Celestial Speed: Legacy-Chapter 77: Talking picture

The woman sighed. "This is getting really frustrating, that’s the fifteenth one this year. Can’t we just call it quits," she said

The man’s frown deepened. "No! Keep on looking for more and make sure to bring them to me. We won’t stop until we find the real one, the real conch shell of triton," he stated, a determined look etched on his face

But the woman wasn’t showing the same enthusiasm as the man. Infact, it was the exact opposite. "But that would mean raiding every single museum in the world, and all for something that might not even exist. For all we know, it could be buried somewhere, or even destroyed," she said with a discontented look. "Why are we even searching for this thing? Wasting our time and resources, when we should be making our move on the mana-humans,"

The man turned to face her. "Are you questioning me?" he asked, his voice low and menacing

The woman instinctively took a step back. "N... No, i was only sugges..."

"You are not in the place to suggest anything to me," he snapped, cutting her words short. "Just because we are kin, doesn’t mean you have the right to question my authority, all you have to do is obey. Know your place, Arya,"

"Yes fa... Grandmaster, i apologize for my misconduct," Arya replied, her head bowed slightly

"Good, now go and get me the real shell. And tell the masters, i want to see them," the man stated with an authoritative voice

"Yes, Grandmaster," she nodded and left the office. As she came out of the dark room, the door closing behind her, Arya sighed in relief, like a large stone was lifted off her chest allowing her to breathe again. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Yes, father," she whispered and walked into the elevator.

Meanwhile, the man was still standing by the painting, he seemed to be lost in thought, probably about the entire situation.

"I don’t suppose you are having second thoughts, are you?" A voice suddenly drifted into his ears, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Second thoughts?" the old man repeated, his voice laced with a hint of amusement. "No, I am not having second thoughts. I am merely... reconsidering my approach."

As he spoke, he raised his head to gaze at the painting, and his eyes locked onto the pair of golden eyes that had suddenly appeared in the hood. It seemed to be staring back at him, but the man didn’t look surprised in the slightest, it was like, this was a normal thing for him. The eyes were piercing, yet somehow, they seemed to hold a deep wisdom, a knowing glint that made the old man feel like he was being seen right through.

The old man’s expression was calm, almost serene, but his voice betrayed a hint of unease. "You know as well as I do, that the path we have chosen is not an easy one. There will be... consequences."

The golden eyes seemed to gleam with an otherworldly intensity, as if they were absorbing the old man’s words, weighing them, and considering them. Then, in a voice that was like a soft breeze on a summer’s day, the painting spoke.

"The consequences are of no concern to me," it said. "What matters is the end result. And I fear that you are losing sight of that, old man."

The old man’s eyes narrowed, his gaze intensifying as he regarded the painting. "I have not lost sight of anything," he said, his voice firm. "I merely... require assurance that your goal is worth the cost."

The golden eyes seemed to flash with amusement, and the painting’s voice took on a hint of dry humor. "Assurance? Ah, old man, you know as well as I do that there is no such thing as assurance in this world. Only probabilities, and even those are subject to change. But if you do your job like you are told to, then i assure you victory,"

The old man’s expression turned thoughtful, his eyes clouding over as he considered the painting’s words. Then he frowned. "I am not some tool that you can just use and dispose as you please,"

The eyes flickered slightly and the voice chuckled. "That’s funny, I thought you served the shadow god?" it stated

"I do, from now till my last light," the man replied sharply

"Then you, my friend, are a servant of the shadow. And therefore a tool for the god of the shadow to use at will," the painting’s voice remarked, and the man clenched his fist. He was a servant of the shadow, but he didn’t like being referred to, as a tool.

He wanted to say something but the voice continued. "And what did the shadow tell you to do?" it asked the man

The man’s frown deepened, he didn’t know what the voice was hinting at but he answered anyways. "The shadow’s decree was that i serve the ordained," he replied

"Well, as you know. I am the ordained, and i am just as terrifying as the shadow god you serve. So, i advice you obey without question, or i will be forced to rain lightening from Aides on all your pathetic humans," the voice said sharply, in a threatening tone

The man gritted his teeth, he was the one who would lose, should a fight happen, and that was terrifying, considering the fact that the voice and eyes in the painting were not actually there. They were far away, but the amount of energy it possessed was enough to do a lot of damage.

"What is it you need this time? I already told you I’ll contact you when i have the shell, so why have you appeared before me?" the man asked

"I know you haven’t found the conch, which is very disappointing, by the way. But i’ve come to tell you about another item i need you to find. It’s called the amulet of fate, and it should be found in one of the oneiri temples. That’s all the info I can give you, but i believe you won’t fail," the voice said

The man furrowed his brows. "What about the shell?" he asked the voice

"Oh, don’t worry much about that anymore, i have some people on it already. Just get this done, find the amulet, and find it quickly," it replied

"Understood," the man stated

The golden eyes seemed to gleam with approval, and the painting’s voice spoke once more.

"I thought you would see it my way, old man," it said. "Now, go. There is much to be done, and little time to waste." And with that, the pair of golden eyes disappeared along with the voice, bringing the room to a sudden silence.