So, she knew. Question was, how did she know?
I wasn't planning on disclosing my true identity until I got some more information about Etheryn. And yet, this high priestess unraveled me within the same hour I first met her.
Was I shaken up? Yeah, a little. I mean, it seemed that she knew more about me than I wanted to admit, so I needed to start asking some serious questions here. But first, I allowed her to talk.
"Grusnabi, as well as many regions in Etheryn, practice in the Path of the Light. We are disciples of one particular goddess, but we have various gods, to which there are six of them: Amossira, the Goddess of Fertility and Creation, Fernessi, the Goddess of Peace and Forgiveness, and Godorion, the God of Wealth, Prosperity and Health."
"I thought you said there were six of them?"
"There are. Then there's Zerdies, the God of Sin, Pethium, the God of Malady and Plague, and Aradamus, the god of death and war. Three gods of the light, and three gods of the dark. All six gods came from different roots of the Tree of Infinity, where it is said all creation originated from."
"It's funny, mom never told me that bedtime story."
"Where are you from, Lucien?"
"Earth."
"You knew of your mother's origins?"
"No, I didn't, actually. Not until I found myself in Etheryn for the first time last night."
Her eyes jumped. "Last night?"
"Yeah. I haven't been here long."
"Then how did you level up in such a short amount of time?"
I sighed. "Long story."
"We have time, Lucien. All the time in the world to get to know each other, as we will be traveling together soon."
I raised my eyebrow at her. "Traveling together?"
"You are the prophecy, the chosen one to restore our world to the flourishing land it once was. These words were spoken to me by your mother, our goddess."
"How did she do that while she was on Earth?"
"I have a spiritual connection with her. It's a very special gift I hold dear. When I connect to the channels of the ley lines from The Infinity Tree, I feel her presence, much like I sensed her lineage through the crystal on your chest," she said, glancing over the rock under my collar bone. "A ley crystal, only capable of being carried by the blood of a god."
I smiled. "So we were destined to meet, huh? Which means that it was destiny that I dropped here."
"She told me to guide you to our new kingdom."
"A tour guide is exactly what I need right now. But if I can be transparent with you too, priestess—"
"Kai," she interjected. "If I am to call you Lucien, you are to call me Kai."
I nodded with a smile. "Kai. I'm still a bit new to all of this. It took me a while to accept that I am a demigod. And honestly, I'm not entirely sure if I really have accepted it. I'm just going with the flow, doing what I have to in a foreign world to survive the best I can. Last night, I was dropped into a forest, met a baby dragon, hunted for food, was hunted as food, and tried to sleep the craziness of all of this away. My codex has its own mission for me too, which coincidentally enough, aligns with this prophecy of my mother. I am to reclaim my kingdom and reach immortality. I see she has bigger plans for me."
"I know all of this is a lot to chew on right now, and I'm here to answer any questions you may have."
"To that, I say I have many. But I'll hold a few for later. I want you to continue with the tale of these deities."
"What would you like to know about them, Lucien?"
"Where did she go?" I asked. "You said that you have a spiritual connection with my mother. Where is she? On Earth, I was forced to believe that she'd died in a car accident. With this side quest of gaining immortality, I don't see that being possible. Which begs the question, where did she go? If she's not on Earth with me, then is she in Etheryn?"
She sulked. "No… she isn't here, either. Ten years ago, my connection with her faded."
Ten years ago… the same time she had that car accident….
"Usually, in our divine pool in our underground temple, I'd be able to channel her essence. I haven't been able to do that since then. And it's not only her; all of our deities have gone missing. Some theorized that they abandoned us and left us to deal with our own problems for reasons unknown. Others believe that the ley lines called them back, but that doesn't explain why I can't feel her presence."
"What do you believe?" I asked.
"I… am unsure. I don't know what to make of this strange absence, but believe it or not, she did warn me. I guess I… was in disbelief. Our titans have also vanished, left without a trace. This happened the same night."
"Titans?"
"Titans are demigods, the offspring of gods, such as yourself. Whether half god or true titans. True Titans call themselves the offspring between two gods, but they are forbidden. There has been an ongoing feud among the Titans, between the pure and the imperfect, the hybrids or half breeds being the latter. Unfortunately, the Titans governed all of Etheryn with their wars and their sovereign order, ruling kingdoms through noble houses where their heirs cannot be touched nor tainted."
"So ten years ago everything went to shit when they mysteriously disappeared?"
"Not entirely. The noble houses now take charge, and without the ongoing feud between the Titans, things have calmed down some. After all, noble houses may be royalty but they are not of godly blood. However, there have been some residual effects of their disappearance, mostly chaotic and destructive."
"You're talking about the island? The Infernal Surge?"
Her eyes grew. "How do you know?"
"The twins told me."
"They gossip too much…." She sighed.
I chuckled. "I was bound to know one way or another, wasn't I? So the gods vanished and left a mess for your village to deal with. And I, standing in as the prophecy, am to restore everything. But why aren't we talking about bringing the gods back?"
"I'm not sure where to even begin with that task. Another issue arises after—if we bring one, we must bring them all."
"Why?"
"Because Lucien, balance. Light and dark. One cannot live without the other."
"So we'd create an imbalance. Isn't there already an imbalance with this Infernal Surge? Nothing was ever balanced once they left. The girls told me the Surge happened soon after."
"This is correct, and because of this lack of balance, we are suffering…."
"Huh… I see what you mean."
Kai nodded solemnly. "It's not an easy task, nor is it a fair one to put all of this on your shoulders. But your mother believed in you, Lucien. She knew that you had the strength and courage to face this challenge. I cannot force you to fulfill your destiny, to force you to accept the title of demigod, or to even protect these people, many of whom you have never even met. But I can and will stand beside you, guiding you through this journey, teaching you the ways of our world and offering wisdom when needed."
Her reassurance was comforting, though only marginally. The burden of responsibility still felt like a heavy cloud. I sat there silently as her words sank in, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts. The prospect was daunting to say the least… to embark on a journey to restore balance in Etheryn, to live up to an expectation that seemed impossible.
Impossible, but doable.
I'd already made up my mind last night, hadn't I? All Kai did here was remind me how important my mission was.
I turned to her, her eyes already begging me. It was a subtle request, the priestess anxiously waiting for my decision. I found myself anchored by her gaze, caught in the depth of her hope and desperation. But before I could give her a solid response, I sensed something around us.
The sensation was troubling enough to get me on my feet. Kai shot up off her seat too, the look on her face asking me the question before she asked, "What's wrong?"
The crystal in my chest was putting off some heat, more than usual. It was nothing like the first time it fused itself with me, but noticeable enough to give it all the attention it wanted. Before I could make any sense of it, a prompt from my codex appeared:
Innate Skill Discovered
[Undead Sense, Level 1]
Detect nearby undead creatures
Undead sense?
There was no time to dissect this new innate skill, because one moment we went from a breakfast for two to a breakfast for three–an uninvited guest suddenly spawned out of a pool of black in the middle of the monastery's backyard.
I took a step back as the amorphic figure of black began to take shape. Limbs stretched, a spine straightened and red eyes glowed as it continued to take its form. Its humanoid form. A large green seven foot bug with thin transparent wings, four arms and a pair of spindly legs popped up, its antennae twitching as it sensed us. A gurgling noise came out from its mandibles, those two pairs of upper jaws grinding together to create that disturbing sound.
I pulled out the only weapon I had, the knife I was rewarded after taking down that saber tooth tiger. It spread out its wings and turned its narrow head to us, the sheen of those large round bug eyes glowing.
Its wings extended and the dark shell on his back bristled, the creature letting out a screeching roar.