314  Meeting Vladimir

Rocky had anticipated meeting ‘Vladimir Stanev’ the moment the guard mentioned escorting him to see the ‘Lord,’ but he didn’t feel a sense of relief until it was confirmed that Vladimir was indeed the one he would be facing, and no one else.

Led into the grand throne room, Rocky stood before the formidable floor master, who sat atop his golden throne, studying him with curious eyes.

“Leave us. I wish to speak with the Champion of Gemini privately,” Vladimir commanded, as at his word, all the attendants and guards in the room respectfully bowed and departed, leaving the two alone.

“Principal Liam wrote to me some time ago, telling me I’d meet you one day… but I had no idea it would be the last letter he ever penned,” Vladimir said, his Emperor Blue eyes softening at the mention of his former mentor.

*Step*

*Step*

*Step*

Descending from his throne, Vladimir approached Rocky, his gaze never wavering. “I loved that man… Even though we hadn’t spoken in decades, he was like a father to me,” he continued, his voice carrying the weight of old wounds.

“He was probably the only one in this cursed universe who ever truly cared about me.

And now… he’s gone.” Vladimir said, as he stood a few feet across Rocky and shook his head in mourning.

“So today, we will hold a mourning ceremony for him. Just you and me, and we will not speak a single word for the next twenty seconds” Vladimir said, as he hung his head in mourning, forcing Rocky to follow, as he did the same.

As Rocky bowed his head in mourning, his thoughts drifted to the man standing across from him.

‘This is Vladimir Stanev?’ Rocky wondered, as Rocky had expected someone more imposing—someone who radiated power like the gods and legendary beings he had encountered in his life. But Vladimir was nothing like what he had imagined.

The floor master’s build was lean, almost wiry, and though his blue eyes were striking, there was little about him that seemed physically intimidating.

His silver hair, though neatly combed back, gave the impression of a man who had long since passed his prime. While his golden throne dwarfed him, making him seem smaller than Rocky would have expected for someone of his title.

‘Compared to Nunu, or even the other gods I’ve fought…’ Rocky thought. ‘He doesn’t have that overwhelming presence, that crushing aura that makes the air hard to breathe.’

But despite his lack of physical grandeur, Vladimir possessed something far more unsettling—the piercing sharpness of his eyes.

They were eyes that betrayed a mind far more dangerous than any mere brute force.

There was an extreme intelligence lurking behind those eyes, a depth of insight that made Rocky uneasy in a way no towering figure or god ever had.

‘He’s not like the others,’ Rocky mused, forcing himself to be cautious. ‘Maybe he’s not as powerful as them, but I can’t afford to underestimate him.’

The silent mourning continued, and Rocky decided not to make any judgments just yet.

He would first listen to what Vladimir had to say, and only then make an impression of him.

As the moment of silence passed, and Vladimir raised his head, Rocky opened his mouth to continue the conversation, however, before he could, Vladimir spoke out first once again.

“Now, tell me, Rocky,” he began, his voice calm yet curious, “how did you manage to defeat the great god Nunu?”

Rocky barely had time to open his mouth before Vladimir’s hand shot forward, his palm slamming into Rocky’s chest with incredible speed. The impact sent a shockwave through him, not one of physical pain, but of something far stranger.

In an instant, Rocky felt his consciousness forcibly yanked from his body. His vision blurred, and a strange, disorienting sensation overtook him.

Rocky blinked, suddenly seeing his own body crumple to the floor as though it were nothing more than a puppet with its strings cut, while his mind reeled as he floated in a formless, transparent state.

He was…disconnected, suspended in the air like a ghost, looking down at himself.

‘What…?’ Rocky’s mind struggled to grasp what had just happened. He was aware of himself, but in this odd, astral form, there was no weight, no physicality. He tried to reach for his body instinctively, but found that his arms, too, were not quite there, as though he was in two places at once.

‘I’ve never felt anything like this…’ he thought, unnerved by the sight of his own unconscious form on the floor, but before he could panic or make sense of what was going on? Vladimir followed suit, slapping his own face with a resounding crack as his own body collapsed in a heap just as Rocky’s had, but a second later, an ethereal version of Vladimir emerged from the fallen form, hovering beside Rocky in the same strange, ghostly state.

His astral body looked almost the same, except for a slight, almost imperceptible shimmer around his edges, as if he were made of smoke and light.

Vladimir raised his hands in the air, as though dismissing any concern. “I apologize for the sudden intrusion,” he said with an almost casual tone, his voice echoing strangely in this astral space. “But it was necessary. Here, no prying ears or eyes can overhear our conversation. We can speak freely.”

Rocky’s mind raced as he tried to steady himself, floating beside Vladimir. His body was still on the floor, and yet, here he was.

He wasn’t sure what to make of this, but one thing was clear—Vladimir was far more dangerous than he first appeared.

“Which prying ears, there is no one here?” Rocky protested, as the room was clearly empty, with Vladimir already having sent everyone out already, however, Vladimir only chuckled at this question.

“Oh there is….. Shakuni. Trust me when I say…. That bastard is always listening” Vladimir said, as he smiled rather evilly before Rocky, his intentions now seeming unclear.

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