While Michael and Gaya were navigating the unique challenges of Nithroel's temple, Andohr, back in his fortress, was seething. He paced back and forth, his hands clenched behind his back, his face contorted in a mask of fury.
He had been so close. So damn close. He manipulated Agra, set the stage for a confrontation, and then nothing. Something blocked him from teleporting into Ava's forest and prevented him from capturing the God of Darkness when he was vulnerable. It made his blood boil just thinking about it.
His gaze fell on the mirror in the corner of the room, the one that showed her. Diana. Trapped in the Timeless Prison, a specially designed cell that froze its occupant in a moment of absolute agony. She was still unbroken and defiant. Despite everything he'd done to her, despite the years she'd spent in that place, her spirit remained unbent. It was infuriating.
Seraphene shrugged. "Gone. Vanished. After Agra's death, they disappeared. My spies, they overheard something. About the Verdant Sanctuary. About Ava's worshippers. They saw Gaya. She ascended. Became the Goddess of Monsters."
13:35
He had more pressing concerns. The Pantheon, weakened as it was, still posed a threat. And the God of Darkness was a wildcard. A chaos factor that Andohr hadn't fully accounted for. But, he had to admit, he had the advantage. He was gaining allies. Luxor's defection had been a coup. A god with a domain like his, a god with wealth, power, and influence was a significant victory. And with Seraphene's talents, he could persuade even more to join his cause.
"Are you still stewing over that failure, Andohr?" Seraphene's voice, laced with a hint of amusement, broke through his thoughts.
She was lounging on a nearby throne, her legs crossed, her gaze fixed on him, a knowing smirk playing on her lips.
"Where is he?" Andohr asked, his voice tight with suppressed anger.
Seraphene shrugged. "Gone. Vanished. After Agra's death, they disappeared. My spies, they overheard something. About the Verdant Sanctuary. About Ava's worshippers. They saw Gaya. She ascended. Became the Goddess of Monsters."
She paused, her smile widening.
"And then they went to Sagespire. To the Blacksmith Guild. Met with Rurik. But after that nothing. They're gone."
Seraphene, of course, had no idea about their true destination. Rin, for all her alliance with Andohr, was still Rin. The Princess of Murder. Egotistical. Distrustful. And secretive. She wouldn't have shared her knowledge of Michael's presence in the temple. Not with anyone. It was a weakness—a flaw in her character.
And it was working in Michael's favor.
If Rin had informed Andohr and revealed their location well, things would have been very different. Andohr might have intervened directly. He might have captured Michael.
But Rid did not. And now Michael and Gaya were ascending the temple and getting closer and closer to the Agni-King.
And Andohr? He was clueless.
"The Three Horsemen wish to speak with you, my lord," Seraphene said, changing the subject, her voice smooth, her gaze fixed on Andohr's face.
Andohr blinked, surprised. The Three Horsemen. Xyloth, the God of Murder. Fourcrux, the God of Necromancy. Morbus, the God of Plagues. They were a force of nature. A trio of destruction. Responsible for more deaths, and suffering than any other deities in the realm of the Gods.
Andohr felt a flicker of something akin to surprise but it was hard to tell, even for him. He had known, of course, that this moment would come. It was inevitable. After all, he made a deal with the Three Horsemen, a pact forged in the fires of mutual self-interest. They had helped him reanimate Vedora and taken out several of Zorian's angels, making it seem like an accident. And in return, he had promised them his assistance when the time came.
Yet, capturing Death was a bold move. Audacious. Even for them. Death was one of the oldest of the gods, a being of immense power, a force of nature. And the Three Horsemen were right to ask for his help. If anyone could trap Death, it was Andohr, the God of Time and Space.
"So," Andohr said, his voice carefully neutral, "he's coming out, is he?"
"We have our informants," Morbus chuckled, his voice a dry, rasping sound. "It's confirmed. Death is coming. To Luxor. In four days. Under disguise. It's the perfect opportunity. To catch him."
Andohr's mind raced, calculating the risks, the potential rewards.
"Let's say you succeed," he said, his gaze fixed on Morbus. "What then? What do you plan to do with Death?"
He was curious. What were the Three Horsemen planning? What did they hope to gain by capturing their brother? It had to be about power. It always was. But what kind of power? What was their endgame? Morbus, however, had no intention of revealing their plan. He simply smiled, a chilling, unsettling gesture that made Andohr's skin crawl.
"That, my dear Andohr," he said, his voice a low purr, "is our little secret."
Morbus knew, of course. They all knew. With the God of Darkness on the loose, killing gods, and defying the natural order, Death's presence was more important than ever. They needed him to protect themselves and escape their own mortality.
And what better way to ensure their own survival than to capture Death himself? To control him. To bend him to their will.
It was a dangerous game—a desperate gamble. But the Three Horsemen were nothing if not ambitious.
Andohr knew, of course, that there was no point in pushing the matter. The Three Horsemen were secretive. They didn't trust him. Just as he didn't trust them. It was a partnership born of necessity, of mutual self-interest, not friendship.
But Andohr had ways of finding things out. He was, after all, the God of Time and Space. He could observe and bend reality to his will. He would find out what they were planning, sooner or later.
What Morbus and his brothers didn't know was that the God of Darkness also had business in Luxor. Zorian's request, the destruction of Seraphene's data center, had set in motion a chain of events that would bring both him and Death to the same place, at the same time in four days.
A collision course.
And Andohr well, Andohr would just have to wait and see what happened.
Hi,
This is the Part 1 of the chapter and I mistakenly uploaded part II first which was the previous chapter. But I did not delete or update the previous chapter because it would be unfair to those who unlocked and read the chapter. So please forgive me for this mistake,
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