The desperation in the eyes of the Third Prince was visceral but also was that little hint of cunning, where might had failed, perhaps the power of words would prevail. To survive the Third Prince would have to reveal their greatest secrets and sha, but he was willing to do so.
"You are truly wise Rowan in holding back your wrath, surely you must have known the consequences of killing the last of us, Shadows. With every one of us that falls you must have felt his gaze solidifying on your skin like cancer, his undead Will crawling in your head and digging into your mind. His voice of madness is always calling… screaming. Let live…. Let live… How can anyone live with such torture all these endless years and not seek release?"
"I have wronged you. This I know well, yet I beg of you, no matter your hatred for , it is not worth it Rowan, you will surely go mad just like the rest of us, allow to leave this field alive and I shall swear an oath to your na, that I shall bear this madness for the rest of my days. I swear to be your shield against his influence until the end of ti. I will not falter, I have kept his madness for a thousand Eras and I can do the sa for a thousand more, of all my brothers only I have the strongest of Wills, and I give you my strength for the rest of ti."
Rowan cocked his head to the side, and finally, he spoke, "I have other curses laid on , and my path ahead will not be one of peace, why do you think one more curse would break ?"
Bending down, Rowan pushed his fingers into the brain of the Third Prince and dragged the screaming head up,
"Don't kill Rowan, you cannot understand the burden you will be laying on your shoulders. Trust , I am smart enough to understand that the only thing that can save would be giving you indispensable and correct information. I wager soone like you must know how to separate truth from falsehood, and you know that I am not lying. I am not just begging for my life here Rowan, I'm making a case for yours. Killing would only make you beco , don't do this… don't beco a Shadow like ."
The endless abyss of Rowan's gaze regarded the Third Prince for a while before he answered, "There would have been a ti when your pleas would have fallen on listening ears. The man of that ti had a beautiful heart, untainted by pride or ambition, he would have listened to you and feared for the future… That man is dead, all I am now is a blade. Perhaps there would have been a ti when I would have craved peace and quiet, but the flas of ambition have arisen in my heart. You have tasted my edge, and you shall not be the last, before my endless hunger, even Primordials would fall. Unlike you and your fellow Shadows, I do not fear the cries of the dead Third, it is only a beacon that would lead to him, if he is wise, he would keep silent or I shall co for him."
The endless heavens above rumbled at these words and declarations. The Third Prince sputtered, the last of his argunts dying in his lips but he wanted to say more,
"You should be quiet," Rowan said, almost in a gentle manner, "You need to appreciate what is to co, of all my enemies, as hateful as you are, you are worthy of seeing my glory. Besides in this universe at least, they are all dead."
Rowan began walking to the end of the bridge, he extinguished Ascension and allowed Envy and Pride to form around his body like a cloak as an intense sense of tiredness covered his senses, Lost peered around in fascination, wanting to open his mouth to speak but after thinking about it, choose to stay silent.
"A mortal life is not an easy one," Rowan grumbled and he slowly walked, "Their pains… linger."
It was unknown if he was speaking to the Lost Flas, the Ouroboros Serpents, or the dying Third Prince. The battle had been tough and inside his battered body, he had less than eleven drops of blood left. Rowan considered this a solid victory, he had expected that he would have not a single drop of blood left after this battle, but he had underestimated the strength of his physique, in this universe when placed on equal ground, his body was matchless, even as a mortal.
He reached the spot on the bridge where Minerva had fallen. Her body had been dragged and pressed against the bridge for thousands of miles, even with the tough constitution of a Demon King, as she had been reduced to a mortal, Minerva was on her last breath if Rowan had not co across her at this point then it was most likely that in the few monts, she would be dead.
Rowan looked at her in disinterest and he walked past. This demon was among those that tortured him for a million years and she was paid substantially for her efforts in desecrating his flesh and spirit. The page of the Primordial Record that she held all these years had granted her enough benefits, but the truth was that even if she did not die in the hands of Rowan she would have been killed by the Reflections.
He should hate her, but Rowan was simply tired, his eternal anger and drive required a body that was beyond a mortal, and for all their tenacity, a mortal would inevitably reach their limit.
"Hail… the conqueror…" her broken voice whispered from what was left of her body, "I have a bargain…"
Three Ouroboros Serpents suddenly turned around in irritation and they descended on her body. She did not scream for long. If she had been quiet, she might have lived for a few monts more, Rowan saw no need for killing soone already on a path towards death, but his Serpents were more irritable, there was no bargain that Minerva could give him that was worth it unless it was on the level of a Singularity and Rowan doubted that even Primordials would be able to easily grant such a wish.
The Third Prince had gone through all five stages of grief and had finally reached a state of acceptance, Minerva was more slow, still choosing to negotiate. Pity.
With Rowan's speed of movent, it took a while for him to cross the creaking bridge that was at the edge of destruction and he reached the other side and looked at the universe below.
His Ouroboros Serpents pulled away from his body and hovered around him, their quiet hissing was a poor indicator of the hunger inside of them,
"It is so beautiful… the universe, when you can see the entirety of her. The subtle lines of order and chaos woven around her entire body can only be appreciated by a Creator who knows what it takes to nurture the breath of life. Sowhere inside , I know that I should appreciate such a sight more. Yet at this ti, all I see is food. It is ti to leave my mortality behind. Look at the universe for one last ti, Third, see its beauty and understand for the last ti what is forever denied to us."
The Third Prince was quiet, he watched the universe for what seed like forever, Rowan stayed by his side and when the six Ouroboros Serpents encircled his head and began to feast, the last thing he said was, "With every Era that passes, his call grows stronger."
Rowan had kept the promise he made to the Third Prince, he had stood on this bridge for five years until the mont he had promised he would kill him, and then he let the Ouroboros Serpent devour the al they had waited so long for.
"Anything for you, my beloved Nesis."
Reviews
All reviews (0)