Chương 23: When Shadows Kneel

... In the spacious yet nearly empty sitting room of Nerez's manor, one of the few pieces of furniture was a luxurious sofa, where two girls sat with their heads lowered. The same girl with long twintails as red as blood who had occupied that spot before was now accompanied by another young woman whose blond hair took on different tones depending on the light, ranging from a deep gold to an almost white shade. The bright orange eyes of the first and the silver ones of the second remained fixed on the floor.

"Would either of you care to explain why you started fighting right at the entrance to my home?" Nerez asked, arms crossed in front of them.

"The spectacle you put on looked straight out of the apocalypse. What exactly am I supposed to tell the neighborhood association?"

"Neighborhood association...?" Cerys echoed, completely lost.

"In my defense, I think the thousands of skeletons that surrounded us are what made it feel more like it..." Selene pointed out without lifting her gaze.

"And you suddenly appearing out of nowhere among the skeletons to blast us with " Death's Touch" felt pretty unfair too," Cerys shot back.

"I'm the one who had to put up with being stuck in the middle of a pile of skeletons again... just remembering it gives me the creeps," Nerez replied, a shiver running down his spine.

"Besides, I used the weakest version. Not only does it not raise my proficiency, for gods like you it's just momentary pain."

"To begin with, I only came to visit my faction leader. I was the one who got attacked for no reason," Selene remarked, glancing at Cerys out of the corner of her eye.

"No matter whose side she's on, this girl always manages to be a nuisance."

"I dare you to say that one more time," the redhead shot back, rising to her feet.

"Besides, you said I ran away from our last fight when I was only looking for a better opening! You're the one who disappeared when you sensed something in the distance!"

"A nuisance, and a coward who can't accept defeat."

"Those were your last words!" But just as Cerys was about to summon her scythe, another Death's Touch struck the back of her head, and she dropped into a crouch, clutching the spot in pain.

"Auuuugh...! I'm pretty sure that isn't the right way to use that skill!" Nerez stepped toward Selene as well, but she immediately threw both hands up at him.

"Sorry! It was my fault! Just one brush with that skill was more than enough for me, thank you very much..."

"It's not fair. Why only me...?"

"Selene may have started it, but you're the one who wanted to settle it with violence. You need to learn to control yourself. If any enemy can get under your skin badly enough to make you lose yourself in your emotions, you won't last long in a real battle."

"But I've spent hundreds of years on battlefields... they call me the Crimson Calamity..." Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"No excuses."

"..."

"And you, Selene? I assume you didn't come here to tell me you want to live here too."

"Nerez, I may not be one of the three absolute gods like you, but like Helux, who ascended as the god of the sun, I am one of Eryndea's five major gods."

"So you are the goddess of the moon, and Helux is the sun god... all that about the Celestial Conclave being a clan of astral gods wasn't just talk after all."

"Even so, I wouldn't mind it if you set aside one of the buildings on your estate for my visits."

"Not to mention that you already live in this very city... what do you need an entire building for?"

"Haha, don't be silly. What happens if the city ends up in a state of war? I need enough space to accommodate my entire retinue, my wing of your faction, so to speak."

"War... retinue... factions..."

"I actually came for two reasons. The first is your faction's name, which is still up in the air. My followers want it settled once and for all too. By the way, my first choice is Eclipse."

"I'm still not convinced about this whole faction business... Also, that name sounds more like a personal vendetta of yours against Helux."

"You're right," Selene murmured, crossing her arms as she thought.

"I don't want to give him an excuse to come complaining after all the trouble it took me to get away from the clan..."

"If Nerez already lives in Dusk Manor, why not just call it the Dusk Faction?" Cerys suggested, tilting her head.

"I still don't agree with the blonde being part of it, but it fits death and the moon..." Nerez and Selene looked at her in disbelief.

"What?"

"It's nothing," Nerez replied.

"I just didn't think there was anything in your head besides battles."

"To be honest, I didn't think there was anything in there at all," Selene added.

"I'm allowed to be offended now, right?!"

"As for the second matter," Selene continued, ignoring Cerys, "I wanted to give you a summary of the balance of power, since I assume you won't be up to date."

"Fair assumption. Now, if only you also assumed it's because I'm not interested, that would've been even better."

"Speaking of the god of the sun, since his name came up," she continued, now ignoring Nerez as well, "besides Aren, who ascended as the god of war, Helux has brought other gods into his faction, including the goddess of fire and the dragon god."

"So, the god of war... for some reason, that doesn't surprise me. I hope he and Vilkie are doing well."

"The goddess of life moved quickly too. She secured another of the major gods, the god of the earth, who in turn already had the goddess of nature under his control." Selene rose from the sofa and walked over to the window.

"The latter always ends up being chosen by the elves as their patron deity, while they almost always end up at odds with the god of death due to their longevity."

"Why is it already a given that I'm going to make enemies even without doing anything?"

"That's simply the nature of the gods. There's nothing to be done about it."...

"Selene, I understand that you wanted to escape your clan's influence, and that for some strange reason you found me interesting... but if you're that into politics, why not start your own faction or join a more active one, like Lirien's?"

"If I start my own faction, the first thing Helux would do is come after me. And of the three absolute gods, you still seem like the one who would give me the most freedom of action, much more than the goddess of life." Selene turned around and winked at him.

"Of course, the bet was that you'd become an absolute god, and I won."

"... What about the god of time's faction?"

"No one knows what Aion is thinking... And apparently, he doesn't even have a faction."

"I wouldn't have one either if not for a certain someone..."

"Speaking of factions..." Ignoring his remark once again, Selene clapped twice, and a slender young man with hair as black as night rose from her shadow and knelt before Nerez.

"Let me introduce you. This is Belkar."

"Lord Nereziel, it is an honor. I am the patron god of assassins and thieves."... There aren't even any mortals yet, and he's already the patron of something... I suppose it's the same as with the goddess of nature and the elves?

"And what brings such delightful company here...?" But Selene was the one who stepped in, resting a hand on the kneeling man's shoulder as she explained,"I am the goddess of the moon. Night, the realm where those professions thrive, is my domain, though if you had ascended first, he likely would've been one of your servants instead. After all, what would thieves be without the night, or assassins without death?"...