Then, golden notifications flashed before my eyes.
I was both delighted and confused. It was the first time the system had flooded me with golden notifications, and while I didn’t fully understand why forming a contract with Lyle benefited me so much that it was revealed with the golden color, I certainly welcomed the other two.
Still, that first notification revealed something I couldn’t overlook. If I were to break the contract with Lyle, the punishment wouldn’t come from the system, it would come from the Pantheon.
Could it be that the system isn’t the authority here but rather just a tool? Is it truly Pantheon that I need to be wary of?
I didn’t have enough information to be certain, but the more I learned, the more unanswered questions I had. Each revelation only contradicted what I’d believed before.
At least I was growing stronger. Even without any frame of reference, I was confident I was improving quickly. It hadn’t even been a year since I became a god, and already I had over two thousand believers. Soon, I would have three times that number. I even had an Angel, one that had finally made some progress.
The system had offered me the option to awaken it early, to feed it Divinity Points and force its rise, but I had no intention of doing that.
I didn’t have divinity to waste. Forcing its awakening now would drain resources I couldn’t afford to lose, and more importantly, I didn’t want to cripple its potential just to satisfy my impatience.
I’m in no rush. If the time ever comes when I’m desperate enough to sacrifice its future, then so be it. But right now, there’s no need. With Lyle as my Inquisitor, I can finally unite all Velmoryns. That should be my goal.
When I looked back at Lyle, the crimson markings had already spread across her skin. She no longer looked at my manifestation with the same wariness - her gaze now burned with devotion, sharp and unwavering.
I turned my attention to her star, the new light that should have appeared within my realm. It didn’t take long to find. Like the others, it shone crimson, but its glow pulsed stronger, equal to Tekla’s.
“Lord,” her voice reached me, no longer hesitant. “Should I depart and bring the Brown Tribe immediately, or wait until the lodgings are ready?”
I wasn’t naive enough to think she genuinely wanted to discuss housing arrangements with me.
“You may speak with my Priestess,” I answered, letting divine energy stir in response to my will. “I shall be expecting great things from you.”
Crimson light gathered around her, swallowing her form before releasing her back into the mortal realm. She reappeared exactly where she had been when I pulled her into my dominion.
“Vael Lyle?” Dariel gasped, eyes wide as he watched the familiar crimson shimmer fade from around her.
Time moved differently between worlds, yet they had noticed her disappearance. For them, it hadn’t been long enough to cause panic, but long enough to wonder.
“I met the Lord,” Lyle said simply, explaining only what was necessary.
Her words barely mattered; the markings on her face had already told the story.
“Is that true? Did you truly meet High Father?” Ninali asked, stepping closer. Her expression carried both awe and envy, the kind that burned quietly, even beneath reverence.
“I became His sword,” Lyle confirmed with a nod and then immediately turned to the side, changing the subject. “Vael Mirion, may I meet the Priestess? I wish to speak with her about the migration of the Brown Tribe.”
Mirion considered her request for a moment before answering.
“Once we return,” he said finally, his measured tone returning to its usual balance between caution and reason. “I’m sure Te… the Priestess will rejoice when she learns that two more tribes will be joining us.”
Othrien stood off to the side, silent, his eyes distant as his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
That was when I noticed it - the faint crimson aura surrounding Lyle. At first, I’d thought it was residue from my power fading after her return, but the glow didn’t fade. It lingered, thin but constant, coating her form like a second skin.
I focused, curiosity rising.
Status Window.
Mental Traits
Magic Traits
Total: 249
Lyle’s status impressed me. Her raw stats weren’t on par with Avenor’s, Tekla’s, or Aria’s, but her skills more than made up for it. They weren’t as blatantly overwhelming as Avenor’s Hollow Core, Essence Reaver, or Mimic Shell, yet their synergy promised something far more refined.
Verdict of the God stood out the most. The description was vague, but I was certain it would prove devastating. I would never deny my Inquisitor the right to draw on my divine power if her life depended on it. So in theory, Lyle could reach a strength capable of matching any mortal. At least certainly no one below Platinum Rank would stand a chance.
Seal of Honor increased her stats by half, and the constant twenty-percent boost from Divine Touch meant she would always fight at nearly twice her normal power. That was without including the divine energy she could borrow from me.
If I blessed her a few times, she could rival the strongest mortals alive.
Her stats weren’t skewed toward any single discipline, which made her dangerously versatile, a swordswoman who might someday wield magic with the same precision as her blade.
But her strength wasn’t the only revelation. Through Lyle, I’d learned something deeper about this world’s magic system. Sacrifice could amplify potential; what one gave up, the world seemed to repay twofold. If someone surrendered a sense, a trait, even a part of themselves, the compensation didn’t merely balance the loss, it seemed to surpass it.
If a mole-kin species abandoned sight entirely and gained hearing sharp enough to cover two hundred meters of ground around them, wouldn’t that reshape their evolution?
The idea fascinated me. Sacrifice for superiority. Losing what one didn’t need to gain what one could use fully.
I followed the chain of thought too long, running scenarios through my mind - biological, magical, divine. Only when the Vaels had already left the cavern did I realize how much time had actually passed. The remaining warriors were still working, extracting whatever they could from the fallen monsters.
Later, the tribes would send more to harvest the rest - chitin, bone, and perhaps even organs; everything too damaged for the Crimson Rite but still valuable to those who knew how to use it.
“Dirion,” Mirion called out to the boy, who was sitting near the pens, laughing as a pack of young skalvyr pups nipped at his sleeves. “Take the two Vaels to the Priestess. I need to form a new squad and send them to the cavern.”
“Wh…” Dirion froze mid-laugh, his grin vanishing. “Did we… lose?”
Mirion let out a booming laugh and smacked him on the back. The hit was strong enough to send the boy rolling into the dirt.
“Would I be standing here if we had lost?” he said, still grinning as he grabbed Dirion by the shoulder and hauled him upright. “Besides, how could High Father’s chosen warriors ever lose?”
His tone shifted as he turned back to Lyle and Othrien.
“I must see to the squad immediately,” he said, the smile fading from his face. “Normally, I’d leave this to someone else, but I want our best blacksmith with them. He’ll want to see the cavern’s interior himself and the ores I spotted there.”
Both Vaels nodded. Neither cared about ore or resources at that moment. Lyle’s thoughts had already drifted toward Tekla, while Othrien’s mind was somewhere else entirely.
“Vael Mirion,” Othrien said suddenly, stopping him just as he was about to leave. “What are we going to do about the Blue and Silver Tribes?”
Good question.
I’d been wondering the same thing. Since the moment Akrion vanished through that portal, I had searched for him - scanning every corner of the forest, watching for any sign. Nothing. For some reason, I couldn’t see inside the Blue Tribe’s tents. Still, I doubted Akrion had returned. If he had, the Blue Tribe wouldn’t be as calm as it was now.
But just as Othrien asked his question, the answer appeared. The portal sparked to life in the heart of the Blue Tribe, but the figure that stepped out wasn’t Akrion.
Or rather, it was, but not the same one anymore.
The next chapter on Wednesday
20 advanced chapters (includes Book 1 & Book 2) -
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