NOVPUBAntanas could see the conflict in Pranay’s eyes; he felt that Pranay’s heart was starting to waver.
A certain unspeakable gleam flickered in Pranay’s pupils, it was his first unexpected encounter with the gift of destiny after a long passage of time.
"Pranay, look at me. What you fear is not death, but not accomplishing anything. You fear dying without value, fear repeating failures, and fear continuing to live in agony. When you bravely explained your thoughts to me for the sake of your sister, it was very brave of you, wasn’t it?"
The Great Love Poet continued comforting Pranay,
"Others may misunderstand you simply because they don’t understand you. But I believe in what I see with my own eyes. Their failure to seriously communicate with you is why they haven’t discovered how right you are and how wrong they are."
His deep words and gaze seemed to tell Pranay that there will come a day when everyone leaves to the place where they belong.
It also seemed like he was asking him, You’ve been in pain and misery all the time, right? What do you want, what do you want to become, I can make it happen for you. So, tell me your heart’s voice.
"..."
Pranay looked at the New King, but he couldn’t utter a word for a long time.
Maybe it was a moment of impulse that made him very unlike himself, and not conforming to his established code of conduct for hundreds of years.
He didn’t know if he was about to make a grave error in judgment.
But he felt that since he’s made such massive mistakes in the past, why can’t he take a chance and trust his gut for once?
No divine entity has ever favored any living being.
Only living beings are capable of loving other living beings.
And only living beings are capable of saving the souls of other living beings.
This is the perfect Demon King he has been longing for. If missed now, it would be gone forever.
"I’ll follow you."
Mist spread from the corners of Pranay’s mouth as he rose from the cold stone platform, knelt in front of the Great Love Poet, and quietly waited.
He was waiting for the New King to establish the contract of Herram Prison with him.
"No need. I don’t require your loyalty or even your life. I came here to give you your freedom back, rather than adding another lock to your chains,"
The Great Love Poet lightly held onto Pranay’s arms, helped him up, and looked at him with a smile.
"... Thank you."
Pranay’s eyes were downcast. The price was so light that he couldn’t bear it. He could only repay the other party with sincerity.
"..."
Antanas was watching from a distance, her eyelids quivering.
Don’t keep brushing up on his goodwill. It’s starting to feel like mind control.
Antanas really wanted to say this to the New King.
She had just watched the New King subdue Sinola on the fifth floor. Now, within a few minutes, he had made Pranay a believer. She dared not imagine what he could do to those humans on the surface if given the chance to speak at Herram.
So, just like that.
The Great Love Poet lightly patted Pranay’s back and led him off the stone platform like a long-lost friend.
"However, there is one thing that I find puzzling. Pranay, why do you think that only two generals with General-level combat effectiveness can earn a ticket to this imperial dispute?"
The Great Love Poet turned his head to the side in confusion and asked Pranay.
Actually, Lanci agreed with Pranay’s viewpoint quite a bit. The only significant deviation between them laid exactly in this point.
"Let me explain! It was like this, Pranay was observing the northern border of the Protoss Empire a while ago..."
Antanas stepped forward, came to the Great Love Poet’s side, and repeated to him the things Pranay had told them earlier.
By the time Antanas had finished repeating Pranay’s words from earlier like a recording machine.
"..."
The black-haired, green-eyed Great Love Poet looked quizzically at Pranay.
"My apologies, my King. I’m still afraid until now. The closer to the truth, the more uneasy I become."
Pranay looked into the New King’s eyes and spoke.
Innate Magic always allowed him to get closer to the truth faster. Those thoughts that kept him up at night were the things he was fearful of the future.
It wasn’t that he intended to offend. Instead, he was eager to know. When the New King learned the truth, would he insist on staying in the Protoss Empire? Or would he make new decisions?
But no matter what decision the New King made, he would follow him till the end.
"..."
Both Antanas and Sinola didn’t understand why the New King had that expression on his face. The New King also didn’t provide an answer to Pranay’s question at once.
They thought the King would have a more solemn expression or remain completely calm, showing no emotional reaction at all. However, it seemed like they were wrong; the King also looked startled, as if questioning marks were floating above his head.
"Sigh."
The Great Love Poet shook his head and sighed softly.
Lanci pulled out a stack of Magic Cards, quickly shuffling them in front of Pranay.
"Pranay, did you see a card?"
The Great Love Poet, his eyes locking onto Pranay’s, asked.
"Yes."
Pranay nodded.
There were cards of all colors, but one orange card, its rank and image particularly distinct.
"Did you remember a card?"
The Great Love Poet, continuing to shuffle his cards, asked.
"Yes."
Pranay answered.
"Is the card you memorized in here?"
The Great Love Poet fanned out the deck of Magic Cards like a folding fan, once again asking Pranay.
"No."
Pranay shook his head.
The conspicuously noticeable Magic Card had inexplicably vanished.
The Great Love Poet looked at Pranay with a smile.
"That’s because you’re too close..."
The Great Love Poet spoke, his words echoing in Pranay’s ears like a whisper from an angel.
"The closer you are — the less you see the truth."
The Great Love Poet flung the stack of Magic Cards behind him, amongst the scattering of semi-transparent magic cards whirling in the air, only the last camouflaged orange Magic Card stood out, exploding in mid-air.
Its unique texture made it seem both unreal and ethereal, the movement of the patterns on the card resembling a living heartbeat, as though it floated on the boundary between the tangible and intangible.
That Magic Card suddenly began to shine. 𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
Its intertwined spirals separated with the release of its power, consolidating into a gigantic vortex.
The glowing runes surrounding Frost Prison were twisted, pulled, and even torn apart by this vortex.
As the vortex quickly stabilized, the center split open, revealing its true form — a monstrous wolf with space-time rift-like crimson runes wandering over its pitch-black body.
The red patterns on its body were like the force of creation. Each pattern pulsed with a shimmering breath as if connecting to another dimension.
"...!!!"
Pranay widened his eyes, his pupils trembling as he stared at this gigantic wolf.
That day... he had seen a mysterious man on the Northern Tundra summon this terrifying wolf, causing everything to end in a sky-high white flame!
Only this wolf, he wouldn’t misrecognize, why was this wolf appearing here?!
"Relax, it’s friendly."
The Great Love Poet slapped Pranay’s shoulder, grinning from ear to ear.
It wasn’t magic just now, just a simple trick to hide the [Nuclear Fusion Wolf].
Pranay’s eyes can see through magic, but couldn’t see through this kind of trick.
"What exactly are you..."
For the first time, Pranay felt that his eyes might not be so reliable, but he couldn’t take his gaze off.
Totally captivated by this enigmatic New King.
Past experiences and his Innate Magic all proved wrong, but only his instinct at this moment made him unable to resist.
"We’ll talk about it later, there’re things I need to discuss with you three in detail after getting out of this prison. For now, we should focus on leaving this jail as fast as we can."
In a casual tone, the Great Love Poet answered.
A little ways off.
"..."
Antanas felt like Pranay was completely ensnared.
She shook her head.
The New King was really a devious she-devil.
But why did the New King say that she would reveal her true identity later...
Wasn’t her grey hair and blue eyes real enough?
