CHAPTER 92: ULTIMATUM

The words were spoken in such a soft tone, that he was almost lulled by them…

How can he say something this ominous and still sound innocent?.. It terrified him. This person wasn’t just a rogue saint that had a vendetta against the Unblessed like he first assumed. No, the person before him was much more insane.

“What the hell are you planning?!”

“I thought I phrased it well, didn’t I? This world is crumbling—but the process is far too slow. I hope to speed it up a bit.” He said it as if it was the most normal thing to do.

“And how exactly does that benefit you?” Soren asked. “Better yet, why the hell would I help you?”

The Whispering Dream paused. “These are definitely questions I had seen coming. Luckily, I already have an answer to both!

“Firstly, the benefits to me… None, really.”

Huh? Soren had no time to process his words before he spoke again:

“As for why you should help me… That’s also fairly simple. Do you not hope to escape the clutches of fate? Destroying this world will certainly achieve that.”

Soren’s eyes widened. He silently sat there, thinking over the man’s words. What the Whispering Dream was saying certainly hid some truth in it. His desire to escape fate had certainly risen—especially after all the horrors he had experienced in the Beyond… No mortal his level should have been able to survive there, and yet, Soren did. But in the process, a part of his mind had forever been altered…

The madness followed him to the material world. Whether it was hatred or pure insanity, a part of his reason for living now was simply to spite fate. And if given the opportunity to escape its clutches, Soren wouldn’t hesitate to take it.

Atleast, that was what he had thought… until he heard the Whispering Dream’s offer.

It was very appealing to him, but something was telling him not to accept… What exactly was he missing? This world had already been fated to be destroyed anyway—why should it matter whether that happens a week or a year from now?

Was he feeling sentimental? Did the brief relationships he had forged in Star Fate Guild hold more weight than he had initially assumed?

He doubted it.

No, his instincts were warning him against something else… Maybe this too was a part of seeing the unseen—did [Eyes of the Fairy] also have a passive effect?

Shaking these thoughts away, he narrowed his eyes and asked, “What… do you need me to do?”

“Oh? You are accepting? This quickly?” The enigmatic figure tried to sound surprised, but he could tell that his whole persona was nothing but a lie. Not that Soren himself wasn’t lying as well…

Soren shrugged. “Who knows? It depends on what you need of me.”

“I see.” He chuckled. “I don’t need much from you, really. In fact, your role, Mr. Traveler, is simply to be a messenger for me.”

“A messenger?” He lifted his brow.

The Whispering Dream nodded. “Indeed. A message of spirits? Or a herald of spirits? A spirit medium? Whatever name fits. You would fit into that role fairly well.”

Soren’s lips curved up. “A messenger of spirits… Are you certain these spirits aren’t daemons?”

“I… Can’t guarantee they aren’t.” The slyness of it all didn’t eclipse him.

Soren chuckled. It was obvious to him what he was hinting at. He didn’t know why The Whispering Dream was avoiding to say Tazzith’s name directly, but now that he understood what was being demanded of him, he could finally plan accordingly.

Tazzith, the Knowledge Demon was said to be a Sovereign that had been imprisoned in the deepest layer of the Subterranean Shunning Grounds. A mysterious place within the Beyond that was created to seal powerful daemons during the War of Swords… Hurion seemed to also be connected to the enigmatic demon. And now, the Whispering Dream had kidnapped him because of that connection…

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

This gave him a bit of leverage. If the Whispering Dream’s plans are tied to Tazzith, Soren could theoretically stop them from happening. After all, it didn’t seem likely that the saint knew another person with a method to contact the daemon.

But should he even do that? That was the main question behind this conversation, and the Whispering Dream also knew that. He was probing Soren for a decision… An ultimatum:

Stand with me, or against me. Which will it be? Decide now.

Of course, Soren hated playing along other people’s rule’s the most. What difference was there between the Whispering Dream’s actions and Star Fate Guild’s? Yes, he was a bit more forceful, but the intended outcome was the same.

Both demanded something from Soren.

How annoying… It was as if his debacle with Myrin was repeating again, but this time, rather than an argument, it was blackmail.

Seeing how indecisive Soren was being, the Whispering Dream sighed. “Let me ask you this. Have you ever wondered why the War of Swords even happened in the first place?”

Soren shook his head. “No…” Although it was hinted that the Spirit Blossom Seed sparked the conflict, Soren felt like there were other factors that the books he read never mentioned.

As if reading his thoughts, he answered:

“Let me tell you then. I assume you are familiar with the story of the Spirit Blossom Seed? That thing may have seemed like it was the cause of every misfortune layed down upon this world, but the true culprit behind everything is something far more sinister.”

The words struck Soren as odd. Had it not been for Yasini’s Demise that this world’s Celestial Fate ended up frozen?

The cold voice echoed out once again: “The Avalon Ruins, Traveler. They hold the key to unlocking the real truth. The history of the First Age of Fantasia which has lain dormant all this time… The gods knew something about that history and tried to defy fate. And the result… Well, you know it now.”

Soren frowned. Obviously, he was fairly familiar with the different ages. The First Age of Fantasia: Age of Mysteries. To this day, no one has ever known about its true history. The only remnants that exist come from the Avalon Ruins… But even they are not very reliable, since Avalon’s existence continued toward the Second Age of Fantasia, under the rule of the dragons. And there were also subsects of humans still living there too that persisted. Historians had trouble differentiating whether the relics they uncovered were from the first age or the second age…

Still, the discovery of the Spirit Blossom Seed was what started the conflict during the Third Age… Spirit Wolves serving the Slumbering One, fought a bloody and devastating battle against the Elves who served the Flower Maiden. A war that involved the very gods themselves. So why would the Avalon Ruins be involved in this?

Sensing his question, the Whispering Dream sighed. “Haven’t you ever wondered where the Spirit Blossom Seed even came from? The answer lies there, beyond the walls of this castle… The dungeons of yore that are now nothing more than remnants of a bygone era hold the truth behind this world’s mired existence. The long forgotten Avalon Empire and its people dabbled in things unimaginable to the magi and phantasms of today… And it cost them everything.”

Soren stayed silent for a bit, contemplating his words.

“Fate is such an interesting thing… The Three Orbits dictate many things, all at different levels of magnitude. Celestial Fate, you see, is not a well understood topic amongst scholars. How can one quantify the fate of the universe itself? This world is nothing more than a pawn in a much larger game.

“I too, am nothing more than a pawn. And so are you. And so is everyone in this world, and every world beyond it… Well, not that they matter anyway, since this world and all of its inhabitants will cease to exist, including you.”

Soren chuckled. “How can you be so sure of that? I am not a part of this world—not even the Beyond can represent my existence. So why should I perish with all of you.”

The Whispering Dream shrugged. “Ah, you said your goal was to witness and chronicle the beginning and end of this world, was it not?”

Soren stayed silent, but he took it as an answer.

“You see, that goal is still achievable even if you die. After all, the rune that represents your Soul Weapon will continue to exist regardless of what happens to you. Once this world is destroyed, the rift will consume everything anyway. Your rune will roam the infinite darkness alone, carrying your legacy with it… Ah, how envious. Sadly, I and many others will not be afforded the same privilege.

“You also seem to possess a strange blessing that grants you some protection from the void, but I can already sense its powers waning… If you were hoping to survive because of it, you are mistaken.”

Soren wanted to stay calm, but it was extremely hard to. He had glimpsed a few things from what the enigmatic saint had said… Ever since his conversation with the mistress, he had wondered about something:

What exactly does it mean for a world to end? What happens to it?

And now, he finally had the answer: the Rift.

Things finally started to make sense. The mistress had told him that entrances to the Rift have always been a documented thing that happens in this world. But in the last few centuries, their numbers have spiked. And the amount of Vynasians arriving from the other side has also dramatically increased…

Were the Vynasians hoping to take over this world once it ends?