Lord Shadow



Then there is the Lockpick Master

This man has a reputation and that reputation is that he is a prodigious locksmith. That is what he called himself

Prodigious locksmith.

And the thing he could break is not just the realm of breaking mundane locks, but the arcane and mystic barriers as well. 

Boris encounters with him trace back to the tumultuous days of the Fall, almost a decade ago when the world was still embroiled in the clutches of upheaval.

Their paths intersected within the shadows of the Revolutionary Army, long before the Republic emerged on the global stage. 

In the volatile tapestry of that time, alliances were forged and allegiances shifted like sand in the wind. 

Amid this chaos, Boris found himself in the company of the Lockpick Master, a man who bore a unique skill set.

The Lockpick Master ability went beyond mere keys and tumblers, encompassing an unparalleled command over enchantments, arrays, and formations. 

This man uncanny ability was on full display during their initial meeting, where he effortlessly navigated through barriers that seemed impenetrable to others. 

His skills, bordering on the mystical, rendered him capable of unravelling the most intricate and arcane locks, a feat that astonished even Boris.

Over time, their acquaintance matured into a sporadic companionship. 

The Lockpick Master abilities underwent an evolution, expanding and intensifying as the years progressed. 

Each encounter with him always left Boris in awe

It was in his presence that Boris heard the boasts, the audacious claims that no lock, no matter its complexity or enchantment, could evade his skilful touch. 

This self-assured proclamation was not mere arrogance; rather, it was a glimpse into the depths of a rare talent that had been honed to perfection over the years.

Before the Fall reshaped the world order, the Lockpick Master had a life that seemed worlds away from the current life that he is living. 

From what Boris understood, before the Fall, he has a Ytube channel. He told Boris that before the Fall he is an Ytuber known for picking various locks on camera on his channel 

His YouTube channel was a stage for the spectacle of his abilities. 

With each video, he demonstrated the art of picking various locks, sharing his expertise and passion with a burgeoning online community. 

The artistry of manipulating mechanisms, of overcoming the barriers that guarded secrets, became his unique narrative.

As the subscriber count climbed ever closer to the fabled milestone of one million, his online presence was poised to ascend to new heights. 

But then came the Fall—a cataclysm that tore through the fabric of reality, plunging the world into chaos. 

He told Boris his name in the Ytube channel. It is Lockpickingdefendant? Or is it the Lockpicking master?

Maybe a Lockpicking Lawyer. Anyway, it is something like that. 

Yet, despite the Lockpick Master astonishing abilities, Boris remained sceptical that this man is the orchestrator of the audacious intrusion into Tartarus. 

The act seemed too direct, too overt for someone who had always exhibited a finesse in his operations. 

This divergence from his modus operandi cast doubts on the Lockpick Master involvement, leaving Boris to ponder the true identity of the figure behind the breach.

BOOOM! 

The resounding explosion ripples through the otherwise stagnant air, sending shockwaves across the northern sector of Tartarus. 

In its wake, the disruptive noise tears Boris from his contemplations

Amid the echoing reverberations, a fleeting thought crosses Boris' mind, a rare glimpse into the intricate labyrinth of his own musings. 

In a reality where survival is a primal instinct and danger looms at every corner, pondering the depths of one's inner reflections is a luxury seldom indulged.

The aftermath of the explosion casts a hush over the surroundings once more, a temporary cessation of the disquiet that permeates this realm. 

"I guess I really am bored" he thought to himself. 

Boris is a man of many thoughts but in this kind of situation you would rarely think about this kind of thing

A whisper of irony dances in Boris' thoughts, highlighting the peculiarities of his existence—how in the midst of chaos, he finds himself momentarily bored, an ironic trait of human for diverse emotions even in the direst of circumstances.

But the silence is fleeting, swept away by the crescendo of roars and screams that cascade through Tartarus. 

The alarms, their piercing wails, pierce the stillness once more.

And then once again, there is silence. 

"Another sector breached?" he mutters to himself

  Yet, this time, Boris' demeanour undergoes a subtle shift. 

The mask of calm that had cloaked his features falters, and his eyes narrow with discerning scrutiny.

A sense of unease snakes its way into his consciousness, unfurling like tendrils of shadowy doubt. 

The rapid succession of events triggers a cascade of questions, each more pressing than the last. 

The breach of another sector is accompanied by the collective outcries of imprisoned souls, the rhythm of battle and anguish echoing through the labyrinthine corridors.

The tides of uncertainty surge within Boris as he raises his unspoken inquiries. 

"Why is Jean not coming yet?"

The rhythm of battle energy, the ebb and flow of the guardians' vigilance, is conspicuously absent, casting shadows of doubt over the established equilibrium.

Where are the other guardians? Why is there no fluctuation of battle energy?

Where is Jean? Where is the other eight guardians?

Where, indeed, is Jean? The absence of his presence forms the epicentre of Boris' growing apprehension. 

His mind races to uncover the puzzle pieces of the unfolding turmoil, the silence of guardians and the unexpected breach 

A shiver runs down Boris' spine, a chilling realization that slices through the currents of his thoughts. 

Amid the cacophony of chaos that has engulfed Tartarus, a previously overlooked possibility claws its way to the forefront of his consciousness

In his calculations of potential saviours, his focus was directed solely towards those who might come to rescue him, to free him from the clutches of Tartarus. 

But, as the echoes of turmoil resound and the corridors of his mind expand to encompass the unexplored, Boris is struck by an unsettling realization—a realization that casts a macabre shadow over the situation.

Could it be that amidst the bedlam, amongst the explosive breaches and the wails of imprisoned souls, there lurks another motive, a darker agenda? 

The very notion sends a chill down his spine, an icy gust that mirrors the grim undercurrents of his contemplation.

As the turmoil swells around him, Boris finds himself entwined in a web of possibilities, each strand of thought coiling with uncertainty. 

In the midst of hope and desperation, the flip side of the coin reveals itself

There is a possibility...that someone would sneaks in to kill him. 

"Someone wanted to kill me"

The realization hangs heavy in the air

"That would be another possibility" the moment he thinks of this possibility, he immediately understood something.

Right now, outside his cell, there is two possibilities. 

One of them is a possibility that someone break into this prison and wanting to break him out.

The other one….is that someone wanted to kill him. 

Destruction or salvation

And he did not know which one is coming.

BOOOM!

A resounding explosion reverberated through the air once again, a visceral shockwave that seemed to draw nearer, the force of its impact pulsating through the walls of the North sector. 

As the echoes of the blast subsided, an uncanny hush descended, shrouding the prison in an even more unsettling stillness than before.

Boris, ensconced within his cell, felt a shiver trace its way down his spine. 

This wasn't like the previous tumult; it was different, more ominous. 

The cessation of the roars that had once filled the air only intensified the eerie atmosphere, leaving behind an almost suffocating silence.

The silence itself seemed to take on a sinister quality, like a predator lying in wait before striking. 

It was the calm that precedes the storm, a heavy foreboding that wrapped around Boris like a cold embrace. 

In this stifling quietude, he found himself holding his breath, every nerve on edge.

And Boris waited. Because that is the only thing he could do right now

To wait

And then, breaking through the suffocating stillness, a new sound emerged—footsteps. 

Ttak!

Ttak!

Ttak!

Each step, deliberate and measured, seemed to echo with a sense of purpose, a direction. 

The steady rhythm of those advancing footsteps is like a drumbeat of impending uncertainty, growing louder with every passing moment.

The aura of apprehension within Boris' cell was palpable. 

His narrowed eyes betrayed a mixture of vigilance, a readiness to confront whatever lay beyond his cell door. 

The footsteps drew nearer, a relentless progression

And it is walking toward his cell. 

The cadence of footsteps drew nearer, each footfall reverberating like an ominous heartbeat in the tense air. 

At first, the sound is a mere whisper, a distant echo that teased the edges of Boris' perception. 

But as moments stretched into minutes, those echoes coalesced into a relentless rhythm, steadily growing in intensity.

An aura seems to be gathering

The once-subtle sound of footsteps began to assert itself more forcefully, like an approaching storm gathering strength. 

The echoes expanded, filling the confined space of Boris' cell until they became an almost deafening symphony of anticipation.

Boris' frown deepened as he strained to make sense of the approaching presence. 

He couldn't shake the feeling that this encounter would not be good for him

Call it intuition, call it experience.

Nothing good is coming. 

Frustration mingled with the tension as Boris couldn't contain himself any longer. "Who's out there?" 

his voice sliced through the stillness, a demand for answers that echoed down the corridor. 

The abruptness of his shout seemed to halt the footsteps in their tracks, a fleeting pause that hung heavy in the air.

Boris' heart raced as he awaited a response, his gaze fixed on the entrance to his cell. 

But the seconds stretched on, and all that greeted him was an unyielding silence. 

The lack of an answer only served to heighten his sense of unease, as if he had just stirred a hornet's nest 

And then, like an eerie refrain, the footsteps resumed. 

The sound, now with renewed purpose, started anew—each step a deliberate, calculated advance toward his location. 

There is a methodical determination in those footfalls, a persistence that hinted at  sinister intent.

"Heh," Boris snorted, his lips curving into a defiant smile. 

It is a facade, a façade of bravado that he presented to the impending unknown. 

His outward appearance displayed a veneer of calmness, a veneer that barely masked the tumultuous storm raging within him.

His heart, a wild symphony of pounding beats, betrayed the calm exterior he projected. 

Each beat resonated through his chest

Boris knew that his attempt at composure is nothing more than a feeble defense mechanism, an attempt to steady his nerves in the face of what was to come.

With each measured footstep drawing closer, the thin veneer of calm threatened to crack. 

The sound of those footsteps, an unrelenting cadence, seemed to reverberate through the very core of his being. 

It is a sound that carried weight, each footfall like a heavy footfall on his soul.

The tapping of the footsteps, crisp and deliberate, echoed like a macabre countdown—a sombre march toward an uncertain fate. 

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