(The Dreamscape, Soron’s POV)
For a while, Soron sat in silence, as he considered what the Timeless Assassin had told him from a neutral perspective, yet no matter how hard he tried to justify it, he could find no reason to excuse Kaelith’s actions.
"I still can’t accept him betraying you, father, even if you perhaps loved him a little less than me.
For in the end, if he betrayed you just because you showed him a little less favor.... Then not only is he mentally ill, but he is probably the most vain individual I’ve ever met.
For there is only one immutable rule in my life.... Which is to never betray blood.
And he broke that just because he did not get enough attention, which is something I can never forgive or excuse, no matter the reason behind it."
Soron shared, as the Timeless Assassin nodded in agreement to his words, as though appreciating his perspective on it, however, while he did appreciate the perspective, he did not necessarily accept its argument in its entirety, as he smiled and took a bite out of the apple in his hand.
*Crunch*
"You know...."
He began, his voice slightly gruff as he spoke with a mouthful of food.
"Destiny works in weird ways.
Not all humans are born equal, and not all humans live by the same values as others, which is why, what seems inconsequential to you might be incompromisable for someone else.
While what may seem vain to them might be important to you...."
"Maybe, if I showed Kaelith more favor than you, and you had lived his life.
Maybe you still would not have chosen to betray me, because you are just wired that way.
However, Destiny must have decided otherwise.
For what happened was that I ended up favoring the son that did not care about such stuff more.
And hence, it led to the chain of events the way that it did.
The loop of history is a hard fate to escape.
And in the end, I tried but failed spectacularly in breaking the cycle of inevitability."
The Timeless Assassin shared, as he spoke rather casually, as if his failure to break the cycle did not bother him in the slightest now that he was dead.
"If I could have given you just one piece of advice before I died, it would have been to live for yourself and no-one else.
For I tried to live to change the universe in my later years, and perhaps, that is what I regret the most after my death."
The Timeless Assassin shared, as he looked at the sky above the Dreamscape with a sad melancholy in his eyes.
"Forget it. You’re here beside me after so many years, come spar with me and show me how much you have progressed as a warrior.
Also, tell me about the Cult and the final events that led to your death while we are at it."
The Timeless Assassin requested, as he stood up and assumed a fighting stance, only for Soron to chuckle and do the same an instant later.
"Let me warn you father..... I’m not the same warrior you faced while you were still alive.
I have perfected my own version of the Seconds Walk, and I might be able to actually win a few rounds against you now!"
Soron boasted, as the Timeless Assassin let out a hearty chuckle, as if this was exactly the day he had been waiting for, for a long time.
"Talk is cheap son.... Whatever you want to say, say it with your blade."
The Timeless Assassin said, as the two faced off with nothing but the widest grin on their faces, as at the end of it all, everything else faded, but their desire to be the best warrior they could never did.
—--------
(Meanwhile, somewhere inside the Fourth Dimension, Moltherak’s POV)
*Pant*
*Pant*
Moltherak panted heavily within Helmuth’s body as the final resistance collapsed, the last fragments of the former Berserker God’s will ground down beneath sheer endurance and malice, until the latent soul anchoring the vessel was erased from existence.
*Shudder*
The body convulsed violently as reality settled into place before finally going still, as Moltherak’s laughter spilled out in unrestrained delight.
"Ha... hahahahaha."
It began low and ragged, torn from a throat that had endured endless agony, before deepening into a heavy rumble that filled the space around him, as he straightened within the stolen flesh and flexed fingers that now answered to him alone.
"Finally... a physical form."
He muttered as he inhaled deeply and greedily, savoring the sensation of air flooding his lungs for the first time in over three millennia.
"FINALLY, LUNGS THAT CONTRACT AND EXPAND!"
He shouted, as within the depths of the soul vessel he felt the final traces of Helmuth fade, the former Berserker God’s presence unraveling into distant echoes until nothing of consequence remained.
*Crack*
*Pop*
Moltherak rolled his shoulders, feeling the immense frame respond as ancient draconic essence surged through the body, reshaping it from within and asserting dominance over flesh that had once housed a God, as heat traced faint lines across his skin and the air recoiled around him.
"So this is what it feels like to be truly alive," Moltherak murmured, his voice rough and layered, as he savored how it was no longer confined to thought or projection, but carried fully through a physical form.
*Smile*
His lips curled into a slow grin, as he lifted his gaze and sensed the thinning boundary between realms, the veil separating this vessel from the three dimensional world weakening beneath his presence, as exhilaration spread through him.
A successful takeover of Helmuth’s body meant that he could finally return to the wider universe as a physical presence!
Not just as a forgotten legend, but as the terror of galaxies, as he could start his life anew, and bend the universe to his will once more.
"Universe beware..... Moltherak is coming."