Chapter 533 Lord of Lords
High above the heavens, far beyond the stars, and billions of light years away from all what is know to those who live in the Vast Expanse.
From here, the Vast Expanse in its entirety looks no bigger than a speck of dust, the divider between the two realms would take eternity after an eternity to cross. And only by doing that will one be able to see what lays in the beyond.
The Beyond that many thinks of as nothing but a myth, a fake realm that was created to give hope to those who knows nothing of the world and wish to seek more of its knowledge. A wild goose chase that will yield nothing.
Since reaching it is impossible in several lifetimes if one were to move in a straight line from the Vast Expanse to the Beyond.
Thus, it was believed to be nothing but the ravings of those who hope that there is more than what they have to see.
Still, if it was only a journey of a few lifetimes, some would have dedicated generation after generation just to travel the vast expanse to prove it, no, in fact if that was possible why did Primordial Serpent G.o.d stay stuck in the Vast Expanse for almost all of the duration of its existence?
It was due to the prison that was made to encompa.s.s and enclose the entirety of the Vast Expanse. Locked behind a gate that can only be opened by the five keys. The Primordial Keys. Those of which have already chosen their masters, and dove separately among the stars. Creating their own domains, and waiting, patiently for the day to gather once more to reveal the Golden Gate.
Thus, from this realm, so far up high and above, where each and every being in it is of a higher existential realm of all the people of the Vast Expanse.
That which those of the Vast Expanse call the beyond is here. A land so wide and so great, that it had no visible rims or borders to tell off.
Its sky was bright, and its clouds scarce. Its sun rose and stayed for years before it fell down for years some more.
Its land was vast and of great greenery, of deserts and of seas, expanding eternal distances.
Its mountains rose high, adorned with silver peaks, full of bright snow, and its valleys and rivers seemed to extend as far as one"s eyes could see.
Beasts of all kinds moved above the ground, of predators and of prey, some mighty enough to threaten nations, and some tame and peaceful they wish not to harm even a blade of gra.s.s.
A world that would seem to be heavens hidden from the sight of man, yet, man lived on it still.
In one of the mountain ranges, in one of the reaches of the Beyond, was one single mountain that seemed to have a peak that could touch the sun of this world itself. Its height was visible from nearly anywhere on this land of the beyond. And it was the home of one of the most influential, powerful of course, and mightiest of the Beyond.
That man, if he so chose to be called a man, sat atop a simple wooden chair.
His robes were all white, and his beard seemed to reach to his knees. In one of his hands he had a pipe with a dragon"s head. And in the other a cup of tea he would occasionally sip from as he watched the pond in front of his legs.
Behind this lone looking man was one attendant who didn"t dare utter a word as he watched what was happening in front of him.
And behind this attendant, extended a row of people kneeling toward the man on the chair.
The row extended along the entirety of the mountain, spiraling around it like a coiling dragon all the way to its base.
And from then on, more and more and more people were here, kowtowing to the man above, sitting on a chair, and watching a small puddle of water in front of him.
None moved, none spoke, and none uttered a word. They were quiet, so quiet that the only thing one could hear was the sound of their breathing, and the sound of the beasts and critters of the ground moving about.
Suddenly, the man on the chair smirked, he then smiled, and let out a small laugh, a hearty one after and slapped his knee as he watched the pond.
The mere echo of this laugh, though simple, and innocent. Reverberated through the silent lands as all could hear the old man"s hearty laugh.
And as if it was a contagious blessing, among all those who came here, those who had heart demons felt the knot in their hearts release. Those who had worry, felt their worries melt, those who had joy, felt even more, and those with a wicked and vile heart, if seen, the look on their faces would make one think of them as saints.
All because of the smile and laugh of one man.
"Lord of Lords," spoke the attendant, "Share with those who wors.h.i.+p you some of your joy," he said.
The old man smiled and said, "None needs to know what happens in the well. But all must know it is good. Those trapped in an everlasting prison may have found hope to leave it. And once they do, meet, protect, and care for them. For they were part of us once before. And part of us shall they become once more…"
The words sounded ambiguous to the retainer, but he didn"t dare ask for explanation, he knew fully that those words had meaning, only that he didn"t have the knowledge to understand them, and if the Lord of Lords spoke of another world, then it must only mean the land of the exiled…
Have they found the key? After so many eons, they found a way out?
Still, the Law of that place prevent any from crossing the divider, they may have found the boat, but they are not strong enough to carry them through that distance.
Still, if the Lord of Lords spoke of them highly then he must have seen something that amused him.
Perhaps it was a talent like no one else, a talent never before seen in this vast land of the Beyond.
Yet, what would it matter to him, after all, a dead talent is no talent what so ever, and crossing that divider is nothing short of suicide. The distance alone is enough to have several generations live and die before they make it halfway through. Thus he cared not, because if they decide to move, by the time their offspring arrive here, if they do arrive here, he, the retainer, and even he, the Lord of Lords should be gone from this world and turned to the very dust and dirt that feeds it.
So, he didn"t care enough to fully decipher the words of the Lord, but only to take them in, and memorize them.
The retained backed away, and went to the first kowtowing man of the row and asked him, "What brings you on this pilgrim?"
"To see the Lord, and to ask him of a favor," he said.
"And what makes you think that the Lord would give you this favor?" asked the retainer.
"Because I bring news, news of a new rising Sun! the sixth Sun!" he said.
Interested in his words, the retained called the man forward to meet with the Lord of Lords.
"Sit, do not speak if not spoken to, to not talk if not asked to, and do not question what the lord speaks," the retainer advised.
The man sat down behind the Lord of Lords and waited, patiently for what felt like ages, though the sun of this world takes years to set, for him, sitting next to the calm looking Lord of Lords without uttering a single word felt like decades of his life went by as he waited.
Finally, at long last the Lord of Lords asked.
"Speak your mind child," said the Lord of Lords without turning his head away from the pond.
"I have a wife…she is ill, and in need of aid, I looked high and low and couldn"t find anything to help, thus I sought your presence, for the Lord of Lords aids those who come to him with a clean heart," he said.
"Yet yours is unclean," spoke the Lord of Lords, "Still, even those with darkness have some light in them," the Lord of Lords added.
The man tilted his head down, ashamed, as he knew he was caught in a lie, but since the Lord of Lords still tolerate his presence he spoke.
"I bring news, news of a sixth Sun, coming from the west. It speaks of danger and destruction, vilest of beings, a disciple of the Darkest Sun."
"I know of that," spoke the Lord of Lords. "I know of it all too well," he said.
The man"s eyes turned solemn, afraid that the news he brought had no value, still, the old man smiled.
"But, I have news even you do not have." The lord of lords said as he stood up from his chair.
"I see a new Sun, a different one, unlike those you all know, one that is as beautiful as emerald, yet as venomous as a viper. It s.h.i.+nes in a place where it belongs not, and it shall come to brighten the coming darkness, I wish to see this sun bloom and rise as I still draw breath, for it feels for me as family even though unrelated by blood. As I"ve seen this one grow from a firefly to a world brightening light of hope…"
The kneeling man didn"t understand what the Lord of Lord was speaking of, nor shall he do so.
"As for you who came in here, with a muddled heart, I still would see the brightness in it before the dark. Go back to your home, underneath its tiles you shall find what ails you and your wife, remove it, and her pains will be washed away by the first rain…"
The man was about to ask a question that was so obviously painted on his face.
He was about to ask how was he sick? As only his wife was, but the look on the retainer"s face, and the advice he gave him before to not talk when not talked to and not question the words of the Lord of Lords were enough to disway him from speaking.
Thus the man"s goal attained, he retreaded away, not turning his back on the Lord, while another person approached with their own worries and their own problems.
The file of people around the mountain looked endless, yet for the Lord of Lords, it seemed nothing much. No matter how long it takes, it is nothing but a moment in his nearly endless lifespan…