Chereads / Ruin of Heaven / Chapter 5 - The Joker and his Ace

Chapter 5 - The Joker and his Ace

"Bah,I am leaving"

A pale man with black hair and eyes dressed in a black suit with a candy in his mouth said with a yawn as he got up from a chair which was placed infront of a large table.

This rather abrupt announcement of departure surprised the three other beings present in there.

"The fck,you mean by that".

"Yeah, Rain's right,afterall the meeting had just begun".

Two figures who were seated beside each other said in a sync at the man's announcement of departure.

They were a pair of women by the sounds of it. Their figure was veiled by darksness which concealed their appearance.

"You should atleast inform us whether your mission was a success or not before you go,Lance",a man said interrupting the two.

The man's skin was as pale as moonlight. His eyes, hidden beneath a hood, gleamed like polished obsidian, reflecting the flickering candle flames.A cascade of midnight hair framed his face, falling in waves that seemed to defy gravity. Strands of silver, like threads of moonlight, were woven into the dark tapestry. His features were sharp and chiselled.

He wore a cloak of shifting hues—sometimes midnight blue, other times deep green—clung to his form, concealing the shape of his body. Its edges blurred, as if it merged seamlessly with the twilight that followed him wherever he went. Beneath the cloak, he wore a tunic of spider-silk.

But it was his hands that drew the most curious glances. Gloved in fingerless leather, they moved with grace—a dancer's hands, a sorcerer's hands. Etched upon his skin were sigils and glyphs, each pulsing with latent power. When he touched the rim of his goblet, the wine within turned darker, richer, as if infused with forbidden authority.

"Well,the thing is Valeh,I think I forgot about the mission you speak of".

"Care to remind me?"

Lance said with his ever present nonchalance.

"You have got be kidding us,Lance",one of the women from before spoke up.

"He isn't joking,Valeria,he really just has a trash memory by the looks of it,"Rain next to her voiced her thoughts.

"Then...What have you been doing for this nearly two decades in the lower world's",the woman named Valeria said with barely concealed anger.

"Enjoying a vacation ".

Lance said as he took a seat. He sat down and unwrapped a lollipop.

"This candy is really sweat you know,and I won't mind sharing".

"So,Wanna suck it?".

This caused the other three to be speachless. They just watched as Lance continued his antics.

Lance leaned back, stretching his legs as if he were lounging in a hammock. "Ah, the mortal realm," he said, his eyes half-lidded. "It's a delightful playground, my friends. Full of surprises, like candy stores and—"

Valeria slammed her hand on the table, her shadowy form quivering. "Surprises? While you've been sipping nectar from starflowers, we've battled those invaders, searched for his traces, and—"

"—and danced with moonbeams," Lance interrupted, twirling the candy wrapper between his fingers. "Honestly, Valeria, you should try it. The mortal world has this exquisite blend of chaos and beauty. Their sunsets? Divine. Their music? Haunting. And their coffee—"

"Enough!" Valeria's voice echoed through the chamber. "We're not here to discuss your mortal escapades. We're here because our fallen king's soul is shattered across realms. Remember that?"

Lance's eyes flickered. "Ah, yes. The king. Dead, isn't he? But really, what's death to us? A mere inconvenience."

Rain's shadowy hand tightened around her goblet. "Inconvenience? His soul fragments are our duty. We swore an oath."

Lance leaned forward, his grin wicked. "Oaths, Rain, are like candy wrappers—easily discarded. Besides, the king's demise? It's poetic. A symphony of entropy."

Valeria lunged, her darkness coiling like a serpent. "You heartless—"

And then, chaos erupted. Sigils flared, spider-silk tore, and goblets shattered. Lance dodged Valeria's wrath, Valeh chanted incantations, and the room crackled with energy.

As they clashed, Lance's eyes sparkled. "I found someone far more interesting than the dead king," he whispered. "The fragments of a shattered soul—what if they could rewrite existence?".

And so, in that dimly lit chamber,a fight broke out. Not for loyalty or duty, but for power—the kind that could weave new worlds or unravel old ones.

And the candy wrapper? It fluttered, forgotten, as the room trembled.

Rain's eyes blazed with intensity. "Lance," she said, her voice a low growl, "you were once friends with Azrael. Remember him? Our best warrior, the one who caused our lose in the war?"

Lance leaned back, enjoying the candy as he dodged all of their attacks. "Azrael? Rings a faint bell. But really, names are like stardust—ephemeral."

Valeria clenched her fists. "Tell me Lance was it you who killed our Liege."

Lance's grin widened. "Ah, yes.The thing is he really had a punchable face ,so I couldn't hold my myself back."

"Authority over Space: Void Slash".

"Authority over Death: Legion of Fallen".

The three chanted simultaneously. But before their attacks could even come in effect.....Lance whispered.

"Authority Negation".

The two beings were stunned. They had believe that all of them were on a similar powerlevel,So if even two of them united they could surely defeat the other one. But only now did the realize how untrue it was.

"I think we should calm ourselves and not let our emotions get the better of us".

Valeh, the one who was just spectating till now, spoke up, his voice a soothing contrast to the tense atmosphere.

The other two reluctantly complied, though their gazes still blazed with anger.

Valeh turned to Lance, his gaze sharp. "And you," he said. "Why have you been causing trouble?"

Lance merely shrugged. "Trouble? I prefer to think of it as 'spice'," he replied.

Valeh let out a sigh, rolling his eyes at Lance's flippant response.

"Right," he said. "And what exactly is this 'spice' you're creating? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like chaos."

Lance unwrapped another candy and began savouring it's taste, unbothered by Valeh's disapproving tone. "Chaos is just order waiting to be rearranged," he said. "And I'm simply helping things along."

Valeh bristled at Lance's words. "And what gives you the right to meddle with the order of things?" he said, his voice sharp.

Lance merely smirked in response. "The same right that gives you the right to question me," he said. "Free will."

Valeh let out a tired sigh as he realised that questioning Lance was nothing but a waste of time.

"You mentioned inbetween your squabble about finding an interesting individual in the lower realms,Care to elaborate".

"Well he was a fun guy you know,I liked that guy so I decided to transmigrate his soul to the Mother Realm",Lance said excitedly as he recalled their conversation.

"You bastard,Did you just use your power in the lower realms", Valeria who had calmed down by now said with a surprised expression.

"Yeah,What about it"?.

"If those bastards come to know that you used your authority then they will surely start another war in the pretext of it",Rain provided an explanation.

"As you said, if, so let's just hope they don't".

"Who is this individual and what have you planned for him?",Valeh asked with a sharp gaze .

"I believe his name was Arien and has for my plans,let's just say that I want to mould him into my ace"Lance said with some thoughts as he forgot the name.

"And when are are you planning to do that ?",Valeh questioned as he was afraid Lance would just forget about that Arien guy and instead take another vacation if he could.

"Don't worry he has already taken the bait ".

________________________________________

Hadrian's eyes blinked open, the sun's golden rays slicing through the room. His body felt both heavy and electrified, as if he'd been forged anew during his slumber. The Perfectio—the enigmatic force that had surged into him—pulsated within, a symphony of light and warmth.

'How do I control this?' Hadrian wondered, his mind racing. Salvus's cryptic instructions echoed in his ears: 'Guide the Perfectio.'But how? It wasn't like manipulating a sword or chanting out stuffs. This energy was primal, raw, and utterly foreign.

He sat up, legs rested at the floor that he slept on. The wounds on his arm throbbed, a reminder of how much the fallen had damaged this body. The Perfectio hummed, urging him to explore its depths. He extended his hand, palm up, and focused.

'Imagine it as a river,' he thought. 'A river of light, winding through my veins.' He visualized the energy—a shimmering current—flowing from his core outward. It danced along his nerves, seeking out the wounded tissue. Hadrian winced as it touched the jagged edges of the cut, but there was no pain. Only warmth, like sunlight filtering through leaves.

His ribs, bruised and protesting, demanded attention. He breathed deeply, feeling the Perfectio respond. 'Weave,' he commanded silently. 'Weave through bone and muscle'.And it did—the energy threading through him, knitting fractured rib ends together. Hadrian marveled at the sensation—the fusion of magic and biology.

But there was more. Hidden layers. Secrets. The Perfectio whispered of forgotten knowledge, of ancient beings who'd wielded it eons ago. Hadrian's mind strained to comprehend. 'What am I becoming?'

He glanced at the window, where sunlight painted patterns on the floor. 'Guide it,' Salvus had said. 'Shape it'.But how? Was it a tool, a weapon, or something greater? Hadrian's pulse quickened. He sensed destiny converging upon him—the weight of choices, the pull of fate.

'For now', he decided, 'I'll heal.' The Perfectio flowed, mending him, and Hadrian surrendered to its current. The Perfectio then flowed into his damaged legs and began repairing it.

________________________________________

"How can one wield Perfectio with such ease like it's their second nature?",Kaizen questioned eagerly to Salvus as they watched Hadrian's antics from the window.

"Well the Perfectio just likes him more than us",Salvus anwered with a chuckle as he was too surprised by Hadrian's affinity with Perfectio.

"It's unfair tho,I mean he just learned about the existence of Perfectio few days ago and he already can use it to heal himself ",Kaizen said dejectedly, envious of Hadrian's talent.

Salvus' eyes narrowed, his fingers tracing the hilt of his sword. "Unfair, you say? Perhaps," he murmured. "But there's more to this than mere favoritism. Hadrian's power is a double-edged blade, those blessed by Perfectio carry both its light and shadow."

Kaizen leaned closer, intrigued. "What do you mean?"

"Perfectio isn't merely a font of healing," Salvus explained. "It's a conduit for life force, but it also demands sacrifice. Every mended wound, every revitalized cell—it draws from Hadrian's own essence. The more he wields it, the deeper the cost."

Kaizen frowned. "So, he pays with his own vitality?"

" Not Exactly," Salvus confirmed. "Healing another may mean weakening himself. And in dire moments, when he channels Perfectio to its limits, he risks more than exhaustion. The shadows—the darker aspects of the energy—can twist him, consume him."

Hadrian, oblivious to their conversation, continued to weave Perfectio's threads, mending the fabric of reality outside the window. His silver-white hair glimmered, and the bandages on his skin seemed to pulse with hidden power.

"Remember," Salvus said softly, "with great power comes great sacrifice."

Kaizen nodded, eyes still fixed on Hadrian. "And what if he can't bear the cost?"

Salvus met Kaizen's gaze. "Then we'll be left with a shattered hero, unraveling like the Fallens across different realms."

The atmosphere fell silent, the weight of destiny settling upon them. Salvus wondered if Hadrian understood the stakes, if he comprehended that wielding Perfectio wasn't just about healing—it was about survival, redemption, and the fragile balance between light and darkness.

"Well,now don't think too much about it'—Salvus sighed as he started walking towards the house—"We just have to look out that it never happens".

"Easier said than done".

Kaizen followed Salvus inside the house and into the room that Hadrian was healing in.

The time had come for them to search for the injured fallen and end it before it causes more trouble.