One step, two step... with each step taken, Ulysses experienced the agonizing process of cell death and regeneration multiple tis, causing his mind to fracture and his thoughts to slowly distort.
Many a ti he considered turning back, running away before it was too late but Ulysses didn’t do so.
Instead, he kept going, nearing that colossal tree that served as the physical body of the Lord of Flesh and Blood.
The Trial wouldn’t end until he had gained the attention of the Lord of Flesh and Blood and engaged in communion with it.
So he had to keep going, one step at a ti, enduring what would have driven mad any other person.
Naturally, he wasn’t immune to that as madness encroached on his psyche slowly but surely.
As he put his foot forward to take another step, Ulysses tripped and fell, slamming face first into the ground that he now realized was not stone but instead flesh.
Gritting his teeth, he looked towards the distant body of the Lord of Flesh and Blood.
Only now did he realize that his actions were destined to end in futility.
He would walk for years and might never reach his destination.
Taking the ti when his thoughts were still with him, Ulysses swiftly thought of a plan, one that would cause the Lord of Flesh and Blood to focus on him.
And without hesitation, he went to work as he got back on his feet.
Digging into his stomach, Ulysses groped around for sothing, taking several seconds before finally taking hold of what he was looking for.
A mont later, he retrieved his blood stained arm, taking out an organ that should not exist within the body of a human.
It appeared like a liver with one part seemingly made of esoteric golden light while the other part was made of flesh that throbbed just like a heart.
This was the physical manifestation of the corruption within him.
In the real world, such a thing wouldn’t exist, but in the Abyss where logic was tossed into the trash bin and madness reigned supre, anything was possible... including the creation of an organ representing the corruption within a man.
The organ was attached to what resembled a bloody umbilical cord with the other end of the cord reaching into Ulysses torso.
Gripping the organ tightly, Ulysses raised it high and shouted at the top of his lungs. "O Lord of Flesh and Blood, hear !"
There was no response but Ulysses wasn’t about to give up.
But just as his lips parted to call upon the First Class Otherworldly ahead, a gaze fell upon him.
His entire body expanded in an instant like a balloon swiftly filled with air and then... pop.
***
"You are a monster." Olfric remarked as he crawled away from Ull, his eyes widened in terror.
He had thought that with the other chiefs, they would be able to take Ull down, but he was wrong... no, they were wrong.
Ull had mastered the weapon of their now dead patron God, which caused him to be as strong as at least a seventh Lock Mystic.
The only difference was that unlike a seventh Lock Mystic who would still be susceptible to the effects of Quillion, Ull was not.
"Who set you up to this?" Ull questioned as he reached out and grabbed Olfric, lifting him off the ground and into the air.
Olfric struggled to no avail and in that mont, he knew that death was upon him.
"Cybele." He said as he choked, causing Ull to freeze.
"What?"
"She was the one that told us you were not fit to rule us. She convinced us that she would give us the terror weapons if we vanquished you."
Ull could hardly believe his ears, his eyes unfocused as he let go of Olfric who crashed to the floor.
Seeing an opportunity to escape, Olfric didn’t hesitate to take it as he tried to crawl away.
Alas, hardly had he moved a few ters away when he heard a whistling sound from behind him.
The last thing he saw when he turned back was a weapon aglow with divinity and after that... darkness.
Ull retrieved his weapon and with a cold look in his eyes, made his way out of the room and towards a section of his palace, ignoring the fact that his n were still fighting against the subordinates of the now dead chiefs.
He walked with purpose, each step causing a dent in the tal flooring and soon, he arrived at his destination, kicking the door open to reveal the interior of Cybele’s room.
She was seated at the mirror stand, cradling the crystal orb like a mother would her child, seemingly oblivious to everything happening around her.
"Why?" He asked hoarsely. "Why did you have to betray ?"
Cybele stayed silent, further aggravating Ull.
"Answer !"
Finally her voice was heard, but instead of an answer to his question, she began to recite a strange poem with a slow yet asured pace.
"All the world’s a stage,
And all the n and won rely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his ti plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
wling and puking in the nurse’s arms.
"Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow.
"Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard, jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth.
"And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part.
"The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound.
"Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and re oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything."
Once she was done, Cybele turned to regard Ull who was staring at her with a perplexed look on his visage.
Then, she asked, her tone soft yet heavy with intent. "Tell , King Ull, self proclaid son of god, what age do you think you represent?"
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