Eternity was something that defied the Heavenly Court, defied the Earths and defied Man. Who could claim to truly last for eternity? The Gods and Goddess’, the entities that Isaac had seen mortals display such utmost reverence to, submitting to something greater than them, could they do it?
No. They could not. Goddess Aria too, would eventually meet her demise. How long would her legacy last? Perhaps, some would feel a lrge order of gratitude if they personally were blessed by her, spreading her down as a benefactor of their bloodline. 3 generations in, her existence would become lost.
“It’s laughable, right?”
Rather than a response, Isaac received a hand crushing his throat leaving him short of breath.
“Isaac. Cease this immaturity. Tell me, now. How can they be brought back to life. Whatever ‘grandiose’ plan that you have, this is not the way to do it. What nonsense is it to subject the entirety of the Kingdom to this suffering but gracefully allow your family to live. What is it, did you gain some sort of twisted affection towards them now?”
Hearing this, Isaac stopped his small struggles to escape the hand that brought him closer to death. As if he heard it wrong. Isaac kept waiting to hear something else, something that would clarify what he had just heard. Yet, nothing came, She…had genuinely said that?
If he could laugh, he thought he would erupt into an enormous fit. Affection. Affection. Isaac focused all the effort he could still muster up in his body and exploded upon the hand that was continuously restricting on his neck. A small gap was indeed formed, allowing him to take a deep breath.
And as he felt the air enter his body, hysteria poured out. His arms clutched on his chest, feeling an excruciating pain with every laugh that came out. “To think I’d see the day where you’d act like this. Was it that painful, feeling their emotions all at once? Ah, ahaha! Affection! You! Out of all people, you ask me if I have affection for the person who branded me a slave! Ahaha, fuck, you must have seen it, right? I was so close. I could have killed them with just one push, but that damn Oath started rampaging.”
The skies were already starting to collapse. The Goddess was out of her element, Isaac guessed. Such a torrent of intense emotions would leave anyone not of a Deity level mentally incapacitated, let alone opening a Divine Domain.
Isaac turned his head to look at the Goddess. “Don’t you wish to live a little longer? You know, see the fruits of your work even after centuries pass? To look after the descendants of those you care for? I do, Aria. I want to live just a little bit longer. I’ve been living as a slave for the majority of my life, and I would continue to do so if I don’t do this. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even be here. So let me extend a hand to you. Let’s chase it. The myth of Immortality. Toge—”
How many times am I going to have to get hit after speaking? Isaac couldn’t tell if he had gone mad, but looking down he saw an eyeball. A slashed, crimson eyeball. And for some reason, he felt as though it was his. “...Is this really necessary, Aria?”
“You. You! This? No. I refuse it. This can’t be your real reason. No, no, it can’t be. Ah, ahh, it must be something really important. Sorry, sorry Isaac. I’m just not looking at the bigger picture. Right, right! You were never the type to do this all for something as stupidly selfish as chasing a foul idea.”
Denial was the route the Goddess had chosen. But Isaac felt that it would be better if she could accept reality. “No, Aria, This is my choice. I don’t want to live a chained life anymore.” By only saying simple words, Isaac didn’t expect to change the Goddess’ mind on the matter. It had to be more. “Those people, it’s not like their lives really mattered, did they? Accomplishing nothing, they would’ve faded into obscurity anyways. All I did was speed the matter up.”
A twitch was apparent on the Goddess’ face. “There is no need to tarnish the dead.”
In truth, all of this could only happen due to one, single fact. The emotions of her people still resided in her. She became infinitely closer to a ‘human’. Their flaws, their irrationality, they all were forcefully inherited for a short period of time. After that?
Isaac’s ideal would be destroyed.
“Have I lied? They would’ve died, no matter what! They should at least help me, someone who has suffered since birth!”
This.
Isaac instinctively felt it. These were the words that would tilt the scale. It wasn’t the ‘consciousness’ of the Goddess reacting to these words. It was the collective consciousness of the common people. They, who constantly must struggle against inequality. Them, who have not felt at ease since they were born. They were to die to help someone who also suffered?
Who was there to help them?
“This…bastard! How dare you!?”
Finally, the dormant consciousness that was subtly influencing the Goddess’ thoughts and mind were expressed. A rasp, screeching overlap of thousands of voices.
“You…fucking…royal bastards…!”
“Well, looks like this is the end of our meeting, Aria.” Isaac’s eyes were forced to focus on the two golden blades piercing his eyes. …I should remember this face. Everything.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
The hair that perfectly ended at the cusp of her shoulder. The small mole that was hardly noticeable unless one took a good time to inspect the area under her left eye. The face that looked to be screaming every obscenity.
“Goodbye, Aria.”
The ground was also beginning to fade alongside ‘Aria’. For a few days, her essence would be mixed in with the consciousness of her people until they eventually faded away. Even without that, she no longer had influence over the mortal plane, meaning her words and actions could not physically interfere inside the world anymore.
After looking at an enraged face for a few moments, the world returned back to its original state for Isaac—red.
He didn’t move. Feeling the every twitch of muscle in his body, the sheer exhaustion that suffocated his chest, he laid there.
From now on, I can’t consider myself human. I mustn’t.
Under the blood he himself shed.
Under the meaningless suffering he spawned upon this mountain.
This human decided to become reborn.
Isaac de Vespertine—his sins would end there. A mass murderer that killed hundreds of thousands of people within his own kingdom. That would be it. What would his story be? A crazy bastard who thought he could accomplish something. What he thought he could do is unknown. This should be a lesson to everyone. Don’t overestimate yourself.
It would be taught for a century, before the world entered another state of war that gave stage to a deranged individual who was supported by an entire nation. After that, his title of crazy bastard would be usurped, erasing any trace of his existence left.
That would be the fate of the being named Isaac de Vespertine.
A new being existed, however, in his stead.
It smashed its head into the ground, soaking in the blood of its victims. It said in a monotone voice. “I’m not Isaac.”
It smashed its head again, repeating the same thing. “I’m not Isaac.”
“I’m not Isaac.”
I’m not Isaac. I’m not the inheritor of that Kingdom. I am Hesies. Demon who ravages the essence of the world. A curse. A curse inflicted upon Humanity.
Maybe the world had sensed something amiss. The tranquil darkness was plunged into a state of turmoil. Rain thundered down, mixing in with the blood. Bolts of lightning spewed down in earnesty, trying to strike the demon down. Until day rose, the heavy rain struck down with its companion desperately.
—
3 years had passed since the ‘Crazed Prince’ incident had occurred within the Arjies Kingdom. The news had made rounds across multiple Kingdoms, the shock of none other than the Crown Prince falsely impersonating the Goddess to kill 400,000 civilians for seemingly no reason bringing a sense of panic.
Emissaries were usually highly regarded as they were recognised by even the Gods and Goddess’, but they were now under extreme scrutiny. Past actions were brought to light, and people who were unhappy with some of the words that they had brought upon them were beginning to riot at the idea that the Emissary could simply make everything up.
It was a situation that had never occurred before due to a simple thought process—would someone as great as a Deity pick someone who would do something this foolish? Of course not! The character must have been good!
It crumbled. Isaac de Vespertine proved the age old belief wrong. From now on, Emissaries would be placed under higher scrutiny. Years could pass and the practice would still persist. That was what the common census was.
He had made his first ripple in the sea of time.
Academies were told to have a study on the individual called Isaac de Vespertine, and many professionals had different opinions on the matter. Some claimed that he died right then and there by the hand of the Goddess of Blue, Aria. Others believed that he had managed to succeed in a sort of ritual and ascended from the world.
“He was a fool! What did he accomplish, huh? Nothing! He goes and kills all of his people and disappears. He loses the backing of his Goddess, and even becomes mortal enemies with them! Now, he’s running away from the world! It’s only a matter of time until he’s caught.”
There was one common idea that all agreed upon. Isaac de Vespertine had vanished. Only after a few days had passed did the royal family emerge from what was later identified as a cell. Enraged after learning what had occurred in the few days they were imprisoned, Virane de Vespertine became crazed in the pursuit of finding and punishing his son.
Even after 3 years with masters at the highest level, nothing was found. There wasn’t even the slightest bit of trace at where he was.
Isaac de Vespertine had disappeared from the face of the world.
—
“...Really? Nothing? Are you fucking with me? Are you fucking with me?! I am the King of the Arjies Kingodm! Don’t look down on me, you fucker! You’re a fucking tracking expert and you can’t find someone who was a 5th Circle Magician?! Damn it, give me the money back if you’re not going to be sincere about this!”
Seated at the apex of an obsidian spiral, Virane de Vespertine screamed at a hunched back man. Spit flung onto the man’s face but he showed no change in expression, only sighing before stepping back,
“Virane. We are friends who go back a long time. And with that sincerity, I used Relics that I swore I would treasure. I did all of this for you, friend. And even now, having you shout obscenities at me, I still can’t find it in me to fault you Virane. Please, Virane. Let it go. Your son…no, the bastard who did this doesn’t exist anymore! He’s dead! Most likely, your Goddess killed him and is just acting out the search for revenge!”
Virane tensed his arms and slammed the old man onto the wall. “Let it go? That demon…everyone is dead, Adjir! You can’t confirm if he’s dead, can you?! For as long as I don’t get to see his lifeless body, I won’t fucking stop—so search again!”
Isaac de Vespertine had become the centre of another fable; the villain within the story of the Vespertine family.
Releasing his grip, Virane exited the room after demanding for another search. Just like here, he would confront every single one of the useless fools who took his money and gave nothing in return.
The deranged look from his face started to cool out as he left the spiral. His steps became more solid and the slouched shoulders became upright. His hand rose to cover the lower half of his face, a hood being pulled to cover right up to his eyes.
What were you trying to do, Isaac?