BXBX NOVEL Chapter 249: Dream.
Within the dream, he took on the role of an observer, watching everything happening like reading a story unfold. At first, there was only a dark, unsettling void, and then, an explosion of light...
Streaks of light streamed past him and before he knew it, his consciousness was standing in the midst of the remnants of a great battlefield. The sky was ashen grey, and rivers of golden blood flowed from the corpses that littered the expanse of the battlefield toward a man sitting on the corpse of a terrifying beast.
He was extremely handsome and looked as though he had been carved and sculpted by the heavens themselves. His eyes were as calm as tranquil sales, yet as boundless and scary as the mightiest oceans.
His hair was disheveled, and his body was covered in huge wounds and scars. His left arm was torn, and a large portion of his worse was missing.
Despite all this, his gaze was nonchalant, and the casual look on his face as though he and the members of the army behind him had not just slaughtered a large contingent of the Heavenly emperor's army.
'How... How do I know that?'
The thought vanished from his head as soon as it was formed, almost like it had never been there in the first place.
Cain watched as the rivers of golden blood flowed into a strange magic circle behind the man. Calling it a magic circle, would be doing it an understatement.
Cain felt his eyes and brain hurting the more he stared at the runes within the strange magical phenomenon. Unlike most magic circles, its outer shell had an unusual shape.
It stretched above his head for a few meters, then stopped to form an arch. On that arch, the image of a thousand battles was engraved, and at the center of it, a single sentence written in the runic language seemed to echo within Cain's mind for eternity,
"Hallowed Blood For Divine Splendor..."
Cain couldn't for the life of him understand what those words meant. However, he was certain of one thing. Despite the power radiating from it, a profane bloodlust rushed out in equal proportion, threatening to consume his mind if he stared at it for too long.
Slowly but surely, the wounds on his body, although grave, were being healed up. The army behind this man dressed in what could only be described as the memory of a piece of armor was something Cain had never seen before.
Cain was sure the sheer amount of creatures alone would be enough to overpopulate an entire planet. The creatures ranged from large monstrosities and abominations to glorious and majestic beasts, to humanoids with strange features, to beings that looked very human, to ogres, goblins, imps, and even devils...
Everywhere Cain looked, there was something he had never seen before. However, despite how much they looked like a ragtag bunch, Cain could sense something between them. An invincible tether made from a strong sense of camaraderie.
The more powerful creatures didn't look at the weaker ones with disdain, but a sense of duty. The weaker ones didn't look at the stronger ones with fear in their eyes, but reverence. Cain had never seen anything like it.
Cain watched as the man jumped down from the giant corpse and landed on the ground with a light thud.
"Damn it! That's the third armor this week!" His face squeezed up in sadness.
A large beast-kin with a comically large war axe hanging on its back rushed at him with a worried expression.
"Oi, Tiamal, get that bastard Lorest to forge me a sturdier set of armor. These things break like cheap porcelain." The man said with a frown.
"Your majesty, this armor is the best of the best. This one in particular was forged from treated fiend steel and was personally enchanted by you. it is as sturdy as sturdy gets..." Tiamal said, a hint of frustration appearing in his voice.
"Hmmm... Ordinary Fiend steel won't do. Should I go rob the devil mountain again?" The man said with an earnest look of contemplation on his face.
"My Lord! Please reconsider! We barely made it out of there alive the last time!" Toamal begged profusely.
"Ha! Where's your sense of adventure, you old dog?" A voice suddenly broke through the chatter and clangor of the army recovering from its recent battle.
A huge being with humanoid features broke through the ranks of creatures and started the large beastkin down with a smirk.
"Olaf, you titans are known for your barbaric thoughts and actions. However, even you know doing that again would be suicidal!" Tiamal said through gritted teeth.
"So? When has the boss ever led us to our deaths before?" The giant simply shrugged and started at the much smaller man with a face full of reverence.
"Boss, good job out there today! Tian's dogs could only squeak the name of their bastard god as they fell. Their blood now serves as nourishment for you." The Titan said, his voice extremely patronizing.
However, the man didn't seem to care and instead played along,
"Well, what do you expect? I, the only Golden Dragon to ever exist since the inception of the cosmos must never perform at a lower standard." He said with an expression of extreme pride on his face.
The two stared at one another before bursting out with boisterous laughter...
"You two should shut it."
Suddenly, the atmosphere around the two men changed abruptly. Two figures, one dressed in deep blue armor and the other in an emerald green robe, suddenly appeared before the three men.
Clearing his throat, the man suddenly stood straighter,
"Lyros, we are simply discussing battle plans."
The beautiful goddess wearing the icy blue armor simply rolled her eyes and struck him with her cool gaze. However, behind the frost was a layer of warmth and emotions that couldn't be hidden.
"Ashur, how many times have I said this... Don't lose yourself in battle, or else, you risk the chance of getting lost in it forever."
The man simply flashed her a confident smile, "Well, if that ever happens, you will be sure to bring me back, right?"
A deep blush appeared on the ice goddess' face. Seeing that, the woman in the emerald robe simply sighed softly,
'Hopeless..."
She was just as beautiful and graceful as Lyros, however, her charms came with a dangerous aura that influenced the space around her subtly.
"Don't forget that you have more than one wife, you golden lizard. If you keep neglecting us, I might have to go tell on you." The beauty in the emerald dress said with a soft smile.
The smile on the man's face immediately turned strained,
"What?! Meon, I love you all with all my heart. Equally, of course! Don't accuse me of such a horrendous crime."
His reaction sparked a series of laughter within the colloidal army...
"Look! The commander is getting grilled again!"
"What do you think happened this time? Another scandal?"
"Perhaps his wives found him in bed with another woman. You know how promiscuous dragons are."
"Who dares smear my lord's reputation?! So what if he wants some extra action?"
Listening to their words, caused the frown on his face to become even more strained,
"Damn! You guys really know how to make things worse for me, don't you."
Rolling her eyes, Meon spoke to Cain in a subdued voice,
"Having fun is good and all, but you need to get healed up quickly."
"I know. Thank you, my love." The man said, a genuine smile on his lips.
Meon simply shook her head, "What are you talking about? This is my duty. All of us are here to help you achieve your goals. We are your shield, sword, and armor."
The man grew silent for a few moments,
"All my life, I have always been a pawn to fate and karma. Those vile creatures have stolen a lot from me. But with you all, I feel like I can beat them back and seize my— our destiny."
"Let us use our blood to paint the fate of the heavens. Maybe then, maybe then..."
Cain watched all these things happen from above as an observer, slowly trying to digest the things playing out before him. However, he wasn't given any more time, as the current scene that played out before him was rolled up, and a new screen replaced it.
This time, the man, whom Cain had already assumed to be Ashur, was sitting on the bones of the creature he had killed all those years ago. There were several differences between the two versions of the golden dragon.
He looked a bit older, but also stronger. He radiated a sense of power that Cain was unable to make any sense of.
There was no army behind him this time...
There was a new armor set on his body, but it was just as destroyed as the last one. A huge battle axe was sitting close to a spear that was impaled into the bones of the creature. A quiver of enchanted arrows was also lying on the ground, but the golden dragon paid them no attention.
Instead, his attention was on the space before him,
"Weakness is also a sin... To be weak is one of the worst sins because its penalty is a lifetime of slavery. Slavery to the whims of the heavens, of fate and karma."
Ashur let out a sigh...
The barren shell of the ancient battlefield was quiet, save for the sound of wind whistling through the countless bones of the enemies that had died there a long time ago, which had earned the place the name, 'The Whispering Graveyard'.
At this moment, the whispers of Ashur seemed to drown out the hateful whispers of the dead,
"The future is set not in stone, but within the river of time and embroidered on the tapestry of fate... No being, not even the celestials can change this. And so, they fight for a power that can. What a load of bullcrap!"
Despite his words, the serene expression remained...
"Those led by the directions of fate are just cogs in its machination. At the end of the day, their lives are going to be used to achieve it's singular purpose. Once that is done, there will no longer be a need for them."
A small chuckle escaped his lips,
"Perhaps I'm feeling a little bit too poetic today..."