Chapter 138
Shaqar reflected on what he had just read aloud, contemplating the claim that the Angels and Sacred Beings were preparing a ritual to awaken something more powerful than themselves.
And the more he reflected, the more he sensed an oddity that disturbed his sense of logic.
A being that creates, a being that is the source of existence, a being that for thousands of years has stood at the center of all the power they oppose, was suddenly described as conducting experiments on itself.
As if The Cursed One, an entity whose very name disgusts anyone among the satanic followers, had suddenly become dissatisfied with what it possessed, suddenly felt the need to become more than it was, suddenly sensed a flaw within its own perfection.
What kind of logic is that?
What kind of mind could accept that a creator, an omnipotent being, one who exists beyond all human concepts, would suddenly doubt itself and decide to conduct self-improvement experiments like ordinary humans who are never satisfied with what they have?
Yet the strangeness did not end there.
Alongside his growing doubts about the claims in the letter he had just read, Shaqar also recalled what Onigakure had said shortly before Apathy arrived with this message.
Onigakure, with his intricate theory, with his explanation of the twelve taboos and ten obligations, with his conviction that the Angels and Sacred Beings were carrying out a grand ritual that would have fatal consequences if disturbed.
And now, after hearing all of that and reading this letter, Shaqar arrived at a personal conclusion he would likely never voice to anyone.
That all of this—both Onigakure's theory and the claims within the letter—sounded like a tale.
Like the stories told by prophets and messengers across civilizations, tales of unseen beings, sacred rituals, taboos to be upheld, obligations to be fulfilled, of rebirth and destruction that always become the central themes of every scripture ever written by human hands.
Shaqar, throughout his long journey as a warrior who had crossed thousands of battlefields, had heard far too many such tales.
From the far west to the far east of the world he had explored, from the oldest civilizations to the most modern, from isolated mountain tribes to urban societies that claimed to be the most civilized, there was always the same story wrapped in different forms.
Stories of beings rising from death, of rituals that must be perfectly executed, of taboos that, if broken, would bring disaster, of obligations that, if neglected, would result in destruction.
And always, at the end of every story, there was one same message.
That humans are merely weak beings who must submit to greater powers, that resisting fate is futile, that all they can do is surrender and pray not to become victims of the gods' wrath.
"Let me make this clear from the beginning: this is not an attack on you, Shaqar. And it is certainly not a blind rejection of the hypothesis you presented, Onigakure. We all understand that you are merely conveying the contents of the letter, and Onigakure is presenting what he believes to be the result of his observations."
Fhooooh!
"However, precisely because we are discussing something claimed to surpass the Angels and Sacred Beings, we cannot accept it without scrutiny. If there truly is a ritual that will occur in the near future—a ritual said to elevate an entity beyond its nature—then we must determine: is this a fact built upon a solid foundation, or merely a narrative construct wrapped in symbolism?"
Haaaah!
"Onigakure speaks of a pattern. This letter speaks of The Cursed One experimenting on itself. Two major claims. But do they truly reinforce one another? Or are we forcing a connection simply because they sound thematically aligned?"
"I agree with Makakushi. And allow me to add—our question is not about who is right, but whether this information is worthy of being used as the basis for strategic decisions."
In the silence that still carried the echo of Hopsly's questions, two hands rose almost simultaneously from opposite sides of the circle.
Makakushi, the captain of Team Xirkushkartum who had earlier boldly challenged Onigakure's theory about rituals and taboos, now raised his hand with greater firmness, greater conviction, as though the support from Hopsly had granted him renewed strength to defend what he believed to be the truth.
Across from him, Idtagram, one of the Satanic elites who had long remained silent and observant rather than engaging in debate, also raised his hand with a calmness that suggested he had carefully weighed every risk of speaking before Zhulumat and the other leaders.
Those two hands, though born from different backgrounds and hierarchies, though carrying different authority and experience, were now raised together as a symbol that Hopsly's doubts were not a solitary voice, but a wave beginning to spread and resonate within more than one heart in that room.
When their signal to speak was acknowledged, when Zhulumat, with a barely noticeable nod, granted permission for new voices to fill the increasingly heated room, Makakushi and Idtagram began to speak.
Carefully, with deliberately softened word choices, with a tone that sought as much as possible not to offend anyone, they clarified that what they were about to express was not intended to corner, let alone diminish, the positions of Shaqar or Onigakure.
They understood, with full awareness as warriors and leaders who had long navigated critical situations, that Shaqar was merely conveying information received from members of Team Xirkushkartum assigned to observation, that Onigakure was merely presenting what he had observed and believed to be true based on his experience as a captain.
There was no intention whatsoever to turn either of them into scapegoats, no desire to transform this discussion into a battleground of mutual blame among comrades who had sacrificed so much for their shared beliefs.
Yet behind that careful clarification, behind the neutral tone they maintained, the essence of what they wished to convey remained clear, sharp, and piercing directly into the core of the issue that had troubled their minds.
Makakushi and Idtagram, their voices alternating yet harmonized in substance, questioned the validity of two things that had become the foundation of the night's entire discussion.
First, the ritual rumored by Onigakure to occur soon, a ritual with twelve taboos and ten obligations, a ritual that would bring fatal consequences if disturbed.
Second, the claim within the letter read by Shaqar, that the ritual was meant to awaken a being more omnipotent, more singular than the Angels and Sacred Beings, that The Cursed One was conducting an experiment on itself to become more than it had been.
They asked, with all the humility they could muster, whether all of this was not too grand to be believed.
Whether it was not too complex to be real.
Whether it was not too similar to the tales they had heard since childhood.
To be continued…