NOVPUB
Chapter 366: 366
"You’ll see," Roth said with a faint smile. He turned and walked toward the heart of their shared domain, the mist-shrouded forest that had become both their sanctuary and proving ground. Xerosis followed, her curiosity piqued despite the bittersweet occasion.
At the center of the forest lay a massive, ancient tree, its roots intertwining with the earth like veins of lifeblood. Roth approached the tree and placed his hands on its bark, channeling his power into it. The tree began to glow faintly, its light cutting through the ever-present mist. Slowly, a small, intricately carved wooden amulet emerged from the tree’s bark, as though the tree itself had offered a piece of its essence.
"This," Roth said, handing the amulet to Xerosis, "is a fragment of our home, imbued with the strength of the forest and the memories of our people. It will remind you of what you’ve left behind, but also of what you’ve helped create."
Xerosis held the amulet in her hands, her expression softening. "It’s beautiful, brother. Thank you."
Roth nodded as he waved his hand clearing the mist to show an opening where a giant structure was waiting around it were the first generation vampires who helped build the structure.
Xerosis looked at the giant ship standing in front of her, Roth held her hand as they walked into the ship which looked like a replica of their home "The woods in this forest has taken a property of ours which is the generation of mist to shield us from the sun and snooping eyes"
"This material was used in building this ship as you will be traveling far to the eastern continent where Ikem’s father’s realm will be more accessible to you. This ship was built to help with that and hide you and your special servants from the eyes of mortal"
Roth took her into the cockpit which was huge, he extended his hand taking the amulet and placing it on an opening, the ship hummed to life, placing a hand on the orb, the ship began to slowly leave the ground as it took to the sky.
No sound was heard from the ship, silent as the vampires who created it, Roth seeing his sister so absorbed with the sight smiled as he collapsed into a smoke of dark mist.
Xerosis caught herself as he ran outside to the railing of the ship where she looked down to see Roth, Roth had gathered the community to bid farewell to Xerosis. The humans and half-bloods who had come to know her as both protector and leader looked on with a mix of gratitude and sorrow. Children waving to her, their eyes filled with tears
Finally, under the light of the full moon, Xerosis stood at the edge of the Ship. She looked at Roth one last time, her voice steady but filled with emotion. "Take care of them, brother. And take care of yourself. You’ve carried so much for so long—it’s okay to let others help."
Roth stepped forward and appeared on the ship and embraced her tightly. "I’ll be fine. Go, Xerosis. Become the god you were always meant to be, I wish i could have made your journey easier but we are still weak in taking control of the gate"
Xerosis shook her head "You have done enough brother, no need to be impatient and remember mothers warning"
Roth was about to answer when both heard cackling of chains, Both Xerosis and Roth looked back to see Xerosis servant, the beautiful resentful souls of dead women and extending from their hand was the chain wrapped around the neck of men who did them bad now serving as the eternal undead knight.
Xerosis servant number hasn’t grown since they both left their mother’s realm as she no longer had access to dead souls like before, of course she could ask Wardenwild but she knew how important his work is and how much his presence was making a difference for both her and her brother.
Roth stepped back as the ship’s engines—if they could be called that—began to pulse with greater energy, the dark wood and mist-infused materials glowing faintly as the craft prepared for its journey. The servants took their positions along the railing, their chains clinking softly, an eerie but harmonious symphony of power and purpose.
Before the ship fully ascended, Xerosis turned to Roth one final time. "Promise me you’ll take care of yourself. And don’t keep delaying your ascension for too long. The world you’re building will endure, but you’re needed elsewhere too."
Roth gave her a small, knowing nod. "In time, sister. I’ll join you when the time is right."
The ship lifted off, its movements graceful and soundless, an unnatural marvel against the backdrop of the night sky. Xerosis stood at the edge of the deck, watching her brother and the community she had helped build grow smaller below.
The ship hummed softly as it ascended higher, the mist from the forest curling away as if reluctant to release its hold. Below, the gathered crowd continued to wave and cheer, their voices faint but filled with admiration.
As the ship ascended into the dark, star-speckled sky, Xerosis was taken aback by a familiar presence. She moved to the deck’s rail, gazing down, only for her view to be enveloped by a radiant, luminescent light.
Xerosis’s eyes widened in surprise as she spotted Wardenwild, whose spectral form floated mid-air, staring at her and the ship. Xerosis understood he had come to say goodbye. She raised her hand in a wave, and Wardenwild nodded in acknowledgment.
However, their expressions soon turned grim as an unwelcome presence made itself known. A massive, glowing eye appeared in the night sky. It first turned toward the forest, only to be blocked by the protective mist, before shifting its focus to Wardenwild and the princess.
Wardenwild’s body began to glow brighter as a massive, skeletal hand materialized, reaching toward the ominous eye. "Stay in your lane, Murmur," he commanded, sweeping the bony hand across the eye, which dispersed into a faint dot of light.
With the intruder banished, Wardenwild vanished as well, leaving Xerosis alone. She gazed down at the forest below, worry etched on her face. It seemed the demon now knew where they were.
In the depths of Murmur’s underground lair, the demon lord pressed a hand to his eye as a sharp pang coursed through it, fading just as quickly. Swirling the wine in his goblet, Murmur scoffed. "Pesky beast," he muttered, irritated by Wardenwild’s interference.
He was well aware of the two siblings lurking on the edge of his domain but dismissed them as insignificant, unworthy of his concern. His focus lay on grander schemes—ambitions that extended beyond mere demigods, his challenge was the gods themselves.
His son, the empire’s ruler, was expected to handle such nuisances. Unfortunately, the boy’s ineptitude was a constant disappointment. In contrast, Murmur’s daughter was proving far more capable, accomplishing significant feats beyond the continent. He saw the demigods’ emergence as a necessary challenge to temper his son into usefulness.
But what truly unsettled Murmur wasn’t Björn’s recent return to sanity—it was the silence. The voices, the incessant whispers from the gods’ counterparts beyond this realm, had abruptly ceased.
Murmur, a being intimately familiar with things like whispers and corruption, knew what silence signified in such situations. It was calm before a storm. His hand clenched instinctively, shattering the wineglass in his grasp and spilling its contents across the floor.
He had thought himself close to achieving his goal of dominion after banishing two origin gods. Yet now he faced a sobering reality: other powerful entities were eyeing this world as well.
Murmur found himself sharing the same sentiment as the left origin gods once the silence came, For most beings of dark power, Murmur knows whispers was meant to corrupt and twist the mind of those with strong mind but weaker will power, meaning the whisper him and the origin gods found annoying wasn’t directed at them, but at those with strong mind who could hear them.
Coming to that conclusion, Murmur could guess why the whispers stopped as the gods counterpart had achieved their goal and was now waiting for the result.
Murmur had all his men immediately deployed scouring the whole continent to see if there has been any weird movement or development among the humans but nothing has been found yet till now, which made Murmur finding himself wishing for the whispers once again.
Elsewhere, Jaws, Mahu, and Crepuscular sat cross-legged in their respective domains, their senses attuned to the world. Unlike Murmur, who had found nothing, they had detected faint traces of something troubling—tainted divinities clinging to certain individuals scattered across various human cities.
The gods debated their next move. Informing the demigods seemed logical, but the implications were dire. The sight of godlings entering cities and seizing individuals without explanation would sow fear and rebellion among humans. Such actions could shatter the fragile trust between godlings and mortals, fueling resentment and potentially forging alliances against the godlings.
