Chapter 2556: The Sovereigns |
A desolate wasteland was basking in the blinding light of high noon. The sun was like a small silver coin in the azure sky, melting as its rays bathed the world in heat and radiance. The shadows were small and formless, hiding under the rocks and rusting carcasses of ancient war machines.
Three colossal Gates towered above the wasteland, facing each other. Each formed an apex of a triangle, and there was considerable distance between them.
One of the Dream Gates was dark and nebulous, rending the world like an inky-black rift. The second one was pure and radiant, shining like the sun. The last one was like a mirror, reflecting the wasteland back upon itself.
No one was here, in the ravaged heart of the Eastern Quadrant, to witness them — no one except for the millions of figures who stood still under the cruel rays of the blazing sun, covering the wasteland behind the Mirror Gate like a vast sea. Some of them looked like humans, while some glanced like Nightmare Creatures... naturally, all of them were a single being. Mordret, the King of Nothing.
As the sun moved across the azure expanse of the boundless sky, the shadows slowly crawled out of their shelters. The darkness of the Shadow Gate seemed to flow forward, too — then, it surged and swelled, and a tenebrous legion rose from its lightless depths.
Tens of thousands of shades marched onto the wasteland, with several titanic figures lumbering among them like dark giants. The Shadow Legion assembled into a flawless battle formation, facing the King of Nothing and his myriad vessels silently.
Finally, a sole figure appeared from the Sun Gate, landing on the ground in front of it like a radiant spirit of pure light. Her radiant wings folded, and her luminosity dimmed, revealing ivory skin and hair that was like a torrent of liquid silver. Regarding the sea of vessels with an aloof expression, she took a step forward and walked to the center of the triangle formed by the three Dream Gates.
Of course, she was Nephis of Immortal Flame, Changing Star — the ruler of the Human Domain and the guiding star of humanity.
Almost at the same time, a figure rose from the shadow of the second gate. It was a young man with porcelain skin and raven-black hair, with eyes so dark that they almost seemed like two glistening onyx gemstones. He was Sunless, the Lord of Shadows — the Sovereign of Death. He headed to the center of the triangle as well, and everywhere he passed, the shadows seemed to grow deeper.
He was Mordret of Nowhere, the King of Nothing.
Slightly past noon, the three demigods met on the scorched sands of the barren wasteland in the Eastern Quadrant.
Sunny was the first to speak.
He studied Mordret for a few seconds, then looked at the millions of motionless vessels behind him and smiled darkly.
“My, oh my. I did not think we would meet again so soon. I guess congratulations are in order?"
Mordret looked... a little eerie, really. There had always been something subtly unnerving about him — a vague sense of wrongness caused by the absence of something that all humans were supposed to possess — but now, a new layer of inexplicable strangeness was layered on top of that. It was as if... as if...
As if Mordret was even less related to anything human than he had been before. As if he was a myriad of broken shards that had been a person once hiding under human skin.
"Why thank you, Sunless."
Mordret smiled and inhaled with a full chest.
“Ah, it feels good to be king."
In an utterly unnerving display of unity, the millions of vessels behind him all smiled at the same time. Sunny struggled to maintain a composed expression, feeling a cold shiver making its way up his spine.
‘Never thought there would come a day when I'll see Nightmare Creatures smiling.’ Granted, their attempts at mimicking Mordret looked more like frightening snarls than the pleasant smile playing on his lips. Nephis spoke at that moment, her even tone showing no sign of being disturbed by the eerie scene:
“You should be feeling it by now. The laws of this realm rejecting you... pushing you out. So, let us not waste time on meaningless pleasantries and get to the point."
She was right. Staying in the waking world for a short while was not impossible, but they were weakened here. More than that, it was straining — the longer Sunny lingered, the more the pressure on him mounted, and the harder it was to push against the walls of the world that seemed to want to crush him.
It was easier to do for Nephis, who shared an inherent connection to both worlds — but only relatively. All that meant was that she could return more often and stay for longer, not that she wasn't affected in the same way.
Actually, there was no telling what relationship Mordret had with the waking world... the War Realm. After all, he had inherited the lineage of War God — and more than that, his powers had to do with mirrors. As someone who reflected the world in front of him, he could possess an inherent advantage when it came to adapting to its laws.
Then again, he could be having it as rough as Sunny.
Mordret chuckled.
"What is the point, Changing Star? Are you two going to attack me?"
Nephis stared at him evenly.
At first glance, it looked like they had gathered here to fight. However, the millions of vessels, the Shadow Legion, and the three Dream Gates... it was all just for show. A statement of their power and a silent reminder of what would happen if they were to clash.
In truth, the continent would probably not be able to endure the dreadful forces unleashed by a battle between three Supremes, and with its fall, the entire ecosystem that allowed humans to survive on Earth would inevitably follow. That was why they had chosen to meet here, in a place that rejected them and suppressed their power.
When Nephis did not respond, Mordret smiled.
“I thought not. A wise decision — after all, there is no reason for us to become enemies."
Sunny glared at him silently for a few seconds.
“Tell that to the survivors of the House of Night, bastard. And to the countless people who suffered when the naval navigation in the waking world all but collapsed in an instant."
Mordret considered him for a short while, then grinned.
“The proper address is Your Royal Majesty, King Mordret... not bastard. Please, have some decorum."
His expression suddenly turned pitiful. “And if I might add... is it not in bad taste, to call someone a bastard after having made them an orphan? Ah, how callous! How cruel."
He let out a laugh and then looked at Sunny with an amused smile.
"As for the House of Night, what exactly am I being accused of? What happened was their own fault. The elders of the House of Night could have submitted to the Song Domain of their own free will and become honored vassals of the Queen. Instead, they chose their own pride and arrogance. They committed the gravest sin of all..." Mordret's gaze turned cold.
“They were weak and tried to hold onto something that they couldn't protect in a world that doesn't tolerate weakness, let alone arrogance. So, they brought it all upon themselves."
He shrugged.
"Plus, I merely removed the elders... or rather, replaced them. There was some collateral damage, naturally, but most of the Ascended and Awakened members of the House of Night — the actual Nightwalkers who guide the ships across the ocean — survived."
Mordret sighed.
“Ideally, I would have accepted them back into the fold after the war. The House of Night would have become the House of Nothing, with little disturbance to the infrastructure of the waking world — even the power of the Saints would not have been lost, since I'd be wielding it. So, don't paint me as some kind of mad monster."
He smiled.
“I am a very reasonable monster, if nothing else.”
Sunny glared at him darkly.
‘Ah, how aggravating.’
He couldn't even erase that irritating smile from Mordret's face.
Nephis finally spoke, breaking the tense silence between them:
"I've been told that trying to make you regret your actions is a meaningless endeavor, Mordret. So, I won't try. However..."
She looked at him calmly.
"The three of us are Supreme. I do not want to repeat the mistakes of the previous generation and embroil humanity in another civil war — we Sovereigns must find a way to coexist instead of fighting each other. I doubt that you want to be destroyed, and since you have attained Supremacy without the help of the Nightmare Spell, there is no reason for us to fight for territory either. So... let us negotiate."
Mordret studied her for a few seconds, then smiled.
“Ah, finally! A civil discussion. Goodness gracious, how refreshing... sure, Changing Star. Let us negotiate, indeed."
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