Satisfied, I scanned the notifications once more, making sure I had not missed anything, before dismissing them all.
The Window followed my will and zoomed in on Eriavel.
Surprisingly, almost half a day had passed since the battle. Whether time had moved strangely because of another god’s presence in my realm and the odd state it had caused, or whether I had simply been too absorbed in the moment to notice it passing, I would have to be more careful in the future.
Usually, I made a point of prioritizing anything important that happened in the mortal world. But a god’s presence was not something I could simply ignore, and because of that, I had missed whatever had happened after the battle.
More importantly, I had not confirmed whether Avenor needed my help.
That was the first thing I did now.
The Window zoomed in on him as he lay in bed, sleeping soundly inside Vaelari’s home. The empty health potion vials beside him proved that healing him had not been easy. It was possible Vaelari had simply run out of mana and resorted to potions because of that, but he was not the only Gold Rank healer in Eriavel. If it had been mana, Sebille would have helped.
Confirming that Avenor was more or less fine, I willed the Window outside, shifting toward Aurelion next.
“We are eternally grateful,” Tekla said, her eyes sparkling with respect and gratitude.
Aurelion stood tall beside the God of Beggars’ corpse, his glaive planted in the ground. A faint green shimmer covered his body as his wounds, burns, and traces of rot were slowly healed.
“You will never need to express gratitude to me,” Aurelion said. “I merely follow my Liege’s will.”
“Praise be to High Father!” Tekla said.
She traced my symbol across her chest, then stole a glance at the velmoryns still moving across the battlefield and performing the Crimson Rite on human corpses. They had formed a line and were slowly advancing, checking the bodies one by one.
Based on the dozens of large vials filled with tiny gelatinous masses, mostly stone gray and violet, I could tell they had extracted quite a few Essences. But by now, almost all their attempts were failing. Too much time had passed, and the corpses were no longer yielding results.
Luckily, they had been smart enough to prioritize the mages. In the area where the priests and mages had died, quite a few vials had been gathered, each holding sky-blue or teal Essences that shimmered faintly, none larger than a fingernail.
“Divine Sword,” Tekla said after a pause, finally settling on an appropriate form of address. “My father… the general said the creature was a godly being. That he possessed a god’s mana.”
“Yes,” Aurelion said.
He was visibly tired and clearly trying to avoid Tekla’s curiosity. Unfortunately for him, he had no idea just how overwhelming the force he was about to face truly was.
“Was he a…” Tekla continued as if she hadn’t realized Aurelion wanted to be left alone. “Was he also a god’s emissary?”
Aurelion frowned.
Observing the Velmoryns had taught him how to express emotions better, though I was not sure that was a good thing for an angel. Even now, his expression was so exaggerated that Tekla flinched and bowed.
“Forgive me. I shall leave. If Divine Sword needs my presence, please let me know, and I shall come immediately,” she said, bowing once more.
Aurelion frowned again as Tekla turned around.
“He was not a god’s emissary,” he said. “He was a god himself.”
Tekla froze with her back still facing Aurelion. Her entire body stiffened, her breath caught, and color drained from her already pale skin.
Then she turned.
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Slowly.
As though she dreaded what she was about to see.
“A god…” she whispered. “A true god…”
Her eyes fixed on the corpse of the God of Beggars beside Aurelion. Awe, reverence, gratitude, and curiosity all mixed in her gaze.
“Can gods truly die like us? Are they not immortal?” she thought.
Her heart grew heavy.
She was happy Aurelion had won the battle. She felt joy and respect toward the angel who had protected Eriavel and her people. She was thankful to me, and afraid that someday, when another deity descended, there would be no Aurelion there to help them.
But beyond those emotions and thoughts, another one lingered.
Doubt.
She fought against it with all her heart and mind, rejecting it again and again, refusing to allow it to fully form. But the mortal mind was limited. Unlike mine, which allowed me to control every thread of thought as if I could physically touch each one and remove it if I wished, Tekla possessed no such power.
The more she struggled against the growing weight in her chest, the more she repeated in her mind that she must not let the thought take shape, the clearer and more overwhelming it became.
In the end, she surrendered to inevitability.
“Can Father… can Father also… die?” she thought.
She shook her head and exhaled sharply, as though trying to force the thought out of herself. Anger and disappointment bloomed in her immediately, guilt gnawing at her.
“How can I think that? How can I doubt Father? He is our Father. He is our Lord and Savior.”
She looked around, as if afraid someone had seen through her. As if someone had realized she had doubted me, had questioned my power.
Tekla bowed to Aurelion quickly, intending to leave at once.
But the angel’s voice stopped her.
“It is no sin to fear for those you love,” he said. “But fear is a poor judge of truth. Do not let it turn devotion into doubt.”
Tekla lowered her gaze, unable to meet Aurelion’s scarlet eyes, which were surprisingly gentle as they rested on her. Tears welled in her eyes and slowly slid down her cheeks.
“Go. Rest,” Aurelion said. “It has been a long day, one that tested both your heart and mind.”
Tekla bit down on her lower lip, struggling not to break into sobs.
“I am certain,” Aurelion continued, “that my… our Father is pleased with the devotion His children showed today.”
The angel walked toward Tekla as quiet sobs finally escaped her, tears streaming down her face and falling at her feet. He hesitated when he reached her side, then walked past her and continued toward Aria, who had been waiting not far away, her eyes fixed on him with anticipation.
Watching the scene, I felt conflicted.
I had assumed my angel killing a god would raise my image in the eyes of the velmoryns, turning me into a deity they would deem all-powerful. And while that had been true for most of them, it had opened an entirely different perspective for Tekla.
The sight of a god’s death had created doubt.
The realization that I could also be killed.
Of course, I felt no threat from Tekla, nor did I believe for even a moment that her faith in me would weaken because of it.
I was not worried. Well, not about that.
But it had shown me just how flawed my perspective on divinity was. If I could not even predict how my own priestess would react to another god’s death, what gave me the confidence to believe I could predict Noah’s moves?
Perhaps I was indeed overthinking. Perhaps the Night God had truly sent the God of Beggars to die because he believed I would fall into slumber.
And if that was true, letting this opportunity slip away would be foolish. If I could lower Noah’s guard and then strike him with full force once he entered my forest, my chances of victory would increase dramatically.
Especially now that my hopes of making Lilith my ally had shattered. I had no leads about her, no idea how to bring her back, if she could even be brought back at all.
Fuck it. I will play along. I will act as a deity who has fallen asleep.
On the surface, the plan carried no risk. I would not be doing anything dangerous, after all.
But reality was different.
To sell the act, I would have to deceive even my priestess. I had no doubt Noah possessed some means of spying on Eriavel, so if I wanted to deceive him, I would first have to lie to my believers. Only if they seemed lost, only if Tekla seemed restless, would he believe his plan had worked.
I did not like that this decision would likely deepen Tekla’s doubt, and I hated even more that I would be willingly abandoning my plans to prepare the velmoryns.
But it seemed like a worthwhile gamble.
“Aurelion,” I called. “Tell my priestess that you must leave immediately, that you will likely not appear for a couple of months. Try to look troubled.”
“As You command, my Liege,” Aurelion’s thoughts brushed against my mind.
As I watched him turn back toward Tekla, his steps quicker now, I could not help but doubt my plan.
Was this truly the smart move? Or was I walking into a trap?
I forced the thoughts away.
There was no point in letting doubt torture me. I had already made the decision, and I intended to see it through.
It was time I made my move on the chessboard as well.