Chapter 3240 Burden of Choice

Shadow scowled, looking at the radiant oracle with a hint of dismay. He considered her words for a short while, then smiled chillingly.

“You spoke a lot about the things you want, Lady Cassia. However..."

As he spoke, a cold chill spread through the opulent chamber, and every shadow populating its corners grew deeper and darker, encroaching on the brilliant sunlight.

The sun seemed to dim.

“What about the things that I want?"

He looked at her somberly.

“And what do I care about your desires? You sent an abomination to attack me. You dragged me to the mortal realms against my will. And now, you seem to be demanding something from me without offering anything in return. I thought that you knew who I am a bit too well... but why does it seem like you have forgotten who is standing in front of you, instead?"

Shadow had a mild temperament and was in the habit of maintaining a human appearance. However, anyone who mistook him for anything but an immensely powerful, ancient monster — a Supreme Titan — was a complete fool.

His agreeable demeanor was not the result of cowardice or softness. Instead, he only carried himself in that manner because he could not be bothered to annihilate everything that stood in his way, bringing death and destruction to those who opposed him.

He was a Creature of Death, after all.

And no matter how powerful the Oracle of Thetis or the Jade Queen were — or both of them put together — if Shadow truly wanted to leave the Jade Palace, there would be little left of the Jade Palace by the time he was gone.

So, he decided to remind the Oracle of that fact.

She did not react to his subtle display of displeasure in the way he had expected, though.

Instead, she simply remained silent for a while, then asked:

“The things you desire?"

The Oracle shook her head slowly.

"You don't even know who you are, don't want to know who you are. So how can you know what you desire?"

Shadow frowned, finding her question preposterous. Of course, he knew who he was... just not who he had been. And since he was not that being anymore, what it had desired once was of no consequence to his current self.

And yet, he lingered with the answer. Because he had sincerely believed that what he wanted was to die — only to be proven wrong by Shadow God.

A pale smile illuminated the Oracle's face.

"I know what you want better than you do. Right now, for example... you wish to remain silent. But you can't, because there is a pain building up inside of you — it is growing stronger and stronger, forcing you to answer."

Shadow, who had been gritting his teeth, exhaled slowly and glanced away.

"My past does not define me, and neither does it define my desires."

The Oracle of Thetis chuckled and took a step back.

"Your past does not define you? You are wrong. We are defined by our memories — we only exist for as long as we remember what shaped us, and cease to exist once our memories disappear. Then, we vanish forever when those who remember us forget, as well."

She raised her chin slightly.

"You might have forgotten who you are, but I remember. Because I never forget — am unable to forget. Just like you sow death but are refused its embrace, I can grant other beings oblivion but am refused its grace."

The Oracle smiled wistfully.

"So even if you have forsaken your memories, you are not gone. You will never be gone while others — while I — remember who you truly are."

Shadow studied her for a long while, then scoffed.

“There is a reason why I do not want to remember. If what you said is true, then you — someone who is unable to forget anything — should be able to understand why. You should know how heavy the burden of remembering endless lives is, how exhausting, how unbearable. And yet, you want me to dive into that horrid ocean of memories? That is the opposite of why I came here, lured by the words your Nightmare Creature spoke."

The Oracle bit her lip, then sighed and turned away.

After remaining silent for a few moments, she spoke:

"Yes, I understand. But I also do not. After all, your unmaking had to have been far more terrifying than what the rest of us endured — if not in scope, then in nature. Because you are of Death, and death is a weapon that destroys Corruption. So, most of those you slaughtered were abominations, and most of the lives you remember were detestable. Anyone would be crushed by that weight."

The oracle paused, then turned to face him.

“But that still does not excuse your failure, nor can it help you get what you want... let alone what you wanted."

Shadow raised an eyebrow.

"You speak as if enduring this endless torment was my choice. As if I subjected myself to this horrid eternity of my own volition, pursuing my own goals and desires."

She smiled.

“Of course, you did.”

Shadow laughed.

“Oh? How curious. And what was it that I wanted so desperately?"

The Oracle remained silent for a short while, then responded simply:

“To become a god."

Shadow smiled bitterly and stared at her, a hint of chilling darkness finding its way into his eyes.

He took a step forward, his shadow falling on the Oracle, and smiled crookedly.

"I have no desire to become a god. Apotheosis? Goodness. That sounds terrifying.”

She remained motionless, ignoring the silent threat emanating from his dark figure.

Instead, a fleeting smile appeared for a moment on her soft lips.

"You claim to have no desire to become a god... and yet, you are already behaving like one."

Shadow's expression darkened.

“What do you mean?"

The Oracle chuckled.

"Don't you want to forget? What can be more godlike than wanting to escape your shame and sorrow with the help of oblivion?"

Shadow scowled, failing to understand what she meant.

When had the gods ever known sorrow, and when had they ever relied on oblivion to erase it?

He gritted his teeth.

"Yes, I want to forget. So what? That is the only solace I know how to find."

The Oracle remained silent for a long while, then shook her head.

"See? Rejecting your memories has already made you a fool."

She sighed and turned away, her expression betraying a hint of tension — as if she was unsure what to say next.

Eventually, after some internal struggle, the Oracle spoke in a quiet tone:

“If you were only willing to remember, you'd know where to find the solace you are so desperately searching for. The solution to all your problems has always been hidden in your own past — it is just that you have never bothered to look for it.”

Shadow flinched.

‘No, it can't be...’

If there was a way to end his endless suffering hidden somewhere in the depths of his memory, then why would he not have used it a long time ago, when he still remembered it?

Why would he have endured all these terrifying lives if he had known how to escape them?

It did not make sense.

“What do you mean?"

Even if Shadow tried to control himself, his voice sounded a little rattled.

The Oracle remained still for a moment, then shrugged.

“Your death. Isn't that what you are truly hoping to find? The secret of how you can die — once and for all — is hidden within your memories. Among other things, of course."

She faced him, a pale smile twisting her lips.

“And I can help you remember — remember it all.”

The Oracle inhaled deeply.

“I can also help you forget everything.”

Her smile dimmed.

“The choice is yours."

Turning her back to Shadow, she sighed tiredly and waved her hand.

“You do not have to decide immediately. Ah... but do not take too long to make a decision, either. Whatever you choose, do it in the next couple of days. Any later, and you won't be there to help me with a problem that no one else can solve."

Shadow pursed his lips, feeling dazed and shaken.

Oblivion — relief — was within his grasp. But so was death...

If the Oracle of Thetis could be trusted, that was.

Somehow, he did not feel like she was lying to him. But, at the same time, he did not feel like she was being entirely honest, either.

The best lies were always woven out of truths, after all, and the blind seer seemed like someone quite adept at weaving them. What did she really want, and why was she giving him this choice?

Was it because Shadow would serve his purpose no matter what choice he made? Or because she already knew what he would choose?

Shadow did not know, and was not sure that there was a reason to know, either. All he knew was that the choice — or the illusion of choice — the Oracle had given him seemed easy to make, but was unbearably heavy instead.

So, he had to choose wisely.