Darkness.
All Daimen could see was darkness.
He didn't feel scared as he embraced it. It felt like home. It felt as though it belonged to him.
As time went by, he lost track of the time he had been living in this black void, where, as far as one could see, there was darkness and nothing else. Not a glimpse of light. He closed his eyes as he drifted to sleep.
"Fufufufu, you haven't lost yourself yet, huh?" an enchanting voice broke his slumber as he opened his eyes in search of the voice that had awakened him and captivated his attention.
Standing before him was the most exquisite woman he had ever seen in his life thus far. In fact, she surpassed the alluring beauties from those Chinese novels he had read.
She possessed long black hair that cascaded down to her waist, luscious rosy lips that invited men to savor them eternally, bosoms that were neither too large nor too small, and a flowing black dress with a hint of purplish hue that accentuated her figure, making her even more alluring. Her face was the epitome of beauty, with fair jade-like skin, a delicate nose, and a small beauty mark on her chin. Her entire being exuded the aura of an alluring ONEE-SAN, a HUGE RED FLAG.
"Hey, it's impolite to stare at a beauty such as myself," she pouted, her eyes gleaming with amusement, waiting for his response.
"Who are you? Where am I? Did I die again?" Daimen looked at the enchanting woman before him, wearing a perplexed expression. He didn't sense any ill intentions from her; instead, her presence brought him relief and rejuvenation.
"Fufufufu, dear Daimen. To answer your first question, my name is Nyx, the Primordial Goddess of Night and Shadows. And no, I am not from Greek mythology, those repugnant beings," her face scrunched up, accentuating her surprising beauty.
"As for your second question, you are in my realm of shadows, where I reign supreme. As long as shadows exist, I am invincible. Whether they belong to mortals or gods, shadows dwell within them, manifesting as hate, self-disgust, greed, or despair. I control them all, even exerting influence over those whose shadows loom over them. But let us not delve too deeply into my powers. I hope you now comprehend your predicament, Damien," she finished her explanation and stared at Daimen, awaiting his further inquiries.
Daimen absorbed all the information he had just received. Outwardly, he remained emotionless, but inside, panic surged within him. 'What? Wasn't I in the dungeon just a moment ago? How on earth did I end up here? Okay, calm down. Hmm, this situation is challenging. I don't know whether she is a foe or a friend. Let's proceed step by step,' he thought to himself, concluding his internal monologue. He then looked at Nyx, masking his emotions, determined not to show any reactions to the goddess who had brought him here.
"So, Nyx, what do you want from me? Why am I in your domain? It can't be a mere coincidence that I ended up here, right?" As any sane man would, he asked the most logical questions and cut to the chase without wasting any time.
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"Fufufufu~~, indeed. I summoned you to my realm because you piqued my curiosity with your powers and presence, the powers that you possess are quite dangerous, you see, dear~~" Her purple irises shone with seriousness.
Yes, Damien knew his powers were quite dangerous as he was prone to falling into situations like this, but isn't this too sudden? He wanted to lament having these powers. "So, what do you want from me?" Damien cut to the chase as he wanted to get through this as soon as possible, even though she was beautiful, he wasn't a simp, UmU.
"Well, the thing is, many gods who saw you wanted me to get rid of you because your powers have too much potential. Those old frogs are just afraid of a boy no older than 16."
Daimen looked into her eyes that radiated seriousness. "If you wanted me dead, we wouldn't be conversing right now. So, tell me, what do you want from me?" Damien was scared, alright. One second he was in a dungeon, and now an all-powerful goddess was saying that there were gods out there trying to kill him. But he didn't show any reaction. He knew that if she wanted him dead, he would've been long gone.
"Fufufu, you're very smart, my dear Damien~" she looked at him with amusement. She knew he must've been panicking inside but still wasn't showing any reaction on the outside. She was surprised that this human could resist her charms, something that many gods had failed to do.
"Very well, dear Daimen, I want you to be my avatar." As soon as she uttered those words, silence prevailed in the void. She knew this was an offer not many could reject as she looked at Daimen, expecting a positive answer.
Daimen stood there like a frozen statue. 'WHAT NOW? IS SHE TELLING ME TO BECOME HER AVATAR? That does sound interesting, but...'
"Why me, out of all people?" It sounded too good to be true.
"Fufufu~~, as I said before, you are an interesting fellow, and I want to see what heights you can reach. And why accept my offer? I can protect you from those old fogies until you become capable of standing on your own feet. You have nothing to lose here; it's just a one-sided deal since you've piqued my interest."
Daimen pondered for a while, and he couldn't find any cons, only pros. He wouldn't miss this opportunity, considering there are gods out there ready to kill him, and he's not fond of dying this early when his adventurous life has just begun.
Daimen took a deep breath and finally answered, "I accept your proposal, Goddess Nyx."
"Ohhhhhhh, great. And drop the formalities. Call me Nyx, just Nyx, nothing else. I'm glad you accepted my proposal, fufufufu~~~" She pumped her fist in the air, visibly happy.
"So, umm, what now?" Daimen stared blankly at her behaviour. 'Is she really a goddess?'
"Oh, silly me, got too excited, tehehe~" With a closed fist, she lightly tapped her head while sticking out her tongue in a cute way.
Even though Daimen wasn't a simp, he surely appreciated beauty. And this goddess was beautiful; he couldn't take his eyes off of her.
"Ahem, moving on. Now, I will engrave you with a sigil that will indicate you as my avatar, UmU."
"So, like a slave mark, huh?" Daimen asked, amused.
"Something like that, Noooo- wait, not that! Don't take it like that. I don't want you to be my sla-" she started panicking but stopped when she saw his amusement-filled purple eyes.
"Pfttt," it was amusing to see this thousand-year-old goddess act cute.
"Mouuu~~~, don't tease your goddess," Nyx pouted.
'How cute,' Daimen thought.
"Anyways, let's get this over with. So, Daimen, are you willing to become the champion of Goddess Nyx, the personification of Shadows and Night, and accept this goddess's blessing?" Nyx shouted in the empty void, where her voice resounded again and again.
"Yes," Damien said without a shred of hesitation.
"Very well, I, Goddess Nyx, the personification of Shadows and Night, accept the individual named Daimen, and hereby declare him as my Champion." As those words left Nyx's lips, Daimen felt a burning sensation on his left shoulder. A tattoo, resembling a black rose, had appeared there. He turned to look at Nyx for an explanation, but his eyes widened when he felt a pair of soft lips touching his own. Before he could comprehend what was happening, his world turned blank, and the last words he heard were,
"Till we meet again, my dear champion, fufufufu~~"
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