Chapter 1133 (2/2)

”Well, obviously not ruled. It was simply within the domain of Nether. It was likely just some backwater place filled with only a few wandering spirits.” Perhaps just as surprising to Randidly as the news that this was originally controlled by Nether was the vague sense of annoyance in Ileot's tone as he waved his hand. ”Perhaps you are too young to know, but Aether was the original instigator of the war.

“Completely justified, of course. Rumors are that something incredible precious was taken from us by the Nether… Although we fight defensively now, that is just because we are fighting defensively to maintain control of the in-roads toward the core of the Nether domain. We are glorified civil servants paving the way for the Xyrt Brigade...

”But as I was saying,” Ileot coughed into his hand. ”Vualla is truly someone special. Obviously a child born of loss and hatred, but incredibly gifted in terms of energy utilization. Too gifted. Her time here, at the most blood battlefield in the history of the war, left her indelibly marked by violence. And as more and more of her comrades around her died... she began to warp underneath the strain of death. To the point that she became permanently tainted by death. She could not escape its flavor no matter how hard she tried...”

”What does that mean?” Randidly interrupted.

Perhaps some of the genuine concern that Randidly felt had leaked through to his voice because Ileot looked at him with pity. ”Boy, you might think you understand war from being here, but that was an entirely different time in our history. A whole different type of war was fought. A primitive, bloody war. We... well, you will soon hear about its making, but we did not have the grand array to arm us with Nether Stars. There was only physical bodies and pounds of flesh available as the last bastion against the Great Rift. When images failed, the physical existences of our soldiers were also spent to buy the survivors even a single moment more time. That was the world where Vualla came into her own.

”And there...” Ileot's eyes flashed as he gave Randidly a meaningful look. ”Vualla became a creature of hate. How could she not? As she was abandoned by her father and mother… perhaps it is fair to consider the war itself the only parent that cared for her. And the lessons that Vualla learned from war… well...”

No, Randidly rejected immediately. She might hate but she is no creature. It was because she cared so deeply that she was scarred. She felt weak and hated herself for feeling weak. She felt fear and hated herself for fearing. But perhaps, as more and more people died around her... what Vualla truly grew to hate was herself. For surviving when so many others could not. For feeling like she had failed somehow by not putting herself in more danger. For knowing that she had only made it this far by walking on corpses of her allies.

As Randidly followed the logic, he sighed. Once she was on that Path to survive... How could she step off of it? It would invalidate all the sacrifices that she had walked over to get to this point. The momentum of sacrifice propelled her forward. With just a few words of background from Ileot and what Randidly knew of Vualla, he could almost see the arc of her Path in his mind. Once more, the heat in his chest flared to life.

So then, as Vualla’s heart grew heavy and numb to death, as she grew stronger and more and more foes tried to kill her, to remain true to those sacrifices would become everything. And so-

”...it was shortly after a disastrous loss here, one which shook the Grand Commander's belief that this location could be held, that Vualla had her breakthrough... to become a Heretic. The first that the Nexus had ever seen.”

”Too gifted in energy utilization,” Randidly said softly.

“All that death that had stained her became her fuel. She reaped lives like wheat to grow stronger.. Sometimes waiting until they would be killed by Nether, but sometimes simply taking the wounded or maimed who she deemed useless. All were fodder for her flame of hatred.” Ileot's smile was sharp. ”As I have said, things were very different in those days. Although she was stealing the energy from her allies, most were willing to overlook it. After all, so many died anyway and so much of those deaths were used to buy the survivors time. What difference did it make that Vualla was taking the initiative to kill?”

Randidly’s heart twisted painfully. It was… difficult to imagine Vualla killing for power.

Heedless, Ileot continued to speak. “Some were impressed at her ingenuity. And even if they couldn't copy what she managed, it was proof of concept. In fact, the diabolical experiments that followed this discovery are perhaps Vualla's most enduring legacy-”

”Is it really necessary to say that?” Randidly said. And now he could clearly recognize how rough his voice sounded.

As though he won a small victory, Ileot shook his head with a smile on his face. ”Of course. There is no need to dwell on the grimy details. But as I was saying... with her new status as a Heretic, Vualla rapidly grew in power. So that soon the situation on her battlefield stabilized; with her as the heavy blade to bleed the Nether for their attacks, Aether finally had the capability to establish themselves. And as Vualla's attention was freed up from existential concerns... she began to focus on her ability to manipulate energy. Specifically, how to learn from the existence of the Nether Beasts.”

”As I'm sure you've guessed... the grand formations of the frontlines, from every frontline across the whole of the Nexus, were only possible because of Vualla. She was truly a genius... and the hatred at her core meant that she could never give up in her quest for power.”