Timeless Assassin: Volume 9, 'A New Era Of Chaos'

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"Men do not wage war for land, or gods, or survival.

They wage it to be seen.

Peace allows too many lies to persist, too many small men to believe themselves sufficient, too many fragile hierarchies to stand untested.

War strips those lies bare.

It forces every soul to answer a single question it has spent a lifetime avoiding.

'What are you at your core, when there is nothing left to hide behind?'

And when the answer terrifies them, men do not change.

They simply call it destiny, and march."

— Archivist Halden Vire, On the Nature of Conflict Vol.2

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(Over 2 millenia ago, The Timeless Assassin's POV, Planet Ixtal)

The Timeless Assassin sat in the tea room of the stone castle as he often did, one hand loosely wrapped around a porcelain cup while steam rose in slow, patient coils, the warmth settling into his fingers as he enjoyed the peace and tranquility.

The room was quiet, not out of emptiness, but out of respect, its stone walls worn smooth by centuries of conversations that had reshaped the universe, as even the wind inside seemed to drift carefully, as if afraid to offend the overlord of the universe.

*Step*

*Step*

Footsteps approached.

He did not turn.

He never needed to.

Kaelith entered the room with the easy confidence of someone who knew he was always welcome here, as he took the seat across from his father and poured himself tea without asking, copying the motion he had watched a thousand times before.

*Trrrr…..*

The Timeless Assassin glanced at him over the rim of his cup, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"So," he said as he set the cup down, his tone amused rather than curious, "you are finally spending your afternoons with your old man again."

Kaelith smiled lightly as he settled back.

"I thought I would today," he replied as he lifted his own cup.

"You always say the best conversations happen when nothing urgent is happening, and since you seem free today, I thought why not join you?"

He explained as the Timeless Assassin hummed faintly in approval.

"A carefully worded sentence…. It gives the impression that you came here without a specific goal in mind, just to spend time with me….

Which is not true, however, since it is not worded that way, your aura doesn't waver and I cannot catch the lie.

You have truly become eloquent."

The Timeless Assassin complimented, as Kaelith bit his lips in shame.

He knew his father was smart, however, he had hoped his trickery would not be caught today.

Unfortunately for him though, he did not quite know how to fool him just yet.

The duo sat in silence for a moment, tea cooling slowly between them, as eventually Kaelith just bit back the guilt and bared his true intentions.

"Father, I was reviewing the Chakravyuh formation recently, and had some doubts…."

He began as his gaze drifted toward the open archway, his voice casual, almost idle.

"I realized I never actually asked you about some of its limits…. And about why you designed it the way you did…."

Kaelith explained, as the Timeless Assassin raised an eyebrow, his fatherly smile deepening.

"Oh," he said as he tilted his head slightly.

"So you have picked up an interest in formations now?"

He asked as Kaelith simply shrugged in response.

"I have to find some way to catch up to Soron," he replied as if stating an obvious truth.

"He has surpassed me as a warrior, and as the elder brother I need to find a way to get ahead of him once again…."

He confessed as the Timeless Assassin chuckled softly, the sound warm and unguarded.

"And here I thought you were just here to have afternoon tea with the old man…."

The Timeless Assassin teased as Kaelith laughed once more with shame.

"I am not that filial, father, I think you know it all too well" he said as he shook his head. "And neither is Soron."

The Timeless Assassin studied him for a moment longer, then nodded.

Ever since his children became Gods, they seemed to have stopped caring for his approval and became their own men, as no longer were they filial in their duty towards him.

"Ask your question, son, I'll always teach you all I can"

The Timeless Assassin said regardless, as he leaned forward slightly, the curiosity in his eyes burning bright as he expressed genuine desire in seeing what Kaelith thought about his formation.

"You designed the Chakravyuh so that four demigods could power its core, correct?"

Kaelith began, as the Timeless Assassin nodded in acknowledgement.

"So that even warriors who are not full Gods can come together and take down Gods by sealing away the fourth dimensional axis and forcing them into the three dimensional realm…."

"Yes,"

The Timeless Assassin replied calmly, as he interrupted Kaelith's question.

"Tremendous Power should never be left without a leash."

He clarified as Kaelith nodded in agreement.

"But what if the core was changed," he asked as he looked back at his father. "What if, instead of demigods, four gods powered the formation? And they use their aura to block out the fourth dimension completely."

He asked as the Timeless Assassin did not answer immediately.

Instead, he set his cup down with deliberate care, his fingers lingering for a fraction longer than necessary, as his eyes narrowed slightly, not in suspicion, but in calculation.

"For a short time, the formation would resist itself."

He said at last as Kaelith leaned forward, attentive.

"But once it stabilizes," the Timeless Assassin continued as he lifted his hand, faint geometric rings blooming into existence between them, overlapping layers of light and law folding inward, "the Chakravyuh would become unstoppable."

The rings tightened, space subtly warping around their edges.

"If four gods power the core," he said as he looked directly at Kaelith, "then no one can break free from it."

He declared as Kaelith hesitated and gulped a mouthful of saliva.

*Gulp*

"Surely," he said carefully, "you would be able to break free from it father, after all your strength surpasses the strength of all other gods put together."

He praised, as the Timeless Assassin laughed a genuine sound, as he shook his head.

"No, my son," he said as his expression softened. "Not even me."

Kaelith froze, just briefly.

"The Chakravyuh is a special formation…."

The Timeless Assassin continued, unaware of the weight settling behind his son's eyes.

"I created it so that Gods would never stand above consequence. It allows weaker warriors to band together and kill a God if necessary."

The rings dissolved into nothing.

"But if Gods use it against another God," he said as his tone turned absolute, "then whoever stands at its center is already dead."

Kaelith lowered his gaze, nodding slowly, absorbing every word with the reverence of a student.

Yet beneath that calm, something else took shape.

Not anger.

Not hatred.

But understanding.

As Kaelith realized in that very moment that the greatest warrior to ever exist had just unknowingly explained exactly how, if ever, he could be killed.

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