Chapter 552 - 550: Revival(2)

Chapter 552: Chapter 550: Revival(2)

In a location far removed from the myriad realms of creation. Within the expanse of infinity. A being rested with its gaze closed.

Its form had no fixed shape as it looked like a living manifestation of darkened chains that disappeared into infinity.

What should’ve been its head was nothing more than an inverted golden anchor from which the impossibly numerous chains originated.

The domain of solitude. The sole realm of the administrator, Anchor.

"Samsara..." a voice rumbled through the infinite realm of solitude as the golden anchor stirred, the sound of rattling chains filling the entire expanse as a crack split through the middle of the inverted anchor-like head and an eye opened.

"Sneaking into my realm will pose no benefits for you, so I suggest you stop acting like a rat." The voice of the administrator, Anchor, was unlike anything mortal ears would ever be allowed to hear, as it was jarring and disturbing in its archaic grandeur.

Silence fell within the realm for a few moments that seemed to stretch for eternity until—

"Ahh... Anchor, old friend, why so serious?" A jovial voice cut through the tension as another being appeared, this one more subtle in its appearance.

It looked like the physical representation of the Taiji symbol, a swirling circular image of two opposing natures, with one half black with a spot of white, the other half white with a spot of black, representing balance.

"Is such a tone one to be used when greeting an old friend?" The new entrant asked, brushing off Anchor’s brash tone.

"I am no friend of yours, Samsara. State your business and begone; I have no time for your trifles." Anchor grated, unwilling to entertain Samsara for any moment longer.

"Hahahahaha... you might not be my friend, but I am definitely yours. So why don’t we put aside that attitude and talk... like friends?" Samsara laughed, uncaring for the clear, unwelcoming attitude of Anchor.

"Your shenanigans bore me, Samsara. State your intentions or leave." Anchor was staunch in his stance, never budging an inch. He and Samsara shared some similar roles in their administrative duties, so more often than not, they clashed over who should do what, and thus Anchor was more familiar with the character of the entity before him than anyone else.

"Haa... well then, since you don’t want to talk, I guess I can only get to the point," Samsara sighed, false melancholy in its tone.

"Good, now if you—"

Anchor wasn’t allowed to get his words out before Samsara dropped the bomb:

"Those two mortal souls. I want them."

Silence.

The realm of solitude fell into such absolute silence that for a brief moment, Samsara suspected his friend Nothingness had passed through here, yet the thought vanished almost as soon as it spawned as—

"You. Dare." Anchor’s voice echoed like judgment through the realm, accompanied by the furious rattling of chaos chains as the infinite realm began to tremble and shake from the fury of its master.

"Calm your rage, Anchor." Samsara’s voice didn’t even waver. "You and I both know those souls should’ve fallen under my jurisdiction from the start, yet for some bizarre reason ended up in your grasp. I had let the matter be once before as I considered our friendship, but now I need them back."

"FOOLISHNESS!!!" Anchor thundered as the realm creaked from his rage. "YOU DARE CLAIM HOLD OVER SOMETHING THAT’S MINE!?"

"Nothing is yours, Anchor. Do not forget the role you were bestowed. All things must return to their cycle. Your role as administrator is not for you to act as wantonly as the others; remember your place!" Samsara chastised calmly.

Karaaangggg!!!

The chains rattled even harder as they whipped through the realm, tearing at the walls of solitude, yet Anchor made no hasty moves against Samsara.

Never mind the fact that the two were equals, but Samsara’s words were true.

He had no right holding onto those souls for as long as he did, but still—

"Your words are irrelevant, Samsara," Anchor replied, calmer this time.

"Is that so? And how are they irrelevant, if I may ask?"

"Because no realms of creation have come to lay claim to those souls yet. I am the barrier between creations. If a realm misses its souls, they shall bargain them back. But no such acts have been committed, so your words are irrelevant."

"Anchor, how foolish must you be?" Samsara sighed.

"Watch your words."

"Watch my words? Watch yours! No such acts have been made? Of course they’ve not. That’s because it is I who is responsible for the ferrying of lost souls back into their realms, that is why—"

"You do not ferry souls, Samsara." Anchor cut through Samsara’s words. "You do not ferry souls; your reaches are what do those acts. Your role is merely to administer the full functionality of those reaches, so your words are irrelevant."

Samsara went silent at Anchor’s argument. He knew Anchor was right. He, Samsara, unlike Anchor, had no direct way to interfere with the myriad creations to enforce his own rules, but—

"It matters not. They still belong to me," he argued back.

"You claim wisdom yet act foolish, o Samsara," Anchor sighed.

"Foolish? How am I foolish?" Samsara asked, evidently annoyed.

"Two mortal souls broke through the multiple restrictions placed upon their realm of creation, slipped past their ruling manifestation, and ended up in the records of the Expanse. This anomaly is one that threatens or potentially reveals a truth about the barriers that we have yet to know, and who, may I ask, was placed in charge of the barriers of creation?" Anchor’s voice was one filled with confidence as the being already knew where this argument would end.

"You..." Samsara’s voice was hard, the being clearly disgruntled as he already knew he’d lost.

"Exactly, me. So once again, Samsara, your words... are irrelevant."

The realm went silent once more as Anchor’s slitted gaze narrowed, Samsara’s swirling form flickering every now and then, the atmosphere around them pulling taut.

"Anchor..."

"You have no grounds for argument here, o Samsara, so if that’s all you came here to say, then you may lea—"

Anchor’s words were cut short as the being’s gaze widened.

"No!!"

Its presence exploded outward as it pulled out a chain larger than size itself, at the center of which rested a golden ball of light within which two brilliant orbs could be seen floating serenely, only this time—

"Impossible!" Anchor’s voice thundered through the realm as it could feel a connection being established with the two souls, one that had a simple and clear intent.

"Come home!"

"You shall go nowhere!" Anchor grated, its voice annoyed and raging.

It had been studying these two souls for who knows how long now? His research had proven futile, but the being had an ageless existence, so he was sure that with enough study he could figure out how they ignored the barriers of creation, and maybe, just maybe, engineer the same method and escape the bounds of infinity. Yet now someone dared want to bargain back these souls?

"I shan’t all—"

"Remember your role, Anchor! Do not let the WILL take notice of your gross negligence." Samsara seemed to have gotten his voice back as his swirling black-and-white form glowed in threat.

"Fine!" Anchor thundered, its gaze peering through the golden ball, peering through the two souls, and locking onto the verdant green line that had connected to them.

"Allow me to see just who and where it is that dares bargain for these souls back."

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A/N: And the tug of war finally begins. Who’s going to win I wonder? Well, you know where to be to find out, lol.. I’m just bugging but as always....

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Thanks for reading...