As Ocean slowly opened her eyes, she quickly realized that she was currently being carried by someone, so without hesitation, she threw herself back, launching her away from the person carrying her. She didn't even turn to look at the man that carried her, and instead, she immediately ran towards a nearby forest, her heart racing from fear and confusion.

She felt her feet slowly sinking into the snow with every step she took, forcing her to be creative and leaped towards the few rocks on the ground, so she could get to the forest as quickly as possible.

After arriving, she continued running deeper into the woods so she could get as far as she could from that man as quickly as possible. Panting, Ocean didn't stop moving her legs until she was deep within the forest and when her feet finally gave in.

She took a deep breath as she frantically looked around her, checking to see if there was anyone nearby, and after realizing that she was all alone, she sighed in relief. She then sat down on the ground, leaned her back on a tree, and closed her eyes, thinking about what just happened.

She wasn't sure what she saw earlier, but she was definitely sure of what she felt. It felt like that dream she had three days ago, on the day she arrived in these snowy mountains. She felt a part of her crumble to pieces, she felt like she was being devoured by the darkness, by the endless void.

It felt like she was staring into the Abyss. It was so deep, incomprehensible, and completely unfathomable to her, that just looking at it caused her so much pain that it made her lose consciousness….

And as Ocean sat there, agonizing over the sight she had witnessed earlier, a memory suddenly popped up in her mind. A memory of the last word she heard before she found herself here….

"God…"

* * *

"She saw the face of God?!"

Terron yelled as he asked Metatron, who was inscribing different types of Angelic Runes on the walls of Grand Chamber, with the assistance of Lucifer and Michael.

Hearing Terron's rather obnoxious yell, Metatron remained unbothered and continued with his task, but the same couldn't be said for the two Archangels he was working with.

Both Lucifer and Michael were now staring intently at Metatrons back, eagerly waiting for him to answer Terron's question. Metatron didn't give in to their stares, however, and instead, turned to look at Lucifer and Michael. He then said,

"Leave."

Bowing their heads, the both of them quickly made their way to the Grand Chambers doorways and left, while Terron, watching this, couldn't help but ask,

"Why'd you make them leave? I don't see any harm in letting them know this information."

Not minding Terron's question, Metatron continued with his work before replying,

"I know, that's why I transferred information in Lucifer's head regarding the matter. As for why I wanted them to leave, it's because I wanted to have a private conversation with you."

Metatron then stopped what he was doing and looked at Terron in the eye and said,

"I would like to propose a bet between you and I."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

* * *

Now outside the Grand Chamber, Lucifer and Michael stood completely still at its doorways, waiting for Metatron's call to let them in. While Lucifer remained still and focused as he stood there, Michael was fidgeting and was rhythmically tapping on his thigh with his fingers.

Getting annoyed, Lucifer snappily turned his head towards Michael and glared at him as he said,

"If you have something you want to say, say it."

Embarrassed, Michael scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. He hesitated to speak for a while, but after feeling Lucifer's intense gaze on him, his hesitation immediately went away, promoting to ask,

"What information did you receive from Metatron..?"

Hearing this, Lucifer's eyes went wide before immediately narrowing as he glared at Michael. He was wondering how Michael knew of this and was about to ask when Michael suddenly strutted as he said,

"I-I saw a faint string of Holy Power leaving Metatron's head and going into yours earlier, so I just assumed…"

Amazed by Michael's ability to perceive energy, Lucifer simply stared at him for a while before sighing. He the looked away from him and said,

"It was information regarding the mortal. About her origins and how she managed to take Divinity inside her body…"

Feeling hesitant once more, Michael fidgeting before working up the courage to ask,

"Then… would it be alright if I knew of her origins…?"

Lucifer thought for a while, wondering if it would be alright, but after realizing that there'd be no issue with sharing this information with a fellow Archangel, he quickly explained,

"That mortal, Ocean. She's a Hybrid between a human and a… Demon…"

Lucifer clenched his teeth as he tried to suppress his inner rage. Rage born out of the thought of a vile creature mating with one of God's creations. He quickly calmed himself down, however, and continued,

"And not just any Demon, but Isaac, someone Lord Huron and Terron judged to be stronger than Baal…. and Ocean, someone who shares the same genes as him inherited the natural ability of his body to adapt and evolve…. that was why she was able to absorb God's Divinity…."

After hearing this, a thought suddenly surfaced in Michael's mind, making him ask,

"Then what about Baal?"

"What about him?"

Irritated by the name, Lucifer quickly asked back. Not minding Lucifer's attitude, however, Michael went ahead and continued to ask,

"Do you think he managed to absorb some Divinity when Lord Terron was attacking him?"

"I don't know. All I know is that the bastard will die a horrible death once we're done extracting information from his mind."

* * *

Inside the Grand Chamber.

Terron stood completely still, dumbfounded by Metatron's proposal. He stared at him for a while, waiting for Metatron to take back what he just said, but no matter how long he waited, Metatron said nothing else and just waited for Terron's response. Still dumbfounded, Terron decided to ask,

"Let me get this straight… you want me to reduce my strength to Ocean's level, all throughout her journey…? And if I fail my mission with those conditions, you want me to be the Order of Angel's leader again…?"

Metatron simply nodded in response, making Terron sigh and grab a nearby seat. He then looked Metatron in the eyes, trying to make sure if he was serious, and after realizing that he was, Terron couldn't help but sigh once more and asked,

"Metatron… you said before that the fate of Heaven depends on Ocean's survival… So why would you propose a bet like this..? A bet that makes me think that you actually want me to fail my mission…?"

Hearing this, Metatron suddenly smiled, surprising Terron greatly. He then approached Terron, grabbed a seat for himself, and sat just in front of Terron. He then said,

"Yes, you're right. The fate of Heaven will depend on her survival, and if she dies, we Angels might face a catastrophe we won't be able to handle…. and that is precisely the reason why I want you to lead the Order once it happens… I want you to lead them to victory… I want you to lead them to the light once the dark times come…"

Terron couldn't help but chuckle when he heard Metatron's words. His chuckles then became louder until it turned into boisterous laughter. His laughter then became so loud that the only thing that could be heard in the Grand Chamber was the sound of Terron's laughter, bouncing off from the Grand Chamber's walls.

And after a short while of Terron just laughing, he wiped the tears in his eyes and said,

"It's funny, really.… you're making it sound like you're already sure of my failure.…"

"It's because I am."

Megatron replied immediately with a voice full of certainty, making Terrons grin. Terron then stood up and looked down at Metatron with a grin still on his face, and with his voice enchanted by Divinity, he pledged,

"[ I, Terron, the Angel of Ash and Fire, with God above as a witness, hereby agree to the conditions of Metatron, God's Scribe, and will limit my strength to match Ocean's own, throughout her journey in life. I shall also reinstate my status as the leader of the Order of Angels if the unlikely scenario of me failing my mission were to happen. ]"

Immediately after saying so, the Angelic Runes that Metatron had been working on earlier glowed intensely with a brilliant golden light, recording and binding Terron's words to the Grand Chamber, finalizing the bet they had made.

And without waiting for Metatron to say anything else, Terron quickly made his way towards the Grand Chamber's doorways and was going to leave, when he suddenly stopped, turned to look at Metatron and said,

"By the way… in the case that I win this bet of ours, all I want from you is this: To wear absolutely nothing but short pants for 5 million years… I've never been a fan of that robe you always wear…"

After saying so, Terron immediately left, leaving Metatron all alone in the Grand Chamber. And as Terron's last words ran through Metatron's mind, he looked towards the giant double doors that Terron just went through, and for the first time in 10 million years, he laughed.