CG Chapter 81: The Death of a Star
Tom used their shock to his advantage as he increased the space between himself and the princes.
Even though he had just killed one of the crown princes, decreasing the number of his enemies by one, he didn't feel any happiness.
For one, he knew that soon enough he would lose a valuable pawn.
As for the second reason, he muttered, "The flower of death will soon bloom."
Moments later, the princes regained their composure and continued to chase after Tom with their guards while threatening him.
"Flameheart, do you really think you will live long after killing a crown prince? You just became the enemy of the seven kingdoms, no the enemy of the seven gods. There is nowhere for you to go. Even if you find someone to help you, we will make sure to find your allies before burning you all at the stake."
Zephyr Skyweaver screamed, his words were full of wrath and rage. Unfortunately for him, he didn't know that his words were targeted at the wrong person.
If Tom feared the royal families, then he wouldn't have played the role of the holy son and become a bishop, nor would he have sent the two letters before he left for the ceremony.
Finding Zephyr's words amusing, Tom shouted back, "Mark my words, the old order will rise once more. The bard sang for long, but he will not have to sing soon enough."
After saying that, Tom looked back at the princes' reaction only to see that all of them were frozen in place while their guards didn't seem to be affected.
Seeing that his bluff had worked, he grinned.
He didn't know who the bard was singing about, but he knew that one of the secrets to winning any battle was misleading your enemies. Judging by the reactions of the princes, it seemed his words had worked. And if they hadn't, well, he wouldn't have lost anything by trying.
...
Boom
Suddenly, before the princes could recover from Tom's bluff, a surge of intense heat emerged from where Tom stood.
Before anyone could react, a deafening explosion erupted, sending shockwaves through the air.
Expecting this, Tom prepared himself and used the massive force to push himself toward the exit, darting through the palace like a bullet.
Glancing back, Tom was met with a gruesome sight.
His clothes were covered with a red liquid, and pieces of intestine were all over him.
This explosion could have meant one thing and one thing only: the death flower had bloomed and the devil's sonata had come to its end as it took Alfred's life.
Alfred lived a not-so-interesting life, but in his final moment, he went out like a star.
A little-known fact about stars is that they shine their brightest just before their collapse; this is one of the few moments in a star's life when their light surpasses that of their galaxies.
Like a star, Alfred fought till his final moment, outshining even Tom's light. Despite feeling the grip of the reaper around his heart, he kept his loyalty before going out in a supernova.
...
Tom made his escape, leaping from the top of the stairs.
As he soared through the air, he heard the howl of a wolf; his rescue had arrived in time.
When he saw the wolf, he knew that it had fulfilled his instructions, sending the second letter before getting sent here by that old man.
He landed on the soft white fur of his mount and directed his gaze toward the forest.
He had too many unanswered questions, and he had a gut feeling that the shaman held the answers to the majority, if not all, of them.
While riding on the wolf's back, Tom thought of everything that had happened in the last couple of weeks.
From the moment he got the dinner invite from Alexander to the ceremony, and finally his escape after Alfred's death.
He searched for any and all mistakes that he might have made and ways he could have improved his plan.
When everything passed before his eyes, he thought that his only possible mistake was not running right away while the guests were watching.
If he had done that, he could have created distrust in the royal families, making the guests doubt how a bishop could turn traitor, and that distrust would have fostered until it turned into turmoil.
Now the royal families could create whatever scenario they wanted; they could even blame the guests' blackout on him, creating rumors that he was a worshiper of some evil god.
Knowing that there were no ifs, Tom thought that his current situation was also good as he had nothing to lose anymore.
He could go all out, using the two forces behind him without fearing the loss of his position.
If he succeeded, he would find the place that all of his plans in this world relied on.
Although he didn't even know if it existed or not, from all of his previous experiences and the different worlds he went through, the existence of that place was the most logical conclusion.
He muttered to himself while removing the golden glasses he had created, "I guess I won't need these anymore."
He looked at the white fur of the wolf before looking up at the stars in the sky, as if he was seeing something further that no one else but him could see.
"My efforts will no longer be wasted; soon enough, everything will return to one."
When he said those words, a couple of stars seemed to shine a little brighter as if some higher beings were watching him from afar.
Even though Tom seemed like a grand mastermind, manipulating many of the people around him with ease, he knew that he was also just another small and insignificant chess piece in the eyes of those who had been watching him from the very beginning.
Knowing this, he still didn't care, remembering one of the very first lessons he taught one of his students.
"Life is a lot like chess, even if you don't realize it.
We are all both chess pieces and players. Once you step onto the board of life, you need to decide if you will become a player—no, you don't have a choice. Because if you don't use this privilege, then you would demean yourself into being a pawn in someone else's game.
To fight what you don't see is no easy matter, but like a ship in the sea or a chess piece on the board, you, as a weak human, must use the power of those around you to your advantage, for the only thing you can rely on is your mind."