The Ashen Keeper

Chapter 69

[Marco POV]

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"Painted world of Ariandel? Surely an unusual name. And did you call yourself Odeon? Why don't you come out?"

"I do not call myself Odeon, but it is a given name by you people. And I think that being formless may interfere with your visual imparity. I welcome you but for the one beside you, I cannot say."

"Why? Isn't it strange that it was you who brought me here?"

"Silence, witch. You are indeed cursed. In fact, do you even know your own name?"

"What is it and why would it matter? In the end, I will escape from this nightmare anyway. So, tell me how I can escape."

"Escape? Escape where? The waking world that is just another prison?

Pasithea Midnight, the possessed sight of the night. Remember that is your name. I do not care what your current name is but that is your true name.

The source of hallucinations and sight. Anyone who sees you shall see their most beloved. Nobody welcomes you here. You were brought here? No, you were banished.

You have yet to grow but when you acquire your true sight, you shall see me from beyond the veil that shrouds this world. You shall see the truth and ascend.

Thousands yearn for what you have with more loathing it. After all, the sight isn't something their feeble minds can handle."

That lady 'Pasithea' looks like someone important but that was not why he was here for. He was here to slay Odeon, but he still did not know how without even seeing him.

"So, why have you brought us here? What do you want with us?", he asked out loud. After all, Odeon seems like the type of person to go off topics.

Also, for some reason, he had a hard time thinking of Odeon is a god. He sounds more like an irritated person.

"Impatient, are we? But no matter. I know you are seeking for the old blood. And I will lead you to the owner of the pale blood. In exchange, take this woman with you to seek the source of the old blood and kill it."

"Are you not all-powerful? Why ask us to do this? And what do you mean by taking this woman with me?"

He noticed that the lady frowned upon the fact that nobody wants to be near her.

"Oh, that is easy. Where do you think Pasithea comes from? She is from the beyond and ascending is her very destiny. She will soon go mad like the 'other ones'.

All her kind eventually does. Oh, don't ask me who the 'other ones' are. We do not talk about them here. Yes, I can read your mind. After all, it is not wrong to say that you are a creation of mine.

Now, in the future, I will need your favor in killing my own creator. How about that? Satisfied?"

"You, who are many times more mighty than us would need our help in killing you own creator?"

He was very suspicious of this point. It was not the fact that the creation wanted to kill the creator. It would be hypocritical of him. After all, he too wanted to kill his creator. Something that created the old gods was not something he could even imagine.

"A child may paint a monster in his childish drawings. No matter how powerful the monster he draws, no matter how weak the child maybe, the painting cannot get out of the painting to kill the painter. That is the current problem."

"Why even bother resisting when the painter could just erase the painting?"

"The painter seemed to have used permanent ink. This world here, is also one of her paintings. One she cannot erase. But, now enough, of you go."

With that, there went into a vortex of nothingness back into the waking world.

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[Firekeeper POV]

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She sat down by the bonfire she created caring about nothing in the world. Surrounding her was the guardians who in particular had little to do other than mope around doing nothing in particular.

It has been a few days since she gave Wanda her answer and hopefully, she no longer cared about that although she is not optimistic.

She recreated the seal to prevent Chthon from interfering with her disciple again. Meanwhile, she gave Thor back his hammer, but he will need a new weapon. After all, although Mjolnir was strong, it was not a weapon created exclusively for him.

He needed a weapon fitting him and not his sister. She also wishes to create a personal weapon for Loki, and she wish to do that herself. After all, she doubts that the dwarves wanted to forge a weapon for the god of trickery.

She felt as if she had neglected on her two other disciples and was biased for Wanda. A good teacher should not be biased between her disciples.

Loki was there, entertaining Wanda with his 'stories', that she believed to be true.

"There is no way you are D.B Cooper. Why would even need money anyway?"

"I was young, and I lost a bet to Thor."

Thor was gracing the good doctor with stories from his childhood.

"There was one time Loki turned into a snake and he knows I love snakes, so I picked it up and admired it and then he turned back into himself and stabbed me."

Thor also informed her about how there used to be a Valkyrie here that left right before they came here. How he got that news, she did not know.

But she did not wish to interrupt this rare moment of bonding between people. After all, this was her job. A fireplace for all to stay and interact with. A fireplace for all to feel safe.

"Are you feeling lonely, keeper?"

It was Selph who was sitting right beside her.

"Get used to it.", Falkor sat on her other side as he sat down.

"Their lives will be gone in the blink of an eye. After all, they are not eternal. I do not know if you will become eternal, but I am sure that they won't. Except for the two of us, you will be the last person alive. Never forget that and make the most of these moments.", said Selph softly.

She wondered how many beings have died before their eyes in such long flow of time. They might not seem like it but they were ancient. They were walking legends. Walking stories.

But her advice was unnecessary as she already know to make the most of their time with them. Everything will end one day. Mighty weapons shall turn to dust.

All your struggles will become stories and one day, someone will dig up your remains and encase it in a museum.

You might not be here anymore, but life will go on as it always has.