Descent of a God

Offer

Jude POV:

(A/N: I skipped the meeting since it would go the same way as in the webnovel.)

Jude POV:

I decided to spend some time with Kathyln as well before I get sent to another mission. I saw her getting out of the bathroom when she abruptly lurched and staggered, nearly falling forward before she regained balance.

"Kathyln? You okay?" I asked, concerned.

Kathy stood in place for a moment, frozen. I cautiously made my way to her, unable to even fathom what was wrong, when she slowly looked up.

When our eyes locked again this time, however, a chill ran down my spine. Her appearance was the same—nothing had changed—but her presence, her demeanor, her gaze were completely different. So much so that I had involuntarily stepped back from her.

'Kathyln' straightened herself, swaying her neck side to side as if she was stretching it.

"Ah, ah," she said, clearing her throat. "You can hear me, yes?"

I raised a brow, not knowing how to answer.

"I'll take that gesture as a yes," she said dismissively.

"Who are you?" I asked, my eyes narrowing.

'Kathyln' smirked, an expression that looked unnatural on her face. "I'm grateful that you happened to be in the same room when the connection was finally established. It makes things so much easier."

"Who. Are. You?" I repeated.

Her smirk widened to a smile. "Agrona."

I could feel the blood drain from my face, but I held my ground. Despite the casual disclosure, I could tell that Kat—Agrona was carefully observing how I'd react. The same two black eyes that looked so innocent and confused just moments ago were now bright ruby and carried an unwavering confidence and authority—the same presence I had felt when I was next to a Demon Prince. 

Giving no indication that his words had any effect on me, I made a simple gesture with my hand, casting multiple spells simultaneously. The door closed shut and a thick stone slab sprouted to barricade the entrance while a sound barrier surrounded the two of us. I also layered the floor around the room's vicinity in case anyone came close by.

"Is Kathyln safe while you're in control of her body?" I asked.

"Yes, what I'm using to speak with you like this is a harmless spell that I had embedded onto the beast will you gave her. She's simply sleeping."

Two stone chairs popped up from the ground and I took a seat, gesturing at Agrona to do the same.

Agrona sat down, leaning back in the seat contently. "Thanks for the hospitality, and for keeping your wits together. Makes communicating so much easier without you trying to kill me."

"You're possessing my lover, so hurting you like this wouldn't be very effective," I replied calmly.

He shrugged. "I wouldn't have been able to put much of a fight regardless since I can't use any mana arts like this, but I digress. Shall we talk about something a bit more important than the various flaws of this method of communication?"

Seconds ticked by in silence, with only the faint whistle of the field of wind surrounding us while the two of us stared at each other.

My brain whirled with activity, trying to make sense of the sudden change of events while devising a clever way to take full advantage of it. Afterall, it wasn't everyday that you could calmly have a one-on-one meeting with the enemy's leader in the middle of a war. But whether it was because I was still having a hard time believing all of it or because my worry over Kathyln was constantly nagging at me even with my calm facade, my mind couldn't keep a coherent train of thought. So I asked the one question that had bugged me ever since he first took control of her.