Einar took hold of the Strongest Favored children and captured her. Alas, that was the reason why most of the army quieted down. They saw Einar take down the Lady Rubina that has been worshipped as the strongest. Einar knew that he could only win once and that was because the conditions were just right. The army was around and that she won’t go all out when faced with such a large amount.

Einar’s soul was cracking and he lost all colors of his surrounding the moment he imitated the powers of the wraith. He could recover but it would mean that he would at least wait for a month for his soul to recover from the injury. The injury had his body cracking and he also lost his runic abilities. To Einar, it felt like he was being poked by spikes all over the place. His monstrous pain tolerance and his inability to show emotion didn’t make others question whether he was in pain or not.

“So your soul did take damage,” she said with a frown on her face. “You avoided my attacks and that is a feat no one had done before. You...what is that power?”

Einar turned his eyes away from the favored lady. He looked around him before folding his arms. He had no intentions of speaking. Wraiths were non-existent in this world and a power that would allow one to phase through anything was dangerous. Einar was able to imitate the ability simply because he had experienced the feeling of it.

“You won’t tell. I expected that. Still, to put a seal on me that I do not know off. I can see why you’d be able to defeat the Astral Being. Don’t be too conceited, if it was me then I will be able to do the same.”

“I doubt that,” Einar said. “I may be arrogant and I know that you are strong. But defeating the War Maiden of Space and Time is a thought that fools only have. You aren’t a fool, Lady Rubina. So you should know better than to challenge a woman that has stepped on the faces of Gods and had saved more worlds that you ever possibly imagine.”

“It doesn’t hurt to try.”

“I doubt it,” Einar scoffed. “You failed to face me and you think that you’ll be able to match her guardian? I doubt you could win so give up. It is not our place and mortals like us should stay.”

“This comes from the man who proclaimed that he defeated that monster. Why tell me all of this?”

Einar drew his blade and placed it against Rubina’s neck. She paled at the sight of the blade pressing on her neck. The moment of paleness was then turned into a savage’s smile. Rubina may be a lady but she was still a favored child who had killed her way to fame.

“I could tear your neck here. Do you know why I won’t do that?”

“Because you find me beautiful?”

“No, you are useful.”

“You are blind.”

“I saw better faces than you.”

That was all it took for her face to change into that of a frown. Einar’s face was stoic as ever. Rubina braced her back on the wall of the room to stand. Her disheveled look didn’t betray the energy spilling out of her body. She was a giant facing a man made of sticks.

“You are a blind man.”

“You lose to a blind man. How pitiful.”

“I will beat you.”

“I like a woman who can beat me up.”

He stared with frosty eyes. Hers was colder than an iceberg. The thing about strong people was that they always feel superior. They wouldn’t be easily be looked down upon. She could act like this knowing that she had the power and didn’t use it fully. Einar knows that he just made enemies with a favored woman. That was not good but when did he care about his life?

“You will be our hostage. The seal will nurture me and the more you use your power. The more you strengthen me. That’s what this seal is. I think you should obey.”

The frost in her eyes froze her brows and she permeated cold air from her body. Her rage was enough to sustain Einar for days. He clenched his right fist and turned to her.

“See?”

“I can. What a devilish method.”

“It has many uses.”

“Is this the reason why you were able to survive that being? I understand now why you were able to stand up against that being. I can see it. I can see how your soul has many cracks and it looks like fighting me caused you a lot. But seeing your confident gait means that you still have other methods.”

“Is that so?”

Einar squared his shoulders. He leaned on the wall and covered his eyes to her. “I will not ask why we are besieged from all directions and why you wanted to steal from us. Look, you underestimate the tower greatly, and we never wanted to be anything other than neutral.”

“Neutral,” she scoffed. “You have a tower that could produce fields of crops and warriors that could slay beings that are treated like monsters in the fields. A tower that produces materials as if out of thin air and you’d think that we haven’t thought of this tower as a threat? Imagine what nations would do to acquire a tower like this. Sooner or later, your neutrality won’t have any place. This continent is too big for us and we need a new place.”

“And you come here seeking our tower. If I hear any greater good or for the good of all bullshit thrown around your words, then forget it. I will not have it. Either the tower dies with us or none can have it at all.”

“You won’t understand.”

“I can say the same. We won’t just hand over the tower to people who think they are righteous!”

Einar Elior had always been guided through the memories of Nolan Salvatore. Looking at the woman before him, his first thought was to cripple her.