This was the life of Lilith Astranova. This was the place where she had gained the favor of the unknown god.
Damon took a step, reaching the top of the temple entrance. When he looked at the other side, he narrowed his eyes as a soft scent of gardenias brushed past his nose.
However, this was not Lilith’s scent. No, this ca from a field of gardenias that seed to grow and bloom perpetually on the other side of the temple.
Lilith didn’t go into the temple. Instead, she walked to the field of white, descending down the steps at the far end until she reached the flowers that carried the sa fragrance as her.
"I know it’s a foolish thing to say..."
Damon narrowed his eyes.
"What would that be..."
Lilith took a deep breath.
"When I ntioned coming to this temple, I had done so in hopes of making a wish rather than finding actual clues."
Damon had heard her story. She had told him all she knew and what she had pieced together.
Lilith had been fine that day. The Templars had all disappeared. There was no trace of them. When she had used her artifact to call her grandmother, all they found was Ishana’s corpse on a bed of white flowers, untainted by any impurity.
The temple had sent well-wishers of course, but the truth was those people were actually there to uncover Ishana’s demonic origins.
They had found none. All they found was a beautiful and pure woman.
Lilith still rembered her father’s expression when he discovered Ishana was gone. At first, he had been struck with grief, but then his sorrow turned into rage.
In the end, however, he did not aggressively attack the temple, at least not openly. Instead, he severed their influence on his domain almost completely.
That had been his plan all along. After all, what else would provoke the temple into attacking a duke’s daughter, even if they had suspected demonic presence around her?
But this was not what Lilith was talking about. Damon understood her well enough.
"You an your sacrifice... you regret what you asked for..."
Lilith closed her eyes. In the end, the unknown god was still a demon. Why else would he focus on her words rather than what was truly best for her? Or rather, as he would put it, this was her choice.
"No wonder you didn’t want to tell about it... this is your sha... isn’t it..."
Damon was soone who knew of tact but was never a decent enough man to use it.
Lilith had told him about this. The least he could do was not say sothing that made her heart feel like it was being cut into a million pieces.
"Kind of a bit shallow to bla the unknown god, you know..."
Lilith nodded, biting her lips.
"I don’t... I wish I could, but I don’t..."
She chuckled lightly, though her heart still felt heavy from loss even after all these years.
"I guess this is why the unknown god denounces fate and calls it choice... if we bla fate for everything, that just makes us weak. It’s the excuse of those who are content with accepting the outco. Predestination is not a lie... because you decided the outco."
Damon’s eyes flickered.
"Good. Then stop blaming yourself for praying for the Templars’ deaths instead of wishing for Ishana to live..."
His eyes lowered slightly. Having done things he regretted, he knew exactly how she felt.
"What happened has happened. You cannot change it. All you can do is move forward."
Lilith glanced up at the stars with a wistful expression.
"I know... I still can’t help but wonder what could have been had I asked for sothing else..."
Damon glanced at the temple entrance.
"Do you still want to ask..."
She smiled, shaking her head.
"No... it was my choice. I wouldn’t be answered anyway... my god has a new favorite punching bag..."
Damon winced when he heard that.
"I thought your power ca at a price too. I think you already paid it in full..."
Lilith nodded, feeling a little better.
"And you’re paying for yours in installnts... the interest rates are looking diabolical..."
Pulling his hand gently, she glanced at his face. With a soft tug, she pulled him into a kiss.
Damon held her in his arms until her lips parted from his own. Her eyes had a gentle glisten in them.
"That’s... erm... my way of saying thanks..."
He shook his head with a small smile.
"I hope you find more reasons to be grateful in the future..."
She smiled at him warmly.
"I certainly will..."
With a faint blush on her cheeks, she ascended the steps behind him, walking slowly to the top of the temple entrance.
Damon took a deep breath. When she reached the top, he took a single step, teleporting behind her in silence.
Lilith took the lead, entering the temple. As she did, her back began to glow.
It took Damon a mont to realize that it was her stigmata reacting to the temple itself.
"Your back... it’s glowing..."
Lilith turned her head, seeing the glow illuminating even through her clothes. The fabric could not conceal its brilliance.
Damon glanced around the temple, searching for the cause of this, but he didn’t see anything.
His gaze turned to the statue of a woman standing opposite the goddess of doom.
"Who is she..." Damon asked reflexively.
Lilith shrugged her shoulders.
"Who knows... maybe one of the mysteries we need to solve."
Damon was a curious man. As the old saying went, curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
The satisfaction of knowing would bring him back.
He crouched at the base of the statue, seeing a few runes etched into the stone.
"Hail Lolth, demon of salvation."
Damon finally understood why she was standing next to the goddess of doom in this temple.
Finding a statue of doom was not difficult. This was the world of Aetherus, and she had been the god who created it.
The unknown god did not have temples that worshiped him. His symbols were usually etched beside the goddess, but never did he have a temple dedicated solely to him.
"Who the hell is this..." Damon muttered.
"That is Lolth, the demon of salvation," Lilith replied.
"I’ll stop you there. You don’t know either." Damon raised his hand, cutting her off.
Lilith giggled lightly. He had her all figured out, huh.
"Fine, you’re right... however, I can make an educated guess..."
She moved toward the temple’s interior.
"This is a true demon king..."
Damon narrowed his eyes with a soft sigh.
"I figured that much..."
Stopping in front of the altar, Lilith gently touched it.
"She’s the antithesis to the goddess. Think about it. The goddess is the goddess of doom. The opposite of doom would be salvation. One is a goddess, the other a demon."
Damon frowned.
"Wouldn’t it make more sense for the goddess to be a goddess of salvation, and the demon to be a demon of doom? I an... a demon is one who has fallen into depravity."
He muttered softly to himself, almost cautious of the goddess’s statue.
"Doom seems pretty depraved to ..."
Lilith didn’t really know either. She truly wished she did. Whatever the connection was between them, it was tied to the unknown god.
"Who even built this temple... this is the first ti I’m hearing anything of Lolth..."
Damon had a few ideas, judging by its age and those who would know anything about cosmic knowledge.
"It could have been Mugu... but I doubt it. I suppose it’s Ashcroft. He would know..."
Lilith glanced at him.
"What about those from other worlds, those who have seen and lived with the gods?"
Damon narrowed his eyes.
"Do you an the outsiders?"
If one of those visitors had created this temple, then it would make sense. Who else would know the na of one of the true demon kings... or why she was even associated with the unknown god?
Doom’s association was simple. She was the bride of the unknown god. That was reason enough.
Lolth was new to him.
He sighed, feeling the beginnings of a headache.
Lilith closed her eyes.
"No matter... we can search for more clues. Anything to aid in destroying the temple..."
Damon nodded, until he felt a small flicker in the shadows.
Seeing his expression, Lilith kept her own expression steady and continued talking.
He wasn’t sure if he had imagined it, but he felt a shadow co into existence with a glimr and disappear as quickly as it appeared.
Urging Lilith to keep speaking, he began thinking about who or what could be inside this temple.
Damon’s heart remained cold and steady. If there was sothing ancient here, escaping would be difficult depending on its rank.
With his luck, he could even imagine the temple secretly being the belly of a beast, forcing them to undertake a horrible trial to escape it.
Even so, he had to know who or what was here. The possibility of it being a human was high, and if it was soone who could talk, it would only lead to troubleso enemies.
Taking a deep breath, he nodded at Lilith. With a single wave of her hand, she sealed the temple with her void magic.
Damon threw his broken sword in the direction he had sensed with all his might.
"Erhm..."
He heard a soft groan as blood sprayed.
The blood flickered as it touched the floor. Space itself seed to ripple, as if it had suddenly rembered that soone was supposed to exist there.
Her soft violet hair glimred in the dim light that seeped through the temple.
Damon’s eyes widened, then narrowed with killing intent.
"Renata... Malcrist."
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