Lord Shadow

Chapter 1552  Playing With Fire

The divine order of the strong currently is the world power and in Europe it is the Republic is the divine order

In the hidden annals of the Republic, Tartarus is a prison so clandestine that only a select few are even aware of its existence.

Tartarus is the black site of the Republic, a place of dread and despair where the most dangerous and malevolent individuals are confined.

Its very existence is a well-guarded secret, known only to the highest echelons of the Republic's inner circle.

The secrets of Tartarus are closely held, known only to the few individuals entrusted with overseeing its operations and guarding its darkest secrets.

Alexei knowledge of Tartarus is not due to mere happenstance; he is one of the rare few chosen to serve as a guardian of this dreadful prison.

Tartarus boasts nine doors, each leading to a different realm of suffering and torment, and each door is guarded by a chosen custodian.

These nine guardians are known as the Guardians of the Nine Directions, and they represent the Republic's ultimate authority over this shadowy domain.

Among the guardians stands Jean, the Time Master, and the Center Guardian of Tartarus.

Jean's role is pivotal, as he holds dominion over the central door, connecting all other doors and realms within the prison.

Alexei, himself, serves as the Guardian of the North, one of the eight other guardians entrusted with maintaining the prison's security and secrecy.

The identities of the other guardians remain shrouded in mystery, veiled in the shadows like the sinister depths of Tartarus itself.

Even he did not know all the other guardians as they rarely meet and greet each other

Each guardian presides over a particular door, ensuring that no person shall pass without authorization.

The guardians are chosen not only for their loyalty but also for their unyielding resolve to carry out their duties without question or hesitation.

The exception to this was Jean who rarely in the prison or cares about the prison that much

As the secrets of Tartarus persist, the prison remains concealed from many senators and Republic officials, their knowledge limited to only the most essential and highest-ranking individuals.

Its existence is so deeply obscured that even those who are aware of the prison dare not speak its name aloud, for fear of inviting peril upon themselves.

Tartarus is a chilling reminder of the Republic ability to wield darkness and terror as weapons in the pursuit of its goals.

The prison's enigmatic nature and the horrors concealed within its walls strike fear into the hearts of those who know of its existence, a grim testament to the lengths the Republic will go to maintain its grip on power and secrecy.

Alexei is the Guardian on the North. There is the Guardian of the South, the East, the West, the Northeast, the Southeast, the Northwest and the Southwest.

Nine directions, nine doors, nine guardians.

Since the creation of Tartarus no one has ever been able to break into it or break out of it. One of the reasons is because not many people knows that it exists.

The other reason is because of its nature as an invisible prison that no one could see

Alexei look at John and then said

The revelation that John knew about the existence of Tartarus surprised Alexei.

The prison's secrecy had been meticulously maintained, and its invisibility had contributed to its impregnable reputation.

"It is surprising that you know about the prison. But Tartarus is not exactly a good place to enter. And if you are entering, then that means there is something you wanted to do. And the things you wanted to do; I doubt that it would be a small thing"

John smiles a little

His smile seemed to imply a sense of defiance; his gaze unwavering. He turned his attention to Alexei, questioning the sudden interest.

"Since when do you care so much about my actions?" he retorted playfully. "Can you manage it, though? Can you smuggle me into Tartarus? That is all I want to know. Can you do it? And if you could do it, would you do it?"

Alexei thinks for a second and then ask again

"What could you pay me with?" John smiles and then said

'The world shattering, reality bending kind" John answered.

And hearing this Alexei could not help but laugh

"How about a few secrets?"

"What kind of secret?"

'The world shattering, reality bending kind" John answered.

And hearing this Alexei could not help but laugh

But he did not doubt John. The rat is many things. And because of that he believes that the Rat knows many secrets.

The Rat had always been a slippery figure, weaving through the shadows and surviving in the world of deception and intrigue.

It is precisely because of these qualities that Alexei believed in the credibility of John's offer.

Over the years, the Rat had made enemies and allies alike, accumulating a vast network of connections and acquiring knowledge that few could rival.

It is this web of secrets that made John a valuable and dangerous asset, a double-edged sword that could give him an advantage or pull him into a whirlpool of things he did not want to get involved with.

Alexei's mind raced with possibilities; his curiosity piqued by the prospect of gaining access to information

He is a man who trades is secret

He knew that he was stepping into treacherous waters, but he is a man who thrived on risk and calculated moves.

The gamble is worth taking, for the rewards were too great to ignore.

John could see that Alexei is interested. And from that second, John knew he got him

John's smile widened, a glint of triumph in his eyes.

He knows he has succeeded The Rat has always been a master manipulator, but he has also chosen his allies carefully.

And in Alexei, he saw a partner who could complement his ambitions.

The moment continues and there is silence between them

Amidst the biting cold wind and the falling snow, Alexei stood in silence, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon.

The ever-increasing aura from the foreboding Ice Palace seemed to seep into the air, creating an atmosphere of unease.

It was as if the very environment mirrored the complexity of the situation he found himself in.

John's proposal hung in the air, and Alexei weighed the potential gains against the risks.

He was no noble-hearted hero, but a cunning and manipulative spy driven by his own self-interests.

The offer of world-shattering secrets was undeniably alluring, but he knew better than to trust the Rat completely.

Theirs was a bond forged out of convenience, not camaraderie.

Their alliance was a dance of veiled intentions and hidden motives.

Each had their own agenda, and neither could afford to let their guard down.

As the cold continued to swirl around them, Alexei's nod conveyed a reluctant agreement to the proposition.

The cold wind is still blowing, the snow keeps falling and that aura from the Ice Palace is still increasing

"The snow is too cold," Alexei muttered, and John instantly grasped the hidden meaning behind his words.

They had always communicated in riddles and veiled language, a necessity in their line of work. John knew exactly who Alexei was referring to.

In the world they navigated, every word carried weight, every phrase held a deeper connotation.

 It is a conversation of coded messages and subtle cues, a way to protect themselves from prying eyes and ears.

Such oblique conversations had become second nature to them, a means of survival in a world of espionage and intrigue.

The snow….who else could it referred to? John has his problems. And Alexei also has his own problems.

Then Alexei spoke.

"I hope the secret would be worth it" This time it is John turns to simply nod and not say anything

These two people who have a very different objective look in the distance, looking at the snow falling, feeling the cold wind blowing and look at the tall high Ice Palace in the distance like some kind of tower of doom

And then Alexei ask

"Who do you want to see?"

Smiling John answer

"Europe problem"

And Alexei look toward his side, looking at John like he is crazy. He wanted to say something but he held his tongue.

Europe problem could only refer to that person. To that man. Boris

"No wonder, he came to me" Alexei thought in his mind.

Instead, he sighed and look again toward the distance

"I can do it"

With that answer, John chuckles and he no longer look toward the sky. Instead, he walks away from the garden and in just a few moments, he already went out of the residence.

Alexei is now alone in the pavilion, and he sighed.

"I don't know what you are planning to do Magician. But this…. this is like playing with fire." He muttered to himself.

…

Tartarus has always been cold and somber, dark and eerie. After all, Tartarus has a reputation to maintain as a place of unimaginable horrors

Tartarus is a prison inside the dimension of Earth own reality. In a way it is very similar to the Sangmin Mirror Dimension

The different was that Tartarus is like a brane. An extra dimension that is forced to exist in Earth own familiar reality and space time.

Unseen particles make the prison even more unseen and even more intangible. The creation of such a prison is a remarkable progress of science mixed with magic beyond mortal comprehension

The prison itself has some trace of many deep issue of science, physics, quantum mechanics and quantum entanglement like space time symmetry and extra dimension theory all baked into its construction

In a way Tartarus is a brane of extra dimension on Earth. Tartarus is in a dimension of its own, hidden from the world because of its own different rules and warped sense of its own rules.

However, even though Tartarus is invisible, they could affect the world and the universe. Hence it has a solid place where it is tethered into the reality of Earth

There are lots of things that one cannot see with the naked eye that turn out to be based in reality.

This extra dimension occupies a barren place.

This place itself is barren and have no people inside it or any living creatures other than some monster nest and dungeons.

It is a valley.

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