Deal with the Devil

Siegren slowly opened his eyes as he watched his work unfold.

Explosions destroyed the temple's buildings one by one. The screams and the pleas of people whose lives were slowly being taken away were the same as the sound of the wind to him—they were insignificant.

All of this had happened because he was on the search for something.

The numen of the Fallen God.

Siegren recalls a certain legend.

The legend traced back for eons—starting with the creation of life.

With her own flesh and blood, the Empyrean Goddess created two beings. She called them her children, who inherited pieces of her power—illumination, and obscurity. These two beings were then called Aeterna's Guardians, two gods whom she entrusted to oversee and protect Aeterna, the world she has created. They were tasked to keep the balance between good and evil, as none should overshadow the other. Their power stands equal to each other; therefore, they were viewed as beings who are neutral.

However, in the scriptures, it was said that one of the Guardians, the one who was created from obscurity—who they refer to as the "Darkwielder", has fallen shortly into depravity after many years of creation. For reasons unknown, he succumbed to malevolence, corrupting his body and the sanctity of his duty.

Was it the essence of his very being that corrupted him, or did he develop emotions such as hatred and jealousy? Many speculations from scholars across the world tried to rationalize a neutral being's sudden change, but to this date, it is still not known.

What was emphasized, however— was the fact that this elicited the Fallen War.

After going berserk from falling mad, the Darkwielder began to destroy the realms of Aeterna.

His counterpart, the Lightbearer, subdued him, but he was only partly successful—for the Darkwielder's power was only broken into fragments, and his soul sealed into slumber. The realms of Aeterna then dissipated, only leaving the crumbling remnant of the mortal realm which was the Earth.

This caused the Lightbearer to be sealed alongside the Darkwielder as the price for breaking the power of another god. His way of saving Earth has earned him the title, 'the Hero of the Four Realms', while his counterpart who destroyed the realms was called the Fallen God.

The lost power of the fallen god was then named the "Numen", which contained the fallen god's essence.

And to honor the lost domains, the four continents of the remnant were then called the four realms. Legend says that the numen of the fallen god were then scattered across the four realms of Aeterna the moment his physical body was destroyed—

—However, there was no use for it.

The numen cannot be touched by mortals given that its concentrated power is a poison to them; it could make a mortal fall into insanity, which is followed shortly by death.

Nonetheless, Siegren knew that among the twelve numen scattered across Aeterna—

—three are said to be in the 'Northern Realm'.

The north is a small continent that three nations occupy. Among these nations is the Estela Kingdom, which is rumored to have produced the most remarkable priest and priestesses across generations.

This country is the first he had to check.

Siegren then flicked his finger, sending yet another building to collapse.

A loud explosion reverberated to another part of Estela Kingdom's temple. The man who was clad in a tattered cloak watched as the buildings subsided and burned. He glowered at the temple crumbling below him as he stood at the fortress that enclosed the place.

The night was deeply shrouded with screams and shrieks of people who were caught in the web of chaos he had created.

The burning temple was isolated from the city. It will take a while for people to come, and it was no issue to him even if they did—since he will be gone soon enough. The clock was ticking, but his business was short.

Siegren dashed atop the buildings, landing from one place to another as he leaped and ran. It did not take a while before he found his way towards the Holy Place.

The roof of the Hechal.

He closed his eyes, feeling the divine power drifting through the air. Below him would be the head priest who held the highest authority in the temple.

Darkness surrounded him; black mist, lightning, and gloom enveloped his arms. Faint traces of malevolence channeled his clenched fist. Siegren concentrated his power once more on the roof of the Hechal.

The Holy Place's roof broke into smithereens followed by the vibrations of the explosion that took place. His nerves pulsated as his body plunged inside the structure, where he was met with a bewildered old man shawled in white and gold.

The next thing that happened was beyond him. As he swung his greatsword to mitigate an attack, a small girl he could've easily killed said words that caught his attention.

"I know where the numen is!" The girl said. "I will help you, in exchange, you have to help me get back to my family—"

Siegren then shielded the girl, the hood of his cloak falling down, revealing his face.

"Now tell me," he said, now sensing that the same divine power wafting through the air was coming from her.

"Where is the numen of the Fallen God?"

**

"Seize them… don't let them get away!" The head priest gritted his teeth as he limped away from the Holy Place; each step was a struggle for him. Before that man had taken Lumi, a large debris from a concrete fell to his leg, as if the universe was aiding Lumi with her escape.

The head priest clenched his fist as he felt the stinging pain of his muscles being gradually regenerated layer after layer.

A slow, agonizing process.

That girl, Lumi...

...didn't even bat an eye when that terrorist did such a horrid thing!

Priest and priestesses who have survived the impact of the explosions have gone to heal the head priest, while the templars were set to chase after Lumi and the man who had terrorized the temple.

They were now outside, the temple beset by fire. There were only a few survivors from the collapsed building—and those who survived were now behind the head priest, healing him.

"What is the king doing…!" The head priest angrily exclaimed. "He should be sending reinforcements right now! Can't he see how dire the situation is!?"

The catalyst which they had experimented with for years is now gone with a man who completely destroyed even the temple's divine barriers!

The head priest could tell that this trouble could escalate into something bigger—

Especially if it involves a person searching for power that is considered ancient and wicked— and a catalyst's escape from her cell.