Fate of Mirithia [LitRPG, Isekai]

Meera stayed rooted to the spot. Their whole plan was a failure. They were never supposed to encounter Elder Raevan and this man, who was none other than Elrasil, the Frostcaller Heirarch.

[The Frost Herald – Level 912]

He held a book in his hand as if he didn't have a care in the world that someone was here to assassinate him. Given how strong he was, he probably didn't. If Meera were in his position, she wouldn't have cared as well.

The man wore white clothes, characteristic of a cultist, but his were different in the sense that they had a bit of grandeur to them. They were designed to mimic royalty almost. The man himself, given that she knew he was centuries old, didn't look a day over forty. The man had white hair but lacked the wrinkles of age. He had a handsome face, marred by a long scar that went vertically from his forehead down over the bridge of his nose.

If it weren't for his high level, she wouldn't have thought of him as the leader of the cult that had been after her for so long. She had a lot of questions for him.

He smiled. "Come inside, I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me."

Please tell me he's not another mind reader.

She tentatively stepped inside the room, but that was it. She stayed put with the stairs directly behind her, because she had no doubt these talks would devolve into violence at some point or another.

"I think I'm okay here," she said.

"Are you sure?" He asked. His voice had a soft quality to it that lacked the malice she had been picturing all this time. "It would be easier just to sit and talk. Unlike you, Meera, I have no intentions of harming you."

"Yes, I'm sure you don't. So, you sent your men and that dragon to do what? Wish us a warm welcome to the south."

"You attacked me and my own first. I had to retaliate in some way, or my sons and daughters would think that I'm not protecting them. What would you have done if in my position? Besides, this whole pointless war has been started by your princess for her own gains, whatever they may be."

"Her only gain is to rid her empire of you, and your so-called sons and daughters." Deep down, Meera knew this was false. The princess did have some nefarious goals. "Personally speaking, I agree with her. You lot have been a pain in my butt ever since I landed on Gethys, actually, even before that. You lied to the dragons and got the whole city of Drurith butchered. The greatest city in all the worlds was reduced to nothing but rubble. I doubt even a tenth of the population survives. Were you innocent of that fact as well?"

His face fell. "No, my hands are stained with that act, but it was not my intention, or the act was of my creation. My hands were forced. Due to an unfortunate turn of events, I was forced to work for Rothedon. He made me do many evils that have weighed heavily on my heart, but none such as this."

Something clicked. "And now, you will say that it was Rothedon who had you poison Akhessai."

"He was," he replied, without skipping a beat. "Meera, you must understand. The cult not only worships Lord Aetheron but all his children. I would never, in my good conscience, ever dream of harming something as great as an Archdragon. They are the ultimate children of our Lord. As close as we can get to seeing His majesty, until He, himself, arises and deigns to grace us with his presence."

"You're deluded if you think that dragon up there is your god." She pointed to the roof. "He will swallow you whole before you can even utter a word. Besides, why are we debating about what was, when we can talk about what is?"

She paused to hear that the fight between Lainor and Raevan was slowing down, and she wished beyond all measures that Lainor was coming out on top. There was a hint of uncertainty on Elrasil's face as well, but it passed the moment he saw her looking.

"You're afraid that your dearest servant might be done for?" Meera asked.

Elrasil smiled. "No, I'm worried that he might have done too much and killed a wayward son of mine. Contrary to what you might believe, I do care for all my sons and daughters. No matter if they have strayed from the path of the one true god and joined hands with the Cosmarian King."

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Meera started. "You knew?"

"I had a feeling, but I couldn't be sure. He masked himself well. He doesn't realize that he has joined hands with the Great Deceiver. The one who, in the past, nearly destroyed everything in his quest for power. Even the gods themselves nearly failed to stop his rebellion."

"And you were working for the same individual yourself."

"I was a fool for doing his bidding, and Drurith was the last straw. After I learned what had happened to the city, I couldn't continue working with him."

"So, you sent Lainor, who was crippled at that time, to deliver the news so they could put him out of his misery. Is that it? So much for your love for all your children."

"There was never a chance of that happening. I sent Lainor because he was always my messenger. I needed to send him because they knew him. If I had sent someone else, they might not have treated with them. You must understand, Meera, I'm not the villain you think I am."

"No, you're the fool who worked with the Cosmarians for centuries and worships the dragon of doom that is intent on destroying the worlds. Even I know that I've been here all of two months."

She didn't care about revealing that fact. If he was working for the Cosmarians, then she was sure he knew. The fact that his expression didn't change an iota was proof that he knew.

He shook his head. "You misunderstand me and my creed so very much. I will say this once more, I am not your enemy, Meera. Yes, you and your brother stand against my Lord and are destined to fight Him as they say, but I will not hold that against you. You wish to travel over the White Ember wasteland and reach the Warlocks. I will let you do so freely. I will instruct my Glacidrak not to attack you. All you have to do is leave this battle right now. Leave all this death and destruction behind, and you can continue your quest to find your brother. You do not owe this princess or her father anything."

Meera considered his words carefully. If he was speaking the truth, then she could leave all this behind right now. There would be no more of this pointless war. She could even fly up the Mantle and be on her way, right this instant. Without the Glacridrak's threat, she could light flames along the way to keep herself warm.

I could actually make it.

But there was a part of her that was screaming at her to stop that line of thought immediately. This man and his cultists had been the cause of all her troubles on Gethys. He had poisoned Akhsessai, leading Veridiana to kill her and start the centuries-long feud between the sorceresses and the dragons, which culminated in their destruction. Worst of all, he made her the scapegoat for the dragons so all the blame would fall on her, and got the city of Drurith murdered. Everything came back to him, and now he was shirking off blame to Rothedon. That might be true, but still, he worked with the King of the Cosmarians.

"Why did you work with Rothedon?" She asked.

He blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"You must've had something that you wanted from him." She went on. "What was it that you wanted so desperately that you went to the greatest evil plaguing these worlds. Because it wasn't sure as hell that Rothedon came to you, because you know, he's stuck behind an impassable barrier."

He sighed and hung his head. "It pains me to admit it, but I did seek him out. I was young and eager to come up in the world."

"About what?" She asked.

Elrasil drew a deep breath. "I had a vision once. Aetheron showed himself to me. His eyes were closed, and he spoke in a voice so deep that it thrummed in my chest, even as I lay sleeping. He said that I was chosen to lead His people. He said that many yearned to follow Him, and I was to find them and bring them together. He told me that whoever openly declared their love for him, he would spare when he finally awoke to seek his revenge against the gods. It was tough at the beginning, but just as my Lord commanded, I eventually found people who shared my vision. People thought I was a madman, but I never faltered. I created this lovely bastion of hope for all people who believed in the one true Lord who will reign supreme at the end of all things."

Meera stared at the man incredulously. He was mad. She couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. She could've believed anything else, but this. He created the cult because of a dream. However, there was still one part missing from this story.

"That still doesn't answer my question," Meera said. "What did you go to Rothedon for?"

"As I grew older and it came time for me to pick a successor, I realized that there was none whom I trusted that wouldn't mar the vision with which I started this place. In the end, no one could bear the burden of carrying Lord Aetheron's subjects forward. I tried many things, but I could not contend with age. With no other option, I went to Rothedon. He gave me—"

"Immortality?" Meera blurted out.

He smiled. "Not quite, but he ensured that I did not age, just like your sorceress friends."

There was something about this man that irked her. She did not know how to put it into words, but he was hiding something. She could just feel it. She wasn't sure if it was part of her Ascendant powers or just her instincts.

"I'd be a fool to trust you," Meera stated plainly, with as much indifference as she could muster.

Then the door to the stairs burst open, and Meera sighed, for rushing up the stairs was a very angry Elder Raevan. His clothes were singed, and he supported a nasty burn on his right cheek and shoulder, but the murderous intent was clear on his face.

He carried Lainor's limp body on his shoulder as he dashed up the steps.

"You get away from him!" He roared.