Chapter III: Choices

Vania sat frozen in indecision; her eyes fixed on Elias as he presented his offer to her.

The weight of her stillborn child in her arms made her question everything she had ever believed about Ashar, the God of the light realm, and the blessings he was said to bestow upon his followers.

She had prayed for years to conceive a child, believing it to be a miracle from the divine. But now, with her world turned upside down by the appearance of Elias the Fallen God, her conviction wavered.

"I... I," she stuttered, trying to come up with a defense.

As she struggled to come up with a defense, Elias let out a loud yawn, snapping her attention back to him.

"Don't waste your breath with justifications," he said dismissively.

He then sighed heavily.

"The truth is your gods do not care about your petty moralities. They never have. You people have been brainwashed into thinking they are divine, but in reality, they are not. And neither am I. What I want from your child is not to condemn his soul to eternal damnation or whatever you believe happens after death. I simply want a vessel to cultivate my remaining power and use it to seek vengeance on those who seek to disrupt the balance of the universe. The decision will ultimately be up to the child when he is of age. I hope that when he sees the truth, he will use this power to strike against my enemies. Just the thought of that before I depart from this existence will make the journey back to the pool all the sweeter."

His piercing words cut through the air, leaving Vania reeling with shock and uncertainty.

The man before her claimed that the gods she worshipped were not divine, that they did not care about the moralities of mere mortals.

'How could this be?' She thought frantically.

Her mind was a swirling vortex of uncertainty and fear.

"But the teachings say that you are a..." she began to say, but Elias interrupted her.

"The teachings are a fabrication used to discredit me and what I stand for. They are all lies, Empress. People are afraid of what they do not understand. On my honor, I swear, your child will live," Elias proclaimed with fervor.

Vania could feel Elias's words slowly chipping away at her resolve.

Despite her religious beliefs and ideals, she found herself desperately hoping that his words held true and began to seriously consider his offer.

She could feel the weight of the decision pressing down on her.

'Lord Ashar please forgive me for what I am about to do,' she thought solemnly.

"What is needed of me? and what will you do with him?" She said, her voice wavering with emotion.

Elias nodded in appreciation.

"It is for the greater good Empress, and as for what will happen, I'm afraid you might not like it."

Vania's patience was wearing thin. She was annoyed with Elias's hesitation and shouted,

"Get on with it! The more you drag this out the less inclined I am to go through with it!"

"Very well then. To restore life within the child, you must consent to give up yours," Elias said, his words hanging in the air like a death sentence.

"What do you mean give up my life?" Vania asked, her shock evident in her voice.

"To transfer my power into your child, a life must be sacrificed. And as the child's mother, that life would have to be yours," Elias explained, his voice low and ominous.

Vania sat in silence, contemplating the weight of the decision before her.

On one hand, she could save her child's life and potentially ensure the survival of Elias's power and will.

But at what cost? She could feel the tendrils of fear wrapping themselves around her heart, squeezing tight.

She would have to relinquish her own life and abandon her family, leaving her child and husband behind. The gravity of her choice weighed heavily on her mind, but Vania knew deep down what she had to do.

"I will do it," she stated resolutely.

Elias nodded in agreement.

"Very well. We will begin the ritual immediately."

"My son. What will you do with him?" she asked, her voice trembling with emotion.

Elias held out his palm, revealing a small, translucent oval-shaped object. Vania gazed at it, fascinated and uncertain.

"What is it?"

"This, Empress, is the key to reviving your child," Elias explained.

"When intertwined with your life essence and mine, it will restore your child's consciousness. As I have said before, I am not a god, but I possess the power to restore life because I am a fragment of pure consciousness. Like you, I am just a product of the universe."

Overwhelmed by everything Elias was telling her, Vania struggled to process his words. Tears welled up in her eyes as she asked,

"Will he have any problems? Will he be a normal boy?"

Elias tried to reassure her,

"I will be honest. He will be more than just normal. My power will reside within him until he calls upon it, granting him a level of strength and ability far beyond what any human could ever achieve in their lifetime. As for this device, it is a fragment of the universe's essence itself. It will clear any blockages in the child's soul or consciousness, and when infused with our life energy, it will jumpstart the child's bodily functions and bring him back to life."

Elias's revelations shook Vania to her core. She struggled to express her thoughts and emotions.

"If I am to die, will you answer a dying woman's question?" she asked.

"It is the least I can do," Elias replied.

"Who caused the great calamity that destroyed our ancestors and reduced us to this desolate state of existence, where a once mighty intergalactic empire has been reduced to rubble and forced to live out the rest of its existence in an isolated quadrant of the galaxy?"

Elias sighed and pointed his forefinger directly at Vania.

A beam of light shot out of his finger and enveloped her as it made contact.

Vania reflexively shut her eyes, but when she opened them, she found herself in the center of a congregation of unrecognizable beings made up of pure energy.

Thousands of them surrounded her, forming the same pattern she had noticed on Elias's black clad cloak.

As she looked around, Vania recognized a figure on a mantle, more from the feeling it evoked than its appearance.

"These are my memories," Elias explained, appearing beside her. His expression one of sadness as he observed the memory with her.