Ethereal Paradigm: A Canvas of Black - Chapter 78 Feudal Lord's Life in a Russian Roulette

“Have you ever seen… the dark side of the moon?”

-Momobami Kirari

━━━━━━━━┓ ✠ ┏━━━━━━━━

“Hays… Okay, shall we get out now? All I need to do is say my Paradigm Shift right?” I asked the Kawai AI Maiden to further confirm the things that I have heard, except of course… for that brazen ‘Modes of Operations’ which was made ominously clear even before its supposed extrapolation.

“Yes… Pandora.exe is running and your Paradigm’s skills had been organized… All are functional, Master. The moment you state your Paradigm Shift, I will take responsibility for the organization of skills and of some variety of binary information. And while I am not in display, Master, I assure you that I’m performing in the background and that, you can ask me any query.” She answered with all of these intricate digital tabs appearing right in front of her in stacking order, which made her algorithms seem to really know what it’s doing.

“Thanks… I’m counting in your cameo then.”

“Affirmative, Master. There’s nothing that this maid can’t do if it is in accord with this realm’s system ordinance… You can confide the heavy tasks in me, Master. I will execute all of them without unintegral detains and data obstructions.”

Hell… This maid really is cute. If she was to be created back on Earth, I think its high time for the ladies to say their prayers… Now, back to the crux of the issue.

A hundred-day minus to my lifespan eh. That’s quite the consequence, but one that I am hell-bent to bare. Besides, if I wait here and consider life to be that precious that I can’t even sacrifice even the most inconsequent of days, I would fall prey to what socials call as the “Illusion of Control” and of the “It-will-get-worse-before-it-gets-better-fallacy”. and that would only be the most irrational act that I can fall into in my current situation. Basic mishaps that I surely can’t afford to be martyred upon.

And, while no one might have asked for me to do this recap, and it might be that I may be the only one interested in such entrepreneurial terms, I sure feel the need to do the brief review… It’s an Art of Thinking Clearly.

1) The illusion of control. A man-made matrix that got mainstream eons ago that would make us overestimate our hindsight skills and capabilities. Sad to say, humans, control less than they think and quite possibly, the illusion is also eligible in this realm. That is without a doubt.

2) It-will-get-worse-before-it-gets-better-fallacy. One of the most abominable fiasco that men have adapted in their unscrupulous thoughts. One that makes even the keen, the strong and the great, stumble on their reigns. There’s no such thing as that ‘at the end of the stormy clouds is a silver lining’… It’s plausible for it to happen, but that’s the course of pure probability, but overall, it’s just wishful thinking not worthy of such perpetual attention.

Using this Paradigm Shift… It is the most rational thing to do, or else…

Besides, this warfare is where my life is always laid at a constant gamble… It’s a reward and probably the laid collateral of a mere Russian roulette. If I lose, I lose… If I win, I win… It’s that simple…The most mundane kind of gamble there is, but in my case, with life as the casino tokens.

“Paradigm Shift! Dark By Default…” I pronounced with the most monotone and ennui expression there is as if I’m expecting something that I’m already quite fond of… which clearly is not the case.

My clock-like insignia, which is the symbol of my contract with the deity of disambiguation located in my right hand then begins to glow and burst this dark-like flames all in the same bleak manner…

And then comes the complex array of the AI’s voice and this interface overlaid over my vision:

╔═══━━━─── • ───━━━═══╗

Autonomous Intelligent Maiden, Azazel u003cFunctionalu003e

Ethereal Paradigm u003cOnlineu003e

System Bypass u003cExecutedu003e

Pandora.exe u003cRunningu003e

Deviating 100 day lifespan u003cExecutedu003e

Now Altering the law of Metaphysics….

Paradigm Shift Dark By Default u003cUnleashedu003e

╚═══━━━─── • ───━━━═══╝

(….)

As Jaiden exclaimed the words, suddenly the whole place of once painstakingly bright yellow, became as black as charcoal, and his perspective began to darken in its edges, and there’s this overlay displaying the current numeric data of the execration of his Paradigm Shift that he perceives to only be understood by someone like the Illegal Autonomous Maid.

Inside that cramped, sealed-off place which is now utterly black like the literary depiction of the deepest pit of oblivion, Jaiden was becoming something that he never anticipated. A metamorphosis that is the primal cause of his first time altering a natural law whilst being ultimately human at physique but as an otherworldly being at heart and mentality.

His torn clothes then began to be enshrouded by this thick cloud of surrounding darkness forming this bleak veil and noble apparel encrusted with the voidness of the universe before the first rays of light came to be…His eyes, utterly changed in color. His scleras are now as black as ink and his irises begin to take the shape, color, and demeanor of potent solar eclipses symbolizing the light’s inadequacy and frailty in his presence.

And his overall facade, as though being sipped out of a hundred days via mere seconds, began to alter and show these inversed effects of like having your life from the core of a soul extracted out hastily by an unknown force subject to serve the Ethereal paradigm…

His hair’s edges turned ash grey and became longer than it was and his fingernails began to be black as if he was one with those who got affected by the worst pandemic that stroke humanity some centuries ago.

And in his hand, the empty pen which is considered as his main weapon came to be and like a sponge soaking up water, so it did absorb some of the surrounding darkness filling it again, but not with ink, but with pure darkness. Then out of his hand, it then altered its minuscule physical form and became three large Celtic crosses all enchained with each other also having one identical design, one positioned in his left, one in the right, and the third, one relatively larger than the other two and than himself positioned at his back…

It’s like if he, himself became an unpredictable overlord, whose life is laid in a constant gamble of a Russian Roulette.

Inside, Jaiden was cognizant of the most obvious changes and some of his transformation happening amidst the space where he is sealed, but outside, out on the battlefield, he has no idea of the significant changes as of the moment.

Outside, where Shiro, in her ‘Bloody Butterfly’ form with the assistance of the Synthesized Angel, is taking flight on the air, watching the three million foot soldiers drawing nearer and nearer, then came a strange visage of the slightly chipped full moon…

From its complete crimson color due to the Kurenai’s manifestations, to now, like its being enshrouded by this thick shadow, like its being eaten slowly by a powerful unseen singularity. And then, like a black disk in front of the blood moon, the darkness came to be, causing a weirdly new eclipse, such that has never been seen before, and one, that science will utterly fail to comprehend…

Seeing the changes, from the blood moon to a bloody eclipse, the three million-foot soldiers ceased their synchronized march to marvel at the scenery that even they have no recollection of seeing their entire lives…

“Hey, Shiro-san… Have you seen the dark side of the moon?” Asked the Kurenai to the little girl in her subconscious…

“Mee too… Let’s see it together, shall we? Oni-chama is also here!”

And then it was not yonder that the iron maiden where Jaiden has been sealed was becoming unstable of the power that it’s holding…

A crack appears, slowly disintegrating the sealing tool and from there, a massive beam of darkness breaches out, reaching the dark and slightly blood tainted skies, making the ground tremble of whatever it is that is to appear, catalyzing the departure of the once avid strength of the three million opponents approaching, replacing it with hopelessness and utter despair, and turning to dust… the iron maiden.

And from there…one with a demeanor of a calm Feudal Overlord appears…

“Okaerinasai… Oni-chama!” (English: Welcome back… Oni-chama!) The soaring blood-winged butterfly exclaimed…