Chapter 65 — The Pillars of Shadow
Chapter 65 — The Pillars of Shadow
The silence that followed Obliranca's question was not a simple absence of sound. It was a presence far too intense. A slow, invisible pressure that seeped into every corner of the room, into every breath, into every heartbeat. Seth felt as if the entire world had stopped… waiting for his answer.
An answer he didn't have.
His thoughts clashed against each other without forming anything coherent. There was nothing. No answer. Something inside him refused to work properly. This wasn't ordinary fear — he knew that feeling well.
It was deeper.
As if his very existence had just been called into question… and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.
In front of him, Obliranca didn't move. Her deep blue eyes never left him. They weren't just looking at his face… they seemed to pierce through everything he was. Seth felt like he was being dissected without pain, analyzed down to the smallest detail — even the parts of himself he didn't know existed.
Then Alexander's voice rose.
— That's enough.
It was neither an order nor a threat.
And yet… something shattered instantly.
The air around Seth, which had felt solid, suddenly released. The pressure vanished like a broken illusion. Seth gasped sharply, as if surfacing from drowning.
Obliranca blinked.
A second passed.
Then, unexpectedly… she smiled.
And laughed.
A soft, almost musical laugh — completely out of place.
— Hahaha… forgive me.
Seth remained frozen, his mind still trying to catch up with what had just happened.
— I… was joking, she added gently.
The words fell flat.
Absurd.
— …Sorry? I almost died… Seth muttered.
— I just wanted to see your reaction.
A silence.
Then, suddenly —
— ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
His voice echoed through the room, trembling between anger and shock. He ran a hand across his face, still damp with sweat.
— I thought I was going to die under that pressure!
Alexander let out a quiet sigh, arms crossed.
— You handled it well. Not many people can say that after being stared at like that.
— "Handled it well"?!
Obliranca slowly stepped closer. Seth's body tensed instantly. Instinctively.
— I owe you an apology, she said with a faint smile. My methods can be… a bit direct. But honestly, I like you.
Seth didn't respond. He stared at her, unable to decide whether to trust her… or run.
Then her expression changed.
Subtly.
But enough to shift the atmosphere.
— Seth.
Her voice had lost all playfulness.
— I'm going to be honest with you.
She stopped a few steps away. Not too close, not too far. A perfectly controlled distance.
— Your presence here isn't really normal. I can't quite explain it, but even I, who can see the future, can't see yours. Or rather, it's as if you don't exist in it… and honestly, that has never happened to me before.
The words sank into him.
— And there's something else I sense. Your magic is abnormal. Or rather, your magical energy… it's like your own power is devouring you from the inside.
Seth clenched his fists slightly.
— I can help you.
A beat.
— Let me teach you how to control it, Seth.
Time seemed to slow.
— …You want to help me?
— Yes. My intuition tells me this is exactly why Alexander brought you here… Because if you keep going like this…
She tilted her head slightly.
— It won't be an enemy that kills you, Seth…
Silence.
— It will be your own powers that destroy you.
A cold shiver ran down his spine. Those words hit too accurately. Too deeply.
He looked away.
— My own powers…?
Obliranca didn't answer right away. She studied him.
— Yes. Yours.
Seth frowned.
— …How can you be so sure? I don't even really know you.
Her voice was calm. Too calm.
— I'm simply making you a proposal.
A heavy silence settled. Seth understood that Alexander had brought him here because he too had sensed Seth's abnormal energy.
— …I understand why I was burning…
Seth's heart skipped a beat.
He turned to Alexander.
— …You knew? About my powers?
Alexander met his gaze.
— I had an idea. That's why I brought you here. She's the only one who can truly help you. You are my protégé after all, so I have to help you.
— "An idea"…?
— It doesn't change anything.
Silence.
Then Obliranca continued:
— You don't have to be afraid of me, human. I will do everything in my power to help you. I owe that much to my dear Alex.
She extended her hand slightly.
— So, what do you think?
Seth hesitated.
His instincts told him not to trust her.
But another voice… quieter… told him he couldn't stay the way he was.
He looked at Alexander again.
— Do you really think I should accept?
— Yes.
No hesitation.
— She is trustworthy, Seth. You can believe me. And anyway, I'll be there to assist you.
Seth looked at Obliranca one last time.
Then slowly closed his eyes.
— …Alright.
A small smile appeared on Obliranca's lips.
Subtle.
Satisfied.
— Excellent choice.
She gently placed her hand on his shoulder. A soothing warmth spread instantly through his body, melting away his tension.
But for a brief moment…
Seth felt something strange.
As if something behind that gesture… was escaping him.
At the same time, in the palace of Dragonil, the calm felt almost unsettling.
Flora was still asleep, motionless. Her peaceful face contrasted sharply with the invisible tensions spreading through the world.
Alma, however, couldn't stay still. She paced back and forth, then stopped, staring into the distance without really seeing.
— Damian… do you really have no idea where he is? I don't like it when he disappears like this.
Damian, leaning against a column, shrugged slightly.
— No.
— You say that like it doesn't bother you.
— It does bother me.
A pause.
— Just not for the reasons you think.
His gaze darkened.
Alma turned to him.
— What do you mean?
Damian stared into the void for a moment.
— I have a bad feeling.
The wind drifted softly through the room.
— And I hate being right when I feel like this. I think this will be the last peaceful night.
Tension rose in Alma's chest.
— Do you think it has something to do with Alexander? Honestly… I don't trust him. Ever since we got here, it feels like he's trying to control everything. Same for Vulcan.
— I think everything is connected. This "mission" to protect Flora… it doesn't make sense. Why send beginners to protect a queen when there are dragons far stronger than all three of us combined?
He clenched his jaw slightly.
— He's hiding something. And I'm going to find out what it is.
Alma remained silent, thinking.
In Vulcan's domain, the heat of the bath did nothing to calm him.
He opened his eyes abruptly.
— …Tch.
He ran a hand through his wet hair.
— What a mess…
The water around him trembled slightly.
— This feeling…
He inhaled slowly.
— I already know it.
A pause.
— And I don't like it…
His teeth clenched.
— Flora…
The name echoed in his mind.
— I swear you will heal…
His eyes shone with determination.
— I promise you.
Far away, in a place untouched by time, Loki fell into a mass of darkness. His landing made no sound, absorbed by a ground that did not react.
He slowly stood up.
Meanwhile, far from any light, far from any known world, in a space where even the most basic concepts seemed uncertain, a dimensional crack appeared. It made no sound, no explosion. It was simply there, as if it had always existed without anyone ever being able to perceive it before.
A silhouette fell from it. Loki landed without any impact, without speed, as if the very concept of falling had no meaning here. He remained crouched for a few moments, head slightly lowered, then slowly stood up. He took the time to let his body adjust to this strange place that his mind still struggled to accept.
Around him, there was nothing. Or rather, there was something worse than nothing: a total absence of logic. Shapes floated without clear reference points, without up or down, without any defined direction. Yet Loki stood firmly. He could feel the ground beneath his feet, even if nothing seemed to truly support it. He took a slow, deep breath. Even he, after everything he had seen, felt uneasy. It wasn't fear, but a deep discomfort that twisted in his stomach.
That was when he saw it: a door in front of him. Maybe it had been there the whole time. Its surface constantly shifted, covered in symbols that appeared, disappeared, and twisted. Loki remained silent for a moment, then murmured in a low voice:
— …Still as welcoming as ever.
His voice produced no echo. The silence swallowed it completely. He took one step forward, then another. Each movement felt strange. The space seemed to resist slightly, as if it had to accept each step before allowing it. Loki stopped abruptly. His eyes narrowed. He felt that this place was watching him. Worse still: it recognized him.
The door reacted. Its surface rippled, then opened. Not like a normal door. Reality itself split in two. Beyond it, there was neither light nor darkness, but an infinite expanse where time did not exist.
Loki remained motionless. For the first time, he hesitated for a fraction of a second. Then a faint smile appeared on his lips.
— Tch…
The hesitation vanished. He crossed the threshold. From that moment on, he no longer touched any ground. There was a suspended instant, then everything collapsed. He was pulled downward — or in some other impossible direction — with no wind, no gravity, and no clear destination. He was falling.
Around him, the space twisted slowly at first, then more and more violently. Suddenly, doors appeared. First a few, then dozens, then hundreds. They spun, crossed paths, and brushed against each other without ever touching. Some opened as they passed near him, revealing for a fraction of a second a burning sky, ruins, a frozen forest, or a sky filled with eyes. Loki quickly stopped avoiding them and passed through them one after another.
He twisted and turned in free fall, constantly adjusting his posture to maintain some semblance of control, even though there was no real balance. Each passage lasted barely an instant, but left a trace in his mind like a blurry, incomplete memory.
The Pandemonium contained an infinity of worlds.
And yet, he continued to fall endlessly.
Until the doors changed their behavior. They stopped drifting randomly and began moving toward him with clear intent. Loki murmured:
— …I see.
One of them, larger and more stable than the others, appeared directly beneath him. It no longer moved. It was waiting. For the first time, his fall slowed. Loki stared at it. The symbols engraved on it seemed to stare back at him.
A faint smile formed on his face.
— Interesting…
Without the slightest hesitation, he let himself fall straight into it. The moment he passed through the door, everything stopped abruptly. The other doors vanished. The movement ceased. The space itself seemed to be cut clean.
To be continued….