Chapter 912: Miralith And The King
Seeing Selen fall silent with guilt, Miralith let out a sigh.
"Seeing as how you know about my connection with my old friend, can I assu you know how our story ended?" Miralith asked. Her voice lacked anger.
She wasn’t mad that Selen wanted to know about how to kill the King.
She was simply saddened by the reality of the situation and the mories that she suddenly recalled.
Selen clenched her fist and nodded.
"The ending of your story was one that had you seal him away. And... it seems like his seal had been recently undone hence why he is now a target available for the bounty."
Miralith closed her eyes.
"History is always an interesting case. Information gets warped through the passage of ti. Bias becos truth, events that did not happen beco reality. Interpretation is the biggest enemy.
"It is true that only I knew of my King’s end. It is true that only I was there. But I did not seal away my King. Why would I? As his only friend." Miralith shook her head.
"He had sealed himself. Abandoned all that he had obtained and simply chose to slumber."
Hearing this, even Caera was surprised.
The Tyrant of the Present... chose to seal himself? Why? For what reason? He had everything he could’ve ever wanted.
Why would the King choose to throw everything away?
"But let’s not talk about history. You summoned
forth in order to find out about his power. This request I shall answer.
"The reason why my King is known as the Tyrant of the Present is because his power manipulates the current section of ti that you reside in. He desynchronises that portion from the stream, analyses everything, carries out an action then erases it from the flow.
"That is my King’s power. Recall your first eting with . They brought you here and you were forced to walk into the cage. But what if the mont you walked to that door and blinked, you already found yourself in the cage. The passage of the present had been erased yet the actions have been carried out. You simply don’t recall as you could not perceive that erasure." Miralith explained as she closed her eyes.
Selen might think this was contradictory. To ask if she was asking her to abandon her friend for a second ti yet still telling her of his powers. To give her an edge that she needed.
"However, let
warn you before you make any plans. Within this desynchronisation, your actions are locked. You have already reacted based on the information you have seen and the flow of action will no doubt be carried out. But my King is different.
"In this ti, he alone acts with free will. His course of action can always be adjusted based on how you react."
Selen furrowed her brows.
The ultimate late throw in rock paper scissors. While she has already made her choice, the King would be able to change his answer.
Before she could ask Miralith anything else, the connection was cut off. Not because of her own doing or an interference, but rather because of Miralith’s own choice.
"Well... His powers are definitely not just as simple as I originally thought." Caera spoke after the ritual faded away.
The scales disappeared from Selen’s body and she was returned back to normal.
In the docunts of the past, the King had always been written as having powers to erase ti. The exact details were unknown but they knew he was strong when it cos to assassinations.
However...
Now that they knew he can move freely within that erased ti while everyone has a set course of action, it’s clear why assassinations were so simple for him. What can you even do if you die within this erased ti?
But there was sothing off about it. Perhaps it wasn’t the full truth otherwise there wouldn’t even have been a speck of information about it.
How else would people know he erased ti?
Did he release that information himself? Or was it Miralith who told people?
As the closest retainer to that King, Miralith knew information that others didn’t.
"If... I ss with his perception, I might be able to counter the erasure to so degree. Make him focus during that mont so he misses his opportunity. Though he might see through it with a single glance." Selen folded her arms.
"Hou~ You’re still insistent on trying to fight it out? Even after knowing his power?"
"What else is there to do? And..." Selen hesitated.
"Before the fight, I want to try and talk to him. To have an audience with the King. Miralith ntioned that he sealed himself away. Why? Miralith is his close friend so why was she left behind? I want to know. I want to know so that Miralith can get so closure." She explained while Caera nodded with a smile.
"There’s no hurry to establish a bounty. When the ti cos, I’ll link you up to the statue remotely so that you can claim the bounty. Before that, let’s hope we can get you an audience with the King."
###
Sitting upon a throne, a man could be seen with his head resting on his hand. He sat in a relaxed posture, not looking at the red haired woman in front of him.
The one who undid his seal but also the one who sought his assistance.
The man sat on the throne had short grey with streaks of silver along the edges, a lean but muscular build and wore a loose fitting shirt that exposed his neck and chest.
Golden armour decorated his shoulder, forearms, waist and leg while white and black cloth wrapped around the rest of his body.
Opening his eyes, a pair of golden irises stared at the woman. Unlike normal eyes, he lacked a pupil. A golden glistening sea of energy acted as his iris. One spun slowly, almost unnoticeable in a clockwise motion while the other spun anticlockwise.
Like pouring glitter into water and watching it flow along the tide.
One saw the future, the other saw the past.
And combined, he observed the present.
"I cannot help you. There is no history to speak of within that body of yours. Rewinding will only reestablish the seals placed upon your body and not return your power. Such is the nature of oblivion that not even ti can overco.
"For at the end of the river of ti lies only oblivion. A flow you cannot fight against." He spoke slowly towards the woman who sought his help.
"She was half dead! A walking corpse! She had nothing to her na and you’re telling
even in that state she can erase everything I’ve worked for?!" Tiamat shouted, rage visible in her eyes as veins bulged on her neck.
All of the core principles that she had learned, her habits, the thod of manipulating energy. All of it was gone!
Reduced to nothingness!
She knew she could do it but how!? How should she manipulate this wellspring of energy within her core!?
Thanks to Allura’s attack, Tiamat had truly been set to zero.
To know history yet not know why.
A situation where it’s similar to suddenly giving a tail to a human and tell them to move it like their arm.
They wouldn’t know how to.
That’s Tiamat’s situation with Abyssal energy. A completely foreign energy where the most efficient thod no longer worked.
In fact, anything that originated or was based on her instinct no longer worked!
She had to create sothing completely separated from everything.
An impossible task.
"She was half dead and yet you still chose to be arrogant. Tiamat, I allowed this audience because we are both rulers. Yet I see you bereft of the ruler’s composure." He spoke calmly.
Didn’t rush nor was he deliberately slow.
He was simply stating a fact like any other, even if the one he’s talking to was the Queen of the Apocalypse.
"As the one who rules over others, you should never show doubt even if you are worried. Never yield even as the tides crash against your will. Never show weakness even if you cannot see your victory." He stood up from his throne and walked slowly towards Tiamat.
Step by step, one word at a ti.
"And never surrender even as the Gods knock on your door. Yet all I see before
is a babbling woman who is crying about the circumstances that could’ve been avoided.
"Where is your dignity? Where is your pride? Right now, at this mont, I see no Queen. I see a pathetic fool." He lectured.
Tiamat opened her mouth, wanting to fight back but when eting his eyes, she found herself unable to utter a single word.
"Humble yourself. Did you beco the Queen of the Apocalypse overnight? Or was it the result of years of gruelling effort? If you wish to reach the height of your power again, start from the bottom. Rebuild your foundation.
"In the era of our ti, there was no guidance for us to rely on. We had to be the pioneers of our own power. Or are you saying that you cannot do so anymore? Because there is the easy way out?"
"Easy for you to say! You haven’t lose everything!!!" Tiamat raged while he simply let out a laugh.
"Oi... why are you laughing." Tiamat’s eyes turned bloodshot.
But he continued to laugh.
"OI!"
She grabbed his collar but before she knew it, her hands had been cut off.
"!!!"
Jumping back, her regeneration began to kick in.
"I laugh because a Queen has beco a clown before my very eyes. Leave, to speak further is utterly aningless to a fool who cannot see the path before her eyes." He took a single step and reappeared upon his throne.
Sitting down, he closed his eyes, clearly not willing to speak any further.
Gritting her teeth, Tiamat could only walk away.
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