บท 11: Blood throne
Winter's consciousness drifted through the endless void, floating through dimensions and realms beyond his understanding. Time no longer had meaning, and space itself seemed to warp around him. He couldn't tell how long he had been moving—minutes, hours, or even centuries—but in that strange journey, he felt a deep pull. Something was calling him back.
Suddenly, Winter became aware of his body again. He felt something solid beneath him, cold and slick. It was as if his soul had landed on something tangible for the first time since his death. His eyes flickered open, and he found himself staring up at a sky that burned an ominous crimson. The horizon was bathed in red, the clouds swirling like blood mixed with fire. The oppressive weight of the air hung heavy on him, thick and suffocating.
"Where… am I?" Winter thought.
His body lay on the ground, but this was no ordinary ground—it was a pool of blood. The surface stretched endlessly in every direction, a vast ocean of thick, crimson liquid. He could feel it, cold against his skin, but strangely, it didn't stick to him. His hands pressed against the surface, feeling the depth of it, but his body seemed untouched by the blood.
Slowly, Winter sat up, his mind hazy from the disorienting transition between life and whatever this place was. The memories of his death were fresh—Yuui's blade, the flames, his surrender to fate. But now, here he was, alive—no, not alive, but aware. His soul still existed.
"Is this… hell?" Winter whispered to himself, his voice echoing eerily in the endless expanse of blood.
The ground beneath him rippled as if responding to his presence, waves spreading out from where he sat. He stood up slowly, surveying the desolate landscape. The blood stretched on infinitely, an endless sea beneath the blood-red sky. There was no sun, no horizon—just the oppressive atmosphere of the unknown.
"Hahaha! Hahahaha!"
Winter froze, his eyes narrowing as the haunting laughter echoed through the blood-drenched expanse. The woman's voice was mocking, her words laced with a strange familiarity that sent a chill through him. He turned towards the source, and in the distance, he saw it—a towering blood throne, unlike anything he had seen before. Seated upon it was a woman, her silhouette sharp and menacing against the crimson sky.
The throne seemed to rise from the very sea of blood beneath them, its grotesque form pulsating as though alive.
"there are gods! And then there is me"
""Hahaha! Hahahaha!"
The woman sat lazily, draped in a cloak of deep red, her eyes glowing with an eerie light. The laughter continued, cruel and unforgiving, as she regarded Winter with cold amusement.
" I'm forever strong"
"Hahaha! Hahahaha!"
Winter clenched his fists and started walking toward her, each step sending ripples through the blood below. His heart pounded in his chest, not out of fear, but out of frustration. Her mocking tone stirred something deep within him—something he thought he had left behind.
"Who are you?" Winter demanded, his voice harsh as he drew closer to the throne. "And what do you know about me?"
" I know a lot about you , Even though forever strongest. You stupidly and rather ironically allowed your self to be killed" woman replied.
"Hahaha! Hahahaha!"
The woman leaned forward slightly, her laughter fading into a wicked grin.
"Who am I?" she repeated, her voice dripping with disdain.
"Oh, Winter… after everything you've done, after all the blood you've spilled, you don't recognize me?"
Winter's mind raced. The blood, the throne, the eerie control over this twisted dimension—everything about her screamed power. But there was something else, something darker lurking beneath her taunts. Her words stung more than he wanted to admit. He had prided himself on being "forever strong," and yet here he was, standing before someone who seemed to know every weakness, every failure.
"Don't play games with me," Winter growled, stepping closer. "I don't care who you are. Tell me where I am."
The woman tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "Oh, but I love games," she said, her voice sultry and smooth.
Woman leaned back on her throne, the blood pooling beneath her feet, swirling in dark, hypnotic patterns. Her piercing gaze fixed on Winter.
"You see, you're in my domain now," she said, her voice smooth yet chilling. "You may refer to me as Kali, goddess of blood."
Winter, still disoriented from his sudden arrival, took in his surroundings and then her words. "Hmm... Would you mind explaining all this to me?" he asked, trying to steady his thoughts.
"It's simple," Kali responded with a wicked smile. "I summoned your soul here after your death. And by the way, you will call me goddess, got that?"
Winter's eyes narrowed, though he kept his tone controlled. "Goddess, could you also tell me exactly why you brought me here?"
Kali's grin widened. "Oh, that's easy. You have two options. Two choices, and only two."
"And they are?" Winter crossed his arms, trying to gauge the seriousness of her tone.
Kali raised her hand, counting off the first option. "Option one: I wipe your soul clean. You'll be reborn as a stranger. Poof, vanished. All your memories gone. You'd become... someone else entirely." She paused, clearly savoring the moment.
Winter cocked his head slightly, frowning. "In other words, I'd get a fresh new start?"
"Exactly," Kali said, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "A fresh start. Free from your past, free from all your sins. But you'll be different. A blank slate."
Winter let the weight of her words sink in for a moment. "What's the second option?"
Kali's voice dripped with a wicked allure. "Your other option is simple: accept my request and be reborn as my child."
Winter raised an eyebrow, but his expression remained unreadable. "Reborn as your child?"
The goddess nodded, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "In exchange, you would keep your memories—retain all of your knowledge and experience. You'd live a new life, but with the full advantage of your past."
Winter considered her words, his voice low and calculating. "In some ways, that would be like continuing my current life."
Kali's grin widened. "It's quite an appealing offer, don't you agree?"
There was a pause as Winter's eyes narrowed. He leaned forward slightly, voice sharp. "Who do you want me to kill?"
Kali's laughter echoed through the blood-soaked air. "Oh? How did you guess?"
Winter's stare hardened, his voice dripping with disdain. "You gods are all the same creatures. Every offer of power comes with blood on your hands."
The goddess' laughter faded, replaced by a glint of appreciation in her eyes. "I'm glad you see clearly. You understand far better than most."
She crossed her legs, her gaze sharpening. "That's why I chose you. You're the finest soul I've encountered. The strongest."
Winter's fists clenched, though his expression remained cold. "So, what's the mission?"
Kali leaned forward, her voice lowering to a near whisper. "You will be reborn in the same world… but in a different timeline. Four, perhaps five hundred years into the future."
Winter's eyes widened ever so slightly. "The same world?"
Kali smiled, the look of a predator toying with its prey. "Yes."
The silence that followed was suffocating, thick with tension.
"And what do you want me to do there?" Winter asked, though he already sensed the answer.
Kali's eyes darkened, a sinister aura spilling from her as she spoke. "I want you to kill Goddess Uranus, daughter of Gaea… the mother of Earth."
Her expression twisted into an intimidating, cunning grin, a look that sent chills down Winter's spine.
Winter stared at her for a long moment, processing the sheer scale of the request. He wasn't dealing with simple gods anymore—this was something far more dangerous.
"Uranus?" he repeated, trying to fathom the enormity of the task.
"That's right," Kali confirmed, her voice both seductive and terrifying.
"She's the one I want dead."
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