Chapter 723 - Tower
'Did she bring me here? Though I don't know where "here" is.'
"Who are you?" Izroth asked.
"I believe that is a question you already have the answer to. However, to make certain that there are no misunderstandings, I am the one who sees all that has, does, and will ever exist. I am Helilatiaa, Guardian of the Equinox." The transcended beauty spoke unhurriedly.
She then continued, "I am sure that you have many questions to ask. But, this place is not suitable for holding a conversation. Follow me."
The next moment, one of the individuals on horseback behind Helilatiaa held their sword forward as a new spatial rift was formed in front of the group..
'Why did she choose now to contact me? No, more importantly, there's a more pressing matter.'
Izroth had not forgotten about the words of warning that Guide relayed to him from the Lady of the Everlasting Rain, Tal'Nis.
'In the near future, you will be contacted by a certain someone from the Divine Realm... Could this be the person she was warning me about?'
Regardless, Izroth knew that if he wanted to obtain answers, he had no choice but to accompany Helilatiaa.
Four of the individuals by Helilatiaa side were the first to enter the rift, followed by Helilatiaa herself. After that, Izroth stepped through the rift as the remaining Guardians of the Equinox rode through.
When the last person went through, the rift closed and the only thing that remained on the plains was a deathly silence.
...
Not too long after stepping into the spatial rift, Izroth arrived inside a massive tower.
The tower was opaline white in color and looked at least one thousand meters in height.
The inside of the building was shaped like a perfect hollow cylinder. In addition, there were several hundred—possibly even thousands of doors that resembled portals that were placed all around the tower's walls and seemed to go all the way to the top.
As Izroth examined his new surroundings, he saw a streak of silver light sore through the tower. However, Izroth managed to get a glimpse of their appearance.
It was a woman with no pupils and the iris' of her eyes matched the color of the morning sky with a pair of gorgeous silver wings on her back.
'That's... A Skybreaker?'
The woman soon vanished into one of the portals located near the top of the tower. But, Izroth was surprised to see a member of Empyrean's race in a place like this—wherever this was.
"This way," Helilatiaa called out.
She was no longer on horseback as she began to walk towards the opposite end of the tower.
Izroth followed after her as he took in the sights of the tower.
"Are you curious about where those portals lead to?" Helilatiaa asked without halting her steps.
"It would be a lie if I said I had zero interest," Izroth replied in a carefree manner.
"Each portal is directly linked to a specific location in different realms. It is much more convenient for the Guardians of the Equinox to travel on a moment's notice this way."
"What exactly are the Guardians of the Equinox?"
"In simple terms, we exist to maintain a balance between realms that are on the verge of collapse. Many are unaware that realms are very much like sentient beings. When it is damaged, it will do what is necessary to protect and heal itself—much like a human's body does when it falls ill." Helilatiaa explained.
'I see... That explains why those in the Divine Realm interfered when the Divinity Line was damaged during the consecutive fifth and sixth War of the Titans. If they left matters alone, it's likely the Divine Realm would have personally severed the connection to the realms below the firmament. Once that occurred, who knows how long it would have taken for it to fix itself?'
...
After walking for a couple of minutes, Izroth and Helilatiaa reached a white doorway.
The two entered the doorway and emerged in an elegant garden with a small stream running through it. There were various species of plant life and beautiful flowers in full blossom.
In the distance, there was a gorgeous gazebo with a small round table and two seats at its center.
Accompanied by Izroth, Helilatiaa made her way over to the gazebo before taking a seat.
"Please." Helilatiaa motioned her hand towards the other seat.
Izroth sat down as he swept his gaze across the garden. So far, it seemed that they were the only two people inside this garden.
"This place brings back many memories. It always has a mysterious way of lifting my spirits." Helilatiaa commented with a heartwarming smile.
"You say that, but... It's not real—none of it is. Isn't that right?" Izroth stated.
At first, Izroth was still unsure. But, after coming this far, looking around the tower, and hearing Helilatiaa speak, he was certain—everything here was fake.
Helilatiaa remained silent for a few moments. She then responded, "You are not wrong. This place no longer exists in the way I once perceived it. But, you are not entirely correct. After all, you have been in this tower once before."
'I've been here before?'
There was only one tower anywhere close to the scale of this one that Izroth remembered entering in RML—the Endless Pandemonium Tower!
'Can it be...? Is this the same tower from the Chaotic Dogma Realm?'
At that time, Izroth's party only climbed three floors due to the tower's restrictions; therefore, he did not get a chance to see what was on every floor. Nor did he know precisely how many floors existed, for that matter.
"Then, are you the true owner of the Endless Pandemonium Tower?" Izroth questioned.
"At some point, it did, indeed, belong to me. However, at that time it was called the Eye of Heaven. But, that was countless cycles ago. Now, it is just a tower with a new owner—that is all." Helilatiaa replied.
She then continued, "Though I know this is not the question you truly wish to ask me."
"Alright, then I'll be blunt. Why did you bring me here? I doubt your sole aim is merely an exchange of words." Izroth said without mincing his words.
He did not know the exact price one had to pay to contact those below the firmament; however, this form of communication had to be at least several times more than that of what Mazi used to contact him. Did this mean that Helilatiaa's standing was above even that of the God of Craft in the Divine Realm? Or, was this some method unique only to her? Either way, if there was one thing Izroth disliked lately, it was feeling as though he was being dragged around in different directions by those in the Divine Realm. Whether their intentions were good or bad, in the end, Izroth would not sit back and allow others to decide his fate! Even if he had to make an enemy of the entire Divine Realm, on this, Izroth would never compromise.
"It is precisely that. Lately, you have been attracting many gazes of those in the Divine Realm. There are those who wish to support you and those who want nothing more than to suppress you. In truth, you are quite the popular topic these days, Izroth." Helilatiaa stated as she opened the palm of her hand and one of the flowers from the garden with a sweet scent appeared.
"So? Which is it? Are you here to support me, or... suppress me?" Izroth inquired as he narrowed his eyes.
If Helilatiaa was all about balance and found that Izroth was disturbing said balance below the firmament, it would not be too farfetched to say that she wanted to suppress him. There was even a chance that she was behind the seal placed on him during the earlier stages of RML!
A light smile found its way onto Helilatiaa's face.
"At some point, I did believe that was the best option. Your very existence was too much of an anomaly. Even to me, there are parts of what will occur in the future that remain a constant blur. I thought that perhaps wiping you from existence would solve this issue. Of course, my outlook on the matter has changed over time." Helilatiaa answered.
As Izroth listened to Helilatiaa, he did not blame her for that outlook. After all, some problems were easier to erase than to solve. This was also a common occurrence in the Seven Realms. However, that did not mean it set alright with Izroth. Just because he understood something did not equate to him having to accept it.
"You made the correct choice. Had you chosen to proceed and failed... No matter how long it took me, I would have made certain that my blade found its way to your heart." Izroth stated in a distant tone.
The smile on Helilatiaa's face did not fade as she responded, "You truly do sound just like that man."