Cursed Immortality

Chapter 1236: Cost of Existence

Nelson’s declaration of Faceless Ancient made both Lucy and Ellie shudder, especially Ellie, because she knew that she was probably the one Jacob hated the most among them.

Ellie was also the first to break the suffocating silence.

“No… no, we need to leave!” Her voice trembled violently despite her attempt to stay composed. The lightning around her body flickered chaotically as panic seeped into her expression. “That monster is here now! Did you both not see what he did?!”

Her glowing eyes remained fixed on the frozen projection of Jacob beneath the shattered heavens.

“He killed the Undead Lich King like swatting dust… and that divine descent…” Her throat tightened. “If he finds out who we are, we’re dead!”

Lucy silently clenched her fists as, for once, she couldn’t refute Ellie’s fear. Even her pride felt laughable after witnessing that scene. That hooded figure wasn’t merely powerful anymore. He had become something incomprehensible. An existence that made even Quasi-Myths seem insignificant.

Most terrifying of all was the familiarity, the same overwhelming pressure, the same unpredictability, and the same terrifying calmness. Thousands of years had passed, yet Faceless Ancient still felt like an unavoidable nightmare.

Lucy’s icy voice finally sounded, quieter than usual, “She’s right.”

Ellie instantly looked toward her, and Lucy slowly exhaled while staring at Jacob’s projection, “That thing…isn’t something we can contend against anymore.”

Even saying those words seemed difficult for her, given her arrogance; back then, they had still possessed confidence, status, influence, and powerful backing, but Jacob had overcome everything.

Even after becoming Constants, they once believed themselves untouchable, and nearly immortal, for death had become little more than a temporary retreat. Others should have feared and trembled before them.

Yet now, they had once again returned to the exact same situation as the Epic Plains, running, hiding, and waiting in fear because of the same monster.

Nelson silently listened to them before finally speaking heavily, “Even if I want to leave… I can’t.”

Both women froze as Nelson’s exhausted eyes lowered slightly, “The moment I became an Acolyte, my freedom stopped belonging to me.”

Silence fell instantly as Ellie’s lips trembled slightly while Lucy lowered her gaze, for both of them understood exactly why Nelson had reached this point, because of them.

However, only now did the weight of it truly settle in their hearts because back then, becoming Constants had felt like ascension with an impossibly long lifespan, near-undying existence, and power surpassing countless races. It was the authority backed by ATLAS and the Gods.

Even Lucy and Ellie had once secretly believed Nelson’s sacrifice had been worth it. But now, they finally realized the terrifying truth that their lives had never belonged to them from the moment Nelson accepted that God’s hand.

Even now, after thousands of years, they were still trapped inside the shadow of Faceless Ancient.

Lucy suddenly narrowed her eyes slightly, “…Perhaps he already forgot about us.”

Ellie instantly raised her head, and hope appeared in her eyes almost immediately as she hurriedly added, “Right! That’s possible! He’s far stronger now. Why would someone like him still care about us?”

Her breathing became quicker as if desperately grasping onto that possibility, “We’re not even using our old identities, race, or even mystic signatures anymore. As long as we don’t reveal ourselves… and don’t provoke him again…we can avoid him.”

Lucy didn’t refute it, and even Nelson’s eyes flickered faintly because deep down, He also desperately wanted to believe that and wanted nothing to do with Jacob anymore.

In the first place, he didn’t want revenge or to scheme against him from the very start, and he was only here because Ellie and Lucy couldn’t keep themselves in check. He had not been involved with Jacob for his own personal gain whatsoever.

Moreover, at one point, he believed he could take down the Faceless Ancient by capturing the Dreamy Ancient and manipulating Constant Baron-0. With the help of Upper Plains, after the destruction of the Timeless City, he gave up.

If possible, he even hoped they would never cross paths again, yet the grim reality quickly resurfaced in Nelson’s mind. The Patron God’s mission and the obsession surrounding the Cursed One.

However, at that moment, another figure surfaced in his thoughts.

‘The Myth of Reverend!’ Nelson’s eyes narrowed faintly, ‘What if I can make those monsters clash while we remain outside the storm? The Myth of Reverend clearly wanted the Cursed One, and now I possessed undeniable proof, and it’s terrifying enough to even shake Gods.

‘If I played this correctly, perhaps I can convince that swindler God that confronting Faceless Ancient directly was impossible for us, and rushing blindly would only destroy all of ‘His’ investment in me.’

Nelson’s eyes became sharper when he thought at this point, after all, a living Acolyte was infinitely more useful than a dead one to that entity, and the more he thought about it, the brighter the possibility became.

As long as he survived and remained valuable, there might still be room to maneuver.

Finally, Nelson stood up slowly and solemnly said, “Stay here.”

Both women looked toward him immediately with a hint of trepidation.

“I’ll speak with them. If this succeeds… then we’ll be safe for now. But if it fails…” His eyes lingered briefly on Ellie and Lucy, and commanded them resolutely, “…then I want both of you to leave my side.”

“Old man…”

“Nell…”

But Nelson gave them no chance to continue as he had already turned around and walked toward the deeper section of the vessel. The metallic door slowly closed behind his desolated back, and silence returned once more.

Lucy and Ellie remained seated quietly for several moments, and then they slowly looked toward each other. For once, it was as if their thoughts were completely aligned.

Ellie bit her lip before speaking softly, “…Should we really run and leave the old man behind?”

Lucy answered without even a moment of hesitation as her icy eyes dimmed slightly, “It’s not an option. He’s here because of us.”

Meanwhile, deep within the hidden chambers of the warship, Nelson entered an enormous circular room.

The chamber was completely dark except for a massive black platform in the center, with tiny ancient runes shimmering faintly across its surface, interconnected to form the shape of a unicursal hourglass.

The atmosphere itself felt distorted there, and Nelson slowly walked toward the center before sitting down cross-legged. His expression became incomparably solemn.

Usually, Constants did not require a Timeless Hourglass to establish contact with one another, but the cost varied with the distance between Constants.

But if a Constant tried to establish a connection with a Constant beyond their plains, the cost would be horrifying.

That’s where this peculiar platform comes into play because, without this platform acting as a medium, his Timeless Sand reserves would be consumed in seconds simply from attempting to establish a connection between the Upper Plains and the Middle Plains.

After taking a slow breath, Nelson closed his eyes, and then, within his mind, he spoke reverently, “I request a timeless meeting with Constant Viscount-0009!”