Chapter 93: Nightmare

In the dim sewers, a group of evil followers gathered together. The sewer had been expanded considerably; a hundred-square-meter large altar had been built. The altar was surrounded by lit torches, and underneath it, was an enormous magic formation. There were spooky shadows lurking nearby, and they looked more like half-ethereal beings rather than actual physical bodies. A bishop wearing a dark red robe kneeled below the altar. Next to him were warriors clad in pitch-black armor whose cold eyes glared at their surroundings.

“Great bishop,” the red-robed man said in a respectful tone, “We still haven’t detected the presence of the first Descendant of G.o.d. The dragonslayer’s descendant has pulled out the cursed sword already. We have suffered significant casualties, and the members of the Druid Order have also started to take action. They treat us as enemies because they believe we have broken the balance of the city. Whiterun is much, much stronger than Amber City. What should we do next?”

The eerie flames of the torches turned into a hazy silhouette, and the bishop’s cold voice seemed to have pierced right through the red-robed man.

“Who? Who is the one that keeps interrupting this lord’s plans? How are you still unable to find the first Descendant of G.o.d, you insufferable sc.u.m? I have already foretold you all about the location, why did you start the ritual only recently?”

Cold sweat trickled down the red-robed bishop’s face as he trembled in fear.

“Whiterun is a powerful city. There are great existences here, including the Northern witches. We waited for the horrifying Stormlord to leave the city before starting the ritual. We lost all our terror knights in Amber City, and we are short on manpower. Great bishop, I have tried my best!”

“Nonsense!” The shadow let out a roar and flicked its fingers. The red-robed man’s head exploded almost immediately. The shadow casually pointed at a random person and said, “From today on, you are the new bishop. The lord shall grant you divine power and make you powerful. Now, prepare everyone for mobilization. We shall spread the holy ritual to the entire Southern region. The power of fear shall awaken all the Descendants of G.o.d, and you all must find the first one as soon as possible.”

A black-robed follower said carefully in a trembling voice as he stood up, “Great bishop, if we conduct the ritual in an all-out manner, all the descendants will gradually awaken. The lord’s power will be scattered among them, and it may make it harder to find the first descendant. Also, the first descendant’s power will be greatly reduced if the others awaken too soon. This may be disadvantageous for our master’s resurrection plan.”

The great bishop replied coldly as he glared at the man who spoke, “That much I know, but you useless lot have already missed the best opportunity. Reality is starting to diverge from the prophecy. Now, we can only awaken all descendants and strengthen the power of fear through slaughter and ma.s.sacre. The lord’s power remains in the world, albeit scattered. As long as all the other descendants are dead, the power will be automatically gathered onto the first descendant. Your mission is to ensure that the first descendant makes it through the entire ritual. By doing so, the lord’s will can revive on his child. It can be said that the first descendant is the strongest, but also the weakest.”

…

Back in Whiterun, the Legendary stormlord was das.h.i.+ng through the streets. Suddenly, she came to a halt and leaped onto a nearby rooftop. She glared at a warrior who was clad in heavy crimson armor.

“Why did you pull the dragonslayer sword out?”

The warrior stopped and returned her glare. “We have lost connection with the G.o.ds. I can tell that the future will be chaotic, and Whiterun needs the sword’s power.”

The stormlord had a stiff expression as she replied in a stern voice, “Don’t you know about the sword’s curse?”

“Of course, I do,” the warrior said as he gripped the sword’s hilt even harder. “The sword’s wielder shall die at the hands of a gigantic dragon. The sword has slain twelve of such monsters, but all of its five previous wielders perished from dragons. I, however, am the protector of Whiterun! You are just an outsider, and this city needs my protection! This is the responsibility and obligation I have had since birth!”

Flashes of lightning briefly illuminated the sky.

The stormlord seemed enraged. She took a deep breath and turned to leave, but not before she left a final remark.

“How foolis.h.!.+ The curse is much worse than you think! You will regret using it.”

…

In the plains, Soran and Gloria remained silent after realizing that the fiery red sky was gradually returning to its previous state; Whiterun had avoided the disastrous spell.

All of a sudden, Vivian, who was sleeping inside the carriage, trembled violently. Her cute face was distorted in fear, and her hands were trying to hold onto whatever was nearby. She murmured as she curled herself up in a corner, “Go away! …You monsters! …Go away, all of you! If not, my big brother will kill you all! …Are you still not going away?! …I’m really screaming for big brother if you don’t!”

Soran rushed into the carriage and held Vivian’s small hands tightly.

“Vivian! What happened? Are you having a nightmare?!”

Gloria also rushed in, b.u.mping into Soran. She also held Vivian’s hands and shook her. “Wake up! Vivian wake up! Is it a nightmare?”

Vivian gradually opened her eyes. She looked around gingerly, and after realizing Soran’s presence, she dived straight towards him and snuggled in his chest like a kitten. Her hands were also tightly clung onto Soran’s clothes. After hearing the voices of Soran and Gloria, the little girl regained her composure a little and nodded.

“Yes. Vivian saw a lot of monsters! And fire! And blood, a lot of blood…”

Monsters?

Soran and Gloria eyed each other, and went on to comfort Vivian while asking her, “What kind of monsters?”

Vivian recalled her memories, her face was still slightly pale. She answered timidly, “They were very, very big monsters. They were burning and looked ugly. There were two horns on their head s and very big wings on the back, and also a cow tail. Their feet looked like horses too. They were talking around me and tried to scare me! I’m… I’m not afraid! I told them if they get closer, I’ll shout for big brother… Then they went away.”

Demons?!

Soran also paled after hearing Vivian’s descriptions. He nodded and patted Vivian until she settled down and was calm. Soran covered Vivian with a blanket and said softly, “Big brother will be just outside. I must talk with big sis Gloria for a bit. I’ll be right back, alright?”

“Mhm,” Vivian murmured and let go of Soran’s s.h.i.+rt which she had been holding onto.

Soran stiffened as he exited the carriage. Gloria cast a magic barrier around them, then anxiously asked, “You don’t know anything about this too?”

“I don’t,” Soran nodded.

Gloria glanced at the carriage, then slowly said, “It is very possible that Vivian is a Descendant of G.o.d, a demon G.o.d from the Abyss at that.”

Soran remained silent, but he had already entered his combat stance. His hand held his sword tightly and his muscles were flexed, his body ready to attack any moment.

“You…! Just… Do you have so little faith in me?” Gloria seemed agitated with Soran’s actions. “Did you think I’ll harm both of you because Vivian was a Descendant of G.o.d? I have done so much, yet you still don’t see me as a friend?”

Soran relaxed a bit at her words, but he was still holding onto his sword.

“I’m sorry, I was too nervous. You know about what we have gone through before. It is simply hard for me to trust someone completely.”

Gloria also let out a sigh and eased up.

“You two must have had it rough.”

Soran ignored Gloria’s statement and said, “I don’t remember much about Vivian’s father. If she really is a Descendant of G.o.d, then things will get very serious.”

“That is true,” Gloria’s eyes showed signs of pity as she looked at the carriage. “Abyss demon G.o.ds gave birth to descendants for various reasons, but the most probable explanation right now is that one of them foresaw his demise. By leaving behind a descendant in the Mortal Realm, he could revive through the body of his descendant.

“Two demon G.o.ds had attempted this in history. One was the G.o.d of Slaughter, and the other was the G.o.d of Tyranny. The former failed; he was destroyed by his own descendant, and his position as a deity was usurped by other G.o.ds. The latter succeeded and rebirthed in his descendant’s body. The poor descendant had been robbed of his divine powers and his body was taken over by his ‘father’ before he could even react.”

Gloria sighed, then continued, “If Vivian really is a Descendant of G.o.d, then her future will definitely be a really tough one.”

Soran’s palm had turned white from the excessive force he exerted on his sword’s hilt. He looked at Gloria and said unhesitatingly, “I will kill him! I will completely destroy that G.o.d! If I can’t find him in the Mortal Realm, I will tread through the Abyss to find him! No one shall hurt Vivian, not even a G.o.d!”

Gloria’s gaze turned into a gentle one. In a soft voice, she said, “This will not just be a battle of strength, but also faith and willpower! You’ll need allies.”

Gloria extended her white arm, and Soran shook hands with her once more.

This was the second time the two had done so, but the meanings were entirely different.