A woman sat leaning against the wall, her back pressed tightly to the cold stone. She stared up at the sky with dull, dreadful eyes. Her expression looked pale, hollow, and completely soulless, as if sothing inside her had already broken.
"What are you thinking?"
She turned her head stiffly, almost in a robotic motion. Her gaze landed on a blonde-haired girl with blue eyes standing nearby.
For a mont, she only stared at her, unsure of what to say.
Ariana walked toward the balcony and rested her folded arms on the railing. She looked out at the sky calmly, then spoke again.
"You feel betrayed and lost, right?"
Seraphina felt her voice get stuck in her throat. Her lips trembled, but no sound ca out.
She slowly curled herself inward and hugged her knees tightly to her chest.
"Why?"
That was the only word she could force out.
"Why would they do this?"
Ariana did not answer imdiately. She stared ahead for a long mont before speaking.
"It's because they needed to survive."
Seraphina raised her head slightly, confusion flickering in her eyes.
Ariana understood the ga well.In the end, everything ca down to the sa thing.
Survival.
"If no one worships a god, they fade into obscurity," Ariana continued. "Their power weakens and their influence disappears. And eventually, they beco nothing."
"What do you an… survival?" Seraphina asked quietly, lifting her eyes.
Ariana explained more, her words calm but beca heavy. As she spoke, Seraphina's eyes widened, as if she was being forced to look at a completely different world.
"I understand all that," Seraphina said after a mont. "But still, why can't they just do good work and spread their na? Won't people praise them then? Won't that also spread their influence?"
"You're right about that," Ariana nodded.
She had once thought the sa.
"But think about it," Ariana said softly. "If the Church helps everyone without conditions, if there is no war, no suffering, no grief, and no pain, then who would seek the help of gods?"
Seraphina froze.
Her lips parted as if she wanted to say, 'You're joking, right?'
But the words never ca.The realization hit her like a cold wave, sending a shiver through her body.
"I… I understand…" she whispered, lowering her head.
She stayed silent for a few seconds, then looked up again.
"You talk like you've experienced this yourself."
Ariana smiled faintly.
"Have I?"
She paused, then added quietly, "I think it's the result of staying with Lord Kael."
"Lord Kael?"
"I don't know what's wrong with him," Ariana continued. "Most of the ti, he acts like a silly child with sothing cracked in his head. He's unpredictable, annoying, and bitchy. But sotis, when he gets serious, looking into his eyes feels like looking at a broken person."
Seraphina stared at her, confused.
"Did he suffer a lot?"
Ariana closed her eyes for a few monts.
She knew parts of his past. She also knew pieces of what was yet to co.
Still, she felt his pain did not co from those things alone.
There was sothing deeper. Sothing hidden.
Sothing that made him different.
She could not explain it.
"Yes," Ariana finally said. "He suffered a lot. But still…"
She looked up at the sky filled with countless stars.
"I pray for his happiness."
Seraphina pressed her hands together gently.
"I think… everything will be fine now."
The two won looked at each other, a fragile hope forming between them. They silently prayed for better days ahead, unaware that a dark shadow lingered not far from the walls.
A man leaned against the outer wall, taking a slow puff from his cigar. The gentle wind brushed past him.
"Haaa… such scenes really are filled with happiness."
He flicked the cigar away, and his figure disappeared into the darkness.
..................
Kael sank into the warm pool, letting the heat seep into his skin. The water fizzed softly around him, releasing tiny bubbles that clung to his body before bursting. The pool was prepared using special particles he had stolen from the Church of the God of War. Those particles were ant for body refinent, rare and valuable.
At present, he did not have enough sources to devour. As for the corpse of that pigeon bitch, using it now would allow him to jump straight to SSS rank. But that would be a waste.
Reaching Demi-God from SSS rank was extrely difficult. That was why there were so many SSS rankers in the world but so few Demi-Gods. If he reached SSS rank first and then used those corpses, he could jump directly to Demi-God in one clean sweep.
Now that he was heading to the Eastern region, he could only hope to find enough food to grow stronger.
As these thoughts passed through his mind, the pores all over his body slowly opened.
Dense mana churned around him like a storm. The water trembled, and thick veins bulged across his skin. His muscles tightened, and his bones felt like they were being hamred from the inside.
A sharp, burning pain spread through his body.
"Hiss… this really feels weird."
It felt like thousands of needles were being pushed into his pores. After that, it felt as if tiny insects crawled into those wounds, wriggling and biting from the inside.
The pain was terrifying, but Kael could endure it.
What truly annoyed him was the itch.
"No wonder those masochists love this…" Kael clicked his tongue. "I wonder how Ariana survived this."
He gritted his teeth as the sensation intensified.
"Damn, for a young girl, she had quite the tolerance."
Monts later, Kael stood up from the pool. Steam rose from his body, and his skin glowed red as if heated tal. He wrapped a bathrobe around himself and glanced down at his body.
"I know this will make my body harder, but I hope it doesn't destroy my aesthetics."
As he walked out, Lyria was standing nearby. She stepped forward and gently wiped his damp hair with a towel.
On the table beside them was his favorite tea and a plate of snacks.
What Kael loved most about this second life was food.
Yes, food.
Many people thought he was overreacting, but after surviving on dried roots and disgusting raw flesh,and drinking blood how could anyone look down on this heavenly taste?
"You seem to have beco a proper maid," Kael said casually as he sat down.
Lyria's hands paused. She looked at him.
"You don't like it?"
"When did I say that?" Kael replied. "I was just praising you. You seem to be working harder."
He took a sip of coffee, then suddenly froze.
"Thanks!"
"…?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)