After An'xhur had said those words, silence enveloped the entire space, leaving both Valyr and the half-orc in their thoughts for a while as they both pondered over the situation An'xhur had narrated. By the time a couple of minutes had passed, An'xhur broke the silence as he let out a long and deep sigh while shaking his head with his head down.
"I really thought he had returned to how he was before we grew apart." With his head still down, An'xhur spoke in a despondent tone, lamenting over how much of a fool he was to believe in his half-sibling. "I really thought he had changed for the better after reuniting with me."
"But alas, that was all a facade to achieve his true goal." Once more, the half-orc let out a deep sigh. "To remove my existence. To ensure that there were no obstructions to his plan."
"To ensure that he would become the best candidate for the throne." Though Valyr already had an idea as to the reason why An'xhur's half-sibling had decided to betray him and kill him, he was still uncertain whether his ideas were true or not, considering that they were just deductions from the information the half-orc had given him.
However, now that he had heard the reason for the betrayal from the source, it was as if all of the pieces he had collected while listening to An'xhur's narration finally began to connect to one another, forming one massive image that allowed the young man to get to the crux of the matter.
"Though I had to relive quite a few uncomfortable memories, I take it that you now have a better idea of the situation?" Taking in a deep breath to compose himself, An'xhur's expression eventually returned to how it was before the narration, looking at Valyr as he posed a question to the latter.
"I do." Valyr nodded in response. "However, I still have a few doubts that need clarification from you."
"Hopefully it does not touch on some more uncomfortable memories." In response, An'xhur flashed a bitter smile. "In any case, I shall try my best to respond to your questions."
"Alright." Nodding in response to An'xhur's words, Valyr went silent for a bit as he thought about how he would phrase his first question. "So, if my understanding of it is correct, the gist of your narration is that you were killed by your half-sibling due to a political struggle you did not even actively take part in?"
"That… would be correct. Somewhat." Pondering over Valyr's question, An'xhur eventually nodded in agreement. "Though there were times where I thought my contributions on the orc race would lead to my eventual inheritance of the throne, it is true that I did not actively seek to inherit the throne."
"If anything, my half-sibling had deluded himself into thinking that I was doing it for the throne in the first place," said An'xhur, only to correct himself soon after. "Then again, there is reason to his train of thought, considering that I had done those feats earlier with the goal of making my parents happy, which had something to do with me aiming to become the eventual heir of the throne."
"Either way, the original reason gradually disappeared with time, instead being replaced with just wanting to make the orc race better." Finishing his response, An'xhur briefly shrugged his shoulders, prompting Valyr to proceed to his next question.
"After you uh… perished due to your half-sibling's actions, what happened to you after that?" As these words left Valyr's mouth, he looked at the man with a serious expression. "Considering that you're from the Khagarax Empire, it would make no sense for your soul to be within human territory, especially with the distance that separates the two."
As far as Valyr knew, once one ascended to their Rank 6 class, one would be able to do even more things that would be unheard of for those at the lower ranks, such as separating one's soul from one's body even while one was alive.
Of course, not a lot of people utilized this newfound power at Rank 6, considering how one's soul at this point still lacked reinforcement. Instead, it would only be used by those who had refined their soul to greater levels, which would only become common for those at class ranks higher than Rank 6.
However, the newfound power did give newly ascended Myths access to something that was impossible for even Legends to do.
Possession.
If one were to die at Rank 6 and above, rather than both body and soul perishing to the afterlife, only one's body would cease to exist, with the soul separating itself in order to find a new body to take over and be reborn anew. Unfortunately, not all bodies were compatible with the soul, with the latter having to make sure that one would achieve near, if not perfect compatibility with the body to ensure all of one's power would be restored.
With that in mind, Valyr found it odd for An'xhur's soul to be in human territory. Though, he found it more odd that the half-orc had not found a suitable body to take over, especially with how much time had passed since the man had established the trial. "If anything, your soul should have perished by now due to the passage of time."
"That is true." An'xhur nodded before pondering over Valyr's question for a bit. "Even I have no clue how my soul still continues to remain standing even after I had traversed a great distance and endured the great passage of time."
"Well… I guess you could think of it this way. Seeking revenge towards my half-sibling's act of betrayal is the only thing that's still keeping me connected to this world." As these words left An'xhur's mouth, a wry smile appeared on his face. "I may not know why that is the case, but I have a strong feeling that's why I'm still here."
"Kind of ironic for a sage to say, right?" An'xhur let out a brief chuckle.
"I'd say it's to be expected," replied Valyr back, letting out a chuckle of his own soon after.
"Well, I've definitely expended far more energy than I thought I would during this meeting with you." Taking in a deep breath, An'xhur looked at Valyr with a calm expression. "At this point, I could safely assume that you more or less understand my current situation, right?"
"I do." Valyr nodded.
"Then… would you be willing to accept to take on the torch that I shall pass onto you?" As An'xhur said these words, a screen appeared in front of his field of vision, interacting with it a bit soon after. "At your current level of strength, this torch is undoubtedly fraught with danger, but I am left with no choice."
"However, if you manage to survive through all of the ordeals and emerge victorious, not only will you have fulfilled my final wish, but I'm certain you would have also grown to become an exemplary being the world would definitely not ignore." As the half-orc continued to interact with the screen before him for a bit more, An'xhur's expression turned solemn as he asked Valyr one last time.
"Once more, I shall ask you."
"Are you willing to accept the torch I shall pass onto you? This dark torch that seeks nothing but vengeance?"
"With how much I know about your current situation, it would be difficult if I were to refuse." In response, a slight bitter smile appeared on Valyr's face. "If anything, you could say that I am left with no choice but to accept."
"With that, I guess my answer is a yes."
"Well, I'm glad to hear you say that."
Ding!
[You have received a main quest: The Will of An'xhur.]
