32 He must become my disciple! (1/2)

A door made of obsidian stone.

It was so tall that it seemed endless.

As Mao Lu glanced upwards he could see the ongoing obsidian doors blurring into the tall white flame walls above, and being shrouded in misty clouds.

\”Come in\” A sonorous voice boomed.

Instantly the heavy and tall obsidian doors opened and Mao Lu's chair pushed him inside.

With just a blink, the scenery around Mao Lu changed and he was sitting on a boat in the middle of a wide river. The water was clear and he could see fishes swimming about, white stones resting, and blooming silver flowers sparkling on the river bed.

Around the river was a large amazon like forest, on either side Mao Lu could see vines and trees wider than cars and taller than mountains. He observed the twittering ape-like creatures, that glowed every colour of the rainbow, as they sat at the edge of the river grooming themselves.

Multicoloured birds flew above, singing to a beautiful melody. A melody that came from the blowing of a flute. A flute that rested in a Man's hands.

This man sat on a round boulder that lay in the middle of the river. He wore black robes, that had black time essences swimming across the fabric. In the middle of this tropical scenery he was like a crow of death.

He held the black flute expertly in his hands and he blew on it gently, the tune that came out was beautiful. It encouraged all kinds of feelings in Mao Lu's heart.

The boat came to a halt next to the boulder and the black clothed Man who blew on his flute.

The moment it halted Mao Lu stood up and cupped his hands together, slightly bowing towards the man he said, \”It is a pleasure to meet you Gatekeeper Obsidian. I am Mao Lu, Gatekeeper of realm 145, although I am sure you know this already since you summoned for me.\”

As Mao Lu said this, the beautiful tune coming from the flute entered an exciting crescendo. Only on the very last minor chord, did Obsidian look over at Mao Lu.

He had a tranquil expression on his face as he opened his eyes and revealed his deep set black irises.

As Mao Lu stared into them he felt as if he was really falling into a thick abyss.

\”It is also a pleasure to meet you Gatekeeper Lu. As you know I am Gatekeeper Obsidian, but as a fellow Gatekeeper you don't need to use titles around me, Obsidian is enough.\”

Mao Lu nodded, \”Then I shall correct myself and call you Obsidian and of course you can call me Mao Lu.\” Mao Lu smiled brightly. He liked people that didn't care for titles too much. To Mao Lu this showed that Obsidian had a good character.

Mao Lu had been inwardly worried that this Gatekeeper would be some overbearing and arrogant prick.

From what Mao Lu had seen so far of the 400 realms, he had become humbled by their sheer magnitude, and had been awed by all of it. All of this was created by one being, and perhaps beyond the 400 Reams there was even more out there that still needed to be explored. All of it made Mao Lu feel very humble. How could someone not be humbled by all of this? A Gatekeeper who was arrogant and filled with their own self importance would be a fool in Mao Lu's eyes.

If all Gatekeepers were like this Mao Lu would feel ashamed to be associated with them.

Meeting Obsidian had restored Mao Lu's faith in the Gatekeepers. They weren't all arrogant and egotistic. Perhaps there were some rotten apples in the group but that didn't mean all of them were.

…..

Obsidian was inwardly surprised at how quickly Mao Lu dropped the title. Usually new Gatekeepers were much more nervous and insecure when first meeting other Gatekeepers. And Obsidian wasn't any regular Gatekeeper, he was ranked 2nd and he was over ten billion years old. He was the longest reigning Gatekeeper, he was the second ever Gatekeeper of Realm 2 the Domain of Deities.

He was expecting Mao Lu to be somewhat of a nervous wreck in front of him, but there was not a trace of worry or anxiety across his face. In fact he appeared relaxed and at ease, and he didn't seem arrogant.

\”A Gatekeeper of Time is someone that isn't swayed by change or circumstance but in fact embraces it, adjusts to it, and in time conquers it. I believe this boy is worthy of being accepted by Time, he seems to be a flexible person.\” Obsidian thought to himself.

The more he looked at the warm smile on Mao Lu's face the more he found the boy pleasant to the eye.

Obsidian had been happy before that a new Gatekeeper with the power of time had appeared, he always felt a deep attachment to those that walked along the same path as him. However, he had never expected this boy to have such a glowing aura.

The time essences swam about him joyfully, even the ones in Obsidian's space, raced over to Mao Lu and intertwined with the Time essences swimming about the boy's body. Mao Lu attracted them as easily as breathing. Hadn't it been less than a month since this boy was instated as the Gatekeeper of Realm 145. Yet he was already near to completing his Awakening and entering the Merging Stage.

Not only that but his control and relation with the essences around him, already had such a deep affinity.

As Obsidian observed this natural talent with increasing shock, he felt a growing urge to hide Mao Lu from Argenti.

\”If she meets him and notices his amazing temperament and potential, she'll definitely want to to take him under her wing as a disciple. I can't let that happen. I must make this boy my own disciple, Argenti already has many students under her wing but I have never accepted any. I have been waiting all these years for a Gatekeeper that not only wields the power of Time, but also has impressive potential and an equally impressive character.

This boy may be the student that I prophesied. The student that could very well make history and change the fate of the 400 realms as we know it.\”

Obsidian was never one to smile, but his tranquil face lifted into a warm expression, and his eyes glittered as he looked at Mao Lu, like he was staring at a rare treasure.

\”He must become my disciple.\”

….

As Mao Lu looked at the bright smile across Obsidian's face he felt slightly uncomfortable. \”He's looking at me the same way a starved man looks at food.\”

At the same time as the thought flashed through Mao Lu's head, Gates noticed something interesting occuring back in Realm 145. It wondered whether it should tell Mao Lu, or wait until he noticed himself.

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MAO LU'S HOME- CHAOYANG