The High Priest of Akh'ila, Olper Wern, was standing on the walls of the ancient City of Xariinta. With his eyes watching the horizon, he awaited the arrival of the heretics who dared to disobey his Goddess. A hundred priests were walking along the lines of soldiers... The sudden explosion shook the mighty city walls, and with the setting dust, Olper saw a vast breach where a gatehouse once stood. The enemies had arrived, taking the city by surprise despite the many watchers. As he clenched his fist and raised it to give the order to defend the City, a booming voice caught him completely off-guard.

"Goddess Verka! I would like to ask for forgiveness!" Akh'ila's pleading voice made everyone in the city look at each other in disbelief. "We would surrender under a few conditions!"

•••

Verka raised her hand in shock, and the Admiral called off the attack. The Goddess of Vengeance, standing in her black and crimson armour, took a moment to contemplate what was going on. However, with each passing moment, she was more sure that she wouldn't decide on her own. She heard Janet politely clearing her throat to gain her attention, so Verka slowly turned towards the Admiral.

"What now, Janet?" Verka asked in surprise with a muffled voice before the Elf could say anything further.

"I don't know!" It was Janet's turn to almost panic. "It's the first time someone has simply surrendered, Verka!"

"Do you think I should let her speak?" The Goddess curled her hair around her finger.

"Do you want to kill her?" Janet opened her hands in an indifferent shrug.

"I... Well. No. Not really," Verka admitted, an indecipherable expression on her face.

"Then just listening to her shouldn't hurt, right?" Janet very reluctantly offered.

Verka blinked a few times, considering that option, after which she sighed. "I guess you are right..." She took a deep breath and announced with authority and might, "You may come and beg for forgiveness."

As Verka and Janet turned around to think about how they actually were going to even prepare for the meeting, Akh'ila was already there. She was kneeling on the deck, and once her gaze crossed with Verka's, she pressed her forehead to the wood. Behind her stood another Eternal. He was far more powerful than the women who knelt on the ground, but to Verka's surprise, he had his head bowed. The woman was visibly shaking, but commendably enough, her voice was clear. "I'm so sorry, Goddess Verka! Please forgive me!"

While the begging lasted for the next few minutes with the same overall theme, Akh'ila also managed to plead for the lives of her subjects. Verka, slightly stunned, looked at Akh'ila and, apparently, Ertu. While the woman was trying her best to convince Verka not to kill her, the man simply stood motionless, not behind her anymore, but rather at her side. She used that time to take a closer look at the two. Akh'ila was slim and somewhat attractive, but compared to Janet, she was just mediocre. Her face was covered in tears, snot, and dust, and her messy, long blonde hair wasn't helping her either. Ertu was tall and classically handsome, but most men in Avalon were as good-looking as he was. Verka took a deep breath and closed her eyes momentarily, considering her options. Deep down, she knew what had to be done, but she was torn between doing what was right and what was necessary. She exhaled heavily, and then she was struck by an idea.

"I won't forgive you. But..." Verka took out an oversized two-handed sword, the very epitome of overkill, and pointed its tip at Akh'ila, who paled in response. With steel and certainty in her voice, she said, "Maybe I could forget what you have done."

"I..." Akh'ila let out a ragged and relieved sigh but as she eyed the motionless blade before her, she quickly realised that the price to keep her life would be high.

"What's left of Berna will surrender. Hagon Je'wrha will die. Both of you will swear your fealty to King Theon Avalon." Verka's eyes shined with a brilliant red gleam at their edges as she spoke. "You, Akh'ila, will become my direct subordinate, essentially a lesser Goddess in my service."

"What about me?" Ertu asked calmly.

"You will be a local deity." Verka declared, after which she shrugged. "Probably..."

"Why?" Ertu asked while Akh'ila couldn't utter a single word in her shock.

"Don't think I'm lenient or weak." Crimson red and obsidian bolts of lightning started crackling around her dangerously. The two Bernan Gods could feel the power circulating in the air, just from Verka simply being upset. "I saw the enemies of our world with my own eyes. For years that felt like aeons, the foul deities of Chaos and Void tortured me and slowly devoured my soul."

The two looked at her in a mix of disbelief and terror. However, none dared to speak out of turn. Suddenly, Verka was surrounded by unpenetrable darkness and a furious storm that called down incredible bolts of lightning. Despite her terrifying display of raw power, the young Goddess's voice was calm.

"The brave warriors of Theon Avalon, with the help of Goddess Hestia, managed to save me from the clutches of Chaos and Void. However... I will never forget that pain and darkness." The figure of death incarnate from a moment ago was gone. Instead, a gentle and beautiful woman suddenly stood before them, wearing a soft smile. "So knowing this world is in danger like never before, you can choose. You can continue your petty plots and schemes, or you can help us to save this world."

"And forget that you have taken this world from us?" an angry voice boomed right behind Verka.

"Shadow! NO!" Akh'ila screamed, but before she could have done anything, a bright flash of light threw the scion back.

"Predictable..." A warrior in black and gold armour appeared from nowhere, standing between Verka and Shadow, who moaned painfully a few steps away. "You think such a petty strike could reach those I protect?"

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The warrior stepped forward and unleashed his killing intent, which ensnared Shadow in a powerful aura. The dark smoke that made up Shadow’s body quivered, and Akh'ila's eyes widened as she realised he was afraid. With each step, the air around the knight became gradually denser, pressing heavily and painfully on the skin, forcing anyone nearby to their knees.

"Who are you, Mortal?!" Shadow demanded, struggling heavily to maintain his voice.

"I'm not a Mortal." The aura of inevitable death surrounded the knight, forcing Shadow back. "I'm a Praetorian."

Shadow shrieked, and despite the suffocating pressure, he attacked the Praetorian, who easily blocked his attack with the halberd. Shadow tried to scratch and rip his enemy with his claws, but the weapon just flashed around, making it impossible to wound the Praetorian. It was the first time that Akh'ila had seen someone capable of fighting a Shadow Demon. While Shadow undoubtedly was strong, he always relied on the fact that no attack could reach him.

"Are you a scion?!" Shadow backed up, panting heavily. For some reason, he couldn't retreat to the Shadow Realm.

"No." Verka was not even looking at the fight; she was focused on the Eternals before her. "He is not."

"Impossible..." The desperation in Shadow's voice was evident.

"Why do you think so, Shadow Demon?" Black lighting sparked around the Praetorian, who stood motionless in front of the women he was assigned to protect, his feet spread wide and shoulders slightly hunched forward, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. "I am a Shield Captain of the Praetorians of His Royal Majesty. I am just a monster like you. I am a Death Lord. I am your enemy."

"Please stop!" Akh'ila's voice was desperate. "Please! I agree! I will submit myself to you, Lady Verka!"

"Wise decision. What about you, Ertu?"

"You will simply just trust us?" He eyed the Praetorian and slowly realised the power at Verka's disposal.

"Of course not. I'm not stupid." Verka rolled her eyes. "I will take you both to Avalon, where you will take a vow before all other Eternals and the King."

"The Dungeon of Xariinta will... No!" Shadow turned around and tried to run away, but a sudden growth of ice bound him to the deck of the ship.

"I have told you. I am your enemy," the Praetorian repeated with an emotionless voice. "The wish of my master is clear. Your master can serve him or perish. My brothers will see to that. If you wanted to protect the core, you should have stayed behind, Shadow Demon. Just as I have stayed to protect my charges..."

"Lady Verka?!" Akh'ila looked at the Goddess of Vengeance in shock.

"Soon, it will be over, one way or another." Verka waved her hand dismissively. "Your Dungeon has to make a decision. Once you challenged me, you challenged King Theon as well. As I am a more powerful Goddess than you, and Theon is more powerful than Xariinta..."

"NOOOO!" Shadow screamed in defiance and brimmed with unexpected power.

The thick and choking dark mist enveloped the entire deck. It muffled the sounds and snuffed the faint light of the cloudy day. Akh'ila had never before seen this skill; however, despite its scale and overwhelming feeling of danger, the Praetorian stood unimpressed.

"Arrogant fool..." Shadow's voice erupted from everywhere. "I am the scion. I am the voice of the Grand and Mighty Xariinta!" The voice dropped in volume and became icy cold. "I am the darkness of death..."

"In brightest day..." The Praetorian stepped forward, creating a bubble of pure light around all the Eternals and Admiral Sparrow.

"In blackest night..." Once again, his body was enveloped by the black lightning.

"No evil shall escape my sight..." As the Praetorian slammed the deck with the butt of his halberd, an abrupt and vicious gust of wind blew away the clouds of black smoke that had protected Shadow.

The Praetorian extended his left arm and pointed his fist towards the Shadow Demon. His right arm held a halberd that shone with brilliant blue light. As he looked straight into Shadow's eyes, he slowly erected the middle finger on his left hand. "Field of Control."

Shadow was taken aback by the Praetorian’s power. He knew that he, as a scion, should be more powerful than any other ordinary monster, but this wasn't an ordinary monster. His skills and sheer willpower made him a force to be reckoned with.

"I see that your master has created a formidable guardian for himself..." Shadow was interrupted by the laughter of pure amusement.

"Hahahaha..." The Praetorian chuckled. "My only reason for existence is to protect the Queens of Arcadia. My King might send us to protect those who are important or dear to him. But my master? My master does not need my protection."

The smoke swirled slightly before it was blown away completely, leaving the hazy shapes of the Shadow Demon flickering, barely able to keep his form together. Shadow quivered silently, weighing what he heard and the orders he was receiving from the Core. Verka looked at Ertu, who stared back at her.

"You will simply let her live? After all that she had done?"

"There might be some spanking involved once my dad finds out..." Verka shrugged, disinterested in the stalemate between the Praetorian and Shadow.

"What if I won't agree on my part of the deal?"

"Hmmm... Then I probably ask you once to get the fuck out of here, and the next time we will see each other, we will be enemies?" Verka rested on her giant sword, which was literally as large as she was. "Sorry... It's not like I am thrilled to irrevocably thin the number of people able to fight the horrors from the depths of hell. But taking the example of King Theon, I will surely deal with anyone who decides to be our enemy."

"Logical..." Ertu sighed and curiously looked at Admiral Sparrow, who seemed… bored. "Before I answer, however, you, Mortal..."

"Hmmm?" She had not even bothered to look at Ertu.

"You seemed to be taking this quite well. Do you think you can stand here with us and pretend to be our equal?" he asked calmly, curiously, and without any hostility.

The Elf gazed at the ancient City below and snapped her fingers. Instantly, the magic cannons of the giant airship awoke and laid waste to the city below. The ancient, empty buildings cracked open or simply turned into rubble under the seemingly relentless fire of the Arcadian battleship. Quicker, faster, and more powerful than they should be, the magi cannons stopped just as the Admiral raised her hand slightly. Akh'ila and Ertu observed the entire spectacle in awed silence. In the silence that ensued, the otherwise graceful and light steps of the Elf echoed menacingly. Two Bernan Gods stiffened while the Elf woman approached Ertu. After slightly adjusting the flap on his robe, she smiled so dangerously that he heavily swallowed.

"I would be terrified by the attention of a God a few months ago. Or maybe flustered and happy. Who knows?" She smiled so charmingly that Ertu actually blushed. Then she looked up, and the eyes that looked at him were full of steel and fire. "However, now I am the Admiral of the Royal Navy of Avalon, Eternal. I represent the Kingdom of Arcadia. My ships will cut the darkness of endless night and evil gods alike."