Lord Shadow



There is an old man in front of the temple of Delphi. This old man appears at night and no one would notice him

But only one person would notice him

The Great Oracle Erika also knows that this old man is not ordinary but she never talks too much or try to pry too much about the old man.

The more it is like this, the more Erika did not say anything inappropriate. Instead, she would accompany the old wanderer. 

And tonight, Erika is sitting beside the old man, on the steps of the marble stairs leading to the entrance of the temple

Both of them are looking at the stars above. 

"No more question tonight?"

Erika asks

The old man shook his head

"You have been here yesterday. And today you came again. Last night, you ask me riddles. Tonight, you asked me question. It has been two nights. Would three nights be the charm? At the third night will you ask me to craft poems?"

"There is ritual to these things" the old man said as he chuckles. 

Erika only smirks. 

This is the wanderer that have come late at night yesterday, who greeted Erika, and spoke

"Greetings, wise Oracle. I have heard of your renowned foresight, and I seek your guidance"

At that time, her eyes could see nothing and so, because of that she knows who is in front of her.

Knows who this old wanderer with one eyed, two raves, two wolves and a staff is. 

Odin. But since he did not say anything, she did not say anything. She knows that He knows and He knows that she knows. 

But there is ritual to these things. And Eriak does not dare to reveal this old god identity. 

Odin is not someone who Erika could uses her magic against. This is a being who is a powerhouse in the Omniverse. 

Wherever he goes, he could survive and wherever he goes, he is an Overlord. 

One snap of a finger could turn her into dust. Of course, she is curious. Why come down here? 

Why descend toward Earth? 

Why now? 

She has many questions but she also knows as long as Odin wanted to remain a wanderer, the question she should ask, is question an Oracle should ask a wanderer. 

She knows the kind of question she could ask and the question that she could not.

Odin seems to be looking at something far in the distance. His eyes seems to be deep, and it was like there is stars in his eyes.

But Erika did not dare to stare. 

Erika just sits beside him, not saying anything. 

"Maybe, I should give that kid a little help" Odin suddenly said. Erika eyes narrowed

The words and actions of Odin always have meaning. She had a hunch almost immediately.

Which kid that Odin is referring to? If Odin is here, then the layout of this old God might have begun

But the kid...could it be referring to….she did not dare to let her thoughts go wild. Sometimes preconception could be dangerous. 

She fears this is also a scheme. If she acted based on this word, who knows if this word is a catalyst for her to enter into a trap

So, it is better to forget it and stick with her own plan. 

Odin waves his hand and a gust of wind flew out from his sleeve and then it dissipated. It was more like the gust of wind was teleported away. 

But Erika did not try to find out where that wind of gust goes. Even if she tried, she doubt she could follow it with her Divine Sense. 

Then Odin smiles

"Hope" he said

"What a…..wish" he mutters. Erika did not understand what Odin is trying to say and she felt it is time for this night meeting to end

The stars twinkles in the heavens and the howling has stopped so; it is time for her to end this ritual tonight

She then said

"Old wanderer, I will retreat first and we will meet again tomorrow. There is water on the entrance and food if you want it" 

The code of hospitality must not be forgotten, she thought to herself

She gets up from her seat on the stair step but right before she about to pat her bottom to remove the dust, the old wanderer suddenly spoke

"I thought to wait for three days." 

"Hmm?"

The old wanderer chuckles and shakes his head

"It seems thing have once again move into a different direction. Some threads are cut, and some threads are being connected. What a marvellous event!" he said as he laugh loudly, joyfully, full of emotions. 

He did not get up from his seat but instead, he turns to look toward Erika and then said

"Things have change. Two days is enough, I guess" 

Hearing this the Oracle eyes narrow toward the old wanderer and a sense of danger enveloped her. 

Then the old wanderer suddenly said

"You should know my identity"

"An old wanderer" she answer. And the old wanderer

"Odin. That is what many beings called me. Odin, the ruler of Asgard. That is my job. Odin the Allfather. That is my title. I have many names and many titles and many roles. I am….Odin" And the moment he said it, like something taboo had been uttered, thunder roars in the sky. 

Dark clouds gather above the temple, covering the moon. The Heavenly Will notices. It had noticed before but before is different

Now, Odin is basically revealing himself to the people of this world. And Odin aura seems to be rising. 

The Heavenly Will, how could it not notice? And how it could not response?

So, the dark clouds gather, and the sound of thunder and lightning began to roar in the Heavens. 

The Acolytes of the Oracle below the mountain could see the dark clouds and hear the sound of thunder and lightning

But as they tries to divine the source of this, these Acolytes all shouted and warn the others not to divine it. 

"Heavenly Will!" one of them shouted and that word is enough to stop the others. 

They look at the raging skies and then they look toward that temple on top of the mountain and they could not help but think that tonight event probably is because the Great oracle did something

And this is not something that they could meddle in with. So, some of them quickly flies off far away from the mountain and would return only I the Oracle call them or when this matter abated. 

The pressure of Heaven rolls down to the mortal world and the earth shakes and the heaven trembles!

On the top of Mount Parnassus, with countless peaks and valleys, there is the Temple of the Great Oracle. 

And the pressure of Heaven cracks the towers of structures all around the temple. The gathering clouds become even thicker and the sound of thunder becomes louder. 

Odin ignores the gathering clouds

Erika sighed and then look at the wrath of Heaven above her head in the form of a thick thunder clouds and she could not help but said

"This is inappropriate" her face is sour. 

Odin did not play according to the script. Didn't you want to do this kind of trading back and forth of riddles to imitate the rituals of your methods. 

Why now, suddenly break the ritual and confess? If you confess like this, how could Erika dares act casually

She bows her head and said

"Your Excellency Odin descend down to Earth. Your Excellency must have some divine purpose" 

Erika even in her last life did not break into Sovereign realm. So, she did not dare to show disrespect. 

Those who tread that path could treat each other equally but those who did not even reach that step, must know that there is Heaven looking at them, and it is disrespectful to glare at it.

It would be like a mortal trying to stare down the sun. What would happen to such a person? That person would be blind. 

Does Erika wanted to be blind in one other eye? She does not and so she bows. 

Before, Odin is an old wanderer and so she act casually, sitting beside him, talking with him like an old friend

But Odin has now acknowledged his identity, so it is not appropriate for her to act like that again. 

And Oracle eyes narrows even more as he saw Odin hunched figure slowly straightened up. His robe billowed with purple aura and his smile is terrifying

He took a step and look at her eyes. Erika did not dare to look straight at Odin eyes so she look down. 

Odin laughed

"We are very similar but also very different. I lost my eye, trying to see the Truth. I see it and my eye is the price" he chuckles. Even as the thunder roars, his voice is very clear to Erika ears. 

"The thing that is taken by that kind of magic could not be reversed. I am capable of many things. I could destroy planets just by thinking of it and birthed creatures just from my thoughts. I could get cut up a million times and stull return back to my original shape. But my eye, I could not revive it, could not rejuvenate it and so, this eye socket of mine is always empty"

"Magic is like that. And certain magic requires price that some people could not bear. Millions of years had passed and I still could not feel the trace of my eye" Odin seems to be telling a story. And Erika simply listened

He paused, and Erika ask

"Do you regret it?"

Odin look at the sky. But his gaze did not seem to care about the clouds and thunder and lightning. 

Instead, his gaze seems to look further out from this Earth. Erika does not know what Odin is seeing

Odin eyes penetrate the dimensional barriers, pass through countless of dimensions and worlds and his gaze rested onto a garden. 

A garden that seems to be sailing across the starscape. And there he sees a gardener tending to a garden, cutting off rotten fruit and rotten wood.

And at times, sow seeds and water the soils. Odin sighed, close his eyes for a second and then he answer Erika question

"For a thousand years, I did not regret it. Another thousand years, I thought it was worth it. A thousand years later, I began to doubt. Another thousand years and I ponder. A thousand years more and I regret it"

….

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