Chương 9: beat me?

Kealix focused more intently on the signature Zellion was giving off. His expression remained indifferent, though beneath that calm exterior he was far more than surprised. Zellion, the first of the Eidolons, was the very last being Kealix had expected to lend aid to the boy. After all, the boy was nothing but a stranger to him. It wasn't in Zellion's nature to help those he didn't know. Unless…

The thought flickered through Kealix's mind as he continued to observe the strange energy signature rising in tandem with the boy's. It was more than likely they were connected somehow, though the boy himself couldn't be tracked, his presence could not be traced through any known means.

"Heh… Writer," Kealix said at last, though his mouth did not move. It didn't need to. His voice reached me through thought alone, our existences occupied entirely different planes.

"Who is that kid, really?" I smiled faintly from my own realm, my voice drifting toward him like a whisper carried on static.

"Who that boy is, huh? Well… his name is Vale. The rest...." I let the words hang in the air, ".... is for you to figure out." A slow, amused smile crept beneath Kealix's obsidian mask as he heard my response.

"You've never been one to tell me everything," he said, lowering his head within his chained restraints.

"Nevertheless, I suppose I hoped for a straight answer. That was my mistake." He tilted his head slightly, a glint of interest flaring in his crimson eyes.

"But I have to say, you've intrigued me. This boy, this Vale, is the only one I cannot detect." His smile widened, the edges sharp with fascination.

"It's almost as if this boy doesn't exist at all." I said nothing, only watched from afar. Kealix had already left the White Space, and I rarely meddled within his plane unless it was absolutely necessary. Still, I knew him well. Kealix was clever, frighteningly so. I was certain he would uncover the boy's truth in time, especially once he began training him. The two were already closer than either of them realized. After a brief silence, Kealix's voice broke through once more.

"So," he said, his tone almost casual, "we have a little time before he enters my dome. Tell me, Writer, what kind of goal do you have in mind for this boy before I cast him out of this realm?" I chuckled quietly, letting a knowing smile curve across my face.

"What kind of goal, huh? That's simple." I leaned forward in my seat, eyes gleaming.

"He just needs to beat you." For the first time, Kealix's composure faltered. His eyes widened in genuine surprise.

"Beat… me?" He gave a low laugh, disbelief laced with amusement.

"You're cruel, as always. You do realize I hold the combined skill and knowledge of everything that exists within my plane, don't you?" My smile didn't fade.

"Oh, I know," I said softly.

"That's exactly why he needs to win." I smiled softly and added,"If this boy manages to defeat you, he'll survive long enough to uncover the tools at his disposal." Kealix's smug smile didn't fade, in fact, it grew wider as my words sank in.

"I assume you want me to craft him a weapon to fight with as well?" he asked, his tone shifting. The excitement that flickered beneath his mask was no longer subtle, it was the eager thrill of a predator catching the scent of new prey.

"Well," he continued, his voice low and filled with anticipation, "it's about time I created a new Eidolon anyway. I think…" his grin sharpened "I'll use my heart to create this one." His words carried weight. I met his gaze, my expression unchanged.

"You know that using your heart will forge an exceptionally powerful Eidolon, don't you? It might even surpass Xerax with the right nourishment." Kealix chuckled softly. He knew exactly what I meant. The Eidolons were among the most powerful entities his plane had ever known, though none could rival him or his brother directly. They stood in a strange hierarchy, caught between the gods and the founders, a tangled balance of creation and destruction.

There was no true way to determine which of the three forces was superior, their power all stemmed from the same primordial source. Only their use of it differed. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"So," Kealix finally said, breaking the quiet that lingered between us.

"Are you going to keep lecturing me about my creations, or are you finally going to tell me how you want me to teach this kid?" His tone was bored, but I could still sense the excitement humming beneath his voice, like a current barely held in check.

"Oh, right, right," I said quickly, snapping from my thoughts.

"Well… I suppose the most effective method would be." I trailed off deliberately, letting him fill in the rest. Kealix sighed as he caught my meaning. It was a sigh that carried both understanding and pity. He already knew what I intended, and though he found it cruel, he couldn't deny its effectiveness.

"So you want me to use a death loop?" he asked, his tone softening, shaded with reluctant acceptance.

"Ding, ding, ding! Correct!" I replied cheerfully, perhaps a little too much so.

"You caught on immediately. Good job, Kealix." My smile lingered as I tilted my head slightly.

"Are you disappointed?" Kealix's answer came after a moment's pause.

"Not disappointed," he said slowly, "just… pitying. The boy will need to master very specific techniques if he's to stand a chance against me, even when I'm restrained and can't access my power. It's going to take a very long time." I let a teasing note slip into my voice.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked, though of course, I already knew the answer. A smug grin returned beneath his obsidian mask.

"Not at all," he said simply. As he spoke, Vale approached the dome where Kealix was imprisoned. The boy paused for a moment, staring up at the black suns that hung motionless in the crimson sky. Their cold light shimmered across his face, a reflection of both awe and resolve. Then, without hesitation, he stepped forward, and entered the dome. Kealix lowered his head slightly, his voice calm and deliberate as he spoke his final words before Vale entered the dome.

"Well… the boy is coming," he said, a faint hint of amusement in his tone.

"I suppose I should wrap up this conversation, and perhaps put a little fear into him, shouldn't I?" He asked it like a passing thought, though even that small question carried the weight of countless years of stillness, the first motion, the first intent, from him in an age. I smiled faintly from my distant plane.

"I don't think you'll have an easy time frightening that boy," I replied.

"But you're free to try." Kealix tilted his head, his voice curious but edged with playfulness.

"And why is that?" I didn't answer. I didn't need to. Some things were meant for him to discover on his own.

"Tch," Kealix muttered, his tone half-irritated, half-amused.

"You could at least tell me instead of just writing it down, you know." He sighed softly, shifting his gaze toward the approaching figure of Vale. From beneath his obsidian mask, his golden eyes studied the boy carefully. It was strange, the child had no trace of a signature, no energy pattern, no presence that could be measured or felt. And yet, there he was, standing before him. It was as if the boy only existed when one looked directly at him, like a paradox made flesh.

But Kealix didn't dwell on the logic of it. His very existence had long since defied logic, and he was in no position to judge what made sense or not. Vale approached quietly, his steps light but certain. The sound of rippling liquid echoed as he walked across the vast sea of blood that stretched beneath the dome. Above them, black suns circled slowly, their eerie light watching like sentient eyes.

The pale sky churned with crimson and onyx clouds, twisting and folding upon themselves as if reacting to the boy's arrival. Kealix hung suspended at the center, bound in a crucifixion of chains that crossed his limbs and pierced his back. To Vale, the man before him was both dreadful and regal, a figure carved from darkness itself. Yet Vale's face remained calm, indifferent. He moved through the blood with a strange grace, almost as though the realm itself parted to make way for him.

Kealix let out another low sigh.

"Alright," he thought to himself, "let's get the introductions over with." With a simple thought, the chains binding him shuddered. The metallic clatter echoed like thunder through the dome as the restraints split and fell away, vanishing into the sea below. Kealix dropped gracefully from his suspended position, landing on one knee in the crimson water. His movements were smooth, deliberate, almost ceremonial.

The blades embedded in his back remained, glimmering faintly beneath the dim light; they were part of the seal, after all, necessary, unremovable by any other then himself. He rose slowly, towering before Vale, the weight of his presence pressing against the air. Raising one hand, he pointed directly at the boy. Though he knew his words would not be understood, not by anyone within this plane while his seal still held, he spoke regardless.

"I aezgilpo for nkitag oyu wyaa from your enw feli so ealyr,""but i am adrfia ahtt wtha i ma abtou to od is cserseany ofr oyur lsvairvu." The words were incomprehensible, twisted, broken by the seal that warped his voice. But that was intentional. The language of the bound carried meaning not through its sound, but through intent. And his intent was clear enough. This was not a greeting. It was a declaration. Kealix had begun their training, and with it, his teachings.