Tales of Astora: Legacy

Chapter 30: Encounter

Chapter 30: Encounter

Alastor's POV

That night I had a strange encounter with one of my so called Children.

As I went to sleep, I found myself in an unknown land. Unlike the Abyss where it was constantly under a heavy black mist, this place was simply blackness, yet I could still see myself clearly even though there was no source of light around.

As I strolled through this place, I couldn't see anything, not even the ground below me nor the sky above. It was as if I was floating in this place of nothingness. Unlike the calming atmosphere I felt with the Dark, this however gave me a creepy uneasiness. Was I dreaming until now? If so I was starting to question my own sanity.

Suddenly I could see something beginning to take shape in front of me. It had a slim and tall figure wearing light armour with a purple veil attaching to the helmet. Judging from the chest armour piece, I guessed the figure was female.

Its limbs were much longer for something at its size. The shape was humanoid but it moved swiftly but gently like an animal on four legs yet strangely graceful. And the most astonishing feature was its faceless helmet. Somehow it reminded me a bit of the Abyssal Knight, the one I saw near the large flame down in the depth of the Abyss.

Immediately I recognized this creature. It was one of the three from that day, one of my children apparently. I believed her name was Odium. What was she doing here? Did she call me here?

Slowly approaching me, the creature stopped a few foot away and kneeled down before me. Even when kneeling down, it was taller than me. Or was it because I was too small? Either way it was quite intimidating to face her. Had I not known about her before, I would have made my move by now.

But pondering about these questions wouldn't help me achieve anything. It would be better to speak to her.

"Your name is Odium, if I remember correctly!" I said to her.

"It's an honour for you to remember my name, Father!" she said respectfully.

"What are you exactly? How come I am your Father?" I inquired.

"When you consumed Shana' soul, you also inherited her strongest desires. Pure emotions that were transferred and intensified by the bond you two shared with each other. Using the combination of the three original aspects of Life, these emotions took form and were given life. And that's our true form." Odium explained her origin.

Beings made of pure emotion? Was it even possible? If what she said was true then this might even be the creation of a completely new race, unknown to Astora. It made me wonder what we actually were. Could it be possible that demons as well as the other prime races were formed in the same way?

But then I remembered that Odium said that she was the manifestation of Shana's spite that day. Suddenly memories of Shana came back to me. Her smile, her last moment before she...Could she have hated me too for my failure? If only I have realized it sooner, I could have saved her. Shana....

"I may be her hatred but I knew that she loved you Father with all her heart. You can't put the blame on yourself. Both you and I know it. Mother knows it too. If you want to blame anyone, blame the world! For it was because of man's greed that led to her death."

"Was it you who is responsible for the recent events concerning the rise of the undeads and the sudden, let's say accident, in the court of Malatas?" I asked Odium. It was too much of a coincidence that right after their appearance, these happened.