The Gamer's POV

Chapter 355: Lord of the Plaques of Dread and Nights of End

True nature was exactly what it meant.

A true nature.

From what Cedric understood it to be, it was the soul after it had been transformed into the full, physical manifestation of its true identity.

Back during the test Cedric took to evolve to grade three, he had seen a glimpse of his own true nature.

From what he could recall, it looked somewhat like a massive humanoid figure wearing a dark cowl that shadowed its face, and its arms were stretched wide on either side, held aloft by thick chains. The being had no legs, as if they had been severed roughly just below the waist. It just hung there, silent and motionless, and in front of it was a beautiful heart crowned with thorns that hovered in the air.

That horrific entity was his true nature.

However, Cedric also understood that that nature would not come into existence until he was a Grade five, after which it would not just reside in his sanctuary, but would become a part of the very foundation of that sanctuary.

All true natures had a concept or concepts they embodied, and it seemed the king embodied something related to Coldness.

Of course, when Cedric eventually entered into the King’s sanctuary, although he’ll know that the King’s true nature is in there, he wouldn’t see it but rather, his meeting would be with the avatar of the king.

No one below Grade five was supposed to see the true nature of any Dominant except under special circumstances.

If Cedric were to see the king’s true nature at his current grade, he would likely die before he knew what hit him.

’I recall that while playing as Leon, I had come into contact with the king a few times. And all of those times were in this Castle. However, I’ve never been into his sanctuary. Why is he requesting I meet him there?’

Cedric couldn’t help but wonder as he listened to the young Princess spell out the rules he needed to abide by, while in there.

"And one more thing," Aurora frowned slightly. "I’ve never known you as someone who is easily afraid. But I have to say, if you do get afraid in there, try to keep it in check."

Cedric swallowed.

"If you don’t mind me asking," he decided to ask the question that had been bothering him. "Why has he chosen to meet with me in there, rather than out here?"

Aurora shook her head and her frown deepened. "I have no idea. Honestly, I was shocked too when he gave the order."

She turned to look down the hall for a few seconds, before returning her gaze to him. Then she gestured with her head.

"Come on."

Cedric watched her turn on her heel and take a few steps, before he finally decided to continue following behind her. Walking in silence, they got to the large throne room. There was no one in the massive hall. Rows of towering white pillars stretched up toward a vaulted ceiling that had crystalline chandeliers hanging down, casting a dim, fragmented light across the polished stone floor.

The first odd thing Cedric noticed was that it was cold in here. Which should be surprising considering that it was not yet winter. The sun was blazing hot outside, yet the windows here all seemed to be frosted over, blocking and keeping the warmth outside.

After walking to the center of the room, Aurora turned to Cedric and gave him a look that asked if he was ready.

He nodded gently, signifying that he was. When she saw that, she smiled reassuringly, nodded back, and turned toward the empty throne.

Then, she lowered her head and began to chant in a low, reverent voice:

"Lord of the Plaques of Dread and Nights of End."

As she began to call out the epithets of the King, the space before the throne fractured and what looked like a black portal began to tear itself open in front of them. Ripples of dark energy bled into the air as Aurora continued the chant.

"Kingkiller and Father of Eternal Twilight.

"The Sole and Last Witness of True Despair.

"The One Ruler who sits on the Throne of As’gha’heron.

"And the Black Serpent of Calamity who constricts the thrones of Hope."

The portal expanded fully, stabilizing into a swirling vortex of darkness, and then, Cedric began to see what looked like black snow drifting out from the threshold and scattering across the marble floor.

’So it’s true that one gets a new epithet for every Grade they advance from the Third Grade,’ Cedric thought as his gaze shifted from the darkness in front of him to Aurora.

The wind whipped both their hair as she turned to him.

He stared at her for a long second, before shifting his gaze back to the portal. He swallowed, then remembering her instructions, he tapped his chest three times and began walking forward, with Aika following quietly beside him.

When he reached it, he halted briefly before finally stepping into it. The moment the pitch-black energy engulfed him, Cedric’s world went black for a split second.

A terrifying chill... one many times worse than the chill in the castle suddenly hit him, seeping straight into his bones and leaving him breathless.

Then, the light gradually returned and by the time his vision cleared, he saw that he was in what looked like a large, round chamber. The creepy space which looked like the inside of a massive hive was illuminated by the sparse blue glow of crystals embedded on the stone walls.

’What the...?!’

Cedric’s eyes darted around as he quickly scanned the cavernous room. And for each horrifying sight he saw, his chest tightened with dread.

To the wall on his right, Cedric could see a creature who looked trapped in what seemed like black spider webs that clung heavily to the wall.

The creature looked like a mix of a human and a spider. Its top part from the torso resembled a gaunt man, but below the waist, eight hairy, segmented legs jutted out from a bulbous arachnid body. Its head was slumped and Cedric couldn’t tell if it was alive, unconscious, or dead.

He took a hesitant step backward and his boots crunched against something brittle. Looking down, he could see fragments of crushed human bones littering the floor. His gaze shifted slowly from the ground to the large, round obsidian table in the center. Then up to the large throne which had skulls embedded into its grim, high backrest.

His gaze then traveled further up to see that there were over a dozen thick, pitch-black cocoons hanging from the ceiling like rotten fruit. Some were shaped like humans and others resembled twisted, monstrous beasts.

Cedric shuddered.

He felt fear, but it was definitely not the normal kind one would feel when they came across something horrifying. Instead, it felt like an immense pressure was squeezing the oxygen right out of his lungs, and he found it hard to breathe properly.

Also, for some reason, he began to feel a glow on a finger on his left hand. His eyes widened when he saw it, and quickly using his intention, he immediately suppressed his insignia of authority from manifesting.

The dark energy flickered once before dispersing completely.

’Shit, that was close!’

Indeed, that was really close.

In fact, he was one step away from dying right there.

He quickly reached up and tapped his chest three times, then immediately acknowledged that he was in the presence of the Lord of the Plaques of Dread and Nights of End.

After that, as if remembering something, he snapped his gaze to the right, where he could see Aika also breathlessly completing the same gesture.

He then heaved a sigh of relief.

In that split second, however, a smooth, echoing voice from the darkness behind the throne spoke.

"It’s good to finally see you, again."

Instinctively, Cedric snapped his gaze back toward the sound. That was when he could see that a figure that had not been there before was now standing in the cold, dim shadows.

The man walked out from behind the massive skull-adorned throne and slowly began to make his way to the obsidian table.

Each step the man took reminded Cedric just how massive the gap between them was. And inside the king’s domain, the pressure felt way heavier, like it was constantly pushing down on him.

Yet, he tried hard to compose himself, and keep his breath steady despite that.

The king was just how Cedric remembered him to be. Despite having lived for many years, he looked really young, like one who was still in his early twenties.

Dressed in a black robe that hung loosely from his shoulders, revealing his chest, he walked like one who didn’t care about anything or anyone in any world. He had white hair that was messy and pale blue eyes that looked completely cold, and devoid of any emotion.

Furthermore, his skin which was unnervingly pale had black veins branching out like shattered porcelain, even marring most parts of his extremely handsome face, making him look both breathtakingly beautiful and deeply monstrous.

When Cedric looked closer, he was sure he could see what looked like black scales on the man’s neck and chest. And his hands had flakes of ice clinging to the knuckles, and fingertips.

"You took too long to arrive," the king said as he slumped tiredly on his chair like someone who was dying.

’...?’

At first, Cedric thought the king was referring to the one month that he had sent the summons.

But then, the king smiled faintly... a smile that sent a shiver down Cedric’s spine, then closed his eyes. He tilted his head back as he relaxed into the chair, exhaling a thin wisp of black mist.

Then, his next words, which were spoken casually, caused Cedric’s eyes to widen:

"Ah... who would have thought the day would finally come when a former God would offer their total submission, feeding my authority."