Giles wrapped his arms around Sprigga, her shoulders shaking as she cried against his chest. As soon as the void beasts that had been latched onto the world were killed, a rush of memories came flooding back to her. She knew what had happened to all of those missing Sylvans. In a way, it could be said that she had killed them herself.
The void monster that had affected the grove was an incredibly malicious one. It only targeted entities in a hivemind-like structure, which was why only the Sylvans had been affected. Once it had found its target, it would identify the leader of the hivemind and force them to choose people to sacrifice to feed it.
As soon as the choice was made, the leader of the hivemind lost all memory of the choice that they had to make. Worst still, because the void beast consumed their very existence, there would be no trace of those individuals remaining within the collective consciousness. If not for the fact that the groves had rather regular birthing schedules, the discrepancy in numbers may not have been noticed for quite a long time.
Giles grit his teeth as he could do nothing but comfort her as she sobbed in guilt, mortified that she had sacrificed so many thousands of her sisters to the insatiable beast. His arms held her more firmly, and he came to a decision. If Sprigga and her grove were vulnerable to the void… he would train to protect them. He didn’t want to see this innocent girl crying like this again.
Tower appeared deep within the vastness of space, his eyes scanning the distance. He had detected the presence of a monster deity in this area that possessed two domains, and wished to investigate the matter. After all, unlike Pietra and Atraxi, he was incapable of having his divinity forged due to his divinity being the culmination of ten thousand dungeon cores. To forge his divinity would require him to have each of them forged in tandem, which was simply not feasible.
Eventually, Tower’s gaze fell upon a serpent hundreds of thousands of kilometers away. If not for him specifically searching for the divinity that he sensed, he likely would have never noticed the creature’s presence. It appeared in all aspects like a simple snake, no more than a meter long and with the thickness of a wrist. If there was anything unusual about it, it was the creature’s enchanting golden color.
Let’s see what I’m dealing with here. He muttered to himself, already wary of the small creature. Its size implied a great deal of control over its energy, as it did not allow itself to grow to the same proportions most monster gods did. His divinity lit up in his eyes and pierced through space to look at the monster’s domains. Intelligence? I suppose that would explain some things. And the other one… Space? The first domain may have been acquired through a primordial relic, but the second was definitely chosen by itself.
Given that the creature had the domain of Intelligence, Tower was somewhat confident that he could communicate with it. With a small exertion of effort, he shifted himself through the intervening space to appear closer to the monster. At the same time, his thoughts reached out to communicate. I mean you no harm, I merely wish to talk.
The snake seemed quite surprised at Tower’s appearance, retreating back a hundred meters. I was wondering when you would find me…
You are aware of me? Tower asked in confusion, the snake’s tongue flicking out of its mouth for a moment.
Yes. The God of Monsters. Your divine law meant that I would be aware of you the moment I attained my divine status. I was surprised that it took so long. I have seen much of the stars while I waited.
It was only then that Tower remembered that it had long ago created such a law, shortly after he created his own planet. I see, your intelligence allowed you to identify the source of that law. That’s quite commendable. However, I did not come here to recruit you today, nor do I think I would be able to.
He was speaking the truth, unfortunately enough. The main reason that the monsters were able to be bound in his dungeon was that they had fallen under the control of his divine laws. The first one simply made the monsters aware of him, but others made them respect him the more time they spent together, until it was unable to flee and became shackled with his divinity. With this serpent’s ability to identify the law it is subjected to, it would likely flee long before it reached that point.
Then what have you come here for? The serpent asked cautiously, and Tower could already feel that the creature was prepared to flee at the first sign of any hostile action.
I merely want to ask you a question. You are the first monster god that I have seen with multiple domains that did not devour them from another monster or use some special trick with their first domain. Thus, I merely wished to ask you how you obtained this second domain of yours.
The serpent hesitated as it listened to Tower’s words, seeming to consider whether or not it should share its knowledge. Tell me why I should give you this information.
Tower brought a hand up to hold his chin in thought. If I have this knowledge, and am able to put it to use, I would be capable of ensuring that there were less predators out here wishing to attack you. If you like, I could even put in a word to let you go somewhere that an intelligent and peaceful monster god like yourself would be safe and taken care of.
The serpent moved further back at that. I wish not to be part of your collection.
You misunderstand. Tower shook his head. I mean the realm of gods within the universe. Currently, it is not inhabited by monsters due to its special circumstances. However, I am acquainted with its creator, and I could ask her to allow you entry. There, any monster wishing to attack you would first need to fight off the combined divine forces of the world.
The serpent paused at that, slowly moving closer again. It is something that I envisioned while wandering the starry sky. I was fortunate enough to see the first spark of light from a newborn star. It was beautiful… it was divine, in a way. Not literally, mind you, the secret is not to consume a newborn star. However, the star did offer me inspiration, which I used to create my second domain.
Before I consumed the crystal, I was but a common snake in the grass. My divinity was but the weakest of sparks, not even worth mentioning. After devouring the crystal, it spread like a flame throughout my body, filling my existence like an inferno. However, it stopped at that point, an untamed flame ready to be snuffed out under a strong wind.
If I wished to seek greater safety, I would need a flame that could withstand any wind, one that could be as everlasting as the stars that inspired me. First, I cut away as much of my divinity as I could bear, condensing what I am down to what you see before you. After that, I spent a long time gathering insights, dipping in and out of stars to learn what allowed them to be.
Finally, I created a core of divinity within myself, one that burns as bright as any star. I allowed this core to spread throughout my being, converting my power into its essence. When I was done, my divinity had been fortified, and I no longer felt as restricted in the use of my power, allowing me to practice a new domain. Eventually, this domain settled as the Space domain.
Tower nodded his head at that, paying close attention to everything that the serpent was saying. The method sounded similar in several ways to have one’s divinity forged, just without the external process. Instead, it required skill and insights to achieve, making it another method that would be unlikely to be used by the masses who wanted a quick and easy advancement.
You didn’t need any source of treasures or rare herbs to achieve this effect? Only the power of your own divinity? He asked to confirm, the serpent’s tongue flicking out again.
That’s right. A power built on external treasures would never truly offer me safety. Only something that I achieved myself would grant me this. Now, will you uphold your end of the bargain?
Tower gave a quick nod, focusing his attention elsewhere. Mother. I have found an intelligent monster, one which seems to bear no ill will towards others. I have struck an accord with the creature, and learned one of its secrets in exchange for asking you to allow it to live within Sanctum, where it could be safe.
An intelligent monster? Aurivy’s voice came back in surprise. Give me just a minute, and I’ll be over there.
Tower closed his eyes in relief, glad that his Mother was at least willing to look into the situation. He turned his head back to focus on the serpent. She is coming, and will be here soon. He had to make sure to warn the serpent, knowing that its cautious nature may cause it to flee if it sensed a being as powerful as her arriving suddenly.
The serpent waited for a few moments, before its body abruptly stiffened. It turned to look at the empty space next to it, seeing a short, humanoid figure emerging. Its eyes were wide in shock and perceived danger, but it managed to keep itself rooted in space thanks to Tower’s previous warning.
Oh? Aurivy smiled as she looked at the serpent. You are quite the interesting fellow. Alright… as long as you agree not to recklessly attack those who live in Sanctum, I can promise you safe passage.
What am I to do if they attack me? The serpent asked, unable to help itself. After all, everything that it had done so far was to ensure its safety. It was not about to stop that with such an obvious loophole in her offer.
Aurivy tilted her head. Hmm… you can defend yourself, but try not to kill if you can avoid it, okay? I’ll show you somewhere you can go to hide if anyone causes any trouble for you, too.
The serpent hesitated again, before offering a small nod in agreement. The next moment, both of them were gone from this space, leaving Tower alone to ponder his thoughts. Condensing and igniting our divinity. This… sounds plausible for our situation. He mused, tearing open a hole in space to return to his abode. He had to commune with the other dungeon cores and devise a plan for how to do this.
On a distant moon, a gate opened, three gods immediately entering and suppressing their strengths, their faces pale. “Quick, quick, close it!” One of them, a felyn woman, urged while another immediately closed the gate that they had come through. “Did we get away?”
One of the other two, a halfling male, stared at the space where the gate was. “I didn’t set a specific coordinate. I don’t even know where we are right now. There’s no way that thing can find us… right? Did either of you check for its domains?”
“Hunger. Just Hunger.” The final god, an elven woman, spoke up while shuddering. “How could something like that even exist? Should we return to Earth and warn people?”
“What good would warning them do?” The felyn asked sharply, clearly as scared as either of the others. “Maybe the Keeper’s Servants can deal with this thing, or the Greater Pantheon, but anyone else? Is it even safe for us to go back?”
The halfling thought about it for a moment, unwilling to peer through space in case the object of their fears managed to sense them. “I think we should hide here for a bit. At the very least, I used enough energy in that portal that we should be dozens of lightyears away. Give me some time to find our coordinates discreetly, and I’ll try to open us a portal to get far away from here. We’ll report this area as a danger zone once we get back, agreed?” He asked, looking around. The elf nodded her head in agreement, but the felyn’s eyes were locked on the horizon.
The planet their moon was orbiting was just coming over the horizon. It was a beautiful blue and green gem, seeming as if it were perfectly capable of supporting life. However, what truly captured her attention was the larger planet further behind it. It looked inconspicuous enough, pure blue as if it were an ocean world with not a cloud in the sky. But… it was getting noticeably larger in her field of view. “We have to leave, now! It followed us!”
The halfling turned to look in shock, just in time for the blue sphere to completely engulf the planet appearing just over the horizon. The entire planet seemed to dissolve under some unseen power the moment it impacted with the giant ‘ocean planet’. At the same time, they could see giant waves forming along the surface of the planet, looking like a toothy grin as it came closer.
The halfling reacted immediately. “I wish to visit the divine realm!” He called out, the other two widening their eyes and repeating the chant to be sent to Sanctum. Sanctum tore through space faster than light, and never stopped moving. Not only that, but it played host to almost all of the Greater Pantheon. If nowhere else in the universe was safe, they could at least find shelter there.
