Chapter 54.5 Bonus: Reshaped by the Gods

Darkness is all that I saw as I was swallowed up by threads; my consciousness remained hazy until I felt myself regain my senses. The last thing I remember was fighting with Lucius against the Covenant, but just as things were turning in our favor, I was captured. I let my guard down at the last moment and was taken by the man Cyrus. When I woke up, I was tied to a bed, the musty air licking at my nose, and when I tried to get up, I found I was unable to. I was bound in the darkness, my wings confined even more than usual; I waited for what seemed like ages. Thoughts of Lucius flashed through my mind—our journey so far and what was to come. That guy, I hated him at first, but he is kind-hearted just like my dad. Knowing that dumbass, he is probably going to try to chase me down right away.

Finally, after what seemed like hours or days, someone opened the door to my room, and a small amount of light leaked in. It was the woman known as Avaris; with her red eyes and short white hair, she stood grinning. Avaris mocked, "Ah, so you are awake at last. Oh, how I can't wait to force you to kill your friends like a puppet. However, the boss wants a word with you first." I sighed, "Just kill me already; what could you even want with me?" Avaris chuckled, "Kill you? Aha, as much as I want to for making me look bad twice, I can't. Cyrus suggested to the boss that you could be useful, and so we agreed to spare you. With that in mind, you need food and water to be useful."

She placed a red thread on my neck as she untied my hands, stating, "You know what I will do if you try to fight back, so just be a good girl and eat your rations for now. The boss will be in later." She provided me with a small cup of water on a tray with some slop, which I recognized as mashed potatoes. It was awful, but I was hungry, so I ate it. I sat up in the darkness with the threads around my neck, but my hands free; I waited. There was no point in trying to break out; the door was locked, and from the looks of things, we were underground somewhere. After a couple more hours, Avaris came back to the cell, and she unlocked the door again. This time, she had a small box in her hand that buzzed a little. In her other hand, she had a small black book.

I mocked, "I thought your boss wanted a word; what's with the box?" Avaris frowned, "Don't be rude to Lord Rayvorn; this is the only form he can take right now." The box hummed and quaked a little as incomprehensible sounds came out from within. It made a "Z" sound repeatedly, and I heard Avaris say, "Ah yes, my lord, right away." She then looked at me, "He says that you are a suitable servant. However, that you are lacking something." The box hummed again and made more "Z" sounds until Avaris added, "Ah yes, Lord Rayvorn. Daemaculus? Yes, right away." She looked at me with a frown, "Yes, it would appear that you aren't useful to Lord Rayvorn as you are now. Well, I didn't bring this book for no reason; it seems we need to contract you with a god. Congrats, not every servant of the Covenant gets a god; it took me years to get mine, but I guess he finds you more suitable than most. You will be contracted to Daemaculus. Any questions? No. Alright, let's commence the ritual."

This woman doesn't have her head screwed on tight; she didn't even let me speak. She brought some coal near my head and smiled, "Don't worry, this will be painful. I have all the tools we need right here, thankfully." She began rubbing the coal on my head, seemingly making a cross of some kind. She brought out a match, burned a nearby candle, and said, "What the heck is this? Are you trying to forge a contract with me to an old god? Doesn't that require consent?" Avaris chuckled as she took out a small doll that looked like a girl, "Nope, not if you say the words I want you to. Oh, and if you value your head, I suggest you do that." Once she was done setting everything up, she looked at me and got serious, "You will be bound now and forever to the god Daemaculus. The god of souls and the spirit. I have to use this crappy book now since you took my other one, but I think your screams will pay me back." Finally, she drew an arm inside a circle with a slash going through it. "Now repeat after me: Zynthar'nex, grak'sylthor, Vyrthloxem dral'kazn. Repeat that ten times."

I did as I was told since my neck is currently in a noose, and I need to live. I want to see Lucius again plus I had dreams of my own now. "Zynthar'nex, grak'sylthor, Vyrthloxem dral'kazn." I repeated that ten times as instructed. Finally, a blue misty light began to form on the symbol as the room began to twist and turn. Unlike when Lulith did it, the room didn't explode with energy. Instead, the misty energy began to pool on the floor below the desk. It was luminescent as it slowly made its way towards me. I tried to back up, but I had nowhere to go as it touched my skin. My leg began to burn painfully like it was on fire as I yelled out, but a thread was placed over my mouth. The pain was unbelievable as every nerve on my body felt like it was being put under a hot iron. The cells on my body felt like they were being branded with this misty energy.

The pain and misty substance slowly made its way up my body as it consumed every piece of me until a cocoon formed over me. The pain died down as I laid within the cocoon; it felt like I was a baby being reborn into the world. Finally, the cocoon began to crack, and my body was reshaped. My wings were now white, and my body had the Daemaculus marking on my foot. My hands didn't feel like my own, and I couldn't tell exactly what had changed in the darkness, but I had been reborn. I felt taller, more powerful; I felt like I could see the true essence of the world. It was scary but also intoxicating. I felt like I could hear a voice from beyond our reality trying to speak with me. I looked around, and Avaris seemed so much weaker than before. I could see her soul; it was fragile, it was disgusting. Such a pitiful creature could no longer restrain me.

Just as I was about to attack her, a woman appeared in the room. I recognized her from before when we left the cave. I remember now, she was next to that man named Gabriel; her name was Lydia, I believe. Her red hair flowed down her back as she wore a cocky grin, her green eyes hinting her amusement. Lydia mocked, "Now now, I knew it was a good idea to check on things; that was close Ava, you almost died." Avaris looked surprised, "Madam Lydia? What do you mean?" Lydia chuckled, "She would have killed you just now had I not appeared. Daemaculus is one of the most fearsome old gods. Such measly threads could never hold this cute little monster back. Lord Rayvorn, should I commence with the branding like we discussed?" I could hear the voice more clearly now from the box, perhaps due to my new power, "Yes Lydia, go ahead; she will be useful."

Lydia nodded, "As you wish." She approached, looking at me like an animal under a microscope. She smiled, "Alright, say goodbye to your free will, my dear. The lord has deemed that unneeded for our current objectives." I sank down in a bit of fear; this woman was calm, but her soul was strong. This was not the soul of prey to be devoured, but rather, this was a lion. Finally, she touched my cheek, and she strangely kissed my forehead like a mother tucking her daughter in. The kiss began to glow pink; after a few moments, it seared into my head, and I began to yell out. The pain was different from earlier; it was only focused on that one spot, and it drilled into my head. I would do anything to make it stop; it felt like a worm was digging its way through my skull. A symbol seemed to last on my head as my mind began to feel warped, and finally, it dawned on me.

The symbol we saw on the king of the empty mask was probably the same one that had been formed on my forehead. My mind was being blocked out, all thoughts of resistance faded, and my own thoughts were being forced back. They were replaced instead with something else, something beyond my control. The thoughts were no longer my own; they were the thoughts of Lydia as she commanded me like a robot. If she thought that I should sit up, I sit up; if she wanted me to talk, I would talk. The woman known as Era was replaced as the bindings faded from my hands. I began to speak, "Lord Rayvorn, your orders, please." The man in the box responded, "Some ants intend to invade our little home. Crush them mercilessly." I responded, "Yes, sir; I will grind them into dust."