Kapitel 27: "Sefirah Castle..."

At the centre of an Amalgamation of cities, buildings, and mansion, lay an imposing black chapel, surrounded by thickish, greyish white fog, seemingly enveloping this world's history in it.

Drilling through the intricate windows of the ancient dark chapel, the crimson moon illuminated the figure of a grotesque amalgamation of thin translucent maggots cluttered onto the body of a giant demonic wolf. Innumerable tentacles, made out of thin maggots surrounded "His" figure, some drilling out of "His" lower abdomen, creaking through the very orifice of "His" skin, while others seemingly out of thin air.

On "His" head was an illusory faceless mask, squeezing itself onto the facial bones of the Evernight Demonic Wolf. Darkness laid as "His" body phased between concealment and visibility, with "His" mirror like heart tightly and desperately pumping blood throughout "His" body. A howl sounded, piercing the ears of each and every being within the demonic wolf settlement, making some lose control, turning into monsters or marionettes, while some felt their psyche being split apart, severed, fooled and concealed.

Suddenly, the howling stopped. The environment returned to tranquility and peace, silence curtaining the desolate settlement. The thick, greyish fog trembled, as inconceivably, another similar fog appeared, pushed aside the fog surrounding the dark chapel, and rushed in.

The intricate windows trembled under the force applied by this mysterious fog, and before long, these windows shattered, unable to bear the burden further, and the intruding fog made its way within the dark chapel, avoiding the figure of the Evernight Demonic Wolf that had gone completely silent and still.

The fog gathered right in front of this God, flowing like waves in the ocean as it began to form letters in jotun. They came together to form two words. Two words that together spelled out,

"Moon City"

The environment became deathly silent before trembling again as the foreign fog dispersed itself, completely vanishing, leaving no change for corresponding tracking. Suddenly a chuckle sounded, before breaking into a loud, crazy mad driven laugh, echoing through the entire demonic wolf settlement, through the land, air, echoing in the very spirit and astral worlds.

"Sefirah Castle." Laughing, two coherent words escaped. The tentacles began to sway in all directions, violently as the shattered intricate windows, like a miracle, repaired themselves. The Evernight Demonic Wolf stood up, a mad grin forming on "His" formless face, as darkness stretched out in all directions, carrying with itself a message to all "His" Subsidiary Gods.

"Return."

…

"First we need to get Flegrea involved in the Divine Battle that will eventually take place in moon city. This normally would be difficult to accomplish, considering the mad and unpredictable state of the Annihilation Demonic wolf, and the lack of motive to directly attack the Sanguines or Mutants.

"Thus, I came up with a very simple solution. You once told me that Flegrea is looking for Sefirah Castle, and has even issued an order to search for you. That can be exploited. It's pretty simple and self explanatory what you have to do.

"Provoke the Annihilation Demonic Wolf with Sefirah Castle. Attract "Him" towards Moon City, rest we can leave to our adversities."

…

"How many years has it been?" Illuminated by crimson, cloaked in darkness, enveloped by this world's history, a structure frozen in time. The God of Puppets, Antigonus looked at the ancient dark chapel, its doors wide open with the Fog of History concealing its insides. Merely looking at the structure gave the relatively short demonic wolf, a shiver with fear surfacing and clouding "His" mind. "He" did not like being near this place.

Suddenly, Antigonus felt a nudge against "His" shoulder, prompting "Him" to turn "His" head, and observe a dark giant demonic wolf, with serene eyes that deeply reflected "His". "It's fine. No need to be scared." "Her" voice sounded in Antigonus' ears, washing away "His" fear and filling "His" mind with a deep sense of tranquility and serene. Melantha, Antigonus' elder sister "Him" a radiant smile, as one of "Her" extra limbs lifted itself off the ground patting "Her" brother, earning a light growl.

"Shall we head inside?" Antigonus gulped, returning "His" gaze back at the opened entrance. "He" knew it was something extremely important for "His" Father to not only call all Subsidiary Gods back to the divine kingdom, but to also open wide the gates for them to walk in.

While the memory of the last time they were called within the divine chapel remained vague, the fear he currently felt was as fresh as then. The translucent maggots curled in "His" fur trembled as "He" took a deep breath and nodded at Melantha. The siblings deeply gazed at the opened doors, before moving into the fog of history.

As they made their way inside, the fog clouding their vision parted ways, letting the interior of the dark chapel become visible. A thick fog lingered about, as the place was shrouded in deep darkness, with crimson light filtering through the intricate windows, faintly illuminating the cold, concrete floor, with pillars dotting about, supporting the roof of the chapel. Antigonus immediately noticed two familiar figures—one a white feathered serpent, the God of Death, Salinger. Besides "Him" a giant eight legged demonic wolf with greyish white fur on "His" forehead, the God of Miracles, Kotar.

Almost instantly, Kotar and Antigonus locked eyes, clicking their tongues in annoyance. The Brother and Sister settled themselves right in front of Salinger and Kotar, sitting on the hard cold concrete floor. Silence curtained, as the four figures stared at each other without uttering a word. The tension and mild fear was palpable and everyone understood the punishment any bickering would incur.

It was then, Antigonus noticed the absence of one subsidiary god, the Goddess of Misfortune, Amanises. Has "She" not come yet? Or could something have happened to "Her"! No, what am I thinking, there is no way… "He" suddenly felt tense, something that didn't go unnoticed by Melantha. Soon, "She" too came to realize the absence of the Goddess of Misfortune, and turned to Salinger and Kotar and asked.

"Has something happened to Amanises? "She" has never been late to these meetings." Salinger hissed, with "His" deep hollow eyes flickering. "I am not aware…" "His" voice gave chills to all subsidiary gods present, making Kotar slightly move some distance away. Salinger's response amplified Antigonus' worry, causing "His" mind to go astray.

"How interesting." Suddenly a serene feminine voice resounded, causing all heads to turn towards the entrance of the dark chapel. A tall shadow suddenly took form, darkening as it approached, before walking out of the thickish greyish fog. Antigonus and the other subsidiary gods' eyes widened.

From the thick greyish fog, emerged a tall, slender woman, cloaked in a plain black dress, half of her face was concealed by a thin black veil, while her long black silky hair swayed with the lingering fog. Behind the veil, her serene dark eyes, seemingly absorbing the light around her, reflected the interior of the chapel, as she lifted her hand, adjusting her dark sun hat adorned with black feathers. Her movements were elegant, highlighting her charm.

The woman stopped a few feet away from her fellow subsidiary gods. For a moment each of them were stunned, on guard, before noticing the wave of darkness following each step of the women, as well as the serene feeling that radiated from her, leading to Melantha identifying the women.

"Amanises?" She uttered, attracting the attention of all subsidiary gods, especially Antigonus whose gaze immediately shifted to "His" sister, then back at the women, whose eyes flickered at the mention of her name. Her lips curled up into a sweet smile as she replied, "Quite fast on uptake."

Amanises?! Antigonus' mouth hung open as "He" looked the women up and down discreetly. Wait but how?! How has she?! What?! Kotar and Salinger deeply gazed at the women—Amanises, taking in an in-depth note of the human form, discarding the initial thought of it being an illusion. She truly had gained a human form.

Salinger hissed, "His" tail moving about.

"You gained human followers?" "He" remarked, causing Amanises to chuckle. "And is that an issue?" Salinger hissed as "He" held "His" head low, deeply gazing at the women earning an even more imposing one from her. Amanises turned her head away from him, looking over at Antigonus, Melantha, then at Kotar and back at Salinger. A sigh parted her pretty lips, as the wave of darkness at her feet suddenly rose up, taking a tangible form of a high back chair besides Antigonus.

Amanises walked up to the high back chair, sitting down, propping one of her legs on the other, while leaning back. She noticed the gazes of her fellow subsidiary gods and chuckled. "You don't expect me to sit on the ground now? What if my dress got dirty?" She replied smugly.

Besides it's my turn to do laundry, better not to pile more clothes. She inwardly lampooned. Her concealed ears flicked up, as from the corner of her eyes, she noticed Antigonus lingering stare. Oh? Amanises turned her head towards "Him", causing the God of Puppets to flinch backwards. Amanises tilted her head with a smile, causing the demonic wolf to feel slightly flustered.

"Does anyone even know why we were called here?" Kotar asked nonchalantly, with a very slight hint of weariness. In reality, the God of Miracles was quite scared, having received the order to be present in the divine chapel in a bad dream. "Not really… but from what I gathered, it seems the Sefirah Castle proxy has made a move."

Instantly, everyone became alert, with Amanises grin turning wider. "Sefirah Castle…" Melantha muttered before turning to Amanises. "You and Salinger left the settlement to search for Sefirah Castle's Proxy? Have you found anything?"

Well, for starters, he is a dubious guy that is bored out of mind, and just slugged around our little house all day. Occasionally, he trims the garden which prompted me to put a "No-Klein Sign" on my flower bed. Too bad he is also a provoker and changes the content of sign here and there… Amanises rested her head on her arms, maintaining her smile, while thinking back to her flower bed.

"Nothing. There were some traces of "Him" in Moon City, but nothing that could be used to find him back." Amanises replied, causing Melantha to remain silent before nodding and turning her attention to Salinger. "And you?" The feathered snake hissed. "There are not many traces of Sefirah Castle's proxy other than what Amanises has mentioned. It is almost like the entity has completely disappeared from this world.

"Hence I had to leave this continent all together, in hopes of finding anything related to Kotar or Antigonus's abilities. In the end, my attempts proved futile as this proxy was much more proficient in concealment than I imagined."

The present subsidiary gods with the exception of Amanises presented a weary look. Amanises herself, simulated interest, putting on a facade of contemplation while thinking, Hungry… need Klein's cooking…

A hush fell on the chapel as the crimson light shined brightly, the waves of darkness and the lingering fog swaying about. "What's the situation with the outside world?" Suddenly, Kotar questioned, looking over to both Amanises and Salinger. In response, they remained silent for quite a while, before Salinger hissed once more, and spoke up.

"The great wars once paused in an unspoken truce reignited. The Era is going through a turbulent change, and an "End", nigh and absolute nears." Kotar let out a confused grunt, "His" expression twisting indescribably. "Rephrase it into something understandable" Antigonus commented nonchalantly, his expression weirded.

"Most races are at war with each other, a full scale war. Dragons with Elves, Giants with Phenoxies, with the most prominent being the war between the Sanguines and Mutants. Rumor has it that the Mutants are preparing for one final assault at the Sanguine, seeking to bring the end to this race. This naturally means even the corresponding deities will be involved."

Amanises answered in a more coherent manner, earning nods from Antigonus, Melantha and Kotar, while Salinger deeply stared at the women. "One final assault…" Antigonus remarked, causing "His" gaze to stiffen, while Kotar sneered. "Those damn brainless zombies, and reproduction obsessed maniacs are really lashing out, huh? Also, what do those giant serpents hope to accomplish fighting in the territory of the Tyrant?!"

"His" tone was arrogant, carrying with it sarcasm and rudeness. The other subsidiary gods didn't react to his sharp comments as their gaze remained fixed on Amanises. "Who knows? Do you need a reason to deal with your long-time enemy?" Amanises calmly replied, her dark eyes penetrating Kotar's figure. The latter felt a shiver at this and slightly jolted backwards, causing Antigonus to laugh at "Him".

Kotar turned "His" head and growled at Antigonus, causing Melantha to rest and send a glare at "Him", sending another wave of fear and horror in the heart of God of Miracles. However, the gaze itself seemed to land elsewhere instead of Kotar himself—his substitute.

Amanises let out a sigh and said, "Aside from that, there seems to be a slow rise of a new human faction in some unknown part of this continent. Not much is known about them aside from the fact that they serve the "Sun God". You all should probably be aware of the situation regarding the "Sun"...

"Then, there are various cases of human settlement completely disappearing. This usually wouldn't be a big deal, except these disappearance are happening even within the territory of other gods… much like how it happened with us"

The Subsidiary gods keenly listened, with Melantha taking mental notes. "Sefirah Castle Proxy?" She uttered, earning a nod from Amanises. "Very Likely. This was pretty much the only instance of when his existence came to be. Otherwise, divination, prophecy, or any method of tracking or location only resulted in failure.

"All in all, not too much. The Resplendent and Decadent Sun, The Bright Crimson Moon, The Decaying Land, War itself." Amanises rested her voice, quietly leaning back.

As for me, I only gained more followers because Klein has a hobby of kidnapping humans from here and there.

There was also construction work in our house. Had to add a new study room for me, there was also a kitchen and bathroom expansion. Putting "No-Klein" signs on my flower bed, which Klein absolutely ignored… still annoys me, I hope he isn't taking this opportunity to fiddle with my flowers!

All in all, nothing much. Just a peaceful time, with my not so peaceful friend… Amanises internally mused, a smile appearing on her face.

The environment abruptly turned deathly still, as Salinger hissed once more, "His" gaze having not moved from Amanises' figure, something the women had taken note of.

What? If you have something to say, then speak up. As if reading her thoughts, most of Salinger's colossal body stood erect, as "He" bared "His" fangs and asked in a hollow tone. "Can I have a private conversation with you?" The other three subsidiary gods were surprised at this notion, causing their heads to turn to the feathered snake, then at Amanises.

Private Conversation? What could you have to want to discuss it with Amanises in private, damn snake! Antigouns internally growled, instinctively bearing his fangs.

Amanises pupil slightly dilated as an amused look took form. "How interesting…"

Suddenly, Salinger felt "His" vision darkening, before completely fading into black. Shortly, a figure of a beautiful woman became visible. Still sitting on her high back chair conjured of darkness, Amanises tapped the armrest of her chair, remaining silent, waiting for the god of death to speak up.

"About… your human form, I am assuming you have quite a number of human believers…" Salinger spoke up, pausing in between, grasping Amanises unchanged expression, giving him a hollow stare. "He" hissed, "And those believers envision you in this form, they see you as a humanoid goddess, serene and calm in nature. Contradictory to the nature of a demonic wolf…"

"What are you trying to imply?" Amanises asked, her voice remained calm, yet strangely deep. Salinger swiftly took notice of this, "His" gaze becoming increasingly weary of as "He" continued, "To think an 8 legged, giant creature, having no semblance of human in it, would be capable of not only gathering enough believers, but also somehow have them envision a form, bearing no semblance to their 'Deity'…"

"He" paused, the eye caps covering "His" hollow eyes moving "Seems a bit too far fetched for someone like you to be able to do all of that alone… especially so, since these believers of yours are definitely not in this continent, perhaps not in the southern continent as well… This leaves the northern continent, which only begs more questions like how someone like you was able to savour "humanity", gain believers, while keeping the image of a beautiful humanoid goddess, in a backwater place which doesn't value godhood."

Amanises keenly listened as she narrowed her gaze, leaning back at her chair. For many moments, she remained both silent and motionless before curling her lips into a smile, and then broke into a light chuckle.

Oh, how correct you were, my 'Dear' Magician. But I never expected Salinger of all people to bring this up! Amanises lifted her hand, adjusting her sun hat, all while compassing herself and assuming a serene countenance. "And?" She uttered, her tone carrying a sense of horror and deep terror, causing Salinger to unknowingly flinch. There seemed to appear some hesitation within "Him", before he ultimately spoke up, only causing Amanises's smile to widen.

"Let us see, have you perhaps gained an "ally" in your endeavours?" Almost immediately, Salinger felt the pitch black darkness beneath him ripple, while the Goddess of Misfortune straightened her posture. "Perhaps I have?" Amanises answered vaguely, her tone cryptic in sense. Salinger remained silent, "His" body coiling in itself in the darkness, while "His" giant feathers very slightly did some flapping motion causing some loose oily feathers to fall into the darkness, immediately being corroded and consumed by it.

"Misfortune… I understand now. Do you reckon it will be safe remaining in this place any longer?" "He" hissed at the end, while lying down back again as the crimson shined, and the darkness enveloping them slowly receded before melting away fully. The figures of Kotar, Melantha and Antigonus gracing "His" eyes once more.

"Can't say so."

Salinger deeply exhaled, "His" gaze still focused on this elusive Goddess Amanises, the latter now staring at the ceiling. Can't say so… The thought echoed in "His" mind, as "He" silently came to a decision.

Suddenly, "He" noticed from "His" peripheral vision, the face of Amanises deforming into a terrified one, as her head held high suddenly dropped down lower than ever. Salinger immediately knew the reason.

"His" body suddenly coiled in itself as "He" smashed "His" head on the ground, noticing from the corner of "His" vision, the God of Miracles having done the same, "His" body visibly shaking with translucent maggots emerging from "His" body.

A deep shadow emerged from the depths of the divine chapel, hanging over each and every subsidiary gods, blanketing their figures. A terrifying and inexplicable gaze soon landed on them. There laid Antigonus, "His" body shaking badly, on the verge of dissociation, Melantha, "Her" eyes wide opened with one of "Her" paws, rested at Antigonus' back, instinctively trying to comfort "Him" in spite of her horror. Kotar and Salinger, seemingly equally terrified yet much more composed than the other two.

Then the gaze landed on Amanises, halting. At that moment, the goddess of misfortune felt herself sweating, but she acted on instinct as she discarded all thoughts away, emptying her mind like all the times she practiced under the dictation of The King of Yellow and Black.

Amanises felt every hair strand on her skin rise up, while her spiritual intuition warned of extreme danger. Yet, she remained rather composed compared to the rest, only looking down at the concerted floor without blinking. "Amanises…" Amanises felt her mind exploding at once, her very psyche on the verge of splitting apart, disassociating. Barely, she managed to notice Antigonus' terrified shaking body, very slightly moving, "His" reddened eyes reflecting the beautiful figure of the Goddess of Misfortune.

A deep silence clouded the entire chapel with the subsidiary gods barely holding onto themselves. Then, suddenly, an extreme sense of serenity washed over, surprising the Subsidiary gods as their conditions were not only restored to normalcy, not but also became far better than ever before. The shadow that loomed over began to contract, gathering at the middle as a figure took shape.

A giant demonic wolf, translucent maggots with mysterious engravings cluttered at "His" skin, with tentacles formed of darkness and worms emerging out of "His" body, and from thin air around in the divine chapel. On "His" head was an illusory mask, rising and sinking continuously, with darkness and a thick fog hiding behind the mask. The colossal figure was shrouded in a faint mystic fog, weirdly appearing material as if invisible, while "His" body itself phased between concealment and visibility.

The subsidiary gods instinctively rose their heads upwards, their gazes landing on the figure as a deep sense of calm and serenity continuously washed over as well as an urge to slumber, to dream. Instantly, each of them recognized the figure to be their master or father, the king, the Fool, the Darkness, the embodiment of annihilation. The Evernight Demonic Wolf, Flegrea.

Each of their eyes reflecting "His" serene figure, had their intelligence dumbed down, causing them to stare blankly. It was as if their necks had been locked in place.

The Evernight slowly moved "His" fog shrouded head towards Amanises, staring at her humanoid form, then at Salinger. "He" did not usher a word, and simply directed "His" gaze at the greyish white fog that shrouded the entrance of the divine chapel.

"Sefirah Castle." "He" uttered in a calm voice, something none of the subsidiary gods were used to! It was as if Flegrea had suddenly gained a bout of rationality! As if "His" madness had been purged or perhaps had been greatly held back.

"Moon City." Many of the subsidiary god's eyes slowly widened, displaying a slower than normal response system. Amanises, having long played this scenario in her mind, having partially experienced it under the prominence of "The Fool" very slowly uttered, barely making out coherent words due to lowered intelligence. "A... war is… to commence there. T-This… could be a… tra-p…"

"Likely." Replied the king of demonic wolves, "His" tone calm with a slight hint of excitement at the end. "But does it matter? Even if it is a trap, to think the proxy would show up after all these years."

Saying that, "He" tapped the ground with "His" paws as darkness emerged from the ground, spreading and stretching out in all directions. It flew like water an ancient river that slowly engulfed the entire settlement, even the bright crimson light.

"Sefirah Castle…" The Subsidiary gods watched this display of power, as Flegrea in minutes gathered an entire army of demonic wolves, each of them having turned into marionettes with their eyes tightly closed. A smile seemed to take form on the faceless mask as just beside "Him" appeared a bewildered Kotar and Salinger.

"You two will be accompanying me." Facing no objections from the Feathered Serpent and the giant demonic wolf, Flegrea turned to the only humanoid figure, having knelt down to support herself. "You will be taking care of this place in my absence."

Amanises felt a chill run down her spine, as the orders of her master deeply ingrained itself within her soul body. It was irresistible, unavoidable, like the end that approached everyone. She swiftly nodded, witnessing the head of the King turning back at its marionette army. He took a step forward, walking out of the divine chapel, with Salinger and Kotar slowly walking behind "Him".

"He" gazed at the night sky, at the shining crimson, and then at the Demonic Wolf Settlement shrouded in a pool of darkness. Slowly, Amanises, Antigonus and Melantha also walked out of the ancient divine chapel, Amanises at forefront with Antigonus and Melantha behind her.

Darkness suddenly engulfed the entire area, bringing it into a world of its own. No, it was a world of its own.

Divine Kingdom—Repose.

For a moment, Amanises blinked as from the corner of her eye, she noticed the shadows of Melantha and Antigonus move slightly before calming. Her attention was then drawn back to the front, realizing the entire place was now empty.

The entire army, composing over thousands marionettes, together with the Annihilation Demonic wolf and two of "His" subsidiary gods had vanished into thin air.

Grafting? Or an application of the Darkness authority? "He" nearly took the entire race with "Him"… Amanises, who's intelligence was back to normal, inwardly mused as she gave a side eye at the Subsidiary God siblings.

Too bad I wasn't left alone… She smiled, watching the two siblings whisper to each other. Slowly, her smile turned more sadistic, more sinister, as the Goddess of Misfortune began humming, her beauty echoing through the entire demonic wolf settlement.

Too bad I wasn't left alone…Hehe.