As he lay on his bed after the incredibly stressful day he had, Emrys breathed a huge sigh of relief. It might not have shown from his approach but inside he was dreading the decision Bahu would make today, not backing down from a challenge was one thing but had things gone to the extreme today, without a doubt he would end up as the one who lost because there was no turning back after what they would reach.
"We got incredibly lucky today Aine".
"But from now on, it's best we try to tone it down a little".
The young fairy who was flying beside him titled her head and hummed in slight confusion, Emrys cracked a smile as he gave her head a gentle pat "right, I have to tone it down a bit.....maybe some more, heh".
She smiled and nod fervently at his words before coming down to rest on his stomach, Emrys looked around for a bit and tried sensing for a particular someone to see if he was around but there was nothing 'Oh no' a possible realization struck upon thinking back to this morning but he had to confirm it first.
"Aine..." He called out promoting the young fairy to look up at him with those soulful big eyes which told him she already knew the occasion but he wasn't falling for it, at least not yet.
"They're working but no, you're not getting off that easy young lady".
"So where is Reign?".
She huffed a breath in frustration at the failed attempt and gently tapped on the fabric of space with her little hands causing a small ripple that morphed into a pocket watch with branches still attached to the world itself. He noted the peculiar way in how the hands moved that quite seemed not to agree with reality as he knew it, but it didn't take long to understand the reason why.
"You stuck him inside a loop!?".
"Sweet mercy".
Aine nearly jumped in bewilderment at his reaction, in all the years that they had been together this would be the first and only time Emrys had ever raised his voice against her and such an event had her at a complete loss, then she shrank back a bit unknowingly as a sadness arose in her, welling up in her eyes as tears though she did not understand why.
Emrys taking note of her reaction felt a tightness in his chest and moved to comfort the young fairy, he sat up with her held in his hands and placed against his chest as he offered gentle pats "I'm sorry little one, please do not be sad".
"I'm not angry at you, it's just quite surprising is all".
She looked up to meet his eyes, hers laid bare to him and asking a question he already knew the answer to, so with a gentle smile he replied "yes, really".
"And I don't think I have it in me at all, do forgive me a little if I gave the wrong impression" he gave her nose a gentle bop which elicited a smile from her also and caused a relief for him which was released in the form of a small laugh as the tension around heart faded away.
He heaved a sigh and lay back down with the young fairy resting atop his chest under the cover of his hands "but we should probably release him already, I think he's atoned enough for whatever transgressions he may have committed".
Aine responded with a nod against his body and next the watch shattered to bits before fading away as a young cub was flung onto the bed from above.
He looked around confused for a moment before his eyes were set on the young fairy whom he pounced on leading to both tumbling off the bed and onto the floor as he began offering licks to face looking at her with such joy, a reaction very contradictory to what Emrys had expected of the cub after such an ordeal.
'Huh, amazing really'. He thought to himself in amusement, maybe later he would have to ask exactly what the contents of that loop was, perhaps it'd make more sense to him after but he seriously doubted the fact.
'There is still a few hours left before my spar with Ishmael, Sarang and Velkos takes place'. It was undoubtedly an event that would require quite a bit of energy, a free for all with a stipulation of the last one standing as the winner and what better way to approach this than with a refreshed mind after a good rest.
Well, it might appear as rest on the surface but I'm truth he would be attempting a search for the other part of him and to do that he would need to sink far deeper than any rest could achieve, first he told of his intentions to the young fairy as a precaution to cause less worry in the event that she tries calling him but to no avail and to prevent her sinking with him in her curiosity also, Reign he had no need to worry about and so with his affairs in order Emrys laid his hands over his stomach and closed his eyes...
[In the Domain of Shadows].
A sealed abstract infinite dimension absolute in it's separation from everything else including little to no interaction with existing laws governing the worlds, untraceable by even the demigods and immune to all forms of invasions even if be by the gods themselves.
Offering what seemed like an omniscient view and knowledge over almost everything in this realm under the heavens and many others which have been made a target or added to it's range of influence over time including their future actions or past, memories, thoughts and language of all things within, changes to their structure or laws all in the hands of the one who commands as well as a seemingly omnipresent method of attack or actions that almost entirely dismissed the notion of distance, space or time.
And finally it's most important aspect being the power to influence or shape all that it monitors, time, space and reality being entirely theirs to command within this realm added to the feeling of absolute invincibility to the owner of this realm, power so great that it truly made you feel like you could take on the demigods themselves.
All this and more had been what Absalom had believed until today, it was on this very day that he would first bear witness to the Queen of Garuda opening a door into the very space and seating upon a throne in the most regal manner as if this place was entirely under her domain, it was the day that he would get to experience the first of his many shattered beliefs to come.....and perhaps his last as well.
"Why do you look so distraught, Absalom".
"Is something the matter? I hope not".
"Sit, there is much to discuss".
Before he could even get the first word out in the midst of his whirling thoughts, Absalom found reality shifting and him seated just as she intended without being able to get up or leave even by teleportation, his actions upon the realm as it's master to counteract whatever she was doing felt like he was trying to move the immovable object and causing only temporary glitches in reality that failed to achieve anything in the end.
"Are you calmer now" she asked with a gentle tone and wearing a most innocent smile on her face seeing the envoy's filled with nothing but the purest fear and confusion as to his current situation, nothing made sense here for him, nothing at all. And in the end the only word his mind could manage to get out was the question....."How?".
"That's not important, you see I finally figured it out".
"Why the Emperor treasured you so, allowed you that much freedom to operate within the Empire and why you were so untraceable or untouchable for the longest while".
It took me eight years to find all this out, trying to read into the history of the world, poking around without alerting a being that mighty that it was being watched even through the moments in time that it temporarily allowed itself to exist in".
"Of course you two were the weakest link in leading me to taking full advantage of the fact that even such an entity had to be careful in the way it moved when interacting with the world".
"A certain suppression and surrender that must be achieved, a certain...weakness that must be displayed before the world".
"Of course you don't know what I speak of exactly, that is normal and also expected, maybe another time".
"In the end I found my answers".
"You.....are a descendant are you not?".
"The last known one that exists or that they know of to be more accurate".
"And you were able to reach one, your father at least".
"A demigod".
At that she could see his eyes widen so much it remained a small miracle as to how they did not fall out of it's sockets, fear like never before gripped at his heart incomparably more than it already did concerning his current situation, but this was entirely far different than even that, one could not imagine the chaos it would cause at the mention that one of the nine demigods had been found and was closer than anybody knew let alone something even more damning than that which would tip the balance of the world so terribly beyond compare.
But Hestia wasn't finished yet as she continued - "I know your power had the ability to reach him from wherever he was for so long".
"He was the one who gave and modified this space for you after all, it made you think you were invincible I imagine".
"And as any sane person would do, of course you took advantage of this knowledge over the special gift you possess and went to the Emperor".
"Was it a whim or was it something else, maybe he had something you actually desired I don't know yet, can't tell but the Emperor of course seeing the greatest opportunity ever fall into his hands".
"The chance to get a full demigod at his side couldn't let go of it even if it meant his death, of course I do not blame him for such an action".
"It simply makes all the sense in the world now why it felt he had been getting so bold lately, allowing you trespass so clearly into my domain, an event that even you weren't ever bold enough to undertake was the moment that confirmed it".
"And of course I did not know all this back then, but thinking of it now and following the set timeline of events, whatever deal he made in the end must have been accepted by your father".
"He finally got it, a demigod as the greatest weapon against me and the entire world".
"And then there were the experiments he was undertaking, always adding something I could not tell unto himself and changing himself by the day".
"Growing, he was always obsessed with reaching me but whatever pushed him so far that fast when we last met eight years ago at the awakening had to be abnormal".
"Now it confirms at least that your father had something to do with it".
"Right now he has no need to fear even the Tower Master let alone little old me, that must have been his thought process I'm sure"...
She scoffed "What a fool he is, what a fool you both are".
"Thinking that a demigod could ever just accept a deal with an existence so low, everything they do is with purpose and with a plan for something far bigger than you could ever imagine".
"A weapon huh, he surely has one".
Even this realm given to you wasn't on a whim, did you think you had any place in his heart at all?".
"That you were special as his descendant?".
"That the chance you were the one able to reach him from far beyond was what, pure luck? Fate that this specifically was possible for you?".
"Oh I highly doubt that".
"It never struck you as odd that you are a direct descendant yet only found yourself awakening a few centuries before this time".
"The demigods have been gone for such a long time that they had become almost as mythical a figure as the Ancients, leaving nothing of theirs behind including most of their monstrous descendants at the time".
"Your existence is a deliberate plot, hidden for so long until now but beyond this I cannot know much about what he actually intends on doing with you".
"Coming back now with this new era that has just begun, with the Fated ones present".
"The looming presence of he, the Great Darkness".
"Does he think he's going to help?" She involuntarily scoffed a moment after at the suggestion, the Ancients were one thing as they did in fact have endless conflicts with him leading to endless theories about their disappearance though she had a part of the answers to that question now.
But as for the demigods, Merlin long since vanished from the realms before the other eight who were present as at the time the conflict began but neither of them...one nearly tried to and did do so but couldn't...still neither of the rest ever tried going against that monster in the upper realms and the heavens, disappearing long before he came down to this world at his most diminished state a few centuries ago to cause nothing but despair, but even this part of history which was regarded as the darkest times the world had ever known was undeniably the weakest and tamest in comparison to what had occurred up there for which even she did not have a quarter of the answers to, just bits and pieces.
Even worse than that was nobody actually knew why he just vanished all of a sudden just four decades ago, the gods themselves offered no answers outside a prophecy before vanishing a short while later leaving just the ever benevolent goddess of Light as their only guardian leading the world to this day.
"So the Emperor certainly found a weapon alright, you both just mistake whom was being recruited here and whom is to be wielded for the sake of whom".
"But for this also I do not blame you both, neither of you possess the slightest theory of mind in the truest horrors of what a demigod really is".
Absalom's mind raced even in more in realization upon putting the pieces together and taking note of the oddity of his existence and in some of his father's actions displayed towards him, making little adjustments never explained about or readings on his condition and more. It struck even more fear into his heart thinking of the possibilities for why things had been so and the longer the thoughts persisted, the deeper he felt himself sinking until he pulled himself to a stop with a will he never knew he possessed.
He couldn't be overcome with such despair yet, so what if his existence had some pretty damning implications for him and what if Hestia knew all this, there still was on important aspect beyond all this in the grand scheme of things that makes her knowledge entirely powerless - "You still cannot defeat a demigod, so what is the point in the end if your demise is still guaranteed Queen Hestia".
"And you can't kill me either because even by your implications, if my father had gone to such deliberate lengths to ensure my existence, it means that I am most certainly important to his plans either way and still am".
"Which means, that it is also a surety that he would be made alert the moment something happens to me" he spoke, feeling more and more of his confidence regained with each word spoken in relation to his point, he did have a chance after all in the end. Yes, there still was nothing this woman could do against the greatest backing one could ever ask for.
Even if the part about her demise remained a lie as one of agreements he had between the absent parties of this deal was the guaranteed possession over her in the end, he would fight tooth and nail to get it even if he had to offer his father the impossible itself.
A silence reigned between them for a short while, her face remained unreasonable and stoic, an expression Absalom took as a guaranteed success on the effects of his words over her leading to an even larger boost in his confidence, then a moment later she smiled and stood up from the throne startling him a bit but still confident in his victory even as he remained captive under her power, he calmly watched as she walked over to him standing behind his seat.
"Yes, it would be sane to assume that I cannot stand against a demigod".
"But – she leaned a little further down – What if I could create a demigod as the strongest ally unto myself".
Absalom scrunched his brows at the mention of such an absurdity, feeling even reasonably angered by it in fact "Queen Hestia, have you gone mad from the fear already?".
"Was that really the best you could come up with, there's really no cards left for you it seems".
"It would be best if you release me now".
Even after hearing all that he had said, Hestia only smiled and shook her head a little, this was yet another thing that she could not cast blame on him for as it truly was the most absurd thing – "It is normal not to believe me–
"Of course I don't! Who would for such nonsense!?" He immediately snapped back which only caused the smile on her face to widen a little more, not minding the interruption as she continued on.
"Say it's possible I got a hold of something that could make such a dream into reality".
"And being too far away from it myself, what if I hand over such secrets to someone far ahead than anyone else in the realm".
"Someone like the Tower Master for example, just an example and what if you give such a being eight years of time that could be stretched into far longer by a multitude of methods coupled with the inherited knowledge and gift of Merlin he possesses alongside a genius nearly unmatched by any mortal creature".
"We do all this for a deal of course, under contract with the Arcane as witness".
"Just how far away could such a man be from ascending into such a level with all this at his disposal".
"Well....I am sure you can imagine the answer to that".
In his body raged a growing terror so great it could be felt down to his very soul, every word spoken was met with a furiously great need to deny them over and over in his head, to still claim these were nothing but the fantasies of a madwoman but there remained a certainty in his heart which he knew could never be denied.
But even admitting the possibility of such a thing would not be enough to grant him peace due to the existence of a far greater dilemma that would come after, everything felt light and his world was spinning, nothing made sense, ever since this woman made an impossible appearance in here nothing has progressively made sense to him, why didn't anything make sense to him, why was she doing to him, this made no sense, it made no sense, it made no sense, nothing made sense, why did nothing make sense anymore, why.....
Hestia seeing the envoy sink a little into the pits of insanity finally made to remove the binds of her power over him and returned to her regal throne, there was one more piece of information she omitted but that would remain her true trump card against that mighty being.
But as for the envoy, indeed killing him so early would derail so much of her plans and this was something he was right about even if for entirely misguided reasons, this was not a conflict to be initiated so early, she would be requiring the help of the Tower Master in great detail to set the final stages before a move could be made, which meant that her only options right now were either to rewrite this entire encounter from reality itself or wipe his mind clean of it alongside a small reset to the realm as the more tamer choice.
Hestia heaved a small sigh, what was the point of debating when the answers were already fixed since the start. But perhaps she could give herself a third choice, a small loophole in the second option that was more for the satisfaction of it than anything else and this brought a small mischievous smile to her face just thinking about it.
<
She casted the spell at the snap of her fingers and the defenseless envoy could only succumb to it, soon the realm began undergoing changes around him and from the bridge of his eyes came a dark strand that wrapped around the index of her hand, with a thought it was set ablaze by a golden flame that devoured the whole strand, turning it into a lighter hue until it shot straight through into his head pulling the strand along with it like a released spring.
And just then his eyes opened as reality began dancing around them, the realm was reset to remove all traces of her presence and in turn manipulated to be imprinted with an entirely new record matching that of Absalom's new memories.
The envoy remaining none the wiser just progressed with his activities as usual unable to see or sense the presence of Hestia sitting just a few steps away from him, as if the records of her present did not exist to neither he nor the realm, only the falsified version of herself within the world was all that could be seen.
Just as it has been for so long allowing her to make her moves undetected, a new addition Hestia added the moment she had learned of it's existence and understanding that even before this it had no authority to pry into her thoughts and actions including that of her family's as naturally divine creatures.
'One step at a time' she silently recited to herself just before fading out entirely to seamlessly replace the false installation of herself in the world and move on with her day as usual.
[Back in the realm of residence].
Velkos stood bare before the full length mirror in his room, his auburn silvery hair with a length reaching all the way to his ankles flowing with such grace at the gentle breeze. He had changed again, the hair length was new and his fairly red skin had become a bit more saturated with the rough textures now shaping up to be scales in some places whilst smoothening in some others in a most uniform manner, but the greatest change to occur was the bloodthirst that had climbed to an entirely new level in it's manifestation made evident by the crack in his mask growing by the second.
Just the tiniest shadows of it's presence on the outside already causing the space around him to visibly bleed and distort in the purest agony, wailing as flashes of reality warped around him, it would seem another change was in order to accommodate this small evolution.
He shaped a mana scalpel and made an incision across his index and dripped the burning red blood onto the floor but just before it hit, a small ripple spread out over the entire room painting it with a deep hue of crimson. And then came an eerie stillness in the world itself as he moved to remove the simple plain mask over his face, the item fading away to nothing just a second after as he stood there with his eyes closed, waiting and anticipating.
Not a moment later it burst forth, a violent sea of crimson crashing fiercely against anything and everything, even the fabric of space itself just as it tried it's very hardest to shift reality even the slightest bit for entrance into the beyond yet that eerie stillness kept it at bay, containing it's influence with such perfect control even as it kept expanding and growing in strength yet never once managing to move or infect a single atom of existence both inside and beyond this room until that sea turned completely still just the same.
And Velkos still with his eyes closed raised his hands in a cupped motion as the sea of crimson began gathering, compressing and shifting until it became entirely contained within them, then it shaped out to become a new faceless red mask with no detail other than the two small horns sticking upwards.
A magic circle appeared for a moment before fading away leaving an inscription on the inside of the mask, with the preparations complete he gently wore the mask over his face and called off the effects of his power lingering over the room thereby returning it to it's normal hue with no trace of anything having ever occurred in the first place.
He released the bone claw at the back of his hands noticing the changes, they bore an almost metallic sheen and a silvery white aura now appeared to be emanating from them, from it he could sense the underlying presence of gluttony mixed in with a source akin to erasure itself yet quite similar to the nature of
Ignoring the obvious implications surrounding this new change, a cool factor for him was the fact they could be shot out as projectiles now and the spike would be reformed immediately after, another was the fact he could focus a most insane concentration of his power in it's purest form and release it, of course he could always make something like this via releasing it from his fingers or just summoning it in the air or around him, it was a pretty basic skill to gain just like a mana bullet but this one bore the essence of these new natures automatically.
And while it may not be much of a difference, still he liked it either way. Now on to something else he was also excited for, the spar with Emrys and a second opportunity to amend the one he missed in the tournament due to having lost so early.
With a snap of his fingers a new entire was rebuilt onto him from scratch, he lined his sleeves and left for the entrance heading towards the agreed location of their spar as the hour drew by.
EnD.