My Dragon King System

Chapter 396 396: Kethseia, The Ninth Herrscher

Within Aiden's pocket dimension..

"System, bring out the shadow creature." The king of dragons said

A notification appeared before him in glowing text:

[Summoning Shadow Creature from Inventory…]

[Shadow Creature has been summoned.]

The air in front of Aiden rippled, and darkness began to pool at his feet. The shadows gathered and rose, forming into a towering figure.

The shadow creature materialized fully, clad in heavy black armor with purple lightning crackling along the seams. Its helmet concealed any features, and in its right hand, it held the massive battle axe that contained the same violet energy.

The creature was motionless for a moment, then inclined its head into a bow.

"You have summoned me, false Ruler," it said in that deep, resonant voice.

Aiden didn't react to the title, instead he said," I would like to have a word with Lord Shadow."

The creature remained still for a moment, then spoke again. "Lord Shadow takes offense with you banishing me, his gift, into an unknown space. He does not intend to communicate with you."

Aiden shook his head. "Should I have let Lord Shadow keep prying into my private life?"

There was a pause. The purple lightning around the creature's armor flickered, as though something had shifted.

Then the creature spoke again, its tone slightly different. "My Lord reacts with resignation. He has decided to hear you out."

Aiden nodded. "Good."

He took a breath, then began. "I want to inform Lord Shadow of a recent development involving another Herrscher. I was hoping he might have some insight on the Ninth Ruler."

The creature tilted its head slightly. "My Lord asks you to go on."

Aiden explained the situation. He spoke of the strange man, the green pendant, and the concealment magic that had hidden the agent from his sight. He described how the pendant had been specifically designed to conceal its wearer from dragons, gods, and angels, but not from a Ruler. He mentioned Zephron, the former Demon Lord, and how the pendant had allowed him to remain undetected for over a hundred years.

When he finished, the creature stood silent for a moment. Then its body jerked.

The movement was sudden and unnatural, as though something had grabbed hold of it from the inside. The purple lightning around its armor flared, and the air around the creature grew heavier.

Aiden's eyes narrowed as he watched.

The creature's posture shifted. Its head lifted, and when it spoke again, the voice was different.

It was still deep and resonant, but there was a presence behind it now.

This was no longer the shadow creature speaking. This was Lord Shadow himself.

"The Ninth Ruler is called Kethseia," the voice said. "And she holds the title Mistress of the Unseen."

Aiden's expression remained calm. He knew now this was the Ruler Of the Shadow Universe.

Lord Shadow continued. "One of her authorities is Concealment. And in that domain, none other compares to her. Not even I."

"Hm," Aiden muttered. He let the information settle for a moment, then said, "That seems troublesome."

He paused, then added, "But what seems to be the confusion here is why now? If she sent scouts much earlier, it means she knew this universe lost its Ruler a long time ago. So why did she wait until now?"

There was a brief silence. Then Lord Shadow spoke again.

"I am not sure myself," he said. "But I know that Kethseia not only knew the Ruler of the Seventh had gone, but she also concealed that idea from the others. I was the only exception, until recently."

Aiden's eyes narrowed. "Hm…" He thought for a moment, piecing it together. "Why so? Was she also doing this for the previous Ruler of the Seventh?"

Lord Shadow said. "I was an exception because I already knew the fact of the matter. And as such, concealing that was impossible against me."

Aiden nodded slowly, processing the information.

Lord Shadow continued. "If an idea is concealed from someone's mind, they lose the ability to pursue the discovery of the fact that would stem from that idea."

He paused, then explained further. "Normally, no Ruler would simply decide to check for the existence of the others. The thought would not cross their minds on an ordinary day. But with Kethseia concealing it, that idea never crosses their minds, ever."

Aiden's expression grew more serious.

Lord Shadow went on. "I was not affected because I already knew for a fact that the Seventh Ruler was gone. So concealing an idea could not stop the fact that I already knew. And because I knew that this fact existed, I was aware when Kethseia made an attempt to tamper with it."

He paused again, then added, "The others did not know. Therefore, they were not aware of her tampering. But of course, they all know now. So that idea concealment she used on them has no effect anymore."

"Hm," Aiden muttered.

Lord Shadow continued. "I am also unsure if she concealed all these facts at first at the behest of the last Ruler of the Seventh. It is hard to tell with that woman."

"I see," Aiden said.

There was a moment of silence. Then Lord Shadow spoke one last time.

"I will leave you with this. If Kethseia is the immediate threat, then be at the ready at all times. For you may not even see it coming."

Aiden nodded. "Understood."

The shadow creature's body jerked again, and the presence faded. The weight in the air lifted, and the creature returned to its normal posture.

It bowed its head once more, then dissolved into darkness and returned to the inventory.

Aiden, now alone in the void, stared out at the purple glow of his domain.

He exhaled slowly, then turned and walked toward the portal that would take him back to the Dimension Of The Holygrail.

——-

Far beyond the edges of known space, in another universe, Kethseia sat upon her throne.

The throne itself was a masterpiece of dark craftsmanship with greenish runes along its body. Around her, the space was filled with swirling green mist. It moved around, coiling and uncoiling, forming shapes and dissolving them just as quickly.

Kethseia herself was a sight to behold.

Her skin was pale, almost ghostly white, and it seemed to glow in the green light that surrounded her.

Her hair was long and flowing upwards in waves that seemed to merge with the green mist. It was impossible to tell where her hair ended and the energy began.

She wore elaborate robes of black and green.

Suddenly, the green mist around her began to swirl faster and runes brightened as the air felt the force of power around it.

Then, the mist condensed, forming into a shape. First formless, then more defined; arms, legs, torso and a head.

The shape solidified, and the mist pulled away.

Standing before Kethseia was the strange man.

He was whole again and dressed in his black robes. His face no expression in them and his eyes were empty.

Kethseia's eyes glowed with the same green light that filled the space around her.

She raised one hand, and a pulse of energy shot forward. It struck the man in the chest, and his body jerked.

Then, slowly, life returned to his eyes as his pupils dilated and his expression shifted. Awareness flooded back into his face.

He blinked, then looked down at himself. His hands, his body. He was whole.

He looked up at Kethseia, and his expression grew serious.

"Master," he said, bowing his head.

Kethseia's lips curved into a smile.

"It is time," she said.

The man nodded. "Yes, Master."

The green mist around them intensified, swirling faster and faster, until the entire space was filled with blinding light.

And then, in an instant, it all vanished.

The throne room was empty.

Kethseia and the strange man were gone.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​