Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

Chapter 798: Urek’s Sacrifice

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“Urek! Oh my god! Are you okay?”

Patricia rushed over, concern written on her face. The other councillors also appeared just as concerned as she was.

“Kehehehe…” Urek laughed through the pain; his expression was ugly, and he was definitely gravely injured.

His injuries weren’t physical; they’re spiritual and conceptual and far more painful than any physical injury that could be inflicted upon someone. Even the wildest imagination wouldn’t be enough to perfectly encapsulate just how much pain and agony he’s in.

But Urek still laughed through it.

“Why were you reckless? Didn’t we agree that we would do it at the same time? Why did you go ahead of us? Have you gone insane?” Patricia scolded as she tried to heal him.

She could see his injuries, and they were bad. Spiritual and conceptual things were her specialty, so she understands just how badly hurt Urek was, and if there’s anyone here who could save him, it would be her.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that the others were idle. They were helping too.

“It’s…my last hurrah, Pat.” Urek spoke through the pain, slightly comforted by her healing touch. “I can’t do it, after all.”

“Come on, man. Don’t say that. You just needed more time.” Gibson frowned at his words.

“Hehe, I appreciate your vote of confidence.” Urek grinned and winced at the same time. “But I know my body and my potential more than anybody else in this room.”

“I can’t go any further than this…I’m sorry.” Urek’s words were filled with bitterness, defeat, and begrudging acceptance of his reality.

“Hey, hey! Don’t die on us, man! Come on! We still need you here.” Berk was rattled because Urek’s words sounded ominous.

“I won’t, I promise.” Urek grinned again. “But I’m going to need a long rest after this. I’m pooped.”

“Yeah, sure. Whatever you need, man.” Berk was relieved.

Urek wasn’t one to break his promise. If he said that he won’t die, then he won’t die. They’ve known each other long enough to build this level of trust.

But of course, they also understand what Urek meant. When he said that this is as far as he goes, he was referring to his life’s evolution.

He had given up on trying to become a Primal Origin Lifeform, not willingly, but because he had reached the absolute limits of his potential.

Not all men are born equal. Some have more than others. Some are even born with nothing. This was the fundamental truth of the world.

The Primitive Universe shows fairness by being unfair to everybody. It’s temperamental and fickle. It could show bias and disdain, yet it could also impose punishment and tribulations on everybody.

Urek had been one of the lucky ones. He was born with a golden spoon in his mouth; he came from a prestigious background and had the help of many people who guided him along the way and helped him become the person that he is now.

He faced his life’s tribulations and passed them with flying colors, achieving a status that many could only dream of having.

But even this wasn’t enough to take him to the absolute peak. He still falls short, and becoming aware of it was both painful and relieving for him.

“You guys, listen,” Urek rasped. “I need to say this before I go on a recovery sleep.”

“The shackles are way tighter and sturdier than you could ever imagine.” Urek’s mind briefly recalled how much he struggled against them. “You can’t break them through force, but you all already knew that.”

“There’s one on the head, neck, wrists, belt, and feet. Every single one tests a certain aspect of your entire existence.”

“The shackle on the head represents your ’ideals.’ If you want to break it, you must remain true to your ideals. In your attempt to break it, it will start showing you realistic illusions, ones that you wouldn’t be able to resist. It will plunge you into situations where your ideals will be tested. There will be nine; fail three times and it’s over.”

Urek sounded manic but extremely certain. His friends stayed quiet and listened intently. They now realized why Urek went ahead of them.

He was scouting the path forward so they won’t make the same mistakes that he did and so that they can succeed where he couldn’t.

“The shackle on the neck represents ’promises.’ It will remind you of the important things and decisions you’ve made in the past. It will also show you how many promises you made and how many you actually followed through on.”

“If the number of times you failed to uphold your promise outweighs the ones you did, then it’ll be extremely difficult to break this shackle. Otherwise, it should release on its own.”

“Remember, it’s not a one-to-one ratio. Each promise has weight, and their weight depends on how much impact they have on you or on the people around you.”

Hearing this, the faces of his friends turned grim. Promises? With how long they lived, could they even remember everything they said in the past?

A wave of uncertainty passed through them.

Urek seemed to not notice this and continued explaining what he learned in his attempts.

“The shackles on your wrists represent ’actions.’ It’s a broad subject, hiss! But basically, it’s actions with purpose. What did your actions achieve? Why did you do them? How did they affect you, the people, and the world around you?”

“It doesn’t categorize whether your actions are good or evil; it just asks whether you did enough or not. I don’t know how much is enough since I failed to break this shackle too.”

“And finally, there are the shackles on your feet.”

“They represent ’journey.’ It will remind you of your starting point, as in the very moment you were born and took your first breath into this world.”

“It will first play out your life exactly as it did in reality. Then, it will start over and will show you different outcomes. These alternate realities will sometimes be good, bad, or neutral. It will show a lot, and if you happen to like one particular alternate reality compared to the real one, you’re screwed.”

His friends inhaled sharply, and it made him chuckle.

“Yep. I know, it’s harsh. But that’s the rules. Even worse is that you wouldn’t even know since its illusions are too realistic. It would feel as though you’d be living in these alternate realities.”

“You know me, illusions and deceptions are my thing, yet even I couldn’t resist. I don’t know how to help you aside from this.”

“Wait, you said head, neck, wrists, and feet. What about the midsection? There’s a shackle in there too,” Berk asked.

“I don’t know,” Urek rasped, sounding apologetic. “I wanted to analyze it too, but it refused to show me anything, not even a single clue. That’s the one I struggled with the most; it just refuses to budge. Sorry, I tried my best.”

“That’s fine. It’s more than enough, Urek. We appreciate your help, really. Just rest well, and we’ll take care of the rest.”

Hiss!

Urek winced in pain and inhaled sharply again. Patricia’s healing was working, but the pain still remained.

“Remember, the Supreme Will won’t stay idle as you try to break through these shackles. That tribulation will continue harassing you even amidst your attempt.”

“You might be able to temporarily forget about the pain once you’ve been immersed in scenarios, but once you return, it will harshly remind you of its presence.”

“I also guess that the tribulation won’t stop bombarding you until all of the shackles are broken. So, you must endure. Stay strong; don’t bend. You guys have more potential than I do. If anybody could make it through this challenge, it’ll be you guys.”

“Alright, we hear you. Just…rest, and focus on your recovery, okay? We got this.”

Urek flashed them an ugly grin before closing his eyes and succumbing to his weakness. He’s out cold right away.

“He’s fine. He’s no longer dying; I made sure of that,” Patricia told the others. “But he did force himself to stay awake so that he could inform us of this. He should’ve been unconscious as soon as the breakthrough failed, but he stubbornly held on.”

“He’ll need a very long rest. The consequences of this failed breakthrough were rather serious. He might never be able to muster enough strength to make another attempt, though.”

Patricia’s voice held a tinge of lament at Urek’s sacrifice. She felt guilty that he did this for them. But she also understood his thoughts.

If she were in the same position as he was, she’d probably do the same. She won’t hesitate to scout the path ahead so that the rest can have a better chance at it.

The value of information that Urek brought back to them through risking his life was practically priceless. It’s something that can never escape the confines of this room.

Hell, the fact that he even made it back alive was already a miracle in itself.

Maybe the Supreme Will showed him mercy. After all, Urek did break his head shackle, which represented his ideals.

That has to amount to something, at least.