(Planet Granada, Leonardo’s POV)
Rain poured endlessly across the lonely rock of Granada while thunder rolled through the dark heavens overhead, as Leonardo stood silently beneath the storm clouds with his remaining arm folded behind his back while staring toward the Deceiver standing opposite him.
Ever since losing his arm during the battle against Kaelith, the constant pain lingering within his body had never truly disappeared.
Some days were better than others, while others felt pletely unbearable.
However, there had not been a single day where the pain vanished pletely.
And so, ever since that fight, Leonardo had started to go down a road of self doubt and self discovery, because receiving origin poisoning was not like any other wound.
It was a sentence.
A slow death.
One that would acpany him until the very end.
Meanwhile, standing opposite him, Mauriss quietly observed the missing arm before eventually breaking into laughter.
"Hahahaha...
So the battle against Kaelith truly wasn’t without a cost after all.
Skyshard paid the price for killing the Eternal Sovereign in the form of having his nephew lose an arm."
Mauriss muttered as amusement danced within his eyes.
Instantly, Leonardo felt anger surge through his chest, as he clenched his fists and said—
"I wasn’t ready for that battle.
I should never have been there in the first place.
It hadn’t even been a full month since I reached the Demi God realm before my uncle dragged me into a war against monsters who had existed for thousands of years."
Leonardo replied as bitterness gradually surfaced within his voice.
"And now because of it, despite being a Demi God, I have barely more than a century left to live.
And it will be a century spent enduring constant pain at that."
Leonardo continued as he pointed toward the ruined arm, while Mauriss simply listened quietly and observed his aura for any signs of inconsistency.
Then unexpectedly, Mauriss nodded.
"Honestly? You’re right."
Mauriss admitted as rainwater slid down his face.
"Skyshard should have known better.
Taking a newly ascended Demi God into that battlefield was reckless."
Mauriss continued as Leonardo remained silent.
"Then again...
Skyshard has always been selfish."
Mauriss muttered while smiling faintly.
"Himself and His Cult.
That’s all he cares about."
Mauriss continued as his gaze sharpened slightly.
"Otherwise tell me honestly, Leonardo.
If he truly cared about you as much as he claimed...
Would you be standing here with one arm and a death sentence hanging over your head?"
Mauriss questioned as Leonardo instinctively looked away.
Deep down, a part of him wanted to reject the statement entirely.
Yet another part of him, one that was already tired of the constant pain, could not help but agree to it.
As watching him hesitate, Mauriss decided to strike the iron while it was still hot.
"Well, let me tell you something about myself, Leonardo.
Unlike Skyshard...
I actually care about your future."
Mauriss said as Leonardo immediately looked back toward him.
"And unlike the Cult...
I possess a solution to this problem of yours."
Mauriss continued as a dangerous smile slowly spread across his face.
"A solution to the Origin Poisoning.
A solution to the pain.
A solution to your lifespan."
Mauriss explained as Leonardo’s expression finally shifted.
For the first time since arriving here, genuine interest surfaced within his eyes.
"What kind of solution?"
Leonardo questioned as his heartbeat gradually accelerated.
"A body transfer."
Mauriss answered casually.
"The body dies.
The soul survives.
The poison remains behind, while you move into a new vessel entirely."
Mauriss explained as Leonardo froze.
"You’ve seen it already.
Moltherak walks around in Helmuth’s body despite losing his own.
The process works if done correctly."
Mauriss continued while shrugging his shoulders.
"You could choose almost anyone."
A strange gleam appeared within his eyes.
"Skyshard.
Sparrow.
One of the Great Clan heirs.
Some other prodigy within the Cult that’s caught your fancy.
The choice hardly matters."
Mauriss explained as silence gradually settled between them.
For several moments, neither of them spoke a word, as rain continued falling, and thunder continued rumbling on Granada, until eventually, Leonardo looked up again.
"And you’re certain it would remove the Origin Poisoning?"
Leonardo questioned as his voice carried far more weight than before.
"Absolutely."
Mauriss replied without hesitation.
"You would walk away with a healthy body and a future once more."
Mauriss assured as Leonardo slowly closed his eyes.
’A future...’
The words echoed repeatedly within his mind, as he thought about a day when he could live once more without the pain and the certainty of death.
And after thinking about it for a while, as he opened his eyes again, he found Mauriss to be smiling rather evilly, as just looking at that smile, Leonardo understood that there was obviously a price attached to this offer.
"What do you want in return?"
Leonardo questioned as Mauriss immediately laughed.
"Hahahaha! Straight to the important part.
Good."
Mauriss muttered while nodding approvingly.
"What I want is actually very simple..... What I want is the next Great Betrayal."
Mauriss explained as his expression gradually became more serious.
"Soon, events are going to unfold that will reshape the entire universe."
He continued as the storm intensified overhead.
"And when that day es... I need someone on the inside."
Mauriss explained while staring directly into Leonardo’s eyes.
"Someone close enough to the Cult leadership that information flows naturally.
Someone trusted.
Someone like you....."
Mauriss continued as Leonardo remained pletely still.
"You don’t need to make any decisions today.
You don’t need to betray anyone today.
You don’t even need to fully understand the role you’ll play."
Mauriss explained as a dangerous calm settled over his voice.
"All I require is your cooperation when the time es."
Mauriss offered, as for several long moments neither of them spoke, as Leonardo remained pletely motionless while staring toward the ruined shoulder where his arm used to be, feeling the familiar ache buried deep within the poisoned flesh as thoughts of his stolen future, his shortened lifespan, and the century of pain waiting ahead slowly resurfaced one after another.
Eventually, his gaze lowered further while he quietly contemplated everything Mauriss had just offered him, because regardless of how much he distrusted the Deceiver, the temptation currently being placed before him was simply too great to dismiss outright, as the promise of escaping the agony that would otherwise define the remainder of his life struck directly at the deepest insecurity he carried within himself.
Then finally, after what felt like an eternity of internal struggle, Leonardo slowly lowered himself onto one knee.
"Tell me what you need me to do."
Leonardo muttered as he lowered his gaze, while for a brief moment, even the storm itself seemed strangely quiet around them.
Then suddenly, Mauriss began laughing.
"Hahahahaha! Excellent. Absolutely excellent."
Mauriss declared as satisfaction flooded his expression, because with Leonardo now standing exactly where he wanted him to stand, the final piece required to set years of planning into motion had finally fallen into place, as for the first time in a very long while, the Deceiver genuinely believed that the greatest betrayal in the history of the universe was finally ready to begin.
User Comments
0 comments from readers