The Coming Storm

“I’M SORRY. THAT WAS UNSIGHTLY OF ME,” said Olivia.

It took her a few minutes to recover her composure, but at last, she found it in her to part ways with her master’s chest.

“Don’t sweat it,” replied the demigod. “We all break down at some point.”

“… We do, don’t we?” she admitted, fresh with the memory of the ruined Irilithan.

“Such is life. No matter how powerful or how well-prepared you think you are, things will find a way to go sideways. It’s happened to me, it’s happened to our betters, and it’ll keep happening in the future. That’s why what truly matters isn’t to be impeccable, but rather to stand up again after the fall.”

Olivia nodded quietly, taking the words to heart.

Throughout the years, she’d done her damndest to be flawless in every way she could. But no matter what she did, she still ran into problems well beyond her power to solve.

In that regard, Galardos was no different.

He’d done his best, in his own way, and was still in the thick of the storm.

“We must persevere,” the princess concluded.

“That’s right. Even if you cry, or feel like you can’t take it anymore… you must keep going forward. And if you can do it with good friends by your side, all the better. It eases the burden.”

Olivia’s expression darkened at his words.

“You mean like Gromni and Milla?”

“Yes. You’ve met them, I trust.”

“I have. They’re excellent people.”

Despite the praise, it was clear she was hesitant to talk about their encounter.

“Where are they right now?”

“At your estate with Lord Vahram. Grandmother and Alaiel are there, too. And so is Lady Angeline.”

So they did reach him safely, Galardos thought.

It was a rare reprieve in this whole mess, but he didn’t celebrate victory just yet.

“I’m sorry for barging in the way I did,” she continued. “When I heard your brother almost killed you, I waltzed right into your house. He tried to chase me away, but I didn’t listen. I kept confronting him until Grandmother showed up.”

“Ah, that was on me,” the demigod scratched his head. “My method of choice to contact Gizelle wasn’t… conventional. It was bound to draw attention to our family affairs, so you’re not to blame for this.”

If anything, he was grateful she stood up for him.

Not that he’d say it out loud, of course.

“Anyway, now that you’re involved, I suppose you’re in the loop. You surely know who Angeline is, and what it means for us that she’s here.”

The Princess nodded, her expression grim.

“Yes. I’ve been told the details, and… I’m here to tell you about the healing ritual and the events that followed.”

Galardos steeled himself.

Whatever she was about to say, it couldn’t be good.

“Ultimately, the ritual failed. Grandmother managed to restore her halo and two of her wings, but the other four are still missing. And she remains amnesiac.”

Such was the unfortunate truth.

Even Gizelle couldn’t do it.

“Furthermore…” she continued. “After the ceremony was done, Grandmother received an oracle from the Goddess. She explained the circumstances behind Lady Angeline’s death, as well as Lady Milla’s identity.”

“Show me.”

With a nod, Olivia accepted Galardos’ telepathic link and let her memories of the event flow into his mind.

The demigod shuddered at the vision, almost dropping to the floor as his knees buckled under him.

“By the Gods…”

“A war in Heaven is brewing,” said Olivia, her face clouded with dread. “And Ladies Angeline and Milla are the keys to stopping it.”

“Hold on. Hold on, let me get this straight. So the Goddess said Angeline was killed by a band of mutinous angels?”

“Yes. Either them or their accomplices, but their identity isn’t certain.”

“And Milla isn’t a demigod at all, but a homunculus?”

“That is correct. She was created by Lord Naivdar in his laboratory, in collaboration with the rebellious angels. Their plan was to turn Milla into an artificial goddess, and use her power to usurp the Heavens from Lady Zarielle.”

Galardos sat down on his bed, overwhelmed by the revelation.

“So that’s why they invaded us…”

“Yes. The loyalists from the Zarian Order caught wind of the traitors’ plot, and came down in force to stop them. They managed to kill Lord Naivdar and destroy his research, but Milla herself escaped.”

She was evacuated, more accurately. But now that Zarielle knew her location, there was no telling what kind of fate was in store for her.

“What happened to her? Is she alive?”

“She is,” Olivia reassured him. “To the Goddess, Milla is a victim in all of this, and she holds no animosity against her. In fact, she wants to make peace. Back in the forest, Milla prayed for help when she was abducted, and this prayer allowed the Goddess to find her.”

Galardos let out a sigh of relief.

“Thanks to this, as well as the efforts to resurrect Angeline, the Goddess has put her trust in Milla and offered an alliance with her.”

“Right. So I didn’t see the vision wrong.”

“I’m afraid so. In order to stop the angelic rebellion, Lady Zarielle wants us to…”

“Ascend Milla into Godhood,” Galardos completed her sentence.

The princess nodded quietly.

“So even after purging her ranks, there’s still a handful of traitors,” the demigod continued. “According to the oracle, Angeline was sent here to root them out, but she was ambushed and killed. This means the Zarian Order is more compromised than the Goddess realized, and she can’t take action easily.”

“Correct. The rebels have implants similar to Milla’s, so their magical abilities are monstrous, and they are immune to scrying effects. Even the Goddess can’t find them.”

“That’s where Milla comes in. Because they’re using the same technology, she should be able to overcome the shrouding effect and hunt them down. And as a deity, she’d able to restore Angeline to her full form.”

“That’s right. But in order to do so, she must be significantly stronger than them. We’re dealing with people who killed a Seraph, so if we go after them as we are now, they’d wipe us out.”

“Hence the ascent to Godhood. Lady Zarielle wants a fellow deity as her ally, right here on the ground.”

“She’s turning the rebels’ plan against them,” Olivia nodded. “They created Milla to be a goddess, and the Lady is encouraging her to follow that path. Only they’ll walk it together instead, fighting their enemies side by side.”

“… And what does Milla think of all this?” the demigod asked the golden question.

Joining forces with Zarielle was well and good, but if Milla refused to get involved, then that was the end of the plan.

“She agreed to it,” said Olivia, looking away for a moment. “She was overwhelmed for a while, of course. Learning all this must’ve been a tremendous shock for her. But after talking it out with the others, she promised to help.”

It was clear the Princess felt terrible for her, and Galardos couldn’t blame her. As an old demigod, he knew how difficult it was to play out the role — and being a full-fledged deity would be even harsher than that.

Yet here was Milla, a simple village girl, carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. It was heartbreaking to behold.

“If that’s her decision, then… so be it. How can I help?”

Being born a demigod was one thing, but attaining full divinity was a whole different beast. In all of history, the only known precedent was to…

“Follow the footsteps of Kathlan,” said Olivia, locking eyes with him. “The Goddess wants you to find the source of divinity of the Living God.”

It was a dizzying proposal.

Even to Galardos, the mission was gargantuan… and reckless.

“That’s madness. Olivia, do you know what happened to him in the end? Not the sanitized version, but the actual way he died.”

“Yes. He fell to corruption at the hands of the Witch Queen, and was slain by the demigods with the angels’ help.”

“It was worse than that. He’s the one who opened the Hellgate up in the Lost Capital. He caused the demonic invasion from the last era, and that’s why we’re still launching crusades to keep the portal shut.”

“I know. Yet the Lady asked us to find the source of his divinity and give it to Milla. She must have a plan to protect her.”

“Gods, I hope so. The Witch Queen is still holed up in her fortress, and she’s bound to take action if a second Living God makes it here. If Milla is corrupted like Kathlan, it’d be a disaster.”

“The end of the world, probably. But the same is true if Lady Zarielle falls. It’s her power that closed the Hellgate, so if she and the angels are gone, we’ll face the next demonic invasion alone.”

Galardos’ expression hardened.

He didn’t fight during the demonic invasion, as he hadn’t been born yet, but his parents did. And they told him, in no unequivocal terms, that a protracted war against the demons was hopeless.

Their numbers were infinite, while the mortal defenders were not.

It was a very simple calculus.

Imrath could fight for a few decades, maybe a century or two. But in the end, they would ultimately be depleted and overrun. Thus, it was imperative to keep the Hellgate shut — and the one sustaining the seal was the Goddess.

“Grandmother has volunteered to go with Milla in her quest to godhood. She’ll keep her and Lady Angeline safe.”

“I’m going too,” said Galardos, resolving himself. “So are Alaiel and Gromni, I’m sure. Now that they’re in the know, they can’t get out of this, even with mind-scraping magic.”

Olivia nodded bitterly.

“The Goddess ordered complete secrecy about this matter. There’s no telling who could be a traitor, so our current forces are all we’ve got. And on that note, there’s something I’d like to return to you.”

So said the Princess, unfastening the weapon dangling from her hip.

“My old sword,” said the demigod as his former pupil offered it to him.

“The Fang of Lioren. I’ve kept it for you all this time, Master. Please, take it.”

It was a tempting proposal, as the blade wasn’t only a keepsake for his mother, but also the strongest weapon in his arsenal. It was a Bloodsteel Blade — forged from iron extracted from a demigods’ blood over several centuries.

This sword was made from Galardos’ blood, and as such, it was a tremendous magical implement. No other weapon in the world had greater compatibility with him, so having it back in his possession would be an immense boost to his power.

But alas, despite the gravity of the mission…

“I can’t accept it,” said the demigod.

“W- Why not? It’s yours, Master!”

“It is, but everyone knows it’s in your possession. If you give it back to me, then our complicity in helping Milla will be obvious.”

The Princess fell silent.

She’d always carried the weapon to show her support for her mentor even in his exile, but now, the gesture had backfired. She couldn’t give it back.

“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that…”

“It’s alright. With our current circumstances, you’ll need it to defend yourself. Thus, I hereby transfer ownership of the Fang of Lioren to you, Olivia of House Iustan. May it serve you as well as it did to me.”

“M- Master!” she flinched as the sword glowed with power. “I can’t take it! This sword is yours!” She could feel it trying to establish a spiritual contract with her, but she was hesitant to accept.

“Not anymore. Until the day comes that you forge one yourself, this will be your Bloodsteel Blade. Keep it safe for me in the meantime.”

Olivia clenched her fists, struggling not to cry.

“Stand proudly, Princess. I don’t regret it,” Galardos reassured her. “We all have a role to play, and yours will put you in danger. But if this blade can keep you safe, then I’m glad it’s in your hands.”

Olivia nodded, a tear falling down her cheek as she reluctantly accepted the sword.

“Now that we’re allied with Zarielle, we’ll face many of her enemies — not only at home, but also throughout our journey. So, I’d like to you to run some cover for us.”

As the Princess stood in attention, he elaborated.

“Gizelle and I can’t leave the country just like that; we’ll draw too much attention and risk exposing Milla. So we need to fabricate a story that will let us roam without the Inquisition or the Zarian Order chasing us.”

“Yes. Grandmother wanted to discuss that,” Olivia nodded.

“I have just the plan. But I’ll need your help, as well as Vahram’s.”

“What can I do?”

“You’re not going to like it, but it goes like this...”