The Villain's Story

Chapter 788: You.

[Item name: Stellaron’s dagger.]

Rank: SS.

[Description: A dagger made by Astral Sorcerer Stellaron in his youth, An imperfect realization of the astral forces Stellaron came to in his youth. It was later discarded as Stellaron realized his mistake.

It has the unique ability to create a small spatial field where teleportation is greatly hindered. Furthermore, it has the ability to rip small spatial fields apart, as well create meager rifts in space. It was later thrown away in the Elven treasury as Stellaron entered his long period of meditation, Somehow, the dagger ripped through space and landed someplace else.]

”Hmm...”

Alan studied the dagger in his hands with [Dragon Eye], and sighed. He had hoped it would actually contain something useful, but it did the same things he could do.

He himself could create a much stronger spatial field if he just spread his mana out. Not only that, but he could do such a thing with normal mana as well. Portals were fragile things, after all.

Vice versa, he could also destroy a weak spatial field, and he could create rifts as well. He hoped the dagger would have carried other forms of spatial sorcery he could actually utilize.

He wanted something other than combat and simple transportation, however, he had yet to come to such a sorcery. Creating his own was even more difficult.

Well, it was a process that dragons spent their entire lives on... He was still young, he’ll have a moment of enlightenment soon enough. Probably.

[Anyone there?]

He pressed down on the communicator in his ear, but unfortunately, no one replied. Maybe all of them were in the process of confronting their shadows, and he was running late.

How strange, he was certain he was the fastest out of everyone. Even without using his instantaneous teleportation to cover an insane distance. He could already fly at the speed of sound, even faster if he was trying.

However, no matter how far he went, the connection still led him to a point far beyond his vision. Interestingly enough, it led him towards the black sun.

His eyes were already locked on to it, for a while as well. The sun of black had a special effect on everyone, but it didn’t affect him much. It wasn’t exactly hurting your eyes, nor forcing a mind hex on you.

It was luring your shadow towards it, Alan was unsure if he still had it, but that was what he felt. The closer he got to it, and the longer he looked at it, he could feel something ethereal going away from him.

Was that why he had not reached the destination? Was his shadow still with him, and slowly being pulled away towards the sun?

Or... was it just one?

’Shadows are a reflection of the soul.’

Then which soul? His? James? Aranus’s? Was the first shadow that had escaped not his own, or his own, and the rest were left? Slowly being ripped away?

What exactly would he have to fight? Would he have to face himself? Or the calamity itself? His mind was... busy, to say the very least.

’A shattered black sun, from which spewed flesh and guts, innards of all kinds, waterfalls of blood of a gargantuan size.’

For a moment, Alan brought himself to a halt, the air rippled as his body came to an immediate stop, and he simply stared at the large sun.

’A world where everything had died, lay in ruins, as two dragons fought until the end.’

Valus and Aranus, a fight he couldn’t even glimpse, fearing his own death by the mere specks of rogue energy released. In there, was sun just like that, however, it was as if it had been ripped open by ferocious claws.

’Is that you?’

Kulak, the Supreme of Shadows, was he the black sun? The source of all light in this desolate expanse? Or was it a beast of shadows? It could even be a simple creation of Kulak.

But would a creation like that spew innards when split apart? Alan wondered, he could feel the pull grow stronger.

[What are we?]

The voice spoke to him again.

[Masterpiece.]

[...]

The voices spoke to him again, one of a child, one he hated, and one a sigh from someone he feared.

[What are we?]

[Masterpiece.]

[...]

Again, and again. They started to talk once more, or rather repeat themselves in his mind. In the same order.

Alan proceeded forward, feeling as whatever the realm was trying to take was gone. He felt hollow, perplexed, his mind grew dull, and a certain sadness engulfed him.

The ’pull’ was gone, and he looked down, at a cliff at the center of this world, right underneath the black sun, facing a tranquil sea of stars.

Stars, clouds of dust, Galaxies, even the occasional black hole could be found in that sea. It had suddenly appeared, and he knew the connection led him to the edge of that cliff.

He went down, for a moment, he tried to summon his weapon, the Ame-No-Sakahoko, but he hesitated.

He felt as if he didn’t a weapon right now, He didn’t need to fight at this very moment.

He approached the edge of the cliff, and gazed at the sea of stars in front of him. He could feel the wind blowing, even though he was looking at a depiction of the astral world, and not a regular sea.

It was tranquil, calm. It was peaceful. He sat down, his legs dangling at the edge, over the sea of stars, as he calmly waited.

The breeze was nice, the sight was spectacular, the silence and the tranquility of it all was exhilarating.

The sands shifted, and concentrated beside him, turning into a small cyclone on the ground, which eventually spewed out a mass of black.

The mass of black was right beside him, but he didn’t pay it any attention. Eventually, it molded itself into a small child, taking the same position as Alan, though the difference in size was something.