Leo poured every ounce of his focus into his domain. Both girls were here, standing before his throne, yet they couldn't see one another. With his control nearly absolute, arranging such illusions, or concealing reality, was effortless.
Now was the moment to become the Creator.
…
Briva stood before the throne, her hands trembling. Red and white fog coiled around it like living smoke, hiding whatever sat upon it. The air felt heavy, pressing down on her chest. She waited, one breath, then another, before a voice broke the silence.
It was ethereal and absolute, echoing from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"Your prayer has reached the heights beyond the veil, and so have you. Speak, mortal. Why have you come here?"
Briva swallowed hard, her throat dry. "I… I'm here to pledge my loyalty."
Silence followed, deep and endless. Then, from the mist, a parchment and quill appeared, floating in the air before her.
"Bind your name to mine. No other god shall you call upon, nor kneel before any altar but mine. Should you break this covenant, the white fire will claim you, body and soul, and your name will be erased from existence."
Her fingers hesitated only a moment before she grasped the quill. The ink shimmered like molten gold as she wrote her name.
The instant she finished, pain struck like lightning. Briva collapsed, her scream tearing through the silence of the domain.
…
Elna's eyes stayed fixed on the red-and-white fog swirling before her. The energy in the air pressed against her chest, heavy and alive, like standing at the edge of a storm she couldn't escape. She had never felt anything like this, both beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
A figure moved through the mist, each step parting it slowly and deliberately. As the fog cleared, his face came into view, and her eyes widened, heart thudding.
"Leo?"
He gave a small, calm smile, steady and reassuring. "I told you I could only show you."
"You're… the Creator?" she whispered, disbelief mingling with awe.
"This is a truth I wanted only you to know," he said, his voice quiet but carrying weight.
Her mind raced. "Then…" she started, but the words stuck in her throat. How could she even begin to ask what this meant?
"Walk with me," he said, holding out his hand. "I'll tell you what I can."
She hesitated for a heartbeat, feeling a strange pull of fear and curiosity, then nodded and followed him down the wide stone steps.
"This place once belonged to a forgotten god," Leo said quietly as they walked. "I won't speak her name, but she believed I could save this world. Since then, I've tried to do everything I could to make that possible."
They entered the gardens. The colors were more vivid than anything she had seen, the air thick with the scent of flowers, alive with a quiet hum that seemed almost sentient. In the center, a young woman sat among the blooms, smiling gently at them, as if she were the calm heart of the world itself.
"Is she…?" Elna asked, breathless.
"Yes," Leo said softly. "The Goddess of Nature, or at least a part of her. I also have the support of the Goddess of the Moon."
Elna's gaze returned to him, worry mingling in her eyes. "Do you have to carry all of this alone?"
"If I don't," he said, taking her hands in his, warmth radiating from his touch, "the world will fall. To save you, and everyone I love, I have no choice."
She felt the weight of his words, the strength and resolve behind them, and a quiet determination settled in her chest. She squeezed his hands back, silently promising herself that she would stand by him, no matter what came next.
After a while, they returned to the throne hall. A parchment appeared before Leo, materializing in a shimmer of light. He took it and handed it to Elna along with a pen.
"Unfortunately," he said, his tone steady but regretful, "there's no other way for me to give you this power."
Elna looked at the parchment, uncertainty flickering in her eyes. "I'm already a vampire. Wouldn't that cause a problem?"
"I've tested it more times than I can count," Leo replied. "But to be absolutely sure, I asked for help."
"From who?"
Before he could answer, soft light gathered nearby. Ilandra appeared, gliding toward them with an easy smile, her presence warm and serene.
"She is the Goddess of Nature," Leo said, gesturing toward her. "The greatest healer in the world."
Elna turned to her, tense but curious.
"Don't worry, little one," Ilandra said gently, her voice like the rustle of leaves in a calm breeze. "I won't let anything happen to you."
Elna nodded and took the parchment. After a moment's hesitation, she signed her name.
Pain struck almost instantly, sharp, deep, and consuming. Her breath caught as her knees weakened, but before she could fall, a sphere of soft green light formed around her. Thin, glowing branches spread across its surface like living veins.
Ilandra's spell.
The pain faded to a dull throb, then to warmth. Elna could feel her body shifting, her blood stirring with unfamiliar energy. Her silver hair brightened, glowing faintly, strands catching the light like threads of moonlight. She could sense something within her changing, her vampire nature evolving, becoming something new.
…
Leo watched Elna closely, his hands tightening on the arms of his throne as he sat down. At first, worry gnawed at him, he feared she might scream like the others who had taken the pledge. But when she didn't, when she stayed silent despite the pain twisting her face, he exhaled in quiet relief.
After several long minutes, Elna finally lifted her head. Leo froze. Her eyes, once blue, had turned a deep, glowing crimson.
Even he only took that form when he summoned his domain.
"How do you feel?" he asked, his voice calm but edged with concern.
Elna blinked a few times, her expression dazed as she looked around, as if her vision had sharpened beyond what it once was. "I can feel my power, it's stronger than before. And… the hunger, it's gone." Her voice trembled. "It's like…" She paused, and a tear slid down her cheek. "It's like the darkness inside me is finally gone."
Ilandra smiled gently, the glow around her dimming. "Now that it's done, I'll leave the rest to you."
Leo nodded, relief softening his face. "Thank you."
As Ilandra's light faded, his expression shifted again, the ease replaced by thoughtfulness.
"What is it?" Elna asked quietly.
"I was thinking of doing the same thing with Luciana," Leo said.
Elna's brow furrowed. "Why?"
"My plan was to kill her after we dealt with her family," Leo said slowly. "She has murdered, hundreds, maybe thousands. But if I can change her, maybe that doesn't have to be the end for her." He looked at Elna, searching her eyes. "What do you think?"
Elna thought for a moment, then nodded. "It's worth trying. If it worked for me, it could work for her too."
Leo nodded again, his jaw set. "Then I'll do it. Also… it's better if you don't attend the gathering for now. Liam will be there, and if he sees you alive, he'll start putting the pieces together. It wouldn't take long for him to realize I'm alive too."
"They still don't know?" Elna asked, surprised.
"The Pope did the same for you as he did for me," Leo said. "But he's been gone for a long time now. Captain Edmond and the others who know kept it secret, for their own safety. I'll tell Liam soon, but not yet."
Elna nodded slowly. She understood, Leo always had a reason, even if he didn't share it right away.
"When do you plan to bring Luciana here?" she asked.
"I don't know yet," Leo admitted. "When the time feels right."
They stayed together a while longer before Leo brought her back from his domain, the glow around them fading as he turned his mind toward the gathering that awaited him.
…
Like Elna, Leo had decided that Briva would join the gathering later. For now, only the old members sat around the stone table.
"In a week, we begin our attack on the vampires," Leo said, his voice carrying easily through the chamber.
Liam leaned forward, his expression serious. "Are you really ready to face more than one S-rank?"
"We're as ready as we can be," Leo replied. "And two of them are barely S-ranks to begin with. What I'm more concerned about is the war." His gaze shifted to Marco. "Any news?"
Marco exhaled, rubbing his temples before speaking. "I've heard rumors that the orc numbers keep rising. The Kingdom of Magic has committed nearly all its forces to stop them. Even the weakest orcs are now said to fight at C-rank strength."
Leo's brow furrowed. "And the civil war?"
"With the prince away, Count Errenor is pressing hard," Marco said. "There was a battle near one of the border castles, he took it. It's only a matter of time before the fighting reaches this region."
"Then you'll need to grow stronger before that happens," Leo said. He turned toward Liam. "What about the eastern front?"
"The Kingdom of Light can hold off the northern armies," Liam said. "But whenever the prince joins the battlefield himself, we lose. Every time."
Arthur looked puzzled. "Why? Isn't Timon Warns still commanding their defense?"
"He is," Liam replied, shaking his head. "But the prince… he's a cunning bastard. He doesn't fight like a noble. He fights to win."
Leo sighed, the weight of the world pressing on his shoulders again. "We've done a lot in the Shadowlands already, cleansed plenty of cities and gathered more of Ilandra's orbs. With Lucius gone and another orb secured, we can divide our forces and finally help the outer regions."
Arthur frowned slightly. "Divide? You've been planning that for a while, haven't you?"
Leo nodded. "Yes. If we truly want to serve the Creator, we have to be everywhere. The war won't wait for us to catch up."
The room fell silent for a moment. Then, as one, the group placed their fists over their hearts and bowed their heads in quiet respect. The gesture was brief, but it carried the weight of loyalty.
Afterward, they spoke a little longer, discussing Marco's progress and Liam's plan before the meeting finally ended.
…
With everything else settled, Leo finally had a moment to examine the scroll he'd received from Future City. He sat upon his throne, the familiar red-and-white fog curling around him like a living cloak.
Before opening it, he focused his domain, casting several layers of examination to ensure it was safe. The scroll resisted slightly, its surface shimmering with faint blue symbols that pulsed like a heartbeat.
After several minutes, satisfied that it held no immediate threat, he unrolled it.
Lines and circles of magic covered the parchment, constantly shifting, alive. Symbols rearranged themselves before his eyes, forming and dissolving faster than he could follow. Even with all his knowledge, the structure was beyond his understanding.
"What is this…?" he muttered.
As he leaned closer, a sudden surge of blue light burst from the scroll. It wrapped around his arm like a chain of lightning. Startled, Leo dropped the scroll, but the light clung to him, pulsing violently.
He tried to suppress it, but before he could react, the light crawled up his arm and shot into his head.
Leo's vision went white. Agony tore through his skull as if his mind were splitting open. He gasped, clutching his head, while streams of alien knowledge flooded into him, spells, runes, circles of magic far beyond his comprehension. Whispered voices filled his ears, echoing like a thousand murmurs in a language he barely recognized.
Blood trickled from his eyes and ears.
Down in the gardens, Ilandra looked toward the throne hall, her expression tightening with concern.
Above, the air itself began to tremble. Unseen presences pressed against the edges of Leo's domain, watchers drawn from the far reaches of Ethereon by the forbidden knowledge now taking root in his mind.
Leo clenched his teeth and summoned his power. The bells of his domain began to toll, deep and resonant. Fog burst outward, swallowing the hall in red and white light. His hair turned snow-white, his eyes burned crimson.
He raised his gaze toward the blinding white sky. "Get out of my domain."
His voice reverberated like a divine command.
The fog shuddered, then roared outward. The murmurs faded, retreating into silence. The pressure vanished.
Leo collapsed to his knees, panting, the power receding. Slowly, his hair and eyes returned to normal. For a long moment, he sat motionless, forcing his breathing to steady.
If he hadn't reached his current level of power, he realized, the scroll would have killed him instantly.
"Damn that mad scientist…" he whispered, wiping the blood from his chin.
He reached toward the air, and instinct, no, new understanding, guided his hand. His fingers moved on their own, tracing glowing sigils. Circles of magic formed one by one, complex and perfect, interlocking like pieces of a grand design.
When the final glyph clicked into place, Leo looked upon the spell he had drawn, and smiled.
He had finally taken the first real step toward becoming the true Creator.