I shifted the Window, focusing on the woman and the statue before her. If the deity she was praying to responded, it would last only for a moment, and I needed to detect it. Whenever a god answered their believers, myself included, the fluctuation of divinity was like the faintest flash of light. Brief and leaving no trace behind.
“Goddess of the Sanguines,” the woman whispered, her clasped hands trembling. “Please… please respond to Your daughter.”
At first, I had assumed she could communicate with her god, but now I was starting to notice signs of despair.
“God of the Sanguines…”
A crimson divinity crawled around her. It wasn’t as vibrant or violent as mine. If anything, it looked weak. It surrounded her body, yet it never touched her directly, as though an invisible barrier protected her.
Interesting…
I zoomed the Window closer to observe the divinity. I would have preferred to sense it myself, but after my forced ascension, I could no longer perceive through the Window unless I shared a connection with the target.
The woman remained kneeling, weeping silently.
Then her eyes snapped open as the divinity slammed into her.
“Wha…” she screamed before covering her mouth with her hand. She jumped to her feet and spun around as if searching for someone invisible. “Who are you? What are you?”
Her eyes widened as the divinity shimmered all around her. The god was clearly communicating with her, but I couldn’t hear a single word.
“You are lying. You are not my Goddess. I’ve heard Her voice before. No! you’re lying!” she hissed. The earlier fear turned into anger as her four fangs were revealed beneath her lips.
Fuck. It must be that other god.
For a moment I considered sending the courier basilisk to disrupt the divinity and obtain a sample. But despite my desire to protect the woman and somehow contact Lilith, I couldn’t bring myself to take that risk. It would be reckless.
“Begone! No! I will not betray my Mistress!” the woman screamed and rushed toward the door, but it was futile.
The entire room had been sealed off by the crimson divinity. She would never be able to open that door, call for help, or stand any chance against the deity that seemed determined to claim her.
But why?
How could one mortal, who didn’t even appear particularly extraordinary, hold enough value for a deity to force their faith upon her?
Sadly, I didn’t have time to properly analyze the situation.
“Aurelion,” I commanded.
As my intent reached my angel, he immediately appeared in my realm.
“My King?” he said, dropping to one knee.
I moved the Window before him so he could see everything.
The woman was still struggling with the door, pulling on the handle while crying for help. None would come. The crimson divinity crept closer and closer, slowly pushing through the invisible barrier.
“Bring that woman to me.”
The moment I gave the command, Aurelion vanished.
I had expected him to appear directly beside the woman, but apparently he couldn’t. Instead, he flew at full speed, his wings beating without pause. From a distance, he looked like a crimson streak cutting through the clouds and the stillness of the night.
In the meantime, the woman collapsed to the floor. She was barely conscious as the crimson energy reached her body. As it struggled to creep further, I became convinced she was protected by a powerful spell - one that could not be powered by mana.
“I will not betray… I must not betray…” she murmured, her voice growing weaker with each passing moment, her words harder to distinguish.
At last, the crimson energy reached her head and wrapped around it like moss clinging to a tree.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
The woman fell silent.
Her body convulsed and her eyes rolled back until only white remained.
It was already too late.
Too late for that deity.
The suffocating silence that filled the room shattered as Aurelion crashed through the ceiling and landed in the center, reducing the statue to fragments beneath him.
The room was cloaked in dust, but it did nothing to hinder Aurelion’s sight. He moved, charging toward the crimson energy still coiling around the woman.
As he approached, the energy recoiled and pulled away from her, gathering on the far side of the room.
Slowly, it began to take shape.
Legs formed first. Then arms, a head, and finally a torso.
A man in his late thirties stood there, his black hair streaked with gray at the temples. He wore a short-sleeved gray shirt and simple trousers. His eyes glowed - two vertical red slits fixed on Aurelion, who now stood between him and the woman.
“Why did you interfere? I have not violated your god’s domain!” he sneered, though I could tell he was holding back his anger. “I have abided by the rules set by the Nine.”
Rules set by the Nine… Are human gods involved in Lilith’s disappearance?
“No rule stands above my King’s will,” Aurelion declared as he lifted the woman and covered her with his wing.
“Father, should I kill him?” he whispered into my mind.
I was startled.
Not just because of the question, but because Aurelion truly believed he could kill a deity. A demigod, but still a god nonetheless.
I considered it quickly. I didn’t know what kind of creature this demigod was, nor whether he could be of any use to me. But he was clearly an enemy of Lilith, and that made him a potential enemy of mine. More importantly, he had ties to the Nine, whom I already considered an obstacle.
Even if he wasn’t my enemy yet, he and Lilith could not coexist. That much Guidance had already made clear.
“Avoid killing him if possible. Bring him into my realm. Use as much of my power as you need.”
Although I could tell this demigod was nowhere near my level, that didn’t mean Aurelion could defeat him alone. That was why I had allowed him to channel my divinity, even knowing how inefficiently he would use it.
Aurelion glanced at the woman, a shadow passing across his face, and pulled her closer.
“Do not resist. Your Father wishes to help you,” he barked.
I understood why he was angry. The moment he realized the woman was a velmoryn, his attitude toward her changed. To him, she must have seemed like someone who had betrayed me.
Only when her body stiffened at Aurelion’s words did I realize she was awake.
The next moment, she appeared within my dominion. She lay on the ground, her wide eyes locked on the God of Velmoryn puppet.
I split part of my focus toward her, taking control of my manifestation, though most of my attention remained fixed on Aurelion.
“What did you do?” the demigod shouted at him as the woman vanished. “I’ve had enough of this. I forgave you the first time you dared to attack me, Nyx. Now I’ll drink you dry and see what your senile god can do!”
Nyx? What the hell…
He lunged at Aurelion, his body dissolving into mist as he closed the distance in an instant.
When he reformed, his hand was already thrusting forward, his fingers shaped like a spear.
“Aaaagh!” the man screamed as my angel caught his wrist mid-strike.
Aurelion tightened his grip, the sound of bone beginning to crack - but before it could shatter, the man dissolved into mist once again and retreated to his original position.
“Disgrace,” Aurelion scoffed as the man reformed.
The confidence in his crimson eyes had vanished. The vertical slits that met Aurelion now were filled with fear.
“You aren’t Nyx. Who are you? No… that doesn’t matter,” the man stammered. “I ask forgiveness. Please, show mercy…”
Aurelion stepped forward. As he walked, his wings spread wide, their feathers shimmering with a mix of crimson and gold. Each step cracked the floor beneath him and sent tremors through the structure.
Outside, shouts and screams began to rise. He needed to finish this quickly.
As if sensing my thought, Aurelion moved.
He seized the man by the throat and drove his fist into his face. The impact rang out like a heavy object dropped from a great height, the shockwave rippling through the entire house.
And he didn’t stop.
Blow after blow fell.
The man didn’t fight back. He only begged.
“P-pwease…” he cried, his voice muffled. His face was ruined - nose twisted, cheeks split and bleeding, several teeth missing.
“I will spare you,” Aurelion said, raising his fist once more, ready to strike again if needed. “But you will come with me to meet my King.”
“Fine,” the demigod’s face had already begun to heal. The speed of his recovery was uncanny, even for a deity. “Allow me a moment to recover. I cannot appear before His Lordship in such a state.”
Aurelion nodded, satisfied, and stepped back.
"He is lying."
I shouted into his mind.
But it was already too late.
Using his own blood, the man traced a half-moon onto the wall behind him.
“Lord of Moon and Night, bring me into Your kingdom!” he shouted as the blood ignited with a black glow.
Dark divine energy erupted from it, flooding the room and blinding even Aurelion.
I prepared to channel my own divinity into the mortal world, ready to intervene if that damned power affected my angel.
It didn’t.
When the darkness receded, Aurelion stood alone.