TBATE: Shadows Of The Past

Chapter 11.5 - True God

A/N: This is a re-write of chapter 11.5, I didn't like the first one, hope y'all like this one, it's slightly longer 😏.

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[1st POV - Kalatus Chaos]

It had been centuries since I last saw or met a human being, yet here I stood, in my human form, facing a four-year-old child.

I was curious about how he awakened a mana core. No, this... thing wasn't a mana core. It seemed more potent, more dangerous.

With a single thought, I instantly harnessed the Aether around me and used one of my Aether arts to peer into the child's mind.

However, as I tried to pry into his memories, a sudden force shattered my spell, sending waves of pain through my mind.

"Who's there?" I yelled, gritting my teeth and enduring the uncomfortable pain caused by the sudden attack on my mind.

Sensing someone behind me, I quickly turned around and saw a tall, lean figure floating not far away. He stared at me with scarlet, cold, and calculating eyes, his face as frigid as winter.

"A winged lizard dares to try and read the memories of my vessel?" he spoke, his tone carrying a hint of majesty that I had never heard from anyone else.

"Who are you?" My instincts warned me about this man, who seemed to exude an air of elegance and grace, as if a god had descended upon this world.

"...Who am I? How long has it been since someone asked me that question? Centuries? Millennia? Or perhaps eons?"

His voice carried the weight of an old man reminiscing about past memories. As he shifted his position, a golden throne room suddenly materialized out of nowhere, with the man seated upon a throne adorned with intricate symbols and runes.

"My given name shall not be uttered in this realm, but I will allow you to know my title within the multiverses I govern..."

"I am the one who has been erased from history as a 'Heretic God,' the one who instilled fear in countless gods regardless of their origin,"

"I hold the 13th seat of the Greek Pantheon, a position forgotten in the depths of time and space. Betrothed to both ##### and ######, I am revered in both heaven and earth,"

"Some may refer to me as 'The God King,' but you may address me as..."

"The Butcherer of Gods." His formerly cold and detached face instantly contorted into a psychotic expression. His lips curled into an eerie smile that could send chills down the spines of even the most stoic individuals.

A single bead of sweat rolled down my face, and for the first time in my long life as a dragon, I felt true fear—a sensation so foreign to me.

The man continued to gaze at me, his expression swiftly reverting to its previous cold and detached state.

A sudden pressure enveloped me, causing my previously trembling legs to give way and collapse to the ground. The intensity of the pressure was so immense that it seemed to drive my legs deep into the earth, burying them beneath its force.

"Should you not kneel before your king?" The voice of the man instantly reached my ears, as if he were standing right beside me, whispering into my ears alone.

I couldn't utter a word. I couldn't move. I was completely vulnerable in the presence of this being—no, this demon.

It was at that moment I realized a small detail I had failed to notice earlier, obscured by my panic.

Apart from his eyes, I hadn't managed to catch even a glimpse of his appearance. No, it was more than that. My recollection of his appearance seemed to have been deliberately altered, as if shrouded in a veil of white mist, distorting my memory.

"Hmm..." He observed me, his narrowed eyes suggesting he was contemplating something.

"I suppose you have your uses." He swiftly retrieved a peculiar glass object from a rift in space and materialized before me.

With the glass piece in his hand, he thrust it into my chest, piercing through with his hand. The glass became one with my being, merging with my soul.

"From now on, you shall be my Rook," he murmured, and darkness swallowed my vision.

[1st POV - God King]

With this accomplished, I had achieved my small goal. Everything was proceeding according to plan.

Though circumstances could swiftly change, especially with *His* imminent birth, I would leave such matters for my vessel to concern himself with.

"At---, Ar---, do not fret. We shall cross paths again in due course. And this time... I will not permit the repetition of the past tragedy. Ra--- will meet his demise this time."

With that, I materialized beside my vessel's body, surrendering myself to be absorbed within him.

I sincerely hope you do not disappoint me, Cain. Otherwise, all our efforts—no, *my* countless plans—will be rendered futile.