Chapter 165 - 165 – The High Priest
"Why did you want to meet me, big brother?" asked a handsome young man with a warm voice, sitting on a throne made of pure Energy Stones. Besides the person stood a long wooden staff. If one didn’t know who the person was, they would think that this staff was only some mortal weapon, but if they knew the person’s status, they would know how powerful this staff would be.
The young man looked to be only in his twenties, and his long, woody, brown hair covered nearly the entire throne. If one saw this person, they would mostly feel confused. His aura was that of a mortal’s, and nothing on him, except maybe his hair, would feel like that of a cultivator’s. Why was such an average person sitting upon a throne that would cost more than a whole sect?
In front of the young man, kneeled a person. The kneeling person was none other than Aion. There was only one human in this world that would require Aion to kneel. One would think that the High Priest calling Aion "big brother" was weird, but the High Priest was actually rather young. He was only in his fifties, and Aion was older.
"I came to report that my branch was missing one Heavenborn at the ceremony, my lord," Aion spoke respectfully and carefully. Even though the person in front of him had called him "big brother" in a warm tone, Aion knew that he couldn’t show any disrespect. The High Priest had killed Heavenborn before due to a slight breach of etiquette. At first glance, he would look like a warm youngster, but there was nothing further from the truth.
The High Priest now looked interested. "Interesting," he said slowly. "You know why this surprises me?"
Aion didn’t look up. "I don’t dare to guess, High Priest."
The High Priest chuckled a little bit. "Father always tells me how many Heavenborn arrive at the ceremony. Father has said that the south-eastern branch had ten Heavenborn. And how many did I see at the ceremony? Exactly ten from your branch. So, I am confused about this alleged eleventh person from your branch. Are you implying father made a mistake?" His voice was warm and comforting, even towards the end.
Yet, Aion broke out into a cold sweat. Heaven making a mistake? That was impossible! That was blasphemy! "No, never! I would never speak ill about Heaven!" Aion shouted.
The High Priest smirked a little. "Then what about this other person that you mentioned?" he asked.
Aion didn’t know how to answer that question. Heaven had said they had ten Heavenborn, yet Aion couldn’t forget Gravis. Those two facts clashed in his head, confusing him. "The eleventh person I spoke about is a new Heavenborn called Gravis. I found him about half a year ago in a Proxy-Lightning Guild. Some months ago, he joined my branch. He was supposed to attend the ceremony with us, but he vanished a day before we set off."
The smirk of the High Priest widened, and he rubbed his chin in interest. "So, you say that father didn’t commit a mistake, yet you say that there is another Heavenborn in your branch," said the High Priest as he stood up and walked around the giant hall. "I don’t think you would lie about something like that," he said as he looked out of a window. "So, what’s this all about?"
"Father," muttered the High Priest, "are there ten or eleven Heavenborn in the south-eastern branch?"
The surroundings were quiet, and nothing happened. After some seconds, the High Priest spoke up again. "Father said there are ten Heavenborn in the south-eastern branch." Then, he turned back and looked at Aion. "So, what does this mean?" he asked Aion in interest. The High Priest had been bored for quite a long time, and this situation interested him.
Aion’s expression fell in shock and disbelief. What was happening? He knew every single member of his branch, and he was sure that they were eleven, yet the core of his belief said there were only ten. In his mind, his belief conflicted with what he had seen and experienced.
Aion continued thinking for around half a minute until he found a possibility where everything would make sense. But that couldn’t be! It was impossible! The only possibility he could think of was that Gravis was not a Heavenborn. But that was impossible! Aion had personally felt Gravis’ Heavenly Pressure when he had been in the Body Tempering Realm. If that had been a Will-Aura, someone from the Heaven Sect would have long been sent to kill him.
Yet, no matter how much he pondered, he saw no other possibility. This whole situation was impossible, no matter from which angle he looked at it. For the first time, Aion looked upon the High Priest as he raised his head in terror and confusion.
The High Priest saw that and smirked some more. Usually, he would have executed Aion for this disrespect, but he saw Aion’s face and grew more interested. By now, the High Priest was sure that Aion wasn’t lying. It was impossible to show such deep shock and confusion without meaning it.
The High Priest looked even more interested as he got an idea. "Father," he muttered. "The south-eastern branch has ten Heavenborn, so let me ask another question, but phrased differently. Father, how many members does the south-eastern branch have?"
Some seconds later, the High Priest broke out into a mad grin. After many years of nothing happening, finally, something interesting occurred. The High Priest looked at Aion. "Eleven."
Aion’s eyes widened. So, did Heaven make a mistake? It had said ten before, but now it had said eleven? What was happening?
"So," continued the High Priest. "Father said there are ten Heavenborn in your branch, yet father also says that there are eleven members. I think you can guess what that means," he said.
Aion’s eyes widened as he realized what that meant. This could only mean that they had a member that was not a Heavenborn. Yet, if Gravis were not a Heavenborn, many more questions would need answering. Aion involuntarily started thinking about everything that happened to Gravis, and he started getting to some insane and unbelievable conclusions. Gravis was more dangerous than anyone would believe!
Aion took a deep breath to calm himself down. "High Priest, there are many things that I have to report about Gravis," he said as he lowered his head again.
The High Priest walked back to his throne and sat down.
"Explain."