In the dark expanse of the Nexus Realm, Azathoth’s eyes narrowed as he stared into the void. "Then it happened," he said, his voice echoing. "The first great war in the sky."
Simon nodded slowly, listening intently.
"They fought each other, destroying everything in their path, until Astragel came," Azathoth continued. "He banished Luciferio and every member of his race from their homeland, and he sealed the gates of heaven."
Azathoth leaned forward, a grim shadow falling over his face. "Exiled from creation's first world, Luciferio and his kind wandered across countless worlds. They conquered planets and ruled over weaker species, simply because they had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do."
Simon tilted his head, his brow furrowing in curiosity. "What makes Luciferio different from the rest of his race? Why is he your favorite?"
"Luciferio decided that, with or without the Crown, he would have absolute domination over all." A wicked smirk crossed Azathoth's face. "He developed an extreme, narcissistic personality. He believed himself superior to every living being. He enslaved entire civilizations—including members of his own race—and proclaimed himself the pinnacle of all existence, ruling through overwhelming force."
Azathoth gripped the armrests of his throne. "He became so powerful that hope lost its meaning. He ruled all of creation until Astragel stepped in. Astragel created this Nexus Realm and sealed him here because he was just too dangerous. In order for creation to protect itself, Astragel removed the seven gems from the Crown and gave them to humans. Filthy humans. Just so they could protect themselves from Luciferio's race."
"Why not give all seven gems to one human?" Simon asked.
"Because a human with that much power would become a narcissist," Azathoth replied plainly. "Astragel is all-knowing; he knows best. But that is not the point. The point is that Luciferio did all of that without the gems. Just imagine if he actually gets all seven."
Simon bowed his head. "Okay. Your will will be done, Lord."
"My will will always be done," Azathoth stated coldly.
Simon kept his head bowed, but his mind was racing. I know you are God, but I don't get it, Simon thought, keeping his face perfectly blank. You don't act like God. I know you are just a puppet, an empty body controlled by the real Azathoth, but how can God be both good and evil? It makes no sense. If you are God, why do you act this way? You act so restricted. The source of this chapter is g.com.
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Azathoth stared down at him. "Astragel found those children worthy."
Simon froze, his eyes widening slightly. What exactly are you? he thought, realizing it was pointless to hide his mind. He stood up quickly to mask his unease. "Your will will be done. Has Luciferio or his race ever been to Earth?"
"No," Azathoth said. He locked eyes with Simon, his gaze piercing. "And do not think about me or Astragel."
Simon flinched. "What?"
"No need to pretend. Do not think about us," Azathoth warned, his expression hardening. "You can never understand us."
"Because you are above contradictions?" Simon guessed.
"No. We are absolute. To understand us, you need to see the full picture. You only know a tiny fraction of the picture, so it will always be confusing to you. Do not waste your time." Azathoth leaned back into the shadows of his throne. "If I want to reveal myself, I will. But that is not what matters. All that matters is that you serve me until your last breath. Do whatever I say perfectly, so I will find no flaw in you."
Simon swallowed hard. "Yes, Master."
High on the freezing peaks of Mount Everest, Ignis charged forward. He threw a heavy punch, but Sophia smoothly shifted to her right, dodging the strike. She countered instantly, throwing a punch that connected solidly against Ignis’s helmet.
"So sorry!" Sophia gasped, her eyes widening behind her visor.
Ignis took a step back and lowered his hands. "It's okay. I have become sloppy. You win."
Sophia frowned, noticing his sudden lack of energy. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" New chapters come out on g.com first.
"Yes, I am fine. I am alright," Ignis muttered, rubbing his helmet.
"Are you sure?" she pressed, stepping closer.
"I am fine. I am fine..." Ignis trailed off, his breathing growing shallow. "I am fine."
Suddenly, his vision violently blurred.
The white snow vanished. Ignis found himself standing on scorched, cracked earth. Blazing fire surrounded him. The ground was slick with blood, littered with mutilated, dead bodies. Ignis gasped for air, his chest heaving in absolute panic. He looked up into the smoke-filled sky and froze.
A massive, seven-headed dragon descended to the ground. On the beast's middle head, a name was carved in dripping blood: Luciferio.
The dragon glared at him, opened its immense jaws, and unleashed a torrent of scorching fire. As the roaring flames consumed him, Ignis screamed.
He snapped back to reality, gasping violently as he stumbled on the snow. Sophia was gripping his hand tightly, her face pale with fear.
"What happened?!" Sophia cried out. "What is going on with you all of a sudden?"
Ignis pulled his hand back slowly, trying to steady his shaking breaths. "It's nothing."
"Come on, Ignis," Sophia pleaded, her brow furrowed. "Tell me. I am worried."
Ignis looked away from her, his jaw clenched tight. A symbolic vision, he thought, a cold dread washing over him that had nothing to do with the mountain air. The dragon destroyed the world... but where were the heroes? We were all dead.