Way of the Knights

Chapter 910: Dreams of Augustus

‘They’ve called me a joke before, but it is me who now sits on the throne.’

‘They laughed at me when I said that it is my fate to be the Emperor, when I was coronated, none of them are laughing anymore.’

‘It is through me that our race climbed at the top of the food chain. It’s through my efforts that we became invincible. I deserve this.’

‘Still, it isn’t enough…it’s nowhere near enough.’

‘I need more. Just a little bit more.’

The God Emperor sat on his throne. His eyes were closed, basking peaceful silence. He isn’t alone in his room, there are several guards on duty with him but none of them dared to make a sound nor even breathe out loud, they don’t want to disturb the God Emperor’s rest.

Dreams are a rare occurrence for the God Emperor. Sleep is even rarer. So when everyone sees him sleeping, nobody dares to wake him up. After all, they can’t afford the price of the Emperor’s temper tantrums if he was disturbed.

Lately, the God Emperor discovered that he has been dreaming about the same thing over and over again.

In his dreams, his life was being re-counted. His path to the throne and everything he encountered along the way. All of it comes back to him, refreshing his memories.

The Gods or, as other races refers to them, Abyssals, weren’t always this prosperous. They’ve never really been in a difficult position, they were alright but they could’ve always been better.

Before he was the God Emperor, he was once a Young God named Augustus. His upbringing wasn’t impressive and he didn’t come from an impressive background. He was mediocre at best but Young Augustus had big dreams.

He used to have dreams of becoming the God Emperor. In his dreams, he was the one who lead his race to a new heights, one that has never been done before.

His dreams were so vivid that sometimes he’s having difficulties adjusting to reality. In fact, his dreams are the source of it all. Because of his dreams, he became slowly convinced that he is indeed, destined for the throne and that he is indeed the one who will bring unimaginable prosperity to his race.

Because of this, Young Augustus started changing. As his ambitions burn brighter, he became stronger and more intelligent. Every move he made was calculated and his achievements slowly started piling up.

Of course, his path had never been a smooth-sailing one. Many of his folks tried to stop him, bar his way to the throne. Some of them tried to use him, some blatantly betrayed him, some even mocked him and his dreams and laughed at his ambitions.

Augustus suffered numerous setbacks in his life. But instead of giving up and abandoning his seemingly laughable dreams, they only serves as a fuel that kept him going. The more people that discouraged him, the more determined he became to prove them wrong.

Some called him a madman, he didn’t care. He lost many of his allies along the way yet he still continued. He didn’t slow down, he was practically unstoppable.

Through sheer hard work, grit and determination, Augustus eventually got closer and closer to the throne until one day, his coronation day arrived.

His coronation day was so memorable. It’s probably something that Augustus will never forget in his entire life.

The complicated faces of his enemies and former allies alike. The shock of the crowd. The ashamed faces of those who mocked and laughed at him. Oh, those faces brought indescribable pride and jubilance in his heart.

He was smug as he looked down at them from his throne. Of course, he was! Hell, he felt so smug that he even openly mocked them with his first speech as the God Emperor.

‘I see the faces of the people who laughed at me when I said that I’m coming for this throne. To you people, I ask this; What’s up? Not laughing anymore? What’s wrong?’

‘I also see the faces of the people who once called themselves my allies only to turn their back against me at the first sign of trouble. To these people, I ask them; Are you going to do it yourself or you’re going to have me order someone to do it for you? Your choice.’

‘To those who are afraid of death, don’t be shy, my office will always be open for you. If you try your best, who knows? Maybe you can convince me to spare your lives. Fair warning though, I’m very hard to impress so think things through.’

‘And for those who I deem worthy…those who truly stood by me until this very day. My blessings will always be with you. I hope you continue supporting me since this is just the start of the new era I will bring to this world.’

Augustus could never forget what it felt like to truly stand at the very top. It felt surreal, invincible and…lonely.

Come to think of it, even though Augustus had his loyal followers, none of them truly formed a deep bond with him. And while they did support him and helped his sit on the throne, in the end, they’re not people he can confide with.

From the moment he stepped on this path, he was already on the road of loneliness. Once he thought of himself as the one True God that will bring salvation and endless prosperity to his race, that in itself separates him from his people.

Still, what’s done is done. He can’t really say that he regretted it. After all, he had sacrificed way too much for this.

But what comes after that?

Believe it or not, Augustus never really thought about this. He was so focused on achieving his dreams that when it was time for him sit on the throne, he was at a loss.

He’s aware that the throne represents responsibility as well. Also, he did promise that he will bring their race into a new kind of glory, one that nobody has experienced before.

At first though, he had no idea how to achieve that.

That’s when his vision landed at the world beyond theirs. He began having thoughts of what’s beyond their borders. What’s it like beyond those distant fog. Are there other worlds like their out there? Are they stronger than them? More prosperous? What do they look like?

These is where his vision sets into. And through that very reason that he changed the world. That’s when they established the warping mechanism, so that they can begin looking at what the outside world is like.

With their travels, they began seeing the difference. It is also through invasions that they discovered more about themselves and what sets them apart from other races.

They can devour the luck and prosperity of other worlds their visit for their own use. This is what truly sets them apart from other races.

Augustus himself thought that he was already standing at the very peak but when he had gotten the taste of luck and providence, he became addicted to it.

He began dreaming again. This time, it’s about him transcending everything. The dream was overwhelming and awe-inspiring. In there, he became the One True God of all existences, everything was beneath him. He was eternal and undying, the feeling just as real as the previous one and it was extremely addicting.

It didn’t take long before Augustus developed a new thirst for something. This time, he received the full support of his race and they made it happen.

In a span of a few decades, the prosperity of their race began climbing to ridiculous heights, one that they never seen before. It was at this moment that they realize that Augustus remained true to his words and also the moment he convinced all of them.

This continued for a very long time and although it slowed down compared to the earlier days, they could still feel the progress and even at this day and age, they continue benefitting from its results.

To Augustus however, this isn’t enough.

He could sense it. He knew that he’s missing a catalyst. He’s just one step away from achieving his ultimate form but what irks him the most is that, for a very long time, he hasn’t found it yet.

He had searched high and low, far and wide, only to be disappointed time and time again. Nevertheless, he didn’t stop since there’s no point in stopping now.

Augustus can’t just give-up. He’s already invested a lot in this journey. There’s no way he could stop now.

Centuries of having no real leads calmed him down. Augustus is already immortal so time has never been something he has to be afraid of so he learnt to be patient.

It’s due to his patience that he was rewarded.

As he opened his eyes, he could see the faint silhouette of a realm that shines like a previous gem. It’s filled with all sorts of mystical things and overflowing with providence.

It was too rich and sumptuous that it made Augustus’ heart dance on his chest. Although he hadn’t seen it for himself just yet, he’s already certain that this is it.

Divine Realm, was the catalyst that he had been searching for all along.