Uriel averted his gaze from Nephis and Cassie toward Allen and Patrik, who bowed in silence and exited the hall.
Once the doors closed, the atmosphere shifted to something far more relaxed.
""Dark Lord." That's quite an extravagant name," Cassie commented.
"Yes, I suppose it is, Lady Cassia," he replied calmly.
"It was the name of a great friend of mine who is no longer with us, unfortunately. In his honor, I decided to carry it along with his organization."
Nephis raised an eyebrow.
"You knew Uriel?"
"Yes," was his response.
"It was during the Antarctic campaign. Back then, he was just a humble awakened. We crossed paths and were comrades in arms before he disappeared," he expressed with a hint of sorrow in his voice.
"From what Scarlet has told me, they were important comrades to Uriel. He trusted you, so it's only fair that I decide to place my trust in you as well. However, for that, you must prove that you are truly worth trusting, given your affiliation with the King of Swords."
"That's understandable," Cassie said with a slight smile, showing no hesitation.
"Answer my question: what do you want?"
The silence that followed was tense.
It stretched on for a long moment until Nephis decided to respond.
"You."
Somehow, the silence became even more silent as neither figure moved at the Changing Star's words.
'What the hell, woman?!' Uriel screamed mentally before calming himself.
'Right, calm down. Nephis lacks social skills to express herself properly. So it has to be something like loyalty, yes, that must be it.'
Resolving his mental confusion, he maintained a calm body language.
"May I ask what exactly you mean by 'you'?"
Nephis was taken aback for a moment before responding. Beside her, Cassie remained calm, but if one looked closely, the corner of her lip curled in amusement.
"Allow me to clarify. I, the Changing Star, invite you to join me and my transcendent warriors and serve under the banner of the King of Swords, protecting and expanding the human domain in the Dream Realm. As one of his champions."
Uriel let out an audible yawn.
"Yes, sorry, but I don't care about your stupid sovereign, nor the political recruitment speech," he said in a somewhat exasperated tone.
"I asked you. What do you truly plan to do, Star of Ruin?"
Nephis's brow remained unchanged, then she smiled, dropping the masks of false courtesy.
"You asked me what I want, so I'll answer you... I'm going to destroy the Nightmare Spell," her response was simple and direct.
"See, now we're understanding each other!" he said animatedly.
"This is your true face: someone who eliminates everything that obstructs their path until they reach their goal, and what an ambitious ambition—destroying the Spell itself. Though I suppose you won't do it immediately, nor do you know how."
"Even if I don't know now, I will eventually. Nothing and no one will stop me from doing it."
"And why? If you'll allow me to know, why do you want to destroy the Spell created by the Demon of Fate?"
"Because I hate it," was Nephis's answer.
"Just out of hatred. Well, I'm not one to judge others' motivations when mine are peculiar."
"You must be aware that war is inevitable between Ki Song and Anvil. The Valley knows it cannot escape it. One way or another, you and your people will be dragged into this conflict."
"You're right, Changing Star. War is inevitable, as is death. But you're wrong about something simple."
"And what would that be?"
"Regardless of the outcome, the war won't affect me or my people. Domain of Song, Domain of Sword. Those supremes are like children playing at who can conquer more land while their world crumbles to pieces and cursed creatures awaken."
"You speak of yourself and your people as if you're exempt from this event," Cassie commented.
"And in a way, we are, but I won't speak of that."
"But you'll still intervene. After all, from what I see, you care about humans, gathering so many in this citadel."
"Is that a threat?" Uriel's voice grew colder and more frigid, laced with a slight murderous intent.
"Just observations based on facts," Nephis's voice remained calm.
"You know full well that this war only accelerates the process. Killing innocent lives—something you won't allow, or am I wrong?"
"Hmm... you have some point, Changing Star. However..." the voice lost all trace of seriousness, returning to a rather animated tone.
"If the end is inevitable, and instead of saving them, I decide to kill them all instead. Every human, whether awakened or mundane. If I exterminate humanity, the nightmare creatures will enter an eternal slumber, and since this is the last divine world infected by the Spell, it will lose its influence until it disappears. Doesn't that seem more reasonable?"
"Are you saying you would end the lives of billions?" Cassie asked with a serious face.
"Yes. Wouldn't that be for the best? Humans die all the time. Even those they consider their rulers plan a war that will kill thousands without caring about their lives, only to achieve their goal of generating more power."
"That's true. But at least humanity will have time."
"And what will they do after? Time is limited and it's already running out. What will they do when unholy creatures awaken and sweep away humanity? Just say: 'I tried my best.'"
Uriel laughed in amusement.
"Whether it ends now or later, the point is that it's already reaching its end. It's only a matter of time, unless of course there's another option."
"There is," said Nephis.
"Hmm, and what would that be? Enlighten me, Ruinous Star."
"That humanity unites to survive under a single mandate."
Beneath his hood, Uriel smiled. In fact, one of the enchantments on his hood allowed him to create small illusions, which he used to draw a jagged smile full of sharp teeth.
"Are you willing to guide billions just to save them?"
"Why would you be any different from the supremes who do the same thing?" she asked.
"Because I'm not like them. I will guide humanity toward survival to ensure it continues to exist," Nephis's voice was filled with absolute conviction.
Uriel smiled widely.
"And how exactly would you do that?" he asked.
"By killing the current sovereigns and becoming one myself."
"That..." Uriel murmured before laughing loudly.
"That is... that was the answer I wanted to hear. You passed the test, Lady Nephis. You showed me your genuine desire and ambition. I'm impressed."
Nephis looked at the hooded figure.
"Was all of this a test?" Nephis's voice was slightly incredulous.
"One you passed with honors, I must say. Very well, I will help you achieve your goals," he said calmly.
Nephis and Cassie relaxed slightly as they felt the pressure on them lift.
"However, although I offer my help, it will be somewhat limited. My soldiers are always busy dealing with a lot of work, so they won't always be available."
"I don't want your soldiers. Just you," said Nephis.
"Agreed. To show you an act of good faith on my part, I'll tell you something. The only way to kill a supreme is to become one yourself; otherwise, it's impossible."
"I'll keep that in mind," said Nephis.
"May I ask a question, Lord Dark?" Cassie asked.
"Of course, Lady Cassia."
"When you mentioned eliminating all of humanity, did you actually plan to do it?"
"I considered it carefully at the time, and I still keep that possibility open."
"I see."
"Any other questions?"
"Are you human?"
"No. I'm not human, nor an echo, nor anything else. I'm like an alien being," he replied.
"I have no more questions."
Nodding, Uriel stood up and walked down the steps, vanishing like mist until he completely disappeared.
Alone, Cassie looked at Scarlet, who had remained silent.
"Your boss is terrifying," she commented.
"Yes, he is. Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that head of his. But don't worry, he may seem like a psychopath, megalomaniac, pyromaniac, but he cares about everyone and is a good person once you get to know him," Scarlet replied.
"Still, leaving Shadow Garden to someone like him... what was Uriel thinking?"
"No one knows. Maybe he had his reasons, or maybe he found it amusing. We'll never know. Come, I'll escort you to the exit; you need to return to your destination," said Scarlet.
Nephis and Cassie followed Scarlet toward the exit.
Somewhere completely different, lying on the palace rooftop, Uriel gazed at the stars and the bright moon with his hood down.
"So, assassin, psychopath, megalomaniac, pyromaniac. That's the most original title I've been given," Uriel smiled in amusement.
It had been quite fun playing the role of the evil lord with questionable but real motivations, as any good villain would. Now he only had to wait and see what would happen when the war began.
Stretching, Uriel decided to check his runes.
---
Name: Uriel
True Name: Lord of Darkness
Rank: Transcendent
Class: Titan
Aspect: Lord of Darkness
Aspect Rank: Divine
Dark Cores: [7/7]
Dark Fragments: [7000/7000]
Aspect Legacy: Void Relics
First Relic: [Claimed]
Second Relic: [Claimed]
Third Relic: [Undeserved]
Fourth Relic...
Attributes: [Darkness] [Prince of the Void] [Marble Shell] [Dream Spawn] [Fated] [Sorcerer]
Abilities: [Dark Body] [Dark Shaping] [Dark Manifestation] [Domain]
Dark Creatures: [Black Knight] [Gunlaug] [Soul] [Illusory Butterfly] [Iroh] [Winter Beast] [Skady] [Nyx] [My Tyrant...] [Stygia] [...] [Skinwalker]
Memories: [Void Vault] [Void Mantle] [Avisal King's Sword] [Monarch's Throne] [Ordinary Cup] [Aladdin's Teapot] [Time Killer] [King's Crown] [Ordinary Axe] [Toy Castle]
Flaw: [Dual Mind]
Flaw Description: [There is another version of yourself inside your head]
Uriel smiled. After he had emerged from Ariel's tomb, he hadn't needed to check his runes to see his progress. He was already a transcendent titan and could create any memory he wanted, whether from darkness or directly through his dark sorcery.
So he saw no need to have a bunch of memories. He only possessed the indispensable and most special ones.
His Dark Vault, which was his personal unlimited storage; his sword obtained in the second nightmare, now a supreme memory of the seventh tier; his Void Mantle of the seventh tier; his black throne now named Monarch's Throne; a cup he used to drink delicious, never-ending coffee, which was of supreme rank; a teapot that was a large space containing a complete dwelling inside; the ship he traveled in during his journey across the Great River; his crown obtained from his second nightmare; a supreme-rank axe he used to cut trees in the Burnt Forest for his food establishment; and a beautiful toy castle that could store anything inside.
His other memories he had given away to his soldiers.
As for his dark creatures, he kept the most powerful ones, among them the Skinwalker itself, which now served under his will after he killed it and turned it into his subordinate creature.
In total, he possessed at least fifteen echoes, all of supreme rank—enough to overwhelm a supreme for a long period of time.
Standing up, Uriel decided to go to sleep. Tomorrow he would have to travel to where Chronos was to see how things were going.
As he walked toward his chambers, his thoughts wandered between the recent conversations. Nephis was undoubtedly a fascinating figure. Her absolute determination and pure hatred for the Spell made her a double-edged sword: she would either save humanity or destroy it in the attempt. But that was precisely what made her interesting.