Shadow Slave: The Holy Emperor

"The broad strokes, so please do remind me."

Nephis sighed and turned away. A few moments later, she softly said.

"Odysseus was a hero in an ancient war. In the legends, some humans back then had powers akin to the Awakened. Achilles with an Aspect of indestructible body, Diomedes that was so ferocious even the God of War was wary of him, Ajax who was as strong as a giant. Odysseus was not the strongest, and not the bravest. However, he was the most cunning."

Keter nodded along.

"In the end, Odysseus's cunning ended the war, and he prepared to sail home. However, the gods cursed him to endlessly wander the seas, never to return. Over the years, he survived one horror after another and lost all of his companions. Then, shipwrecked, he found himself on an island where the beautiful fairy, Calypso, lived."

Changing Star's ethereal, strangely wistful voice resounded in the darkness, creating an enthralling atmosphere.

"Calypso fell in love with Odysseus and invited him to her palace. For many years, they lived together in harmony. The island was like a paradise, filled with all kinds of wonders, delicacies and delights. As long as loving Calypso was by his side, Odysseus was even immortal. But… the longer he stayed, the more time he spent sitting on the shore, looking at the sea with bleak eyes." Nephis smiled.

"In the end, Odysseus built a makeshift boat and abandoned the island, leaving all its delights, the beautiful fairy, and even his immortality behind. So, my question is… why did he leave?"

Keter thought momentarily and then spoke, "Why wouldn't he? He had a wife and child to return to, and a kingdom praised him as king. So what if he was in paradise when there was an even better one called home?"

Nephis paused for a moment thinking over his answer then spoke. "I trust you Keter." Nephis stands up and beckens Keter over to spar.

Keter stood up with a smile on his face as they began to cross blades once more.

-------------------------------------------

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger](121x)

[You have slain Awakened Monster, Depth Dwealer]

[Your Light grows stronger](324x)

[You have Slain an Awakened Monster, Carapace Centurion.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger](7x)

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Skull Crawlers]

[Your Light Grows Stronger](43x)

[You have received an Echo: Awakened Monster, Depth Dwealer](Cassie)

[You have received an Echo: Awakened Monster, Depth Dwealer](Cassie)

[You have received an Echo: Awakened Monster, Depth Dwealer](Nephis)

[You have received an Echo: Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger]

[You have received a Memory: Shattered Sea Charm]

[You have given Memory: Shattered Sea Charm](Nephis)

[You have received a Memory: Azure Spear]

[You have received a Memory: Azure Rapier]

[You have given Memory: Azure Rapier](Cassie)

[Your Memory has been destroyed: Azure Armor]

[You have Received Memory: Starlight Legion Armor]

[You have received a Memory: Traveler]

[You have received a Memory: Traveler]

[You have received a Memory: Traveler]

[You have received a Memory: Traveler]

[You have received a Memory: Traveler]

[You have received a Memory: Traveler]

[You have received a Memory: Traveler]

[You have given Memory: Traveler](Nephis)

[You have given Memory: Traveler](Cassie)

[You have received a Memory: Man Eater]

[You have given Memory: Man Eater](Nephis)

[You have received a Memory: Azure Weaponry](32x)

(I don't feel like coming up with so many memories)

'These past four and a half weeks sucked balls, but at least we finally made it to the bond ridge. Now all that's left between us and the bright castle is the Carapace Demon and that damned tree.' Keter sighs feeling the blood on his back begin to dry out from the heat of Nephis training her flaw. 'The more time that goes by the more I'm convinced that the runes on my back are my aspect legacy. Especially because it's beginning to look like a stigma.'

The runes on Keter's back previously only covered a 1/5 of it now it covered more than half of it. Keter looks over to Nephis and then to Cassie. 'We've all made quite a bit of progress the past few weeks. Nephis is about 2/3 of the to forming her Monster core and Cassie is halfway to fully saturating her own core. Both Nephis and I have grown quite a bit in both teamwork and swordsmanship, I believe she completed her Dormant battle art and I'm getting damn close to finishing mine, I only need one more thing to finish mine but that's at the Dark City.'

'Cassie's gotten mostly used to her blindness and her Soothsayer ability has gotten much better.' Keter's eyes then moved to his runes. 'And hell I've made more progress than both of them.'

Name: Keter Asterion

True Name: Holy Emperor

Rank: Dreamer

Class: Monster

Light Core: Dormant

Light Fragment:[1751/2000] 

Memories: [Robes of The Lost] [Crushing Jaws] [Man Eater] [Traveler] [Starlight Legion Longsword] [Shattered Sea Charm] [Azure Spear] [Starlight Legion Armor] [Traveler] [Traveler] [Traveler] [Traveler] [Traveler] [Azure Weaponry](32x)

Echos: [Depth Dwealer] [Carapace Centurion] [Carapace Scavenger]

Attributes:[Untainted Faith] [Child of Light] [Mark of Divinity] [Dreamspawn] [The Heart] 

Aspect: Saint of the Everlasting Light(Divine) 

Aspect Description:[You are the successor of the Holy Emperor doomed to observe but never connect with the people you love so much; obsession follows you wherever you go]

'249 more fragments and I will become a demon.' Keter looked west towards the towering Soul Devouring Tree. 'The sea is receding, which means Nephis is about to start asking questions.'

Nephis stopped her training as Cassie stood up shocked awake from what seemed to be a vision. 

"Did you see the Carapace Demon?" Keter looked at Cassie with a questioning gaze. Cassie looked back at him with surprise.

"Sometimes it feels like your the oracle of this team with all the shit you spout out of nowhere." Keter just shrugged in response.

"What did you see Cassie?" The Mom of the team asked.

"The past. tho give me a second to put the entire vision together." Cassie sat up grabbed [Endless Spring] drank from it then waited ma moment the she continued.

"I saw the Ashen Barrow deep at night, enveloped in a raging storm. The winds were bending the branches of the great tree, as if desperate to break them. The island was illuminated by the constant barrage of thundering lightning bolts, with rain falling from the skies like a flood."

She paused, catching her breath, and continued

"The Carapace Demon was there, standing in the middle of the storm like an unshakable fortress made of polished steel. Arcs of electricity were dancing between the spikes on his armor, but the demon did not pay it any attention. He was… prideful, sinister, and terrifying."

Cassie tried her best to include as many details as possible.

"When I looked into his eyes, I felt… a sense of emptiness and corruption. He observed the storm until it began to dissipate. The winds weakened, the rain stopped. The great tree stood unbroken, just as magnificent as it was before. But then, the last bolt of lightning fell from the sky and struck the ground beside it."

"That bolt of lightning could never hurt the Carapace Demon, let alone the miraculous tree. However, when it hit the ground, it ignited the fallen leaves that covered the Ashen Barrow's surface. Soon, a large part of the island was engulfed in fire. In the absolute darkness of the night, it shone like a beacon."

Keter shot Nephis a look, and Nephis nodded back to him.

"Before the flames died down, the dark sea surged, and a… a thing crawled out of it, covering almost the entire slope of the Ashen Barrow with its body. It looked like a… like a mass of bones and rotten flesh connected by black seaweed, with thousands of horrible eyes staring at me hungrily from beneath, coiling tentacles seething as it pushed itself toward the great tree."

Cassie grew pale as she continued.

"That was the most repulsive creature I've ever seen. However, it seemed slow and clumsy, as though being ashore, outside of the black water, was weakening it. The Carapace Demon did not hesitate to lunge at the creature, completely ignoring the fact that it was at least ten times his size. It was like… like he completely lost his mind, enraged by the intrusion on the island."

"How did the demon survive?" Nephis raised her eyebrow surprised that it was able to survive that.

"I… I don't know. I didn't see the battle itself, only its beginning and its end. At the break of dawn, the Carapace Demon crawled back into the shade of the great tee. He was severely wounded, with several of his legs missing and his scythes covered by a spiderweb of cracks. The fire was gone, and there was no sign of the sea creature anywhere in sight."

She paused to catch her breathe and calm herself down.

"The most terrible wound was on his chest. The steel armor of the demon was fractured and split apart, revealing the beating heart inside. Rivers of azure blood were flowing from the wound, mixing with the ashen sand. The demon crawled to the base of the tree and laid his broken body between its roots."

Cassie sighed.

"The last thing I saw was the passage of time. I don't know how long it took, but eventually, the Carapace Demon was able to recover from his wounds. His scythes restored themselves, his legs grew back. The fracture on his chest was the last to heal. However, it wasn't healed completely. Hidden from sight, there's still a weakness in his armor."

"We're going to kill it," Nephis said as if there were no possible other solutions.

Keter nodded going along with her incanity. "Damn right."

"Murder hobos, both of you." Cassie sighed. Cassie groaned loudly just knowing that they were both smiling at her.