Atonement

Within the ocean ridge of the forgotten, a blinding silvery white light shone across every acre of space, illuminating the entire sixteen kilometer long trench like a scar of light. The source of this deep light was a tiny bundle of figures Within the trench. Canaan held Rhea Within his arms as Xara stared at the two of them in awe!

The blinding light was shining brightly from Rhea's figure and her entire body seemed not be comprised of flesh and blood anymore, but a vast and beautiful starry silver energy.

"Szss" A strange sizzling sound rang out as Adam briefly winced.

His arms that held Rhea had been burnt to a charred black by the brilliant energy radiating from her, while the silvery white light she exuded continued to poison him.

It was to be expected, after all she was his opposite. However he couldn't leave her, not if he wanted her to successfully fuss with her god origin.

"The disharmony of her body and soul was quite serious. It's good that you met me." Canaan muttered in a low voice, then faintly closed his eyes as he sighed: "Worry not, it wont be long now?"

Xara gaze followed him until it came to rest on Rhea's figure within his arms, then sh noticed that the blinding light around her had began to fade, revealing her body.

Rhea's comolexiimon was no longer pale but suffised with a warm red. Under her perfect skin, Xara could sense a lively heat that had not been there before, her eyes wavering.

Since Rhea had fallen sick, her bodily functions had deteriorated the point that at time touching her would make one feel like they were touching a corpse, however now, for the first time since Rhea's illness, she had felt this great warmth within her. Xara lifted her eyes to look at Canaan, asking in astonishment: "What exactly is this?"

"It's actually really a really simple problem. Someone as intelligent as you should understand. Her soul was simply incompatible with her body." Canaan confidently said: "After the Rhea of the past perished, her soul was sent into reincarnation by an unknown technique. For whatever reason, she was born to both to your parents as a half breed Nereid and Mermaid. Unfortunately while this bloodlins is extremely noble to you lot, to her it was murky and filthy, far from what her soul required."

"This was not an issue initially, however as she matured her situation slowly became worse. This was to be expected, after all the divine form was never supposed to melded with a Mortal body. So as her soul strengthened and matured, she and all of you found out that her body was simply incapable of supporting her soul. At the same time how could one possibly exist without body?" Adam said with a sorrowful laugh.

"You were all completely mystified by her situation. She was one with no pulse, no heartbeat and no signs of life and yet her aura was always sturdy and lively despite the state of her body."

Xara: "…"

"In addition, the divine aura of the gods that did not desist from her was heretical and repulsive to you lot. Your very marrow would have warned you to reject her at all costs. And so i can imgine that it did not take long for everyone to shun her....

Everyone except you." Canaan sighed, his appreciative haze fixed on Xara.

Xara was in awe at how accurately he drew a vivid picture of what their lives had been. She was so shocked that she was virtually unable to confirm or deny that what he said was true. She didn't need to. Canaan had said everything with absolutely certainly and Xara own body which was quaking uneasily in sheer shock had already confirmed his theory.

Canaan gazed at the young girl who did not look at be any older than sixteen with pity as she rested within his arms. Like him, she had been born from the reckless whims of the divine wills and thrust into a horrendous fate.

Slowly scarlet ocean ferns rose of out of the watery mush.

Tying themselves together in knots and folding regularly in a soft woven bed.

Canaan gently laid Rhea on the bed of ferns.

Her aura was becoming far less hectic as the drop of divine blood fused with her in deep finality.

This single drop of divine blood had a few moments ago belonged to Canaan as his dark origin. The point of beginning of his entire existence as well as a large paer of his power.

And yet he he'd ripped it straight out of his core and perverted it into a different existence. In other words, what Canaan had just done, what he had accomplished was one of the most horrendous acts of self mutilation one could commit.

And yet for a reason even he could not understand, he had not hesitated in the slightest.

As he watched the brilliant light surging through Rheas body grow brighter he let ut a soft light.

As the beautiful starry silver light radiating from her cast its warm light on Canaan's smiling face, he looked nothing short of angelic.

Xara briefly lost herself as she stared at him with silent fascination. She simply couldn't reconcile the kind and gentle youth before her with the cold demon that had once evilly pressed her beneath him and scarred her with an irreversible mark of shame.

"She will live again." Canaan said softly. "Her eyes will open, for the divine Origin of the God of order has returned to her."

In the meantime Xara could see the slight hunch of his posture and the pallidity of his skin.

Wounds of a dark corrosive substance had been etched into his skin by the light that had rediated out of Rhea.

It was obvious that he had paid a very heavy price.

"What happened to you?" Xara asked timidly. She felt no small amount of heartache at the sight of his wounds, a fact that both amazed and terrified her.

"I would worry about myself." Canaan laughed evilly as he suddenly drew her into his arms.

The look in his eyes was heated and possessive, similar to the look he had given her when he pressed her under himself and claimed her as his.

Only now there was less rancor and more tenderness.

Xara froze and fell into a slight panic.

A faint sheen of red rose to cover the skin of her neck and cheeks. As usual his scent alone was needlessly overpowering and intoxicating.

Entrapped by his arms within his overpowering presence, her fear was still present, and yet at the same time it was being strangled by some other complex emotion.

As his lips neared hers, a strange expectation was born in her heart.

Unfortunately his lips only grazed hers gently before caressing her cheek. Even now, her heart had been pounding as if it would leap out of her chest.

In a slow and tantalizing motion his lips came to rest in the space besides her ear.

"I saved your sisters life, and so I believe I have paid my penance and redeemed myself, so henceforth, I owe you nothing.

I am a very possessive and lustful person, so naturally since I crave you I must have you.

That is to say that from this very moment to the end of time, you belong to me."

Xara felt pressured to no end by his overbearing words, but to her own surprise she actually felt reassured and comforted by them.

He had destroyed her entire world and so she felt like a fragile leaf at the whims of the wind, so perhaps to one such as her an overbearing and forceful approach was exactly what she needed.

All she knew was that with his word another layer of hatred that burned within her evaporated, replaced by a warm feeling that was alien to her....and also the slight nervousness and bashfulness of a young woman.

"Wh… What are you trying to do?" Xara instinctively pulled her body back as she nervously asked.

"Does it need to be said" Canaan said in a sultry manner. His every word, caused Xara's heartbeat to speed up. While she was muddled and confused, Canaan's face was already quite close to hers. She could clearly feel the warmth of his body burning againd5 hers. If she did not move now, in the next second, her lips would obviously be seized by his…

Her reasoning told her to escape the embrace of this captivating demon, but after all she was still a young woman and women were never beings who put reasoning first to begin with.

Her heartbeat rapidy accelerated as Canaan's face neared hers; the blushing redness of her face was already spread down her neck.

Suddenly, she could feel that her own lips were finally taken by his, and her waist was also firmly seized by a strong arm. Her body stiffened and her vision turned hazy. Slowly, she began to close her eyes….

Simultaneously Canaan willed the laws of space to crumble, destroying the world and placing them in a new one.

At the same time his tongue hungrily devoured all the strands of Saliva it came across as it explored Xara's mouth.

Xara unceasingly panted as she breathed in his alluring scent. She was shamefully aware of the growing wetness of her inner thighs and yet she didn't want to stop.

Her eyes became misty and she was about to lose herself in a deep pit of desire.

But before she could fully immerse herself in the delightful experience Canaan suddenly pulled away mischievously.

Smiling knowingly as he observed Xara who panting softly in his embrace like a kitten. He allowed her a moment to regain herself.

Slowly the lustful haze in her eyes subsided and a bit of rationality returned to her.

Having full memory of how delirious she had been with just a kiss, Xara's cheeks lit up in red.

'Whats wrong with me..?' She thought to herself.

She began to fight Canaans embrace to no avail. No matter how much she struggled, she could not set herself free from the iron binding of his arms.

"Stay!" He chided gently besides hear ear, sending a shiver through the rest of her body.

She responding with a whimper, the strange sensation she felt sapping her of all her strength.

"Look." Canaan prompted serenly as he gestured to the world around him with a free hand.

Her eyes widened as she only now realised she was somewhere else, there was no longer the familiar embrace of the ocean, rather....

This new world was surrounded by bilowing waves of darkness however Xara noticed that her clothes remained absolutely untouched amidst the destructive elements.

But what was even more frightening the world of the darkness itself were the horrendous creatures that nestled in the deep dark.

Only when free from the enslavement of his charm did she notice the bestial roars that resounded through the terrain periodically.

"What is is this hellscape?" Xara asked with palpable fear.

"Home" Canaan replied gently as he waved his left palm.

The thick mesh of darkness that clung to the world separated, leaving a path in front of them.

At the end of the path stood castle that was by all means incomparably strange.

It was made out of some sort of blackstone and studded with some sort of crimson crystal. It was beautiful in an eerie way.

The strangest thing about this castle? the workers that built it.

All manner of horrendous insectoid beasts streamed through its corridors, lifting precious gems or carrying stone.

The were obviously incredibly difficult to look at and harsh and appearance, but the works of their hands were extremely delicate and beautiful.

The other beast, who did bot have the Mandibles and talons to perform delicate task busied themselves in other tasks.

Here, even the largest behemoth was careful not to crush the tiniest insect for they both toiled for their lord.

When Canaan last visited with Konsul he found that they had started this project on their own.

He had not asked them to, they only desired to help him from the bottom of their heartsso they devoted all their time and resources to building the grandest of abodes for their lord.