Chapter 62: Chapter 62
The safe ways were the shortest, ones that never took far, and his was a long one that obliged him to take all the risks.
As if the inside of the mountain was made of a giant bubble where he could breath, Eren welcomed the air inside his lungs, taking long and deep inhales, not caring about the vile woman who clearly enjoyed his misery.
“You survived the dive! I am impressed!” clapping her hands few times, the woman continued with the same proud attitude “Fascinating, isn’t it!” she gestured with her hand around the place, Eren ran his eyes around the empty cave, unable to detect the fascination the woman was talking about, it was but a large dark cave, filled with random unmatchable items, ones which were probably stolen from the destroyed ships that dared to cross the forbidden sea.
“And beyond! How can I breathe here? And how come the cave isn’t filled with the seawater?”
“That is my doing, even though I don’t need to breathe, I don’t like to always be wet! After all, us Gods are the creature of light, life, and warmth!” the woman said dramatically, as if telling a sad poem, Eren hated such theatrical acts but he found himself obliged to bear with all of it, and even lie and pretend he agreed with her about how fascinating it was.
“I must admit, you are the most interesting woman I have ever met!” Eren said while taking back his human form, not because it was more useful, but because the woman took slow meaningful steps towards him.
Maybe the woman lived up to her name! Eren thought as he watched the woman approach him while licking her lips.
He was so nervous to the point where he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise with anticipation, his human form was his reasonable one, the one that analyzed and planned, away from the animalistic instincts, except the survival one.
He understood the dangers of being in that dubious woman’s company, but he also knew that it was his only way out, let alone that the place was special indeed, for even though he was close t the Gods’ lands, the darkness in that place was one of the purest he ever sensed.
The darkest shadows are the ones created by the brightest of lights, Joseph’s words returned to the shadow’s lord who found them to be the most accurate at that moment, the darkness beneath the light.
The woman on the other hand, seemed way too relaxed for her own good, even though she wasn’t able to see, she was still capable of sensing the demon’s strength which was no match to hers, he was no threat to her in those depths which she ruled, especially with all the blood he lost.
She wasn’t feeling threatened, not in the slightest, but she was feeling many other things, anticipation, curiosity, and desire, for it has been so long since she met a man with a similar luscious scent and presence, one that made her insides steer with an old lust and appetence, one which she thought she lost after so many years in her dead exile.
“Ayartma!” Eren said softly when the woman placed her hands on his chest, the touch was slippery, repulsive and disgusting, her cold hands were not at all welcomed on his skin but he still endured it, swallowing the bile that rose to his throat, he lifted his hands, slowly trailing his fingers on her cheeks, close enough but not too close to her empty sockets, silently asking her what happened to her eyes.
” I like the sound of my name on your lips!” the woman leaned into the warm touch, she didn’t expect a demon to be that warm but he was, his chest was firm and well built, like a solid wall with bulging muscles, inviting, and she wasn’t one to turn down an invitation.
“Tell me your story.” Eren chose his words carefully, not wanting to hit any nerves or sensitive cords, the woman was not the sanest creature in the world, and the fact that she was touching him the way she did was yet another proof.
“Why?” she asked in a seductive way, once upon a time, seduction was her favorite game to play, and that is how she acquired her name, she was a charmer, one that could steal the hearts of men and women with a single smile, and she missed that feeling, she missed having such an effect on others.
“Because I feel it is going to give me an additional reason to kill the Gods on top of the ones I already have!” even though he hated the words that left his mouth, Eren didn’t regret saying them, he was willing to try every thing in order to survive, wooing the creepy woman wasn’t off the table either.
“Ad what are your reasons?!”
“Freedom!” Eren watched as the smile on the woman’s lips became a dreamy one, and he knew she was craving the very same thing he craved, the question was why? And how can he use that fact to his favor?
“I’d tell you! But first you must answer two of my questions!” the woman raised her chin in defiance, a move Geraldine was used to do when she was bargaining with him about their next position.
Something which never worked before, but he was willing to let it do that one time.
“I am all ears.”
“Why do you smell like Historia?” Eren noticed the way the woman said the mighty Goddess’ name, as if spitting venom, her body also shifted and tensed, and he didn’t need any further confirmation that Ayartma hated Historia.
“I tortured and drank her daughter’s blood!”
“I knew it!” the woman almost jumped before she giggled like a maniac, “I knew the bitch died!”
“I never said that Historia was dead!”
“Oh, you didn’t have too, my dear, I did sense something few years ago, and Gods cannot reproduce! If we do, the creation energy we have would be taken by our offspring, we cannot survive without our energy, and because hers didn’t go back to the shrine when she died, I figured she had a child! Oh, how wonderful, that bitch was killed by her own daughter! Well deserved!” while the woman celebrated the happy news she heard, Eren tried to understand the meaning behind her words.
“But how did you know that she died?!” the woman said that she sensed it, but in the same time wasn’t sure, it didn’t make sense to Eren at all.
“The creation energy is a unite even when divided, it connects us, it vessels, I felt her death, the whole world felt her death, however, the energy didn’t return to the shrine, and that made me a little suspicious, I thought my wishes and illusions got to me, but I wasn’t wrong, her energy remained with this daughter you have mentioned, while she died, she is dead!” the woman looked as if she was about to start jumping happily, and Eren knew that her eyes would have been sparkling right now if they were still inside her sockets, however, the shadows’ lord didn’t plan to share the crazy woman’s celebrations, for he needed more explanations.
“What is this shrine?”
“It is where the energy gathers after leaving our bodies, it is where it was and where it would return!” when she didn’t receive any answer, the woman stroked Eren’s face, studying his features, he was a handsome one with very delicate features, straight nose, long eyelashes, chiseled jaw and full lips.
“There was someone on the ship with you!”
“The Yoren descendant?” Eren was almost sure that the woman meant Henry, he remembered clearly how the creatures avoided him, he wondered if the woman had a hand with it.
“Is it Edard?”
“No! but thank you for not killing him!” Eren wasn’t thankful at all, if anything, he wanted to force the words out of the woman’s mouth, he was getting impatient, but he couldn’t do anything about it just yet.
“Oh, it wasn’t my doing! The creatures cannot harm a Yoren dynasty, their creator, Historia, made them this way so the one she thought was hers would return to her in the center once the life circle is completed.
It is hard to believe that thousands of years had passed already! Back then, the prime four chose twenty of us to help them carry the energy and the responsibilities that came with it, I was so happy, just like the rest, I thought I would be a Goddess, I never thought I would be turned into a vessel, hidden in the center, imprisoned there.”
“What do you mean by the prime four?!”
“Ebedi, Zaman, Kalan, and Historia, these are the prime four, the original Gods, the ones who initially took control over the creation energy, but the energy was way too much for the four of them alone, and that is how we came to exist, us, the second generation Gods!”
“You mean even the Gods have a hierarchy?!”
“Yes!” Ayartma scoffed out the word, bothered with that fact, however, she was happy that the man was smart enough to keep up with her story, for she saw a very promising alliance lurking between the two of them, waiting to be grabbed and sealed.
“Were you and the rest of the second generation Gods humans before?”
“Oh no, this happened before the metamorphose, the prime four chose us, two additional Gods would have been enough to carry what was left of the energy, but they decided to take twenty, give each of us a very small portion of the creation energy, and it was then when I started having my doubts!
They wanted vessels, and told us we were going to be Gods, rule over the world, control life and death, we believed them easily, mostly because we didn’t want to die, we were given a chance to keep our immortality, but we didn’t know that it was an immortality in custody and solitude!”
“The prime four used you!”
“Yes, they were the ones who made all the decisions! They were the ones who set the rules, and they were the ones who were able to control life and death while all we could control were few elements of nature, we were but puppets, vessels, imprisoned in the center, while they lived, I thought I was going to be able to do whatever I wanted, have the man I wanted, but I was wrong!”
“Edard Yoren the first?” Eren asked, the pieces finally clicking inside his head.
“Yes! He was meant to be mine since I saw him, but he was so into her! Historia! She bewitched him I am sure! And for her, he betrayed his own brother, he fought and spilled his own blood, she tricked him to do her biddings, used him just like she did to me, and when I tried to save him, she gauged out my eyes!”
Eren was left dumbfounded after hearing the supposed to be Goddess’s words, even though she recited her story with so much dramatization, he still understood the implication of her words, and it was terrifying.
The woman named Ayartma was so strong on her own, and there were twenty others who were as strong as her, or even stronger and saner, he didn’t know how were they going to defeat them, let alone the prime four, who were now three!
Eren understood what the prime four did, and it was witty indeed, they wanted to keep the power in their own hands but they had to share it, and therefore, divided it between the twenty second generation Gods so the later remain too weak on their own yet too few together to revolt against them!
The prime four, who were no longer four but three, were greedy cunts! Eren thought.
The second fact that shocked him, was the reason he always craved to know, the answer to the question of all demons about the human betrayal.
It was because of love! Edard Yoren the first started a war because he wanted to protect the woman he loved.
“I was so beautiful! The most beautiful among the creatures, and just like everyone, Historia was jealous of me, her jealousy turned into loath when she knew I wanted Edard for myself, I deserved him, unlike her! I craved him like my next breath, and how can I not? He was so brave and handsome; I planned to get him out of her webs, to free him so we can be together, but she found out about my plans, she gauged out my beautiful eyes so I won’t look at him again, the other second generation Gods, my brothers and sisters, who promised to be on my side turned their back on me, and eventually, she banned me to the deathly circle to be among the blind monsters, the children of the forbidden sea.”
“And why didn’t you leave?!”
“I can’t! me and these monsters cannot leave the deathly circle!”
“And I am guessing that is where you need me?!”
“Indeed! So, Eren Salvatore, Lord of the dark forest, care to join forces with me so we can take revenge on those who wronged us? So we both could be free?” The woman said while pressing her chest against the shadows lord’s, and the later, instead of pushing her off him, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.
NOTE:
AYARTMA IS A TURKISH WORD WHICH MEANS TEMPTATION, TO KNOW THE MEANING OF THE OTHER GOD'S NAMES, PLEASE CHECK OUT MY LATEST POST ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE. THANK YOU SO MUCH.