My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Chapter 871: Chapter 872: A Splendid Dream

”So ..why are you back so soon ..” Lazarak asked, pouring Damon a drink and sliding the cup across the table.

Damon bit his lip, recalling how Lilith was probably... no, she was definitely mad at him. She wouldn’t want to talk to him. No, that wasn’t it. He was the one who didn’t want to talk to her.

He glanced at Lazarak. Then back at the drink, Lazarak was probably the only person he could talk to right now.

The only one who wouldn’t treat him like he’s lost his mind.

Lazarak now appeared to look his age. A handsome young man. No, more than handsome. Beautiful. His dark hair was long and smooth, his black robes perfect and clean, his face calm with soft expressions.

Damon felt a flicker of jealousy but made no effort to hide it.

”I had a bit of a falling out with a friend..”

Lazarak nodded slowly, a thin smile forming at the corner of his lips.

”I assume you’re in the wrong since you came running here.”

Damon picked up the drink and downed it in one go, the glass clinking softly as he set it back down.

”I wouldn’t say I was in the wrong... I mean, I was just trying to exercise my rights. She didn’t have to get so pissy about it.”

Lazarak nodded, taking a deep breath as he leaned back slightly.

”And what was this right you were trying to express? I assume it was something bad..”

Damon lowered his head, his fingers tightening briefly.

”She found out I was planning to end my small, small life and got mad at me for it.”

”I see. So a completely valid reaction then,” Lazarak answered casually.

He was already aware of Damon’s wish and had even personally given him a weapon that could kill him without a doubt. Still, Lazarak believed it was not Damon’s destiny to die by that spear.

”What did you expect, that she would cheer and celebrate your suicidal tendencies?”

Damon frowned and took a slow sip of the wine this time.

”Yeah, I know that, but it’s just... Lilith has always been by my side. Even when I’m wrong. She’s that one person I always expected to have my back. And now that she wants something different from me...”

His voice softened. ”I just feel a bit lonely...”

Lazarak nodded again, his ancient eyes reflecting understanding.

”You can’t expect her to accept it just because she understands. Life gives second chances. Death does not. In life, no matter how low you sink, there is always a chance for redemption. She’s betting on that chance.”

Damon rolled his eyes, turning his gaze away.

”Nice to know you’re on her side too...”

Lazarak glanced at the drinks between them, his fingers tracing the rim of his cup.

”If I died... Damon, would you be sad?”

Damon raised his eyebrows, caught off guard.

”Yeah. You’re my friend. It would be a tragedy.”

Lazarak smiled softly, his eyes flickering with sadness before he looked away.

”Sorry..”

Damon frowned slightly.

”What are you apologizing for..”

Lazarak shook his head, then forced a smile as he looked back at Damon.

”Sorry I can’t support your nonsense. If my death would make you sad, then what about your death? All your friends would be devastated. You have a sister who loves you. You mentioned a grandfather too. You have so much, and so much to live for.”

He looked down at the palms of his hands, slowly opening and closing them.

”I, for one, am a god with nothing to his name. My own brother is my worst enemy. My creator despises me. My peers look down on me...”

Damon paused as Lazarak spoke, listening in silence.

”I’m your best friend. I adore you. I look up to you.”

For everything Lazarak said, Damon instinctively searched for a counter. It wasn’t like him to speak so plainly about his feelings, but for Lazarak, he did.

”Then live...” Lazarak muttered.

”Succeed where I fail. You said you made a promise to a mentor of yours, to create something beautiful. I know you can.”

He smiled at Damon, the expression genuine.

”And when you do, build a giant statue of me. That way no one would forget a minor god like me, because I’d live in everyone’s heart.”

His words were not as bleak as Damon’s. Instead, they were full of life and promise.

Lazarak saw beauty in that hope.

Damon bit his lip, hesitating as he debated whether to say it.

”Hey... do you know..”

Lazarak smiled softly and nodded.

”We are in a dream, aren’t we? A dream so real it makes reality feel fake.”

Damon’s eyes widened slightly.

”Ho... how did you know?”

Lazarak shrugged his shoulders.

”The clues were there from the start. I never truly saw how you were imprisoned in Eidolon, only that you were. That was when everything began. Then there was the confusion. Then what Root Ore said. I didn’t confirm my doubts until I saw the Lake of Tears.”

He smiled at Damon, centuries of experience and divine awareness behind his gaze.

”Coming to this city and seeing people like you only confirmed it.”

Lazarak let out a slow breath.

”I am a god after all.”

His fist clenched as images and screams flashed through his mind. He had been here. He had heard it all. He had witnessed the deaths of millions. Many had cried out to God to save them from fire and steel, and the only god listening had been him.

He did not answer.

”But it still doesn’t justify what I’ve done. What I’m complicit in. The atrocities...” His voice lowered. ”I fear that before this dream ends, I will have forgotten my nature because I chose to compromise.”

”Then this is a nightmare... for you, right?” Damon asked softly.

Lazarak nodded slowly.

”Yes, it is...”

He turned to Damon, offering him a gentle smile.

”But it was also a splendid dream.”