Ada kept her composure at its peak, but her eyes betrayed her—sharp, searching, demanding answers. "Who is she, Captain?"
Atlas hesitated. A shadow flickered in his gaze, terror buried beneath his forced calm. "No one. Just a fleeting thought. There's no way he's her son—forget it." His tone hardened. "Listen, no matter what happens, don't let him die. Even with Navia at his side… keep him alive. If not—" His breath hitched, a tremor barely concealed. "We are in danger."
Ada's eyes narrowed, like a predator sensing weakness. "You can't tell me who she is, but you can tell me why we die if Eryx dies?"
Atlas exhaled slowly, weighing his words. "I can't tell you about the god we suspect to be his mother… But I can tell you why his death spells ours."
The air tensed just as the door creaked open. A presence—soft footsteps, a luminous gaze. Navia stepped inside, her golden irises cutting through the dim room.
Ada turned slightly. "Navia? What are you doing here?"
"Nothing." Navia's voice was steady, but there was an underlying edge. "I just want to see him. Is that a problem?"
"Not at all, just curious…" Ada replied, then turned back sharply. "Now, Captain—tell me. How are we dead if Eryx dies?"
A sharp inhale. Silence. Then—
"Wait." Navia's voice was sharper now, urgent. "What are you saying? Is it true, Atlas?"
Atlas's face was bleak as he finally spoke the name. "Mariya." The name dripped with weight, as though speaking it invoked something monstrous.
"The leader of the devils came here after you left on the mission," he continued, voice low. "She—she is the one who will kill us if Eryx dies. She said if he perishes, this city will be erased from existence. That his life holds more weight than all of ours combined."
Navia stiffened. "Why? What does she want with Eryx?"
Atlas swallowed. "She said she loves him. That she considers him her husband. I don't know why, but the way she spoke—like she knew him… as if they had been bound by fate long before any of us understood it."
"You're telling me that a lover—one who has never even met Eryx—demands his survival at all costs?" Navia's voice was measured, but her eyes burned with doubt. "Why?"
Atlas's expression darkened, the weight of his knowledge pressing against the room like an unseen force. "She claims it's not just about their relationship," he murmured, voice strained. "It's about the fate of this world. And the way she spoke… it was as if she had stepped out of the ancient War of Fate itself."
Navia stiffened.
"That war ended eight hundred years ago—a brutal clash between gods and mankind." Atlas exhaled, his words slow, deliberate. "Yet, she spoke as if she had lived it… as if she were one of them. And every devil in her presence called her 'My Lady'—their queen, their creator. But according to the ancient texts, the god who created the devils perished in that war."
He paused, his gaze flickering—uncertain, cautious.
"But here's the truth," he continued, voice lower now. "She isn't a devil herself. She's a hybrid—half-elf, half vampire. A child born of two worlds. And yet, the devils bow before her as if she were their rightful ruler."
Silence settled, the weight of it suffocating.
"And before she left," Atlas added, his voice barely above a whisper, "she said she'd be waiting for Eryx and his team to enter the Underworld. The Realm of Devils."
Navia scoffed, eyes flashing with disbelief. "The Realm of Devils? You must be joking. We're not allowed to go there—not because the devils despise humans, but because the rulers of our nations have sealed the way."
She hesitated, then added, "Besides, devils aren't the mindless fiends people believe them to be. They coexist with every race, some of the most powerful beings crafted by the spirits who dare call themselves gods."
Ada cut in before Navia could continue. "Wait… Did she say we'd be welcomed? That the devils would open their gates for us?" Her voice was laced with intrigue. "And she said this herself—their leader?"
Atlas folded his arms, gaze steady. "You will go once Eryx has mastered his true Mana Core—Ice Mana." His voice darkened, the weight of prophecy sinking into his tone. "Only then will we unravel the secrets of his Crimson Power… within the Realm of Devils. Mariya herself will reveal them."
He paused, then added, almost offhandedly, "And frankly? I don't think she's our enemy. If anything, she's far friendlier than you, Navia."
Navia stiffened. Her expression flickered—annoyance, indignation. She turned sharply, fixing her gaze elsewhere. "Watch your tone. You're stepping out of line."
Forest of Shadow
A hooded figure knelt, his dark cloak swallowing the dim light around him, concealing his presence from all but the one before him. His voice was measured, laced with caution.
"My Lady… Are you truly allowing those humans into our realm?"
A pause. Then, carefully—
"And who is this Eryx?"
The woman standing before him exuded an aura beyond mortal comprehension. Her presence was vast, layered with unseen power.
"He is important to me." Her voice was calm yet absolute. "She has told me everything. She has shown me her memories—I know all that he is."
She lifted her gaze, something ancient flickering behind her golden eyes.
"Eryx… A boy chosen as the vessel for her lover. A harbinger—the end of the gods." She exhaled, steady, resolute. "When we meet, when all truths are laid bare before him, the world will change. And only then… will it become a sanctuary for all beings."
Silence weighed heavily between them. Then, the devil spoke once more.
"Our creator—the God of Freedom—commanded us to protect those hunted by the gods." His voice was reverent. "And so, we obey. She chose you as her vessel—the next God of Freedom."
A cold wind swept through the forest. Shadows stretched and curled at Mariya's feet, as though drawn to the power within her.
Her lips curved, faint yet certain.
"I am Mariya—the one chosen by the God of Freedom herself." Her voice, though quiet, echoed with undeniable weight. "She lives within me still, and I will fulfill every promise she made to her beloved."
The forest seemed to exhale—an anticipation hanging in the air.
"I will wait for him. For Eryx. He will come… to the Realm of the Underworld."
End of Chapter 7