Shadow Slave

Asterion bowed faintly, as if showing the illustrious guest of the Immortal Flame manor respect. Then, he straightened and gave Nephis a challenging look.

She regarded him evenly, white sparks dancing in her eyes.

The people gathered in the hall, meanwhile, all looked at him with burning intensity. Some seemed curious, while some were wary — none remained indifferent, though, focusing all their attention on the newly arrived Supreme.

Asterion chuckled quietly.

”The purpose of this esteemed gathering, if I were so bold as to wager a guess, seems to be a discussion regarding none other than me. So, I’ve decided to save you all the trouble of having to wonder about my intentions, and come to dispel whatever doubts you might have.”

Walking forward, he gave the nearest guests a pleasant look.

“Is no one going to offer me a seat?”

An entire row of chairs in front of him instantly emptied, the people scrambling to get away.

Asterion took a seat directly across the table from Nephis, crossed his legs, then straightened his robe and folded his hands neatly on his knee. Finally, he glanced up and gave her a friendly smile.

”That’s better, isn’t it?”

With the empty space around him and the wary gazes aimed at him, Asterion looked like he was being ostracized by the best and brightest of humanity... like he did not belong between these walls, or possibly anywhere at all. However, even if that sense of alienation bothered him, he did not let it show.

Nephis studied him for a while. Then, a faint smile twisted her lips, as well.

”It is better, yes.”

With that, she took a seat, as well, leaning back to regard the deathly quiet hall. Hidden in the corridor behind the closed doors, Sunny paled.

’Crap.’

It would have been better if she had scowled, pursed her lips, or even set the table on fire. Then he would have known that Nephis was greatly dissatisfied. But that calm smile of hers was a far more frightening omen. It meant that she was prepared for battle.

All the careful plans they had laid out could go up in flames if Nephis decided that there was no point in playing games with Asterion, especially not if he was the one making up the rules.

Sunny turned to Cassie once more.

”Can you... calm her down?”

Cassie raised an eyebrow.

“The entire problem is that she is too calm. What do you expect me to do?”

Sunny cursed quietly.

For now, all he could do was wait and trust that Nephis would win the verbal battle against Asterion... or at least that she would care to win, as opposed to saying what she considered right, come what may.

In the hall, Nephis spoke evenly:

“Welcome to the Immortal Flame manor. The last time we saw each other here, I was what... four, five years old? Time flies.” Asterion let out a small sigh.

“Indeed.”

He remained silent for a moment, then glanced at the gathered guests.

“Why is everyone wearing such serious expressions? Oh, but I do have a guess. There is a question you all want to ask, but are scared to hear me answer. Isn’t there?” He leaned forward a little and asked in an insidious tone:

”Now that I am here, will there be a new Domain war or not?”

Asterion remained motionless as dead silence settled in the great hall. Then, he leaned back and laughed suddenly.

“Goodness. Please, lay down your worries. Nothing of the sort will happen — not if I have anything to say about it, and definitely not by my command. After all, I am here to help.”

He smiled.

”The Dream Realm is already consuming parts of the Waking World, and its profane masters are already stirring, lured by the scent of human souls. Humanity needs all the strength it can muster in order to survive the future — so, all I aspire to do is add to that strength.”

Asterion paused and glanced around the hall with an amused glint in his golden eyes.

”Ah, but this is exactly why the Domain War happened, isn’t it? My former comrades, Song and Vale, believed that two weak Domains could not endure the burden of the future. Only one ultimate, absolute Domain could — in the absence of Spirits, naturally. That was why they ended up throwing humanity into the meat grinder of Godgrave. Misguided as they were... funnily enough, I share their belief.”

He shook his head.

”I have no intention of diminishing the power of humanity by dividing it between two Domains. Even if I did... the idea of a second Domain war is preposterous, don’t you think? The first one was fought by two established Supremes and their vast forces, after all, which happened to be of roughly equal size.”

Asterion raised his hands.

“l have only recently escaped the trap they had set for me. I am alone, without a follower — let alone military forces. Changing Star, meanwhile, rules a Domain that spans three billion souls, fueled by every Awakened in existence and all the Citadels of the Dream Realm... the Human Domain. Her boundless power is fueled by all of mankind. How could I ever hope to wage war on her?”

He chuckled.

”That would be foolish. No, I too am in favor of having only a single Domain encompassing all of humanity. Even that boy, Mordret, seems to understand absolute power... my guess is that he chose to retreat into the Hollow Mountains because building his strength by consuming Nightmare Creatures seemed like a better choice than competing with the Immortal Flame. I have no desire to desert mankind, though. So, I intend to stay and help defend the Human Domain.”

As Nephis watched silently, Asterion paused for a few seconds and then added in a concerned tone:

“As an outsider, I can see a few issues plaguing the Human Domain clearer than most, though. So, the first bit of help I want to provide is make a few things clear. After all, it seems like many of you have grown blind to the truth, or possibly had never known it at all.”

Meeting Neph’s gaze, he smiled faintly and asked.

”Almost as if by design. It is true that an absolute Domain has a better chance of surviving the future. However...”

He turned to the guests of the Immortal Flame clan and raised an eyebrow faintly.

“Isn’t it strange that none of you questioned if Changing Star was the best person to rule that Domain?”