Chapter 550: Memories (1)

As the stone door closed behind him, Aiden could finally heave a sigh of relief. After everything that happened today and the day before, Aiden was in desperate need of some real rest.

Still, he couldn't help but look towards the direction of where the life signs of the girls were supposed to be. Aiden felt regret, sadness, and grief for the first time. Regret, because of his hasty actions. Because of him, a child, a small angel of a girl has lost the one person she loved the most. Sadness as well as grief for taking away a father, a 'papa' from someone innocent of all of this.

Aiden sighed, unable to come up with anything to lift his mood. 

'I can only roll with it now. I…" Making up his mind, Aiden nodded one last time towards the direction of the girl, before turning away and walking up to the far-right corner of the room where a stack of leaves, -probably gathered from around the forest above them-, was gathered and placed to form a cozy-looking nest. 

Not too bothered about the unique bedding, Aiden laid down at the pile of leaves. Exhaustion quickly overcame him, Aiden was asleep just a few moments later. Light sleeping sounds, gentle wheezes escaping from his lips as he descended into a deep slumber finally. 

At the same time, with his mental hold released, the memories of the absorbed skink could finally be assimilated into his consciousness. In his mind, the images began to play out as if they were merely snippets of another person's dreams…

—

Opening up his eyes, Aiden found himself once again in a dusty, dimly lit small closed-off space. He wasn't sure where exactly he was, but the faint humming noises coming from somewhere below him, suggested that this time, there were at least multiple levels to his current abode.

Also, as he turned his head around slowly to scan his surroundings, he realized he wasn't a captive at all. He was sitting on a stone chair, in front of him, some sort of altar with dozens of lit candles providing the source of lumination for the chamber.

Additionally, though there were no windows looking at the outside at all, there were no doors blocking his way from escape either.

A burgundy velvety carpet could be seen laid on the outside, suggesting that wherever he currently was, it was meant for those higher up in the societal ladder. The white marble floor that was laid underneath the expensive, luxurious ground tapestry.

Just as he was gleaning at the hallway, the shadows of an approaching figure emerged from behind the walls. In the next moment, the owner of the shadow also appeared, and without as much as a word he stepped in.

Just like the elderly skink and his little daughter, he too was wearing the same white robe, albeit his had golden threads embroidered at its edges as if they wanted to 'draw' a contour, a majestic outline for the wearer of this holy garment. 

His face was hidden behind a thick dragon-shaped dark oakwood mask. White ritual markings were painted all over it, and a couple of long golden-colored feathers placed on top, giving the object that much more relevance.

Truth be told, the little figure had the resemblance of some sort of tribal shaman, rather than that of a High Priest. Still, Aiden somehow knew who this figure was, making his expression sour into a deep distasteful frown.

"[Reptilian] High Priest Zuruk, to what do I owe the pleasure? What made you come all the way to my humble abode?" Words flew out of Aiden's mouth, catching him slightly off guard. Though at least he finally realized that this isn't real, but instead he has somehow immersed himself into the visions of the Robed Elder. 

With that realization, though he was surprised by the strange, forced perspective he had this time, he wasn't too bothered by it either. Instead, he let go of trying to take the reins and just 'sat back' on his metaphorical seat and let himself merely be the passenger to witness the events that the system deemed important to witness, for him to relive.

Though hidden, from the smirk, the disdainful tone the masked leader had hit in his greeting it wasn't too difficult to feel the conflict between these two important individuals.

"[Reptilian] Well now… Why couldn't I just take the time out of my busy schedule to visit an old friend?" Zuruk teased, chuckling at his own words at the end.

"[Reptilian] Cut to the chase, Worm Worshipper." Aiden, or as he could now fully recall, Archbishop Zark snorted, the deep frown not leaving his wrinkled expression.

Instantly, the High Priest turned silent and didn't respond for a couple of seconds. His body was trembling with the unsurmountable anger and rage he was trying to push down and not let it cloud his mind and ruin all the plans he had set up with such effort.

Eventually, he sighed under the mask, and with a bit of a worn-down tone, -the sign of the arduous battle he had just fought with himself-, he spoke.

"[Reptilian] Old friend, old friend… I will never understand how can you serve at such a post with such a heathen belief." He sighed, before continuing. "You blame the Ancient One for the punishment of your crimes… Yet you are still here, serving his Holy Will, following the commands of his Chosen One… I wonder…" 

He caressed his dark green chin that peeked out from under the thick wooden mask, showing as if he was in deep thought. 

"Dunno… I guess that makes you more of a spineless, miserable worm than anybody else, ain't it?" He exclaimed, erupting into a boisterous guffaw at the end of his remark.

Aiden could feel a deep-seated hatred, a burning rage, a wave of anger he had never felt before growing inside the body of Zark. The sorrow of his little girl's cursed fate, her being the selected mate for the Ancient One… 

A sealed destiny of being an offering of flesh to fulfill a carnal desire. Worst of all, the fact that there was no possible escape from it either…

The face of the little girl, the same Aiden met just a few moments ago emerged in Zark's mind, causing him to lose all semblance of normalcy. He could no longer hold back, he jumped up from his seat, shivering from the overwhelming amount of rage. 

"You… B*STARD!" He roared, pointing at the High Priest. In the next instant, faint white light with hints of golden at its root surrounded the elder as he released all of his power, allowing it to run free in his veins, filling up every fiber of his being.

He focused the flow of energy towards the tip of his pointed fingers, gathering it to get ready for a decisive attack, a hopefully fatal hit…

---

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