"What is this strange sigil for?" The girl questioned, her light-blue hair fluttering in the wind.
"When did it appear on your hand?" The man questioned, walking ahead of her on the mountain path, near the peaks of the mountain range high above the clouds.
"Today, just a few minutes ago I think." She answered, hugging herself, her thin fluttery clothes not suitable for such heights.
"We can think about it later, need to get you warmer clothes first." The man suggested, draped in a red robe from head to toe, his face covered by a black mask with holes for his eyes.
"I am fine, Krystallites are not affected much by the climate." She pointed out, her breath visible in the air.
"All you are wearing is a thin shirt and thin pants, those are for warmer environments, both loose enough that they will never get warm at this rate." The man reminded, turning around and poking at her shoulder.
"I am completely fine, and you have not answered my question yet," She complained.
"Right, show me the mark." He knelt down to be on eye level with her. She showed him the mark on her hand, in the shape of a diamond, slightly glistening and changing colors as light refracted from it. "Strange, such a mark shouldn't be possible, unless..." The man sighed, his hand resting on his chin.
"Unless?" She questioned when he did not continue even after a few moments.
"Unless you have been chosen as a participant in the The War for Ultimate Authority," the man informed. "It is a bloody war, though no one dies as they get revived once the war has ended. All beings that participate in this war are in a league of their own, many capable of destroying entire worlds by themselves."
"I am flattered it chose me then, but I don't wish to participate," she shrugged.
"You can decline by saying it out loud. It will simply remove the sigil and you will no longer be considered a participant," the man explained. "It can be a good opportunity to find out and test how strong the strongest truly are, if you wish to do so."
"Only a fool would do such a thing." She scoffed as she walked ahead. "They won't die, and their memories won't be wiped. They will know what I can do if I participate in the war, which will only cause more trouble for me in the future, when I do fight them. If I could've killed them right away it would have been better."
"You are not aware just how powerful they are, being overconfident can get you killed," the man sighed. "There will be one among them that has killed the previous holder of Ultimate Authority, The Creator, and trust me, that one will not be easy to take down even if many other participants attack her at once."
"You wish to see who that is?" The girl questioned as she stopped and turned to him
"Yes, I do." The man answered as he stood back up, walking to her. "Watching should be completely fine, afterall, if they attack bystanders then they will be penalized."
"What is the penalty?" The girl inquired.
"The Executioners," the man informed.
"Who are they?" She questioned.
"No one who sees them lives to tell the tale, they are not something you would wish to witness." The man explained, gesturing her to follow ahead.
"I do wish to see them still, I doubt they will be able to win against me," she shrugged.
"You have a long way to go Diamond, a very long way," the man sighed. "Let's reach our next destination first and get you warmer clothes, as well as other things to absorb so you can grow stronger fast." Diamond followed behind him through the mountain route, wondering about the things she has just learned of.
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"The War for Ultimate Authority." The girl mumbled, her long white hair bouncing behind her as she skipped through the misty forest.
"Yes." The man nodded as he walked beside her. "I do wonder why you were chosen for it as well."
"Why? You don't think I am strong?" The girl tilted her head. "Even after I defeated you?"
"I simply doubt anyone without the necessary skills and determination to look after thousands of worlds could ever hope to be chosen," the man informed. "Like a certain person I have had the unfortunate circumstance of meeting," he mumbled.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"Come on now, I am a fun person, everyone says that," she shrugged.
"Your imaginary friends don't count here," the man scoffed.
She fixed him with her misty cyan-grey eyes, her pupils thin slits. "I can kill you right now, but, then I won't have anyone to talk to."
"I can simply leave this world before you ever manage to do that." The man rolled his eyes.
"You have to teach me that teleportation thing too," the girl reminded.
"I never agreed on teaching you anything, I simply chose to go easy on you and you learned by watching me use ice spells several times," the man informed.
"If you are immortal then you have all the time in the world, why hurry?" The girl shook her head with a sigh.
"I do not have the time to play with a little girl who managed to beat the fourth of the six Immortals by sheer luck," the man fumed.
"You call that sheer luck?" The girl questioned, pointing behind her.
The man glanced in that direction, the massive ice spear, easily the size of a mountain, protruding from the ground. "I never would've lost if I did not choose to go easy on you, seeing that you are but a child."
"I hear that a lot, but I highly doubt I can be the only one this powerful despite being a kid," she shrugged.
"There are other monsters like nothing you have ever seen, or could ever hope to compare with," the man informed.
"I look forward to comparing myself with them." The girl bowed.
"Quartz, correct?" The man inquired.
"Yes, that is my name, given to me by I don't know who," the girl confirmed.
"I am aware who named you that, and if the war is starting then that means he is dead, and it also means all the Immortals will be participating," the man mumbled, half to himself. "I will certainly not be left behind," he chuckled.
"Feel free to do so, I have no interest in participating." She shrugged as she walked away.
"Didn't you just say you will?" The man questioned.
"No, I wish to fight them, but I have interest in a war like this. I will be looking forward to fighting the strongest of them after this war." The girl informed as she skipped away, disappearing in the mist.
"It is terrifying how well he planned everything so they will be raised to become capable of killing anything." The man sighed, snapping his fingers and causing a spatial distortion in front of him. "I look forward to seeing which of these monsters stands at the top, although I believe I am aware of who that will be."
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"It is truly impressive you managed to follow me here." A voice announced in the darkness.
"Is dark magic your strength?" The boy questioned, his black clothes and hair blending the darkness, leaving only his face visible in it. "Your spatial magic also seemed very powerful."
"I have many strengths, but you need not worry about them," the voice reassured. "I do not intend on using my powers on any for a while, there is one I am saving them for."
"That pink haired girl?" The boy questioned, his hand resting on the hilt of his katana.
"Did you think of giving your master's prized katana to her?" The voice questioned.
"That does not answer my question." The boy shrugged, his body now relaxed.
"But you did just answer mine," The voice sighed. "Listen, Dark, she is not yet skilled enough for that weapon. She will never be skilled enough, as she will not live long enough."
"She looked quite powerful, defeating The Creator is not something someone weak could've done." Dark pointed out with a shrug.
"He never intended to fight her from the start." The voice informed with a scoff. "He is testing her, but he never intended to be a test himself. Her future is not bright, and even she would beg for death soon enough."
"Her resolve did not seem quite that weak," Dark mumbled.
"An incorrect observation," The voice spat. "She has no resolve, no desires, no wish that needs to be fulfilled. She follows the one she believes to be right, willing to sacrifice herself to fulfil their dreams. Death does not scare her, being alone does."
"Why are we even having this chat?" Dark questioned.
"We both observed the same fight, and have been following the tracks of the same person since then. It only seemed natural to exchange our observations," The voice chuckled. "I must say, your Spatial Manipulation has grown much stronger. Have you learned more or are strings the extent of your ability still?"
"Why do you know about me?" Dark inquired.
"I have observed all of The Creator's little pawns since forever. There are four that stand out to me, The Empress, The Duke, The Shadow, and the one he willingly gave no title to," The voice explained. "The Empress is his favorite, the most fine-tuned for killing. The Duke is the second best pawn, her way of functioning the same as The Empress. The Shadow works for herself, doing what she believes to be right. He only needed to fine-tune her definitions of right and wrong, and she would do his bidding even after he is gone."
"Quite the evil old man," Dark scoffed.
"Then comes the fourth, one he never intended to manipulate, and one he never taught anything or helped. He has no plans for him, no requirement for him, yet he chose to keep this fourth around." The voice chuckled. "It's as if he has plans for the future that require this fourth, and The Creator knows he will not disappoint."
"He never planned anything for me, I simply continue ahead to fulfil my master's dying wish." Dark explained, his hand clenching the katana's handle.
"Perhaps both of their plans overlap, but no one will ever know, as they will never be fulfilled," The voice sighed.
"Why do you think so?" Dark questioned.
"That is because I, the first of the six Immortals, will kill the one their plans rely on myself." The voice boomed, shaking the dark structure Dark stood in. "Rest assured, their plans rely more on her than you."
"Killing a child, quite the cruel Immortal you are." Dark chuckled as he unsheathed the katana.
"The others have far worse plans for her, I simply wish to grant peace to that tortured soul," The voice sighed. "There are things you need not learn about her, but if you ever do, I trust you to do what is right and not disappoint any others."
"What is that even supposed to mean?" Dark questioned, his blue eyes slightly glowing in the darkness.
"Keep wondering, being on edge is a good thing if you wish to survive." The voice chuckled as the darkness fell apart, revealing a deserted wasteland.
"He made me focus on my defense and offense to teleport me out of there." Dark mumbled as he walked ahead. "Everyone seems to have quite a lot to say about her, it would be best to stay clear. I am not strong enough to stand a chance against one of them, and if she is stronger, I would be killed within a heartbeat."