A Walk with Eternity-Chapter 36: Bending the rules

Sunny and warm, with birds chirping. It was beginning to feel like summer in the Empire of Amadeus Oceana. The empress stared into space, right outside the window, letting the ink drip from her quill to the document she was working on.

"What has you distrcted, Your Majesty?"

The siren empress slowly glanced towards the door. There, entered her loyal Head Maid, Vian, a siren just like her. She was smiling warmly towards her empress who she has raised from the moment this empire rose back to its glory.

Glancing back to the window, the empress replies blankly, "Nothing notable."

Vian was used to the empress’ cold treatment. She’s been like that since she was a mere teenager. Oftentimes, it was infuriating, having to bear with such an attitude. However, cold-heartedness was something a true empress should have and completely embody. She treats everyone the same way either way.

But... the sirens hold her in a high regard. It was undeniable that she was the greatest who sat on that throne.

However, such a woman is not as powerful as I am, Vian thought to herself.

"Your friend..." Vian starts. "That criminal, Sin, was spotted by our siren knights, wandering near the palace gates."

That caught the empress’ attention, she faced Vian and raised a brow. "And?"

Vian’s smile widened, reaching up to her eyes. Something about it felt so eerie and dark, but the empress shows no signs of feeling intimidated.

"I heard from your new aide that you’ve come to a decision to tighten the security around the town gates? To lessen the non-locals from going in and out of the city," Vian continued. "I am assuming that it had something to do with learning that your friend is currently in and wanted in this city...? Is that decision to keep her within your protection?"

Rue smirks at Vian’s attempt to make her lose temper and show weakness.

Until now, you continue to be desperate for an emotional breakdown from me, she thought to herself and couldn’t help but feel the urge to just throw this Head Maid out of the window.

"Oh, Vian..." Rue trailed off, keeping the sarcastic smile on her face. "You must be a fool to think I’d let a criminal loose within the capital?"

Vian’s smile turned upside-down from Rue’s response. "Then, whatever for? To keep her in surveillance?" Vian asks, feeling the boredom at Rue’s response.

"No. Many adventurers and bounty hunters will be looking for her. There will be higher chances for chaos within the city with thugs coming in and out of the city," Rue explains with a flat voice, her fingers paying with her quill. "Rather than waste resources on Sin, who will most likely kill my knights if she is pursued, it would be best to keep her within reach until someone can finally pin her down."

Rue stabs her paperwork with the soft quill, destroying it completely. Rue, with a small smile, turns back to Vian.

"It would take a long time to pin her down... only time will tell who will take that prize," Rue says again, causing Vian to raise an eyebrow at her.

"Such a statement makes me assume that you already have someone in mind," Vian says, and Rue could only let out a small chuckle. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"There was only one person who could hold all of us down, after all..."

On the other side of the continent, was the person the empress of sirens was pertaining to.

Syvestian Grimestone. Her mentor.

And at the moment, he was truly living up to her words.

Syvestian and Daimon, the masochistic Deity of Death that was now possessing Syvestian’s vampire friend, were exchanging blows with their fists, causing havoc within their range.

Kian and the others were merely observing from afar. Even the town keepers were surprised... looking closely now, the Lysander in front of them was unrecognizable. His mana flow is different from what they knew and his aura is in a different color as well.

There are types of mana flow and aura in one person. Mana flow reveals what type of mana user you are. And there are only five types of mana users; mages, assassins, swordsmen, marksmen, and craftsmen. On one hand, aura is the kind of element one has affinity with.

Lysander Redridge is a mage with a gray aura, most common among their clan. But this man in front of them... he has a darker aura.

It’s more powerful... and dangerous.

The real Lysander wouldn’t even be fighting with his fists.

"It made me realize somewhat that I barely know anything about them at all..."

He barely knows anything...? And yet, he knew at first sight that in front of him was not his friend... Reene thought to herself, finding the irony in Syvestian’s words earlier. Syvestian was truly... unique in a sense. She has never met a person like him in her entire life.

On one hand, we were wrong... Harley thought, a cold sweat trails down her skin.

They all watched Syvestian take care of Lysander’s blows in a calm yet raging matter. He is not holding back at all. His aura was shining gold... a color that they have never seen before in their life.

He’s not soft! In fact, he’s the opposite! I can’t believe he has the guts to go face to face with his own friend’s body...! Gavin thought, gulping in nervousness as his eyes failed to follow their movements.

"Oh gods, this is just... annoying."

The town keepers turned to the group because of that absurd thing they just heard come out of the crown prince’s mouth.

"Well, we’d expected this, but it turned out worse than we predicted," Dolunay stepped up next to Kian, following up with a more casual remark.

"Uh-huh, that’s not the Ly we know... His mana flow looks different from the actual Ly, not to mention his aura too," Ezio steps up, squinting his eyes, trying to watch the action properly. Just then, Syvestian was thrown in their direction and barely stopped himself from crashing into his friends.

"Woah, easy there..." Milera joins in to create a barrier in front of them. "You okay, Yves?" She asked a follow up question.

"Go to the tower and find Ly, hurry. His soul is trapped somewhere," Syvestian dropped the bomb. "I’ll join in as soon as I can." He then took off to clash with the fake Lysander again.

"Well, there’s our cue," Cimmerian says and turns to the stunned town keepers. "Would you mind opening up the tower for us?" Cimmerian was smiling politely. These vampires couldn’t think straight, they keep being bombarded with new information one moment at a time.

This is absurd... the town keepers thought to themselves. Right then and there, they ran inside the mansion, paying the chaotic two no mind.

In the corner of his eyes, Syvestian saw all of them locking the mansion doors. Good, no more watching eyes, he thought in relief, staying in position.

"Hah! I have you now—" Daimon’s sentence was cut short as he pressured down with Syvestian’s force of gravity.

Fuck! Daimon cursed in his mind. Syvestian bends down, looking at his pathetic state.

"What are you doing here?" That’s his first question, but realizing he knew exactly what this insane deity would say, he took back his question. "Oh, nevermind that—why my people, Daimon?"

He crushed him harder.

"Argh!"

"Why my people? Was it that hard to pin me down directly? Was it hard to fight me face to face?"

Syvestian was blinded. His mind is clouded with sadistic thoughts.

"Oh, right. None of you would even be able to lay a finger on me, even if you tried."

You arrogant prick! You shouldn’t even be able to be this powerful in that body! You’re a mere human, and I used a vampire’s body! Daimon thought to himself, refusing to let it end like this.

Daimon’s power of death had a wide range of spells. All of them include Puppeteer; possessing the dead and utilizing its very exact power.

It’s similar to my spell, transmigration, Syvestian thought to himself. However, his spell has its limits. He’s unable to utilize his own power completely in that body, let alone cultivate it. He remains the same Lysander I knew, and a more weakened state of a deity.

"Of all the bodies you could have taken possession of, you chose Lysander," Syvestian says as he takes hold of Lysander’s hair. Forcing him to meet Syvestian’s wide-eyed gaze. "I know it must be a form of mental attack because that’s what Izar and all you council shitheads would think of doing, but don’t you know me enough?"

Lysander’s eyes shook in panic. It wasn’t Daimon that was reacting to all of this...

No! This weakling...! Daimon thought in frustration as he tried to stop his shaking from fear.

It was Lysander’s body reacting to fear.

"Even if you bring me the face of my beloved, if that body had chosen to betray me..." Syvestian says, with a cold tone.

"I’d bend my rules for a little discipline."

Daimon knew... that Syvestian was no liar.