When Rudy saw the shadow figure, a sudden thought crossed his mind.
He flew up into the sky and then came crashing down with a loud thud right in front of the figure.
Usually, he would cushion his landing so nullify the impact, but the demolished tunnel was already a catastrophic site.
He conjured a void ball in his hand that made a zapping and shrieking noise. It seemed so hungry, as though it would devour any and everything it touched.
The shadow moved its hands forward and said, "Relax. I come at peace."
"Are you the shadow who tried to kill Janet the other night?" Rudy asked in a lifeless voice.
"Who is Janet? And no, I do not know what you are talking about. But oh well, it's not like you would actually believe what I say."
The shadow sighed and lowered its hand.
"I can tell when someone is lying."
"That ability is useless against me. Believe me. It has so many flaws that I don't even know where to start."
It raised its finger and counted, "For example, if someone is made to believe that the addition of two plus two is five, and then you ask that person the same equation and they reply with five, the ability wouldn't register it as a false statement— even though you and I, we both know that's not the correct answer."
"…"
"I would suggest you not rely on your powers and abilities in such cases and do your own research."
The shadow spoke casually and showed no sign of hostility, but Rudy didn't retract his void ball.
"Are you…" Rudy furrowed his brows and asked, "Are you the shadow that had trapped Angelica here for eight years?"
"I don't know who Angelica is, but that wasn't me, either."
"Then who are you?"
"You could say… I am your… harbinger."
"Try again with a different answer."
"I am an ally."
"Try again."
"I am here to warn you."
"Try again."
"…"
"I asked you who are you; I didn't ask what you are to me. What is your origin and why do you exist?"
"I could ask you the same question. Why do humans exist?
Rudy stayed silent for a few seconds and ultimately retracted the void ball.
He didn't trust the shadow figure, but it passed his test.
If the shadow was there for a purpose, it would have lied about its origin and existence. Since it already knew about the major flaw about Rudy's lie detecting ability, it could have lied and Rudy wouldn't have realized it.
Thus, that was enough for Rudy.
"What are you here to warn me about, and why now, of all times?"
"Because…" The shadow pointed its finger at Rudy's hand.
"…." Rudy looked at the black nails and tips of his finger and came to the realization.
"Do I need to say it?"
"Yes. I want to know why this is happening."
"Call it the curse of the Lord. Now only you are realizing what this power truly means and how it's like to be the Lord. Now you know what others don't. Now you are ready… to be the Lord."
"What does it mean? Was I not Lord before? Or is my body finally capable of wielding the Lord's powers?
"Oh, no. That will never happen… it never has. That power is ever growing and it will keep growing. No one would ever be capable of using it to its full potential."
Rudy took a moment to process his thoughts. He already knew the answers to most of his questions, so he asked what he wanted to know the most.
"How long…"
The shadow spread its arms.
Rudy clenched his fists and asked, "How long before I become one of you? How long before I become a shadow?"
"That entirely depends on you. But know that there is no escaping it. That's the fate of the Lord, and each and every Lord before you have gone through the same thing."
"You were once a Lord?"
"Indeed. And there are many, so many."
"So what is this black… corruption?"
"That's a nice way to put it. All the Lords before you eventually turned evil. But that's the term given by the beings. I never considered what I did as evil, nor did the others. We called it a judgment.
I am sure you are familiar with it and you know what you have done to get that upon yourself. What you did and have done, will do… obviously… will be… necessary. You can't escape it. It's your duty… your curse… your fate… your destiny… and your ending…"
The shadow never showed emotion while talking, but its way of talking made it evident that it was sad.
"What happens when I become a full shadow?"
"A new Lord will be chosen, just as you were once chosen."
"But what if it hasn't been 10,000 years? I was told that the Lord's incarnation is selected once every ten thousand years."
"No one can know who the Lord's incarnation is, so how do they know that it's the same incarnation for ten thousand years?"
Rudy took a moment to reflect and muttered, "The level of corruption?"
"Hmm~"
"Anyway, once you become a full shadow, you cease to exist."
"You are here in front of me. How do you mean you cease to exist?"
"Existing… what does that mean to you?"
After pondering for a while, Rudy uttered, "To live is to exist."
"And what, when does one cease to exist?"
"To die…"
"What is death… according to you?"
"I… don't know…"
"Let's say someone dies, so they are dead. But what if someone is dead for someone but is actually alive?"
"Care to elaborate? I am bad with analogies when I can't relate to them."
The shadow looked up at the sky and then at the ground.
"Does a person exist for themself or for others?" the shadow asked.
"Depends on that person," Rudy shrugged
"You kill someone in front of the entire world, but you didn't kill them— you only made it appear so. But the world would believe they are dead when they are not. And that means…"
"That person… ceased to exist for everyone because they think the said person is dead…"
"Brilliant."
