Last Born Of The Desdemona

Chapter 359: Chapter 359: Seven Errors

Chapter 359 – Seven Errors

"Why?" Cassius asked, frowning slightly. "Why should I stay away from her?"

"Because you still don’t understand, after what just happened to you, Cassius?" Mallory snapped, her eyes boring into his. "You’ve been marked by her, and neither you nor your goddesses even knew it. Now let’s consider a hypothetical scenario here, stupid disciple."

Mallory turned and walked back towards her chair, her voice still echoing around the room.

"What if she’d branded you with a mark that would kill you?" She stopped when she reached the table, pivoted, and fixed her eyes on his thoughtful expression. "Let me answer that for you: first, you wouldn’t even know you were about to die. Then you’d die. Second, I think you’re forgetting one important thing here."

She lifted her finger and pointed at him, then at herself. "You and I are linked by Fate. If you die, I die. And I am not going to die because of your own foolishness. So do you understand now why I don’t want you anywhere near Phoenix?"

"I do, Master," Cassius replied after a short pause, though his frown didn’t fade, if anything, it deepened. "What I don’t understand, though, is how the White Phoenix was able to brand me without even my goddesses noticing."

Mallory nearly scoffed out loud at that. It was almost laughable to her, someone who’d wandered the world for hundreds of years, to hear a question like that.

"Do you know what a ’god’ is, Cassius?" she asked, but didn’t wait for an answer. "One becomes a god by reaching a certain level of power, which grants a certain degree of existence. Do you understand what I’m saying? Anyone can become a god if they rank up high enough."

She smiled coldly. "But not just anyone can become one of the Seven Errors of Sunu Gaal."

"Errors?" Cassius tilted his head at the word, stepping closer to his master. "What does that mean?"

"It’s a category of beings who exist, but have no reason to exist in this world," Mallory pointed her finger upward, towards the ceiling. "The White Phoenix is one of the Errors. She’s the Sixth Error. Do you really think you just need better fire mastery to live inside the sun? Cassius, are you that dense? You need far more than that."

Cassius’s lips twitched heavily.

"And the only reason Phoenix is even at this Academy," Mallory continued, "holding the position of Paragon, is simply to disturb my peace."

Cassius was completely lost at this point.

"So let me lay it out plainly so you understand the situation," she said. "She’s an Error. And to be an Error, you need to be someone the world actively rejects, yet never manages to erase. Which means she can sense our Fate Link if you get close enough, and if she does, she’ll kill you to kill me."

"But why?" Cassius asked, confused. "If she’s this powerful, why can’t she just kill you directly? Or are you—!"

"I’m from the Vaelgrim bloodline, Cassius," Mallory cut in, her eyes glowing. "I might have lost nearly everything of that bloodline and retain only an echo of it, but it’s enough to give an Error pause. Killing me comes with consequences even they can’t casually bear. My existence carries weight. So the only way to do it without those consequences is to kill you, which in turn kills me."

"So by linking our fates together, I’ve actually got a target on my back?"

"Yes."

"Please, tell me, Master, how many beings want your head?"

"More than I can count. Adam Kai is one, for a start. And Phoenix, and other gods whose I’ve weakened by killing their Blessed. In short, there are many."

Cassius closed his eyes and dragged a hand down his face in exasperation.

Something that clearly set Mallory off. "You dare be exasperated?" she said, incredulous. "You’re just as much a target as I am, little bastard. And you’re only 18."

"Mind you, all because of my family, and now because of you," Cassius said, mock self-pity in his voice. "I’ve never done anything worth being targeted for. I’m an angel, Master. Yet here you are, wanting this angel dead."

"Are you done with the theatrics?"

"No? I can go for more."

"Cassius, this is serious," Mallory narrowed her eyes. "And you’re about to head out on a mission — be careful." She warned, pointing at her left eye. "You’re the first recorded being with a Dragonic Characteristic. And there are many dragon hunters out there. If I were you, I’d keep my senses sharp at all times."

"I know that. That’s exactly why I’m here, Master, to make a contract with the triplets," Cassius replied. "But you dragged me into a talk about Errors instead. Now I’m scared."

"You don’t look scared."

"Guess I’ve gotten used to being threatened by higher powers," he said. "Are Errors also limited in how much they can act in the mortal realm?"

"Errors have Territories," Mallory said. "Inside, they’re absolute. Outside, just like gods, they can’t affect the mortal world much. So if I were you, I wouldn’t set foot inside an Error’s Territory."

"And the Phoenix’s territory is...?"

"The Sun itself."

’Fuck,’ Cassius cursed inwardly. ’Does this mean I can never meet the White Phoenix? And why didn’t you two tell me any of this?’

[Not all knowledge is open to everyone,] Marvela said. [I knew the Errors existed, but their identities are another matter entirely. No one can tell you exactly who they are. And don’t forget my curse, I’m at a disadvantage.]

Ananke’s case, however, was different. Something inside her told her she once knew of the Errors’ existence, and even all their identities.

Yet she couldn’t remember any of it.

This was the same situation as when Theophane had blamed her for something she hadn’t known she’d done. So Ananke concluded that this particular memory about the Errors must have belonged to either her second sister, Tysche, or her third sister.

She sighed inwardly, once again finding the splitting of memories between the three of them rather annoying and inconvenient.

But none of this was something she could tell Cassius. And so...

[If I can’t even know the identities of some of the Second Generation gods... how could I possibly know the Errors’? They’re called Errors for a reason, Cassius,] Ananke said, genuinely believing it. [They exist outside the influence of Fate, yet their every action affects Fate itself.]

’These beings really do sound powerful. But why, despite all that... does all this information only make me more eager to meet the Phoenix?’

[It’s extremely dangerous,] Marvela warned, her voice tense. [Meeting an Error is a feat on its own, talking with one, even more so. But you’d need to reach a certain level just to avoid dying instantly in their presence.]

[And don’t forget your master’s fate.]

’Which brings me to my next question: how the hell do I break this fate link? This is getting ridiculous.’

[I could do it if my Authority of Fate increased by another three levels. The other option is to obtain a reward from the Eye of the Divine.]

’Which means I need to pull off some ridiculous feat?’

[Exactly.]

Cassius nodded slowly and turned his focus back to his master, who’d been waiting for him.

"Done talking with your mothers?" she asked with a taunting smirk.

"Please, Master, stop," Cassius cringed.

"Why don’t you start calling me Mother, from now on?" Mallory proposed. "After all, your two divine mothers failed you, couldn’t even find Phoenix’s mark."

[This arrogant little dragon...] Marvela hissed.

[...Tsk.] Ananke clicked her tongue.

"I already have too many mothers, Master. I don’t think I can take on another."

"But you can always have more."

"Please, can we start the contract process?" Cassius’s lips twitched. "The triplets have been urging me for the past few days, I’m sure they’re eager."

"No mother, then?" Mallory pressed, finding it hard to resist the temptation to tease her disciple when he looked so awkward every time she brought it up.

Yet it was also true that, somewhere inside her, she missed the label. She missed being called Mother. She... missed being a mother.

It had been so long. So long that sometimes her memories blurred, and she forgot them entirely. But that had only started happening lately — since Cassius became her disciple, to be precise — and Mallory knew why.

It was because she was now building new memories with him every day, through their training, their talks, and their occasional banter.

These were interactions she hadn’t had in years.

So, with the addition of these new memories... she sometimes found herself forgetting the old ones. Which was strange, since Mallory’s memory was supposed to be perfect.

But it felt as though, subconsciously, she wanted those old memories forgotten, replaced by new ones.

This made her recall a line from MasterofPaths’s short story, Reflection of the Past, which said: "The enemy of memories isn’t time. The enemy of memories is other memories."

Mallory knew it was painfully — or perhaps, in her case, mercifully — true.

She sighed, her thoughts slowing, and watched Cassius reply,

"I might start writing down the conditions for someone to be my mother, at this point. The offers are getting far too numerous."

She shook her head and opened the portal to the Realm of Mountains and Seas. "Come, disciple. It’s time for you to become a Spirit Contractor."

—End of Chapter 359—

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