The Ashen Keeper

V5: Chapter 65

[Marco POV]

"Mom?" He looked upon the woman sitting on the corpse of the dead god. Even as he gazed upon the corpse of a great old one, he only saw the woman sitting on top of it.

She resembled his mother to an uncanny degree. Her beauty, her soft lips, her pale skin and her near white, blond hair. However, he knew instantly that this was not his mother.

Mother would never have that kind of emotionless eyes, that combed neat hair and she would never wear clothes meant for a huntress.

Her hair would be allowed to flow freely, her eyes twinkling in delight as she watches her children and would often smile despite not really understanding the situation.

The woman's hands were rough from what he could tell for he could see calluses even from far. They share that one similarity.

Mother's hand despite her other features were always the roughest part of her body but she held it with pride. She would say that they were proof of her hard work. Another obvious feature was that this woman was way younger than mother.

"How do you even manage to bring them down. According to what I see, you would only suffice for the weakest of the old ones.", she started. Her voice, an exact replica of mother soft yet firm.

He could understand what she was trying to ask. Despite the fact that he was not as strong as hunters in legends, he was still able to hunt down and liberate the physical forms of many great old ones.

He told her since he had nothing to hide anyway. It would change nothing.

"Poison. I am not my brother who has superior power compared to me. The old blood is powerful, but the old blood is far too easy to corrupt. Every great one has only one type of old blood. The difference lies in concentration. But they are all too easy to kill."

"Then how did slay your mentor, Gehrman? I doubt you could just poison him as easily."

"I will answer your question later but first, what are you? Who are you?"

"Why? Do I resemble someone you know in the waking world? It tends to happen."

Indeed, he had already seen Gehrman and the only similarity they shared was the name. And here, might be a random woman who only shared the same appearance. But, enough about that. He had 'real family' to revive.

"Did you murder it?" He gestured at the dead body.

"This one? Yes, yes I did."

"So, why are you sitting on it doing nothing."

She looked at him like he just caught her sneaking food at night. He did not understand how a person can just go 'gloom' and he didn't know what that meant.

"Because I don't know what else to do."

Ah - It appears that she was sitting after killing God and since nothing happened, she just sat there.

"You don't understand how to travel worlds, do you?"

"Imagine waking up in the middle of nowhere one day with nightmarish monsters trying to kill you. And you don't even know how and why you came here. All you knew was that one day, you came here and monsters decided to kill you for supper."

Her ranting expression fits her elegant expression. Her words however, did not. It seems that his mother and the lady above also shared the same state of ignorance.

"So, you just decided to sit there?"

"No, not exactly. The moon presence told me to wait for a man that will come here. It appears that the man is you. So, do whatever you are ready to do."

"Aren't you the one who killed the moon presence?"

"No, I merely liberated from his prison of flesh. He is now free and is able to combat whatever or whoever created this world."

"It would do better to explain some more."

"He said that he will be free from 'the Lady's painting'. What he means by that, I do not have the slightest clue."

"So, you did not actually fight him, do you?"

"Why? Do you doubt my capabilities?" She then came down with surprising speed that he could barely see. That's right. Whether God resist or not, there was no denying that this woman murdered God.

He dropped a few bombs on the way down as they exploded into poison mist but she dispersed it easily. He was not surprised by this as they were his weakest means. And now, he too was wondering what to do.

Just then, the environment changed once again. He immediately put up his guard. He looked over to the lady to see that she was just rolling her eyes probably thinking not again.

He looked around to see ruins everywhere. The temperature was falling fast and he could see snow all around him.

"Welcome to the painted world of Ariandel. You can address me as Odeon."

.

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[Firekeeper POV]

The spaceships all gathered from above. And from there on, the being she presumed to be the leader came out. He was a muscular giant purple man with a mowed lawn for a chin.

He wore armor, a helmet and carried a double blade. She had no doubt that those blades have tasted the blood of many beings.

He slowly walked over and stopped. By now, everyone here was aware of his presence. They were all looking at him ever since the spaceship showed up.

The only reason they did nothing was because she has not yet given them the instructions. This was because despite the hostility beaming from his subordinates, she sensed no hostility from the man walking down.

"Thou must Thanos, the mad titan. I hath read about thee in books from Asgard."

"Asgard? Odin's place?"

His voice had a low deep magnetic feel to it. He looked like he was appraising her every value.

"Ms. Keeper, you have stopped my efforts in trying to make this universe a better place. You hold my daughter captive now at this very moment. What do you think I should do? What do you think I will do?"

"Ah - indeed it has been quite some time, hasn't it?"

"Yes, indeed quite some time but I shall give you what you deserve.", Thanos readied his blade.

"Oh - I wasn't addressing thee, 'little one', I was addressing to my dear friend.

Meet Alduin, the lord of the everlasting dragons."