The first thing Kael registered was the smell - damp earth and something sweetly rotten, like overripe fruit left to ferment in the sun. His head throbbed in time with his heartbeat as consciousness returned. The last thing he remembered was Lilith's shadows swallowing them whole, Lira's horrified face the final image burned into his mind.
Cold stone pressed against his cheek. Kael pushed himself up on trembling arms, his muscles screaming in protest. The golden energy that had flooded his veins in the village was gone, leaving behind only a hollow ache and a metallic taste on his tongue.
"Awake already? I'm impressed."
Lilith's voice echoed through the cavernous space. Kael blinked as his eyes adjusted to the gloom. They stood in what appeared to be an ancient amphitheater, its curved stone benches rising in concentric circles around a central dais. The ceiling arched high above, lost in shadows so thick they seemed almost liquid. Strange bioluminescent fungi clung to the walls, casting an eerie blue-green glow.
The demon lounged on a raised platform of black marble, her horns gleaming in the faint light. She'd changed again - now clad in a gown that seemed woven from shadows themselves, the fabric shifting and swirling around her like living smoke. In one hand she held a goblet filled with something that shimmered unnaturally.
"Where—" Kael's voice cracked. He swallowed, trying again. "Where are we?"
"The underbelly of your precious Solstice Kingdom." Lilith took a slow sip from her goblet, crimson liquid trailing down her chin. "A place even your beloved Inquisitors fear to tread."
As Kael's vision cleared, he noticed the others. Dozens of figures occupied the stone benches - some humanoid, others decidedly not. A woman with six eyes and spider-like limbs perched in the front row, her many-jointed fingers tapping an impatient rhythm. Beside her slumped a hulking creature covered in what looked like bark, glowing sap oozing from cracks in its skin.
Kael's breath hitched. "What is this place?"
"The Court of Forgotten Deities." Lilith spread her arms wide. "Where the old gods come to die."
A ripple of laughter moved through the assembled creatures. The spider-woman clicked her mandibles together in a sound that might have been amusement.
Kael's legs threatened to give out. He braced himself against the dais, his fingers brushing against carvings in the stone - ancient symbols that made his head pound when he looked at them too long. "Why did you bring me here?"
Lilith's smile showed too many teeth. "Because, little thief, you're the guest of honor."
She snapped her fingers. The shadows at the edges of the amphitheater stirred, resolving into figures bearing platters heaped with food that looked almost normal - until Kael noticed the faint pulsing of the meats, the way the fruits seemed to breathe.
"Eat," Lilith commanded. "You'll need your strength."
Kael's stomach turned. "I'm not hungry."
"Liar." The demon was suddenly before him, her claw tracing the hollow of his throat. "I can hear your stomach gnawing at itself. That power you stole doesn't come without cost."
As if on cue, a wave of dizziness washed over Kael. His vision swam, the edges going dark. He remembered the feeling of draining the Inquisitors, the rush of stolen emotions flooding his system. Now that high had faded, leaving only bone-deep exhaustion.
Lilith pressed a goblet into his hands. The liquid inside swirled with golden flecks that moved against the current. "Drink. Before you collapse."
The scent hit him first - honey and copper and something indefinably tempting. Kael's body moved before his mind could protest. The liquid burned going down, but almost immediately the fog in his brain began to clear.
"What is this?" he gasped.
"A... tonic," Lilith purred. "The distilled emotions of particularly passionate lovers. Quite rare."
Kael nearly choked. He tried to set the goblet down, but his fingers refused to unclench. The warmth spreading through his veins felt too good, too right.
The spider-woman leaned forward. "You promised us a demonstration, Lilith."
Murmurs of agreement rose from the assembled creatures. Lilith's grin widened. "So I did." She turned to Kael. "Show them what you did in the village."
Kael shook his head. "I don't even know what I did."
"Of course you do." Lilith's voice dropped to a whisper. "You reached out and took what wasn't yours. Felt the strings that bind emotion to flesh and plucked them like a harp." Her claw traced the back of his hand, raising goosebumps. "Do it again."
Kael looked around at the expectant faces. The hunger in their eyes made his skin crawl. "No."
Lilith sighed. "Very well." She snapped her fingers again.
A door hidden in the shadows creaked open. Two hulking figures dragged in a struggling form - a young man in the tattered remains of an Inquisitor's uniform. His face was bruised, one eye swollen shut, but he still fought like a wild animal.
"Recognize him?" Lilith asked sweetly. "One of the men who shot your precious Lira."
Kael's breath caught. He did recognize him - the crossbowman who had stood smirking as Lira gasped her last breaths.
The prisoner's good eye locked onto Kael. "Demon spawn," he spat. "The High Inquisitor will—"
Lilith backhanded him casually, sending him sprawling at Kael's feet. "Now," she said, her voice bright with false cheer. "Show us how you drain a soul."
Kael's hands shook. The golden energy in his gut stirred, responding to his anger. He could feel the Inquisitor's emotions even from here - his fear like vinegar, his hatred a bitter spice. It would be so easy to reach out and take...
"No." Kael forced the word through clenched teeth. "I won't be your performing monkey."
The amphitheater went silent. Lilith's smile didn't waver, but her eyes went cold. "Pity."
She moved faster than Kael could follow. One moment she stood beside him; the next, her claws were buried in the Inquisitor's chest. The man screamed as black veins spread from the wound, his back arching unnaturally.
"Watch closely, princeling," Lilith crooned. "This is how it's done."
The Inquisitor's scream cut off abruptly as his body began to... unravel. Strands of golden light peeled away from his skin, coiling around Lilith's arm like serpents. His flesh withered, collapsing inward until only a desiccated husk remained.
The demon exhaled sharply, her eyes fluttering closed as the stolen energy absorbed into her skin. When she opened them again, they burned crimson. "Mmm. Nothing quite like righteous fury." She licked her lips. "Your turn."
She flicked her wrist. Another door opened, revealing a second prisoner - a young woman in peasant's garb, her face streaked with tears.
Kael's stomach dropped. "No."
"Then use what you already took." Lilith's voice took on an edge. "Unless you'd rather watch her die too?"
The golden energy surged in Kael's gut, responding to his rising panic. He could feel it - the stolen emotions from the village, swirling inside him like a storm. But how to control it? How to—
The peasant woman met his eyes. "Please," she whispered.
Something in Kael snapped.
The energy exploded outward in a golden wave. It hit the woman like a physical force, lifting her off her feet. Her back arched as light poured from her mouth, her eyes, her very pores. The glow coalesced above her, forming a shimmering sphere of pure emotion.
Kael gasped as it rushed back into him. The rush was indescribable - like drinking sunlight. The woman collapsed, breathing hard but unharmed. Around them, the assembled creatures burst into applause.
Lilith's laughter rang through the amphitheater. "Magnificent! You didn't even harm her." She clapped her hands. "Now do it again."
Kael stared at his hands, still glowing faintly. The woman's emotions churned inside him - her fear, her hope, her quiet love for someone waiting at home. He could feel them as clearly as if they were his own.
"What..." His voice shook. "What am I?"
Lilith's smile turned almost gentle. "The first new god in a thousand years." She pressed a claw to his chest, right over his pounding heart. "And the key to breaking the Celestial Church's hold forever."
The words hung in the air between them. Kael looked around at the expectant faces, at the trembling peasant woman, at the husk of the Inquisitor. The golden energy inside him pulsed in time with his heartbeat, eager for more.
Somewhere above them, in the world of sunlight and laws and order, Lira was probably telling the village what he'd become. The thought sent a pang through him - but with it came something else. Something darker.
If he was already a monster, why not be a god?