Northern was utterly despairing. He gritted his teeth against the ground where he lay. He wanted to stand up, pick himself up and rush to the Central Plains to scream at his summons, "It is I, your Master—don’t forget that, you nut-headed piece of shit that I love..."
But things clearly weren’t going to be that simple. He couldn’t live—not without sending Kryos and his son back where they ca from.
He scowled darkly and slowly straightened. With considerable strain, he began to rise. When he was finally standing, he beca acutely aware of his entire body and felt lighter than before.
It was as if a massive stone had been lifted from his soul. The lightness resonated deeply within the physical yet transcended it entirely.
He fixed his scowl on the Chaos Prince, who stood with his chin slightly raised and his hand clenched.
After noticing Northern had risen, the Prince sighed as if savoring the sweet taste of power.
"Northern. I must say... Thank you. Thank you so much for trusting with this."
Northern continued glowering at him.
"You didn’t show everything."
The Chaos Prince t his eyes and smiled slightly.
"That wasn’t my fault, Northern. The void was new and utterly repulsive to ... I could only manage so little. Perhaps, with ti, as the Void accepts more, I can reveal everything."
The Chaos Prince clasped his hands gently behind his back.
"But the rest isn’t difficult to decipher. What I showed you was the beginning of the end. The Origins deceived the young prince, and the realm suffered for it."
Northern stared at him.
"What do you an they deceived him?"
The Chaos Prince shook his head slightly.
"The Origins are the epito of evil... the plague that has burned the world since its very beginning. They are the source of our problems, yet none of us can do anything about them."
He fixed his eyes gently on Northern and smiled.
"Seeing you beco an Origin, though, fills my heart with excitent. I won’t be alone, and I’m eager to see how you survive going forward."
Northern closed his eyes montarily, breathing in silently, then out.
’I need to know more, but now isn’t the mont.’
His gaze bored into the Chaos Prince, making him visibly uncomfortable.
"What’s with that look, Northern?"
Northern’s gaze was as direct as his voice.
"So what are you going to do now?"
The Chaos Prince shrugged.
"I’m going into hiding. This universe might be a mirror realm, but it’s an ideal place to hide and master the power of the Void."
"And then what?"
"Then I’ll kill my father and reclaim the rest of my soul."
Northern laughed bitterly.
"Huh. What do you an? I’m going to defeat Kryos right here, right now."
The Chaos Prince stared at him blankly for a mont and blinked. Then he said:
"Listen, Northern, you’re an exceptional human, but even if you were given fifty years of preparation, you still wouldn’t defeat my father. Which is rather expected."
Northern frowned with displeasure.
The Chaos Prince’s expression grew stern.
"Wait, Northern... you didn’t actually start this because you thought you’d be able to end it, did you?"
Northern’s frown deepened.
"First, I didn’t start anything. Your father invaded my world. I had to defend it, since everyone else was too busy being selfish."
But Northern understood the point the Chaos Prince was making. The Prince himself had been his father’s son—a supposed Origin while his father was a Tyrant—and he’d been devoured without warning.
’He has at least ten thousand years of experience. He’s a Tyrant before an Origin. I can’t even begin to count the tricks up his sleeves.’
Northern hadn’t co here entirely certain he would win. Perhaps he hadn’t truly considered the implications of death because he’d never understood just how powerful Origins were.
"I had no choice."
The Chaos Prince smiled genuinely.
"You’re a remarkable person, Northern."
Northern stared intently at the Chaos Prince.
"Help defeat him."
The Chaos Prince looked at him with a strange expression.
"What?"
Northern continued, unhinged.
"You want your soul back, right? Let’s work together to defeat him. You can have your soul back and leave..."
The Chaos Prince continued staring at Northern.
"You don’t seem to like , Northern. Why would you fight beside ?"
Northern’s eyes burned brighter.
"I have people on this land who are precious to ... people I want to protect. To fail them is to fail myself."
’This is the only way to keep you around and make you use the void’s power, so I can figure out how to get back my summons.’
The Chaos Prince studied Northern suspiciously for a mont, then chuckled darkly.
"Humans. Humans. Oh, humans."
He fidgeted slightly, smirking at Northern.
"You do realize you’re asking to help you kill my father?"
Northern tilted his head.
"Oh, your father? The one who devoured you?"
The Chaos Prince winced.
"Ouch."
"That’s what I thought."
The Chaos Prince laughed dryly.
"My family is rather complicated—we have voracious appetites."
Northern crossed his arms and glared darkly at the Prince.
"Look, I don’t give a shit about your family drama. I just want your father’s madness off my land."
The Chaos Prince studied him montarily, then forced a grin.
"Give a mont. Let think about it."
He turned and strode toward a corner of the cavern enclosure beneath the valley where Northern had landed. He crossed his arms, tapping his fingers against them for several seconds.
Then he walked back and faced Northern.
"I’ve decided to help you defeat my father..."
He thrust out two fingers with a brilliant expression.
"However, on two non-negotiable conditions!"
Northern’s gaze darkened.
’This bastard... easy, easy. Let’s hear him out first.’
He exhaled.
"What are the conditions?"
The Chaos Prince grinned.
"First, lend a clone of yours to craft my body. Second—"
"Forget it. Drop it imdiately—no need to even ntion the other one. You’ll have to kill before you get a scrap of my flesh."
The Chaos Prince’s eyes turned lethal, a sinister light gleaming within them.
"Oh? Should I kill you then, Northern?"
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