There was a palace surrounded by a sea of black water. It existed in a world that had never been found by anyone other than those who owned it. Hell, this world had only ever received a handful of visitors over the entire course of its life.
But this palace had been built, and it was certainly still being used.
"Has everything gone according to plan?"
A man with grey hair filled with tufts of black and a beard of the sa color sche spoke to another man who was sitting and watching a piece of parchnt on the table in front of him. Mysterious lines of illegible text appeared on its surface with every passing second.
"Everything did not go according to plan, but the plan was still a success. A rift was opened in Alfros."
"Very good."
The greying man smiled.
"Was there anything of note?"
His subordinate shook his head.
"The Feng Clan has taken the Divine Beast Cub. There were no other real consequences, as the sacrifices erased evidence of our presence properly."
The man's smile widened.
There were many reasons why attacking Alfros would benefit them and their allies. In fact, most of those benefits were matters of their allies rather than them.
To target Alfros was a plan created by others. However, its base was still their work.
Therefore, aside from all the implications that others could theorize, their original intentions remained the core of the plan.
"The Sensing Heaven Array was set up properly and sent out a single pulse before it was collapsed by the teor shower. Due to this, the amount of information we could truly receive was small."
The man at the desk finally looked up from his parchnt.
"We were not able to ascertain its specific location, however–"
"–you succeeded, after all."
The greying man with eyes of gold interjected sowhat rudely, but his subordinate didn't mind. Enjoy exclusive content from empire
"...it is as you assu, Sir."
He confird the man's thoughts, causing a grin to slowly creep up his face.
"The Spark is inside the Tower."
They never knew when it would appear or if it would appear at all. They never knew, but they carried out their orders regardless. They set up the test on Alfros, sacrificing six Immortals and over a thousand Mortal cultivators, and waited.
They waited for these exact results.
The Spark was in the Tower. That was a sentence that held far more weight than anyone could ever understand.
Because if the Spark was in the Tower, then plans that were set in motion over five thousand years ago could finally co to light.
And the Tower of Heaven was the perfect stage for their execution.
***
Returning to Vanatos after spending ti in Alfros was a rejuvenating experience.
Alfros wasn't a kind realm. It didn't accommodate life at all. The people who lived there were all intrinsically related to fire in one way or another, as nobody else would be willing to spend their lives in such conditions.
Comparatively, Vanatos was heaven. It was a pleasant and beautiful realm. After healing from the effects of the Blood Moon Phenonon all those years ago, it had beco even more beautiful.
The Tatsuya Clan had been expanding their influence within the realm recently. They used to keep themselves contained to their own territory, but that was no longer the case.
The current Vanatos was almost perfectly evenly split between the Tatsuya Clan and the 36th Demon Legion. Alaric and Vinea had been working together for too long to turn against each other in tis like these.
After all, the world itself would be at stake if the two sides went to war. Neither leader wanted to cause such a situation.
Atlas made his way to the Tatsuya Clan just as he always did when he ca to this realm.
'There are still several hours before the assembly begins. I should et the old man beforehand, but I still have ti to spare.'
Ti to spare…
If it was the past, he could have looked for Artemia to spar, but her presence was no longer anywhere near this palace.
It felt emptier than it did before, as if so life had been sucked out of it.
However, that was only Atlas' perception. In the eyes of the Tatsuya Clan's mbers, Artemia was away on a mission and could not contact anyone.
Only her father, mother, siblings, and uncle knew what had truly happened to her.
'No, maybe that is why it feels so empty.'
Those strong auras that ca from the other direct descendants of the Tatsuya Clan used to always be hovering around the palace.
Atlas hadn't had much contact with them, but he had beco accustod to feeling their presence. Now, not a single one was still present.
'They must be trying in their own way.'
Alaric decided to trust Atlas, but he couldn't expect his children to do the sa. He only told them to act in moderation so as to not implicate the clan and alert the enemy.
While they looked for alternative solutions to find and save Artemia, their Elders were busy considering the things that were otherwise impossible for them.
'Shall I take a mont to visit Master?'
Even if he didn't have anything to talk about, Veradon's Sanctum was a place where his mind could reach a state of absolute peace and quiet.
It was such a harmonious atmosphere that Atlas almost felt like he could drown in it. If only it weren't his own Master's cage, he would have loved that place more than anything.
'Is the Thousand Changes Body truly sothing that cannot be overco, or has the solution not been discovered yet?'
Filial piety. It was sothing Atlas knew well. He felt a strong desire to show filial piety to his Masters and benefactors in the Tower.
For one, he was grateful to them. It was only natural for him to show his gratitude properly.
But mostly, the feeling that drove his behavior was guilt.
Guilt at the fact that he was unable to show filial piety to the two people in this life who deserved it more than anyone else.
"Do you ever co here without troubles on your mind?"
When he entered the Sanctum, he was t with that warm voice that he rembered so well.
"I would love to co here without anything plaguing , but it doesn't like my mind will be clear for so ti."
"Such are the woes of a cultivator, eh?"
Atlas nodded his head before finding a place for himself. He sat among the flowers, closing his eyes.
Veradon smiled softly. His disciple wasn't good with people. He also wasn't good with words or emotions. Really, he was a brick that only knew how to cultivate and work towards goals.
He could see that shell slowly being broken, but his growth in that aspect ca to a sudden halt when Artemia and Horus were kidnapped. Other than them, he didn't really have anyone else he could call a real friend.
He was hurting on the inside though he'd never admit it. As he kept himself in constant motion, he never needed to stop and take ti to think about those feelings.
Atlas wanted to save Artemia and Horus more desperately than anyone else, because in this world, they were the ones acting as his point of connection.
They were the bridge between him and the unknown, and more than that, they were his comrades.
Alfros had a challenging environnt that supported his way of thinking. But now, he was in Vanatos. He was in this quiet realm of quiet places where his thoughts couldn't be drowned out anymore.
The subtle atmosphere of the Tatsuya Clan Palace that Atlas felt sent him spiraling into a state of lancholy.
For the first ti in this life, perhaps he was experiencing the feeling of loneliness.
And he had co to Veradon because subconsciously, this was the space that he associated with silence away from his thoughts.
Atlas wouldn't be healed with kind words or reassurance. He would only be reassured by tangible progress towards saving his friends.
The Sanctum made all these thoughts and feelings crystal clear to Veradon's glazed eyes.
However, there was nothing he could do but be present in case Atlas wanted to talk.
As a Master to a disciple, in tis like these, his duty was to be there.
The rest…
Well, that was all up to Atlas.
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