Chapter 141: Kanakht
Asterion was one of the greatest Nightwalkers among the House of Night, renowned for his bravery and prowess in battle, but above all else, his kindness.
Asterion was the only one who knew that Lugan was actually Hugo, and he had kept that secret as well, making him a trusted ally.
Strangely, Hugo hadn't seen him interact with the other members of the House of Night, not even once.
It was almost as if he was the only one capable of seeing him, but that couldn't possibly be true. He remembered Saint Bloodwave talking about him once or twice.
The wind hit Asterion's hair, as his golden eyes suddenly became much deeper.
"Tell me, young man. What do you think about stories?"
Hugo, who didn't need to act as Lugan, frowned.
He did not expect such a question... But a philosophical discussion was not a bad idea right now.
"Stories... Ah, well, it depends on the type of story. Some can be sad, some can be happy, but in the end, all of them are educational, in their own way."
"What a charming answer... Through stories, we can learn about the history of those who came before us, we learn their deeds, characters, and desires... Especially their desires."
The golden-eyed man seemed to be in a daze for a moment before continuing:
"Humans are such fascinating creatures, don't you think? They leave behind a well of knowledge wherever they go, preserving secrets and truths better left forgotten... Their most primal desire is to not be forgotten, that still remains the case even with the path of ascension open for them to climb."
It was true that humans were bizarre creatures, by nature. No one knew that more than Hugo, who had experienced being Noble Creatures.
Whenever he transformed, it was not just his body and soul that would change, but also his mind and spirit. He had seen humans from the perspective of different creatures and they were so strange, so incredibly strange that one could even argue they were more perverted than Nightmare Creatures.
Although Hugo found it strange that Asterion felt the same way, as he was a human...
"Oh no, young man, I'm afraid you are terribly mistaken. I'm the farthest thing from being a human in the whole world, two worlds even."
Asterion suddenly said, startling Hugo.
Did he just read his mind?
No, that couldn't be... Asterion did not possess any such abilities, so he must've mumbled it on accident.
Besides, despite his Spirit Body not sharing the [Omni-Mind] trait, he still should've been able to detect any signs of mind reading.
"I do agree with you... But that's why I love them, humans. They can be strange, weird, and even downright insane from an outsider's perspective. But there's beauty in that, in a way. The way they follow their desires, the way they suppress their darkest desires, and the way they express their spirits... It is just wonderfully beautiful sometimes, even if it's alien and ugly sometimes."
Asterion looked at Hugo with an unreadable expression, as if he did not understand a word of what he was saying.
"Perhaps they are, but nonetheless, their primal desire to record their history has proven beneficial to me. More than even the Nightmare Spell, in certain ways."
Intrigued by his words, Hugo asked:
"How so?"
"Ever so curious, aren't you? Very well, I'll indulge you. A long time ago, in my Third Nightmare, I learned about a very ancient civilization of humans, one that existed before the age of heroes and even predating the golden age itself. It was the first human civilization in existence, led by the first human. Kanakht."
Hugo's eyes widened at his words.
The first human civilization... And more than that, from what he was saying, this was knowledge from the Dream Realm which meant that Kanakht, and the civilization he led, was older than the War Realm itself.
Older than the stone age and the prehistoric epoch.
Asterion continued:
"Kanakht was one of the first humans, born at the dawn of the Age of Gods. Gods and deities walked the earth back then, battling creatures too vile to even mention—they brushed sides with humans quite often, back then. Most of those encounters were benevolent in nature, but not all of them. Kanakht in particular managed to anger Shadow God, so the god of death took his shadow away... and with it, his ability to die."
Hugo processed his words carefully... Such knowledge was utterly priceless in this world, especially considering how little humans knew about the old world.
Knowing that the gods once interacted with humans, instead of being absolute beings like the ones depicted in myths and religions, was shocking to Hugo.
The Age of the Gods was perhaps the eldest era Hugo knew about. He knew about the age of heroes, from Eurys and Azarax, and about the golden age from the Omnitrix database, but this age of the gods was new to him.
There was also this Kanakht fellow... He must've been truly vile to piss off a god.
But there was one thing Hugo did not understand.
"How is immortality a curse though? I would understand if it was seen as a curse in a world without the path of ascension, but in our world, not being able to die should be a blessing. Especially if this Kanakht was an Awakened who cultivated his powers and Aspect."
Such a being could reach the Supreme rank, and perhaps beyond.
Asterion shook his head.
"Gods have their own views on things. They knew things that mortals do not—their perception, their insight, and their knowledge is far greater than you can even imagine. So naturally, Shadow God knew that cursing Kanakht with undeath would be a truly harrowing fate. Kanakht, however, did not seem to mind the curse of Shadow God at the time. He went on to establish a vast empire and ruled it for myriad generations, defending his people with his overwhelming power. His power was so great, in fact, that people started calling him a god."
"From your words, I assume he was not a god?" Hugo said.
Sacred and Divine were the ranks of godhood. Any rank below that could be seen as demigod, but it was not true godhood.
"No, Kanakht was merely a Supreme, a demigod in other words. Yet his people still recognized him as their god, but he did not want to be called a god—he wanted to be a god."
"No matter what Kanakht tried, he could not cross the threshold of divinity—not without his shadow, at least. He grew fixated on the notion of godhood, and his kingdom slowly morphed into a dark, oppressive nightmare. Those who once revered and worshipped him now lived in terror and loathing of the immortal monster who sat upon their throne, and generation after generation vanished into the furnace of his ambition. After all, they had no means of freeing themselves. Kanakht's will was simply too vast and too absolute, but above anything, he simply could not be destroyed."
A charming smile spread across Asterion's face, so unsettling and unnatural, yet carrying an alluring beauty that overshadowed its madness.
"However, they did succeed in bringing down his reign in the end. Kanakht was torn apart into fragments, and each piece was locked away in different locations, never to be reunited."
He paused for a moment, then continued in a pleasant tone:
"The truly fascinating part, however, is not what became of his fragments. Instead, it is what Kanakht was attempting to do."
Hugo raised an eyebrow but remained silent.
Asterion waited a few moments before speaking again.
"The one who aided the enslaved masses of Kanakht's kingdom in overthrowing him was none other than the Daemon of Repose, who was somehow convinced by the residents of his Kingdom. As for her motivation... according to the legend, it was because after ages of searching, Kanakht had finally discovered a means to become a god despite being blocked from attaining divinity through the conventional path."
Hugo nodded, comprehending his meaning.
"There are multiple methods to achieving apotheosis, correct? But all of them required possessing a shadow according to your words... So, Kanakht found one that bypassed this requirement?"
Asterion nodded his head.
"That mad king unearthed another road to Divinity. It was direct and uncomplicated, circumventing the lengthy cultivation needed to reach the Sacred rank... He intended to devour his own domain, drawing upon the accumulated divinity—particularly that of the Awakened—of his subjects to elevate himself to the rank of Sacred. The method he devised, or perhaps uncovered, for lack of a better word, was... Beautiful, in its own way."
Asterion's golden eyes seemed to grow more ravenous as he spoke:
"You see, the path of ascension—at its core—is simply an accumulation of quantity, masquerading as a refinement of quality. With sufficient divinity and soul essence, one can achieve most ranks. Whether it is Ascension, Transcendence, Apotheosis, or even Divinity itself... it is all a matter of gathering power. In truth, only Awakening and Supremacy demanded absolute conditions. Everything else is merely a question of consumption."
"That was especially true for the Sacred rank, as the formation of a Sacred soul core was the most important thing. After that, Apotheosis becomes a matter of patience, tethering yourself to a realm and becoming a concept. Kanakht recognized this truth. He understood that he did not have to walk the path of ascension and mold himself in the image of the gods as he could carve his own route. He simply needed enough souls, enough divinity, and enough will to force his way to godhood."
"That is the secret the Sovereigns have never truly understood. They dread the Fifth Nightmare because they believe it is the only path forward. But there are always... other paths."
Hugo was stunned by this revelation. After all, the nature of apotheosis, and the path of ascension, was just revealed to him.
To humans, this knowledge might be beneficial but few could actually act on it, but for Hugo, who could become a creature, this offered him ways to gain powers beyond his comprehension.
After all, were his minions not like that of a domain? What would happen if he consumed them? Could he become a Transcendent?
And more importantly, if he becomes a Supreme one day, wouldn't he just need to absorb his minions to reach apotheosis?
That was a possibility, but one that was built on the presumption that his domain would be built upon his minions.
'What am I thinking?'
Hugo frowned... His minions, while not truly sentient, were still creatures. The more he grew in rank, the more sentient they became.
By the time he was Supreme, they would likely be fully independent beings.
Hugo would not consume creatures to achieve power... Or at least, that's what he believed.
If put under a difficult situation, would he resort to such a vile method?
Asterion, seeing his solemn expression, simply patted Hugo on the shoulder.
"Do not worry, young man. By the time you are Supreme, you won't need to consume anything or anyone—I will take care of that. But perhaps, it would be best if you guarded your spirit well. For now, I will make sure it is safe. However, as a piece of advice, never do what you did with your spirit to your other parts, lest you share the same fate as Kanakht."
With those words, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the distance.
Hugo's face gradually grew more confused as time passed... Yet, he did not dwell on the ominous words, having complete trust in Lord Asterion.
It was strange, as if his own spirit was compelling him to do so, making it his deepest desire.
'Lord Asterion knows best...'