After Aatrox had run away from Grayfia. He kept on running because that's what he was here for in the forest, to increase his body reaction time, and what better way to do it than to run while jumping, swinging and dodging around trees in a beautiful forest.
Aatrox kept on running until he felt that he was nearing his body's limits. After which he started to slow down and stopped near a beautiful rainbow color tree.
Although one might think this to be one of a kind tree in the middle of Zion. These were actually quite common, making the territory of Shadow Clan a famous tourist spot in the Underworld. With many noble families coming to visit this place and relax. But the tree Aatrox was standing in front of had a special significance.
Aatrox's eyes were fixed on the tree, he was thinking something deeply. Gone were his smile and mischievous eyes, in place of it, were cold, calculating eyes, and a straight face. Right now he didn't look like an 8-year-old child, he looked like his grandpa Skygge when he dealt with people.
He started walking towards the tree and touched its trunk, after that, he started to walk in a certain direction a kept on walking until he reached another tree in the vast forest, he touched this one's trunk too, and again started walking towards a certain direction. He kept on repeating this step; walking in a certain direction, touching an ordinary tree, and again walking in a certain direction.
After repeating the steps for the umpteenth time, he was back where he started, in front of the rainbow tree. After staring at the tree once again, he walked toward it and touched it once again.
After he touched it the tree suddenly caught on fire.
However, the fire was strange, it wasn't the regular color flame, it was like a beautiful art changing colors every time making for a beautiful sight of the rainbow tree come to life with the constantly changing fire, the fire was not burning the tree, it wasn't even emitting any smoke. It was like a defense mechanism, preventing anyone from touching the tree.
Aatrox wasn't surprised by the fire, though his eyes softened a little and a small smile appeared on his face when he saw the fire. But his face returned to the same cold look before he started to walk towards the burning tree, not afraid of fire burning him. He kept on walking until eventually he was fully immersed in the flames, and the next moment the flames vanished as if they were just an illusion.
All there was left was the rainbow tree, standing as it did before, in the middle of Zion, hidden away from everyone.
***
In a dark room, the only light was from the luminescent crystals that produced faint light to illuminate the room but not every corner of the room.
In the room devoid of silence, faint footsteps could be heard. They were so faint that you might not even hear them if you didn't focus hard enough.
Slowly the steps were getting closer and closer to the room. Until they stopped and the silence once again prevailed in the room. However, after a few minutes of silence, the large door which seemed to be made out of silver, and connected the room to some other place slowly opened with no sound.
On the other side of the door was Aatrox staring into the room with his cold eyes shining like stars.
***
(I will be using the first-person perspective of Aatrox from here on.)
As the door slowly opened without making any sounds, which was creepy in itself, like how such a big and heavy door moved without making any sound it would have made anyone else creep, I just stared into the room.
Once the door was fully opened, I started to walk inside the room. Although the room wasn't very large, it had numerous runes carved onto every surface of the room, and each rune was faintly glowing signifying that they were still active. The glowing runes provided a sense of beauty to the room if one didn't know their purpose. Each of the runes was a sealing rune type made to seal anything and everything that could be sealed, from the body to the very soul, everything was sealed inside the room, making it nigh impossible for something to leave this room even in their death.
And all these runes were working on 12 ordinary-looking stone statues with crystal-like shine.
11 statues were placed in a circle around one statue that was in the center. Although each statue looked ordinary if one were to have an artistic eye or even look closely, you would be able to see that these statues looked extremely lifelike like they were real living beings frozen in stone, like Medusa freezing people into stone.
I walked to the statue in the center of the circle. I had to tilt my head upwards to look at the statue's face due to the height of the statue which easily stood at around 6 feet, while I was physically an 8-year-old boy, and stood at 4 feet 6 inches, even though mentally I was already 550 years old. Damn, this is depressing.
Shaking my head to get rid of the stray thoughts. I focused on the statue in front of me again.
"So how long are you going to pretend to sleep?" I asked the statue in a cold voice, some might think of me as crazy for talking to a statue, oh but I knew better. After all, these are no ordinary statues.
"It took you long enough to come here." Came a deep voice from the statue, and it opened its eyes and directly stared at me with its stone eyes, that tried to uncover my every secret.
"Better late than never." I answered meeting its eyes without any fear.
"True." It said and closed its eyes again.
Silence once again enveloped the room. While the statue kept its eyes closed, I kept staring at it.
After what seemed like an eternity.
"Are you willing to serve?" I asked the question I came here to ask.
The statue's answer to my question was essential for my plans. If the answer isn't what I want, I would have to use my backup plan which would take more time, and time isn't something I have.
There was once again silence in the room. However, suddenly a colossal amount of pressure descended on the room, which, without the presence of the runes, would have been felt by the whole underworld, and might have even killed some high-class devils.
12 pairs of eyes stared at me deeply, as if looking into my very soul. I knew these eyes belonged to the 12 statues that are in the room.
I didn't flinch, neither from the pressure nor from the gazes, I stood unmoving like a mountain in the presence of the gazes and the pressure.
But my pride isn't so weak to allow these statues to intimidate me and look into my soul without any cost. So I released the aura that I had never once released since I awakened, neither alone nor in presence of someone.
The room shook like it was hit by a wrecking ball, the space in the room ruptured like it was fragile glass, unable to bear the pressure of my aura.
It's quite ironic that I am using the very same power that sent me into a coma. The very same power that I hated when I saw my mom, dad, and gramps die, unable to do anything because of it.
The power that I was born to wield and because of which I exist.
It suppressed and overpowered the aura of the 12 statues, and I once again looked deep into the statue's eyes and spoke.
"Will you serve?"
My voice was ancient and powerful, so powerful that the space broke apart like glass, the statue's eyes widened looking at me, and it wasn't just because of my voice but also because of my eyes.
The statue looked at me and then at every statue in the room. And with crazy eyes and an equally crazy smile that showed all its teeth spoke its answer.
"Yes, we shall."
And as if their seals were non-existent, the stone that covered them cracked and fell off freeing them of their shackles.
All of the statues came near me and formed a circle with me and the person I was talking to in the center. They stood there staring at me motionlessly before they did something that they had never done before in their entire existence.
One-by-one each and every statue kneeled, signifying their servitude to me.
I stood in my place watching all this without moving and when every statue had kneeled, a crazy and insane smile appeared on my face, a smile that signified the birth of an existence that will shake the universe.
"Good."
All the statues looked at me and my crazy smile before a crazy smile also appeared on their face.
The Malebranche were now mine.
(A/N: Sorry for the late chapter, but this one is the first time I have used a first-person perspective. So it was a bit difficult.
Also, this chapter is the entry point of the Malebranche, so I wanted it to be as exciting as possible. Tell me in the comments how I did.)