Shepherd Tantra

Chapter 1070: Fragments of Dreams and Illusions
"……hope?"

Aiwass murmured.

The power of the sacred number eleven... could it be related to this?

Hope is the power of possibility, the power that transcends perfection, the end of the world, fate and finality.

The Skull of the Mad King in the Box of Nothingness said so.

That is indeed the power of the Saint Eleven.

"I see, the fusion of beauty and dusk..."

Combining the previous words of the Lord of Scales and Feathers, Aiwas finally understood.

The ritual of beauty and transcendence just reached the number of nothingness, so the power of nothingness trapped it inside - and the Swan King had not been swallowed by the power of nothingness for such a long time, precisely because it happened to achieve eternity through this solidified state of dying but not yet dead, and thus reached the realm of hope in this empty box through the fusion of beauty and dusk!
It was precisely through the suppression of the Saint Eleven that the power of nothingness was never able to completely devour his will!
hope……

That is the force that turns the future toward other possibilities.

The power to break fate.

The tenth path that should have been born should be "hope", because the Lord of Scales and Feathers said... Sizhu and Aiwass arrived in this world through the tenth path. And nothingness obviously cannot do this.

Therefore, it is very likely that they entered this world through the Path of Hope!

That's why Huan Tiansi said those words -

[He comes neither from the east nor from the west. He does not come from any house that you know of.]

[My holy number is 11, which is the number of those who belong to us. I am 9 to the foolish, 8 to the righteous, and 8 among 1]

Perhaps it was originally the zeroth path. It was the desire to split itself that gave rise to the first to ninth paths. Because it gave birth to "possibility".

"Sure enough, the reason I had that thought just now was because of your influence..."

Aiwass stared at the Swan King and said with great certainty: "The reason why Aleister hasn't come back yet is probably because your power has affected her!"

It was because of an "unexplainable force" that he suddenly said those presumptuous words.

And now that the words have been said, I'll just say the truth.

It is because of this that Aiwas has the opportunity to understand his true heart at this moment.

——That was the transmission of the power of "hope". The Swan King realized that the day of liberation had arrived, and finally got rid of the disguise that had always controlled him.

[If she were here, I'd probably have to fight her.]

[After all, you just want to delay time so that you can have a chance to meet me in person]

The corners of the Swan King's mouth rose slightly, and his handsome head actually had a bit of the breath of a living person.

The corpse-like smell faded, and his eyelids twitched a few times, like the noise made by a person who is about to wake up.

His words echoed in the empty basement:

[But there is no need to fight between us, the light and fire will pass on by themselves]

[We both belong to the Law of the Eleventh Saint - even if you mustered up the courage to do so, I was the one who pushed you. Could it be that the emotion in your heart at this moment is false? ]

"Of course... that's not the case."

Aiwass closed his eyes slightly. "Even though the initial fire was ignited by others, the fire in my heart... undoubtedly came from the firewood in my heart."

He was fully aware of the Swan King's friendly attitude, as well as this... melancholy and calmness that seemed like a last will.

As a unique riddler of the Path of Beauty, Ludwig II now speaks out his purpose so frankly. Perhaps it is because he does not have much time left.

——When he woke up from the empty box, the eternally solidified "Wall of Dusk" was destroyed. The miraculous hope that was accidentally sealed would also collapse.

This means that he no longer has the ability to continue fighting against the power of nothingness.

This is why he continued to sleep even though he could have woken up a long time ago. Once he broke that solidification, he would not be able to maintain his independent will for much longer.

"The time has come when the flowers tremble on the branches,
“Each flower is like a censer emitting fragrance;

“Sounds and scents drift on the evening breeze;
"Melancholy waltz, lazy dizziness..."

Suddenly, Ludwig II opened his mouth.

It is not the hum of God that resounds from the void with an echo.

But it is the words of men uttered in feeble voices, melancholy poetry.

It seemed like I had been waiting for a long time.

It was like a whisper in a dream.

He sighed, two lines of blood and tears slowly flowed from his pupils, and his eyes slowly opened:

“Each flower is like a censer emitting fragrance;

"The violin sobbed like a wounded heart;
"Melancholy waltz, languid vertigo!

"The sky is sad and beautiful, like a great altar."

When the Mad King's Skull woke up completely, everything around it was shaking violently.

The whole world turned upside down - the earth melted into air, the sky turned into stone, the fire became cold, and the water burned without a trace. The entire Earl's Palace disappeared into nothingness... as if it was just a dream. It was like a dream in which "the Earl's Palace did not exist" replaced reality.

In the distance, a blood-red comet streaked across the sky, and the torn atmosphere emitted a shrill hissing sound.

That was Aleister who had woken up and rushed over here quickly. But the Mad King's Skull still did not resist or attack.

Everything around him turned into chaos with his thoughts. The sky turned upside down, and the sun and moon turned upside down. Not only the material world... even the entire dream world was shaking.

Dark lines gradually began to spread across his face, looking like oozing blood vessels, or like some kind of curse.

And he remained where he was, whispering melancholy poems:
"The violin sobbed like a wounded heart;
"A tender heart hates the wide, dark death!
“The sky is sad and beautiful, like a great altar.

"The sun is sinking in its own blood."

"——Aiwass!"

In the distance, Aleister was coming in the distance.

In her hand she held a massive halberd made of hardened blood, its tip spinning and stirring up a scarlet storm.

Her voice shook the atmosphere, turning into visible waves that shattered the earth—

Aleister's voice rang out from Aiwas' heart and ears at the same time: "Stay away from him!"

At this distance...she only needs to wait for Aiwas to step back, and she can penetrate the box of nothingness in an instant!
"...No need."

Aiwass shook his head but rejected Aleister.

Not only did he not retreat, but he stood in front of the Mad King.

He already understood...what Ludwig II was going to do.

——If Ludwig II's soul had been contaminated by the Box of Nothingness, he would not be able to enter the Dream World and become a god. Because in that case, the Whisper of the Void might follow his soul into the Dream World.

In other words, he must die here.

And he chose to be a human being, reciting poems and passing away like falling flowers...

"A tender heart hates the wide, dark death!"

His voice became much louder and hoarse as a result.

The second and fourth lines of each stanza are repeated in the first and third lines of the next stanza, echoing over and over again like a piece of music.

"It contains all the traces of the glorious past!"

His poems are like blessings and prophecies.

Without any attack, cracks appeared all over Ludwig II's head.

It was like glass suddenly shattering on a summer day.

His voice was hoarse and stuck: "The sun is sinking in its own blood..."

Looking at Aiwass, Ludwig II opened his mouth as hard as he could.

Finally, I said the last sentence:
"Thinking of you... is like seeing the Holy Host glowing."

It was a shudder of despair and a cry of melancholy.

But at the same time, it is a peaceful and harmonious relief.

Hope is as bright as the throne of God, always illuminating his heart. This is what allowed him to survive the infection and erosion of the empty box... Under this dusk sky, he can also feel the beauty and sadness of life.

But now, there is no need to persist anymore.

The next moment, it shattered and disappeared along with the empty box under its "neck".

It’s as if I had never been in this world.

——Ludwig II used his power to erase the possibility of his own existence in the material world.

Then, he and the empty box containing the power of nothingness disappeared together.

"..."

Watching all this, Aiwass was speechless for a moment.

He felt a slight sadness for Ludwig II… but at the same time, a sense of peace.

Fateful tranquility——

The fire of the past has been passed to him.

Will it be his turn to do something like this someday?

Suddenly, in front of Aiwass, the air rippled like water waves, and a rune emerged from it.

It distorts reality, constantly changes, and eventually becomes a book and stabilizes.

"This is……?"

Aiwass was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously reached out and took the book.

It was not the secret book he had imagined, but an old fairy tale book titled "Swan Knight".

Strong wind and light powers surged into his body the moment he touched the book.

A system panel suddenly appeared in front of Aiwas:
[Tiansi Fragments-Fragments of Dreams and Illusions]

[——The law of dreams and fantasies, the remnant of the power of the Box of Nothingness. If used in the proper way, there is a chance to become a Dream Master or a Fantasy Master.]

(End of this chapter)