The World's most Overpowered Side-Character

Chapter 276: Umbra.

***

The ships of captains could reach the size of large cities to a small country from Earth's comparison depending on what kind of backing they had within the Emporium, but the vessels belonging to Generals were many times larger; Viktor's ship by comparison was least the size of a small country; it spanned a hundred miles from the tip to the tail and nearly forty from one side of the deck to the other, so to make up for the massive size they had a nexus of elevators which could move in any direction at blistering yet safe speeds, and for emergencies there were special pods charged with Godslayer energy which could teleport anything and anyone in a matter of seconds.

"I've never been in one of these before," The guard holding Cecelia stared at the decor within the luxurious pod as he stepped in, and Sal behind him scoffed and cleared her throat scanning her arm in a small chamber and giving it the order to take her directly into Cecelia's room; aside from the general, she was the only other person on the whole 100th's ship that had such access when it came to the secretive and extremely introverted Vatui noble.

[Destination confirmed; access granted, lieutenant.] The pod spoke and vibrated for a single second before the doors slid open again and the interior of Cecelia's abode came into view, since she had managed to clean recently without interruptions the room was spotless causing the man holding her to nod in admiration since it was always rumoured that she was a germaphobe who couldn't stand the sight of anything even remotely unclean.

"Access medical unit, protocol 79-c" Sal spoke and the room lit up from the corners and hummed before the table in the living area flipped and revealed a medical table with several drawers and storage cabinets sliding from the walls; the entire room turned into a hospital facility right before the man's eyes leaving him speechless as he stood.

"Set her down and return to your post, soldier."

"Huh, you don't need me to help with anything?"

"No," Sal stared at him. "Place her on the bed and leave, that's an order," She gestured to the table as she pulled one of the drawers open and a pair of mechanical arms emerged holding gloves for her to stick her hands in. "The room has state-of-the-art automation; I can manage from here."

"Right," He rested Cecelia on the table and went to the pod. "Um..."

"Use the door, the pod is for special personnel, and since such personnel have been transported you can return leisurely, thank you for your help," She didn't even spare him a glance as she made a nudge at the door with her head. "Doors, override."

[Confirmed, Lieutenant]

"Well, okay then," the guard nodded and left through the doors and Sal turned and watched them seal shut before taking her gloves back off after clicking a device bedded in her teeth turning off the surveillance and playing the recorded footage of the room in a loop.

"That was quite the performance, I was convinced all the way up until your room didn't go into emergency mode from what was supposed to be a panic attack, did you come to a decision?" Sal looked around at Cecelia and the white-haired captain sat up and wiped her tears away taking a deep breath and smiling gently.

"He is perfect," Cecelia stared at her, reaching into another drawer and taking out the tab Sal had given her; turning it on and revealing that the message was unsent. "If anyone can help me, it would be him, what remains is whether he'll believe me, or if he's gonna just reveal to everyone that I tried contacting him..." Cecelia stared at the "send" button hesitantly.

"I am nervous, Sally."

"Nobody will know you sent this message, even on his end; as soon as anyone reads it their device will break as well."

"That's one hell of a virus," Cecelia scoffed and then took a deep breath and tapped the send button, watching the encryption turn the ink on the inside into fire as the device melted in her grasp upon message delivery. "There, it's done."

***

"She spoke, she said her first word at only two months!" Sol smiled with Talia in his grasp as she continued kicking and saying "pa".

"Sara, did you teach her to say this?" He looked at the maid but she raised her hands defensively and shook her head.

"No sir, this was not my doing-"

"It was me!" Arla skipped over and stopped before him and Ikaris. "Talia has shown many signs of heightened intelligence and self-awareness, I started telling her words a few days ago," She admitted and Sol glanced at Ikaris and then looked at her again.

"You taught her more?" Ikaris queried.

"Yes, Master," Arla poked her cheeks proudly and grinned widely at them. "I taught her to say papa, mama, Aunty Arla, Aunty Dina, and big sis Sara, and believe it or not-" The elf's eyes widened. "She can already say all of that!" She gestured with shock written on her face as well.

"What, seriously!?" Usami snapped aloud causing everyone to stare at her; Gia was considered smart beyond her years because she started speaking before she was a year old, but what the hell was she hearing right now? Even if it was Sol and Ikaris's daughter, wasn't it a bit too much for a two-month-old baby to suddenly start talking?

"Ma...ma," Talia repeated the word after hearing Arla say it again and the elf jumped and pointed at her. "Pa...pa."

"See!" Arla exclaimed with joy causing her sigils to flash crimson in accordance with her mood. "Little Talia is a living breathing blessing!" She swooped closer and held Ikaris's hands. "I apologise for doing it behind your back, Milady, but I wanted to surprise you and Master!"

"Consider me surprised..." Ikaris stared at her at a loss for words. "Talia has always obeyed my little prompts since birth; she responds to me within her mind, not in words but with emotion, that is how I was able to keep her from crying while always knowing what she wanted, but I never considered she would be able to form words already..."

"Papa."

"Yes, my little angel, that's right; I'm your Papa!" Sol melted like clay in water and took a seat again, blowing kisses against her belly while she laughed and played with his floating golden hair.

"Master, I hate to do this but... the clone," Dina spoke up.

She was just as invested in Talia as the others, one might even argue she was more attached to the babe than even Sara was, but after seeing Sol's state she couldn't stop thinking about the reason he came back exhausted in the first place.

From Ikaris's explanation Sol had generated enough power to completely destroy twenty universes in a single moment, and yet he had made no mention of his clone since his return.

"He's alive," Sol looked up at her, and the room once more went still as he continued playing with Talia.

"What?"

"He took the hit; at least, the initial hit connected I mean; but before he could die he vanished from my senses, if he's in fact like me, with the abilities I have in reverse then it makes sense he'd be able to get away, that's why I tried killing him by burning through my power like fuels, he's a danger to not just mine or Ikaris's, but every existence out there," Sol continued playing with Talia while he spoke.

"Umbra,"

"What?" Dr'ul furrowed her brows at the word she had never heard before.

"That's what he said before he disappeared, Umbra," Sol looked up at Dr'ul.

"Umbra is a Latin word, it means shade, or darkness; the opposite of light and sun; the reverse of Sol," Dina stared at Sol while she explained it to the goddess. "So he is everything you're not, all the darkness you overcame is what he became?" She asked and Sol nodded.

"Lumi, he also has his own grey; his own beginning, I think he's already been visited by emissaries too, if I'm guided by light then he's undoubtedly guided by darkness," Sol rested Talia in his lap and relaxed his shoulders.

"What?"

From thin air Lumi appeared next to Sol, staring at him with her head leaned and her brows furrowed. "None who call themselves darkness would ever-"

"I sensed something within him when before he vanished, a second consciousness, much like yours, they who dwell in the dark always seek to destroy the light, isn't that right?"

The emissary of fate stared at him with her eyes wide in shock unable to answer.

"If I'm guided by your fate, then for sure; he's being guided by something which opposes it, he's evil down to the core; black from the inside out, an Anti me." Sol looked at her. "I'm assuming by the power he has that he does have an emissary backing him, I'm assuming he has his own grey, or whatever you'd call it inversed, it's funny, I never thought my greatest enemy would be my reflection."

"This is terrible..." Dr'ul took a seat as she thought about the amount of power Sol had utilized but still failed to kill his inverse.

"Don't," Sol raised his eyes from the child in his lap once more. "Umbra is my responsibility; he can't get in here any more than I can access THE END where he resides; I'm the only one who'll be able to fight him, so don't ever think of challenging or revealing yourself to him, understood?" Sol stared at them and then looked at Ikaris who had her head hung low.

"This is because of me-"

"Master, I apologise for the interruption," Alpha interjected and rested her hand on Ikaris's arm while she stared at Sol.

"I believe there is a secret message directed towards you within the Emporium's army," She stated.

"For me?" Sol asked.

"I traced the origins and it appears to be a secret message coming from General Viktor Flint's right hand, the Vatui woman; the message is untracable by other means but the malware used to destroy it was created by one, lieutenant Sally Howl, friends with Cecelia, I checked several times, thisnis undoubtedly a plea for help."

"Cecelia?"