Chapter 28: Realm Of Madness [24] Willow Of Fate
It took Leonidas a short while to co to terms with everything Willow had told him, not that he completely believed her. He was certain that half the stuff she had told him was complete bullshit, but still, he kept it all in his mind.
After all, the best lies were the ones that were mixed with fragnts of the truth...he would know, since he was Faithfully Faithless. It was in his very nature to lie, deceive, and break promises.
Dozens of questions lingered in his mind, most related to what she had seen in her trial, but he didn’t voice them; instead, Leonidas asked about the most glaring fault in her story.
"Your fate is very unfortunate, Willow. I truly wish I could help you, but I suppose it is not ant to be... Anyway, how the hell did you kill Contract? In what world can a mortal kill a god, an unawakened, useless mortal like you to boot?"
Willow took his words without much of a reaction, only a slight hint of acceptance, then she spoke, like she had already thought about what to say if he asked.
"Whatever my ans were, they do not concern you, Art. I rely entertained your curiosity because I had no choice, not because I wanted to. Know your place, and keep within your bounds."
Total dismissal. It was so blunt that Leonidas could not even think for a few monts. The woman who sat before him was so incredibly rude that it was shocking, despite her claim to be a refined lady.
Refined my ass. Bird at munching demon.
Outwardly, he showed little to no reaction, just a slight twitch in his smile. Leonidas quickly smothered it, then proceeded to change the topic.
"Speaking of changing the subject..."
His voice turned serious, eyes glazing over with terrible calm, "Where the hell are we going and what is our end goal? I was simply planning to head to the top of this spire, no matter how long that might take, and then scout for a gate to get out. But now that you’re here..."
He looked at her, prompting Willow to let out a sigh. "I might have the smallest idea of what to do."
She took a deep breath, then continued. "When I had completed my trial, I was thrown out of the first-floor heaven, not teleported to the ground like normal, but literally thrown! The sheer indignity is baffling.
She certainly has her ways of cursing...almost on my own level.
He was impressed, but not a lot. His own curses were definitely better and more creative.
"And what happened then? Please tell
you broke so bones? Like, pretty please."
Unfortunately, it seed that destiny itself was against him, flowing towards Willow like an updraft.
"I didn’t get injured. I simply turned the air into liquid, used it to slow my fall to a sufficient speed, then used solid wind as a foothold. While falling down, I had seen sothing of interest...sothing that might prove to be a way out of here."
He leaned forward, waiting for Willow to continue. Instead of answering right away, she ate the last bite from her roasted rat, then used the stick to draw a map in rainbow ground.
She made two circles, a smaller one, barely larger than a dot, actually, and another, bigger one. They were separated by quite so distance. Then she outlined the entire area—including the two shapes.
Willow pointed at the larger circle.
"Just at the edge, near the border with the Realm of Souls. About a few hundred miles in this direction lies a vast settlent."
The Realm of Souls...he had never heard of it before, but he knew it existed. Simply because of the relation between Source Elents, the 27 Gods, and the regions of the Labyrinth.
There were 27 Gods, each of them embodying a concept. These concepts were called Source Elents, with every enlightened connected to one of them.
Then there was the Labyrinth, a vast living organism of stitched together worlds...only that the realms were of the sa 27 Source Elents, and in extension, Gods.
There was a Realm of Madness because there was a God of Madness, and a Source Elent of Madness too. The pattern held for all 27. Since there was a God of Souls, there was a Realm of Souls too.
I might even find information about Art and my whole soul situation. This works perfectly.
"Sounds good enough, better than what I had in mind. Now the only question remains, how far away is it, and can we even get there in one piece?"
Leonidas gestured vaguely at himself and then Willow, "I an, I’m half dead, and while you seem to be doing better, how long is that going to last?"
His point was valid. Willow seed perfectly fine on the outside, just a few scratches and dents in her armor, but Leonidas was certain she was nearly out of Insenium, and while it took barely two hours to get back to full capacity, the exhaustion lasted far longer.
"For your first question, it’s a few hundred miles away, about a few weeks of travel if everything goes without error."
Willow smirked before she answered his second question with one of her own, "If I wish to cross, who dares to stop ? I am the chosen of the God of Contracts, a noble of the highest standing, but most importantly of all, I am experienced in the devious ways the Labyrinth works."
Willow took a deep breath, arrogance bleeding from her very soul. Leonidas was reminded of his first interaction with Willow, right after she had tried to behead him. She had taken the form of a nebulous demon, a malevolent deity in all but na.
He recalled how she had looked down at him from her crude throne, watching as if he were nothing more than a peasant in front of a queen.
He frowned at the thought, but shook it away at her next words.
"An oak breaks under the wind, but I...a Willow, bends with it. I am the hand of fate and the heir of adaptation. I am the Willow of Fate, and nothing will stop
from achieving my goals, not even a God."
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