Way of the Knights

Chapter 356 - Old Man

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An old man with a long white beard and thick white eyebrows showed up from the shadows of the Guardian Yeti.

His eyes were closed so Raven had no idea what his pupils look like. His face was wrinkled with age, his earlobes were elongated due to the unique earrings he was wearing. He was holding a wooden cane that supported his posture, his back was bent and he was wearing what looks like a dirty martial gi, and he was barefooted as well. 

His tone and face showed kindness, but behind this expression, Raven could sense so much more. 

This old man, was incredibly suspicious. It also didn't help that he could somehow recognize his face. 

"You are…" Raven paused. He stared at the old man and racked his memories in his attempts to remember who this was. 

The old man was aware that Raven was getting suspicious of him, but instead of saying anything, he chose to remain silent and instead, he lovingly stroked the fur of the Guardian Yeti like it was some sort of a house pet. 

In his stupor, Raven eventually figured out who this old man looked like. But at the same time, he also didn't want to believe that this old man was the same person he was thinking about. 

"Greetings, Elder. My name is Raven." He said as he introduced himself, "May I know yours?"

The old man looked back at him and smiled kindly, he then asked: "Don't you already have your answers? Why ask me still?"

"But you can't possibly be the same person I am thinking." Raven answered as confidently as he could. 

The old man raised his brow in amusement and asked: "Oh? And why is that?"

"It's because I could neither sense any fluctuations of Ice Laws on you, so you can't possibly be the Ice Emperor." Raven answered, "I also almost mistook you as the Ice Emperor's biological father, the 'Caretaker', but you're also not him since I can't feel any Mantras coming off of you."

"So who are you really?" Raven asked. 

His words and question finally caused the old man's expression to change into a more serious one. However that only lasted for a mere moment before his face returned to it's usual kindness. He then said:

"Well I'll be…" The old man laughed softly, "The Ice Emperor himself didn't even know who his own biological parents were. But you, someone who were born ages after his death and never had any chances of meeting him personally, knew about it."

"Not only that, you can also tell that I don't have any Ice Laws and you are also aware of Buddhist Mantras." The old man laughed heartily this time and said: "You really are an impressive young man."

"Thank you for your praise, Elder." Raven replied. But even though he appeared to be calm, he was actually preparing for the worst already. 

'He basically confirmed that he's neither of them. Who could this old man possibly be?'

His instincts were screaming at him, telling him that he cannot deal with this old man should he pissed him off. Ever since he showed, Raven was still trying to figure out who his old man is. 

Raven's senses told him that this old man is older than what he actually looks like. He could sense a profound ancientness in the way that he moves and talks. But at the same time, he also found him incredibly weird. Something's not right with this old man. 

*Groans*

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sound of groaning from the Guardian Yeti. His gaze turned towards it and he saw that it was shaking off the accumulating snow on it's body. 

"There, there." The old man said as he continued stroking the white and glossy fur of the humongous being. 

'Wait!' Raven suddenly recalled something as he saw this interaction. 'He's treating the Guardian Yeti like a house pet! That shouldn't be possible. According to the words of the Ice Emperor himself, the Guardian Yeti doesn't like being with humans aside from him. The Ice Emperor left nothing about this old man at all, which means that either he doesn't know of him, or this old man asked him to keep his identity as a secret. But why would he do that?'

He also recalled another important information. 

'Right, he also called the Guardian Yeti with a different name.' He thought to himself. 'He called it, A'nu. The Ice Emperor called it Father. What's going on here?'

'All I know that this old man is really old. Like really, really old. As if…wait!'

Raven suddenly realized something, and the thought struck him like thunderbolt, causing him to inhale sharply. This of course wasn't missed by the old man who looked at him in curiosity. It was then that Raven suddenly blurted out these words:

"You aren't human." 

The old man's expression changed as he these words coming from Raven. He didn't say anything, instead he waited for Raven to continue. 

"No, that's not completely true either." Raven continued, "You are only part human, and those human part of your happens to look like the Ice Emperor's lineage."

"What I'm looking at right now, is an Avatar." Raven said, causing the old man to be shocked, "An Avatar of something that had existed for a very, very long time. You treat the Guardian Yeti like it is your own child, it gave me an impression that you must've been born even before it did."

"Am I right so far?" Raven paused and said: "Plane's Consciousness?"

*Boom!*

The whole ice dome visibly shook after he said his piece. 

A fearsome aura filled with the grandeur of ancientness and unrelenting might suddenly flooded his surroundings. 

Shockwaves reverberated everywhere, causing Raven's clothes and hair to flap wildly with the raging cold winds it's causing. 

In fact, this might wasn't only felt around him. This vast and mighty aura had spread not only throughout the whole north but in the whole plane as well. 

***

All Demonic Beast felt a deep seated terror when they felt these fluctuations. They all prepared for the worst and thought of methods they could use to survive. 

The peaceful apes of the Gentle Primates Tribe looked up to the skies in horror as if they could feel the anger of the heavens, similar to how they witnessed Raven's might once upon a time. Only this time, it's strong by several folds.

The Idol of the Kraken Priestess at the Sunken Ivory Castle as felt the fluctuations of the plane. She looked at the ceiling, but he gaze penetrated all the way to the surface of the sea. Her delicate face wore a very troubled expression. She asked:

"Who could've provoked this kind of reaction from him?"

Meanwhile, near the kingdom's walls. Myrna, the Moonlight Butterfly, who's silently watching over their children and spending her time in peace with Elmar, the Kind Ent, also felt the vast might of the plane washing over the skies. 

She felt it, Elmar felt, their children felt it as well, causing both of them to go into motion. Myrna revealed her true form and sent mighty gusts of winds around her. She uttered a piercing cry, a call that only their children could hear. Elmar sent his roots and vines to grab their children and hide them to his own body to protect them. 

"The Plane's Consciousness was provoked! Who could've done such a thing!?" Myrna exasperatingly asked. 

"I don't know." Elmar answered solemnly, "But it shouldn't be because of us. Still, this is not good."

Myrna flew and perched herself into one of the branches of Elmar. She then said: "Let's keep an eye out. We didn't do anything wrong, but if he's really coming towards us, then I'll fight to death."

"I'll fight with you, after I send our children away. I'm not letting you face this alone."

And just like that, the two braced themselves for the worst. 

It wasn't just the Demonic Beasts too. Humans also felt this vast and ancient aura washing over the skies. 

Balmung immediately sent an order, he mobilized all forces in preparation for an incoming attack. They monitored the Skynet Array and had all knights on stand by. All of them felt nervous. 

It feels like doomsday was coming for them. And even though the state of the Kingdom is far cry from what it was used to be, they still feel that they were extremely unprepared for the upcoming calamity. 

All the way back at the location of Raven. As the one who's bearing all the burnt of this overbearing aura, of course Raven didn't feel so good. 

The might of the old man made him feel small. But instead of succumbing to his unquestionable might, Raven instead had wore a peaceful smile on his face and allowed himself to be baptized by this mighty power. 

His posture never faltered. He stood tall and proud as he faced combined might of an entire plane. Of course he was feeling pain all over his body but this is considered nothing to him. 

Not even the vast power of this entire plane, could move his will or his soul to submission.