Chapter 17: The Temptation of the Lightbringer
Aiden and Rin moved through the desolate streets of the Ashen City, the atmosphere heavy with the dread of the infernal. The Dagon Outpost was located deep within a submerged canal system—a testament to Poseidon's corrupted domain.
They used shadows and stealth, their movements synchronized despite their intense animosity. Rin moved with the silent grace of his Rending Gale training; Aiden used minor Chronos pulses to monitor the patrol routes of the minor Devils.
Just as they reached the edge of the dark, stagnant water, Lucifer's voice, now a smooth, seductive whisper, entered Aiden's mind, bypassing the physical world entirely.
"Ah, Arbiter. Alone with your strategist's guilt. You chose to sacrifice the memory of your dearest crime—the moment you secured his soul. Did you think that would erase the cost?"
Aiden stopped, placing a silent hand on the obsidian wall to steady himself. He didn't acknowledge the voice, but his Chronos vision flickered with internal distress.
"Aiden, what is it?" Rin whispered, instantly alert, seeing the subtle flicker in the strategist's eyes.
"Silence. Mephistopheles is attempting a psychic probe," Aiden lied, knowing Rin would accept the Devil's name as the source of the intrusive thought.
Lucifer continued, unperturbed, exclusively in Aiden's mind. "The Arbiter of Chronos is a beautiful concept. Control over causality. But the cost is brutal. Every time you use a Temporal Shift or Static, you pay with a piece of your essence. Your core is screaming, Arbiter. You will die from this penance before you save him."
Lucifer was right. The Chronos power demanded a terrible equilibrium, and Aiden's self-destructive sacrifices were leading him to an inevitable, terminal collapse.
"I know the Fate Constraint the Outer Gods placed on the Blade," Lucifer purred. "I know they locked his soul to prevent rebirth unless you enacted the betrayal. That terrible, pure love is a masterpiece of cosmic irony. I will not ask you to betray him again. I only ask that you stop destroying yourself."
Lucifer offered the ultimate temptation—a release from his self-imposed suffering. "I can remove the Cost Vector from your Chronos power. You can use your power freely, without draining your life force. You can save him efficiently, coldly, and most importantly, you can live to see the end of the war. All you have to do is promise me the first Outer God artifact you seize."
Aiden pressed his forehead against the cold obsidian, his body shuddering with the intensity of the offer. To save Rin without the eternal penance… it was everything he had ever wanted. A lifetime of torment could end now.
He focused his mind, pushing back the seductive offer with the cold hammer of his strategy.
"Lord Lucifer," Aiden projected his thought back, the response cold and utterly devoid of emotion. "The cost is the most crucial component of the Chronos power. It guarantees the integrity of the paradox. If I remove the cost, I become predictable. A predictable Arbiter is a dead Arbiter. The price I pay is the proof of my loyalty to the cause. I decline your offer."
"Ah, the self-loathing remains your guiding light," Lucifer sighed, his disappointment palpable. "A pity. You are a true artist of despair, Arbiter. But your penance will be your end. Be warned: the tether will not survive your next full Chronos release."
The voice vanished. Aiden took a sharp, gasping breath, the sudden silence almost deafening.
"The Dagon Outpost is submerged, we will need to swim the final fifty meters," Aiden stated, his voice now returning to its neutral tone, covering the internal devastation. "Rin, your Rending Gale can create a temporary air bubble."
Rin nodded, but his eyes were suspicious. "You were frozen, Arbiter. What did that creature say to you? What did it offer?"
Aiden met his gaze, his eyes ice-blue, and offered a simple, perfect lie of omission. "The Devil offered to exploit my greatest vulnerability: my Chronos power's exhaustion. I rejected it. I will not accept shortcuts from the enemy."
He failed to mention that the vulnerability was his soul, and the rejection was based on a calculated need for suffering.
Rin stared at him, then let out a sharp sigh. "Fine. Let's move. But if you seize up again, I'm leaving your body for the eels."
Rin dropped to the edge of the canal, his sword humming, ready to cut a path through the dark water. Aiden followed, a strategic victory achieved at the price of his greatest desire: the chance to live.