Bro, I'm not an Undead!
Chapter 1519 1519: The Waiting

All that remained for Boron to do now was to wait, and he had been waiting.

He didn't mind sitting on the ground, lacing his focus on the powers brewing deep within his Broader Existence. Elita had cut him once, which left him leaking Amras, but for a Deity, that kind of damage could be repaired easily. Better than that, the experience had helped Boron heighten his awareness for such rare Treasures and Andori that could directly cut beyond flesh and soul.

After being imprisoned in the Under for so long, his edge when it came to battle had slackened, but not by much.

Where Boron came from – where he, Quintess and Listafelle came from – there was no tolerance for weakness or the slightest slackening ambition. Any who lost their drive to forge on weren't fit to join the Aspire to Divine.

The memory of himself as a mortal almost made a smile creep on Boron's marble face. His small, black eyes, livid with dreadful power opened slightly.

How long had it been since he was Ciumin Vontavaugh? Well, that was irrelevant.

How long had it been since he allowed his talent to burn with all the grace of a dying star and elevate him beyond his world? Was that at all important to the current him?

The truth was, Boron was different from Kaella – from Suzamete. When they had been together, she had told him everything about herself – her race, her status, her path to growth, and even about the son she had left behind. She never really changed her view of the world, or forgot those she left on her home world Faaminl to join the Aspire to Divine. Even now, as a Deity, she continued to adorn that harsh motherly personality she'd always had.

But Boron neither remembered nor cared for his own past – his old friends, his old dreams. They meant nothing to him. Perhaps that was why he didn't see the joy in creating living beings like the others.

Like Parrhaya (Quintess), Rorsetta (Listafelle) and Kaella. The idea of turning the vital process of creating a world – as a Deity – fun was abominable.

That must have been why Boron and Quintess never could connect on any level, why they saw each in much the same light – traitors to the natural order. For a time, the two's talents, mostly matched, had kept them bashing heads only with words. But then finally, Parrhaya had had enough. He used Boron to create the foundation of the Under, but left him the keys to eventually escape this fate.

<Ever the visionary…> Boron scoffed at the memory, the humiliation.

He wasn't some one note talent with eyes only for vengeance and destruction. He could discern the thoughts, intentions and decisions of others.

He could discern more of what Quintess intended to do by locking him under Aigas – besides the obvious. He was determined to ask Quintess if his inference was spot-on. He would hear it from the horse's mouth.

Boron also understood why Kaella betrayed him – beyond the obvious reasoning, of course. It was more than just because she cared for this world as someone responsible for helping its creation. The underlying reason cut deep, and it had been impossible for Boron to come to terms with it immediately.

Kaella had chosen Parrhaya, and not him.

She had met Parrhaya before him, and he (as well as Rorsetta) made her a promise that he would help her achieve her ideal, even when it was wildly different from theirs – and perhaps a little less inspired.

Indeed, Parrhaya could help the lesser talented Kaella to grow and keep away from death until the right time, when dying would be most rewarding.

Parrhaya had left her on Aigas so that she could feed off its strength over the Consternals, growing steadily, while Boron had been folded and made into a silent platform without the means to offer her anything for a long while. How could Kaella have betrayed Parrhaya then, just because Ciumin had risen from his prison?

Even Boron had to admit, he likely would have chosen the same path Suzamete did if he were her.

But understanding all this didn't inspire Boron to forgive and forget.

Rather, he would destroy and forget. The past was needless. If he could eradicate all the pieces of his humiliation and misery, he could start again. He could start afresh.

He would do all this in a single harsh blow: a single duel that would lay waste to Aigas and destroy its creators.

Only after that was done could Boron could set his sights on his own ambition. It was simple, reasonable and…

"YOU OWE ME A FAVOUR."

Boron was startled by the voice. He couldn't tell its source, but its authority came with all the subtlety of a butterfly.

Warily, he stood to his feet, the six Divine Generals standing guard around him stirring.

<To whom do I owe this favour?> Boron asked, but before a moment could pass, he remembered. <I see. What would you have me do? I pray that your patience is graceful, if your favour entails something drawn-out. I have affairs to handle before I am free to commit to any other cause.>

"IF YOU PLAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT, THIS WILL BE A TRIFLE."

***

Edagon.

All that remained for Sausifillis to do now was to wait, and he had been waiting.

He was waiting for the call to fulfil the Tie of Exchange he'd made with a certain skeleton charged with Levin months ago, a journey beyond the world he knew.

It would be a difficult journey indeed, but there was something before this.

Sausifillis had to wait for judgment, and she had all but confirmed that judgment was coming within a few minutes.

The last Giant had much to answer for. He could be certain that all his actions were seen and heard, but the thoughts and desires in his heart were hidden even from the juror.

When she had asked, he had refused to tell, for it was not her place to question him, to judge him. Understandably so, perhaps.

Sause couldn't help but swallow hard, though, and harden his resolve. When the time came, he had questions to ask as well.