Black Star

Page 84: The Ninth Lord

Y/n's POV

I asked the question, but Bastian is not repeating himself. He looks down and keeps holding my hair like a knight would with a sword.

I kneel to his level and bend to look for his eyes under his veil. "Please, I didn't catch what you said. Could you explain it to me?"

"What I asked my Lady, is if you are ready to follow Araceli's steps."

I grab his chin and force him to look into my eyes this time. "That's not what you said. Don't play smart with me."

"Be mindful of the words I choose, my Lady. I said steps, not path, which is a huge difference."

"How so?" he smiles softly at me and I don't know if he's playing around or not.

"Allow me to share a piece of my knowledge then. Forgive my manners, my Lady." he steadily grabs my wrist and moves closer to my face. He closes his eyes and connects his forehead with mine.

Suddenly, images fly in my mind in sequence. I see ancient villages and towns, and in focus there's only a little boy who seems to be cherished. I see this boy growing, now carrying a long sword tied on his back and he travels to defeat monsters and evil guys to protect people. He doesn't take any rewards, nor food or water or shelter for the night, not even money or animals to trade. He helps others and always leave empty-handed, yet happy. Now the boy looks in his twenties and he seems to be marching to a big temple, where once inside he finds a lot of mighty-looking people. Everyone looks disgusted at the boy, they talk behind his back but he does not care; he waits like everybody else. Suddenly eight more god-like people descends and makes everyone kneel, but this time I know who arrived; the Lords. I recognize my father, uncle Oberon and Leo's father due to the same symbol they have on their foreheads, and Jupiter because I fought him not so long ago. Even Byakkomaru is there, but he's very young, he's probably 10 years old, but even at that age he had his strict and authoritarian eyes.
They talk about something I can't understand for they speak a very old language, but I see the disrespect most of them give to the boy. They always interrupt him, degrade him and make fun of him; only a bunch of Lords scolds who behave that rudely and allows the boy to continue undisturbed.

Uncle Oberon seems to not trust that boy, and he uses his Lord's powers to keep him under his eye. And then I realize, this cheerful boy is Araceli before he turned into the monster he is nowadays. Uncle tried to warn the other Lords to take act about the human who suddenly began to collect forbidden magics and knowledge hidden in history itself. Unfortunately, no one believed Uncle, and the only two Lords who did were not allowed to harm humans due to the vow. I witness Araceli making his Grimoire from scratch, his cursed sword too... And to my shock, is after the creation of his book that the hideous transformation began. What I thought was a very complicated and strong curse, it's actually his own greed for power, that is not the darkness as I thought, but more like shadows. His body turned out like that because he failed infinite times to summon something, but to that transformation he gave up his humanity and developed his own powers, the same ones that corrupted even powerful beings like the Lords and made them kill each other as he watching it unravel like a show.

"Why you showed that to me, Bastian?" I ask once I gently push him back to break the link. "What should change if I do what that dumbass did?"

"Your soul, my Lady. That is the difference that will allow you to use my powers in the righteous way. If you will accept, not only you will be able to go back to your world stronger than ever, but you will be able to fight with the powers of a Lord." Bastian curves his hand to expose his palm for me to take. "Of course, if you accept I will train you-"

"What's the cost of this immense power? Nothing in this world is free."

"Wise as ever, my Lady. The price is my life, I will engrave myself into a new Grimoire so I could grant you my knowledge of the past and my whole power."

"I don't want it then." I stand and takes the candle with me to walk away. Not that I have a destination to head to, but still. "I won't trade power for a life."

...y....Lieg.....E....

I stop in my track at the sound of that chorus again. I look around but just like earlier, there's nothing that could make such noise. Who's calling me like that? It sounds like the voices of many, but I can't be sure without seeing it.

"They are calling, my Lady." Bastian raises from underneath me and with a little, regal bow, he gestures to move my attention to my left. "Your army is waiting for their call."

What army? My stars? It's impossible I don't disguise even one voice even in group. I know my stars' voices like my favorite song, I won't forget them, nor mistake them for anything else. What is he talking about?

Seeing my expression, Bastian raises his purple aura and with a snap of finger, the flame of the candle increases in seize so much to the point of becoming a little sun. When the light illuminated my left, my mouth drops to the floor and I feel my eyes burning for how much I am widening them.
What was calling was indeed the voice of many, it was the voice of a vast army of shadows. Shadows I know, there's the crimson knight, the dragon I killed 7 years ago, the huge wild wolf who went in berserk due to Araceli, the sea monster who was guarding a dungeon 8 years ago, various strong soldiers and casters I have encountered along the way.

"All the enemies I have defeated...." I repeat as my eyes travel as far as they can go and scan as many shadows as my brain can take. "There's even Kenna... What the fuck is this?"

"Kindness is the language with which the blind can see, and the deaf can hear, my Lady. To those who you have dedicate a sweet and calm requiem are here to repay your kindness. They are ready to give their souls and serve you to eternity, they just need a call, my Lady."

"Woah, woah, hold your damn horses! You are telling me that the thousands of people here is my army?" I shake my hands rapidly to decline everything that has been offered to me. "I sang those songs because some of them requested it to me, or because I was being respectful towards my opponent."

As I try to negotiate with Bastian, the crimson knight walks up to me and kneels like in front of his king. He stays silent, but I hear his soul talking, saying that he was in that dungeon for centuries to defend an empty throne. Now he wants to protect me, he wants to protect a throne where he can see his king on it.
Next the dragon comes with its huge, massive body. He lifts his wings a little and lows his head to be at my level. It is quiet as well but again, I hear his roaring voice saying that he'll serve me until the end only 'cause I ended his suffering in a quick and pain free way...

One by one, the strongest enemies I have encountered and defeated almost dying in it, are now all in front of me, knelt and begging me to grant their wishes one more time. The immense dragon of wrath, the crimson knight of the empty throne, the hybrid general, the commander and the wild wolf... Behind them there are so many others that counting them all would take me decades. Everything because I was kind to them....?

"It will take around a month for your body to adjust to such powers, but once you will rise, you will never fall again, you have my word, my Lady." Bastian bows one last time and with a smirk he asks a different question: "Are you ready to become a real black star, are you ready to be the Lord of Shadows, my Lady?"