Chapter 7: Emperor
Corpse Cathedral was still the same. The bones of gods will greet you everywhere you look. It should have been as creepy and eerie as hell; after all, he was basically in what could be considered the graveyard of gods, but it was filled with holiness and sacredness—such a contradiction in and of itself.
On second thought, Lucien remembered that the authorities of visionary had the ability to give life to anything virtual or material—Adam used this ability to capture Klein in the original book by giving life to his marionette, which became Gerhman Sparrow. Gerhman stabbed Klein with a wooden stake, sealing all of his power, and sent him to the corpse cathedral—and that should include corpses among its categories.
So, could Adam grant life to the corpses of the gods?...
'What a frightening prospect.' Lucien pondered with trepidation. He understood that, as he put it, this prospect would not be simple; there should be limitations and restrictions to this power because Adam was only a King of Angels for now. Yet, it only served to demonstrate how terrifying Adam was.
Speaking of Adam, "He" was still praying to the cross as Lucien sat in an uncomfortable silence on the front row of Corpse Cathedral. For the record, waiting was never his strong suit—he'd been in his fair share of queues in his previous life, and they were terrible to be in—and the fact that what awaited him was his future path didn't help him at all.
Lucien forced himself to concentrate on something else in order to calm his nerves. The first thing that came to mind was the recent changes in the time of night and dusk. The stars were brighter than ever before, and the twilight at sunset was blazing to the point where it seemed to engulf the world in lost brilliance. Such changes could be seen not only in Kolain but all over the world. Even mortals began to notice the oddity of the situation.
Merlin and a few other spirits he had created had been carefully communicating with creatures of the spirit world, gathering information for him about the general state of the planet. He intended to expand this into a full-fledged information-gathering network, but that was for another time. Let's get back to the point:
The changes of Night and Dusk. Could it be because of the actions of the Evernight Goddess and the God of Combat? Did "They" already manage to deduce clues to his existence? And were "They" now searching for him? …
Too many questions and assumptions weighed heavily on his mind. But he pushed it all aside for the time being as he watched Adam finish "His" prayer to "Himself"—was this some sort of acting or was the Ancient Sun God that narcissistic?—and rise from the genuflecting position, "His" hand reaching for the silver cross—Lucien was beginning to suspect that cross was special, perhaps the Visionary Uniqueness?—and gently holding it.
Lucien paused his brooding and kept his senses sharp and clear, raising his guard against Adam as "He" approached, even though he doubted it would help much, but it did soothe his paranoia.
If Adam had noticed his guarded actions, "He" didn't bother to say anything, instead sitting next to Lucien and looking ahead at the cross, "You should have noticed it." "He" posed it as more of a question than a statement.
Lucien was unsurprised, though a little concerned about how he understood exactly what Adam was implying, "Yes." He agreed, then ventured. "Do the changes of Night and Dusk have anything to do with me?"
"Yes." Adam confirmed it, his heart sinking. "Amanises and Badhiel have been actively looking for you."
"Have "They" discovered anything?" Lucien pressed tentatively.
Adam didn't answer; instead, "He" revealed. "Your Concelament is only temporary. The Gods are bound to eventually find out about your existence."
Lucien understood that this was inevitable; his existence was bound to bring changes, and even Adam with all "His" might couldn't continue to keep him in Concelament.
The real question now was whether he was prepared to face the world that awaited him.
Lucien closed his eyes for a moment of reckoning silence, then firmly opened them. "I am ready."
Adam hummed faintly before raising his hand and grabbing something from nowhere. It was a grey stone slab with an eerie aura to it. Its surface was covered in mottled engravings. And those engravings faintly looked like words that seemed like the source of all languages.
Lucien immediately knew what it was: the Second Blasphemy Slate!
The Angel of Imagination handed the slate to Lucien and pointed to a section that detailed potion formulas and sequences.
Lucien examined it closely and discovered that Adam was pointing to the Death Pathway, specifically the first two sequences:
Sequence 1 : Pale Emperor.
Potion Formula—
Main Ingredients: One Pale Emperor characteristic.
Ritual—
1) Build an empire, linking your name to the Title of Emperor and making it common knowledge among the populace.
2) Conquer 100,000 spirits and integrate them into your empire.
3) Direct all your citizens, both living and dead, to gather and focus on a major event.
4) Finally, as the event reaches its peak, drink the sequence 1 potion.
Sequence 0 : Death (Eternal Sleeper).
Potion Formula—
Main ingredient : All three beyonder characteristics corresponding to Pale Emperor and the Uniqueness of the Death Pathway.
Ritual—
Construct an underworld and make it the final resting place for souls.
'To construct an empire and an underworld?' Lucien squinted, his brow furrowed. 'Well, it's certainly suitable for the sequence names...' He was troubled by the rituals—aside from the underworld, building an empire was no easy task in and of itself. The complexities, problems, and difficulties involved in this endeavour may make anyone's head spin. And the fact that this was the world of the Lord of Mysteries makes this all the more complicated and difficult.
Lucien kept his troubling thoughts at bay in order to address the elephant in the cathedral. Even though he had already made an assumption, he sought confirmation from Adam. "So I'm going straight to Pale Emperor?"
"Yes." Adam nodded. "It's best if you first reach Pale Emperor before attempting Godhood. You may already be an archangel wielding authority, but apotheosis is a whole different story." He warned. "A single problem or blunder could derail everything you've worked so hard for."
Lucien nodded solemnly, fully aware of the dangers of the apotheosis ritual. He had no fantasies; he knew he'd fail if he attempted Godhood in his current state. It was better to be cautious and take things slowly rather than rushing in.
The Reaper looked at "His" limped eyes. "There's something else; will the madness in the characteristics of pale emperor infect me if I try to combine with it?"
"Probably." Adam said, "His" tone left much to be desired.
"You do not know." Lucien blinked, concluding.
"Yes," Adam admitted frankly. "I do not know. Lucien, you're on an unknown path, so tell me now if you're still as ready as you said."
Lucien was unnerved, both by the mysteries and unknowns that lay ahead of him and by Adam, who was putting his resolve to the test. But he didn't give in; his heart was still set on his hopes and dreams.
"I am." Lucien responded with finality in his eyes. "I chose this path, and I want to see it through."
"Your words are admirable." Adam nodded, taking the blasphemy slate. "But let's see if you can back it up with results, so how you intend to deal with the potential madness."
"The ritual of the pale emperor." Lucien immediately told Adam the plan he had just devised. "It will provide me with anchors to resist the madness."
Adam gently nodded. "It will indeed grant you enough anchors to deal with the problems of madness; however, becoming a ruler of an empire is easier said than done, isn't it?"
"Emperor.." Lucien was truly stumped. By all accounts, the Pale Emperor ritual was difficult. His old self would never have imagined himself building an empire in his wildest dreams. To be honest, he didn't even know where to begin.
Adam seemed to take pity on Lucien, for "He" guided him. "Take a look around you. You are on a continent that has been invaded and colonised by foreigners in the name of order, but all they have done is exploit and worsen the situation. Humans here have been oppressed and treated worse than livestock, but they still yearn for liberty, for freedom, for salvation, to the point that they would sacrifice their lives for it, so hear their prayers and grant them, Lucien."
As the final pieces of the puzzle fell into place, his mind clicked, revealing a chilling truth. "You actually want to—" Lucien stared wide-eyed at Adam.
"You are perceptive." Adam praised Lucien with a gentle smile. "Maybe you really do have a chance against Amanises."
Lucien's lips twitched, but he ventured forth with his conclusion. "You want me to become Emperor of Bayam, which is only possible if the southern continent is liberated from colonialism. Loen Kingdom and Intis Republic will not be happy about that, especially Loen."
"George Augustus III, King of Loen Kingdom, is attempting to become the Black Emperor, but the first requirement for its apotheosis ritual is to be an emperor of your own country, but Loen is under constitutional monarchy, so the King is merely a figurehead for the government, not their emperor."
"So Augustus must have chosen a different path, one that led him to the Loen colonies on the southern continent. He saw an opportunity and seized it, declaring himself Emperor of Bayam and assuming direct control of the colonies, thus satisfying the requirement..."
"Go on," Adam encouraged.
Lucien went on, his tone thick with heaviness. "Now, let's say, you have me," he pointed to himself. "Who wants to liberate the southern continent, which will not only offend the governments of Intis and Loen but will also deprive Augustus of the title of Emperor and ruin the ritual he worked so hard on. Ultimately, what do you think will happen then?"
"A war." Adam prophesied, "His" gaze somewhere far away. "A war that sweeps the entire world."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Lucien_Morningstar
Lucien_Morningstar Stones will be appreciated; they keep me motivated
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