An-Namrud had pondered this very thing countless times.

'Was fate, destiny, something real? If so, no matter how one struggled, the outcome was already determined. It was inevitable that whatever choice was made or whatever path tread, the end was certain.'

This was not something that An-Namrud was willing to accept. However, in the end, wasn't his fate already determined on that fateful day when his world had burned? And what was this now, if not fate? He had come full circle and in his arms, another one that he loved would slowly fade away.

"I will not accept it. I will not allow it! I will end this cursed fate, even if I must end everything."

This was his resolution, and the anger, the hatred, the burning desire that filled his heart magnified.

"Finally…. I have been waiting for you for a long time." A voice resounded in his mind, quieting the world around him.

There was nothing, only the empty void. He no longer held Lariel in his arms, and his subordinates had disappeared. There was only him in that place and that voice that was filled with longing.

"Who are you?" Aleks asked cautiously.

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"I am." the voice replied gently.

Aleks's face creased with confusion, "I don't understand."

"Haven't you always been searching for me?" the voice was doting, as if speaking to a child.

There was a moment of realization in Aleks's expression, "Do you truly exist?"

"I always have, and I exist in you. I am the Origin of all and I entrusted a part of me to the one I loved most. And the one I loved, entrusted it all to you. Babel, my first creation. The very essence of creation itself, and a system to guide creation. To her, I gave of myself, pouring my love and my hope into her. I kept her safe and hidden from all others. She was my treasure and I didn't wish for her to be tainted by the others. Those that betrayed me and took all I had to give, and corrupted it making it their own. But this is the cycle, where there is life there must be death. Where there is creation, so must there be destruction. It must all be brought back to the beginning. You will be the arbiter of my will."

Aleks shook his head and clenched his fist in anger, "I still don't understand. None of this makes any sense, what do you want from me? I am not a p.a.w.n to be used at another's discretion!"

The voice began to fade, "You will understand when the time comes. The end draws near."

The void faded away and Aleks could see once more. He still held Lariel in his arms and he had finally regained his senses. He looked around only to see Nelay and Lenia both beating on Grobak.

"What's going on?" He asked still angry from the vision he saw and heard.

Nelay and Lenia stopped venting their anger and frustration on Grobak and quickly rushed over to Aleks's side. Grobak was in a sorry state, but there wasn't much he could do against the two women. He cursed and swore under his breath but was careful not to speak too loud and upset his master.

"Master are you okay? Are you hurt?" they both asked nervously.

"I am fine, but Lariel is injured. Her soul has been affected by Maa'loch's curse. I have done what I could to help her. I will share her burden, it is the only way to keep her alive. It will be a constant drain of my "Soul Potential" just to keep her from dropping below a Legendary being. If she weakens too much she will die so I must protect her with my own soul."

Lenia grew concerned by his words and blurted out, "Master… Aleks, that is too dangerous! If something happens to you… just let her..."

"Silence!" Aleks shouted unexpectedly.

He had never shouted at her like that and she shook with some fear.

"Aleks…" she whispered, but she was too afraid to say anything else.

Nelay, seeing this, remained quiet. It was clear that Lariel had a special place in his heart that none could replace.

Aleks noticed Lenia's fear and spoke more gently, "This is something I chose. I owe her too much. It isn't something you would understand. For now, it will be fine. Due to all of your efforts, we have won this round and the Steppes will now belong to us. We will conquer this land and make it our own, and with the wors.h.i.+p of the tribes, my acc.u.mulation of 'Soul Potential' will be substantial. I will be able to sustain the cost of keeping Lariel alive and carry out my other plans until I can find a solution."

"Is there really a way to save her master?" asked Grobak who had finally joined the group.

Aleks's gaze fell upon Grobak for the first time since he arrived, noticing his sorry state. Grobak was slightly embarra.s.sed by his gaze and shrinked back, covering his face.

"You have done well Grobak and you will be rewarded. Your contributions in this have earned you that much. I will soon grant you Legendary status."

Grobak stood up straight with a hint of pride and grinned, "Thank you master!"

He was extremely excited, but due to the solemn atmosphere he didn't show too much. Both Lenia and Nelay frowned, but they didn't say anything.

"As for Lariel, most likely the only way to solve this dilemma is to find Maa'loch and kill him once and for all. That also suits my vengeance just fine."

Aleks gently placed Lariel down on the ground and made sure she was comfortable before standing. He looked towards the cursed dagger which Shelise had left behind with interest.

"The cursed dagger of Maa'loch.. Yes, this will be of immense aid to me."

He walked over to the dagger and picked it up carefully. It was still emitting a gloomy and intimidating aura.

"Maa'loch! I will have my revenge, and I will use your own tool against you. Yes, this will help me in killing you once and for all."

Lenia came to stand by Aleks's side while looking carefully at the dagger. Its glyphs glowed dimly as if they had lost most of their power. Or perhaps it was because the dagger hadn't been activated or had fallen into a dormant state.

"Master, will this dagger really help you kill Maa'loch?"

"This dagger is an extension of Maa'loch. Tihr must have demanded it from that devil. Maa'loch was once a powerful Archdevil who had struggled against Beelzebub the Devourer for control over the third level of h.e.l.l, Gula. He ultimately lost and was cast out and now resides in Tartarus, which is the first level of h.e.l.l. It is the border between h.e.l.l and the mortal plane and it is the only way to enter the nine h.e.l.ls from the mortal plane. The nine h.e.l.ls are connected to every continent within the G.o.d Nexus and Tartarus is that connection. This dagger will finally allow me to sever the connection of fate between me and that disgusting being."

Lenia nodded as she listened, but it was clear she had no idea what Aleks was talking about. These were matters that were well beyond her comprehension and level of power. Only those who were knowledgeable of such things would be able to understand.

Aleks noticed her look of confusion and just shook his head, "This has to do with what happened to me in the past and isn't that important. Just know that Maa'loch had agreed to work with Tihr and that b.a.s.t.a.r.d Moksha in the past to obtain the Origin fused in my soul. There may be others involved, but these are the only ones I am aware of."

He lost his composure slightly when considering the past but regained his cool and continued, "Most likely Maa'loch hoped to gain enough power to defeat Beelzebub back then. After losing to Beelzebub, Maa'loch fell and is vastly weaker than he was before. He can barely be called an Archdevil now, but he is still very powerful. I didn't know this at that time, but I later learned a little bit about what transpired and drew some conjectures. There is currently no Devil Sovereign that reigns over Tartarus and Maa'loch is most likely plotting something there. If I want to deal with him, I will have to go there and deal with him personally. This dagger, I must study it and a.n.a.lyze his law domain. If I can successfully do so, then I should be able to come up wth a plan to kill him and take everything from him. It is a fitting end to that sc.u.m."