"Are you sure?" Orion asked.
"Yes," Aerialia replied, shaking her head. "However, there were many gods who made it through the gate, so of whom I don't even know about. If she's one of them, it's believable. But I find it odd how she ended up in the pocket dinsion after Naka abandoned it. Could she be one of his experints?" she asked.
Aurora's expression twisted in displeasure at the ntion of that na.
Orion's eyes widened, realizing how he had missed such an important possibility.
It was common knowledge that Naka had experinted on nurous individuals before they began to utilize Vylkr energy more efficiently than others.
However, he couldn't understand why Naka hadn't taken her with him when he left.
Could it be that Naka foresaw she would never beco a true god and deed her an ineffective experint? That seed plausible, considering this was the sa man who had used his race as experints, discarding them after they showed no progress in surpassing a certain limit of strength when utilizing Vylkr energy.
Orion knew Naka's ultimate goal was to break into heaven, still believing it hadn't been destroyed, with the ergence of the 'divine mysteries.' Anything that couldn't cross that barrier was seen as a failure in Naka's eyes.
The only individuals who had the potential to cross that barrier were the 'great gods of humanity,' but they were all Naka's foes.
Orion began to wonder if the madman had once again started working on a 'great god' experint this ti, one that would be fully under his control. His eyes widened as a new thought erged.
The only entities he had encountered that were comparable to gods were the Vylkr spawns. Ever since encountering those divine beings, he had placed them on a pedestal, forgetting that others had already dragged them down.
It would be foolish for him to jump to conclusions without proper evidence of Naka's full forces, strengths, and weaknesses-lest he fall prey to ignorance.
"Zera said she's preparing for us to speak with the goddess directly, so we'll find out who she is sooner or later," Orion said.
"Alright. Keep an eye on that Priestess. I don't trust her either. Before you speak to the goddess directly or receive any inheritance, summon . I want to make sure you're not being deceived. I won't feel comfortable unless I know you're safe, and I have so questions to ask her," Aerialia responded.
They both nodded in understanding.
"I'll leave now so I don't interrupt your bonding session," Aerialia added with a smirk, glancing at Aurora's flushed skin and the soft, breathy sound she made.
She cast a brief look at Orion before disappearing in a stream of light back into the small crimson greatsword sword.
Orion unsummoned the Crimson Greatsword.
As Aerialia vanished, Aurora leaned in and kissed Orion's lips. It was reckless to get intimate with each other and let their guard down where they might be watched, but that didn't an she was unwilling to shower her husband with a bit of affection and receive so in return.
Orion responded to Aurora's advances.
After a few minutes, they pulled back and began discussing their plans moving forward. Morriel soon arrived with an assortnt of dishes, carried on a trolley filled with trays of food.
However, neither Orion nor Aurora was in the mood to eat or sleep, so they decided to take a tour outside.
Morriel arranged for guards to act as their guides and inford Zera a few minutes later.
Three days later
Orion and Aurora spent the last three days touring the area outside Zera's manor.
As they had been inford, no one followed them or kept a watchful eye on their movents.
It almost felt as if they had beco inhabitants of the sanctuary themselves.
This wasn't hard to believe, as the inhabitants of this Mirror Realm were already used to outsiders visiting, staying briefly, and leaving soon after. So had chosen to remain and live out the rest of their days here.
They had learned that this place was simply called 'Sanctuary.'
Orion and Aurora found it a fitting na, considering everything the inhabitants had been through.
The inhabitants, upon discovering that Orion and Aurora had newly arrived from the outside world, were eager to learn more about the current developnts outside.
Orion and Aurora told them about their battle with the Harbingers, alongside the remaining three forces of the sea, and how they had now secured a safer location within their territory.
Many snorted at their words, believing them to be lies. However, after learning that the two were staying in the Priestess's manor, and hearing the news-spread throughout the Sanctuary by the Priestess herself-about the preparation of the goddess's inheritance for them, their doubts were quickly dispelled.
Nevertheless, this caused a ripple effect within the Sanctuary. Hundreds of thousands flocked to see Orion and Aurora when they left the manor on the second day, and over a million ca on the third day.
Because of this, Zera stationed guards to help them navigate through the overwhelming crowds.
Orion and Aurora expected Zera to address the growing agitation within the Sanctuary, which, though generally peaceful, was disrupted by the excitent.
Surprisingly, Zera did nothing and allowed it to continue.
On the fourth day, Zera summoned them, informing them that the necessary preparations had been completed, and they could now speak directly with the goddess.
Without hesitation, Orion and Aurora followed Morriel as she led the way.
They moved from the north wing to the main wing, where Zera resided, arriving within ten
minutes.
Zera stood beside a closed wooden door, gazing at the vast compound before her in a daze. Sensing their arrival, she snapped out of her thoughts and turned to them with a smile.
Morriel bowed and said, "I've brought them, Priestess."
"Good. You can return to your duties; I will handle things from here," Zera replied.
Morriel hesitated briefly but nodded, turned around, and left.
Zera nodded at Orion and Aurora. "I've heard about your actions over the past three days. It seems you've enjoyed entertaining the residents with your stories. Several Arch-Knights and Knights have inford of the challenges in maintaining order and peace when you returned to the manor, all while they were preparing for the divine inheritance," she said with
a smile.
"We apologize. It seems we might have caused you a lot of trouble," Orion said.
"You don't need to. The Sanctuary has beco more invigorated compared to before, so it's a
good thing," Zera replied, shaking her head with a light chuckle.
"I've made all the arrangents so you can speak with the goddess."
"Please follow ," Zera gestured for them to follow as she turned towards the wooden door,
pushed it open, and walked inside.
Orion and Aurora followed behind her.
The door closed behind them.
Inside was a dimly lit hallway leading to another room.
After passing through, they arrived in a chamber illuminated by magical glass torches.
At the far end of the room was a radiant mix of golden and inky black pool, glowing like molten liquid, its unnaturally still surface reflecting no image.
As they paused before it, Orion and Aurora looked on in surprise, sensing the dense divine energy radiating from within.
"Wait here, I will comnce the ritual," Zera said, glancing at Orion and Aurora behind her.
They nodded in response.
Seeing their acknowledgent, Zera refocused on the golden pool, took a deep breath, and
stepped into it.
As she entered the pool, it glowed with an intense golden and inky black hue, illuminating the
entire chamber.
The golden and inky black liquid clung to her feet as she descended, and a web of golden and inky black veins spread from her legs to every part of her body.
Zera let out a gasp but didn't stop. She continued stepping forward as though descending stairs until she was fully subrged in the pool.
After a few monts, the pool began to boil vigorously. Several minutes passed before it stabilized, and ripples began spreading from the centre.
SWOOSSHHH!!
A dense pressure descended upon the chamber, and a figure began to erge from the pool,
rising above it.
Aurora quickly summoned her sceptre, creating a barrier around herself and Orion to shield them from the imnse pressure that made her entire being shudder, her instincts screaming
in fear.
"Are you okay?" Aurora asked, her expression filled with concern.
Orion took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to regain his composure now that the suffocating
pressure had been lifted. His body was drenched in sweat, and his legs trembled from the sheer force that had nearly brought him to his knees.
"I'm... fine now," Orion replied with a nod. He swiftly summoned his morphic puppet,
wrapping it around himself like armour, and then summoned the Crimson Greatsword.
With a flicker of light, Aerialia appeared alongside it. He shortened the length of the greatsword and pressed it against the ground, using it to steady himself.
Aurora exhaled in relief and nodded, then refocused her attention on the figure floating above the golden and inky black pool, her expression turning serious.
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