814: Death of Hope

Death of Hope

It started on top of an extremely tall glass tower. The tower was surrounded by eight layers of golden light that swiveled and rotated around it at different angles, creating an almost impenetrable shield. 0

It was located on an island no bigger than 600 kilometers in diameter that was floating through amber-colored mostly empty space.

A baldheaded man in his late fifties or sixties with a white beard wearing a dark brown robe that looked more like a potato sack was standing next to a table writing in a hardcover book while mumbling to himself.

"After ceaseless testing, I must, unfortunately, conclude that the source of the "infection" is still unknown. It is a soulless abomination, an obscene atrocity on the gift of life itself. Everything it touches is tainted without any hope of recovery."

"It cannot be poisoned, cut, or maimed. It neither sleeps nor has a need to rest. A powerful flame works on the less infected subjects but on the more vile ones, it only stops them momentarily."

"After some consideration, I have decided to place a 'Spirit Purging Curse' on it that should keep it from 'waking' up as long as it is contained. The moment it has its first thought, the curse will be activated automatically to wipe away any awareness it might have."

He looked to his left where a small glass cube was showing a dimly lit area. There were four stone statues wearing full armor in each corner of the room. They were holding onto golden scepters, pointing them towards the center of the room where a ball of black chains was bound to the floor.

Every three minutes a stream of white and orange flame would be discharged from the scepters, hitting the ball of chains for a few seconds before stopping.

*Sigh*

"I have seen it evolve and break free from its restraints more than half a dozen times in the last century. I fear if it were ever to be released in the world, there would be no stopping it. It would spell the end of our er-"

*Knock*Knock*Knock*

Just as the bald man was about to finish the last sentence and turn the page over, three loud knocks resounded within the tower.

The bald man froze for a few seconds before regaining his composure. A cheerful smile replaced the hooked grimacing expression on his face. He closed the book and turned, vanishing from sight before reappearing at the front entrance.

He opened the door and his smile turned into a toothy grin.

"I didn't think I would see you again," he said towards the figure opposite to him.

"I didn't think I would either," the figure replied before entering the premises.

The door closed behind him and automatically vanished from view. The bald man was obviously Jin Wang in his previous life while the new arrival was the Emperor.

Jin Wang snapped his fingers as two chairs popped out of nowhere and a fireplace revealed itself on the other side of the room.

The Emperor walked up to it and sat down without reservations, as did Jin Wang. They both stared at the crackling firewood, listening to the smattering of pops that proved to be the only source of sound for a good ten minutes.

Jin Wang was the first one to speak up.

"You look older."

"Good older?"

"Nah, worse than even me."

"Shit, that bad huh?"

"Yup."

The emperor nodded. His facial features were still shrouded in a cloud of black smoke.

Another bout of silence followed that was broken by the emperor this time around.

"I...killed my son today."

Jin Wang glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. Instead of berating him or getting shocked, he asked "What did he do?"

"All the wrong things," the emperor answered, "I could not change his fate."

"Change fate? I would like to see that once before my time runs out."

"Me too. I thought there would be a way. Somehow, somewhere out there there would be something to overturn our cruel fates but...now I am not so sure."

The emperor's shoulder slouched even more as he sunk into the old leather chair.

"I am so tired."

"Then take a break. Rest and have a good long sleep," Jin Wang joked but the emperor agreed with him.

"I will. This will be the last time we meet before I go to 'sleep'."

Jin Wang straightened his back, his expression somber, "Don't do anything stupid. We will find a way, there is time we c-"

The emperor shook his head softly, "No, there is no more time left, not for me. This cannot be avoided nor put off any longer."

Silence fell over them again until Jin Wang unwittingly mumbled, "There has to be a way."

The emperor scoffed self-depreciatingly, "I have looked. From the Ancient Era to the Divine, from the Imperial Era to the Desolate. Even the following eras of 'Ruin' could not bear any fruit. There is no hope left. This will be the end of life, unless...."

"Unless what?"

"Unless we do something drastic, something that is not yet written in the books."

Jin Wang leaned in closer, "And what is that?"

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