Divine Apostasy Book 11 - Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Ruin relied on his Archangel senses to detect Zylkin approaching. Not that it was difficult, with every other creature in the vicinity fleeing in terror of Ruin's presence.

Zylkin emerged from a funnel entrance near the horizon but didn’t approach, probably puzzling out who Ruin was.

Scared the Prime Warden might flee before giving Ruin a chance to explain, he prompted Vex to teleport them to the funnel, appearing in front of the guardian in an instant.

Zylkin appeared different here than he had in the Material Realm. The Prime Warden wore sleek, black armor that melded seamlessly to his humanoid form. His eyes glowed faintly with an eerie, silver light, visible through the slit in his helmet. A massive, jagged sword of dark steel rested in his hand, pulsing with energy.

His mount resembled a large crab with dark, obsidian-like plates serving as a shell. It swayed disturbingly on its eight legs. Its eyes, scattered across the armored carapace, glistened with a malevolent intelligence. The pincers crackled with the same energy as the Warden’s sword. The pair appeared more than capable of patrolling the fragile boundary between the Shadow and Material Realms.

Zylkin’s head tilted as if confused about Ruin’s identity. Then the Warden gasped and threw himself off the crab. He landed on his feet but immediately flattened himself on the ground, his hands held out over his head, clasped as if praying.

Ruin dismissed Vex and knelt. "Hey Zylkin, you probably don't recognize me."

Zylkin’s armor couldn’t hide his trembling, and he remained silent except for a hiss at his mount, which immediately dropped to its belly and pressed its head and pincers into the ground.

"Please get up," Ruin said.

Identify gave Ruin additional information.

Name: Zylkin

Realm: Destruction

Type: Citizen

Race: Shadowmancer

Tower: Dark

Estimated Power: Tier 2 Level 4

Class: Sentinel

Path: Warden

Rank: Prime

Faction: Dark

Deity: Destruction Emperor

Might: High

Durability: High

Support: Medium

Strengths: Mobility, Damage, Durability

Weaknesses: Harmonics, Soul Power, Concentrated Aura

Disposition: Friendly

Description: Sentinels are a rare base Class only offered to the most promising Fighters. The Warden path enhances the Sentinel’s strengths, turning them into one-person armies capable of defending large areas alone.

Zylkin didn’t budge despite Ruin’s request.

Ruin needed to convince the Shadowmancer of his true identity.

"You knew me as Ruwen," Ruin began, his voice calm and even as if speaking to a spooked animal. "We met in the swamp during the Bamboo Viper Master’s trial."

Ruin hoped the memory would spark recognition, and bridge the gap between who he was and who he’d become.

Zylkin’s head twitched but remained pressed into the ground. "Exalted One, Ruwen is dead. I witnessed his destruction by the demon lord. Are you here to punish me for my cowardice? Attacking that horde would’ve been suicide."

The admission surprised Ruin. He hadn’t considered that Zylkin had seen Ruin’s human body get destroyed.

"Please don’t call me Exalted One," Ruin said, getting distracted by the way Zylkin referred to him. It reminded him of how the evolving Narrators had turned him into a god they worshiped. Obviously, Zylkin could see Ruin’s new Class, Destruction Emperor.

Ruin pressed on, frustration lending a sharp edge to his words. "I know it seems impossible," he said, "but I survived the destruction of my human body." The memory of that cataclysmic event sent shivers down his spine. He tapped his temple but realized Zylkin wouldn’t see with his head in the dirt. "My mind is still me. Now please, rise."

Zylkin shook his head, leaving it down. "This is some type of trick—a punishment from the Saraphs for not killing the Havoc Sovereign after he murdered the Val’dor Queen and the tower leaders. I’ve made so many mistakes. Please, don’t punish my family. I beg you."

This was not going at all like Ruin had pictured. Zylkin obviously carried a lot of guilt for not acting against the Havoc Sovereign who had murdered all the leadership here and given their bodies to Lalquinrial to make his Aspects.

With a flash of insight, Ruin understood why Zylkin had helped the three sisters right the wrong in their world. Long ago, he’d taught them the Bamboo Viper and Shadow Steps so they could free themselves from the tyrant in their world.

These three sisters had become the women Ruin knew as the Founders of his Step Clan. Zylkin’s guilt for his inaction in the Destruction Realm proved a catalyst for his actions with Dusk, Thorn, and Mist.

Ruin sat cross-legged in front of the prostrate Warden. Ruin didn’t think he’d have much success convincing the Shadowmancer of the truth without revealing the details of what had happened. The circumstances were just too unbelievable, not to mention the Emperor Class he’d chosen, which just made everything ten thousand times harder to believe.

Zylkin had refused to budge from his humble position, so with a sigh Ruin took another route.

"I command you to rise, Prime Warden Zylkin."

Zylkin’s trembling increased as he slowly pushed himself up.

"Sit," Ruin said gently.

The massive shadow crab carefully moved behind Zylkin and lowered itself to its belly as if hiding from Ruin. Zylkin kept his head down, staring at the three feet of ground between them.

"Zylkin, I need your help, but something just occurred to me.”

Ruin rubbed his temples, wishing he’d thought of this issue before, especially now that he’d learned Zylkin had avoided acting in two hopeless situations already.

“I’m here now,” Ruin said in a resigned voice, “so I’ll just push through and ask ahead of time for your forgiveness. I’m still not good at recognizing how my problems impact others.”

Ruin paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. “Okay, here’s the deal. When I awoke in this body, I picked the Emperor Class, as you can see. I’ve recently learned that taking that Class has ensured a relentless pursuit of my complete annihilation by the ‘real’ Emperor in the Outerverse. Just for full disclosure, I’ve also upset all the other factions out there. So, to summarize, at some point a vast amount of people will try to kill me and likely everyone that has helped me. Honestly, the best thing you could do right now is back away slowly and run. Then make every attempt possible to notify the Outerverse of my existence to shield you from what will eventually find me.”

For the first time, Zylkin raised his head enough that the light radiating from his helmet’s eye-slit became visible.

"Forgive me for saying, Exalted One, but you look like the Queen. Are you her son come to avenge her?"

"That is complicated."

Ruin spent five minutes summarizing how the essence of the Val’dor Queen existed in his Scarecrow Aspect and how it prevented him from escaping Lalquinrial; how Ruin’s mind survived the destruction and a new body formed around his consciousness using the Queen’s essence—hence the Saraph body; how he needed help to regain his human body somehow—and advice on how to survive here in the Destruction Realm.

Zylkin remained silent after Ruin finished. The Shadowmancer studied his hands, and Ruin gave him time to process all the information. After a minute passed, Zylkin turned to his giant crab behind him. They seemed to communicate silently, and after five seconds, he held out his gauntleted fist, and the crab gently touched it with his pincer.

Zylkin returned his attention to Ruin, briefly meeting his eyes before looking down.

"My responsibility is to guard the boundary between realms, but my duty is to the Destruction Realm. I failed to act after the Queen was murdered, and then again to protect you from the demon lord. I told myself I would just be throwing my life away if I interfered. I have a family to think of, so I didn’t act. What I didn’t expect was how the guilt of not acting weighed on me, changed me, and indirectly hurt my family.

“I don’t like how my choices have changed me. They have come to define me. My family has suffered as I avoid them to hide my shame and cowardice."

Ruin remained silent as Zylkin gathered his thoughts.

Zylkin raised his head again, the black helmet reflecting Ruin’s face. "Your story is unbelievable, but I believe it the truth. The fact you have such an unobtainable Class is evidence of that. You are the Val’dor heir; your family name provides proof. And it seems, against all odds, you didn’t truly die by Lalquinrial’s hand. You represent a second chance for me, a way to, somewhat, right two wrongs."

Once again, Zylkin took a moment to find the right words. "I’m duty-bound to obey my Emperor, but the Fates have blessed me with a path to redemption, and I embrace it wholeheartedly. Even if the danger you describe is true, I know not facing my death a third time would crush what remained of my spirit. If I want to save my family, I must save myself, and that means doing everything in my power to save you."