Diachrome -Onyx-

Chapter 2 : The Great Capital of Nufadonia

The stalwart man walked around his throne. His black cape swept the reddish marble floor under his feet. The Seraph, that's what people all over the Winongard call him. He felt bored. Never he had feel such boredom like this before. There are only some ordinary news. Famine, poverty, and crime that becoming more and more rampant day by day, especially in some small and unmaintained districts around the Capitals. He needs more fresh and intriguing news. The news that can make him feels refreshed. He took step by step on the stairs, walked to his throne that sit directly on the big windows that display his beloved city, the Great Capital of Nufadonia where he rules all of his government system. it's been centuries since his reign as the Seraph of this world, the one and only entities who hold the true and absolute power over all beings in Winongard regardless anything. Well, sounds kinda like Dictator, to be honest. And just like all other ruler, the Seraph had hundreds, even thousands of faithful subordinates and soldiers who will follow all his order without any exception. The Seraph also had three otherworldly powerful henchmen, otherwise known as the 'Elite Force'. Those henchmen aren't just some random people with ordinary ability. Those three are the strongest who can survive the Seraph's survival test, and those who passed the test will granted the otherworldly, extraordinary power that beyond the imagination. They are so strong that others will prefer to die rather than being hunted or have to deal with them.

It's not just a nonsense that the Seraph and his henchmen had those extraordinary power. They had their own secret. A very dark and creepy secret. All of the Seraph's subordinates, soldiers, even his henchmen and himself are corrupted by the dark power of Pandora. Pandora itself isn't just a mere power that can be underestimated. This power is the legend, fairytale, even mystery that took most scientist and researcher's interest for the sake to seek it's origin. Some says that Pandora was a mysterious force that created due to lust for power and love more than milleniums ago, Some others also said that Pandora was a dark force that sealed with Nirvana-class spells by some Divine-class High Priest at the time. Some others also said that Pandora is the result of those who practiced some dark and forbidden magic that will consume the caster's sanity. There are so many theories and hypothesises that put forward by the researchers. But still, what is the origin of this massive and corruptive force is still a big question until this day. However, there is one single and obvious sign that an entity has sold his soul and sanity to this corruptive forbidden force.

The Pandora Oculus, or more known as The Cursed Eyes, The Disaster Eyes, or anything that refer to this corrupted, cursed pair of eyes that mark the forbidden contract with Pandora.

Of course, not all the creatures who made this contract show those mark in public, including the Seraph himself. He's clever enough to modified his contract mark to resides in his black longsword instead in his eyes. A pitch-black longswords that always bursting pitch-black auras everytime the sword pulled out of its sheath. He still remember the time when he made this cursed contract. He's such a young and foolish brat who just willingly take the easiest shortcut to end the war. And now, he's the ruler of all entities in this world. Isn't that very wonderful? Well, there's a time when he blame his past self who blinded by power and more concerning with winning the war. But if he try to remember it, isn't 'Pandora' the reason that the war two centuries ago started? Is 'Pandora' intentionally accepted his beg for contract because it had some wicked and rotten plan? But whatever it is, the Seraph doesn't mind it at all right now. As long as he can remain as the Sole Ruler of Winongard, nobody can defeat him. Even Pandora itself.

"Delegation of Central Guard Patrol asking for your permission to enter the throne room, Your Majesty. We just got some news from one of the Zephyr Desert's patrol infirmary.".

A loud voice from one of the Seraph's soldier who was kneeling not far behind the Seraph's tall and majestic throne echoing in his room. The Seraph's daydream becoming a little dispersed. 'From the Zephyr Desert? It's quite unusual for the guard patrol from there to report the result of their watch this early.'

"Come in, and make sure this is some interesting news so you reporting this to me this early."

"We're sorry to disturb you this early, Your Majesty. The Zephyr Desert's patrol infirmary states that they found and detected two anomaly auras who are moving toward the exit point of the desert as we talk right now." The Soldier reads the report as the Seraph's eyes keep staring at the window. "After we investigate those auras, The two of them is suspected to be someone who involved in the Great War of Dyvon who is rumored to be missing more than two decades ago. The estimated time until they arrived at the exit point with riding the Venta Sabretooth is approximately five hours from now. The report's over. We will set up everything while waiting for your order."

The Seraph's eyes widened and a little grin crooked on his lips. This is exactly the fresh and intriguing news that he waited all this time. The news that doesn't involve any crime, famine nor poverty, but some extraordinary discovery of something impossible. The Seraph chuckles as he stood from his throne, stepping down the marble stairs slowly and approaching the soldier who brought this marvelous news to him while the soldier himself still kneeling and direct its gaze upon the report paper in his hand, shaking as he wait for the Seraph to execute his order.

"Is there any other informations that those peasant infirmary found about this two anomalies?"

"We're very sorry, Your Majesty. But there's no further informations so far right now." The Soldier replied. "We still waiting for your order, Your Majesty. Do you want us to take care of them, orー"

"ーI'll leave everything about this anomaly auras to the Elite Force." The Seraph replies as his deep voice echoed in the throne.

The Seraph laughed again while walking back to his throne. The soldier's having a great goosebumps while he hold himself so hard to stand up and walked away from the throne room. Because he knows, those laugh from the Sole Ruler means there's something fishy with His Majesty's mind and plan. Chuckling, the Seraph stare again at the great window in front of his throne, staring at the not cloudy yet not so sunny sky. He smiles as he stare at the below part of the window, displaying the view of the Great Capital that always busy day and night. How many centuries again since the first time he feels this excited and pumped? He can't remember it. It's already too long even he can't remember it anymore.

"So, they're already half their way to the Exit Point of Zephyr Desert, correct? Interesting. I don't expect those peasants had their own way faster than i though. But well, it's okay. I always one step further in front of everyone in this world." The Seraph smiled again as his voice softened. "Order the Solanimus to hold them in the Exit Point. If they resist, give their peasant leader some of our Force Pill to stop those anomalies for good. Now you are dismissed."

"Understood. We will inform this immediately to the Guard Patrol at the Zephyr Desert ASAP."

The Soldier stood up and stepped away from the throne room immediately. Leaving the Sole Ruler who now chuckling behind his throne. I can't believe this day finally comes. Haha, i've waited so long for this day to come true. The Sole Ruler speaks in his mind and begin to laughing again when the door of his throne room begin to open back. He can already guessed that his three obedient henchmen will come here even without him to order it. Just like lapdogs that will approach their owner when they found something suspicious.

The three henchmen of the Seraph are known as the most obedient amongst others of the Seraph's subordinate. They will obey any order that the Seraph give to them although it seems impossible to accomplish. But this is one of many 'benefit' for having this cursed contract. Due to this contract, they can complete any impossible order from the Seraph with just a blink of eye. The three of them also had their own nickname. The Death Phoenix, The Frost Samurai, and The Misfortune Teller. There was also another one called The Bahamut, but he resigned for unknown reason and cancel his contract with Pandora by sacrificing his left hand. But of course, these cursed and corrupted contract won't be so easy to be completely cancelled. But well, That's not so necessary for our Sole Ruler. For him, his three remaining Henchmen is more than enough to operating his marvelous and clever plan in his head. he knock his still-sheated longsword to the marble floor, as if ordered his henchmen to stand still and not needed to bow down anymore.

"We already heard the news, Your Majesty." The Death Phoenix grin widely. "Uwee-hehe, we come here as soon as those puny soldier walked out from this room. And I remember that you've said to him that you will leave this anomaly auras to us, correct?"

The Death Phoenix start chuckling creepily. He's the right hand of the Sole Ruler, also known as the most cunning and loyal henchman that the Seraph had. He holds the power of Blupyro, also known as the mass destructive blue fire of death that most notable as the only fire that always lit and burn everything and can never be extinguished by anything. He's the strongest from the three henchmen with the power that almost as astrong as the Seraph. Only one of his maniacal laugh and it will makes all the creatures in radius 1 kilometre run for their lives. Not only that, He also can burn down a whole city, even a whole island just in one day. He's the most dangerous Henchmen that Seraph had, even the other Elite forces will also prefer to stay away from him rather than deal with him.

"Excellent. I know i can count on you three, my most obedient henchmen." The Sole Ruler looked at his henchmen one by one. "This is such an amazing news, but this is also a quite surprising news for us that there are indeed some survivor from the Great War of Dyvon who is still alive. They'll be reaching the Exit Point in five hours. Of couse, that's not a very short time. But we can't just sit here and do nothing. We must investigate them so we can capture them alive and make them join us. I've already ordered those peasant Solanimuses to capture them alive. But if the Solanimuses had failed even if they already consumes our Force Pill and transformed into Great Titan, I'm pretty sure they will be crossing the Departure Hill. And at that time, I'll trust you to watch over them. You can also awaken your peasant Undeads pet that has asleep for a long long time to trap them."

"Your orders are my pleasure, Your Majesty."

The Misfortune Teller nodded, undertaking his assigned mission from the Seraph. He is the Seraph's great Mage with high skills that can cast any magic, whether it is White Magic or Black Magic even some pretty unique magic such like Faerye Magika that was rumoured can only be casted by the residents of Lunar. Besides, he's also very clever like a deer and sly like a fox. He always assigned on some assassination mission that need advanced plan with clever tricks. Once he locks his target, never anything nor anyone will get out from his grasp.

"And if my calculation hit the jackpot like always, if they also can defeat those peasant Undeads they'll be arrive at the nearest town, which is the old Silkchain Town. Ah, I remember now. There's an old library there, right? It's been a very long time since the last time i went there. But i just can't go there. My perfect brilliant plan need my attention now that there's some survivor of those war. Because of that, I want you to go there and bring me the Origin of Winongard book at the peak of the old library. I can't let those priceless book just sit and left rotten there. Can you do it for me, O my obedient right hand?"

Of course, the Death Phoenix know what the Sole Ruler means. As he undertake the order by chuckling softly and grinning widely while staring right at the Seraph's eyes. Although he's the henchman of the Seraph, But the Seraph even admitted himself that his right hand's plan is just absolutely wicked but works very excellently. Never he heard nor saw any plans that more wicked and rotten rather than the plans that created by his right hand. And surprisingly, those rotten plans were always exceeded his expectation and made him really interested and curious to know his another plan in future. Sure his right hand is full of surprise, but he also had some flaws like a normal entities. The most fatal flaw that the Death Phoenix had is that he completely lost his sanity even before he made the contract with Pandora. He's by far the most insane henchman that the Seraph ever had in his reign. He's so insane that he will not hesitate but happily volunteered to be the executioner of some custody, thief, even innocent people that deemed to had done something wrong in Seraph's eyes and had to paid with their lives. He also will happily punish another Elite Force members even if they did nothing wrong in the Seraph's eyes.

He's just outright bloodlust and can't distinguish between his allies and his enemies.

Although he's capable to outright destroy everything that get in his way, he's still the Seraph's subordinate. He can't deny nor resist the absolute order from the Seraph. Never ever as long as the Seraph is still his ruler. "Of course, Your Majesty. I'll do it just exactly like what you order to me. But i'll need your permission to greet those survivor warmly with my own way. May I?"

"Of course, of course. You can do it just with your way." The Seraph smiles softly. "Now just get out of my sight and do your task."

"Uwee-hehee~ Then, I'll bid my farewell. So long, my other comrades."

Then as soon as the Seraph nodded his head, the Death Phoenix just run into the nearest window and jump so that the window is broken and he just straight fall from 30 feet height, before some voice resembling something like broken bone and crashing the rocky road, followed by some scream, noise and crowd from the citizens which followed each other and ended up by some maniacal laugh and the sound of fire bursting. The Seraph just shook his head while rubbing his forehead. Well, since this is just another 'normal' routinity of his right hand, he had no other choice but sigh and focused back to his brilliant plan.

"Those crazyass Phoenix just really love to hurt himself, doesn't he?"

The Frost Samurai sighs. he already used, even bored to see the Death Phoenix do some irrational things that called 'have fun' by him. Although, he also afraid that someday he too will lose his sanity due to this corrupted contract. He still remember the first time he agreed to accept and sign the Pandora's contract that said can grant any wishes he had for the price of his soul. It is definitely sounds creepy but he had no other choice beside being the strongest to survive the Survival Test, and now he becoming the high commander of the Seraph's Soldier, the Hyrilwinder. Although he was underestimated by another test's partcipant just because he came from a small village that hidden in the Lost Forest, but that's just lasted not too long since those participants either got ridded by him or just straight killed by him.

"Do you have any order for me, Your Majesty?"

"Oh, if I think about it again I haven't decided yet about your role in this plan. So your order this day is just do your daily task or train our new peasant soldiers on the field. Aren't they like, see you as their role model right?"

The Frost Samurai just stare at his ruler with his iconic flat gaze before blinked his amethyst eyes and walked out from the Throne Room. "Affirmative." He said as the sound of his footstep slowly fading away, leaving only the Misfortune Teller with the Seraph in the throne room.

"Then I'll also take my leaveー"

"Wait. I got another mission for you, O Misfortune Teller. This is a very important mission that only you can do it. I'm sure you won't dissapoint me, right?" The Seraph said as he smiles suspiciously.

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