictly followed."

"We understand," The officers nodded their heads.

They realized that Poseidon would be happy if humans offended this existence and harmed themselves in the process.

If the information was spread, then the chances of such confrontation would reduce, which wasn't beneficial to Atlantis. Sure, Atlantis was in a treaty with humans, but in the end, they were of different races.

Almost everyone in the top echelons knew that a day would come when the delicate balance of power would break. From that day, the global struggle for supremacy would turn into a full-fledged war.

Poseidon wanted humans to destroy their own foundation by their own hands before that day arrived. This was the reason why he never helped the World Government in matters related to 'Revolutionaries'.

After all, both the government and revolutionaries were made up of humans.

As long as the struggle between different factions of humans continued, it was beneficial to Atlantis.

"You can leave," Poseidon dismissed the officers.

Anthea was still looking at the image of the man.

"What's the matter?" Poseidon asked in a lazy tone.

"That man seems familiar," Anthea replied.

"You have seen him before?" Poseidon was shocked.

He was sure she had never visited Delta City or the surrounding area, so where had she seen him?

"No," Anthea disagreed, "It is just that some of the facial features seem familiar to someone I once met."

"Hmm?" Poseidon was intrigued.

"I am sure I have seen those eyes before... The ones I remember were an icy shade of blue."