Chapter 183
Chapter 183 - Two Persons (1)
1
The rippling waves of light turned hazy within the darkness, and the silence continued .
Two people . . . no, one person and a being that used to be a human silently stared at each other . There were only 20 steps between the two of them . However, there was 220 years piled atop of them .
They looked at each other, and mixed emotions were exchanged between them . He couldn’t see Carlos’ face, but Azell was confident they were feeling the same emotions .
There was a maelstrom of words within his chest that he wanted to blurt out . However, when it came time to speak, he had no idea what he should say first .
“You…… . ”
In the end, Azell opened his mouth first .
“I heard you became bald . ”
<Is that all you have to say after meeting me after 200 years?>
Carlos was dumbfounded as he laughed . Azell smirked .
“Your thought construct reacted a bit differently . He became angry . ”
<It has been a long time since I created it . I'm not angry at hearing such words . Actually, I welcome it . >
“You welcome it?”
<Yes . It is proof that there is someone that is willing to talk to me as if I'm human . Moreover… That person happens to be you, Azell . >
“…… . ”
<It has been very long since I’ve had a proper conversation with a human . It has been over a hundred years . >
When he spoke those words, one could hear a deep loneliness in his voice . There was a bizarre ring to his voice, but there was also his emotions mixed within it . It made Azell’s heart ache to hear it .
Azell took a step closer as he asked a question .
“Did you purposely isolate me from my party?”
<Yes, I’ve been observing you, and I know you have good companions . However, I don’t want us to be interrupted during this time . >
“I see…… . ”
A good amount of time had passed, but Azell was the only one that had arrived at this place . There had been no news from his party members . This wouldn’t have happened unless this was Carlos’ intention .
Azell queried him .
“The Guardian Shadows acted as your eyes and ears . ”
<You are still quick on the uptake . >
“I also know that they are your eyes and ears, but they cannot be your mouth . You would have conveyed your intentions at a much early date if you were capable of doing it . ”
<That’s right . Unfortunately, I had to go through these inconveniences to protect my secrets . I cannot unilaterally use methods that is only convenient for me . >
“The more you act in pursuit of your own convenience, it’ll allows your opponent to use it against you . You always used to say that . ”
<When you went to sleep, I always told my students that phrase . I taught that about the concept of security . >
“I’m guessing a lot had occurred even after I went to sleep?”
<Even if I churn out a page of record per day, I won’t be able to finish it in 20 years . That is how much incidents had occurred after you went to sleep . >
“I don’t like long-winded stories . You should summarized it, and just tell me the fun parts . ”
<The fact that I can hear such shameless statements makes me really realize that I am meeting my friend Azell . >
“I don’t know if you changed in your old age or not, but I just know that you went bald . ”
<I was sad, but that’s old news . My body is in a state where it doesn’t matter if I have hair or not . >
“…… . ”
<Mmm? You don’t like my joke?>
“…truthfully, I don’t . Let’s discuss that at a later time . Let’s talk about the fun stuff first . ”
<I would like you to go first . >
“Huh?”
<You are here in reality . Your voice is the same as the one I remember… . You probably don’t realize how deeply moved I am right now, Azell . >
“…… . ”
<I want you to tell me what has gone on after you woke up . I want you to tell me what the Guardian Shadows were unable to report…… . >
“Shall I?”
<It doesn’t seem right for you to be standing, while you are telling your story . You should have a seat over there . >
Azell followed his words . There was a suitable stone next to him, so Azell sat on it .
“I guess I don’t have to worry about where to start my story…… . ”
Azell started his story from the time he woke up within the Balan forest . He spoke about what he experienced when he was found by the Western Border Guards of the Rulain Kingdom . He spoke about the Dragon Demon princess Arrieta, and the encounter he had with Carlos’ thought construct, who had gotten angry at Azell for making fun of his baldness .
His story was long .
Was it really ok for them to speak in such laid back manner in such a situation? The question arose inside his mind, but he ignored it . At that moment, he wanted to forget all other problems .
Carlos listened to Azell’s story, and he had fun chiming in with his own words .
<You’ve experienced much in a short amount of time . It seems you are not destined to live a quiet life . >
“Unfortunately, you are right . ”
<After you went to sleep, I met those that lived turbulent lives . Some of them helped me save the world . >
“I’ve read the recorded history books, yet I never read about such events . They did list your many achievements, but… . . ”
<These events didn’t come to the forefront of history . I took care of it before they could surface . >
“I see…… . ”
Carlos’ current state might have had something to do with those incidents .
When Azell became silent, Carlos asked a question .
<Do you have something specific you want to ask me?>
“Hmm . Let’s see… . How did Rogan lose his business?”
<Oh . That really was an unfortunate situation . Thanks to that incident, I lost the money I invested in his business . >
“You invested in his business?”
<I did . It was when Rogan had a money flow problem . In truth, I wanted to help him more, but he turned me down . >
“I see . ”
Rogan had made many friends in the Dragon Demon war, and these friends had helped Rogan, when he was in a tough spot . Carlos was one of those friends . Of course, he helped out .
Carlos spoke in a playful manner .
<Should I tell you another story?>
“What kind of story?”
<After you went to sleep, do you know that countless women came to the County of Karzark claiming to have born your child? The County of Karzark suffered a lot because of it . >
“Oohk…… . ”
It looked as if Carlos had hit a sore spot . It was to be expected, since he had heard about the problem from the Keepers of Prophecy, who were his descendents . Even if he had ten mouths, Azell couldn’t say anything about the problem .
“C . . . can we not talk about that?”
<That isn’t possible . I want to tell you the exact details, and I believe it is your duty to hear it out . >
“Shit . I’m all ears . . ”
<I feel a grim resolve from you . It is akin to when you went into battle with your life on the line . I’ll gladly tell you all about it, my friend . >
Carlos seemed very delighted as he spoke about stories that had piled up within him .
2
While Azell met Carlos, his party was guided towards a different space .
A Guardian Shadow appeared in front of the flustered party, and it spoke to them .
<Hello everyone . I am Carlos Rizester . I know who all of you are . I’ve watched all of you through the Guardian Shadows . >
“What about Azell?”
Laura was facing the legendary Archmage, but surprisingly, she asked about Azell first . Carlos laughed as he answered her . He seemed amused .
<He is with me . It has truly been a long time since I’ve met my friend . Will you not all two friend to catch up for a short time?>
Of course, the party had no grounds to refuse his request . They had no choice, but to wait until Azell finished talking with Carlos .
“Still, it is a reunion after 220 years . If they are planning to catch up with each other, 4 days and 4 nights won’t be enough . Are they going to leave us here for that long?”
Leticia grumbled .
They were in a communal space with magic surrounding them . Faint magic lights floated through the air like fireflies . It lit the surrounding very dimly . The light only reached the vicinity of the party members . There was only complete darkness a short distance away . .
Yuren looked at the darkness as he furrowed his brows .
“I’ve seen this darkness before… . . . ”
“Darkness is darkness . How can a darkness look familiar to you?”
Leticia rebuked him .
However, she was feeling a similar sentiment as him at that moment . The darkness filling this place was infused with remarkable amount of power .
Laura spoke .
“I know what it is . ”
“What?”
“This is the Great Darkness . ”
Everyone startled in surprise .
The only one amongst them that had seen the heart of the Great Darkness was Laura . This was why her words held weight here .
Yuren queried her .
“It doesn’t look entirely similar, right?”
“I’m not sure . It does feel slightly different, but I cannot put my finger on it… . . ”
Laura narrowed her eyes as she observed the darkness with her magic . She started using all types of magic to see through to the true nature of the darkness .
‘I’m lost . ’
However, she couldn’t see through it . The magical construct was too complex . She could only observe its surface . It was impossible for her to see through to its inner side .
Laura wasn’t familiar with such an experience . She wasn’t as good in battle, but she was one of the top magicians of this generation . The only time she found herself lacking was when she looked at the artifacts left behind by Atein .
‘The Archmage Carlos was a figure of this caliber? But…… . ’
One could just look at the records inside the Plain of Darkness to know how great Carlos was . He was like Azell . His abilities transcended the limits of humans .
However, she was having a hard time accepting this fact .
The magic within the Plain of Darkness had advanced much further compared to the days of the Dragon Demon war .
Atein, Aunsaurus and Baldazark had been transcendent beings, but they were exception to the rule . If one looked at the overall approach to magic and research, their descendants had advances past that era . For example, Azell had become surprised when she was able to disguise her Dragon Demon magic as regular magical energy .
‘Still, it had only been 200 years, yet he was able to recreate the Great Darkness by himself?’
Carlos had gained powers that rivalled the Dragon Demon generals in his 20s . It wasn’t ‘just’ 200 years . It might have been possible if it was him .
Still, a combat oriented magician weren’t comparable with other types of magicians . The Great Darkness wasn’t something that could be created just because one was outstanding in battle .
If Aunsaurus’ handwritten accounts were true, Atein was the only one that had been able to understand the true nature of the Great Darkness .
Those that were connected by the Great Darkness could transcend the limitations placed by distance . It was possible to speak in real time through the Great Darkness . This special property allowed one to gather an enormous amount of information .
Atein had created greater artifacts using the Great Darkness as basis . For example, he was able to create results like the Road of Darkness . He was able to achieve ridiculous results like being able to cause simultaneous magical effects several dozen kilometers away .
The Great Darkness encompassed the whole continent, but there was no burden in maintaining it . There were no magic circles needed, and no facilities were made . In fact, magical energy wasn’t needed to maintain the Great Darkness .
This wasn’t just something that transcended the common sense of magic . It defied logic of this world . Basically, he had creating something out of nothing .
‘I wonder what kind of person he is . ’
She was really curious . She hadn’t been this curious since she had met Azell .
Suddenly, the party felt a chill .
Sss-oooooooh…… .
“Who are you?”
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login