Vengeance of the Returner

Chapter 90: Entropy

"Hah Shit why would you follow me Shreya?" Nix asked in an annoyed tone

"Why did you become like this?"

Shreya yelled.

Their both carriages were speeding through streets getting more attention than Nix intended to gain and he'd be probably pursued by the patrol officers soon if they were to cause a ruckus.

People scrambled out of the path as the wheels sped through. They yelled and scowled at them.

"Reegan take the carriage to a low populated area,"

Nix ordered and pointed his gauntlet towards Shreya.

"Shreya just stop... I might shoot you."

"Nix I just wanna talk... Stop" She said.

Nix couldn't help but frown at her.

"Tch, this is annoying as fuck... Fine, follow us. If you try to make a mess I'll kill you."

They began to slow down and stopped after a few minutes of drive inside a dampened road. He jumped down from the carriage and walked towards her fuming in anger.

"What do you want?" Nix asked in anger.

She rolled her eyes and said. "I want you to surrender."

"The fuck? Are you insane? Get the fuck outta here!"

He said choking her. If he held her for a few seconds like that she'd probably die. But, Shreya's face turned red as if she was enjoying it.

'Is she enjoying this shit?'

Nix uttered inwardly and said.

"You freakin' masochist bitch!" 

And forced her to collide with the wall.

The few people that were in the street chose not to intervene in their business and moved on without giving attention.

"AHh!"

"What the fuck are you moaning for?... let's talk in my carriage."

He asked, feeling reluctant to attack anymore, he dropped her and stepped into his carriage again.

It was his way of telling her that she should hop in. She shyly rolled her eyes a little and walked inside the carriage. Her masochism was so extreme that even he felt reluctant to handle her. She'd be interrogated after this by the patrol officers for sure though. 

As she sat opposite him Nix smirked at her for a second and looked away. 

"You didn't reply to my question..."She said in a low voice.

Nix nodded his head indifferently and began talking.

"Cuz I didn't have a choice. This was the best choice. Although there are more out there..." 

Reegan turned and smiled at her while driving.

"Haha, Shreya, I didn't know that you are so obsessed with Nix..."

"Hah..."

She sighed and drifted her eyes away as Nix was looking at her. She was the first one who had her eyes on Nix since day one. 

Nix sighed "Ah, I am sorry." and kicked her out of the carriage.

"ahh! Damn you Nix!"

She screamed after rolling in the center of the road.

Well, he didn't have anything to do with her or trust her, and moreover, she might be a nuisance to him. One of the tropes he hated was the damsel in distress. so, he kicked her out of the carriage.

"Man, why'd you do that?"  Reegan asked agitatedly.

"Hah, I am better off like this..."

"Man! women are fragile, handle them at least a bit caringly," Reegan said smacking his head.

"Fuck it, man, I am not cut to that shit! I behave naturally how I feel... Well, that's that. how were your days as regulars?"

"My days as a regular were more boring than these last few days," Reegan said indifferently with a smile.

"I see, Stop the carriage after crossing the next three roads here. Let's walk to the inn from there on."

They abandoned the carriage in a street and began walking to the New inn with Zariniel.  After thirty minutes of walk, they stood before the inn named Raleigh.

"Cool man, This one looks quite more expensive than the Ayan inn."

Reegan said as they walked in.

Zariniel was covered with a cloak and restrained with his chain moreover she was unconscious and it was late at night. He bribed the watchman a few coins to enter in though. 

As they both reached the third floor there were six rooms. Nix walked to the first room and knocked on the door.

"Helina!"

"Yes..."

The girl with a tiny voice opened the door.

Nix smirked at her and said.

"Mission is almost completed."

He pressed the word 'almost'. Because from the next day onwards investigation will start in a full-fledged notion. He'd have to be careful plus there was an angel with him. He'd have to return to Dracton to assume that the mission is completed until then it is far beyond completion.

"I'm glad to hear it lord Nix."

As she said that Reegan stared at Nix with admiration. Maybe he liked the title 'lord'. 

"Where is Angeline?" Nix asked with doubt.

"Hmm, in the next room."

"I see," he nodded his head and walked into the next room where Angeline was tied up.

He slowly walked towards her and placed the head of Benjamin in front of her and sat opposite her.

"I apologize for all that has happened to you... I guess you knew he cheated on you. I won't ask any personal questions about you or forgiveness."

He was not a man devoid of emotion. At least not yet. He knew he did terrible things and didn't regret it. This time he was ready to accept his sins and take responsibility yet, move on to commit more sins.

"Take your husband's head and leave... I promised him that I'd let you live."

As he spoke those words in a low voice. Tears slowly dripped down her cheeks as she stared at her husband's lifeless head.

"You... You will suffer for all you've done! Why do you want me to live? kill me! Fucking Kill me!" She cursed at him while gritting her teeth.

"If that's what you wish then I'll do it..."

"Then fucking do it... do it please..."

She said in a low voice.

{Use me.}

Astaroth was the one that spoke.

"Why should I?"

{A soul that has lost its will! It is tastier than the other meager meals...}

"Astaroth, Right?"

{Indeed I am Astaroth...one of the Great demons of the underworld.}

"Great demons of the underworld? Simply put, you are saying that you are a big shot, Right? Speak clearly."

{I was one of the seven supremes of the Underworld.  If your airhead doesn't know what the underworld is. I'll explain it.}

"Yeah, But wait a minute."

He said and immediately slit Angeline's throat. When he noticed his dagger slightly darkened for a second and reverted back to its normal state. He packed her body and walked inside another room after tying Zariniel inside the same room.

He sat on his seat opposite the table and puffed his smoke placing the dagger opposite him and asked.

"We are good now right? I killed her as you asked." 

{Good choice brat... Now, What do you think the underworld is? To put it in the right terms. It is hell! Empyrean was once vaster than you could ever imagine. But  It was separated into three worlds. The Ether where gods reside, Underworld where the great demons reside, and the mid world where entizens reside. We the seven supremes were sealed in the underworld by the gods to not be intervened.}

"Explain these after the soul thing..."

{Ah! Yes, A wounded lost soul... Where do you think the dead will go after they die?}

"They'll get erased from existence, right?"

{Utterly wrong! You impudent beings are immediately sent to the underworld. Souls cannot be devoured so easily and they are sent to the underworld where they get tortured until the soul loses the will to live. If I absorbed her soul forcefully I'll get only a 5% of the original amount.}

{But if I were to absorb her soul after she lost her will. I'd gain 60% than normally I could gain. Absorbing a soul extends life expectancy and you'll gain many more benefits.}

{And only a few selected souls favored by the gods go to Ether. Where both corrupted gods and Integrity gods reside.}

'Hmm, This is some serious history... Astaroth is indeed useful as hell. No wonder I got a mission to kill a hundred sentients. Guess Dark Nix wanted me to get in terms with this demon for these reasons...'

Nix thought and said.

"Have you ever seen a god in real?"

As Nix asked Astaroth began laughing.

{Haha, I've fought against them...  I lost all my powers after the war of resurgence. As the lost resort, I possessed the dagger in order to survive the war that happened around eight hundred years ago.}

"Eight hundred years ago? This is utter bull shit and you fought gods? Telling me you were one of the Great demons of the underworld... How much bull shit are you gonna spout?"

As Nix scowled at him. Astaroth began laughing.

{Haha, Your ignorance! I like it. To clearly put it I am a fallen supreme of hell. What good would I gain lying to you? Or are you wondering why I am not prideful and talking with you as an equal?}

Indeed, Nix had several doubts. Would you believe a random voice that talks to you and spouts random shits?

Plus a soul that has waged war with gods struck into a dagger? Would it be believable? The attitude and gruff voice of Astaroth was something down to earth. Would someone who was a supreme of a world in the past talk like him?

"You are trivial. You could say it straight but, you're twisting words. I want to know why you chose me?"

{The Energy you emanated awakened me again. I was asleep for the last eight hundred years... As you used me I began to devour souls and regained the ability to communicate. And you seem to be a single soul yet, there seem millions and millions of fragments of souls residing inside your soul and each of them possesses a different probability written within it... And I was compelled and interested in seeing your future.}

"Tch, A petty reason, and you sound shallow..."

{Haha, I find it trivial too...The phenomenon I explained is what is called entropy.}

'Cool, I was in need of an answer for that.'

"Entropy?"

{Entropy means lack of order. I'd say it's a disorder in the cycle of fate and destiny and the entirety of Empyrean's edicts... Simply put, your existence is a disorder.}

{That's that. It seems you haven't awakened yet... If you awaken it. Then it will be the first provenance of the entropy that the whole of Empyrean have ever witnessed.}

Nix furrowed his brows and asked, "Provenance means origin or beginning?... something like that, right? Is that special?" 

{Indeed! Let's assume, You have already gone against your fate in the past or multiple past lives and suffered the same fate simultaneously in many different ways. Yet, there could be a single probability where you are the king of your own. Meaning a world where you'd have a chance to win without getting restrained. By achieving a power level or using a tool that possesses the life of multiple sentients adapting into a single soul and sending it to the past. The life you're living can gain the favor of entropy.} 

'So, Nova energy is the tool? That's what the blue globe residing inside my soul realm is?'

Muttering inwardly he opened his mouth staring at the dagger on the table.

"Have you ever heard of Nova energy?"

Nix asked eagerly. If what he said was true then The Nova time wheel was the tool that had led him to this particular probability where he has a chance to achieve a certain goal Dark Nix couldn't achieve.

{No, I don't know what that is...Many things should have happened when I was resting. But, Don't assume that you'll completely win over your ordeals to go against fate or destiny. It simply means it's all in your hands. As I said you can be 'the King of your own world'. To put it in another term, you are the Imperator of Entropy. It's all about the choices you take.}

"In my hands? Then are you saying? I am going through all this because of myself."

{I said It's 'mysterious'... Maybe you'll get to twist others' fate and yours. That is If you awaken the entropy.}

Upon hearing it Nix couldn't help but get ecstatic about it. Wouldn't you feel happy that you might have a chance against a cruel world?