603 Sacrifice of Morals
Only a week had passed since the sealing of the universe, but of the joyous atmosphere that should have followed the cultivator’s success in staving off Horror’s invasion, there was no trace. On the contrary, the overwhelming pressure of war had intensified.
On To’han, the leaders of the elemental civilization had regrouped in the Lord’s palace. There, they argued with one another over what had transpired the past few days.
“Why so surprised? Our kind can have no permanent peace.. Not with cultivators.” Asked an emotionless yet sharp, almost shrill voice. This voice belonged to an ancient elemental of metal, whose appearance was that of a common human, but with skin of copper that slowly dilated and rose into pins and daggers. As he spoke, sparks produced by the clashing of his metal tongue, teeth and palate flared out of his mouth.
A stunning pale woman clad in a watery dress with rivets of clear ice muttered in response, “We did not expect them to attack us the moment the horde’s threat was eradicated.” From her slightly distorted, yet elegant voice, one may infer some level of disappointment. She was not fond of cultivators, like the rest of her kind, but to see them put an end to the truce and destroy any world of elementals they came in contact with, it felt odd even for them.
A third creature to join the conversation. Just like the others, this being was human in shape, but of all those present he appeared as the most magical. His body was covered in a glowing mist that lingered in an attempt to regulate the bolts of thunder that constantly zapped its surroundings. Yet, even this mist could not hide his appearance, for he looked like a human-shaped mannequin of incandescent plasma.
His voice was unnaturally static, yet it too was able to convey its owner’s feelings of confusion as he chimed in the conversation, “Something is different this time. I was there when they first attacked, and in their eyes I could not see any greed.. They cared not for loot, their attacks burned with..”
“With what?” Asked the metallic figure.
“Hatred.” the elemental of thunder responded.
While this distinction was pointless for mortal cultivators, that was not the case for elementals. Some of them were old enough to have witnessed the first appearance of cultivators, and while at first their existence did not appear to affect the elemental species, that changed when the cultivators learned the value of their remains, and how to use them to produce resources for their cultivation.
Since that very moment, the world of cultivation had revealed itself as the natural enemy of the world of nature’s sprites.
Nevertheless, throughout the eons, the Elementals had always maintained their peaceful nature. They would not seek revenge, nor attempt to fight the cultivators for territory.. Instead, they would live in isolation, hoping that their paths would never cross. Similarly, humans had always been unable to abandon their greedy nature.
This time, however, the members of the Immortal Armada did not show signs of greed, but showed pure hatred instead. One reserved for those who had murdered one’s loved one, or done great harm to others.
Needless to say, the elementals had noticed this, and it had confused them deeply. They had always been the victims, yet this time, they were being treated as the perpetrator.
—–
As the elementals kept arguing over the incoming war, the Lord had been sitting on his throne. His head buried in his hands as his mind wandered elsewhere.
For thousands of years he had been at the helm of the elemental civilization, yet, he was not an elemental himself. He was a cultivator.. A human one at that. It was only after his nature had been changed by the primordial elements of mana, that he had been entrusted with his people’s security.
As a human, however, his nature was different from that of the creatures that followed him. He understood a deeper range of emotions, and thanks to that, he could fathom and theorize more possibilities than the strongest elemental ever could. This led to him having a completely different view of life than those he led.
While the elementals believed the existence of the cultivators to be the only barrier that separated them from the eternal golden age of their species, the Lord knew not even a fraction of his task had been achieved.. For his goal was never to create a small bubble in which the elementals could thrive in peace, but to liberate the sprites of mana from the grim fate they faced. And that did not only include those who followed him, but every elemental within the multiverse.
For that reason, the Lord of the elementals had never ceased his attempts at gaining more power, and at becoming more whole with the many facets of mana. But, alas, despite his indomitable devotion towards that goal, the Lord had failed each and every attempt at merging with the few elements he was not whole with yet.
Many events and revelations had once given him hope, yet there he was, more than two thousand years after merging with the primordial elements of fire, water, wind, lightning, earth and metal.. And no progress had been made. No matter what he tried, success seemed to elude him.
The moments after a particular devastating failure were the hardest. In such times, he would usually close himself within his chambers to recover, but this time he could not. He was forced to stay in the main hall, and pay attention to every worry and complaint aimed at him. Words that in his ears faded in the face of what was the grand scheme of things.
“My Lord.. you are a.. Human. What is your opinion on this?”
Suddenly, a question brought him back to reality. It came from the dry lips of a hunchback old lady, whose bark-like skin appeared to be on the verge of peeling off at any moment. She was an ancient elemental of wood, and was the one who cherished her Lord’s opinion the most.
As always, while he did not share his people’s worries, the Lord still paid attention to them.. So when he was consulted, he was hardly ever distracted.
The rest of the elementals became quiet, as the Lord raised his head and looked around. They had absolute respect for his opinion, so when it appeared that he was about to speak, all forms of discussion were halted.
The man sitting on the throne leaned forward slightly. He was resting his elbows on his throne’s armrests, while his hands were clasped together in front of his face. Only his eyes, which shone of a variety of colors, could be seen of his otherwise sullen figure.
His lips slowly parted, but then, right before he could speak, his attention was pulled away.
The pair of eyes that were previously roaming the hall filled with ancient elementals were now aimed at the floor, and there they stayed as he slowly rose to his feet, and left the room with a hurried pace.
A few minutes later, in the depths of his palace, a wooden door was slammed open, allowing for the Lord himself to barge in. “What did you do?!” He asked with seething anger to the scrawny figure that, just like before, appeared to have come to peace with its imprisonment. Something was different, however.. And that was the presence of three treasures. One more brilliant than the brightest star, one darker than the oldest black hole, and a transparent bead so clear that it seemed to merge into its surroundings. All placed in a simple line in front of the prisoner.
The Elementalist did not mind the sudden entrance, nor did he take the Lord’s tone to heart. A faint hint of fear could be perceived from his behavior, but was too light for it to show on his face. It was clear that what he feared was not the consequence of his actions, but the remote possibility that punishment would come before he was allowed to speak.
Yet, he remained calm. He opened his eyes, and slowly argued, “I did what you should have done a thousand years ago. I did you a favor.” As the last word left his mind, the Elementalist slowly tapped the side of the three treasures, causing them to roll out of his cage and stop in front of the Lord in a perfect line.
He then added, “Come on, we both know that simple treasures won’t cut it. We’ve known that since our first failure!” The Elementalist sprung up on his feet, and almost as if fueled by anger, he grabbed the thick roots and while pushing his face through them, he continued, “You are too stubborn. ‘If I can’t find it then I will settle for lower quality’ you said.. Centuries later and you have gotten nowhere!”
The mockery of the Elementalist seemed to cut deep, as the multitude of primordial elements within the Lord’s body began to flare through his eyes. He lunged at the cage and barked, “QUIET!”
The Elementalist immediately took a step back. His fear was much more visible, as if he was aware that he could die at any given moment if he chose his words wrong.. So he did as he was ordered.
After the sudden outburst, the Lord calmed down. Yet, he did not let go of the roots. Instead, he leaned his head against them and with a defeated tone he said, “Would this not make me the same as everyone else, in their eyes? Would they accept the world I’d make for them, if I treated them like tools at my disposal?”
Hearing the Lord’s questions seemed to invoke disdain in the Elementalist. A feeling that he hid well underneath feigned understanding. “They betrayed you. They were never loyal to you, but this time, they tried to oppose you. Why do you think your kind are attacking with such fervor?” He said before starting to narrate a fantastical story of betrayal and hatred that placed him in the perfect position to be of help.
The Lord had known the Elementalist for a long time. He knew that in a story told by him more words were lies than not, yet, his eyes could not help but linger on the primordial treasures of light and dark essence.
“Two thousands years of failed attempts.. No progress whatsoever..” he thought as he slowly picked the two orbs.
“What is done is done,” said the Elementalist. He then rapidly added, in hope to change the focus from what he had done, to what the Lord could gain, “But remember our agreement. I help you, and then I go free.”
“Until I find the treasures of sound and time essence!” The Lord barked out, almost as if having accepted the three orbs.
A malicious smile appeared on the face of the Elementalist, one he was lucky the Lord had failed to notice. Yet, his voice sounded meek and obedient as he said, “Of course, of course.. That is our deal. For now, let us get some progress.. Finally.”
The Lord of the elementals seemed to have been convinced, as his fist tightened around the two primordial treasures of light and dark essence. Then, like he had done thousands of times before, he removed his robe, revealing a young body engraved with the primorial treasures of water, fire, earth, metal, wood, wind and lightning.
Slowly, the seven powers began to emerge. A faint wind that carried droplets of water, then vivid flames. Lightning flickering over shards of stone, splinters and metallic nails, creating a controlled yet perfectly balanced storm. Then, the storm grew in intensity.
The faint winds were now tornadoes, the droplets of water were now a dense mist, the flames a blaze.. They all carried swords, boulders and thick roots that were set ablaze or melted due to the heat of the thunderstorm that plagued it. Yet, the seven elements still remained balanced.
At this point, the Lord slowly opened his hand, revealing the two treasures that soon after took off in the air. When they reached his eyeline, the two small moved onto his eyes, and naturally merged into them. The power emanated by the two elements was in no way weaker than the others.. And for the first time, the Lord felt that he could succeed. And so did the Elementalist, who rubbed his hands in anticipation before muttering, “Let’s do this.”