Clark looked with terror... Not stupid or unfocused! How could someone get to him like this without him noticing!
Instinctively, he shouted with all his might: "Time, stop!!"
He quickly drew his sword from its scabbard and threw it with full force.
He said: "When time resumes, this sword will pierce you! You won't even know what hit you!"
Five seconds passed. Time returned.
But that sword... as if it stopped right in front of the man's nose! Then bounced back forcefully to hit a bookshelf.
Clark was shocked! Nothing happened! Or did he block it?! As if some strange field prevented the man from being hit! The strike stopped before reaching him!
The strange man spoke, clapping his hands for Clark:
"Magnificent! So you have a strange ability! Or rather, time stop! My words are correct since you shouted it just now!"
Clark was stunned! The man analyzed him! Even gave him a lesson not to shout like an idiot with such technique!
But Clark was thinking something else: Stopping time truly is a supernatural ability beyond human imagination! Who could possibly stand against this power...
The mysterious man broke the silence:
"Your analysis is great, Mr. Clark... But you're mistaken about something else too. Your plan is great, even innovative... But do you know what great power will move the matrices?"
"Why should I answer that question?!"
"What's wrong with you, Mr. Clark?! I'm just a peaceful man! I didn't come to fight you! You lack flexibility in some matters! Let me tell you about a secret in life."
Clark looked at him bewildered: What is this strange man ranting about?
The man continued after taking out two cherries intertwined on a single soft branch:
"See this cherry? You might think its stem is soft, any stupid movement might drop it. Let me tell you - if I put it in my mouth, I'll break the stem! See? I swallowed the cherry and broke its stem! But what if I told you there's a way to take that cherry out intact?"
He put the cherry in his mouth.
Clark didn't understand what was happening.
Suddenly, a cracking sound!
"I broke it! Don't pretend to be wise!"
"You're actually wrong!"
The man took it out of his mouth - completely intact!
"See? I call it 'Flexibility'! The Still Water method! Most humans are impatient and harsh-tempered about the true understanding of the Heavenly Dao! Orthodox sect followers think just by doing good they'll reach great refinement - that's also wrong! They're hypocrites too! And the Demonic Path followers don't comprehend their path! The Demonic Path isn't just evil - it abandons wild desires to reach the supreme! The Dao! See? The word repeated! Doesn't that mean something to you?!"
"You mean the dilemma of good and evil?"
"Yes! Exactly! That's what I mean! In one story, there were two brothers: one kind, the other with a corrupted heart! The evil brother fought his good brother to marry his brother's wife! His corrupted heart urged him to kill his brother... and he got the woman he wanted! Do you know what he did???"
"Killed his brother, right??"
"Exactly! Killed his brother! But couldn't bear it! Overwhelming guilt! Similarly, humans commit bad deeds boldly without thinking... then guilt comes! Not before, but after! But the Demonic Path initially said: 'We shouldn't think about guilt! Kill! Steal! Rape! Do everything!' Don't you have a goal??? Then that justifies your desire! The end justifies the means! Doesn't matter if you break a little girl's heart over losing her mother, or steal orphans' money, or rape a poor virgin! Just to satisfy your desire! But that's also somewhat misunderstood! Because the actual path, rather both sides of evil, tells us to abandon worldly desires to reach the peak! More precisely: Immortality!"
Clark laughed:
"Yes! Your words are correct! Evil brings good, good brings evil! Let me answer that: You might think evil is a bad idea, but it comes from tyranny! The 'good' people convince you with refined meanings and hypocritical actions! They violate, steal, kill! But what's the exact goal? Yin and Yang are parallel! Good balances evil, evil balances good! Both are two sides of the same coin! The 'good' people get contaminated by their refined meanings!"
"Well done, Clark! You understood my point! But the question: Who are you???"
"Who am I??? What a question! And funny! Isn't it obvious?! I'm a man walking the path of uniqueness! Only my footsteps exist on the golden sands! A man who preferred his solitude over the world's unimportant refined meanings!"
"Your answer is wonderful! But your heart is unbalanced, if I may say! You're cowardly! Just now, you were so scared of me you didn't hear any of my words! Mr. Clark, you fear death! Isn't that correct?! And you walk a dangerous path - why walk a path you know contains death?! Answer me!"
Clark laughed like a madman, his eyes turning bloody:
"I fear death?! Who do you think you are to believe that?! I'm a great emperor! I walk with great power and great purpose too! Maybe I'm a secondary character in a huge world full of powerful beings, but my heart never hesitated! All people think just sitting on their thrones, no man will come to defeat them and spill their blood! I'll prove I'm not weak or cowardly! I'll prove with these two hands the extent of my development! I don't know what I lived before, but this is my starting point, and this is what I care about!!!"
"Your answer is truly interesting! But I'll prove the extent of your fear of death!"
Clark didn't notice the insane speed at which things moved! With insane speed, he received a powerful blow that shattered several vertebrae, multiple rib fractures, and crushed the cartilage bone in his leg!
Clark screamed: "Time! Stop!"
For the first time, Clark felt fear! He felt his life was in danger!
Bleeding profusely, Clark looked at the strange creature beside the strange man! White-colored, wearing a bone mask! As if flying without touching the ground! Long hair, white eyes! Its gaze alone made Clark lose hope!
He asked himself this question: Will I die... Suddenly time returned!
Clark said:
"Is death really this terrifying?! So many emotions flooded through me: Fear, horror, tingling throughout my entire body!"
The strange man laughed:
"That's what I wanted to convey to you, Clark! This is real fear! Something you don't wish to experience again! We all speak strong, poetic words, but in critical moments, all elaborate plans collapse! Courage, dignity, prestige! All fall before fear! Let me tell you: Ultimately, all smart plans fall before absolute power! So sometimes, be a dog that licks feet! Nobody wants to run over a stupid dog that only thinks about licking feet! You might think it's a humiliating image, but maybe this is the dog watching from afar, waiting for the opportunity it will seize... and obtain the great bone!!!"
Clark was shocked by his words! Truly, this strange man is wise!
"What is this strange thing you just brought out to attack me?!"
"You mean this?! It's called 'Living Embodiment of Asteroid Blessing'! Few humans managed to communicate with asteroids to obtain such blessing! And luckily for you, you're one of them! One of them bestowed this upon you! 'World Planet'! Ruler of time itself blessed you! They say World Planet was human and reached ascension... until a powerful opponent came! Thought he was World Planet's equal! But World Planet laughed in that man's face saying: 'What's the use of speed if I can stop time itself?! What's your use if you can skip seconds of time, while I can stop time itself?!' So nobody could stop him! Just with his punch's power he could crush everyone! Wasn't supported by any planet - he ascended to the constellations and surpassed them! And you, Clark, among all humans, World Planet supported you!"
Clark laughed:
"So... you mean I was born with kingly qualities?!"
"Exactly! Let me undertake the task of guiding you, Mr. Clark! I promise you won't regret it!"
Clark nodded in agreement.
"Now we can depart! Our destination will be difficult, Clark, and exhausting! Are you ready for it?!"
Clark replied:
"Of course I'm ready! But... can you carry me or bring a cane or something so I can stand on my feet?!"
"Of course not! Crawl on your feet! You experienced the fear of death - that's good for you! Now I'll refine you from the soles of your feet to your big head! And that's good, believe me! You need to know hardship! Someday, you'll meet powerful enemies! Maybe you'll crawl on your feet to escape! So you need to feel suffering! Pity, emotions! You might think they're unimportant, but you can refine yourself to reach a stage of indifference! Become like still, manipulative water! Manipulate emotional currents among humans! That's what will distinguish you!"
Clark nodded and started crawling behind the man.
They left the library and headed deep into the forest.
Clark kept crawling behind him...
Until the Master spoke:
"Listen, Clark! You need to understand something: Your plan is great! But have you thought about the genesis of the great matrix?! And how will you learn Runic magic?!"
"Of course I thought! The great beam coming from the moon and sun will be the generator of the great power! So I thought: If that great power descends, who can withstand and absorb it, for hell's sake?! But I learned the matrix I'll create isn't trivial, but truly powerful! Can withstand and harness the force waves! And that will generate the great cosmic acceleration! The universe might contract and destroy! Because, as you know, Earth moves slowly! Because if Earth moved at light speed, Earth and the universe itself couldn't withstand that speed! Because what will accelerate in rotation are three centers: Earth, Sun, and Moon! Making the timeline contract and destroy!"
"Why would you do that?!"
"Why?! Good question! Of course I'll do it to reach the new world where I'll achieve great ascension! You might say: 'So you'll sacrifice humanity arbitrarily'! Maybe I'm insane! But my goal is salvation for humanity and for myself in that gap I can reach! In the new universe, they might live happy lives with loved ones! While I achieve my goal! Knowledge is a great weapon before power! We don't fear the powerfully strong, we fear the knowledgeable who might lead to death! Besides, humans won't disappear or anything! Rather, as you say, the universe will be reset but differently! They'll know their destinies! They'll know everything! Isn't there great wisdom in that?!"
The Master pushed some branches aside, saying:
"Your thinking is great, Clark! You amazed me! But we've actually arrived!"
Clark saw a great cave, like a mirror reflection! Clark didn't understand.
But suddenly the Master raised two fingers and started muttering strange words!
The strange image dissipated, revealing a great staircase leading downward!
Clark asked: "What did you do?!"
"This is the Runic magic you read about! But this is great magic few know! Called 'Ghost Shadow'! The great ancient cults used it! But half of ancient humanity's knowledge perished, leaving only a small piece like a small breadcrumb!"
Clark started crawling painfully down the stairs behind the Master...
Until they reached a strange place, like an underground city temple!
Clark asked: "Where are we???"
The Master replied: "Welcome, Clark, to the Great Shadow Temple!!!"
To be continued...