SHK CH 577 (Patreon)

The second day started and as the Sun rose in the sky, Sol started walking outside. His steps were slow and it seemed as if he was walking with no particular direction in mind.

He was still in his dimension after his night of meditation and realization. This night had been more than a little useful for him and now all the enlightenments he had were starting to coalesce together in an interesting whole.

It was still a world full of monochromatic gray or at least it should have been so. But as Sol advanced, the color started to spread all around. Those were not the color of the natural world but more akin to a softer yellow, showing the presence of light.

“This is not bad.”

Sol nodded to himself. He was happy with the progress he was making and now all he needed was something a little something to complete his plans. That little something though was quite complicated to acquire and even then he still felt like he would be missing more.

“Well, one thing at a time.” Sol sighed. Striving for perfection would be foolish but what he was doing needed something very close to perfection. If he failed, he would have severe repercussions and he could anticipate that it wouldn’t be something he would like.

“I could take the easy way out.” He wondered. Hesitated, pondered. The easy way might create an imbalance even more severe but at the same time. The piece would fit quite snugly on the whole. Sol hesitated for an instant and he tried to read a possible future. But all he could see was a fog. Not even the threads of destiny could guide him for the current choices he wished to make. Clearly, there were simply too many implications.

This was another reminder that he was not all-knowing nor all-powerful. The Eye of Akasha was undoubtedly a godly weapon of a very high caliber but the limitations it had were also clear. Of course, there was also the fact that he was too weak. No matter how powerful he was as a Duke. He was still nothing more than a Duke.

A special Duke but still a Duke. This was a level of life that limited too many of his abilities. Thankfully, soon he would reach the next level in life and become something more.

The King level was an essential transformation of the very being. One that brought even an increase in lifespan. This was because she reached the King level Lilith had been able to survive longer than she should have as a homunculus.

Once he was satisfied with the current situation, Sol broke through the walls of his dimension and started stepping into the real world. Now that he was stronger, this process that had always seemed instantaneous to him seemed slower. Not because he became worse at it but because he was able to notice far more details.

Walking out of his dimension felt like plunging into a deep and immense sea that stretched to infinity and only after jumping out of the “water” could he surface back in the real world.

This was an uncanny sensation. One that showed him that there was much he still did not understand in this world. The kind of truth that could only be understood when one reached the level of a god or perhaps even beyond.

“Perhaps Order and Chaos would have an idea?” He mused. This he had an idea, a small idea of course but he sadly did not have enough information to confirm it. But if he was right, then this universe was far far broader than he could imagine.

After all. If his Inverse dimension could become a universe then…What say there weren’t other universes out of here?

What about Earth, the place he came from? Was it in this universe or a completely separate one? The theory of a parallel universe was nothing new for someone who lived on Earth. The planet he was currently on, the Mortal realm, was incredibly similar to Earth. So much that one could argue that it was Earth. Only during a much different time.

If Earth and Gaia were parallel universes and if his own inverted dimension was another nascent parallel universe then it was possible that out of here, there existed many more parallel universes. Ones that were much different from the one here or very similar.

“Well. This is something that doesn’t concern me now.” He had no way to verify this theory for the time being and even if he did find the truth, it would not give him any advantages.

His own Truth was not tied to understanding the existence of parallel universes. This would be a nice enlightenment but not one that would advantage him particularly.

“Sol! You are back!” His musings were interrupted by a small ball full of joy that rushed at him before settling on his head as if it were her natural seat.

Riding a dragon, even if he was in human form was not something many people could dare to do. Even Theresa nearly paid a high price when she tried to mount Blaze in the past. Since Sol was becoming closer to his dragon’s side it would have been normal for him to become angry at this clear lack of respect.

But all he felt was helplessness and a low chuckle escaped him as he brought his finger up and flicked gently at the intruder who simply giggled like he was tickling her.

“How have you been?” He asked as he walked out of the tent.

“Super! Duper! The battlefield was a little mopey at first but now since no one is fighting it’s just fun!”

“I am glad you are having fun.” Sol laughed. Who else but Sheherazade could it be? She was perhaps one of the rare people in existence who did not worship nor love him but who also did not fear him.

Sol loved the candidness of this little ball of sunshine. A woman who had suffered her fair share of hardship and discrimination but who could still smile and laugh at the darkness of the world.

For Sol, Sheherazade was a friend and a benefactor as well as someone who, despite her ditzy appearance, could teach him much about life. Of course, there was never one without two.

“Hi…” Sol hugged the Dark haired girl who also approached him once he left the tent. After all, wherever there was Sheherazade, there was obviously Isis.

“You alright?” He asked after separating slightly and looking at her pale face. Isis always had a pale countenance but it became a little worse since the last time he saw her.

“Don’t worry. I was affected by the battlefield because of all the death around me. It was hard for me to… You know what.”

Isis was a Death Phoenix. A walking inconsistency as she held two very opposite but also complementary concepts. For Isis, a battlefield was nothing more than a place to thrive. The reason why she went personally on the battlefield wasn’t just to protect Setsuna. Sol had needed her there for another reason and this was taxing on her.

“Thank you. You only need to hold on for a few more days. I am sorry for all the anguish.” He was sad to see her clearly holding back and in pain.

“Don’t be. I am glad to be of help and obviously, this is also helping my path. If your plan works, I will not have to fight my father for more authority. Though this is a very daring path.”

“Heh. You are following a very daring man after man.”

“Well. I guess I did vow to work together with you to achieve our goals.” This had been one of the parts of her vow and she was determined to follow through it;

“All for our beautiful future.” He held his hand tenderly and the two of them gazed at each other. Love and affection swam in their gaze. The two of them were not just lovers. They were friends, equals, and companions walking a treacherous path. Their relationship may have been short but they had shared many moments together.

Slowly the two of them brought their faces forward and even the exuberant Sheherazade covered her face with her hands though, of course, she left a small gap between her fingers.

But, just as they were about to kiss ~Crunch~ The atmosphere was broken as the sound of someone munching reached them.

Sol gave a bitter smile and looked at the person standing further behind Isis. A beautiful silver-haired woman clad in a maid uniform and holding what looked like a bag of chips, looking at them with a clueless expression while she munched on her food.

“Nuwa.”

Indeed. This was the small problem he needed to work on. Looking at her blank face, Sol sighed and patted Isis on the head.

This was definitely going to be more complicated than he thought. After all — He needed to sign a contract with her.