Chapter 12: The two sides of a coin!

The air crackled with an otherworldly energy, a maelstrom of dark magic swirling around the clearing. The witch, her features contorted in an expression of fury, raised her arms, her eyes burning with an intensity that sent chills down Azrael's spine.

"Move!" Shouted Marcus, and he tackled Azrael to the side just as a torrent of dark magic surged forward, searing the air where they were standing seconds ago. The force of the blast sent them tumbling through the forest, slamming into a tree.

Azrael struggled to his feet, his mind reeling from the impact. He staggered forward, trying to regain his balance. A blur of motion caught his eye, and he glanced up just as the Seductress slammed her foot into the witch hunter's chest, sending him flying backward through the air.

Marcus struck the ground, his body rolling over the ground before coming to a sudden halt hitting a boulder. The witch, her expression cold and detached, turned to face Azrael, her eyes shining with a malicious gleam.

"Come," she called him with an alluring sound. The creepy sound was replaced with some sensual sound, but there was no change in her physical form. "Come beside me. I'll make you the strongest one out in the world. With your potential and my powers, we can rule this world together."

If Azrael was blind, he would've most likely fallen for the sound, but by the grace of the gods, he could just see how ugly and hideous she was. Her cracked skin was peeling off her face, exposing the red and green veins underneath.

'I need to stall for some time. That's it. She can't take this much power and most likely will die herself.'

"This is my first time seeing a creature as disgusting as you," Azrael replied, his voice trembling with fear. "Do you look like this normally?" He chuckled.

"..." The seductress was silent for a second, regarding him without her smile. "Don't you know it is very impolite to taunt a lady's beauty?"

"Impolite?" He looked bewildered. "So you know you are mad ugly, don't you?" He walked in parallel with her, slowly so as not to spook her.

"Oh? Is it women you desire? Is it lust you crave, child?" She giggled, the sound sending shivers down Azrael's spine.

"I'm not that desperate that I want to be with a monster," he retorted, his voice laced with disgust.

"Have you seen a devil, child?" She asked, and he felt she wasn't taunting him.

"On pictures and drawings, yes." He replied.

The Seductress's chuckle echoed through the clearing, a chilling sound that reverberated in Azrael's ears. She covered her mouth with the back of her palm. "Pictures and drawings can never capture the true essence of a devil, child," she said, her voice dripping with a mixture of amusement and malevolence. "I believe all the devils in the 'pictures and drawings' you saw were hideous and malevolent, yes?"

Azrael paused for a second and looked at her, straight into her dark eyes. "That...is true."

"And your gods are represented as the most beautiful creatures to even exist in the realm, right? With their wings made of pure light, their radiant beauty, and their divine grace, your gods were the most beautiful creatures to be seen in the realm, correct?"

Azrael nodded, his heart pounding in his chest.

"And why would you think that is, child?" She asked, solemnly. "Why do you think the gods are depicted as the most beautiful creatures while we devils are depicted as the most vile and evil and hideous creatures? Just why do you think that is the case?"

Azrael's brow furrowed as he contemplated the Seductress's words. He had never given much thought to the representations of gods and devils, their depictions were merely accepted as truths in the realm he grew up in. But now, facing this twisted being before him, her question lingered in his mind, challenging the very foundations of his beliefs.

"Why...?" Azrael began, his voice hesitant. "I suppose it's because beauty is often associated with goodness, with purity and light. And ugliness is seen as a reflection of evil, darkness, and corruption."

The Seductress's smile widened, revealing her jagged teeth. "Ah, the perception of beauty and ugliness, light and darkness. It is a fascinating dichotomy, is it not? But tell me, child, have you ever stopped to question the nature of beauty? The standards set by your gods and mortals alike?"

"So that they will be worshipped..."

"Precisely," she chuckled. "Who would want to worship hideous looking and ugly creatures who seduce people, who control people, who use people?" the Seductress echoed, her voice dripping with a mix of amusement and bitterness. "Your gods and mortals have crafted a narrative where beauty is synonymous with virtue, while those who do not fit their standards are deemed unworthy and condemned."

Azrael's gaze hardened as he listened to her words. He had witnessed the manipulation and deceit woven within the Seductress's own actions, but her words now unveiled a deeper truth about the nature of power and perception.

If he's not wrong, then the gods need their followers, just as the devils need theirs. These beings then offer power, which the foolish humans will take and become a minion to the gods and the devils. The one who controls the masses controls the world.

Devils cannot enter the world because they don't have enough worshippers, though he doesn't understand fully why that was a reason, but the gods have played their part perfectly and have established the dominance they needed.

"You are very clever, child," the Seductress's voice echoed in his ears, her eyes sparkling with a sinister light. "Just like us, they can also invade a chosen mortal's body. The mortal even has powers shared with them. Who do you think these eccentric individuals are? Come on, come on, guess?" She slapped her bony hands on her thigh in anticipation.

Azrael took a deep breath. This was too much information to digest. He never thought about this, ever. Even in his time as a hero, he and his legion regularly visited the Sun temple for blessings before the battle, but he never thought the gods could possess a human body, and that too, using them to get their will. There were instances, but...

"The holy priestess."

A sly smile crept across the Seductress's face, revealing her jagged teeth. "Bingo!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with a twisted delight. "The holy priestess, chosen vessel of the gods. They take residence in mortal bodies, granting them powers and using them as conduits to enforce their dominance over the world."

Azrael's mind raced, connecting the pieces of the puzzle. The revered figures, the wielders of divine magic, the ones believed to be blessed by the gods. They were mere vessels, manipulated and controlled to further the gods' agenda.

"But... but why?" Azrael stammered, his voice filled with a mix of confusion and disbelief. "Why would the gods go to such lengths? Are they not powerful enough on their own?"

The Seductress chuckled, her voice dripping with mockery. "Power, child, is a fickle thing. The gods crave worship, adoration, and obedience. They feed on the devotion of mortals, their belief and prayers sustaining their very existence. And what better way to secure that power than by inhabiting mortal vessels, exerting their influence, and manipulating the course of events?"

Azrael's mind whirled, struggling to comprehend the magnitude of what he had learned. The gods he had revered, the ones he had turned to for guidance and strength, were not benevolent beings but cunning manipulators, using mortals as pawns in their grand design.

"And what of the priestesses?" he asked, his voice tinged with a mix of curiosity and trepidation. "Do they willingly offer themselves as vessels for the gods?"

The Seductress's smile twisted into a sinister grin. "Oh, child, the priestesses are carefully chosen and groomed from a young age, indoctrinated into the belief that serving the gods is their ultimate purpose. They are bound by duty, tradition, and the promise of divine favor. But little do they know, they are mere vessels, vessels to be discarded once their purpose is served."

In the midst of the revelation and his contemplation, Azrael saw Marcus standing from where he was down. Azrael's eyes widened. He wanted to know more. He wanted to know more about the truth, and this creature was going to tell him everything but...

He saw Marcus hurling a little glass bottle at her, a bottle with a plain design and a wooden cork screwing it tight.