Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1371: Forbidden Conversation-2

”...Golden.” Helen’s eyes narrowed, her pupils trembling slightly as memories flooded back—memories of Robin Burton standing alone, Ready to take on the Nature Antihalation Orb,

”Piercing golden eyes... and a radiant cloak of gold that dissolved any law that dared approach it. That’s how he wielded the Law of Truth.”

”Oh... so he truly does possess a golden ability too?” A slow, knowing smile crept across Hedrick’s lips, as if a long-held suspicion had just been confirmed.

”That seals it. There’s no longer any room for doubt. He’s special—special enough for that entity to intervene directly.”

Helen’s breath hitched.

”that entity?” she repeated, her tone sharp, her spine stiffening with sudden urgency.

”You mean... the golden shard? You know who that is?! Who is that being?!”

”He’s a legend,” Hedrick said, his voice steady as stone, but carrying the weight of stories long buried beneath time.

”That’s all he’s ever been. A myth hidden in the spaces between recorded history. But if you’ll allow me, sister... let me shed some light.”

He leaned slightly forward, his gaze intense and focused.

”In the hidden records of the Middle Belt—those that have been sealed away in restricted archives, far from public eyes—there are... patterns. Strange, repeated patterns. Scattered throughout time like echoes.”

He raised a hand and traced small circles in the air before him, as if outlining invisible sigils.

”Individuals—scattered across the span of a hundred million years—each wielding Master Laws. Each of them prodigies. Each of them leaders. Titans of willpower. Possessors of charisma, ambition, and raw, terrifying potential. If given enough time, any one of them could have unified half the universe.”

He paused, his voice dropping slightly in tone.

”But all of them met the same end: death. And not a simple death, either. No, they died because they chose to stand against forces far stronger than themselves. They threw themselves into impossible conflicts. Self-made crucibles. They challenged fate... and lost.”

Helen frowned. ”That doesn’t make sense... why would—”

”Because that was the pattern,” Hedrick interrupted gently. ”Again and again. They challenged gods while still mortals. They played the game of titans before they had finished growing their wings.”

He lowered his hand and looked into her eyes.

”They weren’t just strong. They were... dangerously brilliant. Too brilliant. Their minds wove elaborate plans, threads of causality so tangled that not even the cosmos could follow their intent. But in the end, every thread led to the same outcome.”

”...And Robin Burton?” she whispered, as if afraid of the answer.

”He fits every piece,” Hedrick replied. ”Like all the others, he bears the mark—the golden light. That terrifying ability that augments his law. He’s young, a genius, and already treading the very path that claimed so many before him by fighting you. And technically...”

He paused, letting the silence hang.

”Technically, he already died, just like them.”

Helen’s breath caught again.

”But something—someone—intervened at the last moment. That entity. The golden shard. It saved him. Which is already different from those before him. The others died. But with him... there was hesitation. Rescue.”

Hedrick’s voice grew softer.

”Maybe it couldn’t bear to lose him. Maybe it still has need of him. Or perhaps... there’s a rule. A limit. Maybe that being can’t support another candidate so he supported what he already have?”

Helen stared, stunned, the weight of his words settling heavily across her chest.

”You’re telling me Robin Burton is part of some kind of... suicidal bloodline of Master-Law wielders? A lineage cursed to die in glory? And I was unfortunate enough to cross paths with him of all people?!” Her voice cracked, caught between disbelief and reluctant realization.

”Seems so.” Hedrick nodded solemnly.

Her voice dropped to a whisper. ”Then who... who is that being that found him too valuable to die?”

”As I told you... it’s more than just a rumor—it’s a legend. The tale of a strange, nameless entity... one that appears only to those it deems worthy. It trains Master Law wielders, empowers them, shapes them like weapons, and then gives them missions to execute,” Hedrick said, his tone low and steady, as if reciting sacred lore.

”And judging from the pattern... those missions almost always lead to the ignition of cosmic wars. Massive conflicts that reshape entire star sectors.”

He leaned forward slightly, eyes darkening.

”You weren’t ’unlucky’ to meet Robin Burton, Helen. No, I think you were placed in his path deliberately. Perhaps because of your bloodline... or maybe simply because of your proximity to the throne of destruction. But either way, you weren’t a bystander. You were a piece on the board.”

”I was part... of a plan to start a cosmic war?” Helen’s voice trembled as if the very idea was trying to crawl out of her body. Her hands shook slightly by her sides.

Hedrick gave a small, grave nod.

”The good news? It’s over. Or at least, your role in it is. The way that being removed you from the battlefield—subtly, suggests your Chapter in that story has closed. He doesn’t want you involved anymore. Maybe things didn’t go as planned... or maybe,” his lips curled into a faint smirk, ”maybe he likes Robin Burton too much to let you interfere again.”NovelFire

He turned slightly, gazing off into the horizon. His voice grew softer, reflective.

”Now the question is: has Robin Burton been given another mission? Or has he been allowed, at last, to live in peace?”

He paused, then glanced back at her.

”But if I had to place a bet... knowing what I do of how that being do things... I’d say the former.”

Helen slowly stood, a storm gathering behind her crimson eyes. But it wasn’t defiance—it was realization. Cold and creeping.

”Another mission...?” she whispered, more to herself than to her brother.

”You’re saying Robin Burton is now the spark for a new war? A war on a universal scale?”

”That’s the most likely scenario,” Hedrick said with a casual shrug, lifting both hands. ”But like I said—anything tied to that entity is a web of speculation. We’re dealing with shadows within shadows.”

Then his voice shifted slightly, taking on a note of curiosity.

”But here’s the real puzzle: why did it reveal itself now? Why to you, of all people? And in front of the ruler of the Nine Paths Empires, no less? This being has spent tens of millions of years hidden, operating through proxies and fragments, and suddenly... you can describe its soul shard in detail?”

Helen sat back down, her body suddenly heavier, her mind spinning.

”Maybe... maybe its appearance was part of the plan,” she muttered.

”Unlikely.” Hedrick waved vigorously, his eyes filled with surprise. Then he sighed and smiled back at Helen, ”I thought you were going to shout that we should report Robin Burton.”

”I’m not a snitch, Big Brother. Did you just recognize me today?” Helen snapped back, ”Either I handle it myself or I keep my mouth shut. No one deserves me going around reporting them.”

”Not even me?” he teased with a rare, warm laugh.

She turned her head away, lips twitching. ”You know what I meant.”

Then her gaze returned, sharp and cold.

”The point is... message received. I’ll swallow my anger over the rumors, and I’ll keep my distance from Robin Burton. You can stop lecturing me now.”

But Hedrick’s smile widened.

”Who said anything about staying away?”

Helen’s expression twisted in confusion and growing frustration.

”Big brother... what exactly is going on inside that genius brain of yours?”

”In most of the previous cases where golden master-law wielders emerged, they were killed before gaining influence. Snuffed out before they could become dangerous. Robin Burton... already faced that fate.” He looked at her meaningfully. ”And you were the blade meant to deliver it.”

He began pacing slowly, hands clasped behind his back, his voice taking on the rhythm of a strategist laying out a board.

”But based on what you told me, and what I sensed from you... he survived. And that changes everything.”

Helen’s voice was sharp again. ”So now you think he’s ready to fulfill his next mission—ignite a war that could consume half the stars?”

”I don’t think, Helen.” Hedrick’s tone shifted. ”I know. And the question now isn’t how to stop him... it’s why should we?”

He turned, his gaze focused, intense.

”We now stand at the edge of something vast. With the right steps, we could be at the center of history, not its victims. We could choose sides before they’re drawn.”

His voice lowered slightly.

”This is our opportunity. One we’ve never had before, we can be players, not mere pawns!”

Then, with a final glance over his shoulder, his smile curled again.

”...I think it’s time I paid a call to my new friend.”