For a while, the entire domain Azivel manifested was filled with silence. Theon's mind was reeling from confusion, and he didn't even bother to hide it.
Seriously? Out of all the women in this world, he fell for her?
No. That woman reeked of trouble and chaos. If Adrian really fell for her in the previous timeline, some extreme situation must've occurred, forcing them to develop feelings for each other.
Whenever we met in this timeline, although Adrian developed an interest in her, it was nothing romantic. And Theon himself does not like that woman. For some reason, he did not have a good feeling about her. She looked like a person who would do all sorts of wrong things for the right reasons, claiming it was a sacrifice and a necessary evil.
Theon looked at the scenery conjured and asked, "Was Reyna different in the previous timeline? Did something force her to become this kind of person?"
Azrivel had a troubled look, debating whether he should answer. Then he spoke,
"I only met Adrian after they were together, so I don't know personally what kind of a person she was back then. She never got involved with the succession for the throne and supported her brother wholeheartedly."
"Apparently, she was trying to root out discrimination or injustice in her kingdom. She would always try to find peaceful solutions."
"And you should know better than anyone, Adrian was different. He was merciless to his enemies and devoted to his allies. They were on the same side, but their personalities were contrasting from each other. But somehow, against all odds, they fell for each other."
He took a deep breath and looked at the scenery.
"I did not want to wage war and slaughter. But it was the only way for my people to survive. It was us or them. When Adrian and I first clashed, he was weaker than me. But he still stood in front of me without an ounce of fear. He knew of things that no human was supposed to know. Secrets as old as time."
"He kept getting strong. We clashed many times, but because of his cunningness and strategic mind, I was never able to kill him. People started calling him a savior. There was no need for humanity to rely on avatars or revere them. They rallied behind him. He changed the fate of countless people and showed me a different future. One where we all can live in peace with each other.
He went from being merciless and ruthless to heroic and kind. And it was because of that woman. His realistic personality continuously clashed with her ideals. Her virtue influenced him to discard the darkness and embrace the light. Adrian once told me that, without Reyna, he would just be a survivor, not a savior"
Azrivel looked at Theon's darkened gaze and spoke,
"I knew that they genuinely loved each other. But.. Things slowly started changing after that day"
This was it, Theon realized. What he was about to say next will answer most of his questions.
Azrivel closed his eyes for a second as if carefully choosing what he should say next. Then he started speaking in an even tone.
"No matter how calm and still a lake was, just one stone was enough to start a ripple."
He exhaled and spoke,
"One day we were faced with a new threat. Something no one has even heard before. An abomination. No face, no body, no form. Just pure chaos. Every time we killed it, it came back stronger and more adapted than before. We tried all sorts of things to get rid of it. But we couldn't. We had no choice but to turn towards oracles.
"They said it's a correction of anomalies. It cannot be defeated. There were no solutions. But Adrian had an idea. He said it was a last resort. Something he had no intention of ever doing. The final failsafe if everything went wrong."
Theon suddenly had a bad premonition. His memories of when he and Adrian were merged were slowly stabilizing. At that time, they did have a failsafe. Something that was once stated in the novel.
"The codex Veritas" Book of Truth. Theon slowly mumbled while being overwhelmed by the revelation.
"Yes, of course, you would know about that accursed book. Codex Veritas. The record of all truths and secrets in this world. Codex was the only thing that could answer our questions. It was hidden away by the "Absolute being" father of gods and creator of existence. And surprise surprise, Adrian knew where it was"
"After against all odds, we made it to where the codex was. Me, Adrian, Reyna, and Arden found ourselves before the records. But there was a twist. It can only be read by someone with pure heart and virtue. And only one person among us was eligible."
"Reyna was the only one who was worthy. So, while we were guarding, she read the book. She only did it for one minute and closed it, saying it was too dangerous to read it further."
"Azrivel clenched his fists, eyes distant.
"That thing… it wasn't even alive. Just a concept. Correction incarnate. Fate's rage made manifest. Whenever fate gets bounced from its course due to an anomaly, that thing will destroy everything, like a reset. The was no need to point out what the anomaly was."
"With the help of the codex, we created a prison and locked that thing. Everything worked but in the end. But then…
Theon interrupted and spoke. "Let me guess, Reyna went mad. She saw something in the Codex that shattered her perception of the world."
Azrivel slowly nodded. He didn't even bother to scold Theon for interrupting.
"It happened slowly, she became more rigid and ruthless in her ways, similar to how Adrian was in the past. Slowly cracks started appearing in their relationship. One day during an argument, she blamed Adrian for putting the world at risk. But once she realized what she said, she cried and apologized to him. But their relationship was never the same since then"
"Then one day Reyna disappeared. We combed through the entire universe for her but found nothing. Adrian never gave up, and one day he found a trace."
"She was in "Nytheria". The land of the gods"
Theon widened his eyes and asked, "Are you saying…"
"Reyna was kidnapped by the gods. At least, that's what we thought at the time."
Theon narrowed his eyes.
Azrivel looked at his questionable gaze and spoke,
"When we went there, we were ambushed by the gods. At that time, both Adrian and myself were strong. We were strong enough to go head-to-head with them. We somehow made it to the throne room of the gods. That's when we realized how wrong we were."
"We found ourselves before one of the three primordial gods. The goddess of time. Primordials swore to never get involved with mortals and remain passive and neutral. A direct fight against them was suicidal. But Adrian didn't care."
"Just as we were about to fight, Reyna walked in. She was unharmed but looked different. Gone was the kindhearted and virtuous girl replaced with someone cold and ruthless. She was wearing a crown and a regal dress closely resembling the goddess"
"Gods never kidnapped her. She contacted them to make a deal. She convinced them to join her and correct fate to its correct route. She was plotting to continue the war, get rid of anomalies, and raise the importance of avatars. Goddess of Time helped her arrange all these and made Reyna her avatar."
"She lured us here and forced us to confront the gods, siphoning power from that conflict and the defeated gods. She created a massive spell with the help of the goddess of time, regressing her back to the past."
"What a crazy bitch right? Time travel was forbidden even among gods. It's dangerous and has consequences. But both of them did it anyway. You can probably guess what happened next."
With that, Azrivel ended his long monologue.
Theon took a long breath. It was a lot to process. He has a lot to consider after this war.
He looked at Azrivel and spoke. "Thank you. I was able to understand the entire situation thanks to you. And I'm sorry because you ran into this troublesome situation because of me and Adrian."
Azriel's eyes soften. "You owe me no apology. And neither does Adrian. In fact, I still regret being unable to save him."
Now comes the most important question. Theon exhaled and asked.
"What are you going to do from now on?
Even if Adrian is no longer around, that future is still possible. We can work together to realize it again. Azrivel, join hands with me. We can deal with Reyna and unite our races."
Azrivel had already anticipated this. But even so, he spoke with regret.
"That future was only possible because of Adrian. No one can replace him. Not even you. And that women will never let that happen. She will try to destroy the demon race. I will not abandon my race for the sake of humans. That method was a failure."
"Unlike Reyna who was suffering from the backlash of her spell, I still retain the strength of my prime. I will end it all before the war even begins. At this point in time, there is no one who could stand against me"
Azrivel gave a sad look and spoke.
"I will not change my mind. War is inevitable. I will destroy humanity. But for the sake of our past, I will make you an offer. Run away. Take all your loved ones and run. I will not chase you and let you be. This is the only mercy I could offer"
Azrivel stopped speaking and waited for Theon to answer. Theon had a dark and cold look on his face. Just as he was about to speak something flashed in front of his eyes. He looked at it silently and then spoke as if making a decision.
He gave off a smirk. His eyes were gleaming with flames of wrath. He looked Azrivel straight in the eyes and grinned.
For a moment Azrivel froze. That look reminded him of Adrian. It's the same way Adrian looked when they first met. When his personality was much more ruthless. With that same look, Adrian outsmarted him and defeated one of his generals. Although the looks were almost identical, Theon is now looking much colder than Adrian was. He had a bad premonition.
Theon spoke while grinning.
"Hard pass. But I have a better offer. I can give you something Adrian was never capable of. How about we make a deal?"
He spoke to both the demon king and the entity responsible for the notification he received.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]:
THE GODDESS OF FATE IS TREMBLING WITH FURY OVER THE ACTIONS OF THE GODDESS OF TIME. SHE CLAIMS THAT SHE DID NOT WISH FOR SUCH AN OUTCOME AND WISH TO MAKE AMENDS. GODDESS OF FATE OFFERS YOU TO BECOME HER "AVATAR".