“I thought this Organization was all about stopping ‘The Beginning,'” Victor asked, his voice laced with scepticism as a deep frown etched across his face.
The Master let out a soft, knowing chuckle. “Of course, Victor, our Organization was indeed created to stop The Beginning. But… not the process itself,” it added with a cryptic smile.
“The process?”
“Yes, the process,” the Master repeated, it’s tone turning more serious.
“There are certain things in this world that are inevitable—things that happen regardless of what anyone does.
They are like fate, you see?
Immutable and inescapable!!
Some events are meant to unfold, no matter who is involved.
Not even the gods possess the authority to defy the natural Laws of the Universe.
So, no matter how hard we try, these processes will occur at any cost.
They are the very fabric of the Laws of Nature” Its voice grew heavier, “If we were to challenge these laws, Nature itself would perceive us as its enemy. And trust me, Victor, Nature does not forgive—it eliminates.”
Victor nodded slowly, his mind processing, “I see… So, if that’s the case, then what about The Beginning? Shouldn’t it also be—”
The Master raised a hand, “No, no, no,” it interjected quickly,
“I know what you’re thinking, but The Beginning is not one of those immutable laws.
It is not ordained by Nature.
Rather, it is a game—a cruel, twisted game played by the gods themselves. They manipulate the pieces, but the Laws of Nature are simply part of the board, rules they must follow, like the steps in a game of chess. The gods play their games, but they still bow to the rules of the board.”
The figure leaned forward slightly, “That’s where we come in, Victor. We don’t… no, Cannot stop the game; We stop the players. The Chosen Ones—the pieces moved by the gods—they are our targets. They are the ones we must eliminate.”
Victor inhaled deeply, ‘Just who is this guy? How does he/she know so much?’ Victor’s thoughts swirled with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
Even Sovereign didn’t know about these!
The Master shifted his focus to Jack and continued, “At least you found this, Jack. That redeems some of your earlier missteps. But let me be clear—you still have unfinished business to take care of,” he said, his tone suddenly stern.
Jack stood at attention, his expression hardening with determination. “Yes, Master. I understand.”
Another figure, previously silent asked, “How are we supposed to activate this? This is the first time we’ve come across a stone like this,” they asked, their voice tinged with curiosity and uncertainty.
“Don’t concern yourself with that for now,” the Master replied, “We will discuss that in detail later.”
As the conversation shifted, Victor’s attention lingered on the image before him. His eyes traced the faint symbols etched into the picture. Though the markings were unclear, he recognized their distinct resemblance to the patterns on the other stones they’d encountered. ‘The Forbidden Language,’ he mused silently, squinting to decipher the symbols.
Despite his 40% comprehension of the language, Victor found himself at a frustrating dead end. The symbols danced tantalizingly close to clarity, yet still eluded him. He glanced at the Master, his mind racing. ‘If this guy knows about the stones, then he must understand this language too,’ he thought, carefully choosing his next words.
“Oh? These symbols… What do they mean? Are they just markings, or is there more to them?” Victor asked, his voice tinged with curiosity and feigned innocence.
The Master’s gaze fixed on Victor, “Those? They are merely scribbles—or perhaps some old incantations, nothing more,” it replied dismissively before shifting the conversation, “Now, Victor, your next task is… I want you to locate another stone like this in your Empire.”
Turning sharply to Jack, the Master continued, “As for you, I’ve already given you your orders, but I will reiterate. Use your puppets to locate any new types of monsters appearing across the Empires. Report to me immediately. Time is slipping through our fingers, and we cannot afford to waste it…. Also, investigate Kennedy’s escape from his prison. None of us aided him, which means someone from the outside might be trying to stir up trouble. Find them and report back!”
“Understood, Master,” Jack responded with a firm nod.
Victor offered a brief nod surprised to know Kennedy was one of them….
The Master snapped his fingers, causing both men to vanish from the room in an instant.
The Master stayed silent for a moment before it turned to the figure on its left, “You understand what this means, don’t you? The time has come… It’s time to bring… The Scarifice” as it throw the image of the Ebon Stone.
…
….
Meanwhile,
Victor reappeared in the shadowed alleyway he had vanished from hours earlier. His fists clenched tightly at his sides as frustration simmered within him. “That Master… whoever she/he is… knows this language. I’m sure of it,” he muttered under his breath.
With a flick of his wrist, two parchments materialized in his hands.
They were old, worn, and fragile. The once-new pages he had torn from a book in the Personal Realm had aged into near decay upon leaving the realm.
Victor squinted at the faded letters scrawled across the pages.
“I hate him… He… away…. I hate her… She… away… I kill… and… I love… Ether is…” he read aloud, piecing together fragments with difficulty. His limited comprehension of 40% left him unable to construct full sentences. However, one thing was certain. “This… this is someone’s Personal Diary,” he concluded with a sigh.
Leaning against the alley wall, Victor shook his head. He had risked his life, hoping these pages would be a significant clue. Instead, it appeared to be nothing more than fragmented emotional diary and cryptic musings.
“If Nightfire knew about this, she’d chew me out for days,” Victor muttered with a wry chuckle.
He straightened and pocketed the parchments, “Well, not everything revolves around me, and not everything is a clue, I suppose,” he murmured to himself, a faint smile crossing his lips.
He decided to get more information about the stone from Jack later.
For now,
“Let’s pay my darling a visit~,” Victor murmured with a playful grin before vanishing in an instant.
In the next moment, he reappeared outside the grand gates of Frostblade Mansion.
“Whoooosss…” he let out a low whistle, his ice-blue eyes sweeping over the imposing structure…. Memories of his early days surfaced.
This place… it was the very beginning of his journey—his adventure.
As Victor took a step forward, the guards stationed at the gates immediately moved to block his path, their spears crossing in front of him.
“Who are yo—”
“Victor….. Victor Draconyx,” he replied coolly, his tone calm yet indifferent.
At the mention of his name, both guards froze for a split second before springing into action. They hastily opened the gates, their voices booming as they fell to their knees. “The Mighty Dragon Emperor has arrived!!!”
Victor arched a brow, mildly amused as the mansion erupted in a flurry of movement. Maids and servants poured out of the entrance, lining up neatly on either side of the path. They bowed deeply, their heads dropping to a perfect ninety-degree angle.
Amidst the commotion, a familiar figure hurriedly emerged from the mansion—Alfred, the Butler. But before Alfred could reach Victor, Velc shoved him aside, almost sending the poor man sprawling. Velc sprinted toward Victor, his face lighting up with a mix of respect and nervous anticipation.
“W-Welcome, Dragon Emperor,” Velc greeted him with a wide smile, bowing so low it was a wonder he didn’t topple over. He rubbed his hands together nervously, his subservience almost comical in its eagerness.
Victor’s lips twitched upward in amusement. ‘Damn, I’d love to see the dumbstruck face he’d make if he saw the real me,’ he thought, briefly tempted to remove his mask.
“How was your journey? I hope it wasn’t too troublesome? Your delay had us worried, sir,” Velc inquired, his voice a mixture of curiosity and flattery. His daughter had mentioned Victor would arrive the day before.
“Well, you—” Victor began to answer but was quickly interrupted.
“Oh! Forgive me for my foolishness, daring to think you could encounter any problems. You, the ruler of an empire, would find such trivialities beneath you. What arrogance of me to even suggest it!” Velc exclaimed, his tone dripping with obsequiousness as he bent even lower.
Victor opened his mouth to respond again, but his words were cut off by an ear-piercing scream.
“DDDDARRRRRRRRRLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGGGGG~~”
In the blink of an eye, something—or rather someone—hurtled toward Victor at a speed that could rival a bullet.
Selene Frostblade.
The collision was almost instantaneous, and the sheer force sent Victor bending backwards at an alarming angle—his torso dipping to a sharp forty-five degrees… But this time, unlike his encounter with Liora, Victor didn’t go flying.
He had learned his lesson well!!
The servants and maids collectively gasped and instinctively moved closer, ready to catch him if he fell. But to their amazement, Victor, like 20 degrees bent suddenly like a coiled spring, straightened back to his original stance, but but Selene still latched onto him.
The sight left everyone awestruck. ‘Dragon Emperor… truly needs no one’s assistance!’ they thought in unison, nodding to each other with admiration. A ripple of applause spread through the gathered staff, as though they had just witnessed an acrobatics performance worthy of a talent show.
Victor’s expression softened as he looked at Selene, who was clinging to him like an overjoyed child. Her slender legs were wrapped snugly around his neck, her arms holding onto his head as she perched atop him. Her radiant smile was infectious, and Victor couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
“Selene…” he murmured, his voice gentle…. A voice that almost made Maid’s heart stolen!
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