Lord Shadow - Chapter 1994 1994: Luck and Fortune

And while most oracle and seers are the kind of bunch that hates and is even scared to see their own fates, Erika is a different kind because she is connected to her future self.

The “her” right now is the combination of her current self and her future self.

Because most clairvoyants distance themselves from people, they did not know that for beings like gods and powerful beings that could make the heaven and earth asunder, the closer you are to them, the more you could see.

The bypass lies in the fact that cause and effect, this intangible concept…. even the gods could not escape.

One of the things those beings high in the sky most feared would be cause and effect.

It is the reason why Sovereign has protected the world for one hundred years.

Erika was one of the high-ranking members of the world organization at that time so she knows why each Sovereign takes turns guarding the Earth after they become Sovereign

She knows and the Sovereign knows.

Isn’t is because of cause and effect.

Even after becoming Sovereign, magic has a price.

Loki always said that God of Death did not pay any price when doing some grand magic.

But is that really so?

Or maybe, the entire existence owes him already?

Or maybe, he had already accumulated so many debts that he no longer cares?

Becoming gods with the All Source, of course has a price.

Only some people knew it and some people did not.

She smiles

“Thank you, Odin,” she thought to herself.

But then she also knows now Death Monarch owes her and Odin.

But she owes Odin too.

And that One Eyed God is not as generous as he is portrayed.

Someday, he would ask for a price.

Though, that day is not today.

Erika shakes her head and then as she felt the divine sense of energy probing the entire Temple, she looks down.

And her eyes become cloudy, seeing through the clouds and obstacles and see that person, clothed in black, draped in menacing aura.

In that moment, their gaze intersects.

Erika and Azief eyes lock each other. Azief smiles and Erika also smiles

Erika could not help but mutter to herself

“So, he does have manners” and she chuckles to herself as she waves her hand

A gust of wind blows, bringing a song of new fate and destiny

..

Below, Azief is waiting

Azief did not make any move toward the stairs.

He looks at the road.

The formation is still glistening; the runes are still glowing and the road feels forbidding

He waited for Erika to open the road

Azief could have just teleported himself to the top of the mountain meeting Erika without any warning.

But if he did that…no, the moment he did that, all of the protection formation and all of the concealing formation that the oracle had put on the mountain would be broken.

And some magics are not so easily restored.

Even someone with a realm like Azief would find it hard to restore some concealing formation.

Because some concealing formations are unique and sometimes, once they are created, they are the only one in the world

Azief could use his method to create a formation.

But that formation would be his.

So, if he had come like that, breaking all the enchantments, all the protection formation that the oracle had put on and then said he would compensate with crafting a more superior formation that covers the mountain, the Oracle would not accept

Because regardless of whether the formation is more superior or not, that formation did not truly belong to her.

It would belong to him.

It is like asking another person to put on a cage for your own home. But the key is always on the one that created the cage

Erika would not be glad or overjoyed.

Instead, she would be livid.

And Azief himself, while he has some understanding of formations, it is his weakest subject of magic.

And while he knew how to construct some formation, restoring it is not his specialty.

So, this is him…. showing respect.

I did not break into your ground and break all of your methods and did not disturb your magic…. this is my respect

Now, I am in front of your temple waiting.

So, you should your respect and opens up all the protection formation and give me passage, so I can teleport without worrying about breaking all of your arrangement

This is Azief method.

Any other person will not be given such respect.

But Azief knows that this time, it is he that seeking help.

No matter how high his status, no matter how powerful he is, he should remember that.

He is the one asking for help.

And it would not hurt him to do it with manners.

Azief waited and Katarina understood.

And then a wind gust blew by, and something changed in the air

Azief smiles and looks back at Katarina

“See. It would not hurt to have some manners” Katarina could only chuckles at these words

..

Azief walked through space and time and reached the top in almost an instant.

Now that the formation and runes are deactivated, Azief immediately teleported himself up to the top of the mountain

The test below is for mortals and not for him.

It would just waste everyone’s time.

The stairs are powerful but could it compared to the Supremacy Stairway?

Even if he wanted to take the test that Erika had prepared for anyone wanting to enter her temple, the test might not be able to withstand him.

So, he did not even pretend

Azief looks at Erika and smiles bitterly

“I thought it would take some time before we meet again. It seems my premonition ability is getting too good. I thought we would meet again. I just never thought we would meet this early”

“Twenty years is a long time” Erika said

“Not for us, it isn’t” Erika only smiles at this.

It is almost like Azief never wanted to see her again.

What a pity.

Both of them knows, that the moment Azief took her eyes, their fates and destiny affected one another more closely than some other people.

Unless Erika herself cut off this connection, this connection would exist until Azief reached Sovereign.

When Azief reached Sovereign realm, then some of the cause and effect between them would diluted

Buit before that moment, the connection between their fates is quite close. Almost annoyingly close.

The temple of the Great Oracle.

Some people called it that.

Some people called it the Temple of Xinos. Before the temple is on top of the geography of Greece.

But now that the world has changed, the temple location has also changed. Azief could feel the auspicious nature of this place.

This place is Xinos.

A new city in the new Greece nation

It is not really called New Greece.

But it is like a new Greece.

Most of the geography is very different from the old Greece.

If not for some recognizable structure like the Mount Olympus it would be hard to know whether this place has any trace of the old Greece

Of course, the Mount Olympus of this new Greece has also changed. From height and size, it gave a sense of grandeur and awe.

But this place, this place is a new region. Xinos.

And it is a city.

Protected by the Seven Kings and ruled by the Great Oracle

And this temple has many names.

Some people called it the Great Temple of Xinos.

Some call it the Grand Temple of Apollo.

Some called it the Great Temple of Erika

There is many names and different people called them by different names

Azief could sense that below this mountain holds a secret.

Because there is something, or somebody below that has great luck and fortune.

And this temple is suppressing that luck

This luck then benefits all of those around it, benefiting the cities and villages around this mountain and benefiting the kingdoms

Great luck and fortune.

People might think that if there is luck and fortune in an object or in a place, why suppress it?

But everyone who knows a little about luck knows, great luck is a predecessor to a great calamity

One could see it in a formation or a rise of a kingdom or empire.

The rise is hard, gathering luck and fortune and then when every element is at the right place, the luck is used and one would create a golden age.

When one is in such a high place, the only path left is down.

When you reach the peak of that place, the only thing that is left to do is to fall

Because every empire that reached their zenith, all of them would fall afterwards.

Because in time of great luck, hubris, arrogance and all kinds of things that are associated with pride will infect the hearts and minds of the people

It could not be stopped.

Because it is the trend of the world. Those who live and benefited from such a golden age could not help but be swept by the winds of that era…. the exception is the wise among them

They spend like there is no tomorrow, they ignore dangers that are growing beside their borders, they provoke nations to become enemies, paving the way for their own fall

Great luck is also a sign of great calamity.

..