The Innkeeper

Chapter 2464: Why was Eclipse...

Harriot and Nulli said nothing, and simply allowed Eclipse to have her moment. Even now, though, there wasn’t any sorrow or regret on her face as she looked, only resolve.

"Harriot, send word. It’s time to start," said Eclipse calmly, and the poodle quickly nodded.

The poodle was about to speak but paused, looked at Eclipse, and then ran off a certain distance before passing his orders.

"The Primordial Queen has given permission. This time, they’re going to get fu-"

*****

Dream realm, Dream Arena

Bourdow looked pleadingly at the Dream Master, but it was for naught. She had not spared him so long because she was merciful, but because she was making preparations.

"The Human race, the Fairy race, Sloths, numerous lizards, the serpentine races, and countless natural treasures and plants such as Four Leaf Clovers, the Holy Basil, the Primordial Lotus series and so many more... you have leeched the luck off of so many and never felt an ounce of pity for them, so why are you expecting pity in return?" the Dream Master asked as she slowly worked.

Bourdow would have answered, but he no longer had the energy to say anything. All he could do was look at the Dream Master and hope that she found mercy in her heart... or that Destiny could save him. But it was not to be.

Thick lines of karma began to emerge from Bourdow’s body, each one so massive that the sun itself would have dwarfed in its presence. Naturally, Bourdow alone could never devour all the luck, fortune and destiny of even one of these races, let alone so many of them.

He simply harvested a chunk of their luck, gaining much in the process while making it easier for others to steal the rest.

The karmic lines emerging from his body now represented those tiny chunks that he had stolen... and then there were even more lines coming out of his body, from races he had never even heard of. Why did he care where the luck came from? As long as Destiny gave it, he took it.

For all his bluster, he was nothing more than a glorified waste disposal unit for the luck Destiny did not harvest herself. At least, that’s what it seemed like in the Dream Masters eyes.

The Dream Master held out her hand and a dagger of moonlight blade, and a handle of white karmic strings appeared. She used it to make a single cut of Bourdow’s body, using the blood to write an ancient character on the Dream Arena beneath her.

"For those who keeled for the sake of honor,

For those who sacrificed to right a wrong,

For those who endured though they saw no glory,

For those who died... to be a part of this story..."

The Dream Master recited a few lines that sounded like poetry, but her each line was written in Bourdow’s blood, becoming a part of the ritual itself.

"A pact in blood and a fate of decline,

An impossible oath for freedom eternal,

Rise guardians from races untold,

Witness the deliverance of a legend of old."

As soon as the Dream Master finished her chant, the karmic strings rippled, spreading across the very foundation of the universe until finally it touched the Cosmic Ascendance Spectrum.

From there, all the concerned races were affected, though unfortunately, many of them no longer even existed.

The Cosmic Ascendance Spectrum trembled, and so did the Dream Arena, but it did not last long. Barely anyone noticed, and those who were in the position to notice chose not to interfere because they had already been warned not to.

A thick, grey fog began to appear all across the Dream Arena, causing all Dao Lords to get lost within, losing even those they were fighting mere moments ago. For some that was a grave loss, for others a great relief. For Bourdow, it signaled the end.

Surrounded by fog, he let his gaze wander into the distance instead of looking at the Dream Master. It was so unfair. If it were anyone else, he would have found a way to escape, to survive. So why did it have to be her? Why?

He got no answer to that question. He did, however, see the figure of a very confused fairy in the fog.

Jack looked left and right, and discovered that it wasn’t his body or even soul that had been transported, but a portion of his awareness. In fact, he hadn’t even been transported anywhere - he was merely witnessing something.

Funnily enough, to his left, he saw Tinker, the fairy he had rescued from a Hell.

The two did not talk, for both of them were incredibly confused about what was happening. They got no answers. Instead, more and more figures began to appear all throughout the fog. Each race had a few representatives, each one a crucial member and leader among their race.

It was only a matter of time before Lex, too, found himself standing in the fog, though Jack was nowhere in sight. He looked to his left and was surprised to see Cassandra! His teacher looked at him too, clearly just as surprised as he. Lex suddenly felt something, and when he looked to his right he saw another human - one he, oddly enough, recognized.

How could Lex not? He had seen statues of him back inside the Midnight Inn, within the village of Paladins. This was David Paladin, the founder of the path of paladins and... apparently a Dao Lord!

Shock appeared in Lex’s eyes as he realized that he was standing next to a human Dao Lord! He could not sense the aura, but his instinct told him as much.

David, in exchange, merely looked at Lex and gave him a nod of approval. He was glad to see that one of the leaders of humanity - as recognized by the universe itself - was also a practitioner of the paladin path.

This was the path he had created to save mankind, to save those who were not lucky enough to cultivate the True Path. He himself had walked the path to its very end to prove its feasibility, so now no one would be able to question, nor stop the paladins.

More and more figures began to appear in the fog, Lex noticed, and they all seemed to be looking at the same thing.

He followed their gaze and witnessed...

Lex’s heart stopped as he stared dumbstruck as the Dream Master looked up at him and waved.

Why was Eclipse... outside the Primordial Garden?