Chapter 167: Birth Of A Legend

The very next day, we were made to stand before the Emperor again.

Jarbold intended to make good on his threats by using the Emperor as a weapon.

"Hmm...Jarbold says you two were mean to him yesterday. That's not very nice of you. Even after he was so kind. You should apologize right now," Emperor Alwen said.

Suddenly, Cassandra took over and smiled at the Emperor.

"Your Advisor is the filthiest pile of maggots I have ever seen. He tried to hurt my darling Mizik and that is unforgivable. Although, I suppose you wouldn't understand what he's really like, would you? You are a naive little bastard child," Cassandra said with extreme contempt.

I wasn't worried about her speech at all.

I knew by the haze in the room that she had cast an illusion. Whatever the illusion said, made the Emperor smile.

Jarbold, however, heard what really happened.

"HOW DARE YOU!!! YOU WILL NOT SPEAK TO HIS MAJESTY LIKE THAT!!! EMPEROR ALWEN, I DEMAND THEIR HEADS!!!" Jarbold said.

The Emperor flinched at his shouting and looked quizzically at Jarbold.

"But...she was so nice! She complimented you and everything! And she apologized! I don't think that's bad, Jarbold... Are you sure you didn't just mishear her?" Emperor Alwen said.

Jarbold's eyes went wide as he realized what had just happened.

"Ehehehehehehe... He can't hear me, right now, you filthy bloated tick. When I speak, he only hears the kindest and most beautiful words anyone could ever say to him. You're outclassed, you disgusting pig. My Illusionist Aspect is far more powerful than your puny mind control magic," Cassandra said.

"You bitch..." Jarbold said. Then he turned towards Emperor Alwen and smiled. "Your Majesty, surely you know this is an illusion, yes? Won't you believe me? I am your trusted Advisor and all..."

He attempted to use his mind control magic, but the haze Cassandra created caused it to fizzle out and disappear.

Suddenly Emperor Alwen looked angry.

"Why...would you insult father!? My father was a wonderful man! Advisor Jarbold, that was really mean! And how could you say such things about big sister Isabella!?" Emperor Alwen said.

"She isn't your sister, you naive little shit. Stop calling her that!" I said angrily.

Cassandra smiled and Jarbold glared at me.

But as he did...

"Thank you, Marvin! You're really nice, you know?" Emperor Alwen said.

"It's MIZIK, you fucking idiot!" I growled.

"Right! Miz...ick? Got it! And thank you! The robes were my idea!"

"IDIOTIC BOY!!! YOU DARE INSULT HIS MAJESTY TO HIS FACE!?!?" Jarbold roared.

Emperor Alwen looked horrified.

"I thought...we were friends, Jarbold... Why would you say such things!?" Emperor Alwen said.

Jarbold's eyes went wide.

"I AM SO SORRY, YOUR MAJESTY! THIS ILLUSION IS..." Jarbold turned and stopped shouting his apology as he saw Cassandra's sinister smile out of the corner of his eye.

"Hmmm... I wonder what he'll hear if you keep talking...? I can make you say anything, Jarbold... And your mind control isn't having any effect on him either. I've already made him immune...ehehehehehehehe..." Cassandra said.

Jarbold now looked horrified and dropped to his knees.

"Please...have mercy...Queen-...no! Goddess of illusions! No more! I won't hinder you further!" Jarbold said with tears in his eyes.

"You expect forgiveness and you will find none. You tried to hurt Mizik and that is inexcusable. I will relent for now...but just know that I am always watching," Cassandra said menacingly.

I'm impressed. You've definitely proven your loyalty. Not that it was questionable at this point... Someone deserves a reward for that.

"Jarbold...? What are you talking about? I don't have an uncle... Are you feeling okay? You're scaring me!" Emperor Alwen said.

"I am grateful, Lady Cassandra! Please forgive my foolishness..." Jarbold said.

Cassandra made a face of utter disgust towards Jarbold.

"How revolting. Do not utter my name with your disease-ridden, filthy mouth. You will refer to me as Kyriel."

"Y-yes, Lady Kyriel!" Jarbold said.

"Jarbold...who are to talking to...? There's no one behind the throne..." Emperor Alwen said as he turned to look behind himself.

This stupid-ass kid... He really has no idea of anything going on around him.

Jarbold looked at Cassandra expectantly and she dispelled the illusion. She also allowed Isabella to switch in.

Suddenly, the Emperor looked confused.

"Hmm...what happened? Oh...hey, big sister Isabella! Hey Marvin! What are you doing here?"

YOU LITTLE BRAT!!! MY NAME IS MIZIK!!!

"Y-your Majesty...his name is Mizik! And you don't remember?" Jarbold said.

The Emperor shook his head.

"I can't remember anything... It's all fuzzy. Maybe I should go lay down... Can you handle things for a few hours, Jarbold?" The Emperor said.

Jarbold looked at us and I could tell he was asking permission from Isabella.

She nodded and Jarbold smiled at the Emperor.

"O-of course, your Majesty! Let me take care of everything! I'll keep the Empire running in your place!" Jarbold said.

After that, the doors opened and Vakra calmly walked past us.

He bowed to the Emperor.

"I beg your pardon, your Majesty, but I would like to speak with these two in my lab," Vakra said.

"Eh? Aww... I was going to ask big sister Isabella if she could hug me until I fall asleep... Okay then...maybe later! I'm going to lie down for a bit. Vakra, take good care of Marvin and Big sister Isabella, okay?" Emperor Alwen said happily.

Isabella looked over at me worriedly and could easily tell that I was seething with rage over this stupid child's comments.

"Ah...right. Mizik, Isabella, please come with me," Vakra said.

At once, we followed behind him and were led to his lab.

* * *

"First of all, I want to thank Carlos and Leiso for their invaluable assistance in the creation of these two devices," Vakra said.

On a table, were two similar devices with slightly different structures.

"Vakra...are these...?"

"They are finished prototypes, Isabella. Although the casings are complete, I will be making occasional adjustments after their installation."

He makes it sound like we're computers or something!

"Does that mean you'll be operating on us today?" Isabella asked.

Vakra nodded.

"I expected these prototypes to take longer, but thanks to Carlos' engineering capabilities and Leiso's metalworking expertise, it has been drastically shortened. The systems within it will regulate the energy flow and stabilize the heart stones. Theoretically, this should halt the degradation. If not, you are going to die."

"That's comforting. Has anyone ever told you that you have a way with words?" I said sarcastically.

"Eh...very well. We're ready as soon as possible..." Isabella said hesitantly.

"Good. Dispose of the excess energy and meet me in the testing room. The operations will be conducted there," Vakra said.

Then he simply left.

Leiso and Carlos smiled at the two of us proudly.

"We worked as hard as we could to help you two out. I hope it wasn't all for nothing," Leiso said.

"Indeed. I am 99.9% sure my calculations are correct. We had to build the systems from scratch and Vakra handled the crafting, himself, with my numbers in mind. He is a genius without rivalry. I cannot compete," Carlos said.

"I'm glad you two are becoming friends, Carlos," Isabella said.

Carlos chuckled.

"We're not friends. I don't think Vakra cares about those things. I admire his intellect and that's all. Vakra views me as a useful assistant with slightly higher intelligence than the average person. He is rude and inconsiderate. Also, mildly perverted towards his female lab assistants...and Leiso... But I cannot deny his ability," Carlos said.

"I have tolerated quite a few comments and staring... Although not once did I believe he would do me harm. Unlike a certain Advisor..." Leiso said.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Leiso..." Isabella said sadly.

"Don't be. It was my choice to aid you both. You are treasured friends and comrades. No...more like family. Now then, get ready for the operation. We'll meet you at the testing room," Leiso said.

* * *

A few minutes later, Isabella was given a covering for her chest and I simply took my shirt off.

Vakra removed our harnesses and although there was a lot of blood, he noted that our wounds were slowly regenerating. He was slightly annoyed by it because it meant he had to act quickly on installing the devices.

Now, it was time for the operation.

I laid down on an operating table and Vakra quickly removed the flesh and bone around my chest area on my heart.

He told me what I had already believed. The heart stone had completely replaced my own heart.

Next, he told me that it had replaced my arteries with etherial strands of magic that pumped my body full of ether-infused blood.

Regardless, he finished the operation and implanted the device in my chest.

It was cold at first, but I still couldn't feel any pain besides the constant agony of my degrading body.

The device closed around the heart, and Vakra cleaned the area around it as well as the inside of the device. He made sure there was no blood within it.

Next, he got to Isabella.

"Are you sure, you need to cover yourself, Isabella?" Vakra asked with a smile.

At least, I assumed he was smiling. He was a skeleton right now, so it was difficult to tell.

"Just...start the operation, you perverted skeleton..." Isabella said.

"Suit yourself..." Vakra said.

Isabella laid on her right side and raised her left arm.

Then Vakra cut into her just as he had for me.

It was difficult for me to watch, but I knew well enough that he meant her no harm. Still, it made me nervous.

Vakra noted that her regeneration was a tad quicker than mine. Likely due to the nature of her Aspects.

He also noted that the knife had a difficult time piercing her skin even though she had allowed it.

It took longer for him to complete the operation on her due to the odd way of entry as well, but eventually, he inserted the device and closed it.

After that, he cleaned it and she stood up.

"This feels really weird... Mizik, I can see your heart directly from here," Isabella said.

Her device was partially sunken into her body as to not cause issues with her arm. But when she turned to the side and raised her arm, I could see her heart as well.

"Well now, don't get used to it. I have to add the final pieces and activate them. I'll also be giving you two a set of extra tools to open the compartments if you ever need to preform maintenance on each other," Vakra said.

"Maintenance...?" I said.

"Of course. Machines need maintenance. Yours are made for longevity, but eventually, you might have to replace a few parts here and there within the casing. The casing itself should theoretically last indefinitely, so there are no worries about that. Additionally, you should be able to perform these operations while they are still active," Vakra said.

He handed us two small key-like tools and then pulled another from his pocket.

After that, he held up the first layer of plating for the cover.

There were two layers. One made of metal, and the second was a circular heart stone that had been specially tempered to be harder than any known type of metal.

After they were attached, he put Isabella's on as well.

"Now then...there is a method to turning these on. When I do, you will likely experience unbelievable amounts of pain. Likely enough to drive a normal person insane. If you survive the activation, you'll basically be unstoppable monsters," Vakra said.

"Wait...survive!? We could die!?" Isabella said worriedly.

"Of course. Why do you think you're in the testing room and not the operating room? Now, we're going to remove the operating table so that you don't break it. The Emperor is very negligent with providing me replacement equipment because he is a child, so I can't afford to lose it."

"Great...I love surprises..." I said.

I was feeling even more nervous right now...

A few assistants came in and retrieved Vakra's things.

Through the viewing glass we could see everyone watching us.

Once they had all gathered, we could even see the Emperor and Jarbold.

Alwen seemed a bit sleepy, but very excited. Meanwhile Jarbold looked nervous.

Then Vakra left the room and pressed button on the console within the viewing area.

Immediately, blast doors lowered and energy shields appeared around them.

"What are they expecting to happen...?" Isabella mumbled.

Next, I heard his voice over the speakers in the ceiling of the room.

"Now then, take those keys I gave you and tap the center of the heart stone. After that, turn the slots on each of the four edges. Then put the keys away and prepare for pain. Lots of it," Vakra said.

We each tapped the center of the front plate and I felt a strange sensation.

Like a spark of sorts...

I turned each of the four slots on the edges and put the key away.

"That was an odd feeling..." Isabella said.

Then the plate flashed brightly and began glowing intensely.

At the same time, I could feel an intense vibrating sensation all throughout my body.

The vibrating turned into tremors...and with it came the pain.

Horrifying amounts of pain.

I gritted my teeth as I dropped to my knees and so did Isabella.

"WHAT...WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME!? THE...THE PAIN!!! AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" She screamed.

She fell to the floor and clutched her heart.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" I screamed.

Energy began rapidly bursting around the two of us in pulses.

The energy barriers flashed and were blown out completely.

Then the blast doors started taking damage.

Each pulse brought more pain and screaming...and more damage.

I felt like my body was coming apart... All over, I could see my veins begin to glow blue with magic.

I saw Isabella's eyes shine brightly with the same color. Hers also had a tint of gold in them.

I couldn't tell if mine were the same way, but my eyes felt like they were going to explode.

"MAKE IT STOP!!! PLEASE!!! IT HURTS SO MUCH!!!" Isabella screamed.

I wanted to help her, but I was in enough pain myself.

Eventually, the pulses began to calm down and the pain began to lessen.

As they died down, they developed a rhythm. Like the beating of a heart. And both of us went completely limp.

I checked my status menu as soon as I felt like I could focus again.

{Stable power source detected. Degradation will now cease. New ability gained: Heart of the World.}

{Ability Description: You have stabilized the Heart of the World and placed your soul within it. This will grant you certain abilities.

[Supernatural Form]: Physical wounds are no longer capable of killing you. As long as the [Heart of the World] remains intact, all wounds will rapidly regenerate. This ability will also increase the user's physical abilities exponentially.

[Energy Generator]: The [Heart of the World] will continuously generate magical energy that can be used in varying degrees. This increases the users mana pool exponentially as well as the strength and intensity of all magic used.

[World Siphon]: The [Heart of the World] is able to absorb infinite amounts of Animus Energy, the power that flows at the core of all worlds. The user has the ability to siphon a world's Animus Energy to increase their own power. Be warned: too much of this can rob a world of the necessary power to continue existing and completely destroy it.

[Source of all Power]: Increases all abilities linked to the user's soul exponentially. Affected powers: [Ultra Aspect: The Warlord], [Ultra Aspect: The Archmage], and [Blessing of the Creator].}

I smiled widely at this.

The pain in my head was nothing compared to the hell I just experienced.

"Haha...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, DIFAR!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" I shouted.

"Ehehehehe..." Isabella chuckled. "So much...so much power...! I'm really like a goddess now...! Mizik...I'll support you all the way!!!"

"I'm...going to be so useful to Mizik!!! The joy is overwhelming!!!" Cassandra said happily.

She slowly picked herself up and crawled over to me.

Then Isabella switched over.

She placed her hand over my heart and I felt myself being flooded with healing power.

All of my pain vanished instantly and I felt good as new.

It was truly amazing.

It felt as though my form had been completely restored.

She immediately did the same to herself and sighed happily.

"No more pain! I feel normal again!" Isabella said happily.

I stood up and reached by hand out to her.

I wasn't smiling anymore, but I think Isabella knew I was happy. She took my hand and I pulled her to her feet.

Then Vakra entered the room while slowly clapping his hands.

"Well done! Truly amazing. You've nearly destroyed my testing room, but I guess that was inevitable anyway. Now that you have obtained ultimate power, what will you do with it? Will you make good on your word, or will you kill us all?" Vakra asked.

"I made an agreement and I intend to keep it. Besides, I'll still need your support to kill Cain and stop the Corruption from destroying this world," I said.

"Splendid. Then they will be sending you to the front lines, and...unfortunately, Isabella will be relegated to guard duty..." Vakra said.

"Don't you have a problem with this, Vakra?" Isabella asked.

"Of course I do! Guard duty is a HORRIFYING misuse of your power! But they disagree," Vakra said.

Then Emperor Alwen walked into the testing room and looked around.

"Woooow! That was really crazy! Hey big sister Isabella, are you okay? That looked painful!" Emperor Alwen said.

He was staring at her chest covering.

Isabella put her robe back on to cover up and sighed.

"Your Majesty... I've been meaning to ask you why you call me big sister. I only have one sibling and she's a girl," Isabella said.

"Well...you're like a big sister! You have this kind of...aura? It makes me feel happy and at ease. Kind of like a big sister would. Also, you're really pretty. Wouldn't anybody want a pretty older sister?" Emperor Alwen said.

Some people might find this sort of thing endearing...even cute...

But I was still of the opinion that this kid was a naive little brat who had no business running an Empire.

At the same time, I couldn't help but feel like he had a secret intention of keeping Isabella away from me. Like he was being selfish or something...

"Your Majesty. I humbly request to be placed on the front lines with Mizik. I would be of far better use to you there," Isabella said.

"But...what if you got hurt? Wouldn't that be bad? You should stay here where its safe! Let the soldiers do the fighting. That's their job, isn't it? Like Marvin. He's a soldier, so he gets to go to the front lines," Emperor Alwen said.

"That soldier also happens to be my husband whom I love very much. Would you keep me away from him, your Majesty? Besides, I'm a soldier too. Doesn't that mean I should also go to the front lines?" Isabella said.

Emperor Alwen thought about this for a moment.

Like he was conflicted.

On one hand, it would be mean to keep Isabella away from her husband.

On the other hand, keeping her away from him meant that he could have her all to himself.

"Well...I'm the Emperor so I say that big sister Isabella should stay here. And you're not a soldier, you're a Princess!" Emperor Alwen said.

Isabella looked at Vakra and he shrugged.

You're definitely going to pay, you little brat. And I'm going to have Cassandra make it look like an accident.

"Fine... I will stay here in safety, while my husband risks his life on the front lines..." Isabella said.

I could see her shaking with anger as she looked at the Emperor.

At that point, I contacted her with telepathy.

"You want him dead too, don't you?"

"THIS DAMN BRAT!!! HOW DARE HE TRY TO KEEP US APART!!!"

"Let me kill him, darling! I'll make it look like a suicide...or an accident... I don't want to be away from my darling Mizik... That sounds like torture..."

"Just bear with it for now. Once we don't need him anymore, you can make one of the guards kill him."

"I am no one's big sister but Cassandra's. I despise being called that by this little brat..."

"Yeah. It makes me angry when he says it, too. But we still need his support to fight the Corruption..."

"I know...damn that Corruption..."

After that, I terminated the communication and we prepared ourselves for the days ahead.