The inn chamber was silent.
Heavy.
Unnaturally so.
Candles flickered softly against bloodstained floors, shattered ritual stones, and the lingering residue of forbidden reconstruction.
Azriah sat against the edge of the bed, freshly bandaged cloth wrapped tightly over his eyes.
Blindfolded.
Healing.
Adapting.
And somehow—
still alive.
Sham stood nearby in manifested form, arms folded tightly as he stared at Azriah like one might observe a natural disaster.
"…You are an absolute lunatic and you are making me nuts alongside you."
Azriah let out a slow breath.
'That's hardly new information.'
Sham looked genuinely offended.
"No."
A pause.
Then—
"This surpasses previous standards."
Another pause.
"You tore out your own eyes."
Azriah remained calm.
'And succeeded.'
Sham dragged a hand through his long white hair.
"Against all reasonable probability."
A pause.
Then—
"You are horrifying."
Azriah almost smiled.
'It worked right?.'
Sham glared.
"Monstrous."
Silence lingered for several moments before Azriah finally spoke.
'You called them Eyes of Ruin.'
Sham's expression shifted slightly.
The humor vanished.
Replaced instead—
with something older.
Heavier.
"Yes."
Azriah remained still.
'Explain yourself.'
Sham was silent.
For once—
hesitant.
Then—
slowly—
he spoke.
"The Eyes of Ruin…"
A pause.
"…were not merely tools."
Another pause.
"They were catastrophes."
Azriah listened carefully.
Sham's golden gaze darkened.
"Among the Luneth tribes, only select priestesses could survive partial adaptation."
A pause.
Then—
"But true Ruinic Eyes…"
Another pause.
"…Those were different."
Sham's voice lowered.
Ancient.
Weighted.
"Eyes capable of perceiving divinity itself."
A pause.
Then—
"Not worship."
Another.
"Not blessings."
And finally—
"Divine flaws."
Azriah's breathing slowed.
Sham continued.
"These eyes were feared because they could perceive the weaknesses of gods."
A pause.
Then—
"Structures."
Another pause.
"Contradictions."
And then—
"Methods of destruction."
Silence filled the room.
Azriah frowned slightly beneath the blindfold.
'They were used against gods?'
Sham immediately went silent.
Too silent.
Azriah noticed instantly.
'…Sham.'
No response.
Azriah's tone sharpened.
'You knew that already.'
Still—
silence.
Azriah slowly turned his head toward him.
'How?'
A long pause followed.
Then—
Sham answered quietly.
"…There are things you do not yet need to know."
Azriah's brow furrowed.
'That's not an answer.'
"No."
A pause.
Then—
"It isn't."
Sham's tone was final.
Firm.
Ancient.
And for the first time—
Azriah recognized something unsettling.
Sham knew far more than he allowed.
Azriah shifted his approach.
'Then answer this.'
A pause.
Then—
'What are Watchers?'
Sham froze slightly.
Again—
silence.
Longer this time.
More dangerous.
Finally—
Sham exhaled.
"…Not today."
Azriah's voice hardened.
'Sham.'
Sham's golden eyes narrowed.
"Some truths…"
A pause.
Then—
"…become burdens simply by learning them too early."
Another pause.
"And you already have enough of those."
Silence.
Azriah leaned back slightly.
Not satisfied.
But aware—
forcing answers now would fail.
'…Fine.'
Sham visibly relaxed.
Though only slightly.
Hours later—
Azriah stood fully prepared for departure.
Blindfold secure.
Body stabilized enough for travel.
His luggage repacked.
Codex assimilated.
Ruinic evolution underway.
And several trusted Antioch knights—
summoned through prior instructions—
now awaited him outside.
The moment he emerged—
the knights immediately bowed.
"My lord."
Azriah's posture remained calm despite his condition.
"Prepare for return."
One knight hesitated.
"…My lord, your condition—"
Azriah's voice sharpened instantly.
"That is not a discussion."
Immediate silence.
"…Understood."
And so—
the return journey began.
The carriage moved steadily through northern frost.
Protected now by elite Antioch escorts.
Tyber's dangers gradually faded behind them.
Yet inside the carriage—
something else awaited.
Something far more significant.
A pulse.
Suddenly—
within Azriah's consciousness—
a dark interface unfolded.
Black.
Silver-lined.
Ancient.
Elegant.
Symbols of impossible geometry shifted fluidly across its surface.
Text began to form.
[CODEX ARBORIS — SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE]
[HOST CONFIRMED: AZRIAH ANTIOCH]
[PRIMARY SYNCHRONIZATION: SUCCESSFUL]
[IMAGINARY TREE STATUS: DORMANT / ASSIMILATING]
[RUINIC OCULAR EVOLUTION: 17% COMPLETE]
[BLESSINGS DETECTED:]
Usurper's Hand(SEALED)
Negation (SEALED)
Ice Blessing (SEALED)
Watcher Adaptation (PARTIAL ACTIVE)
[SPECIES:][DATA UNAVAILABLE]
[AVATAR STATUS:]Candidate Vessel — The First Holy and The First Unholy[MANA CORE:]Core of Khorne — Partially active
[NEW FUNCTION UNLOCKED:]STATUS WINDOW
Silence.
Absolute.
Azriah froze.
His breath slowed.
'…What.'
For perhaps the first time—
true uncertainty surfaced.
'Species… unavailable?'
Sham immediately stiffened.
Then his gaze shifted downward.
Uncharacteristically tense.
'…That is worse.'
Azriah's tone sharpened.
'Explain.'
Sham remained silent for several moments.
Far too long.
Then—
'I can't.'
Azriah's expression darkened.
'You can't…'
A pause.
Then—
'Or you won't?'
Sham did not answer.
Azriah's focus shifted instead.
Toward the next line.
Candidate Vessel — First Holy and First Unholy
Silence deepened.
'…Sham.'
His voice was colder now.
Sharper.
'What does that mean.'
For once—
Sham looked deeply unsettled.
Not irritated.
Not sarcastic.
Genuinely disturbed.
'…Azriah.'
A pause.
Then—
'Even i don't know who the first holy and the unholy is but i do know about the first ones. They were the first creation of origin.'
Silence.
Then—
'That is the half answer.'
Sham exhaled heavily.
'And yet, currently, it is the only one I can give.'
Azriah's mind raced.
Holy.
Unholy.
First.
Avatar.
Not servant.
Not chosen.
Not blessed.
A vessel.
Something about those words felt ancient.
Primordial.
As though his existence itself was being observed by forces beyond ordinary divinity.
Sham finally spoke again.
Quietly.
'Whatever you are becoming…'
A pause.
Then—
'…it predates many gods.'
For once—
even Azriah felt genuine unease.
Name: Azriah Antioch
Species: [REDACTED / UNKNOWN]
Avatar: Candidate Vessel — The First Holy and The First Unholy
Titles: Heir of Antioch, Trial Successor, Bearer of Codex Arboris
Mana Core: Core of Khorne (Partially active)
Physical Condition: Critical Recovery
Affinity: Anti-Divinity , Blood , Spiri , ice
Threat Assessment: Growing Catastrophe
Sham stared at the status window.
Then groaned.
'You know… most people get normal blessings.'
Azriah remained silent.
'Maybe enhanced swordsmanship.'
Still silence.
'Perhaps fire magic.'
A pause.
Then—
'You somehow became an unidentified prophetic anti-divinity vessel containing a war god fragment. As well as the blood and spirts thats new'
Azriah finally exhaled.
'…Yes.'
Sham stared.
Then muttered—
'I miss simpler problems.'
Outside—
snow continued to fall.
The carriage pressed onward.
And beneath blindfolded eyes still reforming—
Azriah Antioch sat silently.
No longer merely human.
No longer fully understood.
And perhaps—
never truly ordinary to begin with.
-------------------------
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