Chương 158: Motives

Andle sat on a secluded balcony and looked at the sunset skyline. Hundreds of homes, buildings, waterworks, and light shows were bathed in warm light. His gaze shifted past the confines of the city and toward the distant outer walls of Lengue. Outside of them, spectacular yet harsh weather conditions unnaturally ran rampant. In his hand, he held an expensive glass filled to the brim with iced bourbon. He raised a glass, seemingly to himself, and took a shot.

"Have I ever asked you… what you are? I mean, I don't think you're a devil, a god, or some old ascendant … are you? No… scratch that, you would have told me on your own at some point."

'…' After a moment of silence, a gentle chuckle resounded in his mind, an uncommon sound that he had grown to appreciate whenever he heard it. The Thousand Voices spoke harmoniously within his mind,'I am neither a devil, god, nor an ascendant. I am unique, yet plenty; I have brothers, yet we are fragments and the whole at the same time…. There are things that I fail to explain, and things you will not understand unless you're put into a place where you must — Pray that never happens to you…'

Andle felt his heart quake slightly; the Thousand Voices had basically raised him, but aside from the stupid riddles, Andle had a decent grasp of when his patron was truly genuine — and when his warnings carried experience. A silent, dreadful depression emanated in his mind before fading. After a moment of silence, the Thousand Voices spoke up,'One of my brothers will fight tooth and nail for his people tonight; another one of my brothers will return from his break by the turn of night and aid him.'

Andle's eyes narrowed for a moment, taking in the scenery, trying to rekindle his peaceful mood. He refilled his glass, took a shot, then sighed, looking up at the sky with a tired look in his phantasmagoric eyes. Then a distant explosion broke the silence, destroying the twilight peace.

Some time had passed since the initial explosion at the convergence gathering; the dome hovering above the parterre continued projecting a starry night, indifferent to the passing of time and the cries of slaughter it entrapped. The veil of dust had somewhat settled, leaving a grey tinge and an air of murk hovering where debris used to idle. Lilia slowly led a group of survivors to the central piece of the parterre, exercising as much caution as possible while maintaining a reasonable pace of haste.

Most encountered assailants so far had been mundane people with little to no combat experience. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. She couldn't help but feel that it was an odd force to gather when assaulting an event that royals primarily attended. Many questions remained unanswered; how did this many perpetrators even get in when even flies struggle to enter? How did they sneak in weapons when the guards themselves are constantly surveilled?

Why were most of them mundane, with even their few Aspirant soldiers still being under-equipped? Who were they? Questions flooded her mind, with no answer in sight. Her posse of survivors had slowly grown, and huddled around her because of her power; some remained haughty, others became timid, and few were thankful. An inkling in her mind told her that saving the lives of the people around her was a pointless venture; they had their people to worry about and she had her own. She owed these people nothing.

If she wanted to, she could leave; if she ran with all her might, no Aspirant, let alone a mundane, would keep up, but every time she considered abandoning her entourage to find her people, or simply escape. Her mind would always wander back to June: how he was given the mantle of Lord of Light without a choice, and yet, he remained; he stayed with the weak who pushed the mantle onto him; he kept them alive, he kept them happy, not out of greed, but out of the kindness of his heart.

Lilia, however, felt that she was more pragmatic than that. She didn't have the kindness in her heart for anyone who wasn't with her. She had no obligation to help people who would avert their eyes if she needed help herself; many of her entourage were shallow, silver-lipped scum who would hurt others for greed and package their actions as righteous. Besides a few of her entourage, like children, and past acquaintances she held in esteem, the rest of them were simply parasites tagging along for the ride. So, why?

The answer was simple, simpler than bards and future scholars would even fathom. If she saved the lives of even the people she hated… June would praise her. The thought alone gave her shivers. He was one of a kind to her, the sole existence that stirred her heart, and one that entirely belonged to her. Lilia raised an arm to cover her face, hoping that the remnant debris was murky enough to hide her blush.

Lilia and her posse were nearing the middle; there, in the central building, they would be able to hunker down and wait for rescuers to save them… it was the spot where Lilia told June to meet if they ever got separated during the event. She silently wished to see him, but for now, she persisted with her self-imposed duty of saving lives.