Chapter 95
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“What unholy creature dares to defile what´s mine?” Even before the blinding light disappeared, I was already jumping backwards, Sofie still in my arms. The expected attack never came though and as I opened my eyes again, I understood why. Hundreds of spears were all pointing towards me from a few centimetres away, yet none dared to touch me.

All of us stood in a colourful, limitless meadow with countless flowers blooming at the same time. The sun shone in a gentle light and surprisingly, I wasn’t affected at all by it.

“Just what in the world are you?” Said the unknown person. It was strange to see Sofie so completely normal in my arms while my arms were strangely shrouded in a nebula of darkness. No matter how I moved my arm, the nebula always followed suit as if it was a part of me.

“Wow, that’s crazy.” I said and walked towards Laura after the spears disappeared. Every single one of my steps was watched by an unknown entity, although I could already guess what I was dealing with here. “Here you go.” I handed Sofie over to her mother and stepped a few metres away from her. The unknown entity was apparently deep in thought as she didn’t attack me even once, not even after I carelessly touched a few flowers and watched them wither away within seconds. This place was incredibly strange …

“Who are you?” Suddenly, the voice sounded incredibly close and as I looked up, I saw green, female human contours hovering a few metres away from me.

“Why do I have to answer you when you are already going through my memories?” I smiled happily and awaited her response while crushing a few flowers with my boots.

“Askatesh … what have you done?” I opened my eyes wide in surprise. I did hope she couldn’t read my memories this easily as I suspected this nebula around me to be some kind of protection from Aska.

“Isn´t it a bit rude to intrude into the consciousness of others?” I asked, slightly concerned if she really belonged to the ‘good’ gods.

“I have need for that. Your connection to him is written all over you, despite being a vampire. What´s your name?” The goddess asked.

“Lucinda. Yours?” I answered and curtsied elegantly. There was no need to be too disrespectful after all.

“… I am the goddess of life, Irminsul.” This was the goddess Aska gambled with and lost to? She seemed surprisingly normal considering Aska claimed she was his friend.

“… then tell me, why does the seed of life influence me and how can I counter it?” I asked bluntly. Going by the name alone, she must have had something to do with it.

“I honestly don’t know what you are talking about.” This stupefied me quite a bit. She was most definitely lying, but I couldn’t figure out any reason for her to do so. On the other hand though, she was a goddess, so nobody really knew what they were thinking.

“You know, the reason why I cannot hurt children? The reason for all of these feelings? Doesn´t there ring a bell?” I asked once again and listened very closely to her voice. Her next words seemed strangely concerned and worried about something.

“Lucinda … do you like the same food he eats? Do you like the same weapons? Do you sometimes feel he is the only one able to understand you?” A bit hesitant, I nodded. She was silent for several seconds until she sighed and held both of my hands, much to my displeasure.

“The world you are living in … the life you had so far is a lie. Nothing is like it seems and it never will be. If you want to find out the truth, become one of the four heroes and eventually, you will find the answers you were looking for your whole life. Sofie will be the light that guides you towards your destination, so don’t lose her.” And she expected me to believe that conspiracy theory? My whole life is a lie? The world isn’t what it seems to be? What else? Purgatory is heaven?

“I. Don’t. Understand. A. Single. Thing.“ I claimed and looked towards her full of doubt.

“You will start to understand in around two hundred years … and now you need to go. Although … here is a gift for you: No god will ever be able to read your thoughts again, except Askatesh and I allow it.” The white light enveloped me again and I was teleported, no, thrown out of this very special space. I found myself sitting on the chair again, alone with a steaming lasagne still on the plate. The black nebula that wrapped around me at this strange place was nowhere to be found again.

“FUCK!” I screamed and stood up furiously. This encounter was so unexpected, so bizarre that I didn’t have the opportunity to put any preparations in place. As such, it went absolutely horrible. I angrily stood up, grabbed the back of the chair, turned it around and smashed it to the ground. “FUCK!” I screamed once more, pounding the goddamn floor with the wood in my hands. If I just haven´t touched this baby, if I just ignored it like I initially wanted, then I wouldn’t be in this predicament.

The second one to come back from this strange place, accompanied by a blinding light, was Tom. He grinned at me dumbly as soon as he saw me and fried my emotions completely. I dashed towards him, rammed my shoulder into his belly and made him stumble so that he fell down to the ground immediately. I left him no time to regain his breath, but rather knelt on him and wrapped my hand around his neck furiously. He was already gasping for air, but I didn’t leave him a single chance for several seconds.

“Don’t you dare thinking about lying to me this time. What happened after I was away?” I hissed out underneath my breath and only to decrease the pressure around his neck.

“She allowed each of us to ask a single question.” He claimed and watched in horror how my teeth got dangerously close to his shoulders. Or knowing him, he probably liked that development.

“And what did you ask?” I questioned him quietly while pressing my knees against his side. He yelped in pain but nonetheless answered quickly.

“I wanted to know how I could achieve my goal. She told me to betray you in a very specific w-“ I screamed in frustration as he told me the truth. This goddess was influencing my subordinates in a way I absolutely hated. She was showing him the easy path I didn´t want him to take at all cost. And indirectly, she also showed me how much she already knew about me.

“FUCK!” I screamed, stood up and smashed the next chair apart. Over and over again, I smashed the surviving legs onto the table until Tom questioned my rage.

“What´s wrong Lucinda? She didn’t seem like a threat?” I exploded in anger, grabbed his collar and threw him on the table. Dishes flew everywhere and my poor, poor lasagne got ruined instantly … not that I cared at that moment.

“Are you a fucking monkey or what? She can read my memories you freaking ape! And guess what is among them? That I want to save an imprisoned god from purgatory you asshole! She isn’t a threat? Watch how the world will crumble around us because she could be one of those that threw Aska into prison in the first place! And now a freaking goddess who is either very good at hiding it, or belongs to the good ones knows what I am planning, you bastard! She didn’t seem like a threat my ass!”

I screamed at him until he got as pale as I was. We were screwed if the goddess just mentioned my goals to anyone else or even considered standing in our way. She just needed to snip once and we would be gone, as simple as that. Tom, groaning in pain, soon turned over to his side and started to sit upright.

“We are still alive, so I highly doubt she bears any ill will.” Tom was a simple-minded freak sometimes. And this time was one of those. The wooden leg, then used more as a spear than anything else, flew right past him.

“Let me tell you this: I lived with a god for two hundred years. Never, absolutely never assume there aren’t any second thoughts behind each and every one of their actions. Understood?” He nodded vigorously, so he was at least capable of learning.

“Have you calmed down?” He asked after quite some time where I stood still and balled my hands into fists, then spread my fingers apart as wide as I could, only to do it again after a few seconds.

“I am always calm. After all, the ‘c’ in Lucinda stands for calm.” I claimed and glared at him as he jumped down from the table, his back full of lasagne.

“Puh … I have to admit that seeing you completely crazed was quite sexy, but feeling the anger isn’t my thing.”

“Kinky bastard.” I said and threw the other wooden leg in his general direction. It hit his shoulder, but I didn’t throw too hard this time and thus didn´t hurt him.

“Uh, your words hurt more than being thrown around by you. In any case, am I allowed to betray you?” He asked brazenly. For the first time since meeting this goddess, my anger dissipated slightly and I had to grin.

“Once. You will die if you leave me a choice though.” I said.

“Alrighty! Thank you for the considera-” I punched his belly, not because I needed to, but rather because I felt like it.

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