The Messenger of Death

Lex began blushing. "You are here?" Lex uttered meekly.

"Yes, I am."

['Alex, let's switch. I don't want to be the one that talks to him.'] Lex urged.

['Okay.'] Alex agrees.

-Switch.

Alex took over his body actions.

"Greetings, Mr. Guardian." Alex greeted. He placed his fist in his palm and bowed a bit, respectfully.

"Oh ho, you seem to have learned a little bit of manners, but it's not like I care about that. You did that weird thing where you change your attitude, like a switch." Mr. Guardian pointed out.

Alex placed his hand behind his neck and chuckled a bit. "It is not something that I can control sometimes." He said.

Alex and Mr. Guardian were standing in a grassy plain that had a little pond at the far corner. When Alex looked back he saw that the blue forest was still behind him and so was the obsidian humanoid figure.

['Not another phantasm place.'] He thought in relief.

"I see that it has taken a liking to you." Mr. Guardian said, referring to the obsidian humanoid figure.

"Do you know what it is and where it came from? While I was making my way here, I get it on the way and it refused to leave me alone since then." Alex asked.

"I was the one that brought it along, but I do not know what it is exactly. I found it somewhere in the universe, during one of my excavations to a dimension that is commonly referred to as the demon world.

When I went there, I only visited planets that had been destroyed. I found this puppet on one of them, abandon and somewhat indestructible."

"It is a puppet?" Alex asked as he turned and faced the obsidian humanoid figure.

['We were thrown around by a puppet? Hmph!!! So much for my kingly dreams.'] Al's pride was hit by the fact that he did not have a chance against the puppet.

"Yeah, it is, an intelligent puppet for that matter. It is also capable of taking many forms and using many elements.

I brought it along so that it could give you a bit of difficulty before you are able to reach the petal, I couldn't just let you have it easy, I mean you already have a treasure that helps you cheat.

But it seems like it took a liking to you instead and let you pass easily."

"Let me pass easily, this thing gave me a tough time. I couldn't win against it, it just stopped imitating and fighting back at one point." Alex complained.

"Hahaha!! I know, I was watching the whole thing." Mr. Guardian revealed.

The obsidian humanoid puppet pointed at Alex several times, it looked like it was trying to say something to Mr. Guardian.

"Hahahaha!!! Are you sure?" Mr. Guardian asked the puppet.

The obsidian puppet nodded its head at Mr. Guardian's question. The way it was nodding looked like it was excited about something.

"Alright then, I will try to make it happen." Mr. Guardian clasped his hand together.

"You can understand it?" Alex blurted out.

"Yes, if you spend a lot of time with it, you start to understand the way it communicates."

"I don't see the Midas petal anywhere, am I the first person here?" He looked around carefully, trying to find traces and footstep of any of his competitors.

"The Petal is in that pond," He raised a hand and pointed at the pond that was at the corner of the grassy plain.

Hearing that made Alex feel good. He flashed a toothy grin at Mr. Guardian.

"I can see that there some things that are weighing down on your mind, would you like me to help you by providing solutions or answers to your problems? Or would you want to take the petal now and be on your way?" Mr. Guardian questioned.

"Do I have enough time? I mean, how far is the fastest competitor away from here?" Alex asked immediately.

"Not that far, but at least, if he continues at the current speed that he's using to clear the test that he is facing, then he should be here in 17 minutes."

['What should I do? The petal or clarifications first?'] Alex asked.

['We would have enough time to escape if we go for the petal now. By the time we are long gone and back by Nana's side, even if they are able to trace me or the energy of the petal, I will be by Nana's side. In other words safety.

If we wait and ask questions, we will have the chance to learn from someone that stronger than, and possibly more knowledgeable than our master. We can spare, at most 10 minutes.'] Al weighed their pro and cons.

['I agree, we should not miss this chance.'] Xander concurred with Al's statement.

They knew that once they took the petal, Mr. Guardian was going to leave and won't stay to answer the questions that he had.

"You have 16 minutes left." He announced.

"I have made my decision, I will stay and ask a question or a few questions," Alex responded.

Mr. Guardian had a knowing smile on his face when he heard Alex's answer. "Smart boy."

Mr. Guardian could tell that Alex had a lot of things weighing on his mind. He knew how disturbed Alex was when he gazed upon the phantasm land that was created by his beliefs.

It was like Alex was dead on the inside. Those dry leaves in the phantasm land represent those things that were once loved by Alex but are now irrelevant to him.

The trees that looked weak and fragile represent the new things that seemed to have made it past the walls that he had around his heart and they were trying to grow amidst his malnourished heart.

This made Mr. Guardian respect and like Alex a bit more than he already did, and it also made him more intrigued. He wanted to know why a kid like him was able to make 3 dragons pass their bloodlines to him.

'A kid that is already dead on the insides, struggling to move forward just so he could have his revenge. Even if the universe doesn't recognize anything, it recognizes tenacity and determination.' Mr. Guardian thought.

Seeing that smile on a face that looked exactly like his, Al couldn't help but praise his looks. ['Goddamn, we are very sexy.'] He blurted out.

"Tell me, what is the question that you want to ask first? I will answer you to the best of my knowledge. Just as long as it is not too much."

"Umm…"

['Guys, what should I ask first?'] Alex questioned.

['Ask him how we can increase our blood level without using a bloodstone. We might be meeting pricks like that prince frequently.'] Al said.

"I would like to know how to increase my blood level without using a bloodstone." He requested.

"A way to increase your blood level and make it stronger, in other words, a way to purify your bloodline without using bloodstones?"

"Yes, using a bloodstone might not be an option for me. Is it possible?" Alex asked.

"It is very much possible, but again, it is difficult to do. And it is not for the weak-minded. Do you know how bloodstones are formed?" Mr. Guardian asked.

"No, I don't." Alex shook his head as he responded.

"Come sit with me here, and don't worry, I won't use more than 10 minutes of your time." Mr. Guardian sat down on the grassy floor and Alex did the same.

Even the obsidian puppet sat down, but it leaned too close to Alex.

Since Mr. Guardian was here, Alex wasn't worried about what the puppet was doing. So he ignored it and left it to be.

"Bloodstones, literally, are just the blood essence of powerful but deceased beings. Whether they possess a bloodline or not, at a certain stage, when you are powerful enough your blood will contain a lot of power in them.

Up to the extent that a drop of the being's blood will be lethal to any lower being that comes in contact with it when the being is still alive.

When they are dead, blood that is drained from them will solidify after some time and then become what you know as bloodstones."

Alex listened attentively to Mr. Guardian.

"According to history, bloodstones have been in existence for as long as cultivation has been in existence. In those days, bloodstones were rarer than it is now.

During that epoch, cultivators with bloodlines thought that bloodstones were holy grails, and don't get me wrong, in some ways they are holy grails.

People that use bloodstones will be able to use them to increase the purity of their bloodline, quickly, without any pain, and in turn, increase their bloodline levels.

Those that use the crude and difficult way of purifying and increasing their bloodline level will progress slowly, and steadily."

Mr. guardian chose to answer his question by giving him a little insight into the reasons why things were done the way that they are being done.

He was the type that believed in letting others know the wisdom behind actions, and that wisdom was what he wanted Alex to understand first, before telling him what exactly he wanted to hear.