Chapter 143: Hidden Secrets [6]

They sat against the wall in silence for some moments. Atlas gathered his thoughts while the woman meditated and replenished her lost qi. Luckily, her foundation wasn't too heavily damaged by her imprisonment, so she was able to recover almost back to her full strength.'If it were not for the Tower, I would have died.' Sёarᴄh the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Her Divinity would have been shattered by the depreciation of her Legend.

The Tower was a place where Legends gathered. Despite the efforts of her enemies, her name could not be buried so easily.

'It has been over a thousand years.'

Though she was asleep for the majority of it, she still counted every passing second.

'Still, I did not expect to awaken like this.'

She smiled wryly and looked down at herself.

Her body was too frail. It used to be toned. Her muscles used to be accentuated under her aquamarine blue skin. Her eyes used to shine like galaxies, driving people insane if they tried to peer into their depths.

She had long black hair that remained braided using a technique of a warrior clan she met in the past. Truly, she had the appearance of a warrior, but she was also someone who attracted gazes of adoration from all over the Tower.

Back then, she didn't care about these things. Why would a cultivator care about something as vain as beauty? She viewed it as more of a hindrance than a benefit, as all of the unwanted attention usually did more harm than good.

Was it because it had been so long?

Her skin was now rough and ragged. Her muscles had been destroyed by a millennia and a half of stagnation. Her eyes were sunk into her skin, reflecting wear more than anything else, and her hair was matted into the pattern of the wall.

She was starting to miss the appearance she used to hate.

"What is your name, child?"

Nevertheless, the questions she asked held no thoughts about her own state.

Atlas looked at the ground. At this point, he was no longer unaware of his state. He was more open than he had been since he entered the Tower.

The mask that hid him from the world had shattered and become nothing.

"Atlas Vaun."

It didn't matter if he said it at this point. This woman already knew more about him than anyone else he had met thus far.

"Atlas Vaun…it is a good name," the woman responded.

"I am Aeon. Thank you for saving me."

There was almost no emotion in her voice, but that seemed to be her natural state. Despite it, Atlas could feel her gratitude, so he didn't question it.

More importantly…

"That is a very unique name, but have I…?"

The information in his head suddenly came together.

"Did you say Aeon?" He asked.

"That is the name that I have lived this life through, yes," she answered.

"Then, perhaps…"

Atlas hesitated for a moment.

"...are you the one they call the Voidwalker?"

Looking at his expression, Aeon's mood brightened a little.

"Pfft…!"

She tried to hold it, but a bit of laughter escaped her mouth.

"Do you really have to be so afraid, child? I am indeed the one you speak of, but why would I do anything to harm you? You are my savior, aren't you?"

Atlas was slightly embarrassed, but he couldn't help it.

She wasn't just anyone, after all.

This woman, the Voidwalker, held a status equivalent to the Calamity Dragon.

'She is one of the Tower's 9 Heavenly Kings.'

It was unbelievable that the person he'd found trapped in a shoddy place like a secret realm on the 25th Floor was actually one of the strongest people in the Tower! Naturally, she was currently weakened, but did that matter?

Her status was unbelievable compared to what Atlas had ever been. More importantly, unlike Alaric, she actually had the air of a great being. Her natural demeanor commanded respect, which affected him slightly in these moments when [Perfect Adaptability] wouldn't activate. Discover more stories at M V L

But, her behavior was definitely calming. Along with it, Atlas already had a favorable perception of her because she was the one who pulled him out of that terrifying state.

It was a surprising revelation, but he was able to come to terms with it quite quickly.

"What happened to you, if you don't mind me asking?"

He returned to the first question he had after regaining control. He could tell she was powerful from the fact that she was chained with Ancient Darkstar Metal, but how could she be trapped here?

Logically, it shouldn't have even been possible for her to be on the 25th Floor. Mortals and Immortals were absolutely separated by the boundary of the 50th Floor, after all.

"..."

Aeon kept silent for a moment.

"Look into my eyes for a moment."

Atlas followed her instructions and directed his gaze there. Her eyes were truly mystical. They weren't like the eyes of a human, necessarily. She did not have an iris or a pupil. Within her sclera was a void of blackness filled with an assortment of stars.

Atlas felt like his soul was being sucked into that void and separated from his body. For a moment, he even believed that he was going to die.

However, before he could panic or react violently, Aeon pulled away her gaze.

'It will be difficult for him…' She thought to herself.

'...but the fate he carries is a grand one. He may be worthy of it.'

She made a decision in that moment that would change Atlas' life significantly, but that was a matter for the near future. Currently, that decision was what allowed her to share his story with him.

"It is a story like any other, one that any cultivator believes would never happen to them," she started slowly.

"One day, I got my hands on a great treasure, one beyond any other. Unfortunately, it was wrapped in curse seals and would not accept me as its master. I kept it for many decades and managed to hide it until I found the method to rid it of its curses, however, that also revealed its aura to the world."

She sighed deeply.

"I believed this problem would be a minor one, as when the curses left, the treasure would accept me. However, I was incorrect. That treasure did not reject me because of the curses. It rejected me because it did not deem me worthy."

Her eyes narrowed. Those events were unfortunate, but they were not the reason for her imprisonment. When she started thinking about that moment, she couldn't stop her rage from bubbling up.

"They ambushed me while I was attempting to claim it. I was always a rogue cultivator who acted alone, so I was unable to do anything against the forces he led. In order to take this treasure from me and dethrone me from the 9 Heavenly Kings, he started a war against me and everything I cared about."

"With no choice, I had to run. I attempted to escape the trap they set, only to realize that it had been prepared for as many decades as I had owned the treasure. They had been waiting for the opportunity, and after finding it, they ensured that I would never be able to escape."

Her eyes fell somewhat helplessly.

"I do not know how I arrived here. I can presume that we are on the lower floors only because of your cultivation, but before your arrival, I did not even know where this cave was. That is the state I have been living in for the past 1235 years."

"Though, realistically, that was not their only goal…"

However, that was not something for a young cultivator to worry about.

Those matters were far too great for a mortal to comprehend.