Kyran's expression remained unreadable. But inwardly, his mind reeled at what the being within the black mist had said. It was not because he fully understood what the being meant but because he remembered the story Caelan had told him the second time they met in his sea of consciousness.
It was a story of the infamous Dark Sage.
The things Caelan told Kyran then either confirmed some of his theories or disapproved of them. Frankly, Kyran was surprised at the points at which some of his theories were off the mark.
Kyran recalled the story Caelan said after the being within the black mist had called himself 'The Cause of the Fall, because he, Caelan, also mentioned that the Dark Sage caused The Fall.
Whether The Fall mentioned by Caelan and the fall from the being within the black mist's name were the same, Kyran had yet to find out. To be honest, he was unsure if he truly wanted to know the answer to that. He admitted the sudden turn of events was making him uneasy.
Initially, Kyran thought The Emperor's appearance was quite expected. Placing himself in The Emperor's shoes, if Kyran had sent one of his trustworthy subjects to capture someone yet failed twice, he would not have chosen another subject to continue the capture. Like The Emperor, Kyran would do the task himself.
However, Kyran would do that for an entirely different reason from The Emperor.
It was only a guess, but Kyran believed The Emperor would capture the target himself because he could only trust himself to do a better job. As for Kyran's reason, it would be that he feared for the safety of the person he would send after the target.
In any case, Kyran's guess was not far off. Indeed, The Emperor only trusted himself to accomplish the task. But that was because he already suspected Ames was protecting him and did not think any of his subordinates could match up with her.
Kyran felt uneasy at how fast the turn of events developed after the appearance of The Emperor in Somuli. That uneasiness intensified after he was captured by the being within the black mist.
And now, the latter actually claimed to be 'The Cause of the Fall.'
As far as Kyran remembered from Caelan's description of the Dark Sage, the latter was an emaciated man in a gray robe. Because of his gaunt appearance, it was easy to see he was suffering from an illness.
Kyran felt as if he was meeting far too many 'big bosses.'
The being within the black mist cackled in amusement as his red glowing eyes stared at him.
"From your expression, I can tell you have not heard about me."
This time, Kyran finally responded and said, "Rather than not hearing about you... I just have not decided whether to believe you or not."
"Hm..."
The black mist around the being weaved up and down ever so slightly, indicating his agreement.
"A wise thing to do."
Kyran's brow furrowed. He believed himself to be capable of reading other people's true thoughts through their expressions and movements. Unfortunately, because the man was shrouded in black mist, it was very hard for Kyran to read him. If the being's eyes were not always glowing red, Kyran might be able to glean some clues by observing them. Alas, because it was glowing, he could not get any clues.
In the end, he could only rely on the being's voice.
Or, at least, that was Kyran's intention. But even after hearing the being talked, there was little that Kyran could glean from them.
The only thing that he could confirm at the moment was that the being bore no ill intentions.
Kyran let out an inaudible sigh as he said, "I am not sure if I am ready to hear those other truths."
The being cackled, "I wouldn't be surprised. But you see, given your special ability, you will have to know them all so you can better pave the future you wanted."
"What does that mean? What ability are you talking about?"
"Looks like you have yet to understand what your existence meant."
Kyran did not respond and only looked at the being before him.
"Very well."
As if the being within the black mist understood that Kyran would not allow him to brush off the topic, he decided to be more truthful.
"I will tell you what you want to know—."
"Just so we are clear," Kyran warned before the being could continue. "I will not negotiate with you."
The being was silent for a few seconds before he broke out in a peal of laughter.
"Another wise thing to do," he said. "However, you can rest assured that I will not ask for anything in return by telling you what you want to know."
"Why?"
"What do you mean, why?"
"You said you rescued me," Kyran started. "But I don't think you did that out of benevolence. You know I have the Shaiha. Earlier, you even said that your fate is still tied to it. Yet you don't plan to negotiate with me for it? Then why even bait me?"
"Bait?" The being within the dark mist repeated, seemingly unable to understand what he had meant.
"You want to pique my interest by calling yourself 'The Cause of the Fall,'" Kyran replied. "If you are not going to use the information you have about The Fall to negotiate with me, then what is your real purpose?"
"I am right... you staying silent from the beginning... You have been analyzing what little things you have gathered in that short period," the being responded, seemingly unfazed at how Kyran's blatant show of distrust. "No wonder Shaiha chose you."
The being paused for a brief moment before rephrasing what he just said, "No... that is not entirely correct. Rather than Shaiha choosing you because of your abilities... it is because of you..."
Kyran could not help but frown at the being's words. He wanted to limit the expressions he showed the latter, but it seemed futile to hide his emotions because, apparently, the latter was capable of reading him like an open book. If that was the case, there was little point in acting indifferent.
In any case, Kyran was annoyed at how the being within the black mist seemed to be speaking in riddles.
"Do not make that face," the being said, sounding quite amused. "I do not mean to speak in riddles."
"You—."
"You have the body of the Ancients... This reason is why the Shaiha chose you."