Chapter 954: “-I feel stupid for it,”


    “Bad, very bad.”


    Cold and harsh alters into scorching hot. Two suns burn over a light purple and pink horizon. The color of death washes soil damp. A continental-sized mass raises from nowhere – blocking the suns’ gentle shimmer. Inky ck mountains, ckerndscape, and vague outlines of fauna and flora. The supercontinent Draeb, named after the world – views itself be braced by another supercontinent, and known as Tite. Division of Eipea, Aapith, and the independent faction of mankind, epassing kingdoms and races not allied to either God or demon faction, are thrown into a war. Perpetual in fighting, demons killing humans, angels killing demons, demons attacking gods, the cycle of death and revenge never ends. Draeb’s core soaked her body and will traumatized – the sheer amount of raw energy within her solemn woeful silence is palpable. The ground shakes, houses break, and people die, such as the way the world scurries. On a date not confined to reality – a titan god makes his way from Tite to a detached piece ofnd located a few nautical miles southwest of Draeb. A visiting demon finds the world turned upside – on their casual hunt of human prey, a bigger monster raises from the ocean, the hair doused and thickened by salty water, the face betting one of the ancient gods. He marches as the sunlight reflects against the skin – he reaches to the side; a trident erupts from the sand and lunges at said demon. The only sound was an echo and a milder thud. They looked, afraid to breathe, and saw the unspeakable – a beheaded immortal. The headless body dropped onto its knee – the titan approached, took the dead by its arm, and ate, relishing each bite. Louder motion filled the seaside – soon, numerous others made their presence known – ythings left behind by the deceased were allowed to run. Thus marked the arrival of titans – establishing their stronghold right there at Etiem’s castle. Battle was upon Draeb again, never-ending sufferance.


    The lips unlocked; Lilith licked hers yfully whilst Igna kept a straight face. A break in the office’s silence forced him to lean and check, the door was open, and in the doorway stood a familiar figure, “-master...” narrowed éir, “-are you done?” the charming queen of demons rolled her head to catch a vague glimpse, “-ah, éir, d you’re here too. Kindly close the door, I have a business to attend,” her free and gentle motions snapped at Igna, her body and mind wanting more, “-don’t we?” she grinned.


    “We don’t,” said Igna, “-close the door and wait outside, I’ll be there in a minute.”


    “Understood,” locks clicked reluctantly, leaving a sour taste in Lilith’s sweet mouth.


    “Sure you don’t want more?” she offered, “-I mean, you do know my name, don’t you?” her index contoured his visage again.


    “I’m ttered,” he caught her wrist and gently tugged, “-I truly am,” he returned a somewhat flushed expression, “-if we continue, I might not be able to control my desires.”


    .....


    “Fine,” she rose from the very intimate straddle, flinging her long leg over his head to his right, she stood strongly facing the side, “-you understand, yes?”


    “I do,” he followed her lead and stood, “-the memories, they’re from?”


    “One of the ythings the titans hunted. The human held a contract with one of my demons, once he passed, I imed the soul and ta-dah, an inside narration of what happened.”


    “To be honest,” they walked over to a less formal couch and sat, “-Titan’s numbers are low. I doubt they can-”


    “See, you understand now,” smirked Lilith, “-Castletown Etiem, a breeding ground for the titans.”


    “Subjugate and procreate, how unsavvy.”


    “Survival instinct,” she said, “-anyway, how’s this world – I sense arge number of tortured souls.”


    “Those are my enemies. Right,dy Lilith,” the tone firmed, “-if it’s not too difficult,” he extended a hand, “-would thee like to go home?”


    “Together?”


    “Yes.”


    Twirl of the finger, words not to linger, Igna conjured a portal. Both stepped into a different atmosphere, a wave of peaceful mundane activities drowns the watcher, ‘-what is this?’ they stood at the town square where a giant fountain held the sculpture of the four guardian generals. Passersby waved, “-hellody Lilith,” they smiled, “-how’s it going,” others added, “-good to see you,”mented more. A humble crowd gathered, men swooned by her beauty, and women respectfully gave their greetings.


    “Now, now,” said Lilith casually, “-I’m here on business,” she winked, “-let’s partyter.”


    “Yes ma’am,” thundered – hermand dissolved and many other bystanders chose silence. Queen of demon swiftly grabbed Igna’s hand and stormed onward. Before he realized – lost in her casual conversations andughter, they were inside the castle, standing inside a warm study. A grand piano in the corner faced a curved window, bookshelves carrying ancient texts from the Hall of Rebirth,vish carpet on which stood costly furniture, “-holy,” slipped, “-I’m a king and even we don’t have such luxury.”


    “Happens,” she settled at a forward-facing couch, directly opposite Igna. Heavier presences arrived and tapped. Intherna, Miira, and Gophy entered nonchntly, each taking seats at their usual ce, a simple gesture closed the curtains.


    ‘Powerful,’ he observed, ‘-every time I return, their strengths increase ten-fold, how powerful can thesedies get. If we were to go all out, I’d lose, regardless of being me, holder of power symbols. I doubt my other personas make a difference. Is this what it’s like to sit before all-powerful goddesses?’


    Miira’s golden hair was tied traditionally, her outfit being a mixture of military and royalty. Thereid a certain glow to her, and not only her, a nce at Gophy told of a stronger untamed aura. Her ck nails and emphasis on darker colors stood against her paler skin, not to mention her deep pupils. Intherna didn’t quite glow, she felt friendlier, a more weing presence – though her fits put Gophy’s to shame. Quieter they are, the stronger the outbursts. She watched attentively, her fiery red hair waved, andstly Lilith, her outfit all but stole the show when in public, a low-cut dress, stockings, and heels – nothing extravagant with the clothes, all the work was done by her figure.


    “Hello, Igna,” said Intherna.


    “Hello,” he replied and quickly snapped, “-pardon me, I was dumbfounded at how much my goddesses have changed. It’s amazing,dy Miira,dy Gophy, there’s an unshakable glow to your auras, did something happen?”


    “Noticed, ey?” Gophy said in a rhetorical inquisitive tone.


    “We’ve surpassed the rank of a supreme god,” affirmed a bold Miira. Igna took the news with a grain of salt, she noticed the cue and followed, “-the title is bold, yet, I’m sure, no, certain, I’m certain we’ve met the requirement to be crowned as supreme god. Well, what’s a title without purpose,” she looked at Lilith, “-I see Igna bears your lipstick.” Right she was, her luscious lip marks stamped Igna’s cheeks and left a bit over his upper lip, “-seems you two get along well.” A strange wind blew from Gophy and Intherna. The former rose her hand and looked at Lilith, “-did we or did we not agree?”


    “My apologies,” inferred Igna, “dy Lilith did so for an exchange of intel,” calmness deted the room, “-which is why I’m here,” he nced them one at a time, “-goddesses, Draeb’s in danger. I don’t have much information on the matter save whatdy Lilith gave,” thus reports materialized from nothingness, all took a brief look and frowned, “-Titans...”


    “Lady Miira, please tell us more about the nature of titans?”


    “Titans are demons and gods; they don’t adhere to right and wrong. Simr to gods, rules do not apply to their actions. One key difference is motive, Titans are equal if not more powerful than gods, they have the ability to absorb their enemy’s power. Tis the reason many bear children and eat them afterward – the more powerful the offspring, the stronger the deity, a loop of never-ending growth. Kronos, during his rule as supreme god fought the titans in thepany of gods and demons alike – they fought amon enemy and established the right of the domain known today. Powerful gods have their world to rule and protect, this came about to discourage uprising and infighting, doesn’t concern us at the moment. Not much is known about the titans, Lord Death, Kronos, and Scifer have waged and were waging war against them until recently. Lord Death won the battle, and disappeared – Undrar took the mantle of Death and has continued her master’s efforts.”


    “How does it concern us?” inquired a rather unimpressed Gophy, “-titans, gods, demons, we live above the rest of them. Shadow Realm’s far stronger than anything known to thebined realms. We should abstain...”


    “Gophy,” nced Igna, “-your fingers,” he pointed, “-it taps. d to see tells haven’t changed,” he smiled, “dy Gophy is correct, we don’t have to do anything, yet,” he scanned, “-what’s the point of leaving behind Draeb. Perhaps I’m stupid, Draeb allowed me to meet Intherna and éir – tis the ex-supreme god’s realm with three factions.”


    “So?” narrowed Intherna, “-what then?”


    “Only if my goddesses wish, let the Shadow Realm be known. Aapith Nation and the Eipea, especially thetter, are in disarray. Zeus,” he looked at Gophy, “-don’t you want to backhand the thunder god? We’re strong, there’s no argument against our strength. Without reference, who knows how we stack.”


    “Igna,” narrowed Lilith, “-no more beating around the bush.”


    He sighed, “-I want... I want,” he paused and inhaled, “-I want my goddesses to be known across the multiverse!”


    “What?” they shot back, “-what are you on about?”


    “It’s frustrating,” he gritted, “-I feel stupid for it, I talk a big game – I’m honored to have such strong goddesses on my side... still, whenever a problem arises, I choose to disregard the offer for help. It feels disrespectful, so for that reason alone, I want to see the Shadow Realm step into anew age, one where we strive to be the strongest. Somethingdy Lilith said, ‘let the Shadow Realm be a haven for those willing to escape,’ heaven and hell are ruined. The closest thing to heaven I know is us. I saw Athena change, Raphael, my children, everyone who entered our realm, and even the monsters – everyone’s changed for the better. By better, I don’t mean flowers and sweets, I mean stronger and resolute. Maybe it’s me, or part of who I am, I want to stick it to Zeus and the Aapith Nation, take back what is rightfully mine, and give the fucker a backhand to hell!”


    “Language,” retorted Miira, and the collective room brightened. Giant smiles permeated their faces, “-I’m sorry,” interjected Lilith, “-they know about Draeb, we talked and agreed before I arrived.”


    “We gambled,” continued Gophy, “-to see what choice thee’d make.”


    “And when asked to choose a side,” resumed Intherna.


    “We all picked the same side,” finished Miira. They shuffled to his couch and gave a warm group embrace, “-don’t put yourself down,” whispered Miira, “-we know you better than you do.”


    “Trust us,” said Intherna.


    “You’re lucky,” side-nced Gophy.


    A peck caught his attention, Lilith winked and he exhaled, “-very lucky.” Quick on his feet, “-mydy goddesses, Draeb’s our next target. Knowing my strength, I won’t help much in the battle, my duties call home. I selfishly ask for help in the conquest of Draeb.”


    “We know,” they smiled, “-let’s stick it to Zeus!”


    ‘It’s here,’ he dropped onto a vacant seat, a few minutes that felt like hours passed, ‘-Shadow Realm’s rebuttal against the Eipea and Aapith nation.’


    Cora, Kaleem, and Yuria were called to action; a one-way portal manifested into the war-torn domain. The generals watched.


    ‘You’ll pay,’ went across Miira’s mind, ‘-for the death of my master and Scifer, you’ll pay...’


    ‘For the humiliation,’ gritted Gophy, ‘-treating me like a ything, only noticing my presence when I was needed. Screw you...’


    ‘To avenge the death of Staxius,’ breathed Intherna, ‘-this story doesn’t end so soon.’


    ‘Betrayal,’ sniffled Lilith, ‘-help ising, my children, help ising