Return of the Demon Sovereign (Book 1) [MxM]

53. The Heart

Erebus moved through the headquarters, slipping in and out of the shadows until he reached the temple.

He stopped in the open space with arched ceilings. He looked awkwardly at the statue of him next to the Shadow Deity. The hooded figure stood before his statue, his cloak merging with the dark shadows beneath him.

[I bet you hate this statue.] He said with the deep metallic voice that Erebus was familiar with.

Erebus sighed and sat at the feet of the Shadow Deity's statue. He lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. "Why erect a statue of a naive sinner?"

The figure floated towards Erebus and snatched the cigarette from his mouth, and the darkness devoured it. [Those things will kill you faster than those Devils.]

Erebus glared at him. "Why are you here?"

[Am I not allowed to see a friend?]

Erebus gave him a wry look. "Were we friends?"

The figure seemed to look aghast. [After everything I have done for you!]

Erebus let out a light laugh. "Alright, alright. Although you piss me off quite a bit, we are friends. Hells, we had to stay in the Nothingness together for... how many years?"

The figure sat down next to him and chuckled. [A long while. Long enough that you should be calling me by my name.]

Erebus shrugged. "It's strange to call a Deity by their name. Besides, 'Damnable Shadow Deity' rolls off the tongue."

The Shadow Deity slapped the back of Erebus' head so fast that he couldn't prepare for it. "Damn you!" Erebus cried out.

The Shadow Deity snickered. [How is this life treating you?]

Erebus gave him a suspicious look. "You broke out of the Nothingness just to check in?"

[You act like breaking out is a difficult feat.]

Erebus rubbed his temples. "Typical Shadow Deity," he grumbled. "This life has been... vexing."

He held a hand out and used his mana to create a compressed ball of shadows. It was impressive at his current cultivation level but still incomparably weak to what he was. He felt small compared to the statue.

"All around me, people are telling exaggerated stories about the greatness and strength of the Demon Sovereign... But it's all lies. I made so many mistakes and poor decisions that I only feel regret. I was no hero. I was a stubborn fool that led countless people to die alongside me."

Fenrir had touched on this subject before, trying to encourage him and ease his guilty mind, but it was hard for Erebus to shake off the feeling.

Erebus gazed at the statue and sighed. "These people stare at this statue and gain inspiration. They look upon my figure and see the Demon Sovereign at the pinnacle of cultivation. My mask is depicted as a crown, and the cape is found to be regal. But these items were only worn to cover my shame. That demon mask served to hide my scarred face. The cape obscured my missing arm. Shit like this just serves to remind me of how far I fell."

He unconsciously rubbed the arm he had lost in his previous life as he glared with indignation at the statue.

[Have you forgotten all the good you have done as the Demon Sovereign? You defeated Aboros and subjugated the Devils. You quashed countless Titan rebellions, delaying their goals. Your actions alone brought peace to the realms for thousands of years.]

"But I opened that path for Jericho to sink his claws into the realms and call himself Emperor."

[Have you ever wondered what would have happened if you let Jericho die during that battle against Shadowbane? If you dropped him into the earth instead of sacrificing yourself? Have you ever asked yourself 'What if'?]