Lord Shadow

Chapter 1596 Houses of Etherna

Borgan waves her hand and Azief is being transported again. 

Azief thought he was about to be transported to someplace else but then as he look around, he is still in the forge. 

As Azief scanned the forge, he felt an ominous tension in the air, and the very atmosphere seemed to press down upon him. 

"What is this feeling?" Azief felt like he had also felt this kind of pressure before. Like an all-enveloping force of darkness that is threatening you.

That is what he felt. 

BOOOM!

The deafening booms from outside the forge echoed like thunderclaps, sending shivers down his spine. 

The forge is dimly lit, but sudden bursts of blinding light periodically spilled into the chamber, giving the surreal impression of lightning gone wild.

His senses were on high alert, trying to grasp any clue about what was happening. 

The metallic sounds of something striking resounded through the forge.

TANG! TANG!

The rhythmic, reverberating clangs carried a sense of calmness. 

Azief glanced around, trying to discern the source of these sounds, all while struggling with the increasing feeling of suffocation.

The sound  is the sound of someone hammering thing and Azief heaved a sigh of relief.

He believes that this is Phaitos

there is someone still hammering in the forge.

Borgan walk following that sound and Azief follows her.

As Azief and Borgan followed the rhythmic hammering sounds, they eventually arrived in another chamber of the forge. 

Upon entering, Azief couldn't help but murmur in surprise. 

"Hoh"

Inside, he saw not only Phaitos but also seven golem-like creatures working alongside him.

These creatures, composed of various materials, were diligently labouring over the forging process.

  The scene looked both fascinating and eerie. 

Phaitos, with his flaming hair and stony blue skin, was immersed in his work, hammering away with dedication and passion.

But this Phaitos looks a bit more…..mature… if he had to give a description. 

As Azief observed Phaitos, he noticed a significant transformation in the Etherna. 

Phaitos had matured in appearance since the previous memory. 

His fiery hair still blazed, and his body is now adorned with intricate runes, carved into his skin. 

The innocent and joyous expression he once wore had been replaced by one marked by weariness and sadness.

Phaitos no longer resembled the carefree blacksmith but appeared more like a battle-hardened warrior from a warlike tribe. 

The changes in his demeanour is evident as the weight of time and experiences had left their marks on him. 

This transformation showed the toll . But the toll of what? Azief remembers that the Etherna would be wiped out

So, is this because of that battle? He thought to himself. 

Phaitos seems to be forging a shield and there is stars and suns in his forging area.

"Is that…" Azief was shocked to see it

Borgan could guess what Azief is trying to say and she nodded.

"That is real stars and suns" 

These were not just representations or illusions of stars and suns; they were actual celestial bodies, manipulated by Phaitos in his creation.

"Why is it so small?" Borgan laughs a bit and then ask him back

"isn't it because you are huge now?" 

And then Azief look at himself. He did not feel like it before but now he realizes that he is now looking at Borgan like he is a person of six feet seven 

"I manipulated your proportion and scale of size so you could see and hear things more clearly. There is a lot you could do in memories like this. It might not change the past nor could it change the present, but learning from your past would always be something that could change your future" she said 

Azief nodded. 

Phaitos is about to hit the shield again and keep forging when suddenly he stop in mid-air and sigh

"Leave the room" he said to the golem-like creatures and the seven creatures quickly put down their hammers and goes away to another chamber. 

Phaitos sighed as he put down his hammer and throws the shield to one of his large containers. 

The shield is suspended in the air and just as he finish putting his hammer, someone barged into his forge. 

An Etherna enters the forge

The new Etherna that entered bore an imposing presence. 

Lightning, akin to an ethereal cloak, swirled around his form, shrouding him in a coruscating aura. 

It is evident, however, that he was not at ease with the electrifying energy that enveloped him. 

His deep blue skin glistened with a metallic sheen under the flickering lightning, and sharp, obsidian-like eyes carried an aura of death. 

His hair resembled cascading bolts of white-hot electricity, undulating with an energy that appeared beyond his control. 

Although his body emanated power, the wariness in his gaze contradicted his apparent strength.

One look and one could tell that this lightning that swirls around his body is not his. 

Phaitos look at the lightning around this Etherna and his eyes narrows.

the other Etherna implored, his voice edged with urgency.

Phaitos nodded in response and took action. He reached out with a powerful grip, capturing the unruly lightning in his hand. The lightning, akin to a struggling serpent, writhed and twisted, trying to escape his grasp.

As he tightened his grip, Phaitos muttered, 

"Dissipate."

  In a dramatic instant, the compressed lightning released its pent-up energy, causing a small explosion within the chamber.

  Electrical arcs surged like serpents, coursing through the walls, floor, and ceiling, filling the room with a mesmerizing display of sparks and flashes.

Phaitos look at the Etherna that enters his forge and sigh

"This is Asargan lightning….mixed with Lorevor lightning. What happened?"

The one coming into the forge is an Etherna that Azief had seen before. It is Vorgan. 

"Where is your sisters and brothers, Vorgan? Where is Asargan? Where is Reorgan? Borgan?"

At this revelation Azief look at Borgan. 

"Pause it" And Borgan pause it.

"Would you mind explaining?" 

Azief is quite direct in his question. 

It is not surprising considering that he himself is a big figure in the Universe and Azief has seen many great powerful characters in the Universe. 

He had even met the Creator once. So, it is hard to make him feel intimidate.

Borgan herself is not offended and then she began explaining

" I came from the House of Gan.  Asargan, Vorgan, Reorgan and Qwalgan is my brothers. And Xerergan is my older sister"

Azief is still looking at Borgan and Borgan understand that he wanted her to elaborate 

"I am Borgan and I am the source of clairvoyance abilities. I have seen the future of this even before the Great Calamity of the Etherna began. Right now, probably there is some cult about me. And in some places in the Omniverse, they called me the Eterna of All Seeing"

Azief nodded. He knows this because Will had once told him. Of course, at that time, what Will tell him is more about Asargan

If there is some new information that he now knew, it was that these Etherna are siblings. He never knew Asargan and Borgan is siblings. 

"Asargan as you already know is the Etherna that governs speed. But he is more known as Etherna of Momentum. And Qwalgan my older brother is Etherna of Time. Vorgan is the Etherna of Deceit and he always cheated Time and Momentum.  And because Vorgan likes to speak lies, Reorgan uphold oaths and promises and make sure laws works as it should. And then there is my older sister. My older sister, Xerergan is the most talkative out of all of us and so she became the Etherna of Runes and Words"

Azief felt something when he heard Borgan story. He sigh and said

"It is almost like there is a certain kind of fate and destiny" 

Vorgan likes to speak lies and so he became the Etherna of Lies and Deceit and he is sibling with Reorgan and so Reorgan to contain Vorgan uphold promises and oaths and become the binding force of promises and oaths across all  Universes

Is this just a coincidence? 

Azief don't think so. 

It was almost like they were destined to bear that role. 

And it might be the machinations of fate and destiny, he thought to himself

Borgan hearing Azief question take some time to answer before she answered with a nod.

And Azief nodded in understanding. 

"And I have an uncle" she suddenly added.

"War'lgan" she smiles like she knew something he did not. Azief did not think to much of it. And then Borgan continue saying

"As for the Etherna, there is such houses like the Gan, the Tos, the Xun"

"And then there is other houses like the House of Evor. These are the houses of the Etherna. We are few. Compared to the other myriad beings of other races, we have only a few Etherna. We have at most a thousand pure blooded Etherna and only a few that created houses and have a family like the House of Gan"

"And these thousand pure blooded is the one who have the designation of a royal houses"

Borgan then smiles a bit as she explains about the houses in Etherna.

Maybe, she found it novel to talk about all of these old things. They are a race that is no longer remembered in the Omniverse

Those who remembers them are all ancient and old creatures. 

And those who knows about them and their names could be counted in one hand. 

So, maybe, she find it nice to talk about all of these old things.

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