abcnovels
Chapter 1094: The Cost of Sagacity
Chapter 1094: The Cost of Sagacity
Chapter 1094: The Cost of Sagacity
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"...If only I knew."
As the heavy rains caused the skies to turn a somber gray, Azradas strongly bit on his lips as tears brimmed around his eyes, his arms carrying the old man that was once his personal mentor.
Being part of the Truthseeker Race, Azradas took the race's ability to assimilate knowledge from the beings they consume for granted, thinking of it as the right they'd been given the moment they were born.
With that, he also took the various tiers of knowledge for granted, confident that he'd be able to reach even the first tier of knowledge with minimal effort.
Though he'd proven himself more capable of reaching the true first tier of knowledge his mentor mentioned, Azradas did admit to himself that he would have done so earlier if it weren't for the fact that he allowed the aptitude test he took as a kid to get the better of him. Then again, who wouldn't boast the fact that they were a rare prodigy of their race?
Yet, it was only now did Azradas realize that there was a reason behind the words he'd received from his teachers and mentors, the wishes and hopes they passed onto him to eventually attain the higher tiers of knowledge.
It was only now, when his planet had obtained the full ire of the universe, did everything finally become clear to him.
Not only that, but to right one of the many wrong decisions Azradas had made so far, his personal mentor, the one he looked up to as a role model, had laid his life down for the young
man...
Just so Azradas could make use of their ability as a Truthseeker to the fullest.
"If only I listened..." murmured Azradas to himself as he poured out his grievances to the world. "If only I learned... from all of your words."
"Would we have been able to avoid all of this from happening?"
As those words left his mouth, Azradas could not stop his tears any longer.
With the rain pouring down even harder than before, the tears streamed down the young man's face as he felt all of the negative emotions he'd felt throughout his life rise to the surface once more.
Then again, the young man's lament did not last for long, being reminded of the precarious situation their planet was in.
Taking in a deep breath as he stifled his tears, Azradas closed his eyes for a bit as he offered a prayer to the heavens.
Then, with a knife in his hand, he began to carve parts of his mentor out piece by piece before stuffing it in his mouth.
Feeling wave upon wave of knowledge crash upon his mind the moment he ate his mentor's flesh, the tears Azradas stifled began streaming down his face once more.
However, unlike before, he allowed it to flow freely this time, feeling himself finally cross upon the threshold his mentor had been hoping for him to achieve all this time.
Yet, even the excitement of finally becoming an Erudite did not change what he felt at that moment.
After all, his current situation was a grim reminder of his mistakes.
And what he was doing was just the start of the great price he had to pay.
--
"Long time no see, Azradas."
Hearing a familiar voice accompany a set of footsteps echoing from where he was, Azradas slowly turned his head upward as he faced the man that appeared before him.
With his expression continuing to remain as it was, Azradas watched as the man began to grin all of a sudden, only to then snap his fingers as a myriad number of lights illuminated the reality of his situation.
Whoosh!
Seeing the hundreds of chains binding his body in place, the small space that he'd been confined in for a great portion of his life already, Azradas let out a faint sigh before asking the man in front of him a question.
"What do you want?"
"What else would I want from the smartest mind of the universe?" The man grinned, his fingers tracing one of the many chains locking Azradas in place. "As the one known by all as the Sagacious One, I'm sure you already know the reason for my visit."
"...I've said it before and I'll say it again." Taking a bit of time to think over his words, Azradas eventually replied to the man's question. "Even if you bind me here, even if you confine me in a small space for eternity, I will never accede to your requests."
"Oh?" The man raised his eyebrow before the grin on his face turned wider. "Is that so?"
Whoosh!
With a snap of the man's fingers, the chains holding Azradas began to turn a scorching orange-red, seemingly teetering on the edge of holding its shape and turning into a puddle of molten metal.
Yet, even though immense amounts of heat flowed through the chains binding him, Azradas did not even briefly flinch in response to the orange-red chains, merely continuing to stare back at the man just like he'd done many times before.
"...You're no fun." Naturally, the man knew of this as well, clicking his tongue as he brought everything back to normal. "To turn even falsehoods into truths, such a power like that is already beyond the realms of the divine."
"Which only gives me a greater reason to enlist your help in our project, to be honest," the man continued with a slight chuckle. "Are you really going to be stubborn till the very end? Do you really not want to participate in the creation of the Apparatus?"
"...I've said it before..." Letting out a low sigh, Azradas shook his head as he told the man the words he spoke earlier. "...and I'll say it again."
"Even if you lock me here in the Eternal Tower... even if you confine me here until the universe dies... I will never... even for a brief second, think about participating in your plans, Azazel."
"Hoh?" Hearing his name be mentioned, the man raised his eyebrow as he looked at Azradas with interest. "What a surprise. That's the first time I've heard my name come out of your
mouth."
Then, the man grinned once more. "In any case, keep this in mind. Just as how you can live forever, we can live forever as well."
"We won't stop asking you the same question. We won't stop pushing your mind and spirit to extremes even the Primordials themselves would fear enduring."
"As long as you reject our proposal to aid in the creation of the Apparatus, every waking moment you spend shall become a living nightmare."
"As long as you reject our proposal... you'll regret ever becoming known as the Sagacious
One."
"Mark my words, Azradas." As these words left his mouth, Azazel's body gradually began to darken. "You and I both know that I have the means to make the things you rely on
meaningless."
Eventually, the man's body disappeared from Azradas' vision without a trace... but not
without leaving a few choice words to the man.
"You will eventually accept our request. Perhaps not now, perhaps not in the near future, but
someday, you will do so."
"In any case, I'm quite tired."
"Farewell for now... Reality Breaker."