Romulus opened his eyes to light, bright and overbearing and washing away everything around him. He squinted against it, feeling firm ground beneath his feet and tasting a sterility to the air. As he blinked against the radiance, the brilliance dimmed gradually until it resolved itself into a manageable level of luminance. When he glanced down to his hands, the Liber Nox was gone — though Lightsbane remained on his hip.
“So, this is what passes for a Champion in my sister’s eyes.”
Romulus spun at the sound of a voice, and stopped dead.
A blond man attired in golden armour stood before him, shorter than Romulus by several inches yet possessed of a presence and sense of authority that spoke of terrifying power. His eyes shone an azure blue, and upon a second inspection the plates of his armour seemed to be formed of liquid light, with golden flames curling off of it like miniature solar ejections.
“I see you don’t know who I am.” The man said coolly.
“I can’t say I do.” Romulus replied cautiously.
“I am known by many names and titles, Traveler, but you may know me as Solarius.”
When Romulus instinctively furrowed his eyebrows, the blond warrior clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“I am Lilith’s Counterpart. I am the patron deity of Kings and the god of Light, Life, and many other things.”
Romulus’ eyes widened, and his mouth formed an ‘O’.
“From the panic in your eyes, I see you understand. Good.” Solarius looked away from him as he spoke, clasping his armoured hands at the base of his spine beneath a flowing cloak of radiant light. “I have brought you here to offer you a chance at salvation, boy. It is within my power to cleanse you of my sister’s mark, and grant you absolution.”
Romulus’ heart thumped in his chest as the god spoke, and he rapidly tried to cycle through his thoughts. His father’s voice came back to him again, urging him to look at every angle and so he did. The god of Light, Lilith’s brother and antithesis, had called him for an audience. Likely he was before the deity in a non-physical form, which explained Lightsbane’s presence: The sword was bound to his soul. Why was Solarius negotiating though? That was what Romulus couldn’t figure out. He needed more information.
“Forgive me my ignorance, ah, your holiness—” Solarius’ subtle nod told him that was the right choice of words as he continued “—but I don’t quite understand. Why would you offer me something so gracious?”
“You are quite daring to be questioning a god, boy. However… I suppose it is only fair that you would be curious, especially given your ignorance as a Traveler.”
Romulus smiled at Solarius’ insult, nodding as if thankful. “Your charity is most appreciated, your radiance.”
Flattery was always the best bet with the powerful and vain.
“I can see why she Chose you. You are properly respectful, if nothing else.” Solarius rumbled in approval, a haughty smile on his features. “We gods have rules, you see. Rules that were laid down by our Father. We cannot directly intercede against one another in the mortal realm, and must act through proxies.” He glanced at Romulus to check he was listening, and Romulus nodded compliantly. “However, we are allowed to speak to mortals — to offer them a better way, or rewards for tasks we need done.”
“So you wanted to reach out to me now instead of after I underwent an irreversible change and became the Dark Lady’s Avatar.”
“Yes. You are correct. There are certain protections afforded to our proxies, including a lack of direct intervention by each other. We can affect things around each other’s proxies, but we cannot affect them directly.”
“I understand, your brilliance. You wanted to offer me a chance at salvation before I was too tainted for your beneficence.”
Solarius smiled, nodding at Romulus like he were a clever dog. “Precisely! You truly are a smart child, aren’t you? Yes, I sought to offer you a chance at deliverance prior to you damning yourself to my foolish sister’s cause forever.”
“And what would you exactly need me to do, my lord?” Romulus asked politely.
“Well that is rather simple, really. All you need to do is renounce the Dark Lady, rid yourself of that abomination on your hip, and give me the Liber Nox.”
“Pardon my impudence, glorious one, but what would I receive in return?”
“Is a god’s pleasure not enough, boy?” Solarius asked with a cold look.
“It is a great thing, your magnificence, but I am being offered some small measure of power by your sister. I can only assume, by your bearing and evident power, that you are the mightiest and most powerful among your siblings, so revered that I had not even learned your name due to the pious adherence of your faithful flock.” Solarius nodded as if that made perfect sense while Romulus continued.
“They do not wish to tarnish your name with mortal lips often, and so you must forgive my ignorance.” Romulus smiled apologetically. “Nonetheless, I would assume that a being of your impressive glory and immense power could see fit to offer me some small incentive?”
“Mm… Well, I can hardly fault you for your mortal limitations. Of course you would desire a reward…” The god nodded to himself. “Very well. Here are my terms: You will renounce my sister, hand over the Liber Nox, and divest yourself of that thing upon your hip. In return I shall grant you riches, designate a block of land as yours in perpetuity, and name you a Paladin of Solarius and a Hero of my Church. I shall grant you access to my power via Light Mana, and guarantee your canonisation as a Living Saint.”
Romulus listened in stunned silence at the offer, and alarm bells immediately went off in his head. In return for turning his back on Lilith, handing over a book, and getting rid of Lightsbane — that alone was a dealbreaker anyway — he’d receive all that? It was incredibly generous. In fact, it was downright excessive. Especially given the fact that Solarius had been loath to negotiate in the first place. That left only two possibilities.
First Solarius wanted Romulus very badly to be on his side, which would make sense if not for the fact that the god of Light had done everything except make an equitable offer: He had not offered Romulus to be the Avatar of Light. That fact alone meant that despite the god’s seeming magnanimity, there was something else at play.
Which brought him to the second and most plausible theory.
Solarius was scared of Lilith’s return.
Romulus knew his answer, but he needed to be careful.
“You have given me a most generous and incredible offer, your eminence.”
“Indeed, so it is time to accept it!” Solarius responded firmly.
“Of course, but first, I do have one concern. A fear, actually.”
Solarius’ eyes narrowed, but he said nothing as he waited.
“If I were to accept your gracious allowances, your radiance, I fear for what your sister might do. After all, she is the goddess of Death… What is to stop her simply killing me herself?”
“Tsk. Foolish. Did you not hear me, Traveler? She cannot! We cannot directly act against proxies!”
“But I would not be your Avatar, your grace. Would that not leave me vulnerable?”
“Ah, I see your confusion.” Solarius said with a superior tone. “You do not comprehend. Let me be more simple in my explanation: A proxy is not merely an Avatar, but any creature or being that owes total allegiance to a deity. My sister had her Death Knights, Inquisitors, Acolytes, and others... loathsome as they were…” The god scowled at the thought of said followers, then continued. “I have my wonderful Paladins, Confessors, and Apostles. You would be among the first, and while Avatars are certainly the most powerful of a god’s representatives, they are hardly the only form of proxy.”
“And if you were to bless me with your Mark, as she did?”
“Yes, that would also count. You would be utterly safe. You have my word.”
“Thank you, great one. That is all I needed to know.” Romulus said with a smile.
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“Excellent.” Solarius declared with an arrogant lift of his chin. “Now, let’s—”
“No.” Romulus said simply.
“What?” Solarius asked in momentary confusion.
“Ah, my apologies. Let me be clearer: Go fuck yourself, you radiant ball of stupidity.”
Solarius’ eyes widened momentarily, and then narrowed dangerously. His armour started to ripple and flare with fire, and golden lightning arced around him. “You dare?! I will obliterate you for your insol—!”
“Nope.” Romulus said smugly. “I have Lilith’s Mark. You said it yourself, you can’t touch proxies, and I doubt the ever-honourable god of Light would ever lie. It isn’t part of your brand of rainbows and sunshine.”
Solarius hissed. “You snarky little rodent. You think you tricked me?!”
“I think you’re a pretentious shithead with delusions of grandeur. I think you’re a bully who doesn’t like being told no. More than any of that, I think you’re scared. No, you’re terrified. This was your only real chance to stop my goddess from gaining momentum. If I’d given you the Liber Nox, you could’ve spirited it away to keep it out of the reach of her Avatars for as long as you wanted. This was your only shot at stopping her.”
“SILENCE!” Solarius roared.
“Fuck you!” Romulus shot back. “I'm going to convert every one of your shrines, you arrogant prick, and I’m going to piss on your altars! I’ll make sure the act of uttering your name is so terrifying that you fade into complete obscurity!”
“MY SERVANTS WILL CRUSH YOU!”
“Bring it on, you asshole. I can’t wait to skullfuck your Avatar!”
Solarius screamed in rage as his armour turned to blinding light.
Romulus laughed in the god’s face.
Everything faded away.
“Boy!”
The Revenant-King’s voice brought Romulus back to himself and he started, looking around himself at the throne room and then down at the Liber Nox in his hands. “I… Sorry.” He said after a moment. “Solarius dragged me away to try to get me to join him.”
The Revenant-King went very still. “What did you tell him?”
“To go fuck himself.” Romulus said as he peered down at the Liber Nox. The Revenant-King’s laughter startled him a moment later and he looked toward the wraith in surprise. He almost said something and then thought better of it, eyes turning back to the Liber Nox. “So what do I do now?” He asked out loud.
“The Liber Nox will only open to the blood of the Marked. There is a spike on the middle chain encircling the book. Press your palm against it.”
Romulus turned the book to find what the Revenant-King referred to and spied the subtle glint of something sharp. Gritting his teeth, he pushed his palm against it and hissed at the feeling of a puncture. “Alright, now what—?” He fell silent abruptly as the chains melted away, unshackling the book and allowing it to fall open in his hands. As opposed to a random page, what he saw was a blank slate of silver, and then the pages flashing aside rapidly. Moments later, the turning pages finally halted at a place somewhere near the front, and letters started to appear in red.
Letters Romulus found, with only a little surprise, that he could read.
My Chosen, I can sense that the Liber Nox has come into your hands. While I hoped for this outcome, I would be remiss not to admit some measure of trepidation. Your acquisition of my scripture, however, has put any lingering concern to rest.
I do not have much time, so I must impart knowledge to you in haste. The Liber Nox is the key to becoming my Avatar not because of the scripture, but because of the rituals involved. Without a Focus, I am unable to properly affect the world.
With the Liber Nox in hand, I can use it to circumvent this restriction and empower you properly as my Avatar. Each of the gods has different means of achieving this, but the Liber Nox is mine.
A choice now lies before you, with three divergent and equally beneficial and difficult paths. To become my Avatar, and channel the pure essence of my power, your body must change. Your current self would be torn apart by the purity of my power.
The first of these options is the path of the Wight. With my abilities and command over death, I can petrify and freeze your body in time. You will lose the need to sleep, to eat, to drink, and will never run out of stamina. Your body will also gain tremendous durability and physical strength.
Wights are creatures of ultimate physical force, and you would be no different. Your skin would turn away all but the greatest of enchanted steel, you could fight forever without fatigue, and you would never lose your calm focus even in the greatest of wartime chaos. You will be a singular pillar, reliant on nothing but your own power and the sharpness of your runeblade.
However, you will no longer be able to enjoy food, drink, dreams, or the pleasure of a night’s rest. You will also lose all ability to intimacy now and forever in the future. You will feel neither love nor loss, and your emotions will forever be dampened to cold neutrality.
Romulus winced at the last section. He’d suspected that sex was an option in Eternus Online, and while he didn’t really intend on pursuing that course of action any time soon, the idea of losing the option and his emotions just did not sit well with the most primal and deeply rooted parts of himself. Hoping for something better, he kept reading.
The second path is that of the Lich. In this way you will become a being of mana and power, not unlike the last Revenant-King’s current form, though yours will be far more tangible and stable. Your physical vulnerabilities will be removed, and you will become a spellcaster of singular power.
Liches are masters of the Undead and powerful Necromancers, and as a Lich you would forever have an army at your beck and call. Every foe you faced would be another potential recruit, and even the most pious of enemy warriors would be yours to raise in undeath against their former allies.
This path would result in you losing much of your physical strength in exchange for near-total physical invulnerability, but so too would you lose the ability to eat, drink, dream, sleep, and be intimate with others. It is a great sacrifice, but one none have ever regretted. The power of a true Lich is legendary.
“I like this one even less.” He muttered out loud, glancing at the Revenant-King. “No offense, but being a ghost isn’t exactly my idea of evolutionary improvement.”
The Revenant-King said nothing, but Romulus thought he sensed amusement.
Looking back to the Liber Nox, he continued to read.
The third and final path is that of the Sanguine. Using my own blood, I will gift you with the eternal body and ageless guise of a powerful Sanguine Revenant; a unique form of Vampire Prince. Your body will gain strength, agility, vitality, and endurance bonuses that will grow slightly with every level. Unlike the first two paths, this one relies on your ability to lead as much as your own capabilities.
Your individual strength will grow as you add more souls to your Court. Each individual you Sire will grant you a portion of their attributes permanently, growing your power relative to the strength of each new addition. While all the arts of the Dark will be open to you, the path of the Sanguine is neither as physically unstoppable as the Wight nor as sorcerously gifted as the Lich.
Your mana pool will be merged with your health and it shall be the only resource available to you for spells and abilities, both simplifying your path and limiting you in some ways. As a Sanguine Revenant and my Avatar, you will be immune to the common weaknesses of their kind: Silver will have no effect on you, and the sacred places of the other gods will hold no thrall over you. You will, however, gain a severe weakness to both Fire and Light Mana.
You will also need to feed regularly to maintain your strength. The more potent the person you feed on, the longer your hunger will be sated. Unlike many false myths, Vampires are not creatures of undeath: Instead, you will maintain your youth and vibrancy through the life force you consume from others.
There is more to be learned about all the available paths, my champion. That information, however, must be earned with time. For now, you must make your choice.
Be warned: Once you decide, there is no going back.
I await your decision.
Romulus stared at the final line and sighed. Three options, and while the last one appealed to him the most, it also presented the most challenges. First of all, he’d be more vulnerable than he would be as either a Wight or Revenant because he’d be susceptible to all the failings of a mortal body in terms of wounds, and he had to assume that also meant pain. The logical deduction was that both the Wight and Revenant enjoyed some measure of immunity to something as mortal as pain.
Furthermore, if he chose the third path he’d need to find followers to grow his power, and would need to then manage those followers. He had a suspicion that there was nothing stopping an ambitious Vampire from trying to supplant him as both leader and Avatar if he let himself be vulnerable to it. Finally, he needed to ensure a steady supply of… Well, food. The thought made him mildly queasy, but he didn’t think that was a bad thing.
The moment he started to view people as less than people, something was wrong.
“You must choose.” The Revenant-King said from beside him. “And quickly.”
“I know, it’s just hard.” He grumbled. “All of them have benefits and negatives, and the idea of the Wight on paper seems the most straightforwardly beneficial.” He sighed. “Dependency on others seems like a huge weakness to the Sanguine.” After a moment more of thought, he turned to the wraith on the throne beside him. “Which did you choose?”
The Revenant-King looked toward the book, then away. “Sanguine.”
“Did you regret it?”
Another pause followed, then… “No.”
“Well, that’s good enough for me.” He said with a shrug, turning back to the Liber Nox. “Let not hesitation anchor your footsteps.” He murmured to himself, before speaking clearly. “I choose the path of the Sanguine, and confirm my choice.”
Romulus squinted at the Liber Nox warily after he spoke, waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, he frowned. Had he said the words wrong? Perhaps he needed to write down his decision? He turned to the Revenant-King to ask.
A moment later, Romulus staggered as the flaming skull came into view inches from his face.
He looked down, and saw the ethereal length of the wraith’s runeblade in his chest.
“Wh-what…?”
It felt so goddamn real. Romulus found himself struggling to breathe.
His eyes rose to look at the Revenant-King once more, and he thought he saw approval in the spectre’s eyes.
“Welcome to the blessed damned, brother.”
The runeblade came free.
Romulus dropped to his knees.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…” He rasped around the blood filling his mouth.
Romulus felt his heart stop, and everything went black.