The pain in Ronin’s head subsided, and he breathed deeply. Then, once he recovered…
“So you killed Vyrill in cold blood. Impressive. That doesn’t explain why you are now calling me ‘a king’ and have this skill, though.” Ronin said apprehensively. “As far as I’m concerned, you are a Morpho mage that morphs rocks. This is closer to an Illuso skill. How did you acquire it?”
“It is still a stronger manifestation of my skill.” Espinella smiled. “I can control what I see and what you see. I do not simply conjure images out of nowhere. They have to be the Truth… Just like how I reveal the True form of the rocks that I metamorphosize.”
“I am metamorphosizing our minds and connecting them together.” He smiled. “I am metamorphosizing not just the physical, but the realm beyond that. So it is still Morpho magic.”
Ronin just narrowed his eyes, not caring for these philosophical explanation. He then asked. “And what is your ‘True’ motive?”
He can read his mind if he ever lied after all, but there was also the chance…
That he fully believes the lies he speak. Those were often the limitations to his mind-reading skill. It’s not really a full truth-finding skill as humans can also lie to themselves or be manipulated by others to believe certain fallacies.
“I would not be lying to myself, Dark Lord. Everything that I say before you is the Trurh, and nothing but the Truth.”
Ronin frowned. “Do not read my mind.”
He chuckled. “But you have always read mine. And everyone else’s. That was why I knew you would follow me at the night of the Astral Ball…..”
“I let you read mine so we will have this connection together now. But if you truly dislike it, I will simply share my own and not read your mind. What’s yours is mine, Dark Lord, whether your return it or not.”
“Enough with the riddles and theatrics.” Ronin said. “Go straight to the point. What made you see me as a Dark Lord and what do you intend to do?”
He smiled and bowed before Ronin. “I am by your side, My Lord. I’m an ally, not an enemy. Your humble servant. As thanks for this power that I have received, as well as my children.”
“You see, the moment I have dipped my skull into the Baptismal Grounds…..”
“I was enlightened. I have been able to touch the Core of the world itself, this thing that connects all humans, plants, animals….. And yes, even gods. Our minds are all part of this core that I can morph now.”
“And at from this Core, I discover the truth. That you will be the king of the new era, and that it was inevitable, and trying to avoid it was futile. That very goddess that delivered the news had known from the start that there was no way of avoiding it.”
“Bezirze…..” Ronin mumbled, remembering that smoking goddess’ kind face.
“Yes, she knew from the start that your family would decline. That no matter how much anyone tries, none of them will succeed in changing the path given to you.”
Espinella’s exposed brain continued to move around like a slug as he speaks.
“Yet she did not tell the gods, as she does not want them to despair in their last moments. Their last era. She just let them know that not signing the agreement to your fate would result to terrible consequences, but in truth, that consequence was simply—-“
He grinned wide.
“Transform you faster to what you’re meant to be.”
Ronin sneered. ‘So the agreement was a ploy to make my transformation as Ronin Dreadborne be put aside for longer?’
“And prepare the hero that is fated to defeat you as well.” Espinella said.
“I told you not to read my mind. What kind of disobedient servant disrespects my wishes just a few seconds after I say them?”
Espinella kneeled before him. “Forgive me, Dark Lord. You can punish me by stepping on my head or slapping me across the face, I shall accept it after disrespecting you.”
He really wasn’t lying. Ronin was so unused to this sudden change in Espinella to be a subservient lackey, and he really believes every word he said.
He believes anything Ronin does to him, whether to punish or destroy him, was something he deserves. He regards Ronin as a god.
“You….. You saw your wife Cindra, haven’t you? After accessing this ‘Core’. That’s why you are so grateful to me.”
Espinella looked up at him and nod happily. “Yes! On the Other Side… It is all thanks to the Dark Lord. I am sometimes able to visit her there, but I am also careful not to destroy your plans by making myself noticed by the Lying Gods.”
The Lying Gods must be the Celestial Gods. He spoke about them in great distaste.
Ronin pointed at his exposed brain. “So in short, you became my servant the moment you have dipped yourself into the Beacon. What about your children? Where are they, and what skills have they acquired?”
“Were here, My Lord.”
Hiding behind the tall tower of Flames, revealed three girls. One appeared on the left, one on the right…..
And the other rose from the ground, crawling out like a zombie.
Espinella looked at the proudly. “I am pleased to introduce you to my three dear children. Nona, Lachesis, and Morta.”
Nona was the one on the left, a small child with her hair down, wearing a blue dress. She was the youngest, and despite her dark Pumice skin had the ‘fairest’ complexion. She have lesser holes and her face was sweet and round.
“Your Majesty, the Lord of Darkness. ” She bows, with one of her hand being spiky like a birds. It was Obsidian, Ronin was sure.
She was holding one rose bud, and grinned. “I am pleased to meet you.”
Espinella went to her side. “My Nona used to have the same shakiness in her hands as I did, although much stronger and one of her hands were too weak to even hold anything. Now she can hold things like this…”
The rose soon grow to bloom, but did not stop, abnormally getting bigger and bigger…
But the child Nona still held it calmly.
Ronin nodded. “Impressive. And this one?”
The one on the right had her hair down as well, and was slightly taller and older than Nona. She have her eyes closed this whole time…
And once it opened…..
One eye was black, and a snake immediately came out of it!
Ronin simply held his hand up, and the snake froze before it bit him.
“Pardon Lachesis, My Lord.” The little girl said. “My friends in the inside can get too excited. I can see and catch anything and everything you acquire me to.”
Immediately, more and more spectral eyes appeared like targets, and once they determined movement—-
It found a small, racoon like creature of the Abyss. The moment the eyes it saw it….
The snakes went out of her eyes and coiled around it, until its bones popped and become crushed!
“Lachesis used to have terrible eyesight.” Espinella smiled proudly as his daughter picked up the snake and put it back on her eye again. “And now she can spot anything asked of her.”
And finally, the one that crawled from the ground…..
“Morta, My Lord.” She curtsied, and wore a fanged smile. “I was feeding so pardon my indecent arrival.”
At first Ronin could not see what body part changed into Obsidian with her….
But when he looked closer at her mouth…
The inside was pitch black.
Did she swallow the the fire from the Beacon?
“Morta was the sickliest of all, she always have problems eating and could barely finish her meal without vomiting them out. Now she can eat just about anything, even the soil, even the moon of she wants.” Espinella patted her head. “What did you have for today, child?”
“The Horned rabbits of the Abyssal Realm tasted delicious, father.” She said, her fanged teeth gleaming.
And so there they were, all of Espinella’s children ‘cured’ and ‘healed’ from their illnesses by the Beacons…
And turned into daemons themselves. Just like their father.
“All of us are here to serve under you, Dark Lord.” Espinella said, as they all kneeled before him. “However…..”
“We are not the first to acquire your Gift. There was someone else that is currently spreading it now.”
Ronin raised an eyebrow. “Who?”
Espinella did not say his name, and merely showed Ronin in his mind.
When the Dark Lord saw who it was, he could only chuckle. “Ah… I had my suspicions.”
“He is….. An avid follower of yours, Dark Lord. Have been waiting many years to have the chance to serve you, and when the stars had fallen, he decided it was the right time…..”
But Espinella frowned. “However, I’m afraid he’s spreading your Gift to people who are not worthy. That was the Gift he acquired, to be able to pierce through people’s hearts with his spear and transfer your fire into them.”
“He’s transforming just about anyone out of pity, he is too merciful. He may come to transform wayward servants who will defy you instead of obey you.”
Ronin knows what this meant, and knew exactly where this was going. Who these ‘wayward servants’ will be.
“I see. I shall go off to prepare in case these servants try to trifle with me while I’m not powerful enough.”
Espinella nodded. “It is a pity that you could not bathe in the Baptismal Grounds yet… Perhaps you can steal the Champion of Light’s Flame already.”
Ronin also knew who that was referring to. He shook his head.
“He’s not ripe yet. I’m waiting for him to ripen until I feed on his Flame.”
“Then, once I do… Well.”
He grinned at this kneeling family and swore to them.
“The world is ours to take, my humble servants.”
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