Asmodea’s voice was steady, but there was an underlying tension that hadn’t been there earlier.
"For all of these reasons, Prince, I ask you not to awaken your dragon blood," she said. "It’s putting the cart before the horse."
Zagreus didn’t answer imdiately.
He kept his gaze fixed on the moss-covered stone nearby. The jungle around them had quieted, as if even the insects were listening.
He let out a breath through his nose, not quite a sigh. His fingers flexed once before relaxing again.
"Alright."
Asmodea blinked. "Alright?"
"I’m not saying I agree," Zagreus said. "I’m saying I hear you."
She watched him for a long mont, but he didn’t say more. His eyes didn’t waver. After a few seconds, he added,
"I need ti to think."
Asmodea hesitated, then gave a slight bow. "Of course."
"Leave, Asmodea."
She didn’t argue. She just turned and walked away, steps fading quickly into the thick foliage behind her.
When the last sound of her presence was gone, Zagreus stood still in the clearing.
He didn’t look up at the sky or down at the ground.
He simply stood there, lost in thought, as the wind pushed gently against the tree canopy.
A minute passed. Then another.
Finally, he raised his hand and called the demon.
"I need to know sothing," he said.
The demon tilted its bulbous head slightly, as if listening.
"How much strength do I have left... in the future?"
There was no imdiate answer. The demon remained still, the tips of its tendrils hovering just above the grass.
"Don’t dodge the question. I need to know how much I can borrow."
"I cannot answer that," it said. "This is sothing I am forbidden to reveal."
Zagreus frowned.
"Why?"
"I apologize," the demon said, quieter this ti. "But that is not sothing I can say. Not yet."
Zagreus didn’t push further.
He just stood there, watching the slow undulation of the demon’s limbs as they curled inward again.
...
Naless Death POV
Naless Death and Berserk moved through several Space-Ti Prisons.
They finally stopped under the flickering stars.
"Where is the Ant?"
Berserker, who stood a few feet ahead, didn’t turn around. He just gave a small shrug, clearly unfazed.
"Did you not hear ?" Naless Death asked. "We’re supposed to be working together. If you want to help you, answer the question."
Berserker chuckled, amused.
"And I am working with you. But why should I tell you that?" He turned slightly, grinning. "You’re free to walk away if this partnership doesn’t suit you."
Naless Death frowned.
Before he could speak, Berserker waved a hand lazily.
"Relax," he said. "I know you’re angry. And maybe I should prove my sincerity if I expect you to help . So let’s do this. I won’t tell you where Karax is, but I’ll show you sothing else. Co."
He didn’t wait for a response.
He just started walking toward the broken pillars in the distance, feet stirring up pale dust from the white sand beneath them.
Naless Death hesitated for only a second before limping after him.
The place was familiar.
Starry sky.
White sand.
Broken white pillars.
As they walked, Berserker spoke again. "You like it? I built this place. Or rather, I built it with so help."
"Help from who?"
"A Witch," Berserker said, tapping one of the old stones as they passed. "The Witch of Lust, actually. Well, technically it was the version of her from the future. She reincarnated into the past and gave a hand."
Naless Death looked sideways at him.
"Reincarnated into the past?"
"Yeah. Ti always been a ss, since the Eternals acted up.
"Anyway, she told these Space-Ti prisons were upgraded versions of [Sky Barriers].
"The Sky Barriers were the prototypes she created at a planet she visited once before.
"Later we upgraded and turned them into sothing more useful. The Space-Ti Prisons."
"Sky Barriers," Naless Death repeated, frowning.
The na echoed oddly in his mind.
He didn’t press the issue though, knowing his mories were missing.
They kept walking, the sand crunching beneath their steps.
Berserker’s gaze flicked to Naless Death’s leg.
"You’re still limping."
"I know."
"You can’t heal?"
"I can," Naless Death replied. "But it’ll take ti."
"How much ti?"
"Two hundred to three hundred years. If I push it."
Barbatos’ attack had done a number on Naless Death.
Berserker snorted. "Heal faster. You’ll die in our next battle otherwise. It’s coming in a thousand years."
Naless Death stopped walking for a mont, turning toward him with an incredulous look. "We’re still doing that?"
Berserker grinned, unbothered. "Of course. If I get the chance to put the universe on the line for a good fight, I’ll take it. Besides, by then, your path should be half-ford. It’ll be exciting."
Naless Death rolled his eyes.
"You won’t be able to do anything against even then. You’ll barely reach Stage 4 Grade 2 Level 10 at best—"
"I’ll be Stage 4 Grade 5 Level 10."
Naless Death’s brow rose.
"Peak Stage 4? In a thousand years? I thought we had one more fight after that. Shouldn’t that be when you are able to create a peak Stage 4 body?"
Berserker just shrugged, the grin never leaving his face.
He didn’t offer an explanation.
Naless Death didn’t push. But his frown deepened.
Berserker wasn’t just strong.
He was the Supre of Void.
If he really reached peak Stage 4, the fight wouldn’t be easy.
’If I want to survive that, I need to start building my path.’
The thoughts hung over him as they approached a structure half-swallowed by the ground.
It was a ruined temple, with cracked stone steps leading into a hollow dark entrance.
They entered.
Inside, the air was colder.
The dust hadn’t moved in what felt like centuries. In the center stood a statue.
Or perhaps it wasn’t just a statue.
A woman stood there, one half of her body carved from white stone, the other half lifelike, as if caught mid-breath.
Her eyes were closed, and her expression was worn.
Naless Death stopped.
"She is...?"
"The avatar of Planet Voraka," Berserker said. "The planet’s will made flesh. She gave up everything to summon here. So that I could protect this place."
Naless Death didn’t respond. He simply stared.
Berserker’s tone had changed. There was no amusent in his voice now. No grinning challenge. Just seriousness.
"She sacrificed her life," he continued, "to bring here. Because the Eternals are out there. And if they had found this place, they would’ve pruned everything."
He stood still for a long mont, hands at his sides.
Then he looked back at Naless Death.
"She is the dium I’m using to summon my elentals in this place. That should be enough to prove I’m serious about this partnership."
Naless Death’s expression didn’t shift.
He looked at the half-living woman, the room built around her, and the still air that held it all together.
Berserker added, "So help take care of the threats coming to this site. The ones who want to remove my elentals. I’ll handle them if I have to, but it’ll be a lot easier with you."
Silence followed.
Naless Death’s gaze drifted upward, to the faint carvings in the ceiling above the statue. They resembled stars, constellations. Or perhaps maps.
He could tell that the statue of the woman had been moved to this place by Berserker.
Everything here was a part of the Space-Ti Prison expect the statue of the woman.
Perhaps, she was soone important to him.
"I didn’t expect sincerity from you," he said after a while.
Berserker shrugged. "Neither did I. But here we are."
They didn’t say anything else as they walked out of the temple.
The wind outside carried faint sand across the ground.
Berserker turned toward the distance.
"You should start building your Path. We’ll need all the strength we can gather to face Barbatos."
Naless Death stopped walking.
He stared at the horizon for a mont, then slowly turned toward Berserker.
"Do you know how I can access my Cosmos?"
Berserker raised his hand, palm open in a lazy gesture.
"Stop. I’m not answering that."
"Why?"
"Because if I tell you," Berserker said with a short laugh, "you’ll just place all the Ashes in your Cosmos, then fight you can fight and help your brother. Why would I help my enemy to defeat ?"
"Because it could help us save the universe."
"Yeah," Berserker said, eyes gleaming. "But I’m still going to fight you. I’m not going to help my enemy get stronger. I helped you before because you were weak, but that’s not the case anymore."
Naless Death sighed.
He was starting to understand Berserker a little more now.
When it ca to anything else—talking, sharing knowledge, even cooperation—he was straightforward. Sincere, even.
But the mont a battle entered the picture, sothing in him changed.
Rationality bent around the desire to fight.
He’d risk anything, even his life, if it ant securing a better battle.
He was a battle maniac, through and through.
’I guess it makes sense battle maniacs are called maniacs,’ Naless Death thought.
He didn’t argue further.
"Fine," he said. "Then I’m going to build my Path. Don’t disturb ."
"I won’t."
Berserker gave a short wave, already walking away.
Naless Death closed his eyes.
Then stepped into his own shadow.
The world inside was completely different.
The stark white sand and broken temples of the Space-Ti Prison vanished.
Instead, he stood on soft green grass. The air here was calm, carrying the scent of fresh leaves and gentle wind.
He had created this place himself.
It wasn’t large, but it was peaceful.
There were hills and trees, strange flowers that pulsed faintly with mana, and a pale-blue sky overhead with two suns hovering near the edge of the horizon.
A sanctuary.
He walked forward quietly.
There was a lake at the center of the world. On its bank, beneath a large tree with drooping silver leaves, soone was sleeping.
Leonora.
She rested quietly, curled up beneath the tree.
Her breathing was slow and steady.
"Wake up. I know you are not sleeping."
She didn’t react.
Naless Death clicked his tongue. The reason he had brought Leonora was simple.
’If Berserker won’t tell how to access my Cosmos, then I just need to ask soone else.’
Reviews
All reviews (0)