Chapter 191: The incarnations
Jaegar appeared as if he were merely asleep, his face at peace. However, the extent of the healing was limited, he was all bandaged, and the wounds seemed severe. The last attack did quite a number on him.
The response from the Imperial House and the Emperor had been far from what anyone expected.
They had reacted with indifference to the news of Jaegar's supposed death, requesting only that he receive a proper burial.
This lack of concern had infuriated Vivianne and Jacqueline to the point where they had left the palace to be by Jaegar's side.
In stark contrast, Angus, who had not returned after learning of his son's fate, seemed indifferent to the situation, a reaction that puzzled everyone.
Sitting around Jaegar's bedside, Vivianne couldn't help but feel the weight of the situation. She looked at him with a soft, sorrowful expression and muttered, "Look how they massacred my boy." She caressed his face.
The pain in her voice was evident as she turned to Angelina, seeking answers. "Did you find them?" she asked, hope and frustration warring within her.
Angelina shook her head, her eyes filled with a deep sense of concern. "No, but I did some things about her. I learned that the one who attacked Jaegar was part of the Witch's Spire years ago. She left the spire, and there has been no word about her since then."
The mystery deepened as they realized the attacker's connection to the secretive organization.
Vivianne let out an exasperated sigh, her anger simmering just beneath the surface. "Why is my boy targeted by so many killers?" she wondered aloud. She was tired of the constant threats to her grandson's life and the mysteries surrounding his enemies.
Angelina then decided to share the crucial information with them. "Jaegar... is currently in a limbo state," she admitted solemnly.
"He isn't dead, nor is he alive."
Vivianne and Jacqueline's brows trembled with confusion and concern as they tried to comprehend the gravity of Angelina's revelation.
The limbo state meant that Jaegar's fate hung in the balance, caught between life and death, leaving them unsure of how to protect him or even if it was possible. They knew they had to act swiftly and decisively to unravel the mysteries surrounding their enemies and ensure Jaegar's safety.
They could only hope that he came back to them.
The news weighed heavily on them, as they had chosen not to reveal Jaegar's condition to others. The uncertainty about his fate left them feeling helpless and desperate for answers.
*
Inside Jaegar's consciousness, he found himself in the same dark and eerie mind space he had encountered before.
It was the place where he had faced the Crimson Jaegar, and now he was here again, suspended in the air with his legs crossed, surrounded by an all-encompassing darkness.
In this inky void, he could see the Crimson Jaegar curled up like a dormant entity. Jaegar tried calling out to him, but there was no response from his crimson counterpart.
Suddenly, a golden haze began to flow into this dark space from a distant point, eventually coalescing into the form of a woman.
She was adorned in long, flowing white and gold peplos that trailed elegantly behind her. Her appearance was strikingly beautiful, with fiery red hair that glistened in the dimness. Her presence exuded a charm that could captivate countless hearts.
Her gaze settled on Jaegar as she studied him for a moment before speaking, "You seem rather weak for my lord's incarnation." Her words held a hint of mystery and power, and her tone indicated that she was assessing Jaegar's condition.
Jaegar, still levitating with legs crossed, regarded her with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. "Your lord's vessel? Who are you, and what do you mean?"
In a voice that seemed to resonate with the echoes of ages past, Ileana began to speak, her words weaving a tale of gods and goddesses from a time long forgotten. "You stand on the precipice of revelation, Jaegar Ambrose, a revelation that has been hidden from the world for countless eons.
I am Ileana, the goddess of rage and anger, a servant of the Chaotic Pantheon, the divine embodiments of Chaos itself."
The words sent a shiver down Jaegar's spine. He had only recently learned of his connection to the Chaos God and the Chaos Goddess, and it was a revelation that had shaken his world.
Ileana continued, "Long ago, in a time obscured by the mists of history, there existed two powerful deities, the Chaos God and Goddess," Ileana continued, her voice filled with a sense of reverence.
"They were the embodiments of the ever-shifting forces of Chaos, the fundamental essence of the cosmos. The world was their canvas, and they shaped it with boundless creativity.
The Chaos God and the Chaos Goddess are two beings of immense power. There were also those who sought to control these divine powers. A cabal of feined gods and entities conspired to usurp the Chaos God and Goddess's dominion, ultimately leading to a cataclysmic conflict.
Eons ago, they were killed. This truth was known solely within the realm of the gods, a closely guarded secret. Mortals were oblivious to the existence of the incarnations, for they believed that the Chaos God was a singular entity, a force that remained shrouded in mystery."
At this moment, as Jaegar hung suspended in the void of his consciousness, Ileana delved into the depths of the divine truth. She continued to share the knowledge concealed from the world, even from those who bore the essence of the divine.
"On the mortal plane, the belief persisted that the Chaos God was a solitary being," Ileana intoned, her words laden with the weight of ages. "In reality, the Chaos God and Chaos Goddess were distinct entities, their powers intertwining to shape the very essence of chaos itself. They were destined to be an inseparable unity, a force that transcended the boundaries of creation and destruction."
"In the final throes of this great conflict," Ileana continued, "the Chaos God and Goddess were felled, their immortal essences scattered and extinguished. But even in their defeat, they ensured that their powers would endure. They devised a plan to be incarnated through the mortal planes, their divine essence concealed within living vessels.
They didn't want the ones who killed them, to find them. So they chose to incarnate on the mortal plane."
The goddess went on, her eyes locking onto his, "These incarnations were destined to come together in a grand convergence, merging to form the supreme entity—the balance of creation and destruction, life and death."
Jaegar's brow furrowed as he tried to comprehend the gravity of this revelation. "Incarnations? You mean I am an incarnation of the Chaos God?"
Ileana nodded, confirming his suspicion. "Yes, my lord's incarnation, the bearer of his divine essence."
He mulled over the significance of his existence, his thoughts racing through the implications. He recalled the profound connection he had felt with the Chaos God and how his powers had seemingly transcended conventional wizardry.
Ileana's eyes glittered as she continued, "The cosmic design intended for the incarnations of the Chaos God and Goddess to unite, thereby forming a being of ultimate power that could bring balance to the universe."
Jaegar's mind reeled at the thought of such a profound destiny. "But that convergence... it never happened. What went wrong?"
The goddess sighed, her expression heavy with the weight of history. "The first incarnation of the Chaos God met a tragic end, altering the course of destiny. It was then that the mantle of the Chaos God's vessel fell to you, my dear Jaegar."
He couldn't fathom the depth of the cosmic changes that this transition had set into motion. "So, my existence now holds the responsibility of uniting with the Chaos Goddess's incarnation."
Ileana nodded, "You are the linchpin, the bridge between creation and destruction."
Amidst the complexities of divine revelation, the narrative turned to the story of Augusta, the chosen incarnation of the Chaos Goddess. Her life had been marked by the blessings of the Chaos God, or so everyone believed. Her divine gifts had manifested as a testament to the benevolence of the Chaos God, unbeknownst to her that she was, in fact, the embodiment of the Chaos Goddess.
"Augusta, the woman who chose to embody the Chaos Goddess, bore divine gifts and powers," Ileana continued her gaze intent upon Jaegar. "She believed herself to be blessed by the Chaos God, a notion reinforced by the world's perception. Unbeknownst to her, she shared her divine essence with another— you, Jaegar, chosen as the vessel of the Chaos God."
This revelation remained veiled in secrecy, even from Augusta herself, until the moment of Jaegar's birth. At that pivotal juncture, she had uncovered the profound truth behind her son's birth and the destiny that lay before him.