Twilight of the Gods ✔️

Chapter 7: An Offer You Shouldn't Refuse

"My name is Matthius," he said, extending a gold gauntlet. "Keeper of the Dead and Servant of the Night."

She took his hand, giving it a firm shake. Anyone who had power over the Elysians was a good ally. Anhel had yet to voice his disapproval over the white-haired man. But it wasn't easy for her to trust anyone. There was a little voice at the back of her head that told her to be wary of Matthius, the same voice that said to keep everyone at arm's length.

After all, the Binding Chains were still inside of her, keeping her tethered to Otherworld. Running away was not an option, not like before. With her, Uriel, and Haydn's abilities suppressed, they were at a disadvantage. Matthius could hurt them. The Elysians could torture all of them as they did to her all those years ago.

But she knew if Matthius truly wanted to do that, he wouldn't have taken the effort to drag them away from the Mortal Realm. He wanted something more from them, something that the Elysians were unhappy with judging by their expressions.

"My name is Daeva," she said. "The angel beside me is Uriel. The other God with me is Haydn. But you already knew that, right?"

He remained stoic, but he acknowledged her words with a brief nod. "My mistress said that you were perceptive."

His mistress?

Her question must have been clearly reflected on her face because Matthius responded with no verbal probing.

"My mistress," he said. "The Lady of the Night, Nyx."

At the sound of her name, the Elysians behind him flinched. Daeva's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Although she had never heard the woman's name before, the reaction she seemed to elicit from the Elysians was refreshing. This was someone who frightened her tormentors.

The question was, should she be afraid of Nyx as well?

"You asked me before what I wanted with you," Matthius said. "I personally have no business. But my mistress is interested in the old Gods." His eyes slid over to Haydn, who regarded him with suspicion.

"If she has business with me, she should speak with me herself," said Daeva.

"She usually would," he said, leaping to his mistress's defense, "but she is preoccupied with other matters. I'm here to make an offer on her behalf."

He pulled out a scroll tucked near his sword and unfurled the parchment.

"Dear Gods," he said, his voice shifting to a deep timbre. The lights of the ballroom dimmed and a dark presence entered the room.

"I have summoned you to Otherworld in hopes that you will listen to me. This was no easy task as one of you had decided to commit mass murder to avoid this."

Daeva felt everyone turn toward her. She had never been in a room where so many people knew about her killing. In Myrania, she could always hide behind her alias as the Rogue. Nyx's words made her feel angry, embarrassed, and exposed. She was singled out unfairly.

"Nevertheless, I am glad that you were all able to make it. I assume your journey was safe and that you arrived unharmed," Matthius continued.

Her wounds ached beneath the bandages, still taking their sweet time to heal. She had felt worse pain in her time as a God, but none had made her feel so mortal as the constant, light stinging of her injuries.

"I think you Gods will like my offer. But before I present it, I will give you my motivation behind it. There is war brewing on the horizon among the mortals. The Myranian King is growing weaker and some of his most trusted men are planning a revolt. The Ylivians in the North have noticed and they are making plans to expand their kingdom. I fear that many men will lose their lives and I need your help to minimize the death toll."