Empire of Souls 176 Avatar 3

"Lariel, what do you think of our guests?" 

His voice was gentle, only to her would he reveal this side of him. Only in these moments was he vulnerable, revealing the fact that he was just a man despite all his power.

"Are you worried about something? What they represent is destruction, but destruction is also something the Creator did in fact intend. There can be no life without death, no creation without destruction. Without the threat of annihilation, why would the masses struggle to live? The Angels abandoned their duty and only seek to be guardians of the Law, but they conveniently ignore that the Daemon too have their purpose. Instead, they despise the Daemon and spout righteousness to justify their antagonism towards them. Although our two kinds naturally were never meant to get along side by side, it is without a doubt the truth that the Creator intended for the Daemon to complete their mission of destruction. There is no right or wrong in this, whatever you choose, I will follow."

Aleks turned to look at Lariel who gave him a slight smile before turning her head to the side and covering her lips with a cloth. She coughed and her complexion became slightly paler. He couldn't help but approach her and embrace her. She rested her head against his chest, welcoming his embrace.

"You are too good to me. I do not deserve such kindness or love." He said while sighing. 

He truly believed that he should suffer and never know joy for all that he had done, but he couldn't help but feel a brief happiness in that moment.

"The Angels are the messengers of the Creator and have passed on the teachings of the Creator from the time that he walked among us. He said that love is its own reward. You do not earn it, but it is given freely and accepted with an open heart. For one should be grateful for the love that is given, and one should never turn away the one that gives. It has always been my choice, and it is also yours. If you wished, I would give up everything to be with you always. Even if I must die, I will die by your side."

Hearing her words, Aleks found it hard to keep his calm demeanor. Even if he wished to cry however, there would be no tears. He had none left to give.

"Should I give up my revenge Lariel? You think I am foolish, don't you? What can one man do against the raging tide? I had given up in my original life, I know that now. Instead of living, I sought some kind of miracle. I chased an ideal, a dream, or perhaps it was my own guilt and regrets."

Lariel placed her palm on Alek's mask and looked up at him. Her gaze was gentle and filled with love.

"I can't give you the answers that you seek. I can only walk the journey with you until I am no longer able to walk."

They remained like that for a time, neither saying anything until Lariel finally turned and walked away. Aleks watched her quietly until she was no longer in sight. After her figure was no longer visible, he continued on his way until he arrived once more in his personal chambers. It was only him in such a grand and spacious room and this only even more emphasized the loneliness he felt in his heart.

"I have work to do." He finally mumbled to himself before once more focusing his thoughts within the mask. 

The amount of data he had sifted through was immense, but he had finally made his decision on the direction of his avatar. The mask glowed brightly and a warm light encompassed his entire body. It was scanning his body on a genetic level and began to reproduce a copy of himself. The copy was lacking in any details and was still only a hazy outline. While the copy was being reproduced, Aleks was adjusting a variety of variables within the system of Babel. 

He didn't want the avatar to have the same features as him and instead wanted it to have a different appearance. This would be useful to him and he could use his avatar to infiltrate various places if needed or just to experience things he may not be able to with his original body. He could remain incognito and interact with others without the fear and awe that normally came with it. To Aleks, this was valuable. He didn't particularly enjoy always being the center of attention. Of course, the most important aspect of developing his avatar was so that he could gain more power and the opportunity to ascend beyond the mortal realm.

Aleks was careful, and like a skilled sculptor designing a masterpiece, he shaped the contours of his avatar's face. He was meticulous in designing the appearance of its body down to the smallest details. It took him many hours to design the shape and form of his avatar's physical shell. It wasn't really something which was absolutely necessary, but he didn't wish to rush. It was soothing and calmed his anxious heart. It was difficult for others to understand the loneliness and heartache that Aleks had to face daily. Although his exterior appeared calm and collected, and he rarely showed his true thoughts or emotions, he was still a man. He was not a completely unfeeling machine. 

He had become quite proficient in hiding his true self and there were very few who had seen the real him. This was a reality he had brought about himself, and a part of that was fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of death, fear of oblivion, and most of all was a fear of obscurity. Would he fade away after everything he had been through and become just a speck of dust in the endless river of time? Would he forever be unfulfilled? 

At least in this moment and at this time, he had a small amount of control over the tiny world he had built on his own. In this place, he was the master and the supreme being. He could control another's fate, decide life or death, and even create new life. He was the god of this tiny place and no one could take that away from him. Or at least, that was how he thought as he gazed at his creation.

"Finally done, how strange."

Aleks hadn't realized how much time had passed as he had become engrossed in what he was doing. Since this was to be something like a masterpiece to him, he had become absorbed in his work. It was only when he was finished that he fully realized what he had done.

"This.. How did this happen? I can't believe it…" 

Aleks was perplexed and surprised by what he had done. He had created his avatar to look exactly like he had in his original life. It was the image of An-Namrud.

"In the end, I just can't escape it. Fine, perhaps this is fate. It isn't as if anyone would really recognize this body. Even Tihr had never seen my original form. Only Lariel had, and she had hid it from him. When I died and my soul entered that cycle of reincarnation, I had no physical form. Also, this avatar will not have my aura or presence. There is no way for anyone to know who this body belongs to. Only Lariel will recognize it. I wonder if she will be surprised to see my original appearance once more."

At that moment, Aleks didn't realize, but there were two other sets of eyes which were carefully observing the avatar from within his mask.

Do you wish to finalize your changes?

A prompt was blinking on the virtual screen before Aleks's eyes. He thought about it for a moment more and then finally said, "yes"

The virtual body which he had shaped began to solidify until it became a physical body with actual flesh and blood. It was based off his own genetic code and organic material which was being taken from his body and being replaced instantaneously by his own power as a Demigod. He could only use his own body when creating his avatar. It was a disturbing scene, but only he was present to witness it. It was a painful process, but it didn't seem to faze him much. He was someone who hardly felt pain anymore. 

"Now just to finalize the details of the avatar's class and abilities. The only negative to this is that the avatar needs to level up from scratch. From level 1 basic class all the way until it can become a Demigod. It won't take as long as it normally would for my avatar to level and it shares my consciousness and all my understandings of Laws. This will allow it to level up more quickly than others, but it is still not something which will benefit me in the short term."

Aleks's hands moved as he scrolled through various menus and occasionally tapped on the air as if he was touching a screen. He pressed a few more times and then the light of his mask scanned the body of the avatar.

Class, Mage. The most basic class for a magic caster. Can cast the most basic of spells. Special abilities, Mana Furnace and Magic reinforcement. Mana Furnace increases Magic Power capacity allowing for an increase in the amount of spells which you can cast before replenishing your 'MP'. Magic Reinforcement, by expending additional 'MP' the magic caster can empower spells or add penetrative attributes to spells. This will increase the damage a spell does or allow for penetrating through a portion of Magic Resistance.

"Very useful abilities for a Magic Caster, this will give me an edge. Most Magic Casters do not have such powerful abilities, and even if they have one, the chance of having both is extremely rare. Only the greatest of Magic Casters in history have had both of these abilities at the same time. There are other powerful abilities as well, but for now these will do. Technically this is cheating and these abilities can't usually be acquired when at Basic Class. Only because I extracted a bit of Angelic blood from Larriel and analyzed it with the system of Babel could I create such an avatar that defies what is common reason. This avatar is mostly constructed from my DNA but a tiny part of it is from Lariel's own bloodline. It isn't an Angelic being and I could only use a very tiny part of her bloodline otherwise it wouldn't be possible to create this avatar. Nonetheless, even that tiny bit is quite useful. This is the blood of a true Celestial being and not those mongrels who claim to possess the blood of Angels. Even the smallest drop is precious."

Aleks appreciated the avatar he had created, remembering the time when it was his own body. Even the small details, like his slightly tanned skin and coarse dark hair was replicated. Although his body wasn't overly muscular, he had been athletic. Much of his time was spent in his own research in the past, but he had also been forced to exercise to keep his health. His life in some ways had been controlled in the time he spent in his original world.

"Just need to finalize the beginner spells. Firebolt, Energy Missile, Mana Shield, and Mana Burst. The basic spells of a mage, but all useful spells even in the later levels. They will only increase in power as my avatar grows and with its abilities, they will be even more effective."

Satisfied, Aleks finally finished all the details and once more spent time admiring his creation. Once he was done, he spent the remainder of the day familiarizing himself with controlling the avatar and the feeling of sharing his consciousness with it.

Chapter end