Eindva's lips curled into a knowing smile as she rested her chin on one hand, her clawed fingers tapping lazily against the armrest of her throne.
I didn't hesitate. "Where's Rikard?"
Her tapping stopped.
She tilted her head slightly, amusement flickering across her face. "Oh? You sound concerned."
I said nothing.
"Is it because you care for him?" she mused, eyes gleaming like void-touched stars. "Or are you just worried you've lost your power?"
I opened my mouth to answer—but nothing came out.
Because I didn't know how to answer it.
Eindva chuckled, low and soft.
My fists clenched. "Just tell me. Will he come back?"
She waved a hand dismissively. "Of course. He is a part of you now. Even if he fades for a while… he will always return."
Eindva's smile widened as she leaned forward slightly, her clawed fingers steepling together.
"I can tell you've grown stronger."
Her voice was smooth, velvety, wrapping around me like silk laced with poison.
"How does it feel to kill someone again?"
I didn't answer.
"The girl was comfortable with you, you know?" she continued, her tone almost… teasing. "Poor thing. She really thought you were on her side."
I exhaled slowly, but I wasn't angry.
Because she wasn't wrong.
And I still killed her.
But regret?
I searched for it. Dug deep. And found nothing.
I did what I had to do.
To be powerful, there must be a price to pay.
And I was willing to pay it.
No matter what it cost.
"Now that you have claimed two echoes," Eindva said, her voice low and certain, "I have something for you to do."
She stood.
And suddenly—
My entire body locked up.
Like unseen hands had wrapped around my limbs, gripping them tight.
I tried to move. I couldn't.
Tried to resist. Impossible.
A slow, creeping pressure dragged down on me.
Eindva's voice was calm, almost gentle.
"Kneel."
And my body—moved on its own.
My legs buckled, folding beneath me.
My head tilted downward, eyes staring at the void below.
I had no choice.
I knelt.
Deep down, I had always known.
Working with a being like this—a devil like her—would come with a price.
This must be it.
A low chuckle.
Then—her voice curled into my mind, smooth as silk.
"Devil?"
I tensed.
How—?
She had read my thoughts.
Eindva's lips curled into something almost playful.
"My child."
She stepped forward, lowering herself just enough that I could feel the weight of her presence above me.
And in a voice that was both absolute and undeniable, she whispered—
"I am no devil."
"I am a God."
"A God?"
The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
"This realm has never known Gods. Not since the beginning. We don't believe in any of you, nor do we believe any of you ever existed in the first place."
Eindva only smiled.
"That's why I came, my child."
She moved, circling me like a patient predator.
"I am a God from another realm. One that has been destroyed now."
Her voice was smooth, almost serene.
"Imagine my surprise," she continued, "when I found a realm that thrives without a God. A realm that moves, breathes, wars, and lives… all without divine hands shaping its fate."
She stopped. Leaning in.
"Someone needs to step up."
She whispered—"And I volunteer."
The void trembled.
Or maybe it was just me.
"Someone needs to rule this realm."
She exhaled, the breath of a being so ancient, so unknowable, that it felt like the air itself warped around her words.
"No. Not rule."
The smile in her voice darkened.
"I will conquer it."
Realization slammed into me.
I had known, from the very beginning, that Eindva was beyond me.
Something old. Something powerful.
I had assumed she was a devil, a demon, an ancient primal force of sin.
But a God?
A God? In this realm?
I had never heard of such a thing.
No one had.
Because they didn't exist here.
Not in this realm.
Maybe in other realms. Other worlds.
But here?
Here, we had no Gods.
And yet—
One had come.
And she wasn't here to guide.
She wasn't here to protect.
She was here to conquer.
"And you—"
Eindva's voice was smooth, absolute.
"Are my first perfect spawn."
Her words coiled around me, filling the void itself.
"You ask no questions. You follow only your instincts. Only what you believe."
She moved closer, her form shifting like liquid ink, her presence suffocating yet weightless at the same time.
"That's why, my child—"
Her hand touched my chin, lifting my head.
I felt nothing.
Not warmth.
Not cold.
Just—nothing.
Like she wasn't truly there.
Like she was a concept wearing flesh.
Her bottomless eyes stared into me, deeper than the void itself.
"You will be my champion."
Her voice dripped with certainty.
"Kill as many as you can. Claim as many echoes as you want. Be as powerful as you desire."
She straightened, her presence looming over me.
"I'll be here—watching you. Guiding you."
Her lips curled.
"Imagine that… just the two of us."
Her whisper caressed my mind, painting a picture I hadn't even dared to dream of before.
A desolated realm.
A world burned, broken, and bent to our will.
And there, at the top—sat us.
Eindva, on her throne.
And me, standing at her side.
Her champion.
Stronger than even my wildest dreams.
Invincible.
But…
I hesitated.
Something in me stirred, twisted.
Wasn't this what I wanted?
Wasn't this what I always wanted?
Then why—
Why did I feel this doubt?
Eindva, as if sensing the question, simply smiled.
And turned, stepping back toward her throne.
As if she already knew the answer.
As if it didn't matter.
Because in the end—
I would choose her anyway.
Wouldn't I?
Ever since the beginning—
Training endlessly in the barracks.
Sparring with Rikard until our bodies ached.
Defeating enemy after enemy, battle after battle.
I had always dreamed of one thing.
To be as powerful as I possibly could.
To make everyone look at me and think—
"Wow, this man is strong."
Beyond wildest-imagination strong.
Beyond reason.
Beyond defeat.
And then—
Eindva came.
And gave me exactly that.
Everything I had ever wanted—within reach.
But now, as I stood at the edge of my dream, staring it in the face—
I hesitated.
I tried to move.
Nothing.
My arms. My legs. Frozen in place.
Like they weren't mine anymore.
Eindva sighed, tilting her head as if amused by my futile struggle.
"It's useless, my child."
Her voice was patient, like a mother explaining something obvious to a stubborn child.
"I did not invite you here to give you a choice."
I gritted my teeth.
"I let you take that in our very first meeting."
She leaned back onto her throne, crossing her legs again, her presence suffocating.
"Now, there are no more choices."
Her black, endless eyes locked onto me.
"Only orders."
Her words were absolute.
Final.
And in that moment, I knew—
I had no other choice but to be her champion.
Until suddenly—
Something tore open the void behind me.