Shadow Slave novel Chapter 3183

White Abyss seemed rattled.

Despite War's casual tone, she could not help but grow tense. A myriad of thoughts seemed to flash in her eyes.

Having experienced countless lives, myriad desires, she knew a lot... she knew too much. So much, in fact, that her own life and desire were lost in the vast sea of human passions she had endured.

But all of those lives belonged to people who would live in the distant future, in a world much different from this one. So, she was aware of what all of them knew. Eventually, she spoke:

"So... you are not dead?"

War simply shook her head, the same faint smile illuminating her weathered face.

"We are."

Then, she shrugged.

“The real War is dead. It is only this phantom that lingers."

A troubled frown creased the brow of White Abyss.

“You are aware, then. You knew all along.”

War raised an eyebrow, her expression betraying a lack of understanding.

“Knew what?"

She seemed sincere enough, even if a god lacking understanding was not something that could exist.

White Abyss leaned forward slightly.

“The war. The daemons. Weaver... you knew all along how you would die, and what would happen next."

A hint of sudden realization appeared on her face.

“But you did nothing to prevent it. Why?"

Then, she leaned back, the shine of her radiant eyes shimmering restlessly.

“Was it because you feared the Forgotten God? Because that was the best of all possible outcomes?"

Now, it was War's turn to look surprised. She studied the gorgeous nephilim in confusion, remaining silent.

Eventually, she asked:

"Why would we fear the Forgotten God?"

White Abyss scowled.

"Because he is the God of Corruption. Because once he awakens, the world you created will be consumed by the Void. And you will be swallowed with it."

War tilted her head a little, confused. Her voice sounded incredulous:

“So what?"

She chuckled quietly.

“Why should we fear the Void? We are of the Void, after all. For us, what you call Corruption is merely change. We have never been afraid to change; we are constantly changing."

She paused, and then added with a hint of amusement.

"I thought you, of all creatures, would understand."

War shook her head slowly.

"Death is also a form of change. Even if our consciousness is destroyed and our spirit dissipates, we will remain — just in a different form. Our flesh is the fabric of existence, after all. One would have to destroy all of existence to erase us, and the Void... the Void doesn't destroy. It merely changes — forever."

She gave White Abyss a wry smile.

"...Of course, change can also bring ruin."

Then, laughing quietly at the lack of reaction, she looked at the fire with a wistful expression.

"Do not mistake reluctance for fear, child. Do not confuse desire with unwillingness. It is not that we fear our lost sibling or are unwilling to see him awaken. It is just that this world we've created... we are fond of it. We care about all the things that inhabit it, too. So, we protect it. Not because we are afraid of destruction..."

She smiled.

“But simply because we want to."

Her voice echoed in the silence of the desert night, carried away by the wind. White Abyss remained motionless, as if paralyzed by what she had heard. A strange, distant light gleamed in her eyes for a moment.

But then, it was gone.

War sighed.

“But it seems that you have mistaken my meaning. Yes, our relationship with time is different from that of most things, but we are not omniscient. We are not omnipotent, either — we have never been, and now that we have shared our Flame and become diminished, even less so."

She scrutinized White Abyss for a moment.

“It would be difficult for you to understand, I guess. There is time... but there is also fate. And even we are not above fate. Imagine standing at a crossroads where a thousand roads intersect — you can look ahead and explore all of them, but in the end, you'll still have to choose one. As gods, we are afforded the choice. But we still have to walk a path to its end."

She leaned back a little, her eyes glistening in the orange glow of the fire.

“Some paths are obscured by fog. Everything that has to do with Weaver is especially difficult to see... so while we knew a lot, we did not know all of it. We chose a path and followed it earnestly. Even if we knew that, one day, we must end... we did not surrender without a struggle. We were still fighting fiercely when we reached the end of the path — because like all living things, we too are children of the Flame. We too burn with the desire to be alive."

War chuckled quietly.

“Even if death is nothing more than change.”

Then, she looked at the dark sky and laughed.

“Ah, death... how I despise that cowardly shadow!"

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