Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 705 - 649: The First Command

"Corrupted by the Power of the Evil God during the initial formation of talent and even stripping away the corrupted talent, part of the soul was split and mixed with one’s own spirit amid the corruption..." Susanna’s dreamscape was like a bottle filled with muddy water, where those shapeless forms of vague power floating in the air settled and accumulated, turning into a thick earth and a pristine night sky.

The glowing soul faded as well, the shadow of the Evil God like a recurrent plague covering the light, and the ominous power of the Evil God was repairing, while Susanna did nothing to stop it.

"Outrageous, isn’t it? Andrey was always like this, my mentor has more than once subtly criticized me and the participants of that talent ritual for our recklessness and stupidity," Lyle’s body reassembled under the power of the Evil God, and from the chest cavity of the black giant came a voice as shrill as a bagpipe.

"The thoughts of a genius." Susanna didn’t acknowledge Lyle’s surprise but continued, "Although in your eyes, this is a series of accidents triggered by mistakes, the miracles produced by an incessant collision of absurdity are rarer than methodical success. After going through so much and becoming the existence you are now, perhaps you were destined to become one of my kind, you have the potential for madness."

The ominous giant reformed, standing in Susanna’s dreamscape. The scene here was the night version of the Dream Forest; Susanna reined in her hostility, seemingly no longer needing to suffer.

"You’re not planning to deal with me anymore?" Lyle knew his identity as the pure would be very appealing to a Paladin, but he hadn’t thought it would be effective on Susanna as well.

"My aim was to constrain you, to prevent the malice of the Evil God from harming this world. Why should I bother to break the chains and risk imprisoning a self-shackled prisoner in a deeper dungeon?"

A cringe-inducing creaking sound kept emerging as the nightmarish beast’s body shrank like a plant growing in reverse, downsizing into an Elf Executive adorned in armor. But Lyle, who had already been privy to her true nature, would not be fooled by this delicate disguise.

"No wonder those skinny arms and legs are capable of arm-wrestling with dragons."

Shadows descended, and Lyle, wearing normal attire, watched the woman before him with residual fear, having grown somewhat familiar with Susanna, albeit in an adversarial fashion.

"So you want to imprison and seal me away just for world peace, not to let the Evil God afflict living beings?"

Susanna leaned forward, peering into Lyle’s somewhat evasive eyes.

"I’m very aware of the harm the Evil God can cause, more than anyone else, because we are of the same kind, I understand myself." Susanna’s palms pinched Lyle’s cheeks, rubbing them up and down as if to check the condition of a young cub. Lyle didn’t dare resist because the slender fingers pressing against his cheeks could crush his jawbone at any moment—even in a dream, the pain was real.

"I thought the somewhat simple and shy appearance you had was just a disguise of the Evil God, but it turns out it is your true nature showing through. Is this how a young Evil God looks? Is this the result of humanity taking the lead?"

Susanna’s change in behavior gave Lyle a strange sense of déjà vu; something about her seemed more mature, an aura that also stimulated Lyle’s nerves, leaning towards the aspect of Andrey.

"I had thought you were jealous of my close relationship with Lady Irason and wanted to get rid of me because of that."

"..." Susanna shifted her weight back, turning her head to look at the moon in the dreaming night sky, "I am an Elf Executive, a leader of a people, I have my own principles of action. I wouldn’t use my power over something so trivial..."

"Just now you said we were of the same kind, I believe I have some insight into the Evil God’s willful ways..."

"Mmm."

Lyle suddenly felt a chill run down his back, as if insects were crawling up his spine. That sensation quickly faded as Susanna released her grip on Lyle, covering her face somewhat awkwardly.

"Lyle, rationally speaking, knowing the value of cultivating your existence, I should, like a diligent gardener, imbue you with some goodwill." Susanna’s fingers slightly parted, her cold gaze piercing through her fingertips and into Lyle’s heart, "But you always show me your potential to become rose fertilizer, making it difficult for me, Lyle..."

Lyle cowered, there in Susanna’s dream.

"But it was indeed my fault before; as an Elf Executive, I launched a series of attacks on you, a guest, based on my own judgment—I hereby express my apology. If you seek compensation, that would be reasonable." The disarmed Susanna, with her mask removed, appeared earnest, as if having an epiphany.

A leader seeking forgiveness after assaulting a visiting envoy was unreasonable by any measure. Lyle knew, if he hadn’t been a Dragon King Priest with the father of dragons and the Dragon Priests Council backing him, this scenario would never have happened.

Lyle was in trouble.

He hadn’t anticipated any of this on his visit, and both Andrey and Claudia were close friends of his. Yet, despite knowing all this, Susanna still acted that way, driven by her dread of the Evil God. It’s hard to say whether she was resolute or senseless, and perhaps she never considered the possibility that Lyle would let her off the hook.

The conundrum had now landed in Lyle’s court. With Susanna having taken such a stance, he couldn’t simply let things slide; he needed to come up with a "punishment" that wouldn’t significantly harm Andrey and the others, yet would truly make Susanna suffer.

"Ah... In that case..." Lyle lifted his head, the black pupils of his eyes flickering in the night light, brimming with writhing shadows that spilled over and veiled the bloodshot sclera.

"An ill omen says that you were born a remnant with the commands of a god, so tell me, Sister Susanna, what was Triton’s reason for creating you? What was your original purpose in life, your reason for existence?"

Susanna’s body visibly shuddered, and she raised her head, her gaze shifting from annoyance to resignation and finally to envy as she looked into Lyle’s eyes.

"The command I was born with..."

"Drive the Green Dragon Priest, whose thoughts seal a god, into madness, freeing the trapped god within Emerald Dream."

Cast from the body of a god, these pieces of flesh made to serve a singular purpose were akin to machines. Susanna was a Destroyer created by the Sleeper Triton to overthrow the Elf Kingdom, a killing machine designed specifically for the Green Dragon Priest Andrey.

Ironically, a being born for destruction had become the very guardian of its intended target.

"Elf Executive, founder of the Senate, so this is your origin... A fearsome secret indeed. With your current status, this command should be easy to fulfill, shouldn’t it, Lady Susanna?"

"You’ve defied your creator, betrayed your god." How she accomplished this was a mystery; the remnants of the Evil God were not independent entities. Her flesh should have contained the Sleeper’s strong spiritual mark, and it seemed improbable that a god known for mastering mind control and corrupting hearts could lose control of his puppet.

You keep saying that Lyle’s twin souls are a miracle, yet you too are a rebellious scion who has backstabbed your creator.

Susanna smiled briefly.

"Perhaps this is our intrinsic madness. The Evil God appears to be a being that delights in creating trouble for himself. He split off Yemotar the Devourer, gave rise to dragons that contradicted chaos, and birthed the oldest order. He split off a rebellious me, becoming the warden of the punitive Emerald Dream, only to then have you emerge... a deviant claiming to be the god’s usurper."

Lyle was amused and shrugged helplessly.

"Who knows what the Sleeper was thinking; perhaps this eternal deity is just bored."

The origin of Susanna was revealed. Although to Lyle, this distinguished and majestic Elf Executive seemed somewhat decadent, he had unveiled her darkest secret. And to an Executive who now loved Andrey and the Dream Elf, this dishonorable origin must be the most terrifying secret.

It was an act of ingratiation and intimacy, a secret only to be shared among kindred spirits.

"Carrying this deep darkness feels a bit heavy."

Susanna spoke with a slightly playful tone.

"You’re the only one who knows my secret, little brother Lyle. Now that we’re closer, shouldn’t you make some gesture?"

"Like what?"

The knowing sister’s expression turned cold.

"Stay away from Elan from now on."