Lord Shadow

There was silence between them once again.

The ravens in the distance could be seen flying around and began piercing the dark blob creature the moment it respawned.

For a moment, the sound of the raven fighting, cawing its sharp claws onto the dark blob creature once again echoes throughout the forest.

In just a couple of minutes, the cawing sound slowly quietened down and then the ravens fly back to their branches, looking coldly at the forest once again

Loki look at Erika trying to digest what she said to him and what she means.

Loki is trying to think of reasons why Void is the Knight in Erika chess pieces. That is an odd choice for a chess piece.

Is that a chess piece designed for attacking or is it a chess piece for defending? If it’s for attacking, who is it supposed to attack?

If it’s for defending, who is it this chess piece supposed to defend?

And Erika is trying to think of the seven parts of Loki. Loki had separated himself into seven parts.

That is incredible in itself.

seven body, seven souls and seven distinct memories.

With each body had a mind of its own and with seven kinds of memories that detailed the seven events in the future that would change the world.

Of course, if what she knew is correct, then Loki body all had the same memories of life experience in his new life.

It is like syncing their memories. But the parts of the memories that was not sync in is the part about the events that have been sealed in their minds

And where are they now? she thought.

Is some of them in seclusion? Or each one is working independently doing schemes and plots that each one is capable of based on the memory they have.

Or are they hiding? Erika did not show such change of expression but she was clearly shocked when Loki admitted it easily

The methods he used is not compression of memories.

But the utilization of future memories and the division of works that each mind seems to possess.

This makes Loki schemes and plots even more unpredictable because the Number Five won’t know what Number Seven is plotting to do and vice versa.

It would also help confuse her future calculation and Yewa Hafar might also be deceived. How could they not be confused?

Even the conspirator doesn’t know what he is conspiring about in the long run.

Number Seven knows all, thus he might be the one that perfected the other Number schemes and plots from behind.

Erika just wonder, whether she had met Number Seven or if the Number Seven is in hiding and only come out when he knew certain plans needs to be changed.

Loki look at Erika and he too has his own thoughts

The reason why Loki did not spare her any details is because, even Loki himself might be curious about his other-self plans to do.

Loki then sighed and then he said

‘You could tell me all of these four years ago’ he said. She smiles bitterly and said

‘I thought I was your old friend. Will you not come visit if I tell you that four years ago? I wonder about that sometimes’

Loki nodded and then said

‘Then why hide it?’

‘I never hide it. I just never explain it to you properly’ she replies with a bitter smile. Loki chuckles a bit and then he said

‘I didn’t know you like to play with words like this.’

‘Why?’ she smiles and then tease Loki

‘Is the Trickster feeling annoyed?’ She asks, with a sly smile on her face. Loki shook his head and just said

‘I don’t think you have that much time, if you just want to make me feel annoyed. You know I didn’t just come to ask that question. It is a big part of why I come here of course, but I think, even if you answer that question four years ago, I still would have come visit you every year’

Erika look at Loki and she heaved her breath

‘Hah’ she sighed.

She closed her eyes for a few moments.

The sound of the wind enters her ears and she could also hear the sound of ravens cawing in the distance and there is a smile on her face.

She then opens her eyes and said to Loki

‘You once said to me, that in this world, the people that could understand you is only a few people. That people is Yewa Hafar and me’

Loki nodded

So?’ he asks. Still not understanding the point that Erika is trying to make

‘Heh. You have two people that understand you in this world. Of course both of us have been your friend at one point and your enemies on another’ Loki nodded

‘And what a worthy enemies and what a helpful friend both of you to me’ he said slightly bowing and Erika chuckles a bit.

The Trickster God is always like being playful.

Closing her eyes, she then said

‘But, in this wide, wide world, there is only one that understand what I am trying to do and understand my desire. And that is you’

Loki then slightly understand what Erika is trying to convey to him. He chuckles bitterly.

She continues

‘Both of us had been casted out of time. It is our choice of course to be casted off but still the feeling is not pleasant at all. This is not my memories and this feeling is not my feeling but slowly even I could not help but be influenced by these memories and feeling.

‘It is not that good of a future’ Loki interjected. She opens her eyes and nodded

‘Well, not all of it is bad. There is some good moment’ she said and Loki was reminded of Willa and Erika and he casted his glance downwards.

She only shakes her head seeing Loki. She knew what Loki is worried about and what she meant by some good moments.

She then continues saying

‘We are like two people who came from the same hometown. It is terrible thing to feel so alone in this world even when you are among crowds. Faces that seems familiar but does not know you. People who shares their life and death with you but now just nothing but to them we are just some faces in the crowd’ she said.

Loki nodded

‘That is my reason why I did not tell’

Loki did not say anything and Erika also did not say anything.

They just look at each other and for some reason, they both understand what each other is thinking with a glance of their eyes.

Loki sighed and she smiles. Then she said

‘This is probably the longest conversation we had with each other’

Loki nodded

‘I guess. I think I am a bit too sentimental these days’ Erika laughed.

And then she said

‘I know this is the last year you would visit me here. After all, after this year is over, I don’t think I am going to be staying here for long’

Then she looks around her. The glowing stones that illuminated the forest outline and the beautiful sky above her head. She looks at it and committed it inside her memories.

After seeing all kind of deaths, all kinds of calamity, she likes to rest her mind by looking at beautiful thing.

She tries not to be drowned by all those emotions she felt when she peers through the Veil

She then said

‘This is also the last year I could see beautiful thing with my eyes. With both of my eyes.’ And she smiles freely. Loki sighed.

Loki understand now. This kind of sentiment is enough to warrant her to want to see him every year.

He understands what Erika is feeling