Damien's first thought was that he was looking at an apostate monk of some sort. The man had no hair on his head and a uniform like the ones monks wore. There were several piercings in his face, large circular indents that formed a strange symmetry. His ears were long and he had huge gauges that were nearly falling out of his thin earlobes.
The man's eyes were pitch-black like those of a demon, and the red and black energy that radiated off of him was not intentional, just uncontrolled.
"Are you Eximus?" Damien asked.
"I am he," the monk responded.
Damien tapped his foot and spread his domain. It was simple, right? Now that he found the main perpetrator, all he had to do was kill him to unravel his plot.
Of course it was never going to be that simple. Damien rushed their interaction because he knew that.
The second his territory covered Eximus, he sighed.
"As expected. A fake."
"If it was expected, then why did you attack?"
"Because it's easier to find out where your real body is after you're dead."
Damien answered without much thought, spending more time glancing around the containment unit.
"Did you think this would trap me?"
Deductive reasoning was a great skill. Since Damien knew how to use it, he could instantly understand the shoddy last-minute trap that had been laid out for him.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. I have only recently learned of your existence and interference, so I apologize for not being able to show you proper hospitality."
Damien rolled his eyes.
Basically, Damien's visit to the Prison Master was enough to tip Eximus off to his movements. It was annoyingly cunning for his enemy to figure out his intentions off of that much, but it didn't change anything.
The containment facility may have been impenetrable at one point, but Eximus clearly found a way out at some point. Its shattered security was only hastily repaired for the sake of trapping Damien, so escaping it would be even easier.
"It should take you some time, no? I did not prepare all of this to hinder you. Rather, I wish to converse with the only person who has realized my existence and actions in the past millions of years."
Damien glanced back at Eximus, who sat on the floor of the white cube with a calm smile on his face. His eyes were closed, but they curved in such a way to support the rest of his expression.
It was going to take around an hour for him to escape. That was an inconsequential amount of time in the current situation, and if Damien could gain something from conversing with Eximus in this way, then he didn't mind.
In the end, he now knew what the man looked like and how his aura felt. Finding him was no longer a problem.
"What do you want to say?" he asked, his tone not friendly in the slightest.
"It is more about what I wish to ask," Eximus responded.
His eyes opened just slightly.
"Why do you oppose Chaos?"
"Why are you asking stupid questions? I don't like it, so I fight against it. Do I need a better reason?"
"I suppose not," Eximus said.
"And, like you, my reasoning for following Chaos is simple. Unlike your so-called 'Order,' Chaos helps those in need and provides comfort. It does not shirk away from the struggles of man."
'I guess he wants to convert me?'
Damien didn't really care, but the man could yap all he wanted to. He wasn't going to stop him.
"You know, before Chaos found me, I was but a humble farmer. I lived a good life with my wife and my daughter, worshiping the Order you defend. However, when my daughter grew up and I supported her wish to become a challenger, do you know what your Order did? It killed her. It left her without even a corpse to bury."
'Ooh, a revenge plot.'
"The Three Temples have always been corrupted organizations. They hide the truth about this world, convincing the entire world that it is nothing more than a game. This world is not a game, and they are not its masters. What right do they have to act like they are worth more than others? What right do they have to sacrifice the lives of others without batting an eye?!"
Damien raised his brow.
This island's history didn't give him all of the details, but there definitely wasn't anything like that. Rather, the temples were always the ones preventing the people of the island from dying meaninglessly. "How did your daughter die?"
"She was sacrificed! That day, I swore revenge on the temples, but I had no method to attain it. I was born to a father and mother who were born to a father and mother who first came to this realm. Without ever attempting to perceive the Nothingness, I was practically no different from a mortal. Even if I desired power, I squandered my talent in my youth. It was only when Chaos found me that things changed. It gave me hope, and it gave me justice!"
Not to mention, the calm and mysterious front he put up was completely gone. What was left was a man with his eyes wide and filled with the color red, rambling on about the benefits of Chaos
He looked more like an addict than a terrifying villain.
Damien ignored the rest of what he said and asked another question.
"What was your daughter's name?"
Eximus twitched slightly.
"Someone like you who defends Order does not deserve to know her name."
"Okay. You can continue, then."
Damien's attitude was becoming unbearable, but Eximus decided to bear with it and continue.
"Chaos allowed me to partake in a journey of power. That was when I realized it. The Order of this world is fake! It is an illusion! Chaos was always supposed to be its true ruler! Within Chaos, everything I sought and everything those like me seek is present! You, how can you not seek the beauty of Chaos?!"
He was focused on escaping the prison, so being somewhat distracted was understandable. However, time and time again Damien responded with such a standoffish tone that Eximus could hardly stand it anymore. "You… Your arrogance will not be tolerated," he growled.
"What can you do about it? You're literally a projection. You have no power."
"However, my main body–!"
"I really don't care. It's not even my fault in the first place. When you spout bullshit like that, how is anyone supposed to pretend like they care?"
Damien's words didn't strike as hard as the genuine sincerity within them. He wasn't usually one to rile up his opponents, but this time, he really couldn't help it.
Who was Eximus pretending to be? Did he want to cosplay as a hero or a lunatic? He was like someone who never actually had a normal conversation with anyone or a chance to get his story straight. Chaos' Apostle?
Damien really didn't give a shit.
It would be more entertaining if he fought Chaos itself. The man in front of him…?
This man was just pathetic.