Clack!

Clack!!

Clack!!!

The authoritative footsteps of a man sounded within a silent hallway, the entire place was devoid of people, lamps hung on the sides of the walls being the only source of illumination..

Valen walked on, his steps slow and confident as he arrived before a massive double door.

The huge construct was made from materials one wouldn’t have recognized no matter how well learned they were, after all, the material didn’t have any origins on terra..

"Hooo..." he breathed out, steadying himself before placing his palm on the surface of the door..

The cool texture of the material seemingly grounding him..

"I’m here.." his voice sounded out..

One second...

Two seconds....

Just when it looked like the third second was going to pass without a reply, the massive doors opened, yet they made not a noise whatsoever..

Massive gates over fifty meters high yet they opened like the gates to an assassin den, not a single creak from them..

Valen stepped in calmly, his steps never faltering once, he seemed used to the strangeness of everything...

The moment the doors closed behind him, the darkness engulfed him..

Now, any other person would’ve panicked when surrounded by such an absolute absence of light, yet valen merely waited.

And soon enough, his reasons for lacking worry showed as the entire chamber lit up slowly, the sky taking on the glow of the constellations themselves..

Stars, an innumerable number of them dotted the space above like the starry sky, planets orbiting celestial bodies could even be seen up close, it was truly a wondrous sight to behold and anyone would’ve been mesmerized, yet valen merely kneeled and called out..

"Master.."..

...

A beat of silence, then came a voice, wise, old, ancient, yet comforting and undeniably amicable..

"Little valen, it’s only us here, will you still punish this old man by addressing him as such?" The dean’s voice sounded out, mock pain in his tone..

Valen’s face twitched, the struggle was real, yet inevitably, he steeled his nerves and forced out the dreaded words..

"Father.."

"Hahahaha...yes..that’s right.. a master for a day, a father forever, hahahahaha.." the dean’s jovial laughter made the space light up, shooting stars flying across the starry skies..

His laughter lasted a good minute before he stopped, silence settling in once more..

It didn’t last very long as the dean’s voice sounded once more..

"Little valen, why?"..

valen didn’t answer, he didn’t need to know what the dean was asking about, he already did, yet even then, he had no answers, or better still, he had no answers that would satisfy the dean..

"Do you remember what I told you the day you agreed to be my successor?" The dean asked..

"We’re seekers and bestowers of knowledge, we do not involve ourselves with the issues of the world, our one and only duty is to provide knowledge to whatever soul crosses our hallowed gates.." Valen’s response was immediate..

"So you do remember."

"Every word you’ve ever said to me, I’ve etched into my heart like law"

"Then why?" The dean asked once more, only to be met with silence once more..

"Do you resent me for making you take that oath?" The dean asked..

"I wouldn’t dare be that ungrateful. Everything this little one has, you’ve given me, my strength, my life, my everything, it’s all because of you, I dare not resent you, master" Valen replied swiftly..

"So tell me why you went and broke that same oath, getting yourself involved in the messy waters of the world’s turmoils?"the dean asked once more..

This time, valen didn’t keep silent, he answered..

"Because I failed my brother once, I refuse to fail him again, even if I have to go against you, master, that’s a sin I’m more willing to bear than the one of betrayal, I cannot handle another one of such" the pain and hurt in his voice was clear for all to hear..

.....

.....

"Haaaa.....in the end, there is still a bit of resentment within you." the dean sighed, his voice pained..

"You feel I betrayed little regulus when I let their schemes go through, despite being clear of their plans" the dean wasn’t asking, he was merely making a statement..

"If you had just told me, master, even if you were abstaining from the affairs of the mortal world, if you had just told me...." Valen’s voice was breaking, the robotic old man Dante was familiar with disappearing, replaced by a man in pains..

"You were in a critical moment, I....couldn’t..." the dean sounded disappointed in himself, he couldn’t very well tell his disciple that his hands and feet were literally tied by fate and causality now could he? That his interference would’ve escalated matters in unforeseen ways, so he could only say this...

"My brother, your own student, died, not on a conquest like he dreamed, not to a worthy foe that gave him a blood thrilling battle. No! He, against his bloody nature, had decided to leave it all behind, yet the schemes of snakes and unworthy fools still claimed the life of my greatest brother and foe, his blood still cries out to me from the great beyond, the Vanquisher’s legacy, I will not allow to end in such a pathetic manner, master.."

"Sigh..... you do know I cannot get involved or help you in this endeavor you’re taking?" The dean’s voice sounded once more, only this time it sounded older, tired, almost like those words had eaten a part of his soul..

"I betrayed one child and now, I openly betray another... ohh what a fickle thing fate is, the more you attain the power to break free, the more bound you become. Sigh...." The dean thought in melancholy...

"I’m aware that the master has his own difficulties, I was merely here to formally announce my relinquishing of the successor position" valen replied coldly...

The dean went silent for a few moments, his tired aged voice giving a very tired sigh...

"Very well, with that, you’re no longer bound by your oath.." saying so, a star within the endless expanse lit up as valen felt his body get lighter, a restriction being lifted on his abilities...

"Thank you.." he got up, getting ready to leave..

"You know they’ll come for him and this time they won’t be alone, they’ll have helpers and they’ll be the ones standing on the moral high ground" the dean’s voice cautioned...

"It has been years since my blade tasted the blood of fools, even if they’d decided not to come, I would’ve gone to them" came Valen’s cold reply...

"Haaaa....it seems your mind is made up.."

Valen kept quiet..

"Alright then, but before you leave, tell me, how was the boy" the dean asked and at that, valen’s cold expression finally broke, a warm smile gracing his features..

"Heh... he’s arrogant, brash, loud, reckless, he’s like his father only this time with twice the energy and less of a leash around his neck in the form of Seraphina, he’ll be a handful"

"When you try chiding someone, you try not sounding so proud or looking so pleased with yourself" the dean’s teasing voice made Valen scratch his cheek in embarrassment..

"But I’m glad to see that the young lad is doing well" the dean said honestly..

"Hmm.. this time, I’ll do my brother proud, I guess it’s time to do my duty as a godfather properly" saying so, Valen turned around, his steps steady as he departed the starry chamber...

Once he was left alone, a pair of eyes opened up within the chamber, they looked like they contained the entire cosmos within..

"Troublesome...too troublesome, the world’s balance is about to be broken and this time, it seems to be beyond even me,...gods above us help us..." the dean’s troubled voice sounded out before the eyes closed back up, the chamber returning to silence...

....

....

"Alright then, aunt v, you ready to see our new place?" I couldn’t help the excitement I was feeling, I was about to finally make my way toward the fabled central continent, the true world stage, with my beautiful aunt by my side, I couldn’t have been happier, especially when I knew my other women were waiting for me on the other side...

"Heh, someone’s excited, well don’t get your hopes up too high, let the life there not disappoint you" aunt v snickered..

Smack!!!

"Hey!!"

"That’ll show you to dampen my excitement"

"Humph, fine, whatever"..

I ignored her pouting, grabbed her hand, then activating the cube valen gave me i readied myself..

Central continent, the main character is on his way...

**********

A/N: I wonder what the central continent is like..

********

Thanks for reading...