“What is it that you desire?”
The velmoryn remained silent, his gaze fixed on the God of Velmoryn seated on the throne. Awe and uncertainty were written plainly across his face, yet there was no fear. Not even after everything Aurelion had done to him.
“I have one request only,” he said at last. “I left the velmoryns two centuries ago, for reasons I will not burden a mighty God with. Even then, I never did anything that could have placed them in danger. I endured pain and torture, yet I kept their secret. I asked for no reward, and I do not seek one now. I only ask for what was once mine… and was taken from me.”
I already knew what he meant. I could see it in his thoughts. Still, I let him continue. I let him tell his tale the way he wanted.
“I had a wife. A human,” he continued. “We lived on a small farm, far from any human settlements. It was a simple life. With my magic, I could nourish the land and keep animals in check… we did not have much, but she was happy with what little we owned. Until one day, while I was away, a group of bandits broke into our home. When I returned… she was lying there. Covered in blood. Her bones broken. Her clothes torn…”
He paused. I felt rage from him, but it was not overwhelming, not like a river breaking past its banks and flooding everything around it. Instead, it felt restrained, worn down, almost dull.
The cost of dark magic.
The pause lasted a little too long. Not because the velmoryn was struggling with his emotions or the sorrow tied to his wife, but because he wasn’t. The man was angry at himself. He wanted to feel, but he couldn’t.
“I plead You, Lord… please bring my wife back…”
“Don’t tell me you feel pity for him, Verde.” Amon’s words drowned out the velmoryn’s voice. He was speaking through thoughts, yet I could still hear the snort behind them. “Let me grant that wish. I’ll turn his life into hell. Every day will be torment—”
“Why?”
The velmoryn noticed something was off, though he couldn’t understand what. His eyes shifted between Amon, glaring at him with open disgust, and the God of Velmoryn puppet, which had barely moved since he entered my dominion.
“His wish isn’t genuine, Verde. Can’t you tell?” Amon’s voice lowered as he turned toward the figure on the throne. “It doesn’t come from his heart, nor from torment. A wish… no, a plea to a god must be salvation for mortals. It must be their last path to redemption, not a simple way to satisfy a desire. For him, you, even his dead wife, are nothing more than…”
“You are wrong, Amon.”
“How? Why? Your Authority is affecting you, Verde. Don’t let it cloud your judgment.”
I didn’t respond. For all his intelligence and creativity in magic, Amon failed to understand what was truly tormenting the velmoryn.
But I did.
“What you seek cannot be found,” I told the velmoryn. “A soul, once extinguished, cannot be rekindled. A new flame may be lit, one that burns in a similar way. But it will never replace what was lost.”
The velmoryn remained silent for a long moment, calmly weighing my words. Given the subject, it was tragic. Perhaps there was some benefit to the velmoryns’ detachment. The inability to feel also meant they suffered less.
But as I watched him, for the first time since learning the effects of dark magic, I felt pity for them.
That same inability also denied them the chance to be truly happy.
“If I may make a different request—” the velmoryn began, but Amon cut him off.
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“Who do you think our Lord is? A wishing well?” Amon hissed. “Do you understand that you stand before a God? A single thought from Him would be enough to turn you into dust.”
“I’m sorry, Verde,” he quickly whispered into my mind, before I could react.
“I would not dare insult a God,” the velmoryn said. “But if it is possible… if the God of Velmoryn would remove the dark magic affecting my mind, I would swear my soul to You. I would dedicate my entire life to You.”
Erase dark magic?
I wasn’t offended by the request, nor did I understand why Amon was so bitter about it. Surprisingly, even his thoughts didn’t offer any answer. It almost seemed as though he simply hated the velmoryn, or perhaps believed, subconsciously, that the man was trying to take advantage of me. Either way, he himself did not know the reason behind it.
I didn’t bother trying to understand the reason behind Amon’s reaction either. But when I heard the velmoryn’s request, I got curious.
Could I really erase the side effects of magic? How did those side effects even work?
Understanding that might reveal how my own divinity shaped me.
But that would have to wait. I didn’t have time to spare on such matters, especially with a nonbeliever in my dominion and Amon about to depart for the human world.
“Your soul is already connected to me, child. But worry not, I shall not force you into obedience,” I said as I pressed on the thread that bound him to me.
I forced emotions into him. Sorrow for his late wife. Guilt that everything could have been avoided if he had been there. And finally, the weight of what he had done to Lucas, the man who had saved him, only to be backstabbed.
I amplified those feelings further.
Until they overwhelmed the velmoryn completely.
A tear rolled down his cheek. He wiped it away gently with his finger, then looked at it, as though it answered the question that had lingered in his mind. The one question that bothered him the most:
Was he controlled by his own magic? Had he lost himself to mana?
Now, he knew.
“Only I can change my fate…” he muttered as he knelt. “May I remain in Your forest while I master a different art of magic? If I reject dark magic, I will lose the means to protect myself. Outside, I will be captured again.”
“It is not I whose forgiveness you must seek.”
That answer was enough to push him toward me.
The markings on his face turned crimson, and the connection between us deepened.
Even Amon’s hostility lessened when he saw the red markings. Perhaps it was his class that had caused that reaction before?
Now that the velmoryn had accepted me, I intended to question him about the human world, but before I could, Avenor’s voice reached me.
“...Verde, this is important.”
I considered splitting my attention, but I had been suppressing my divinity this entire time to avoid harming the velmoryn. If I divided my focus, there was a chance I would lose control.
Instead, before returning them to the mortal world, I turned to Amon.
“Ask him about the human world. Gather as much information as you can.”
“Okay.”
Okay… no, that still sounds strange.
“Do not show hostility. If you are to succeed in the human world without turning other gods against me, you must learn to control your emotions. It is always beneficial to keep your true thoughts to yourself and reveal only what you choose.”
“I didn’t think it was that serious. I just felt this urge…” He trailed off as he noticed my divinity coiling around them, preparing to send him back. “Please give me a mount, Verde. I beg you… It doesn’t have to be a griffon or a dragon. Even a horse would do. Walking will take too long, and you want me there quickly, don’t you—”
“I will consider it.”
I did not let him finish. Both figures vanished from my dominion, leaving behind only a trace of red dust and faint smoke.
Immediately, I shifted the Window to Avenor and Aria.
They were in the same settlement not far from my forest.
Aria was nowhere in sight. Avenor, however, stood before a large notice board, two swords on his back. It was a simple wooden structure, covered in parchments of varying sizes and quality. Some were worn and yellowed, others newer. Nails held most of them in place, though a few had been pinned with small knives.
Avenor was focused on a single sheet.
He can read?!
I zoomed in and immediately understood how.
The text was written in English.
“For the followers of the God of Justice and the Goddess of Motherhood and Fertility - a new army is being formed to vanquish the enemies of the faith. Evil, corrupted creatures pose a threat to your families and your homes. It is our duty to cleanse our lands of them…
We accept males above the age of 14 and females above 16. Mages above Bronze Rank will be paid one silver per day of service… Warriors above Bronze Rank will be paid two copper…”