CHAPTER 307: HOPE TWISTED INTO DESPAIR

"In a way, he was perhaps the most dangerous enemy we faced. Not because of raw power, though that was considerable, but because he made corruption seem like salvation. He was a master of hope twisted into despair."

He paused, shaking his great skull.

"We didn’t know his true name, but everyone called him the..."

"The Architect of Discord."

The title hung in the air like a curse, and I noticed Zephyr’s hand unconsciously tightening around his new weapon.

I also had a similar reaction.

If they gave someone a title like that, then they must be really formidable...

"He never fought on the front lines like other Abyssal commanders." Ossian continued nodding at our reactions. "Instead, he would appear in our camps disguised as wounded soldiers, as messengers bearing urgent news, as wise counselors offering strategic advice. By the time we realized what was happening, entire companies would turn against their own brothers-in-arms."

Ossian’s violet eyes flickered, and for just a moment, I thought I saw something like... nostalgia?

...Interesting.

"He had this way of making his lies sound like the most reasonable thing in the world. ’Why should you die for leaders who stay safe behind castle walls?’ he would ask. ’Why not join the winning side and save your family from the coming darkness?’ And the terrible thing was... sometimes his arguments made sense."

The ancient guardian’s voice grew heavier.

"It took us years to develop countermeasures against him. Special wards, loyalty oaths bound by blood resonance, constant vigilance against anyone who seemed too helpful, too understanding. We became paranoid, suspicious of our own shadows. And perhaps that was his greatest victory, he made us doubt not just our allies, but the very cause we fought for."

Twenty-five minutes left, I noted silently, even as a chill ran down my spine.

Something about the way Ossian spoke of this "Architect of Discord" felt wrong, like he was describing an old friend rather than a mortal enemy.

...Could it be?

Theories filled my mind, but it was too soon to judge. Besides, I had everything under control... hopefully.

"Funnily enough," Ossian’s voice took on a darker tone, "I was a victim of his deception too. I almost became ’real’ brothers with that... that monster."

...So it was really like that.

I watched as his violet eyes darkened considerably, the light within them seeming to pulse with old anger.

...Hmm.

"He approached me during one of our darkest hours, when we had lost three consecutive battles and morale was at its lowest. Appeared as a fellow captain who had supposedly escaped from an overrun fortress, bearing news of survivor camps that needed rescue. He was... charming. Knowledgeable. He understood the weight of command, the burden of sending good soldiers to their deaths."

Ossian’s skeletal fingers clenched into fists.

"For a year, that’s right, a whole year, we fought side by side. He saved my life more than once, and I his. We shared meals, strategies, and even our fears about the war’s outcome. I trusted him completely. I considered him the brother I never had."

The ancient guardian’s voice grew quieter, more bitter.

"Thankfully, my other trusted comrade, Elena, managed to discover his true identity before it was too late. She saved me from becoming a traitor to our own world, though the revelation nearly destroyed my faith in my own judgment."

He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice carried a weight of conflicted emotion that seemed to span centuries.

"Even now, I don’t know what to feel when I think back to those times. Whether to hate him for his betrayal and for the chaos he brought to our world, or... or to mourn for the friendship that never truly existed. The conversations, the laughs together, the times when I thought I had found someone who truly understood all the pain I had... all of it was a lie. And yet..."

He trailed off, lost in his fragmented memories of the past that ’looked’ both painful and strangely precious.

...Precious, huh.

"You should obviously hate him," I said firmly, meeting those violet eyes directly. "He’s clearly a villain, evil incarnate who has played with you and countless others, a threat to our entire world. Didn’t you call him the ’Architect of the Discord’ yourself?"

Ossian’s large skull turned toward me, and I felt the weight of his ancient gaze.

"But I understand what you mean," I continued, my voice softening a little. I couldn’t keep crossing the line too much after all. "And maybe that is what separates us from those monsters of the Abyss. We are capable of genuine connection, even if it is... based on lies. We can feel loss for relationships that were never real to begin with."

I paused, considering my next words carefully. I had to appear philosophical here.

"I don’t know if that’s weakness... or strength," I muttered, gazing into the distance meaningfully.

Zephyr nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful. "It’s both, isn’t it? That capacity for trust, for believing in others, is what differentiates us from the Abyssal monster or its companions. But it’s also what makes us vulnerable to beings like him."

He looked between Ossian and me. "The question is: how do we protect that part of ourselves without becoming so paranoid that we lose it entirely? If we stop trusting, if we stop believing in real connections, won’t we let the Abyss win then?"

Ossian was silent for a long moment, his violet eyes flickering between us.

"Wise words from both of you. Perhaps... perhaps that’s why hope still exists in this world."

Ossian nodded approvingly.

"I’m proud that our world has youngsters like you, willing to stare into the darkness without flinching. Our future is in good hands."

He straightened slightly, as if drawing himself back to the present moment.

"Let me continue then. Where was I, ah, right, the villain. So, let me connect it with your next question about the Abyss’s hierarchy. Honestly, we didn’t know much about that or what kind of world Abyss truly was; such knowledge was beyond our reach at the time. But we did learn that commanders like the Architect of Discord were called the Overseers."

"I also remember that two more Overseers like him - the Overseer of Destruction and the Overseer of Corruption."

"They were from the other dimensional tears."