"Wind King Eagle!" Muria exclaimed with a hint of surprise as he gazed at the majestic World Guardian before him. However, he kept his reaction subdued. After all, it was just a Wind King Eagle, not its progenitor.
Back when he was still far from the epic level, Muria had coveted this creature, hoping to enlist it as an ally. But now that he had ascended, the eagle held little appeal beyond its symbolic significance. What lingered was merely the memory of the promise he had made to it.
While the Wind King Eagle had near-divine combat strength within its world, it offered no substantial help to Muria now. Its ornamental value far outweighed its utility.
At this moment, the Wind King Eagle stood free of its world's constraints. This was due in part to its agreement with Muria and in part because Muria, seeking a companion, had it summoned.
The lineage of World Guardians was undoubtedly among the finest in any large world, rivaling even the Titans. Within their worlds, they were unparalleled due to the world's favor. However, this very favor shackled them, preventing them from leaving their world. Were it otherwise, the World Guardians would undoubtedly hold more seats among Erathia's elite races.
This constraint was not absolute, of course. With enough source power, one could achieve anything—even negotiating with the will of the world itself.
"Lord Muria…" The Wind King Eagle began, its voice hesitant. Its bright emerald eyes flickered as it adjusted to the commanding presence emanating from the golden-clad Titan before it. A being it once viewed as an equal now radiated an aura it couldn't ignore.
"Hm." Muria acknowledged it calmly. He could sense the eagle's unease. Although the passage of centuries was insignificant to such a long-lived being, waking to find itself dwarfed by someone who once revered it was disconcerting.
"How does it feel?" Muria asked, his voice carrying a faint smile. "Once, you described your world as a cage. Now, here you are, free to soar in the endless void. What are your thoughts?"
"Lord Muria, you jest," the eagle replied, bowing its head slightly in awkward humility.
The Wind King Eagle was no fool. It had yearned for the void and thus sought knowledge of it. Within its world, it had access to all kinds of information, including the basics of the void.
Within its world, it had been a tyrant, feared and revered. It could have ventured even into the divine realms of benevolent gods without much concern. But here in the void, stripped of the world's favor, it was merely an oversized legendary beast, vulnerable to countless dangers.
"Now that you're free of the world's constraints, do you have any plans? Any destinations in mind?" Muria asked, noting the eagle's self-awareness.
The Wind King Eagle, its snowy feathers gleaming and its tail feathers trailing elegantly, glanced between Muria and the Dragon King standing nearby. After a moment of thought, it bowed its head again.
"Lord Muria, I have nowhere to go. I have heard that you are about to journey into the void. May I request the honor of accompanying you?"
Muria's brow arched slightly. He turned toward Demes, immediately suspecting his grandfather's handiwork.
"What's with the look?" Demes asked, smiling mischievously.
"Nothing," Muria replied, his gaze returning to the eagle. Given its illustrious lineage, its deference was noteworthy. Muria saw no reason to reject such a gesture.
"You wish to accompany me? Does this mean you wish to become my follower? Or do you intend to become my retainer?"
"Retainer?" The eagle's vibrant eyes narrowed as it flared its tail feathers. The question seemed preposterous, almost insulting. Did Muria truly understand what he was asking? Or was his confidence in his strength so absolute?
Becoming a retainer? Did he know its lineage? Its heritage? Without the world's constraints, its accomplishments might have rivaled Muria's.
"If you choose to be my follower, you will fight when I require it, and in return, I will protect you as best as I can. However, if you choose to become my retainer, I will grant you power—power you have never known, power you've never touched. What will it be?" Muria asked, extending his hand. A green flame, formed from the essence of wind, danced upon his palm—a manifestation of his mastery over the laws of wind.
"I…" The Wind King Eagle hesitated. It had intended to reject the retainer option outright. But as it gazed at the fiery manifestation of law in Muria's hand, the words caught in its throat.
With its newfound freedom came an unprecedented sense of weakness. It could no longer command the world's laws to empower itself. In this void, it was just another creature.
The offer of Muria's power was tempting. Yet the eagle knew the price: shackles of servitude. Even so, these bonds would be far lighter than the constraints of its world, and they wouldn't hinder its flight in the void.
"Well?" Muria pressed.
"I choose to be your follower," the eagle finally said, averting its gaze from the tempting flames in Muria's hand.
"Very well," Muria replied, hiding his slight disappointment. It wasn't unexpected. A World Guardian, especially a creature of such noble lineage, would naturally seek to forge its path to power.
Still, Muria wondered how many trials it would endure before achieving epic status—and what paths it might take to grow beyond that. Should it ever tread the path of an Evil God, Muria wouldn't hesitate to capture it and use it to nourish his own world.
...
"All set. Everything's ready," Demes announced atop the Multiverse Transmission Hall.
Gathered there were all of Muria's family members who remained in Erathia—Demes, Arista, Akmond, Arudiba, Mikaela—all gathered to see him off on his first void journey.
Standing amidst them, Muria, with the majestic Wind King Eagle perched on his shoulder, surveyed his family. Their goodbyes had already been said. All that remained was for the Transmission Hall to activate and send him to the unknown.
Unlike before, he had no specific destination. The coordinates of source-power-rich worlds were a resource reserved for rookie epics, and Muria no longer qualified. He would be randomly sent, with no telling where he'd end up.
As the Transmission Hall activated, a torrent of energy enveloped Muria, tearing through the void.
…
"This is worse than being sent to a battlefield…"
Muria sighed for what felt like the hundredth time as he treaded a golden path through the endless darkness of the void.
He hadn't been sent to a battlefield or even a world cluster. Instead, the random teleportation had deposited him in the desolate expanse between world clusters—a void with no landmarks.
With no reference points, Muria had chosen a random direction and begun walking, hoping to reach a populated cluster.
Ten years passed. By the cycles of his internal world, he had wandered through the void for a decade before finally sensing the proximity of a world cluster.
Though the darkness remained, the ethereal whispers and dreamlike murmurs that reached his ears confirmed it: he was close.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/INNIT
For every 50 Power Stones, one extra chapter will be released on Saturday.