Timeless Assassin

Chapter 1084: The Skyshard Name

Timeless Assassin: Volume 10, ’The Cycle Of History’

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"Time does not progress in a straight line.

It turns.

Again and again, as though bound to an unseen rhythm that governs the rise and fall of all things, as civilizations are built, prosper, decay, and are reduced to dust before the cycle quietly begins anew.

Hardship gives rise to strength, as those forced to endure suffering learn to sharpen their will, temper their resolve, and carve order out of chaos through blood, sacrifice, and unrelenting persistence.

Strength, in turn, creates prosperity, as the world bends beneath those capable of shaping it, allowing peace to take root in the absence of immediate danger.

Yet prosperity carries within it the seed of its own destruction, as comfort dulls the edge of discipline, and discipline, once eroded, gives way to weakness that cannot withstand the inevitable return of hardship.

And so, the cycle continues.

In such a world, the line between good and evil was never fixed.

Those who are praised as righteous in one era may be condemned in the next, as the same actions that once brought order may later be judged as tyranny when seen through the lens of a different age.

And those who are feared as villains may, with time, be remembered as necessary forces that shaped the world into what it needed to become.

Because history does not preserve truth.

It preserves outcomes.

And as long as the wheel continues to turn, it will not matter who was right, and who was wrong.

Only who remained standing when the dust finally settled."

— Raj_Shah_7152, Timeless Assassin volume 10, Chapter 1084.

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(Cult Military Grounds, Outskirts of Skyshard City, Caleb’s POV)

Caleb sat quietly among his fellow lieutenants, his posture relaxed on the surface, as for what felt like the dozenth time that afternoon, the conversation drifted back toward his father once again.

"Did you hear? The Lord has announced a tournament for all Cult Monarchs, where the winner and runners-up are going to receive a Demi God Breakthrough Potion each," one of them said excitedly, his eyes lighting up as the news spread.

"Only Lord Skyshard can give away something so valuable so casually, two common soldiers being elevated like that, I don’t even remember if Lord Soron ever handed out a Demi God potion so freely," another added, his voice filled with admiration.

"Lord Skyshard is simply the best. If I ever get the chance to shake his hand, it will be the greatest honor of my life," a third said, as his tone carried a reverence that bordered dangerously close to worship.

Caleb listened.

He had heard variations of this countless times before, as grown men spoke of his father with an almost sacred awe, their words filled with admiration that extended far beyond respect and into something deeper.

Within the Cult, Leo Skyshard was more than just a leader, as to many, he represented something absolute, a figure whose decisions were rarely questioned and whose actions were accepted as inherently correct.

And while Caleb did enjoy hearing the stories of his father’s past exploits, as they were undoubtedly legendary tales that inspired common soldiers to be brave and never back down in the face of adversity, the atmosphere around him always shifted by the end of it.

Because when the eyes of his colleagues eventually turned toward him, he could clearly see the expectation reflected within them, as they silently hoped that he too would one day rise to achieve a similar kind of glory for the Cult.

And it was in those moments that Caleb found himself growing uncomfortable, as having witnessed fragments of his father’s true strength firsthand, he understood the vast and almost immeasurable distance that separated his father from every other warrior.

A distance that, even now, he could not see himself, or anyone else for that matter, ever truly bridging.

When he was younger, this had never stood out to him, as the world had been smaller then, limited to moments where he was simply a son rather than a name tied to something far greater.

However, as he grew older and stepped further into the reality of the Cult, he began to see the weight attached to the ’Skyshard’ name, as it followed him into every interaction, every decision, and every expectation placed upon him.

Even as a Lieutenant, his treatment differed subtly from the others, as Commanders consulted him more carefully, as criticism toward him carried restraint, and as opportunities seemed to present themselves more readily than they did for others.

It was not favoritism in its most obvious form, yet it existed in the quiet adjustments people made around him, shaped by the identity he carried whether he wished for it or not.

And with that identity came expectation.

An unspoken belief that he would rise, that he would excel, that he would one day stand beside his father not as a shadow, but as an equal forged from the same legacy.

And while Caleb did not reject that expectation.... He could not bring himself to fully embrace it either, as deep within, he understood the distance between who he was and who the world expected him to become.

Because being born a Skyshard did not grant him his father’s strength, nor did it grant him the certainty that he could ever reach those heights, no matter how much others believed that he would.

It only placed him beneath a shadow that stretched endlessly ahead, as every step forward felt measured against a standard he had never chosen for himself.

He rarely spoke of it.

Neither did Mairon.

Yet between the two of them, there existed a quiet understanding, as they alone truly grasped what it meant to carry a name that the world had already decided the meaning of.

"Are you going to participate in this tournament? Caleb?

They say, by the time he was a Transcendent, Lord Skyshard could already defeat a dozen Monarchs alone!"

Someone said, as Caleb turned and gave the Lieutenant a blank look, as though questioning whether his words made sense even to himself?

Before eventually shaking his head, as he said....

"The rules clearly say you have to be a Commander to take part.

And last I checked, I’m not a Commander."