Chương 148: A Meaningless War

Morvath approached Nikos at a measured pace. Nikos was sitting at a table inside a luxurious tent.

"Have you come up with anything yet?" Nikos did not look up. He slowly sipped his green tea while using his other hand to build a house of cards on the table in front of him.

"Seer Aelira is a coward", he said with absolute calm. Morvath's eyes widened. Such an insult was completely unacceptable to him.

"How dare you insult the Seer?" He stepped closer, struggling to contain his anger. Nikos carefully placed one card on top of another with millimetric precision.

"I'm not insulting her. I'm simply stating a fact. She's afraid of Xarath, and therefore she's a coward. She could simply confront him and kill him, yet she refuses to do so".

"She explained why she can't", Morvath retorted irritably.

"Yes. And her explanation is full of holes. But you're too devoted and loyal to notice". He paused briefly, stroking his mustache.

"Even if it were true that she would lose control of her soldiers while fighting Xarath, we're only talking about a few hours. Not enough to turn the entire war around. And even if we lost the lands with the legendary swords during those few hours, we would reclaim them soon enough". Morvath remained silent.

"And besides", Nikos continued, "if she really can control troops like puppets, why doesn't she do the same with her enemies?" Morvath opened his mouth, but found no answer.

"Simple", Nikos continued.

"Because her power has limitations. She probably needs to see them first, and for that, they have to be within the range of her clairvoyance. That would also explain why she can control all the human soldiers in the southern lands, where she is, while having more difficulty controlling those in the central regions". He finally raised his gaze.

"Now answer me this: why does she never move? Why is she always sitting on that throne?" Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Morvath hesitated before answering.

"Because that throne is made of an ancient material capable of channeling her power. Without it, she would risk being unable to properly regulate such immense energy. The throne allows her to properly use her clairvoyance and telepathy". Nikos smiled faintly.

"Another limitation of hers…that explains her fear of Xarath. She isn't weaker than him. I'm certain that if she fought Xarath while he had his limiters in place, she would win. But she's insecure and doesn't want to face him even under those conditions. She's afraid she won't be able to control her immense power, and that this could cause her to lose in a direct confrontation". He paused.

"Fortunately, Xarath doesn't know this. Otherwise, he would use her insecurity to his advantage". Morvath stared at him in shock.

"Your brain isn't normal…I've followed the Seer for many years, and I had never realized how insecure she was". Nikos resumed building his house of cards.

"Of course it isn't normal. Otherwise, I wouldn't be so far ahead of all of you. Now I'll devise a plan to stop Xarath, something the Seer can do without confronting him directly. I'll need-""Time and concentration", Morvath interrupted.

"You'll have them".

"No", Nikos replied without hesitation.

"I can work even amid screams and explosions. I'll need green tea and cookies". Morvath stared at him, bewildered.

"You'll have them". In the dungeons beneath the royal palace Oscar and Teresa were in the dungeons with several soldiers. Down there, the dragons flew freely. The green dragon approached, letting out a deep growl as it opened its jaws. Teresa stepped forward and gently stroked its snout.

"Easy…don't you recognize me? It's me". Recognizing her, the dragon calmed down. Oscar silently watched the black dragon nearby and began approaching it. The young dragon had just lain down on the floor. Oscar approached it hesitantly.

"Wait", Teresa stopped him.

"Why?"

"It's her young. If you get too close, she might attack you". Oscar snorted. Teresa stepped forward first. The green dragon stared at her. It trusted her. It remembered that, despite having been near the eggs, she had never harmed her young. So it allowed Teresa and Oscar to approach the black dragon. Once they were close enough, Oscar gently placed a hand on the young dragon's back. The dragon glared at him for a few moments, but then allowed him to pet it.

"Like that…slowly", Teresa said. Oscar smiled.

"I can feel it", he said, his eyes filled with ambition.

"This young one will become enormous. Incredibly powerful. I'll call him Death. After the fate our enemies will meet". The training had just begun. Oscar was ready to claim his dragon. Far away from there. Xarath stood atop a building, gazing down at the ruins of the destroyed city. The bodies of soldiers lay scattered everywhere. Unlike the previous villages, this time Xarath had encountered several mages who had put up resistance. He had managed to kill them nonetheless.

But amid the chaos of the battle, many civilians had also fallen victim to the fighting. Some had been crushed beneath the rubble of buildings that had collapsed during the battle. Xarath watched as a mother desperately tried to lift a boulder that had trapped her son's body. The child was already dead, yet the woman continued doing everything she could to free him. It was obvious, however, that she was not strong enough. Xarath yawned, bored.

"The child is dead. She's weak. And yet she continues to persist…I wonder why. Why perform such a meaningless act?" He remained silent for a moment.

"But I suppose it makes sense that, in the midst of a meaningless war, living beings would perform meaningless acts". He turned around, opened a portal, and disappeared.