Velvet looked to the sides, to the unending sea of hands that kept the ‘void’ at bay. Then, she rested one of her hands against the palm holding her, touching the Deriliam’s fur.

A single strand of hair would be a priceless magic ingredient… Greed was part of the Knowledge Paradigm, rearing its head right now. Still, she had the common sense to not pluck out any of them.

Not like she could, probably.

Since Velvet was wearing gloves, she couldn’t feel the fur texture, except for the fact that it was rather thick.

The information about Deriliams includes Their name, title and sometimes what They created, but not Their appearance. Yet, based on Lothrigern, Their creations share some details with the one responsible… She mused, trying to deduce if the Deriliam was one she already knew about.

Haashi Morgania, Mother of Witches; Andras Apolyon, Father of Devils; and Baetylus, Forge of Hollow Earth. Those were the Deriliams whose names she was aware of, excluding Lothrigern’s.

Four in total.

Unlike gods, who had sculptures, paintings, murals and more made on their likeness, she hadn’t found anything of the sort for the Deriliams.

Which was truly a shame, since she would love to have a Lothrigern figurine. Oh well.

Could this one be Morgania? I don’t feel any sort of connection with it, nor do I feel like this place is the Primeval Sea. I also doubt it's Baetylus, since I’ve never seen someone working at a forge with claws.

Maybe I’m in Hell, and this it’s Andr-

The Deriliam hummed slowly, catching Velvet’s attention. “Careful with that name. He is in mourning, but with so many eyes on you… it can have quite the pull.”

“Even as a thought?”

“Intentions don’t need to be spoken out loud.”

That was true, magically speaking. Mages didn’t need to describe what a spell did, for it to take effect. Magic was based on the intentions of the caster, nor on how quick they could recite an incantation.

Which meant that thinking about Andras Apolyon was fine, but her intention of suggesting that the Deriliam was Him could have consequences.

And not only that. It was also the second time that a Deriliam had cut her out from ‘saying’ Andras Apolyon’s name, the first time being Lothrigern during the dream.

She still had mentioned it once previously, when everything went red, the formation holding the dream in place activating, almost making her lose control.

But that was at the start, when I didn’t know as many Deriliam’s names. That’s what the ‘eyes on me’ part means.

“So, whoever the Chained Man is,” Velvet spoke to the Deriliam. “Not all of you agree with Lothrigern’s goals, right?” At least, by Their reaction, Andras Apolyon was probably against Him.

“We disagree on many things, and are neutral on many others.”

“You forgot the agree part…”

“We don’t.”

Velvet let out a nervous laugh over that. She had hoped that the Deriliam’s goals aligned, while maybe being against the gods or something else. But, if they were infighting… it didn’t look good for her.

“Are you neutral?”

The Deriliam fell silent for a moment. “I am against it.” It declared, before adding. “But I won’t interfere.”

And what's called what you are doing right now?! She screamed inwardly, flinching when she felt the Deriliam gaze moving downwards.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“After this time.” It added. “The others are satisfied with just a faraway glance, but I prefer to see it up close. Makes decisions easier.”

“What decision?”

“If I do something he can’t.”

Velvet remained silent after that, the hand holding her moving slowly from left to right, with the Deriliam’s hidden gaze following her.

“Like what?” Well, she tried to remain silent, but, forgive her, she was being kept in the void with a colossal, million handed being who kept examining her like a fancy bug.

“You ask a lot of questions.”

“W-well, you keep answering them.”

“It’s fine.” It said, and, Velvet could delude herself into saying that the uncanny, monotonous voice pressing itself against her brain was reassuring.

Which said a lot about her mental state.

“If he can traverse space, then I can add space. Don’t move.” From the dark came another hand, also gigantic and beastly, brown fur covering it completely, with long, red and sharp fingernails at the end. It extended the index, pointing at Velvet, before advancing to poke her.

It came slow, waaay to slow, almost hesitantly, just like how a newbie seamstress would thread a needle when her teacher was looking.

That’s to say, it gave Velvet absolutely zero confidence. Was it the first time the Deriliam did this to a human?

“It will be fine.” The Deriliam comforted Velvet, just to make it worse with the next sentence. “If you explode, I will fix you right up.”

“Would I be the exact same as before popping?”

The Deriliam hummed a bit. “Probably not.”

Then I don’t want to! Trying to think of another way to advance, she quickly added. “What if… what if you stand still and I move forward?”

Stopping the hand’s advances, the Deriliam spoke. “If you’re able to get it deep enough that it grazes your heart.”

“I can. I’m good at calculations.”

When the Deriliam didn’t add anything else, Velvet moved forward, touching the claw’s end.

She felt a tinge of pain when it started crossing her chest, and yet, neither her clothes got damaged nor her blood was spilled. If she had to guess the reason someway, the Deriliam wasn’t a material nor a spiritual being, but a third thing, so, probably, the nail wasn’t digging into Velvet’s body or soul, but somewhere else.

It still hurt like being slowly stabbed in the chest would hurt, though. But she pressed on.

Pain was part of her calculations, she didn’t lie about those.

Digging the nail closer, just until it exactly grazed the center of Velvet’s heart, she waited. Aside from the pain, she didn’t feel anything else.

“Done.”

Moving back, and pulling the claw out, Velvet looked down, not sensing anything different.

“See? You’re fine.”

“... You just gave a sigh of relief, didn’t you? I heard it.” The hand holding Velvet started closing. “I’m sorry.”

“...”

“Very sorry.”

Since the hand stopped curling its fingers, Velvet spoke again. “So… why did you do that?”

“To hold.”

“To hold…?”

“Yes.”

She didn’t feel able to hold more stuff than the one she was already able to hold. Unless the stabbing wasn’t metaphorical, and she did get a hole dug inside her chest in a pocket heart fashion. Not in her body nor soul, but inside a different third thing.

Well, if the Deriliam said that it was done, it was done. No use doubting it.

And, by the Deriliam’s previous words, this was the last time it would interfere, which implied that she would be entering Erin Cardomos’ pocket dimension with Lothigern’s help, and not its.

“Last question.” Velvet said, keenly aware of the timer going down. “Your name.”

It wasn’t worded as a question, and yet, it was one.

The Deriliam laughed, or, at least, made a hum that resembled a laugh. “Names are eyes, don’t add so many that he feels the pull.”

“May we never see each other again, Velvet.”

Once that was said, she heard the increasingly familiar tingle of bells, before her surroundings blurred, changing as if washed away with paint.

Of green and gray, the colors she remembered seeing in the vision, the one depicting Erin Cardomos’ pocket dimension.

The place where Dianthus was being held.