Return of the Demon Sovereign (Book 1) [Version Discontinued]

54. The Heart

Erebus moved through the headquarters without anyone noticing him, slipping in and out of the shadows until he reached the temple.

He stopped in the large open space with arched ceilings.  He gave an awkward look towards the statue of him next to the Shadow Deity.  The hooded figure stood in front of his statue, his cloak merging with the dark shadows beneath him.  

[I bet you hate this statue.] He said with the deep metallic voice that Erebus was familiar with.

Erebus sighed and went to the statue of the Shadow Deity, sitting at its feet and lit a cigarette.  "Why erect a statue of a naive sinner?"

The figure floated towards Erebus and snatched the cigarette of his mouth and the darkness devoured it.  [Those things will kill you faster than those Devils.]

Erebus glared at him.  "Why are you here?"

[Am I not allowed to see a friend?]

Erebus gave him a wry look.  "Were we really friends?"

The figure seemed to look aghast.  [After all I have done for you!]

Erebus let out a light laugh.  "Alright, alright.  Although you piss me off quite a bit, we are friends.  Hells, we had to stay in the Nothingness together for... how many years?"

The figure sat down next to him and chuckled.  [A long while.  Long enough that you should be calling me by my name.]

Erebus shrugged.  "It's strange to call a Deity by their name.  Besides, 'Damnable Shadow Deity' just rolls of the tongue."

The Shadow Deity slapped the back of Erebus' head so fast that he couldn't prepare for it.  "Damn you!"  Erebus cried out.

The Shadow Deity snickered.  [How is this life treating you?]

Erebus gave him a suspicious look.  "You broke out of the Nothingness just to check in?"

[You act like breaking out is a difficult feat.]

Erebus rubbed his temples.  "Typical Shadow Deity". He grumbled.  "This life has been... vexing."

He held out a hand and pushed out his mana to make a compressed ball of shadows. It was impressive at his current cultivation level, but it was still incomparably weak to what he was. He felt small compared to the statue.

"All around me, people are telling exaggerated stories about the greatness and strength of the Demon Sovereign... But it's all lies.  I made so many mistakes and poor decisions that I feel nothing but regret. I was no hero.  I was a stubborn fool that led countless of people to die alongside me."

Fenrir had touched on this subject before, trying to encourage him and ease his guilty mind, but it was hard for Erebus to shake of the feeling.

Erebus gazed at the statue and sighed.  "These people stare at this statue and gain inspiration.  They look upon my figure and see the Demon Sovereign at the pinnacle of cultivation. My mask is depicted as a crown, and the cape is found to be regal.  But these items were only worn to cover my shame.  That demon mask served to hide my scarred and torn up face.  The cape obscured my missing arm.  Shit like this just serves to remind me of how far I fell."

He unconsciously rubbed the arm he lost in his previous life as he glared with indignation at the statue.

[Have you forgotten all the good you have done as the Demon Sovereign? You defeated Aboros and subjugated the Devils.  You quashed countless of Titan rebellions, delaying their goals.  Your actions alone brought peace to the realms for thousands of years.]