In a world where everything seems perfectly logical and pragmatic. The thought of anything existing outside of the realm of what one already knows seems impractical.
That is how Melinda Morrison sees life.
The very life where she has shared nearly e...
From the deepest recesses of my darkened soul, I will claim you.
The Netherworld, or the Unbound as some called it, was unlike any place I had ever experienced. Few had the opportunity—or the gall—to find themselves there unless they were desperately clinging to the last remnants of their dissipating life. The most evil, vile, and morally corrupt individuals, damned by the divine gods, found themselves in this antithesis of the Ivory Grounds. It was a realm of never-ending sorrow, where the flames of death licked the flesh from the bone, leaving nothing but a wallowing soul crying out for the release of nonexistence.
The religious texts of Cedesm advised that those who strayed from the path of righteousness would be ensnared by eternal damnation. Even the most arrogant nobles, hoping for ultimate salvation in the divine planes of their beloved deity, were warned of this fate. I could never confirm the existence of such a high vibrational realm, whispered about in the prominent temples of Emus or serenely sung by devoted practitioners. To me, it was a fantasy—a fantasy that failed me when I needed it most. At my sickest, I prayed and desperately wished for salvation from my torment, but no such reprieve came.
Nothing but Lavania and she... I regarded her far more highly than any of the seven divine beings of the Ivory Grounds. Not even Narisa, the Goddess, known for her exceptional beauty and femininity, could compare to the woman I saw as far superior.
She was my refuge and salvation.
Because of that, I would continue to worship her, even the ground her feet rested upon. I had to be stronger to stand beside her, witness the greatness she bestowed upon such a sick and vile world, and graze my lips against her skin that shimmered like a celestial blessing.
And that weak, useless body of mine that had once begged for death could no longer serve its purpose. With what I had been bestowed, I could now do as I wished; what I had always desired to accomplish would finally come true.
The price I had to pay for this power... was it worth it? I wondered. But standing there, for the first time seeing the unbound myself, I realized that it could be true. The god I had chosen to serve was real and tangible, and so was the world they had created away from the eyes of mere mortals.
Yet, here I stood. A mere mortal, in a place where many had feared to go. But it was nothing like I had pictured it.
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The second principal shaitan herself, Tullmiron, had taken me into the depths to master the dark essence she infused into my body after I made the ultimate vow with her. Her power was immense, and even a quarter of it was tremendous to wield in the human world; I could surpass Kiraz with ease if I wished.
But I had yet to take up that offer. I was a patient man, always had been. From a young age, I learned the value of watching from the sidelines or a hidden corner. Silent but observant, I trained my eyes on every action, absorbing what I needed to become who I was.
