The Villain's Story

Chapter 897: Confrontation(3).

A torrent of mana swirled in the Core of Alan's Soul Sea, mana focused on creating a spell capable of harming the soul. As a Dragon, Alan had the right and ability to create magic, and with the seal removed.

He was perfectly capable of doing so. His spell wasn't too complicated; Alan simply used his natural affinities as a base and imbued them with the intent of harming the soul. As a dragon, he only needed to think about it hard enough to actually create a spell.

He could brute force his way through the other issues. He didn't need to spend years tweaking every small issue; for a dragon, their mana was enough.

Icicles appeared at the edge of the storm of mana, and soon after, Alan's shadow climbed up his body and into the storm, imbuing it with a dark color, and in the center of the storm, a tide of darkness appeared, turning the storm black.

The intensity of the storm increased; furthermore, on the outside, space started to shift and crack as Alan had used all of his affinities in the construction of this spell, all besides Death, which he had no control over.

The spell produced a roar that shook Alan's Soul Sea, and just as Alan was at the precipice of creating it, James chuckled.

"Aww, is this how it feels to be a proud father?"

His figure turned into bright emerald threads, disappearing from Alan's sight. His foot touched the ground, and Alan cancelled the creation of the spell and absorbed the mana back into his own 'soul'.

He was unfazed by this; he knew James wouldn't go down so easily, no matter how weak he was or why. He was certain he had a few tricks up his sleeve.

Alan brought his Soul core closer to him, analyzing it for a minute before redirecting his attention to the surroundings. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing his mana.

He was unable to use 'Aura' in the realm of the Soul; however, Mana and Aether did not reject his call. Since he was still inexperienced with Aether, Alan opted for mana. He opened his eyes, and they released a bright glow that encompassed all.

Alan searched for James in his Soul Sea, using [Dragon Eyes], a skill that could still be used in his soul, since it was an integral part of him. However, his eyes narrowed as he found James.

He wasn't hiding in some obscure part of Alan's Soul Sea, which was massive... but rather everywhere. Alan could see James everywhere, an equal amount of him present in every part of his Soul Sea.

"Geez, how are you so impulsive? Is anger blinding you that much? I'm 'Divine', kiddo. Well, I was, at least."

His voice came from everywhere, but Alan didn't panic.

'Weak, he's trying to hide it, but whatever damaged him is still there... But what was it?'

James voice was still cracked, grating, and weak. Alan was able to deduce that much as he calmly waited, thinking of a solution. He didn't dare converse.

"Listen... I'm not here for a fight, to impart some knowledge, or well, tasks, I guess? You can still ask me... any question you have..."

James assured, as he trailed off. Suddenly, his various projections lit up, and he raised a single finger.

"Oh! I know, ever wondered why the Soul Crystal is a thing?"

He let out a small laugh as he heeled over and explained.

"Basically, it's a failsafe. I made a deal with the three progenitors, whilst Vorden and Ilvath are such jolly guys, I couldn't be too sure about Avalik, that fellow is pure anger, heh! I wasn't sure if he would go back on his word.

It was also to stave off the influence of The Creator as well... Your soul was deliberately made to be in an extremely weak state, so any kind of 'influence' would trigger a chain reaction, causing you to die. It would either trigger [Dominatus] immediately to deal with the threat...

Or end you, causing the 'contract' with the Abyss to activate. After that, our little self-proclaimed embodiment of evil would take control, and then everything goes boom, and we go through another cycle. The Soul Crystal could honestly be given to anyone back on Earth; it's rigged so that any 'influence' from The Creator or Avalik would cause it to burst, killing whoever had it, and in turn, you.

Isn't it genius? Oh, also, don't worry, it also has magic engraved on it. If the owner of the Soul Crystal ever has the intention of forcing you to do everything, a psychological 'cue' would be planted in them, making them never have such thoughts. See? I'm such a great parent."

Alan silently listened as James went on and on.

"What other questions do you have? Hmm... Valus shouldn't have told you everything, so what should I tell you?"

For a moment, Alan truly believed that James didn't want a fight, but the next second, a feeling of horror took over, and he slapped himself, ridding himself of the thought.

"Damn, I didn't think you'd break out of it that fast. My skills really did deteriorate. Did I spend too much time in here?"

His various projections let out a sigh, and he said.

"Really, I don't want a fight. How hard is that for you to understand? Come on, you can't hate me that much, can you? Trust me, all those 'experiments' were good for you... in the long term.

If not for them, you wouldn't be you! You know? How else does that go..."

He rubbed his chin as Alan let out an angry growl. He collected his mana and sent it in a destructive wave throughout his surroundings. In addition, he conjured up a dozen meteors, letting them rain down.

However, after the first three fell, Alan felt a strange sense of 'pain' welling up inside him, and so dispelled the remaining meteors.

'So I can't cause that much destruction... Makes sense, it is my soul after all.'

Unfortunately, his arsenal was limited. He couldn't go around dropping one meteor after the other in his own soul after all. Meteor was a very destructive spell... Alan sighed, hating the fact that he had just learned about Aether; he had a feeling it would be very useful right now.

After seeing his mana wave be useless, Alan had no other option but to remain still for a moment until he came up with something else. He wasn't certain he could hit James with the spell he was trying to create, unless he made some major adjustments, which he was already trying to do.

"Did you calm down? Alright, now let me think... oh yeah, I guess I should tell you about the True Creator, shouldn't I?

Alright, first off, try to go into the Abyss as soon as possible. You can deal with the Abyssal Conscience, but not The Creator."

He had the same opinion as Valus.

"The Abyss is wide, nearly endless. Also, a lot of opportunities are there for you, you'll realize it later. Also, avoid Celestia, no matter what. Encounters with Celestials are fine, since you have Alearia within you, but under no circumstances are you to enter Celestia. If you find yourself there, get out as soon as you can.

The Celestial Conscience is under the complete control of The Creator. Celestia is the only place he can exert more power than you might expect. Most of it is to keep Izik in a deep sleep, but you can never be too sure. Celestia is the most dangerous place for you.

So please, be a good boy and stay away from angels, ok?"

He took a deep breath and continued.

"Damn it... The Weave really did a number on me. Now, where was I? Ah, right, the Creator isn't as 'helpless' as you think. As the iterations go by, Vorden's seal on him gets weaker. With the three big dudes asleep for the time being, we can't have the Creator get loose. Although now that you have Ariel and the Panoply, we don't have to worry about another iteration happening. The Chalice also lost its fuel a long time ago.

The Creator is still able to 'influence' events without you, or really, anybody knowing. He can alter the fate of beings to a certain extent, which always evolves into a butterfly effect. In short, he is capable of a lot of shit... Speaking from experience, always be on guard...

It's why you need to go to the Abyss as soon as you can; the longer you stay below the Realm of Mythical, and in places where he can see you, nobody is safe. Just because he hasn't done anything now doesn't mean he won't. If he so wants, he can freely alter the fates of everybody you know, leading to bad outcomes.

The Creator is actually sealed in the Eternal Flame, and at the same time, he is not. Think of it this way, he exists as two separate entities, one is sealed in the Eternal Flame, whilst the other is sealed throughout the entire universe. The latter is the one doing a lot, but the true body is in the Eternal Flame, along with Ilvath, let's just say, beasty boy, is keeping him in check there. With the help of Vorden's magic. Vorden himself is in Dragonium; you could say he is Dragonium itself. Avalik is the entire Void; he is unable to do much, having suffered the most. Don't underestimate him, though... He is partially responsible for your creation.

James remained silent for a while, as if he was taking a breather; he seemed to be in pain, and Alan could see the mask break further, revealing a horrifying face. The various projections also decreased in number, and Alan was closer to pinpointing Jame's location.

Then, James continued, this time, with a graver tone.

"Now, for The Creator's goals..."