Chapter Seventy Four, A Tether.
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Water dripped, and critters crawled around. Wind blew, and the darkness was all that there was. A huge creature crawled by, having over twenty insectoid legs, and a long skinny body.
This was deep, deep below the earth, and as the insectoid crawled, an entity turned his head.
He was hooded, wearing a completely black cloak. It was tied around his waist, showing his figure just slightly. He was tall, to say the least, and he seemed to be rather bulky.
But, his most noticeable feature were the armored tentacles stemming from his body. There were three in count, but to all those beneath, they were very aware of the fact that these tentacles were innumerable...
Everyone knew this character.
Edit, the Satan of the Underworld.
The most powerful demon, the leader of the first order, the father of the Seven Deadly Sins.
This entity had countless names, but there was one that was unanimous throughout the entirety of hell.
Demon King Edit.
He stepped through the tunnels of the underworld, some of his armored appendages dragging on the ground behind him.
He seemed to be in a daze. His face couldn’t be seen, but from his movements, he was likely out of it.
And out of it he was.
Having used his utmost control to peer into the aboveground all the way from the lower levels of the underworld…
Even if he was level seven that wasn’t the easiest of tasks…
Especially when you take into account that he was observing three entire continents.
He examined humanity and the beastkin, taking note of how weak they were.
Only the beastkin had the Sacred Beasts that could even begin to contend with him.
As for the Vitarians, he figured those of the high ranks could give him some sort of challenge.
Only a Vitarian beyond ten thousand years old couldn’t even hold a candle to his power.
Thankfully there were only fifty four of them that fit that criteria.
“I feel it is time to exert control over the aboveground as well…” A deep and ominous voice rang throughout the halls of hell, Edit continuing to drag himself along.
”I’ll set the blueprint, then let the lesser orders proceed with fashion.”
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It rained down upon the world, the roads drowning in water. Shops were closed, and nightfall had consumed the cities.
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An old man rummaged through a dirt alleyway, digging through the thrown away trash.
This man was unknown, a straggler with no family.
No job.
No anything.
He stood up, a scarf he had scavenged in his hands.
But he noticed something as he rose.
He could hear whispers.
There were people deeper in the alleyway. Considering the roads were flooded, he wondered who could else could be roaming alleys in these conditions.
He wrapped the scarf around his neck and followed the voices, creeping towards the back of the alley.
As he neared, he could see a dim light.
Approaching It, he stared at the glowing stone wall. On it was a large circle, with lines crossing through it. There were symbols everywhere within it, and despite the construct being black, it was still seeping with light.
"W-What is this?..." The man asked. A hand stretched forward, the curiosity getting the better of him as the whispers grew louder.
Inch by inch, centimeter by centimeter, the voices grew louder.
Until...
"I am Satan."
A clear voice rang in his ears, and instantly, the man felt strange.
His legs buckled, the ground beneath him disappearing.
He started to fall.
He was in a dark space, endless and infinite. There was no light for as far as he could see, and all he could do was scream helplessly as he fell.
"You are the one that found my tether?" The same voice rang in his ears, yet...
This time, it felt ever present. Like the voice was speaking not just to his ears, but even his heart. His soul...
As he wailed and clawed at the air, the tears that were in his eyes were being dried away by the winds.
"To think someone as lowly as you is my first subject..." The voice continued, scrutinizing him.
"You don't even have a name... You're equivalent to the sixth order trash... No, even below that." The man closed his eyes, hoping all of this was nothing but a dream.
"I presume that does make you easier to corrupt... I wonder how far we will get." As those words were said, he could feel something encompassing his body. He was being tickled, consumed by what felt like countless ants.
"Wake up to reality, my first Warlock."
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A woman walked through the streets, a hood held over her head to stop the rain from soaking her face. She found herself in front of a weapon store, pulling a key from her pocket. She unlocked the door, entering silently and locking it behind her. She navigated through the shop, dodging armors and swords. Quickly, she was in front of a shelf of books, and with expertise she pulled another key from her back side.
She slipped it in between to books and fiddled for a moment until...
Click!
She pulled the wall towards her with the key in hand, the shelf giving away and opening up like a door.
Pulling the key out, she walked into the entrance, closing the bookcase behind her. She walked down the dimly lit staircase, her hood slowly coming off as she ventured downwards.
Eventually, she emerged in a den of sorts.
There was no one present.
But there were many items at her disposal. Tables filled with vials of strange liquids. Books strewn everywhere. Pots, recipes, manuals, tools.
It was like... A laboratory.
With her hood fully off, the women looked around. Her eyes landed on a reflective surface, her feet silently stepping forward.
She examined herself for a few moments. She had a sharp nose, but not one that protruded out. Her face was slim, and her lips weren't the most plump, but they were rather pink. Her brows were the perfect thickness, and her eyes were definitely thin but not as much as those from eastern kingdoms. Her eyes were a golden color, and her gaze was rather intimidating.
Her face was dug into the collar of the cloak she wore.
She shook her head.
"Alchemy." She whispered, turning away. She found herself taking a seat, before countless herbs and items.
There was a formula before her, a secret formula she was trying to bring to fruition away from the eyes of any other.
The Alchemical Equation.
Life, Belief, Will, Thought.
She had discovered that with these four ingredients, you could do anything.
Her eyes fell onto the bottom corner of the scroll.
None knew of her bloodline, but one day they would.
She imagined that after her death, countless people would fight for the ownership of the formula. Despite it being something so simple, it was hard to realize. Most assume that something as magical as alchemy may need the energy of heavenly materials, or perhaps the sacrifice of countless people.
Of course these things can help, but alchemy is something simple.
The use of energies to transform one thing into another.
She sighed, grabbing the two ends of the paper, and rolling them back together.
"The Alchemical Equation, by Diana Wu." She stood up, walking towards a shelf.
"It's a shame I simply don't have enough life energy to proceed with my tests..."
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