The Almighty Ring

After leaving the taxi and its driver, Jiang Fei paced slowly closer to the palace. Even though he was far from the gates, he could feel the presence of several strong fighters. Despite being strong himself, Jiang Fei still felt scared of the presence in the palace.

“Dammit! Never would I have thought that there would be crouching tigers and hidden dragons in the palace when there are overwhelmingly plenty of common folk in Alderaan! Sheesh! Is he helping me or trying to get rid of me…” Jiang Fei groaned as he got even closer. He needed a closer look at the palace to plan his entrance and exit route for his rescue attempt.

Jiang Fei made a complete circle of the parameters and analyzed every possible entry and exit point. After that, he retreated far away and found himself a secluded place. There, he sat down, crossed his legs, and started to meditate. Even though the main player would not be himself, Jiang Fei knew he would be using his body to fight. The least he could do was make sure his body is in a tip-top condition.

Two days flew by and on the day of the wedding, when the sun was high in the sky, Jiang Fei opened his eyes and got ready for action.

Loud cheering and ceremonial cannons were heard in the distance. At this point, Jiang Fei need not guess that the wedding ceremony was about to start.

“The ceremony is starting! Why is he still not coming out!” Jiang Fei barked. If Umbral Jiang Fei was not taking over, the rescue attempt would be over before it could even start. The time he spent on Alderaan would be for nought!

“Nothing I can do, captain,” said 0541 apologetically. There was no way Jiang Fei or 0541 could force the Umbral Jiang Fei to appear. He came when he liked and left in the same manner. Jiang Fei frantically checked himself to see what he could do to trigger the take over.

“Mhm. No reason to be so nervous…”

Just then, Jiang Fei’s entire body froze as the black smoke started to form around his body.

“Identify yourself,” 0541 immediately asked as ordered by Jiang Fei.

“Finally talking to me, huh? He must have ordered you to do that,” said Umbral Jiang Fei as he grinned. He paced slowly, nonchalantly, as if there was no rush into saving Aurelia.

“Personally, I would like to know who and what you are.”

“Curious little one, aren’t you?” Umbral Jiang Fei smirked.

“Fine. Seeing as how loyal you have been this entire time, I shall reveal a small part of the entire truth. However, I will only tell you if you will keep this a secret. You cannot tell anyone, not even him!” Umbral Jiang Fei said again after a long pause.

“It is against my protocol to keep any kind of information from the captain!” 0541 rejected the deal instantly.

“Very well then. I shall forever be an enigma! It wouldn’t be beneficial for him to know who I am as it will be a hindrance to his progress.”

“I…”

0541 hesitated. As Jiang Fei’s support system, 0541 could not lie or hide any information from Jiang Fei. It was programmed in the deep-layer protocols of his programming system. However, he had evolved into a superior system which granted certain leeway for him to reject certain protocols. If he thought that hiding certain information from Jiang Fei would be beneficial for him, it was vital for him to do so.

“I do not have all day.” Umbral Jiang Fei gave a sneer-like smile.

“I agree to your terms but I will determine whether or not the information will hinder the captain’s progress.”

“I’m sure you’ll do that.”

Umbral Jiang Fei walked as he started to explain.

“He and I are the same being but of different sides of the same coin. He is weak, naive. He has too many things that he desires to do but dares not to. All of his repressed emotions caused this side of him to develop. In the battle with Bargh inside the 10th Dimension, when Bargh’s malice infected Jiang Fei, I was born. I am all that Jiang Fei is not.”

“Impossible! If you are the same person as the captain, why are you far superior!” 0541 asked.

“I am what I said I am. Your captain doesn’t even know how to fully utilize his power. As I said before, he is too weak! And if he never learns how to desire power, he will never be able to fully master Omnisurge. That is only the tip of the iceberg. If only he knew what he could do with the power of the 10th Dimension!” Umbral Jiang Fei scoffed.

0541 was speechless. He could not deny that Jiang Fei was indeed weak and naive.

“What are your motives?”

“Same as you; to let the boy live a little longer,” said Umbral Jiang Fei before he sighed heavily.

“He and I are two sides of the same coin. If anything happens to him, I would suffer the same fate. Right now, he is being cooperative. If I don’t take this chance to help him grow stronger, he will be the reason the both of us kick the bucket.”

“I do not understand why you would keep your existence a secret. He has been worried about you taking over his body!”

“It can’t be helped. I would be worried too if I were the main consciousness. Once he knows who I am, both of our consciousness will merge as one. It is inevitable and I have made my peace with that. However, that cannot happen now or in the near future. He is too weak and because of his weakness, he will lead me, you, and all of his partners to the grave.”

“You can take over his body whenever he is in grave danger.”

“That’s not how it works. My time is limited. Every time I appear, I will consume the limited energy that is the Bjolnian malice. Once that power runs out, he and I will become one and whole. I must make him stronger before that day comes.”

“How are you going to do that?”

0541 was relieved when Umbral Jiang Fei revealed that his condition of Jiang Fei was not permanent. However, at the same time, he was worried. Umbral Jiang Fei’s life span was limited. When he’s gone, there would be no one left to pull Jiang Fei out of danger.

“Hehe. How indeed…” Umbral Jiang Fei grinned ominously.

0541 was annoyed. At this critical moment, Umbral Jiang Fei still found the time to joke around.

“Time is of the essence. Time for me to shine!”

“What are you planning?”

“You’ll see.”

Umbral Jiang Fei scanned the area and found himself a concealed spot to hide near the gate of the palace. In time, the gates would open to allow guests to enter when the ceremony started.

“Is he trying to crash a wedding and snatch the bride?” 0541 thought to himself.

“An opportunity like this comes but once in a blue moon. Hah. I should make it grand!” Jiang Fei said to himself.

A while later, three thundering blasts of cannon were fired, signalling the official start of the wedding ceremony.