Chapter 10: Choice
The ethereal lights of the stars shone brightly in the night sky, as they had all week. This phenomenon inadvertently caused a wave of faith to spread among the general populace of Loen Kingdom, as many believed it was a miracle of the Evernight Goddess, who was blessing the mortal world with "Her" grace.
This resulted in believers flocking to the Churches of Evernight Goddess in hope and reverence, but ironically, the most brilliant stars gracing the world were highly concentrated in a single place, and it was not Loen but the Kolian, southern continent, where the religion of Evernight Goddess was non-existent.
And the light of those bright stars, cascading down into a hotel room window, illuminated the pivotal meeting between Lucien Eggers and Sia Palenque Eggers.
Sia sat in a chair in the living room, facing Lucien, who was grabbing two kettles from an eager owl spirit—it was different from other spirits, but she couldn't put her finger on why, despite feeling a strange familiarity with it—and then it flew back into the spirit world.
"Coffee or tea, Sia?" Lucien inquired, looking up at her.
"Tea." Sia immediately responded. Even though she had become a mythical creature, she didn't mind indulging in some of her previous human needs, and honestly, who could say no to good and soothing tea?
Lucien hummed as he poured her a cup of tea, then poured himself a cup of coffee before passing her cup to her.
Sia instinctively checked the tea with her senses before taking a sip as she made herself somewhat comfortable in the chair, but not to the point of letting her guard down against Lucien, who at first appeared harmless and gentle, though her opinion of him quickly changed when she couldn't sense anything deeper from him.
Mind you, she was an Angel of Death Pathway who knew all about the intricacies of the soul itself, so either Lucien was powerful enough to conceal his secrets from her senses, which she doubted, or someone was assisting him in doing so. In any case, she decided it was best not to relax her guard against him.
Finally, Sia broke the silence by asking Lucien in-between sips, bringing up the elephant in the room. "So you claim to be a direct descendant of Death?"
"I am not only a direct descendant of Death." Lucien corrected calmly, setting his half-finished cup aside. "I am also the son of Azik Eggers."
Son of Azik Eggers?! Sia was shocked, but her countenance remained composed, not betraying her emotions. "But Azik Eggers has vanished since the beginning of the fifth epoch, never to be seen again," she subtly probed Lucien for information.
"What do you mean?" Lucien arched his brow. "He didn't vanish; he's still very much active in the world."
Sia was frustrated by the haphazard information provided to her. The boy was keen; she recognised it, and he must have noticed she was testing him. It was now up to her to make a choice: she could remain subtle and evasive, or she could be frank with him. "I didn't know that," she finally admitted, placing her cup on the table as well.
"Please elaborate." Lucien pressed with sincerity in his eyes, and Sia did the same, informing him of the details of her search for Azik Eggers.
After she finished, Lucien nodded, agreeing with her assessment of the situation. "Someone is indeed concealing my father from you," he said, his tone knowing.
"You know who it is." Sia could tell by his tone.
"I have a guess." Lucien nodded. "But I am sure you are not going to like it."
"Try me." Sia pushed on despite feeling fear rise in her pits of her stomach.
Lucien shifted in his seat, pointing through the window at the brightest stars in the night sky.
Evernight Goddess!
Lucien was correct; Sia didn't like his guess one bit. She hoped this was false, but the more she thought about it, the more she realised Lucien's guess was plausible, and that terrified her.
The Evernight Goddess was the most powerful god on Earth, aside from the True Creator. Sia, as a survivor of the fourth epoch, understood a lot about gods and "Their" affairs. And she could tell you a long list of things and reasons to prove how terrifying Evernight Goddess was, but one event should ultimately suffice:
By the end of the War of Four Emperors, the Night Emperor had betrayed the Seven Gods and done massive damage to "Their" troops. In retaliation, the Evernight Goddess "Herself" entered the battlefield to confront the Night Emperor and slew "Him".
Sia could clearly remember how the laws and rules of the world changed and crumbled with the fall of the Night Emperor—that scene was truly horrible to witness, yet the Evernight Goddess slew the deity who was keeping it all together single-handedly.
That same terrifying divine being was now blocking her path to Azik. It would be a lie to say she was not terrified or scared, but she was astonished to find that Lucien had a calm countenance. It was either completely honest or the best damn bit of acting she had seen in a long time.
Sia reached for the cup and took a sip of tea, which calmed her heart slightly.
"You want another?" Lucien offered.
Sia shook her head. "You're cool." She observed, looking up at him.
"Believe me when I say I'm not." Lucien chuckled melancholically. "I guess I've gotten too used to it, if you know what I mean?"
What has this young man been through?....Sia thought quietly as she finished her tea.
"Anyway, I didn't ask your audience to debate my father's condition, but rather to hear my case." Lucien continued.
"Go on," Sia acknowledged, pulling herself back together. She pushed Azik to the back of her mind for a moment because she was eager to hear what he had to say, and she had a feeling he was going to completely surprise her.
"I'm sure you still have some reservations about my identity, so..." Lucien pricked his finger with a fruit tray knife, allowing a drop of black blood to seep, but instead of falling to the ground, the drop flowed back to the wound as it healed.
"You are an Angel." Sia was surprised. Ascension to the realm of mythical creatures alters everything about you, including your blood. In the case of Death pathway, your blood would turn pitch black, carrying the essence of Death.
"Not just an Angel." Lucien rose from his seat, and six pairs of metallic wings unfolded from behind him, gleaming grimly in the light of the stars.
"Archangel?!" Sia leapt from her seat as well. If she had been surprised before, she was now taken back to the point where her emotions were all over her face. She would have known if a Pale Emperor ascended like the rest of the world. The ascension ritual of the Pale Emperor would have made certain of that; unlike the Death Counsel ritual, it could not be hidden at all. "How…?" She managed in the end.
"That is not the question you should be asking." Lucien merely said so as he retracted his wings. He sat back in his chair, motioning for her to re-join him.
Sia took a deep breath, composing herself again. "Then should I have asked, What are your goals?" She said sharply as she sat back down.
"Yes." Lucien encouragedly nodded. "Don't you think that will serve both of our interests?"
Sia pressed her lips together to form a thin line. She had become completely passive in this conversation the moment Lucien revealed himself to be an archangel, but despite her displeasure, she ventured silently, "Let me guess, you want to become the Death."
"Not only that." Lucien nodded lightly. "I intend to liberate the Southern Continent and bring back the glory of Balam." He looked at Sia with sincerity. "And I cannot do this without you and your organisation."
"So what is your choice, Sia?"
Sia was unsurprised by his dreams. "I know nothing about you, Lucien Eggers." She said it with steel in her voice, refusing to back down in the face of an archangel because this was her home. "Yet you expect me to entrust you with the fate of an entire continent and its people."
"I may be surrounded by unknowns for you," Lucien stated, "but I am your best shot. As for my father, his condition is somewhat complicated. Trust me, even if he does return, you will be disappointed."
Trust him?…Sia remained silent for a moment, contemplating his words—she could tell from past experiences that even though his words were twisted in his favour, they contained some truth—then she asked Lucien, meeting his silver eyes. "So you want me to take a leap of faith?"
"Faith is everything," Lucien mystically echoed. "After all."
Sia allowed her intrusive thoughts to win. "I believe you will be suitable for the paths of mysteries as well."
"I believe so as well." Lucine admitted candidly. "I'd make an excellent charlatan."
"That's not helping your case at all," Sia said, twitching her lips.
"I know." Lucien laughed, then his mirth faded into solemnity. "Jokes aside, let me ask again, what is your choice, Sia Palenque Eggers?" He rose from his seat and approached her, extending his hand.
Sia stared at his hand in silence, her eyes telling of her struggles and emotions, but eventually all that remained was resoluteness. She just hoped she wouldn't come to regret her decisions today. With that, she stood up from her seat and extended her hand to Lucien.
Finally, Lucien Eggers and Sia Palenque Eggers shook hands, their resolute eyes fixed on each other.
At the same time, as they shook their hands, a faint ripple arose in a river of light with endless tributaries, rolling outward as it grew and grew, scattering the serenity in a roaring wave.
Something has happened….
Around the world, the long and dark night became colder and chillier, while stars that had been shining brilliantly for the previous week dimmed, returning to their previous state. But for those with keen eyes, there was something new about the stars—a harsh glow that sent shivers down their spines.
That was about to change....
In the Forsaken Land of Gods, a silver-haired man with six pairs of wings opened his troubled eyes, as he had just felt a great disturbance in the river of Destiny. "My lord..." he began, looking at the shadows, but was cut off by a hoarse voice that reverberated all around him, as if the shadows themselves were speaking to him. "No, leave him be."
Everything.
In Backlund, a postman adjusted his monocle. "Interesting." He smiled, turning his gaze away from the harsh night sky and towards the distant southern continent.
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