1689 The Two Unfortunate Options...

As time unfolded in the eternal kingdom, Asna had matured from her childish prankster behavior into a rebellious phase.

Gone were the days when Apollo, her partner in cosmic jest, could easily coax her into turning the lights off in Poseidon's territory for a laugh.

Now, Asna's defiance was of a different nature, a declaration of her autonomy, challenging the very fabric of celestial decrees and the expectations of the beings that had watched over her since her inception by the Universe's Heart.

At the moment she could be seen flying away from the dimensional pocket with a bored expression.

"What a hassle." She yawned lazily.

As the gate closed behind her, the three rulers, Eris, and Uranus were left staring at each other in silence.

"It's been close to a thousand years, a thousand failed attempts. Are we still going to be delusional about this?" Uranus said, this time his voice was devoided of any emotions like he had enough of such disappointment.

His feelings were understandable...Asna had already entered her adolescence phase and her body started to absorb an insane quantity of celestial energy the instant she entered the dimensional pocket.

Just now, she was believed to have absorbed more than 1% of the released celestial energy in less than a second!!!

% might not seem a lot, but it was more than the quantity of celestial energy five unigins collected after an entire century of hard work!

It was devoured in a second by Asna and for nothing positive in return.

"I admit, this situation isn't preferable at all...We have tried everything and it doesn't look like our approaches are ever going to work." The second ruler said with a deep low-pitched sigh.

Even the all-knowing three rulers were left at their wits ends about this situation.

"Unfortunately, we are left with two options." The first ruler said emotionlessly, "We either trust that Asnaleigha's awakening is the key to our freedom or..."

"We eliminate her." The third ruler continued coldly.

"How can you even consider her awakening as an option?" Uranus sneered, "I will never allow it. It's too much of a risk and we are already struggling with those heavy chains on our limbs...I have no intentions of adding a collar too."

"So, are you suggesting we eliminate her and continue with our previous attempt at brute-forcing the universe's heart?" Eris said with narrowed eyes, not a fan of such a suggestion.

"It's much better than putting our fates in the hands of that brat," Uranus uttered with a solemn tone, "She is already rebelling against our orders and barely does anything we say unless we force her...Can you imagine how she will be if awakened?"

While the three rulers weren't saying anything in response, their decision was more inclined towards Uranus' reasoning.As the three rulers of the universe and the epitome of authority, it would never sit right with them to just hand it down to another being.

It was expected for monarchs to cling to their thrones until their dying day, which led their heirs to stage a coup to overthrow them.

The three rulers weren't any different.

"Have you considered that eliminating her might cause the universe's heart to give birth to her again later on?" Eris shared calmly, "You will be back at the starting point and with a much lower quantity of celestial energy."

"That's a calculated risk." Uranus reasoned, "We know that the universe takes its sweet time before reviving a dead unigin's core, and with Asna being a special case, it might take even longer. By then, we might have collected enough celestial energy to make a second attempt at breaking the heart."

"This is much better than allowing that brat to leach off our celestial energy daily."magic

There was a short silence after he was done.

lightsΝοvel Eris and Uranus kept waiting for the three rulers to join the discussion as they knew that no matter what they said, the final decision would be in their hands.

Even if the rest of the unigins were brought up to date and had everything explained to them, most of them would choose the option benefiting the most.

That was getting rid of Asna as there was no such thing as mercy or familial love between them.

If she was still in her early years, her childish innocence might have moved their hearts a little...It wouldn't affect their decision much, but it would make them feel some guilt about it.

But now? Most of them treated Asna as an annoying teenager who had no respect for her seniors.

There was no way she would receive the majority of votes in her favor when their bottom line would be affected...That was their little freedom.

After all, while the three rulers were much more powerful and authoritative than them, they had no direct authority over them.lightsnovel

But, if Asna awakened? There was a high chance that would change and most of them would not be welcoming to the idea.

"I say, it's time we inform the other..."

Before the first ruler could finish his sentence, the assembly hall was suddenly pierced by a brilliant beam of light emanating directly from the universe's heart!

This celestial phenomenon caused the three rulers to halt their discourse and turn their gaze toward the source of this unexpected illumination...The prophecy tablet!

As the light struck the prophecy tablet, it began to glow with an intensity that defied the ancient darkness of the hall.

The rulers watched, a mix of anticipation and apprehension in their eyes, as the light slowly receded, revealing new images and inscriptions upon the tablet's surface.

These were not mere additions; they were clear instructions, a cosmic directive that had chosen this moment to reveal itself!

"This...Another revelation!" Uranus remarked with a startled look.

"As I have always said, the prophecy will not forsake us." The first ruler uttered as he gazed at the tablet, reading the newly formed script with the other two rulers.

A mixture of emotions surfaced on their hidden faces, ranging from surprise, and relief, to finally understanding.

"What did it say?" Uranus inquired, his eyes were consumed with curiosity and anticipation.

"It gave us the path we were seeking." The second ruler shared, "It gave us the solution to our dilemma."

"What is it?" Eris narrowed her eyes.

"The new instructions detailed the creation of a Sealing Hall, a structure of unparalleled significance. It's a sanctuary, designed specifically to lock Asnaleigha's powers."

"A sealing hall?" Uranus raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Isn't that a bit too convenient?"

He wasn't of the trusting type, and he never placed his faith in the prophecy as much as the three rulers.

The fact he couldn't read it might have played a role in it, but still, he always believed that the best way was to brute force the universe's heart no matter how many attempts it took.

"This is how the tablet operates." The third ruler said, "It gives us instructions only after we get lost from the final destination."

"Is that everything it said?" Eris asked.

"No, but we have no use for the rest of the instructions at the moment."

"For now, we need to build the sealing hall and prepare Asna for the process."

"Prepare her?" Eris smiled wryly, knowing that there was no way Asna was going to cooperate with them.

"It was not a permanent solution, but a necessary step," the third ruler interjected, his tone resolute. "For the balance of the cosmos, for the protection of the eternal kingdom, and perhaps, for Asna's own good...She must be sealed."

It wasn't like Eris didn't understand the implications of Asna not being sealed or eliminated, but still, it left a bad taste in her mouth.

She considered her as a child who never asked for any of this...

Alas, there was nothing she might do about this. She understood that most of the unigins would agree to seal Asna off and if she dared to go against the final verdict, she wouldn't just make enemies with the three rulers, but her peers too.

Eris wasn't foolish to disturb her peace for the sake of Asna even if she liked her...

As she uttered when interrogating Felix, love and such emotions were nothing but chemicals that could be controlled.

In other words, no one might make her sacrifice herself for their sake regardless of the time and experiences between them.

The fact that Felix was doing exactly this for Asna's sake was the reason it made him interesting in her eyes.

'Sigh, what an unfortunate fate...'

As the illumination from the prophecy tablet dimmed, returning the hall to its usual celestial glow, the rulers set their would to the task ahead while Eris might only close her eyes in resignation...