Lord Shadow

ZOOOM!

Like before, the moment he began refining that saber, his mind seems to be traveling through some unknown planes of reality

But this time it seems to be slower as Azief body is slowly being enveloped by the heaven destroying power of the Heaven Sundering Aura

Azief notices that after he finished that first trial, the heaven sundering aura from the Heaven Sundering saber can now be used by him.

He touched a bit upon the Laws of Karma, Time and Cause and Effect every time he uses his finger to channel that power of heaven sundering

It also bears similar resemblance to Azief own Death Source in that they both contained the understanding of life and death.

It is with that, his understanding of the memories of Azul deepened and impressed him even more of the might of Azul

The Five Saber in the cave floated emitting a calming power different from the very beginning where they glowed ominously. It is like they are welcoming Azief now.

Then like before the other four dimmed and only the Dragon Giving Life saber seems to be gathering all of the strength of the saber.

Then a powerful suction comes out of that Dragon Giving life saber and brings Azief physical body into the saber.

His physical body like they were being erased by world, slowly dissipating like dust into the saber.

Inside that world, Azief is floating slowly feeling that his illusory body becoming solid. Azief eyebrows creased as he felt something.

He didn’t feel it that much before.

But now it is different.

He could clearly feel that his body is being brought here into this dimension. It is not just some illusionary world.

Azief now is certain of his conjecture. This is not normal. This is not the first time Azief entering an illusionary world.

But he never once experienced where he enters the illusionary world with his physical body. It is usually the soul and mind that will enter such illusionary world.

Azief however did not say anything. He looks at the light all around him. There were like strings or threads.

Around him he could hear the throes of passion, and a wave of desire welled up around him but his will quickly block that feeling from overtaking him.

This desire that is present around him and inside him, inciting him is not only lust, it is greed, desire for wealth, fame, honour and many other feelings.

Pride welled inside him for a second before it disappeared like an illusion.

Then that strings and threads bind Azief body and covered him like a cocoon, light gathered and the glow of this light spreads all over this limitless space and boundless space.

Eternity…an instant…passed by.

Then he heard that voice again, this time a bit gentler than before.

‘Changes Are Common, Don’t Resist It. Let Things Flow Naturally. Unlocking The Secret Of The Bodies, With One Slash Sever The Covetous Heart.’

Then silence descended. Then that voice once again spoken, his voice seems to echoes endlessly in this space.

‘You, mortal, have passed my first trial and the easiest trial. My life as Azul the Divinity of Fire was full of struggle. I was jealous and could not accept the fact my race was enslaved by the Celestial. With the Heavens Sundering saber I charged towards the Heavens and topple it down. I have good intentions but I harmed the Universe and countless of lives were reaped as sacrifice for my saber.’

The voice explains and at the same time he felt the desolation in Azul heart.

‘Yet, strong as I am there are people stronger than me. I am still in a shackle of Creation and Destruction, my regret pierced the heavens, and my heart is in unease even throughout the long epoch’

Azief listen as his body slowly absorbed the light covering him, the threads and strings is also entering his body.

‘From an inconstruable beginning comes transmigration. Being hindered by ignorance, fettered by craving, everything is temporary and impermanent. I am the first wielder of the Dragon Giving Life Saber and with it I bring a world of prosperity and healing to a troubled world. I was called the Saint of Ten Thousand Worlds. But I begin in a human-like world before being enlightened and retrieve my saber. I left my will and memories to the people destined to find this saber and refine it! Solve my regret and you will gain what you want!’

Then the voice ended

‘The Water of Lifer replenishes everything, let Reincarnation flourish and gain enlightenment, no longer slumbering.’

Then a stream of information enters Azief mind, his body seems to shrink as his soul enter a body.

Bzzt!

The scenery changes and he felt the space beneath his face turning solid, life passing him by, from his childbirth until his present age in this new world.

Azief now lives in a body of a person, humanlike in appearance. His name is also Azul. It is with this memories Azief slowly understands what Azul had done.

Azief is not sure he is correct but he believes Azul uses the Nirvanic Fire of Rebirth to reincarnate himself.

After all he is the Divinity of Fire.

And one that is calling himself that must be able to use the Nirvanic Fire of Rebirth.

One of the abilities mentioned about the Nirvanic Fire of Rebirth is that one could use it to reincarnate oneself either as a ploy for safety from enemies to powerful for them to contend against, or to comprehend the Laws of the Universe.

But not many people would do that, reincarnating oneself because like anything in the world it has a risk.

Since anyone capable of doing reincarnating oneself and going against the orders of heavens and the Laws of the Universe is already testament to that person prowess and strength it is not recommended since one could just enjoy his life without once again trying to reach to the apex.

Not to mention from the rumors Azief heard and learns about the Nirvanic Fire when he is in the Jade Empire, the stronger a person is, the hotter the flames.

For someone as powerful like Azul, to burn oneself in the Nirvanic Fire, how hot the flames must be and how much suffering he must have endured to reincarnate his soul?

With his power and status, he could live in some corner of the Universe with no one daring to cross him.

To break the Source Wall by his lonesome, Azief could only imagine the might he possesses.

Even the Jade Empire and the Asgardians had to borrow the Fate of their Worlds to break through the Source Wall and brought their world into that Dimension.

It was then as Azief was thinking of all this matter in his mind, that he did not realizes that his body turns solid and he realizes where he is at.

He is sitting in a chair, hearing the hymns and song, recitation of some holy songs.

He looks at his left and right. He saw an old man on his right, around thirty years old and his memory told him that this man is his father.

He had thick black beard, a pot belly that seems firm and his arms is huge. He is wearing a robe like clothes, purple in color, denoting his noble identity.

His hand were put together, his eyes closed as he seems to be praying to Thonos.

Azief look upwards and saw the morning glow on the apse of the ceiling. Then he looks at statues of angel like creature that seems to decorate the corners of the Temple.

Then he remembers where he is, the information in his head streaming the information to his mind.

It is the Temple of Thonos. And he is in Shurley. It is situated in the southern province of Aethenspania.

Though it is now called the Aethens by the people of the Empire.

It was one of the countries that were subjugated by the Empire in its Conquest War.

Aethens southern province is a temperate region with forested hills and rich farmlands and Azul is reincarnated as the son of the Marquis.

Thonos on the other hand is the God of All in this world, and the Empire official and only religion.

Even though the people of Aethenspania used to believe other Gods by the time the Empire comes around, the only recognized and allowed religion is Thonos.

Thonos in the Empire and the Temple regarded Thonos as the source of all Order and Phaesnos the counterpart of Thonos is the agents of chaos in the world.

Thonos in order to stop Phaesnos created the Winged Ones and they deliver revelation, rewarding orders, punishing misdeed and sins and at times fulfill people prayers to Thonos.

His name in this world is Azul Verignon.

As the memory of his days at the church just began to solidified, Azief felt his body turns into smoke and the scenery speeded up.

And in that moment, Azief sees everything.

From his childhood, to his current age. Azief believes Azul is skipping all the unnecessary part.

Azief even secretly believe that Azul is trying to teach him something with all of this trial.

When time speeded up, Azief seems to exist as a dark smoke that seems to be traveling through all this moments in incredible speed yet at the same time retaining all of the memories and feelings of Azul.

When he saw Azul in the memory felt sad, Azief also felt sad and feel that the thing Azul experience is also the thing he experienced.

His feeling, his thoughts, Azief could all understand.

In that journey of memories, his memory slowly getting clear as his understanding of this world Azul lives in increases.

He is born to the Remusian Empire, a large empire using blood magic. And that magic is regulated by the Church of Thonos

There is The Holy Church of Thonos in the Great Capital of the Empire, Ashaya where it is governed by the Learned One, the Avengers of the Chaos, and the Left Hand of Thonos, the secret forces of the Temple.

The Learned One is the priest of Thonos and the Winged Ones. They are responsible for teaching the Canons, judging heretics and leading the community and their flock.

They are also in charge of the Reapings and are always present in those events.

The Avengers of the Chaos is the law enforcer of the Church with power to carry out punishment for violations of the Canons of Thonos.

They are garrisoned around in cities, towns and along major trade routes of the Empire.

The left hand of Thonos is the assassin spies of the Church of Thonos and infiltrates heretics gathering and eliminates sedition against the Faith of Thonos in the Empire.

And what is blood magic?

Blood magic. The name explained all. It uses blood to operate.

So, began the Reaping process. Before the Empire becomes as big as it is now, they used to reap the blood from their own people and the lower caste of their people, the peasants

Azief notices that the peasant in this world is unlike the peasants in his world.

They were basically slaves here, with no freedom whatsoever other than to be sacrificed to Thonos at least in the Empire dominion.

Using that blood magic and the practice of Reaping, they defeated their neighbors, and grew as large as they are now.

And then they instituted the Reapings for all the lower caste of the inhabitants of the Empire.

And so the Reapings happens every year and in times of war happens many times in a year.

The nobles were spared of the Reapings but the lowest caste, the peasant whose duty, if the Canons of the Holy Church of the Empire to be believed, is to self-sacrifice.

Thus the peasants are always sacrificed in this Reapings.

Azief at first as these memories enter his mind could see it and feel it with detachment since this is not his world and he is not their people.

But as the memories and even the feelings of Azul enter his heart and his mind, his mind changed and his heart moved.

He felt the unfairness of this world, the dissatisfaction of the world and the anger of the heavens inside his mind and his heart.

They used the blood of the peasant sacrificing them in the altars of the Temples to fuel the magic that kept the border of the Empire safe.

And that angers him…and pains him

Every year at the Time of the Reaping, old men, young men, criminals who do not conform entirely to the teaching of the Church were brought to the reaping and be sacrificed to power the Four Walls of the Empire.

The Church teaches the peasant that obedience is the core belief. Then as he slowly absorbing Azul memories, the memory stops on one memory in particular.

Azief in his memory saw a scene, as clouds filled his eyes and he was transported into one of the memory of Azul of this world.

Azief seems to be standing in a city square, yet no one could see him and it is almost like he didn’t exist.

Like before when he saw the memory of Azul finding the sabers, he is now in that kind of situation once again.

He thought that the Church is his starting point in this world but he is clearly mistaken.

It is a cloudy afternoon and hundreds of peasant is in the town square, standing on the stand, and an altar of stones not far from them.

They are waiting and sweating like it is a hot summer air, some were trembling, and some crying in silence.

For it is the duty of peasant to self-sacrifice.

They were sweating because of the fear and nervousness in their hearts, some are crying tears of silence, and fear in their face is evident.

The Avengers of Chaos have gathered about hundreds of peasants from the fields and Azul was present for the First Reaping looking among the crowd.

As a noble, he should be detached from this Reaping but Azief could see that Azul was worried for something or someone.

‘Is this it?’ Azief ask himself.

‘Is this related to Azul regret?’ Azief ask himself. He floated up in the air and just by thinking of it he appeared near Azul.

In this memory, Azief seems to be invisible, phaseless and formless.

The Learned Ones brought out an instrument to the town square guarded by two Magus.

Azul was there among the crowd, away from his father and brother who is hunting in the forests, and treating the Reaping as a normal occurrence.

Azief had these memories because Azul had these memories.

Azul is worried that the peasant he knew would be sacrificed in this round of Reaping. Azief look at Azul and he is sure now, whatever happen in this memory would relates heavily to his trial this time

‘Six trials, six lives. Azul, I don’t think you are some simple Divinity of Fire.

‘Thinking about it, there were so many things that is suspicious about this saber and I am beginning to think that your race is not Asura.’

And then Azief smiles as he ask himself

‘Was I mistaken?’ Then Azief nodded to himself. By now, he seems to understand something. He was really mistaken.