Ending v1

"High Mother…" A Velmoryn's voice broke as she knelt before the Goddess, whose form hovered just above the earth. Even the towering trees seemed to bend inward, their branches bowing before her presence. Silver eyes, cold and steady, regarded the three figures at her feet.

"Can't we live with the elves?" the kneeling woman pleaded, voice trembling. "We will forsake the flesh, we will adopt their ways, live on fruit and…"

"Stop it, Hereth." The man beside her cut her off, his tone flat. "It cannot be that simple. If our lives carried so little value, the God of Elves would never have saved us. Asking for Gods' secrets will only bring danger to our race."

"But… our kin…" Hereth whispered, lowering her gaze. Tears slid off her cheeks, darkening the white of her dress.

"High Mother of Sylvan," the third figure spoke at last. Her voice was cold, eyes lifted to meet the Goddess's. "Are the Velmoryn destined to remain here forever? If our lives are to wither in this forest, then I'd rather we perish chasing a goal."

"No." The answer came like a lullaby. The Goddess's voice was soft, as though cradling their frayed minds into calm. "If my children should fall, I shall invoke a @#!@$@# and bring forth a deity much like myself…"

The words weighed on her. She exhaled slowly, silver gaze drifting out of focus before she spoke again.

"They shall become the God of Velmoryn in my stead. But this knowledge must remain hidden from everyone. But you…"

Goddess' words broke, hesitating.

"We know." Hereth helped with a smile, tears drying. "We know that two of us must perish today."

"I am sorry…" The Goddess's voice got even softer. Her eyes glistened. "My power is no longer enough to cast such a strong spell, nor can I spare the divinity needed to preserve this forest for centuries…"

"I shall be one." The man rose to his feet, bowing once before turning toward the dungeon's entrance. "I shall offer my soul if it means our kin will survive."

"Beryon…" Hereth whispered. Resolve hardened her features; her lips parted to speak, but another voice came first.

"I would rather fuel the spell the God of Elves wishes to cast than be trapped here with my memory erased," the third woman said coldly, adjusting her dress as she stood up.

Hereth started to protest, but the woman silenced her with a look.

"I am not doing this for you. Not for our people. I simply refuse to be a piece on the board of gods."

Silence fell, heavy for everyone present. Even the Goddess seemed to feel its weight. Then her eyes moved to Hereth.

"You, my… Hereth, you shall become the priestess," she said, voice lower now, softer. "You shall believe you still speak to me, and in doing so, keep your kin's faith alive. But…" Her silver gaze deepened. "If I perish, you must leave the tribe and devote your life to completing the $##&$#…"

Her words fractured mid-sentence, warping under a sudden light. The air around her twisted, color bleeding like ink spilled into water. The silver light broke apart into streaks of blue and gold, each hue dissolving into the next until everything became blinding, too bright for sight.

Then, as the brilliance faded, another scene began to take form.

The Goddess hovered high above the forest, wrapped in a soft, silvery glow. Her wings, broad and white, their feathers layered thick and regal, moved gently against the strong wind created by the vortex before her.

Below, the forest stretched endless and dark, treetops bending under the wind that rippled out from her spellwork. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of luminous diagrams hung suspended in the air, weaving around one another in perfect, silent rhythm. Yet even that intricate dance seemed to leave her unsatisfied. Her silver eyes narrowed, brows drawn together as her hands continued to move, tracing new runes into existence. Each mark joined the others, fusing seamlessly into the living constellation of symbols that spun before her.

"When this is finished," the Goddess said softly, her words lacking the target, "the forest will become a small heaven for those young children. Oh, how I wish I could give them the love they seek from me…"

The tenderness in her tone did not reach her face; her expression remained steady, sculpted in calm resolve.

"I hope you will never see this memory. In truth, I hope there will be no you at all," she said, a faint, wistful laugh slipping past her lips. "But if that time ever comes, it means I've fallen, and you've grown strong enough to shape the world by your own power. I'll make sure the barrier endures until your presence is vast enough to shatter @!#$!@#!!212"

Her outline warped, silver light breaking into jagged lines. Her words dissolved beneath an ugly grinding sound, like stone dragged across stone.

"...beware of the @#!!@#... especially God of Night…"The words slipped through, faint and indistinct, just before her smile sank into the dark, and the memory fragment dissolved with her.

…

I swept my gaze over the battlefield once more, searching for any lingering trace of the Night God. My mood had soured completely. The memory I'd hoped would offer answers had instead left a weight in my chest and mind. Worse was the realization that my life as Verde might have been nothing but a path designed by the Goddess. I seemed to be a piece of her plan, and the thought deeply troubled me.

The field below was nothing but a snow-covered area still steaming where divine light had struck; trees were split and blackened, the ground scarred and uneven. Only the basilisk still moved. The monsters it had fought were gone, erased, their forms devoured by my divine power. The serpent dragged itself through the wreckage, scales dull with blood and frost, drawn by instinct toward the mage's broken corpse. Hunger guided it now, simple and absolute.

What did her words mean, why would the Night God desire this outcome… and why would this memory unlock now, after I'd killed one of his servants?

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

As if the thought itself had stirred something, my realm began to tremble. The gray haze churned and bubbled, as though boiling.

I reached out, sweeping through the plane. The crimson guardian stood motionless, its form unchanged; the stars tethered to it still pulsed faintly in their places. Even the angel and Karla remained in their deep slumber, untouched.

Everything was as it had been, until my gaze turned back to the mist.

It had thinned. Not parted, not cleared - just thinned, like breath fading on cold glass. I could still not see through it, but something beyond was stirring.

Then the notification window appeared. Crimson light flared before my eyes, sharp and ominous.

[Warning!]

Your penalty has been determined by the @#!!@#! You will be forcefully…

Ending v2

I froze, eyes scanning the forest and even the divine realm in a chaotic thought that I might've missed something. And as I did, I felt the change in my mind - one of the sealed fragments, one of the Goddess's memories I had locked behind my power, had unraveled. It had become accessible as though some hidden key had turned.

Why now? Why when I've just killed another god's servant?

Despite my eagerness to check it right away, I held back. It was better to wait until everything was settled and I was certain I hadn't just stepped into the Night God's hand.

I swept my gaze across the battlefield once more, searching for any lingering trace of the Night God or his servants. My mood had soured completely. This should have been a moment of triumph; I should have been celebrating victory against that mage and the clearing of the spider mutant nest, but instead, I was worried that I might have stumbled into something far worse.

The field below was nothing but a snow-covered area still steaming where divine light had struck; trees were split and blackened, the ground scarred and uneven. Only the basilisk still moved. The monsters it had fought were gone, erased, their forms devoured by my divine power. The serpent dragged itself through the wreckage, scales dull with blood and frost, drawn by instinct toward the mage's broken corpse. Hunger guided it now, simple and absolute.

What did her words mean, why would the Night God desire this outcome… and why would this memory unlock now, after I'd killed one of his servants?

As if the thought itself had stirred something, my realm began to tremble. The gray haze churned and bubbled, as though boiling.

I reached out, sweeping through the plane. The crimson guardian stood motionless, its form unchanged; the stars tethered to it still pulsed faintly in their places. Even the angel and Karla remained in their deep slumber, untouched.

Everything was as it had been, until my gaze turned back to the mist.

It had thinned. Not parted, not cleared - just thinned, like breath fading on cold glass. I could still not see through it, but something beyond was stirring.

Then the notification window appeared. Crimson light flared before my eyes, sharp and ominous.

[Warning!]

Your penalty has been determined by the @#!!@#! You will be forcefully…

Epilogue:

"High Mother…" A Velmoryn's voice broke as she knelt before the Goddess, whose form hovered just above the earth. Even the towering trees seemed to bend inward, their branches bowing before her presence. Silver eyes, cold and gentle at the same time, regarded the three figures at her feet.

"Can't we live with the elves?" the kneeling woman pleaded, voice trembling. "We will forsake the flesh, we will adopt their ways, live on fruit and…"

"Stop it, Hereth." The man beside her cut her off, his tone flat. "It cannot be that simple. If our lives carried so little value, the God of Elves would never have saved us. Asking for Gods' secrets will only bring danger to our race."

"But… our kin…" Hereth whispered, lowering her gaze. Tears slid off her cheeks, darkening the white of her dress.

"High Mother of Sylvan," the third figure spoke at last. Her voice was cold, eyes lifted to meet the Goddess's. "Are the Velmoryn destined to remain here forever? If our lives are to wither in this forest, then I'd rather we perish chasing a goal."

"No." The answer came like a lullaby. The Goddess's voice was soft, as though cradling their frayed minds into calm. "Should my children fall, I shall invoke a @#!@$@# and bring forth a deity much like myself…"

The words weighed on her. She exhaled slowly, silver gaze drifting out of focus before she spoke again.

"They shall become the God of Velmoryn in my stead. But this knowledge must remain hidden from everyone. Yet you…"

Goddess's words broke, hesitating.

"We know." Hereth helped with a smile, tears drying. "We know that two of us must perish today."

"I am sorry…" The Goddess's voice got even softer. Her eyes glistened. "My power is no longer enough to cast such a strong spell, nor can I spare the divinity needed to preserve this forest for centuries…"

"I shall be one." The man rose to his feet, bowing once before turning toward the dungeon's entrance. "I shall gladly offer my soul if it means our kin will survive."

"Beryon…" Hereth whispered. Resolve hardened her features; her lips parted to speak, but another voice came first.

"I would rather fuel the spell the God of Elves wishes to cast than be trapped here with my memory erased," the third woman said coldly, adjusting her dress as she stood up.

Hereth frowned, ready to protest, but the woman silenced her with a look.

"I am not doing this for you. Not for our people. I refuse to be a piece on the board of gods."

Silence fell, heavy for everyone present. Even the Goddess seemed to feel its weight. Then her eyes moved to Hereth.

"You, my ch… Hereth, you shall become the Priestess," she said, voice lower now. "You shall believe you still speak to me, and in doing so, keep your kin's faith alive. But…" Her silver gaze deepened. "If I perish, you must leave the tribe and devote your life to completing the Key…"

Her words fractured mid-sentence, warping under a sudden light. The air around her twisted, color bleeding like ink spilled into water. The silver light broke apart into streaks of blue and gold, each hue dissolving into the next until everything became blinding, too bright for sight.

Then, as the brilliance faded, another scene began to take form.

The Goddess hovered high above the forest, wrapped in a soft, silvery glow. Her wings, broad and white, their feathers layered thick and regal, moved gently against the strong wind created by the vortex before her.

Below, the forest stretched endless and dark, treetops bending under the wind that rippled out from her spellwork. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of luminous diagrams hung suspended in the air, weaving around one another in perfect, silent rhythm. Yet even that intricate dance seemed to leave her unsatisfied. The Goddess's silver eyes narrowed, brows drawn together as her hands continued to move, tracing new runes into existence. Each mark joined the others, fusing seamlessly into the living constellation of symbols that spun before her.

"When this is finished," she said softly, her words lacking the target, "the forest will become a small heaven for those young children. Oh, how I wish I could give them the love they seek from me…"

The tenderness in her tone did not reach her face; her expression remained steady, sculpted in calm resolve.

"I hope you will never see this memory. In truth, I hope there will be no you at all," she said, a faint, wistful laugh slipping past her lips. "But if that time ever comes, it means I've fallen, and you've grown strong enough to shape the world by your own power. I'll make sure the barrier endures until your presence is vast enough to shatter @!#$!@#!!"

Her outline warped, silver light breaking into jagged lines. Her words dissolved beneath an ugly grinding sound, like stone dragged across stone.

"...beware of the @#!!@#... especially God of Night…" The words slipped through, faint and indistinct, just before her smile sank into the dark, and the memory fragment dissolved with her.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.