Memories

The knights bowed their heads in shame, their hearts heavy with the weight of their master's wrath. They knew that they had failed him, and they knew that their punishment would be swift and severe. But even in the face of their impending doom, they dared not challenge the will of Chaos.

As Chaos prepared to mete out punishment to the trembling knights, a new presence made itself known in the throne room. Erebus, the son of Chaos, stepped forward with an air of sinister confidence, his eyes gleaming with malevolent intent.

"Father," Erebus spoke, his voice smooth and velvety, yet tinged with an underlying darkness that sent shivers down the spines of those present. "I implore you to stay your hand. Killing these knights would be a waste of valuable resources."

Chaos turned his gaze upon his son, his expression unreadable. "Speak, Erebus," he commanded, his voice a low growl of impatience. "What is the meaning of this interruption?"

Erebus smiled, a twisted smirk that sent a chill down the knights' spines. "I come bearing a proposition, father," he explained, his voice dripping with honeyed deceit. "Destroying Earth would be a crude and primitive solution to our problems. Instead, I propose a far more cunning plan."

He revealed the details of his scheme, outlining a complex web of manipulation and deception that would allow them to conquer Earth without resorting to wholesale destruction. As he spoke, his words dripped with malice and intrigue, painting a picture of a world plunged into chaos and despair under their rule.

Chaos listened to his son's words with a mixture of curiosity and amusement, his expression betraying no hint of emotion. "And what do you hope to achieve with this plan, Erebus?" he asked, his voice a low rumble of anticipation.

Erebus grinned, his eyes glittering with the promise of power. "Dominion, father," he declared, his voice echoing with the weight of his ambition. "With Earth under our control, we will be unstoppable. No force in the universe will dare to challenge us."

Chaos considered his son's words for a moment, weighing the potential risks and rewards of his proposal. Finally, he nodded in agreement, a cruel smile curling the corners of his lips.

"Very well, Erebus," he conceded, his voice resonating with dark satisfaction. "Proceed with your plan. Let us see what havoc we can wreak upon this world."

As Lucian DragonHeart boldly questioned the course of action regarding Eve, Erebus's gaze darkened with a mixture of fury and disdain. With a menacing stride, he approached Lucian, his steps echoing ominously in the chamber.

Erebus approached Lucian DragonHeart with an aura of quiet menace, his eyes gleaming with a predatory light as he addressed the unruly knight.

"Lucian DragonHeart," Erebus began, his voice smooth and chillingly calm. "You ask how we should handle Eve. But I assure you, she is no longer a concern."

"How dare you question me, insolent fool," Erebus snarled, his voice laced with venomous rage. "You forget your place in this hierarchy."

With a swift and violent motion, Erebus seized Lucian by the neck, his grip tightening with each passing moment. Lucian struggled against the vice-like hold, his eyes wide with panic as he gasped for air.

"Learn your lesson well, Lucian DragonHeart," Erebus growled, his voice low and dangerous. "Disobedience will not be tolerated in my presence."

As Lucian's struggles grew weaker, Erebus's grip tightened further, his expression twisted into a cruel sneer of satisfaction. Only when he was satisfied that his point had been made did he release his hold, allowing Lucian to collapse to the ground, gasping for breath and trembling with fear.

"Remember this day, Lucian," Erebus declared, his voice echoing with a chilling warning. "Cross me again, and the consequences will be far worse."

With a final glance of cold disdain, Erebus turned away, leaving Lucian to ponder the price of defiance in the shadow of his wrath.

Erebus's voice cut through the tense atmosphere like a blade, commanding and merciless.

"Dismissed," he barked, his tone brooking no argument. "Take Lucian's body with you. He serves no purpose here."

The knights hesitated for a moment, exchanging uneasy glances, but ultimately complied with Erebus's orders. With a mixture of fear and reverence, they approached Lucian's prone form and began to drag him out of the throne room, their movements heavy with the weight of their failure.

As they retreated, Erebus's gaze followed them, his eyes burning with a fierce intensity. "Remember this day," he growled, his voice low and dangerous. "Remember the consequences of failure."

The knights nodded silently, their expressions a mixture of shame and determination, before disappearing into the shadows of the castle.

Alone once more, Erebus allowed himself a cold, satisfied smile. The pieces were falling into place, and soon, nothing would stand in his way. With a flick of his hand, he dismissed the lingering echoes of their presence, turning his attention to the dark plans that lay ahead.

Chaos, his voice a low rumble of curiosity, turned to Erebus with a questioning gaze. "Why the change of plans? Why seek to conquer Earth instead of annihilating it as we had intended?"

Erebus met Chaos's gaze with a calculated expression, his eyes gleaming with an inner fire. "Destroying Earth would be a reckless move," he explained, his voice smooth and persuasive. "It would undoubtedly draw the attention of other gods, ones who are currently unable to cross over due to powerful restrictions."

He paused for a moment, allowing his words to sink in before continuing. "Conquering Earth, on the other hand, allows us to operate under the radar, manipulating events from the shadows without arousing suspicion. With Earth under our control, we can consolidate our power and build a stronghold from which to launch further assaults on the realms."

Chaos considered Erebus's words for a moment, a thoughtful expression crossing his features. Finally, he nodded in agreement. "Very well," he conceded. "Proceed with your plans for conquest. But remember, failure is not an option."

Erebus inclined his head in acknowledgment, a cold smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Rest assured," he replied, his voice tinged with a hint of malice. "Earth will soon bow before us, and none shall stand in our way."

Erebus's voice dripped with a dark excitement as he revealed his discovery to Chaos. "I have stumbled upon something intriguing on Earth," he began, his tone laced with a hint of menace. "Something that possesses the power to slay the God of the Earth Realm, though his true name eludes us."

His eyes glittered with anticipation as he continued, "We are in the final stages of procuring the necessary materials to construct a portal that will allow our knights to cross over into the Earth Realm. Once we have secured these materials, nothing will stand in our way."

Chaos's eyes gleamed with a predatory light as he absorbed Erebus's words. "Excellent," he purred, a sinister smile playing across his lips. "With this weapon in our possession and our knights at the ready, we shall crush all who dare to oppose us and claim dominion over Earth."

Erebus nodded in agreement, his gaze fixed on the horizon with an intensity that bordered on obsession. "Indeed," he murmured, his voice filled with anticipation. "And once we have conquered Earth, we shall have our revenge.

As Lucian's eyes fluttered open, he found himself lying in his chamber, bathed in an eerie half-light that cast long shadows across the room. Confusion gnawed at his mind as strange memories began to flood his consciousness, fragments of a past he couldn't quite grasp.

Images flickered before his eyes, fleeting and elusive like ghosts in the mist. He saw battles raging on distant plains, the clash of swords and the roar of magic reverberating through the air. Faces twisted in agony and triumph danced across his vision, their features contorted with the intensity of the struggle.

A name echoed in his mind, a name he couldn't place but that seemed to carry a weight of significance beyond measure. "Eve," he murmured, the syllables falling from his lips like drops of rain. With each recollection, the memories grew clearer, sharper, cutting through the haze of confusion that clouded his thoughts.

Lucian's mind was a tumultuous storm, assaulted by memories that crashed against the walls of his consciousness with relentless force. Amidst the chaos, he struggled to find his bearings, to separate reality from the phantom echoes of battles long past.

The vivid recollections of the 1st Eternal War assaulted his senses, each image etched with painful clarity upon the canvas of his mind. Explosions rocked the earth, casting plumes of smoke and fire into the air, while the stench of death hung heavy upon the battlefield. Dead bodies lay strewn across the ground, their lifeless eyes staring blankly into the abyss, silent witnesses to the carnage that had unfolded around them.

In the midst of the chaos, Lucian fought alongside Eve, their swords cutting through the air with deadly precision as they faced off against a tide of foes. The clang of steel rang in his ears, mingling with the screams of the dying and the thunderous roar of magic unleashed upon the battlefield.

Amidst the chaos, a voice echoed in Lucian's mind, a whisper of doubt and confusion that threatened to consume him from within. "Who are you?" he cried out, his voice a desperate plea for clarity amidst the maelstrom of memories that assailed him.

But there was no answer, only the relentless onslaught of images and sensations that threatened to overwhelm his senses. "Get out of my head!" he screamed, his words echoing off the walls of his chamber as he grappled with the phantom specters that haunted his mind.