Follow Me

Soul sat down, folded his arms, and blended into the background as usual.

He was outside the town, at a roadside inn where travelers stopped to rest during long journeys. The morning light caught his tea cup, casting a warm red glow. His breakfast was nearly finished, but he wasn't hungry enough to eat the rest.

Hyun-Ki sat across him, barely touching his food. His stomach was rumbling, but he wasn't eating.

"I can't believe it," Hyun-Ki said. "It must be a lie. Hero-God Take would never – even if it's a demon, he would never touch someone without their consent."

"I saw it with my own eyes, Ki," Nia replied, shaking her head. "I went into her memories. I felt what she felt. It was... bad. Really bad."

"But... so gods just let Take do whatever he wanted? Even Sirenar, the most merc –"

"Yes," Lilith interrupted Hyun-Ki. She was back to her normal form. "He just watched. Did nothing. Laughed in my face… all of them laughed in my face."

The early morning light filtered through the narrow, uneven windows, casting a golden color across the room. Embelwood beams supported the low ceiling, and the walls had each god's hand drawn pictures on them.

The inn's centerpiece was a large stone hearth, where a crackling fire burned in its grate, providing a welcome source of heat against the morning chill. A sturdy oak bar stretched along one wall, with rows of ceramic mugs and bottles lining the shelves behind it.

Heavy wooden tables and chairs filled the central area, some already occupied by early risers sipping on steaming cups of tea or coffee. Most of the patrons were sitting near the fire, the other tables were empty.

"Okay," Ji-Hye looked at the Demon Queen. "Let's say everything you said is true. Then why did you kill the High-Priestess?"

Lilith replied with a cold, steady tone. "Had my reasons. But know that I have no plans to invade this realm. Take and his followers were the ones who attacked our realms first. They somehow became gods and needed constant prayers to maintain their power. So they invaded, kidnapped demons, and forced them to pray nonstop, 24/7. That's how it all started."

"Hero-God invaded first?" Hyun-Ki asked. "But in the books, it says that you were the one invaded first. Trying to take ov –"

"It's a lie." She slammed her hand onto the table and leaned in, her eyes filled with anger. "I'm not interested in opening portals and taking over this cursed place. What I'm after is revenge. Pure and simple."

"I like pure and simple things." Ōkora said with a happy voice. She was wearing a long robe and a hood to conceal her identity. "Like love!"

"Okay, but why?" Ji-Hye asked again, trying to understand. "Why kill the High-Priestess and perform the ritual? Curses are being lifted off because of that!"

"Like I said," Lilith replied, her eyes flicking toward Soul. "I had my reasons."

"Okay, this is... this is too much," Hyun-Ki groaned, dropping his head onto the table. "First the Nethraxes. Then the high elves. Then The Topple. Then the curses. Then Marcy. And now... this."

"Nia," Ji-Hye said, raising an eyebrow, "Can you say with no shadow of a doubt that what you saw was true?"

"Yes, ma'am," Nia replied with certainty. "You can't fake a memory, even if you're a Demon Queen."

"And you knew all of this, Nia, but decided to hide it?

"I…" She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"And you also knew Soul was a blood magic user all along?"

"Yes… I'm sorry."

Ji-Hye sighed, closed her eyes and leaned back, looking at the inn's ceiling.

Ōkora, the Champion of Nierman, settled into her seat. For a split second, she caught Soul's eyes on her legs. She chuckled and then casually adjusted her dress, revealing more of her smooth, radiant skin. They sat next to each other, their feet nearly touching.

Soul averted his eyes from Ōkora's thighs and took a bite of his bread. But, as if his eyes had a mind of their own, they drifted back toward Ōkora's legs. The side of her black panties was visible beneath her dress.

"I need to process this," Ji-Hye said, her voice shaky. "I just... Hero-God – I don't know."

"So what's your plan, Demon Queen?" asked Hyun-Ki, leaning back in his chair. "When you say revenge, do you mean killing all the gods?"

"That's the plan," she replied, crossing her legs. "I'd take any help I can get."

"Help?" Hyun-Ki said with a bitter laugh, his voice edged with anger. "Are you out of your mind, Demon Queen? Without gods, Gum'n – no, the whole world would collapse."

"So you'd rather play the three monkeys than reveal the truth about them? About how they manipulate their champions?"

"Manipulate? We are at peace, Queen," Nia replied, her voice calm. "The gods are acting – I don't know, normal. They're not plotting anything. The only threat Gum'n has faced since your attack on this realm was Sultan Khar's invasion."

"Trust me on this one, Nia," she shot back. "They're hungry for more power. They'd eat each other if it meant they could gain even a sliver of it."

"How would that affect us?" Ji-Hye asked. "They're just dabbling in their own power race. We live in peace. It's as simple as that."

"I've seen some real ugly things in my time," she said, leaning back. "For example – Nierman's old champion, a woman named Kiatra, was supposed to help a village deal with a goblin attack. But when she found out that the village worshipped Sireanar, she just left them to die. Because if they died, Sireanar wouldn't get any devotion, which meant he'd lose power."

"That's not true." Hyun-Ki shook his head, his expression incredulous. "Come on, we're not kindergarten children. Don't try to trick us."

"I saw the champion of Ur, the God of Life and Death, torture a demon. Every time the demon stopped praying to Ur, he'd torture him until he started again. He didn't let him sleep, eat, or even take a piss without invoking his name. It's madness." Lilith took a deep breath. "Take did the same thing to me."

The room fell into an uneasy silence after Lilith's words. Ji-Hye's eyes widened, her earlier scepticism replaced by shock and pity. Soul shut his eyes, quietly listening to the conversation.

"It's too much…" Ji-Hye rubbed her forehead. "Ur blessed me. I'm fucking Ur-blessed… He wouldn't make his champion do something like this."

"It's your choice to believe me, Ji-Hye. I'm not forcing anything on you. All I'm saying is – be careful. The gods you revere so dearly aren't what you think they are."

"So, how can someone kill a god?" Nia asked. "It's... it's impossible, right?"

"It's not impossible," Lilith replied, her voice cool and confident. "The first thing you need to understand is that gods aren't as invincible as they like to think. Sure, they have incredible power, but that power has limits."

Ji-Hye raised an eyebrow. "Limits? What kind of limits?"

"Gods draw their strength from the belief and worship of their followers," Lilith explained. "If you undermine that belief, if you can make people question the gods or even turn against them, you start chipping away at their power. It takes time and effort, but it's possible. When the faith of their worshippers wanes, the gods become weaker, more vulnerable."

Ji-Hye leaned in, intrigued. "So you're saying that if enough people stop believing in a god, it could actually be weakened to the point where it could be killed?"

"That's right," Lilith said. "A god without a champion is weak. And a weak god is easy prey for other gods."

"Let me get this straight." Hyun-Ki scratched his head. "Every time Sirenar chooses someone as his champion, blessing them with his power, you're just going to kill them?"

"Yup."

"Gods – she is crazy." Hyun-Ki said to his sister. "Let's just get out of here, sister. Please."

"What are you thinking, Soul?" Nia turned her attention to him. "You've been quiet."

He shrugged. "Why do you care?"

Ōkora punched Soul in the gut. His eyes widened, his jaw clenched, and he gasped in pain, his breath stolen by the unexpected blow. It was the first time they saw Soul's facial expression change, everyone in the group was taken aback.

"Agh..." He clutched his stomach. "Fuck."

"Sorry, my hand slipped," Ōkora said with a touch of sarcasm. "I just don't tolerate lowlifes, and by lowlifes, I mean men who disrespect women."

"I didn't do anything." His usual dull expression slowly returned. "That was unnecessary."

"I've had enough," Hyun-Ki said as he stood up. "Come on, sister. We should go to Redhaven, right?"

She met his gaze, her eyes steady and unyielding. Without saying a word, Hyun-Ki understood that he should sit back down and keep quiet. He slowly lowered himself back into his seat, clearly unsettled by his sister's silent but piercing look.

"I won't ask for help," said Lilith. "Instead, I'll ask you to do the right thing. But before that, I wanna show you people something."

"Show what?" Nia asked.

"How those degenerate gods gain their powers. Come on, follow me."