Chapter 104: Wake of ruin
Hugo left the academy after saying farewell to his teachers, deciding it was best to return to the immortal flame manor for now.
His omnitrix was fully rechargd now, and as Hugo was to Transform into xlr8, he suddenly felt something strange.
Thanks to his newly gained shadow sense, Hugo's Titan consciousness had received an evolution of sorts, with both senses merging together, making him able to sense powerful beings and discern their rank and class.
And right now, he was indeed sensing one such being.
It was a simple crow, perched on top of the academy gates, looking at him with a piercing gaze.
He could vaguely sense that it was a Transcendent being, but It clearly was not an echo, nor was it a Noble creature. So, it could only be a Saint, a human who had conquered the third nightmare.
It was about time he got attention from the higher ups of this world...
Hugo simply turned his gaze towards the crow, and said in a slightly loud voice:
"I can see you, you know! Try a better hiding spot next time."
The crow remained in place for a long moment, before descending down, and as it did, numerous other crows emerged from the shadows, falling down alongside it like a dark wave of water.
It seems that they were all hidden...
'Bastard... So he kept one crow in the open so I could sense him.'
Hugo was clearly dealing with a professional.
The mass of Transcendent crows gathered at a single place, and then something bizarre happened, they started merging together gracefully, forming into the silhouette of a human.
It was a tall, gaunt man in his late fifties. Although his skin was showing signs of aging, his hair still remained perfectly black, like the feathers of a raven. The Saint had sharp features, a piercing gaze, and seemed like the type to possess a stern demeanor—a person who was used to both wielding power and bearing responsibility.
He had a subtle scent of rot and slaughter that followed him like an invisible mantle, after all Transcendant beings influenced the world in someway. He wore an austere military uniform with an insignia of four stars emblazoned on its sleeve. His sharp, pale face was framed by unruly raven-black hair. There was a bleak dullness in his dark eyes...
Hugo had recognized the man, after all he was one of the few government Saints in existence.
Saint Cor, otherwise known as Wake of Ruin. A powerful Saint from the first generation, and the government's representative. Nephis had mentioned him earlier today, when she and the cohort were discussing the current political landscape of the waking world with Hugo.
Hugo felt sweat form on his neck... He was not sure if he could take on a Transcendent from the War Realm right now.
The corrupted forever kings he had battled against in the second nightmare were not exactly at the level of a true Saint—they were similar in rank, but they were closer to Corrupted beasts instead of True Transcendents and while Hugo was an Ascended Titan, Saints like Wake of Ruin could still overpower him if he let his guard down.
Although Hugo had no doubt that he could deal a deathblow to any saint in the waking world, or escape for them if it came down to that.
"Paragon of Purity..." The old Saint spoke, looking into Hugo's eyes. "I have heard a lot about you. Your file was promising But now that I'm looking at you with my own eyes, I can tell it barely did you any justice. Much like Changing Star herself."
"My awesomeness has been greatly exaggerated," Hugo answered, trying to discern the Saint's intentions with a simple joke.
The reason Saint Cor was talking with him was quite simple, it did not take a genius to realize that he wanted to recruit him into the government forces.
However, Hugo was interested in how he would go about it.
He did not know how Saints operated in the waking world, so the possibility of him being threatened if he refused was still present.
"I don't think so," Cor said, looking at Hugo intently. "I'll cut the chase. Me and my collegues do not want you to join the great clans. They already have Changing Star and her cohort on thin ice, but you yourself are still a wild card."
"So you want me to join the government instead?" Hugo inquired.
"Not exactly. Of course, you are always welcome to join us, and we will grant you a suitable position and make sure you grow well as a Master but our main objective is doing our best to make sure you don't join the great clans."
Hugo was a bit surprised by his honesty, however he could tell that Cor was subtly manipulating him towards joining the government.
"The benefits I could get from joining the great clans far outweigh the ones I get if I join the government, so you don't really make a convincing argument, Saint Cor," Hugo said.
He did not want to get involved in the politics of the great clans, but joining the government was bound to drag him into another type of politics, even if they were less.
Hugo valued his independence, however he was afraid that it was threatened, now that he was an extremely famous and sought after individual.
So, he wanted to see what Cor was exactly offering.
"It's simple, really. The government offers you greater mobility and independence than the great clans ever could. After all, our government is built on the idea of democracy and shared rulership. Unlike the great clans and their domains..." Cor cut himself off, as if remembering something. "You are aware of who rules the great clans, are you not?"
Ah, there it was.
Hugo had been dreading that subject for a while now.
That subject was the existence of Supreme humans in the War Realm. He had his doubts, but now, it was confirmed.
The idea that Supreme humans existed in the waking world was instilled into him by none other than Azarax, back in Ariel's Hell.
And now he was certain of it, the moment Saint Cor said the word "domain," he was confident that it was true.
Supreme monarchs ruled Clan Song, Clan Valor and possibly clan Night.
Hugo nodded. "People who conquered the fourth nightmare, no doubt. I do realize it's a sensitive topic, though."
It had been kept secret for a reason. Hugo did not know exactly why... Perhaps Nephis and Sunny did. He would have an opportunity to inquire about that later.
Cor nodded. "It is. So, you should be aware that if you join the great clans, you would never be able to gain your independence as you will always be under the control of a single all-powerful being. With us, you would at least be able to refuse certain tasks, even though I'm not encouraging that behavior, it is still true."
His argument was not bad, but it was still hypocritical.
After all, the government would be no better than the great clans if they had a Supreme of their own.
Still... They didn't, which was a good thing for Hugo.
"Joining the government definitely is not bad, or at least, isn't as bad as joining the great clans, but for now it's still too early for that. I hope that you can respect my decision," Hugo answered.
He still had a lot of things to do, and being bound down by a faction was not something that he needed right now.
Cor looked at him, not quite satisfied but not angry either. "I see. Then, contact me when you make your decision. Ah, and before I forget—here."
Saint Cor pulled out something from his pocket and handed it to Hugo.
Wake of Ruin offered a citizenship chip of the highest rank, alongside a communicator that had Cor's personal contact.
"This is your citzenship, I'm sure you know. It has been dormant for a while ever since your declared death but I revived it this morning and upgraded it to the seventh rank, which is the highest possible citzenship. It also has your designation which has officially bee elevated into the SS classification, much like changing star, raised by wolves, song of the fallen, nightingale and master sunless. "
Hugo nodded. It was nice to be an official citizen once again, and one of the highest rank as well, which meant he would be able to live quite the luxurious life.
The communicator was definitely traced though, knowing how the government operated.
And with that, the Saint transformed into a myriad of crows, leaving Hugo alone near the gates of the academy.
'That was definitely... Scary.'
Hugo used his Omnitrix and scanned the communicator, transferring the contacts into the device, before throwing away the communicator. He had no use for it, after all.
For a while, Hugo ended up looking at the night sky with a distant expression, as he choose to walk through the streets of NQSC.
He was moving up in the world, but he still had many goals left to accomplish.
He was not satisfied yet, not even close...
He still needed to conquer more nightmares, gain more powers, and survive and then he would...
Well, Hugo was not sure what exactly he would do when he gained that power. But he wanted to use it to help people, and be a Hero for those that need it.
Not just for the rich and the "legal citizen" the government speaks about, but also to the people living in the outskirts.
He wanted to save and help everyone equally, after all they were all people, much like him.
His gaze eventually drifted upward, reaching the moon and as it did, his expression shifted into one of worry and guilt.
The moon hung in the sky like a pale, watching eye, cold, distant, and somehow wrong... A faint, throbbing ache pressed against his skull, and Hugo instinctively suppressed his supernatural senses, cutting off the creeping unease that threatened to crawl into his mind.
He knew what was up there.
The thing on the moon was an Unholy Abomination that he had dragged out of the second nightmare with him.
Paradox had said that Dagon's existence was necessary, and through Ben's memories, Hugo was certain that the Time Walker was not a malicious entity. Quite the opposite, he was someone who was there to fix things and ensure the survival of humanity through ominous warnings and messages.
So putting Dagon there, to be slain by the future champions of the War Realm, might have been the best choice to make to ensure the survival of all of existence.
For now, Hugo could only hope that he would be one of those champions, because he still had a score to settle with that unholy god.
'Just wait for me you bastard..' he thought, as he forced himself to look away from the moon. 'I swear, no matter what it takes, I will tear you apart limb from limb and make you wish you had never escaped the nightmare.'
He turned his gaze back to the earth, burying the guilt and the dread deep inside.
He couldn't afford to dwell on it now as he e wasn't strong enough to do so...
But he would be, one day.