Fire Mage

Chapter 581: Asher's Hesitation

Cypress Street, Underground District, Miracle City.

As Marvin and Arayn were advancing to the 52nd layer, a young red-haired woman in her late thirties sat on an iron throne in a dark, gloomy chamber and looked at the empty chairs and table placed before her with a lonely face.

She was none other than Asher.

Her skin was pale, shimmering silver, like the scales of a fish caught in moonlight. Her hair was a flowing tangle of deep blue strands, like the tendrils of seaweed waving in the tide.

Asher's bluish eyes were the most captivating feature, shining like two brilliant stars against the darkness of the deep sea.

The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive, with an almost tangible sense of foreboding. The air was still and musty, with a faint smell of dampness and decay. The walls were rough-hewn stone, and the low ceiling made the space cramped and claustrophobic. The hall was sparsely furnished, with only a few pieces of old, dusty furniture scattered about.

The few windows were small and barred, letting in only a sliver of light that did little to illuminate the space. The only light source was a flickering candle, casting long, distorted shadows across the walls. The overall effect was isolation and despair as if the hall were cut off from the rest of the world and lost in an endless, eternal darkness.

"My body feels weak and fragile, Divine One. I'm almost at the end of the rope too. But is it the right thing to kill him? He did that to save his kin too, right?" Her voice echoed like music, soft and lilting.

Alas, she heard no response.

But after a few seconds, her eyes suddenly went red, and she even shed a few drops of blood on the table.

After that, Asher suddenly leaned forward, tapped her fingers on the wooden table, and raised her eyebrows.

"Oh? Your heart still hasn't accepted the betrayal, Asher? Poor child. Let me sing a song for you then." She muttered calmly and started to sing.

"On the banks of a river, in a grove of burflower trees,

He promised to meet me, but he did not come,

And now the rain is pouring down, drenching my body,

Oh, what can I do without my beloved?

I thought he was truthful and would keep his promise,

But now I see that he is like lightning,

Which flashes brightly for a moment and then disappears,

Leaving behind only darkness and despair.

He is as fickle as the wind, blowing this way and that,

And I have left alone, like a crane without its mate,

Oh, how I long for his touch, his smile, his voice,

Without him, my life is empty and meaningless..."

Her voice trailed off slowly and soon descended to an empty silence.

After another minute of a short silence, she finally looked at the necklace in her hand and smiled.

It wasn't a smile of joyfulness but sadness and tiredness.

'Are you going to use my 'Miracle Core' ability? That might give birth to a catastrophe that can shift history itself.' At that moment, Wizard's Cube's feminine voice echoed through the hall.

'Asher... No, Anangu. You should know Myxenta hates this kind of destruction and chaos. One of the reasons she created us was to stop the chaotic faction members to do any kind of large-scale destruction like this.'

Meanwhile, Asher, aka Anangu, sharpened her gaze toward the Wizard's Cube and asked a question.

"Who am I, my sweet child? If you have the will of Myxenta, you should've known something about me, right?"

A silence descended to the hall again, followed by a deep sigh.

'Chaos Goddess, Blood Deity, The Lone Princess, Blood Progenitor, and finally Anangu, the first Taboo Existence in the universe's history and is considered to be an evil Lawful entity that is on part with Supreme Demon. And most importantly, you killed yourself long ago to stop your own madness.'

"Tch! That title belongs to my brother. But I really wonder if he is still alive out there." Anangu made another deep sigh and then added.

"The reason my other self killed me was that she knew that damned old man made me evil by birth itself and wanted to help me badly. Although I still have no clue how I got reborn 10 millenniums ago, I'm sure she wanted me to kill that old geezer in the cruelest way. She was such a strong and pure-hearted woman but I didn't expect even she would end up dead in the hands of a random vampire." A trace of loneliness appeared in her voice.

'Your other self?' This time, it was the Wizard's Cube's turn to be surprised.

"Anyway, the reason I want to activate your core ability is just to start the main event. Whether it will shake the balance of the world or even the universe solely depend on how my other pawns act. Also, I have ravaged countless planes with my brothers and sacrificed their souls to Hell's Will itself."

Although Wizard's Cube got confused by her words, it didn't say anything after that and quietly submitted its fate to this evil goddess.

Meanwhile, Anangu leaned on the iron throne and closed her eyes.

A few moments later, she again opened her eyes and smiled.

But unlike before, her eyes returned to completely shining blue and appeared pure as bright stars!

"I love the song 'she' composed for me. Wait for me, the last Elven Emperor. I need answers. Why did you turn your back on me and even made my whole kin disappear from this world? I'll not waver anymore." Saying so, she stood up from the iron throne and quietly walked towards the exit.

...

24A Orchard House, Spruce Avenue, Fourth District, Miracle City.

At that moment, a black-haired young man in his twenties sat on his cotton bed and appeared lost in thoughts. He held his silver bracelet in his right hand tightly and looked at the stopwatch with a frown.

'It's already 2.30 P.M. But why hasn't Mateo called me yet? Did something happen to him?' But what bothered Professor most was that he heard another death of a random Rank-4 Mystic in Children Park and frowned.

'Rumors say that it was due to the defense mechanism's technical default but why am I feeling uneasy? Moreover, Charles's whereabouts became unknown for a while. Do I have no choice but to rely on that Fortune Lady's help again? No, she will nag me to leave this city again. Tsk.' At that moment, the silver bracelet in his hand suddenly vibrated and informed him about the incoming call.

Professor tapped the silver bracelet twice and attended the call.

"Professor! It's me, Violet. Our leader wants me to tell you that there is a little change in our usual plan. Mateo, Conner, and Gabriel won't be participating in the final ritual rites. Instead, our leader plans to send Joshua, Silas, and Cooper." A young female voice came from the other side, causing him to furrow his brows.

"Why?"

"You should've known the truth, right? Because of someone's selfish scheme, one of our members is already dead. And, our leader doesn't want any more misshapes or deaths. Mateo and others may be powerful but they are still inexperienced when it comes to schemes. But Joshua, Silas, and Cooper are not someone who could die so easily. They have countless ways to evade death and are almost immortal beings. Even I'm starting to feel you are using us in the name of cooperation, Professor. You better keep your promise when Demigod Miguel took full control over this Miracle City." Professor felt Violet's words were more like a warning for him and sighed.

'When I get full control over this city, I'll definitely erase your pathetic organization from this world.' He muttered to himself and spoke calmly.

"That was due to my own negligence. Well, as long as Joshua and others are powerful enough to stall the Five Elders of the Miracle City, it's more than enough."

"Good. I'm ending the call now." Saying so, Violet cut off the connection from the other side.