World Keeper

Chapter 856: Darkness Falls

“What’s the matter?” Tsubaki asked, looking over at Dana after hearing the surprised exclamation from her friend. Her brows tensed, feeling as if something had gone wrong with the process, but she wasn’t aware what at this point in time.

“Oh, uhm… I…” She looked like she didn’t quite know how to explain it out loud, in front of the Stone Father itself. Thus, she switched to communicating nonverbally again. The process turned this guy into my summon! What do I do!?

Tsubaki blinked in surprise, glancing between the Stone Father and Dana, who seemed to be little more than an ant in comparison. While the combat strength of the mountainous figure could certainly not be compared to that of gods or equivalent figures, it was a rather imposing sight to say the least. I believe you should just accept it. At the very least, his existence will be maintained in this manner, and he will not be at risk of annihilation. I believe that will be enough to console him.

Dana gulped, nodding her head and turning to address her new Aeon. “Okay… so good news and slightly less good news. Not really bad news, but it’s news. Anyways, the process has worked, and you are no long reliant on the mana siphons in order to sustain yourself.”

The Stone Father’s body visibly relaxed at that, shoulders dropping over a hundred meters and forcing Dana to quickly hold on. “That is… fortunate. I thank you both, truly. Though, now that I have reached this point, I know not what to do. Where can one such as I go?”

“Well, that’s where we get to the other news.” Dana began. “The process worked, but it didn’t quite work as expected. You have become bound to me, as something that we call an Aeon. It means that I can summon or dismiss you, and I can also strengthen you, given the proper circumstances.”

The Stone Father slowly turned its head to look at the tiny figure on its shoulder. “Aeon… I am unfamiliar with this term. However… dismissing me. Is this the same as what I fear?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that!” Dana quickly shook her head, waving her hands in denial. “You’re not going to die when I dismiss you, just sort of sleep until you’re called again. But, now that we have you like this, it gives us a rather important chance that I think we’d be fools not to take.”

Not only the Stone Father, even Tsubaki glanced over at Dana in interest. “I think you should go back to the dwarves.” The smaller elf said. “Now that you are no longer in any danger of perishing, there is no problem with you becoming a true leader for them. You can put an end to this pointless war that has been going on forever here.”

In truth, the rainbow-eyed humans could end the war whenever they wanted, now that they had the power of the system on their side. However, because the adventurers did not wish to take a hostile stance in the war, they were afraid that doing so themselves would cause those adventurers that they relied on to turn against them, or at the very least leave a bad impression. It was better to just let the dwarves continue their attacks, which were the equivalent of throwing eggs at a stone wall. Annoying, but of no real consequence.

“What should I do… if another me appears? Or has already appeared?” The Stone Father questioned, as that was a very real concern.

Dana thought about it briefly, not entirely sure herself. For a second Stone Father to appear at the same time, the faith of the dwarves would be shaken. “If there’s not one already, there wouldn’t be a problem. The mana siphon would just contribute to strengthening you, and save me a lot of time later. If there’s one already… that could pose an issue. Tsuba, can you check?”

Tsubaki nodded her head, her body radiating a bright light before abruptly vanishing. As the Goddess of Light and Stealth, she could easily reach the Ashen Crag in a matter of moments undetected, get a look at the situation, and return immediately.

Sure enough, she was back before the Stone Father could even ask where she had gone, the light around her dimming to its normal levels. “It doesn’t seem like there is currently another Stone Father sitting on the throne of the dwarves. However, they are in the process of mining more ore in order to summon an even more powerful ‘incarnation’. With that in mind, I believe that it will be a few weeks before another one appears. Long enough for them to drain the vein several times over, with their belief holding off the siphon until they are ready.”

“Nice!” Dana nodded her head. “In that case, let’s set up your script… I’ll even lend you a helping hand as a supporting role.”

The Ashenborn diligently carried out their mining duties, shattering the Father’s Gift as they called it and transporting it into a number of large warehouses that had been constructed. The overseer of the operation nodded his head as giant piles of blue stone were amassed in each warehouse. If not for the Father’s Gift being limited in supply, they could have already summoned a truly powerful incarnation of the father.

As he thought about that, his eyes glanced towards the end of the crag, which led to the Stone Father’s throne. Currently, it was empty, and they could only assume that the latest incarnation had been unable to deal any damage to their enemies. However, soon… soon they would have one capable of toppling even the helpers that the enemies had summoned.

Suddenly, the ground shook, the overseer’s eyes going wide. Such tremors could only mark the steps of the Stone Father, and every Ashenborn knew of this fact. They clamored to the path up the wall of the crag, looking at the massive figure approaching. Joy filled the hearts of the Ashenborn, who believed that the Stone Father had managed to fulfill his promise.

The body of the Stone Father was, admittedly, damaged. However, that was nothing that could not be repaired in time. The missing arm was likely sacrificed in order to deal a decisive blow, the chunk from its side lost in a heroic gambit. The Ashenborn were already filling their heads with their own heroic tales of battle before the Stone Father arrived.

Their Stone Father bent down, grabbing the side of the crag and lowering himself down to his throne. Even then, its head was more than high enough to be seen over the cliff face. “Oh great Stone Father, tell us of your journey!” One of the ‘priests’ of the faith called out from nearby the Stone Father’s head, his ki infused into his voice to ensure that it was heard by the large figure.

The Stone Father turned its head to regard the figure, before letting out a solemn sigh. “There is naught to tell. There are truly great beings living within those walls, who do not lose out even compared to my true self. These injuries you see… they are not the result of some heroic act, but merely two attacks that I received. I could not even detonate the stones as planned, for that power is one that they control.”

The Ashenborn all stood frozen, eyes wide as they listened to this. “These helpers that they have recruited into their ranks… they are beings from beyond the black veil, a portal between realms. They refer to these beings as gods, and rightly so.”

“However… these gods are not cruel, and have begun to educate their new hosts. They allowed me to return for one simple reason… and that is to let me contemplate a choice.” The Stone Father’s tone was heavy, causing the Ashenborn to shake in disbelief.

“W-What choice?” The priest asked.

“Peacefully join their civilization, relocate to a distant land, or face the extinction of my children. Those were the options given to me.” Those words struck like bolts into the minds of the Ashenborn, one stepping forward and shouting.

“Surrender, leave, or die?! Is this foe truly so terrifying that even you, the supreme Stone Father, must accept these terms?!”

The Stone Father turned his gaze towards the Ashenborn that had spoken up. “They did not leave my remaining arm out of mercy. My legs, I needed to walk back on my own. My arm… they told me that I should demonstrate by raising it, if such a question were asked.”

After saying that, there was a sound like grinding stone as the Stone Father lifted his arm high into the air. Almost immediately… the world turned dark. The light from the Father’s Pillar dimmed far ahead of schedule, subdued to only a minor glow, a firefly against the endless dark.

Within this darkness, they could hear the growling of countless beasts, and see the outlines of massive creatures nearly as tall as the Stone Father himself. Beady red eyes stared at them from every direction, as if the creatures of Hell itself had been called forth, ready to devour them at a moment’s notice.

And then, as the Stone Father lowered his arm, they vanished. Light returned to the world once again, and everything they had seen was gone. However, the fear remained. The power displayed in such a simple demonstration was enough to make the Ashenborn understand. Yes, the enemy was strong enough to eliminate them at any moment. And no, the Stone Father could do nothing to stop it.

Ultimately, they really were left with just those three options. Options delivered by none other than the being they revered as a god. “What… what do you believe would be the best choice?” The priest asked, barely able to maintain the enhancement to his voice. The Ashenborn were natural fighters, but that was only when a battle had purpose. If it was a foe that struck such fear into even the heart of the Stone Father, one with the power displayed, they would be throwing their lives away without cause or reason.

The Stone Father deliberated for several long moments, before shaking his head. “Sacrificing my children is unimaginable. I will not lead you to a pointless death. At the same time, relocating… they have suggested a location far away from my pillar, where we will not be in danger of battling one another. However, even that… this is our land, where we have built our history.”

“While it pains me to say this… I ask that you spread the word to all of our cities. Of our options, surrender is the only one that will allow our race to prosper. With the guidance of the ones they call gods, we may strengthen ourselves. We may learn new arts, and move beyond the need for this bloodshed. To live in peace… perhaps it is not such a bad dream?”

This was the first time that the Stone Father had ever acted this way, like a tired elder looking for a chance to settle down. Their faith shook, but the evidence was undeniable. They had seen the monsters lurking in the darkness. They felt the breaths dangerously close to their skin. The Stone Father had made no mention of growing stronger in an attempt to rebel against them, because they knew that such a task was foolish. Rather, their leader truly wished for a peaceful surrender.

“I-I understand your words.” The priest said with his body shaking, backing away from the massive figure of their solemn ruler. He turned to look at some of the others, nodding his head. “Pass the message to every city, every territory under our father’s name. We… will accept these terms. As he wills.”

The people pointed out by the priest stood frozen, not sure how they would deliver such a message, causing the Stone Father to shake his head. “The beasts you saw before have already attached themselves to your shadows. Should you need to perform a similar demonstration… merely raise your left hand.”

The Ashenborn looked at their left hands in fright, almost as if they wanted to sever the entire arm to avoid such a thing. What sort of beast would emerge when they raised that hand? What disaster would unfold on the city that they were in?

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