Chapter 802: Paradox of Existence

Tiara walked into the grand chambers and found the outsider inside. Beside his bed was his younger brother, who refused her treatment the last time she visited this fortress.

"I never expected to be invited again," said Tiara as she took off her green cloak and threw it over the chair. Her green hair flowed down behind her white dress, which glittered in the light. "Are you still against treating that hair?"

Oren had half of his brunette hair turned ashen in Kera, which Tiara offered to treat. However, the man unexpectedly refused her out of doubt and reluctance to forsake the stigma. Seeing someone so young with such hair was rare, but Oren didn"t seem to mind.

"My hair is far from important compared to him," Oren said while turning toward Arthur. "I have no idea what is wrong with him."

"That"s a lie," said Tiara as she stared at the black flame atop Arthur"s chest and turned toward Oren with a smile. "Yuran told me about the fight and who your opponent was. Furthermore, he told me about Arthur and Ca.s.sius."

"And?"

"Arthur carries one of the sins," said Tiara as she walked to touch his body. Her skin sizzled as it touched his, but it regenerated in a second. "I"m far from being knowledgeable about the forbidden history, but from the situation, I imagine it would be the Sin of Wrath."

"You cannot know that."

"A great black wolf that destroys everything," said Tiara with a frown as she turned toward him. "It exists in the book we gave to Arthur: a recounting of a great wolf that seeks to destroy everything, and its name is Fenrir. You can call it a myth, but if the shoe fits, wear it."

"And even if I accept that, what would the treatment be? How can we separate Arthur from the sin?" asked Oren with a frown. Tiara was silent before she turned to him with a curious gaze.

"If someone is greedy, would you treat them?"

"A personality trait is different than… that," said Oren as he pointed at the black flames. "This is more than just a desire. It is chaos."

"It is wrath," said Tiara as she sat next to Arthur and held his hand. "I can lessen the symptoms, but treating, if that"s what we call it, would involve altering Arthur"s personality."

"Altering?"

"Do you know how sins are born, Oren?" asked Tiara while her mana left her hand and started healing Arthur"s body, lowering his fever. "All humans can turn into sin, but only those consumed by it would. If the sin is removed, so would our greatest desires, and we turn into no more than a husk."

"Are you saying this is what Arthur desires?" Oren said with rage. "I heard some of the things he said. Arthur wanted to kill all of us in his rage, and if we had taken a minute more, he might have decided to do it."

"Wrath blinds its carrier, and it wouldn"t be surprising if Arthur acts on it," said Tiara with a frown. "The outsider has been through a lot, and his rage against many things might have been the only thing that keeps him going."

Oren was silent as he clenched his fist tightly. Tiara finished her treatment and let go of Arthur. The black flame grew smaller but was still as big as a fist.

"Arthur will wake up on his own unless his wrath conquers his heart. If that happens, then all of you should run away."

"Is that all?" spat Oren with rage as he took a step toward her. "I brought you here from half the world away, and that"s all you can do?"

"I never offered my services, but I did it out of respect for the outsider," said Tiara with a frown. "I shall remain by his bed for as long as it takes, ensuring that his life force doesn"t get drained by this rage."

"…is he still in danger?" muttered Oren with a blank face.

"I never treated a carrier of sin, so I wouldn"t know, but from what I see, the black flame devours his life. There is nothing that we can do but believe that Arthur would awaken on his own."

Oren was silent before he grunted and left the room. Tiara sighed as she watched him go before turning back toward the outsider. After being left alone with him, her mother"s words reappeared in her heart.

"Arthur Silvera is our hope," she repeated her mother"s words. "And what do we do with an enraged hope?"

It broke her heart that the outsider suffered from such a strong desire for destruction. After all, why would the creator wish to destroy his creations?

It was a sickening fate to hold both the powers of creation and the desire to destroy it. Arthur Silvera was no human but a living paradox of existence. He is the one thing that counters himself.

"This can lead to self-destruction, but on the other side of the coin is omnipotence. So let us see what fate has in store for you, Arthur Silvera."

***

Ca.s.sius threw the emperor over the hill before falling to his knees. The hole in his chest was still leaking spiritual energy, making him unable to use his authority. Although sins were mighty, their limitations were spiritual energy.

It took countless years to train the soul into a calamity-level existence, so it bothered Ca.s.sius that the outsider laid his eyes on one of their sins. Eragon used the spiritual energy belonging to Arthur Silvera to use his powers.

"And it just so happens that Arthur Silvera carries one of the strongest souls in existence," spat Ca.s.sius as he covered his chest. "That woman is also on his side, making them two of the strongest souls. How did Arthur Silvera come across Gaia"s sister?"

The emperor was still unconscious, blood dyeing the gra.s.s beneath it. Although his father asked Ca.s.sius to save him, the calamity had no time to care about him.

"I waited for my descent for a thousand years, yet I end up in such a state," laughed Ca.s.sius at his failure. "Arthur Silvera and Queen Morana. I will kill both of you for this."

Ca.s.sius didn"t allow his pride to cloud his judgment. After all, despite the sins being consumed by their desires, they learned to coexist with them and guide them. But, for now, the calamity needed to heal.

"We share the same enemies," said a voice from the void, and Ca.s.sius recognized it from earlier. He turned around and watched a man walk out of thin air beside the emperor. "This makes us natural allies."

"An ally wouldn"t bail out from a fight," said Ca.s.sius with a frown. "If you had intervened and helped me kill Morana, this fight would have been much easier."

"That would be counterproductive," said the bald old man wearing sandless. He had six swirling tattoos over his head and wore nothing but robes to cover his lower half. "After all, the next fight would help me."

"You want to ascend too?" asked Ca.s.sius with a frown. "Morana would kill us both before we manage to reach that realm. You humans can train for thousands of years, but the cosmos is impossible to invade."

"My training for the last decade made me realize such. But, unfortunately, this world limits humans from reaching their full potential, and the reason for that is the outsider and The Split."

"That goes for the sins, too," said Ca.s.sius as he stared at his wound. "I had to seal my cultivation to descend, making my strength half what it used to be. However, to undo The Split requires an artifact that the outsider has."

The bald man smiled and crouched beside the emperor before sending a palm toward his chest. The ground caved beneath the pressure, but the emperor was unharmed, and mana flowed into his body.

"My ancestor told me that the outsider has yet to claim the artifact. Instead, it was stolen by an unexpected person in the other world, severely limiting our plans."

"And where is it now?" asked Ca.s.sius as he watched the emperor"s wounds heal.

"If we knew, then we wouldn"t be looking for it," said the bald man before he rose with a smile. "Are you going to help my son against the outsider?"

"And what would you do?"

"I will resume my training until the time is right. At that time, we can kill Outsider before claiming the world as ours. Then, per our agreement, we will conquer the land we desire without interfering with each other."

Ca.s.sius was silent before he nodded, and the bald man offered a handshake. Although Ca.s.sius was reluctant to touch a human, he still knew that his powers were limited. Thus, the two shook hands.

"What is your name, human?" asked Ca.s.sius, and the man"s eerie eyes glowed with a blue light.

"My name is Osian Voldor, the Vessel of the Protector Guardian."