"Who are you?" Aaron asked coldly, his gaze fixed on the illusory screen.
"It’s no use," the silhouette replied calmly. "Your eyes aren’t strong enough to peel through and see my face. After all... this isn’t ."
Aaron’s eyes narrowed slightly, a faint irritation creeping into his expression.
"You’re beginning to sound arrogant and cocky," he said. "Are you his employer? And what do you an... son of the one above all?"
"That?" the silhouette responded, almost amused. "It is exactly as it sounds. I am the bearer of the Mystic Brain... and the traitor who caused your father’s death."
There was a brief pause before the figure continued.
"Why don’t we have a chat?"
"I’m listening," Aaron replied without hesitation, his tone steady but guarded.
"Not here," the silhouette said. "Allow to change the terrain and coordinates."
From the screen, a small device erged, floating briefly before activating.
In an instant, space shifted bruptly and Violently.
Even beyond Aaron’s control.
The environnt around him distorted and collapsed, reforming into sothing entirely different.
When it stabilized, Aaron found himself seated on a lush, soft cushion. The air was calm, almost unnaturally so. Beside him, a cup of tea rested, gently steaming as though it had been placed there monts ago.
"Officially... hello, Aaron Highborn."
The figure now sat across from him, its form still obscured, wrapped in a monochro silhouette.
"I am Aegon. Wielder of the Mystic Brain."
Aaron frowned, his eyes hard.
"What do you know about ?" he asked. "And what twisted lie are you trying to feed ?"
"Twisted lies?" Aegon repeated, tilting his head slightly. "If that’s how you wish to see it."
He crossed his leg calmly, completely at ease.
"You see, it is beneath to lie. Lies are tools for those with limitations... or those who answer to sothing greater. Sotis, people lie for simpler reasons, fear, or the inability to face the consequences of truth."
He paused briefly.
"I have none of those problems."
Aaron’s expression didn’t change.
"And?"
"There is no one above here," Aegon continued smoothly. "Everyone within the Nine Entities is my chess piece... and the Nine Entities themselves are the chessboard."
As he spoke, a chessboard materialized between them.
But it wasn’t ordinary.
It had four sides, four positions—each facing a cardinal direction, as though ant for multiple players at once.
"Do you play?" Aegon asked with a faint smile. "This is a special form of chess."
Aaron didn’t even glance at it.
"Don’t waste my ti," he said coldly, rising to his feet. "I want to beat you as soon as possible."
"I have nothing more to say to you," Aegon replied, unbothered. "You are the son of the One Above All, and for what it’s worth, the heir to claim the Nine Entities."
His tone remained calm.
"But that will be impossible for you... because I exist."
"Whatever you throw at ," Aaron said, his voice cold and unwavering, "I’ll crush it. And in the end... I’ll crush you."
Aegon let out a soft chuckle.
"That arrogance..." he said quietly. "Every legend has it."
He leaned back slightly, his presence growing heavier.
"You won’t be able to defeat . Your brother might... but not you. Not like this. Not with your incomplete bloodline."
His voice lowered, turning colder.
"You are only alive right now because I allow it. And when the ti cos, when you are ripe enough for to harvest, I will kill you."
A brief pause followed.
"And you will be helpless."
The air around them seed to tighten.
"Until then, Aaron Highborn... enjoy the suffering I will send your way."
Aaron’s fists clenched slightly, but he remained silent.
"Oh... and thank you for the gift you sent ," Aegon added lightly. "Now I can finally be free from my shackles."
He raised his hand slightly.
"Until then... Aaron Highborn."
A snap echoed.
"Wait—!"
Aaron tried to speak, but the world collapsed around him before he could finish.
In the next instant, he was gone.
Forcefully sent back.
The calm environnt vanished, replaced by the familiar emptiness of his previous location.
"I need to find him!" Aaron muttered angrily the mont he returned.
He imdiately tried to recall the spatial coordinates, focusing his mind to trace the path back.
But as he did, he realized sothing.
There were no coordinates.
The space he had just been in... did not exist within any asurable point.
The space didn’t exist.
It was like a secured phone call, completely untraceable, leaving no signal, no path, no origin to follow.
"Bastard!" Aaron muttered restlessly, frustration evident in his voice.
For a brief mont, his aura flared uncontrollably, distorting the air around him. But after a while, he forced himself to calm down, taking slow, asured breaths.
He had lost Aegon.
But deep down, he knew this wasn’t the end.
They would et again.
And when they did... Aaron had already made himself a promise.
He wouldn’t hold back.
Not even a little.
Exhaling slowly, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind, locking it away for later.
With a slight movent of his hand, he activated his abilities and restored the realm to its previous state. Space stabilized, the damage undone as though nothing had ever happened.
"Now that I’m pissed... I should relieve myself," Aaron muttered under his breath.
Without hesitation, he shot forward, flying toward a populated region within the second realm.
His destination—
A familiar face.
---
"You’re finally healed, brother. I knew it was a bad idea for you to leave. Now Chen Wo is dead... and you’re crippled for good," Chen Ruo said softly, supporting her injured brother.
Her voice carried both relief and sorrow.
Chen Ye had returned in a miserable state, his body heavily damaged. His dantian had been completely destroyed, leaving him crippled beyond conventional repair.
No one had been able to fix it.
Yet sohow... his external injuries had healed.
"I’m sorry," Chen Ye said quietly. "What about our other brothers?"
His eyes drifted downward, settling on his abdon, on the place where his dantian once was.
"They want to know who killed Chen Wo... and protect the family na," Chen Ruo replied.
"There’s no need," Chen Ye said faintly. "Father has already taken care of it."
A brief silence followed.
"I need so fresh air," Chen Ye added, his voice low.
"You’re still one of Chen Mo’s sons," Chen Ruo said quickly, trying to reassure him. "You still have privileges, brother. We’ll find a way to heal your dantian."
Chen Ye gave a faint, bitter smile.
"Privileges... for now," he replied. "The mont one of us ascends the throne, I’ll lose whatever value I have left."
His voice turned colder.
"And then I’ll be killed."
Reviews
All reviews (0)