Godslayer Lysette: Chapter 226

Chapter 226: Pacts with Demon and Demigod

Chapter 226: Pacts with Demon and Demigod

Ari looked around and examined her body over the course of several minutes, testing out various techniques.  As she did, Lysette looked up at the sky and felt the warm afternoon rays upon her back, still uncertain if she was entirely correct to rope Ari into her cosmic war.  But Ari still had that smile upon her new face as she pushed her abilities to their new limits, partially but not fully ameliorating Lysette’s concerns.

“Hmm…” Ari said.  “I am undoubtedly a little stronger than before.  But I was expecting far more after seeing how inhumanly powerful you are.”

“Of course not.  My pact has only given you the seed of divinity and given you the opportunity to achieve the heights of power you aspire to.  Just as before, though, your efforts in your Cultivation will determine how far you will climb.  And, as part of our pact, I will assist you in those efforts from time to time.”

“Assist me how?”

“A deity has the power to influence and nurture the Cultivation of her followers.”

“Wait, that reminds me.  You called yourself ‘Lyse Barret’.  And you referred to yourself as a demigoddess.  And yet, my eyes must deceive me, for I see a man standing in front of me.”

“It may surprise you, but this body is not my primary vessel.  I will not explain the details, but a deity has the ability to inhabit more than a single body at a time.  I cannot say that I enjoy inhabiting a male body like this, but it would be difficult and time-consuming to change that.  Time I do not have.”

“Time you do not have?”

“I told you that I was a demon, did I not?”

“You did not deny it.”

“Well, demons are those who possess the ability to absorb the Sparks and Essence of others.  I meant what I said, that I had no intention of devouring your soul.  The Elithrian soldiers, on the other hand.  And that’s why I need to hide my identity and abilities.”

“I still do not follow.  In fact, I understand even less now.”

“I am not all-powerful.  And there are more demigods out there among the nations.  Ones older and more powerful even than my main body.  The ruler of Domaria is one such example.”

“His Majesty?  I was unaware he was a demigod.”

“No.  His Majesty is a figurehead.  The real power behind the scenes is the woman who masquerades as his bodyguard.  Suffice it to say that her power is at least double my own.  Possibly triple.”

“You’re worried she’ll find you out?”

“She knows I am here.  Though, if she sees this body, she might have questions for me that I’d rather not deal with.”

“Why?  Did this body once belong to her ex-boyfriend or something?”

“As a matter of fact, yes.  But that’s not the important thing here.  What is important is that Elithria has demigods of their own in a similar position.  As long as I blend in as an ordinary soldier, they will remain on the sidelines just the same as our elites do.  But if my presence is known by the military command here, they will change their strategy accordingly.  And that knowledge will undoubtedly spread to Elithria, completely blunting the long-term advantage my presence will provide here.”

“You could save many lives if you revealed yourself.”

“If Elithria wins this war, it is the end for all life on Aimarion.  I do not misspeak, nor do I exaggerate.  Elithria’s patron is Asterion, God of the Moon, who has also subsumed the stars as part of his Domain.  And this war marks the final stages of a multi-million-year-long campaign to subsume complete control over Aimarion as the single divine entity remaining.”

“And the other gods won’t stop him?”

“The gods in the Celestial realm are all engaged in various jockeying for power and influence there, and their conflict is at a standstill.  Which is why our actions here on Aimarion are vital.  Demons are extremely rare— I know of no others.  And so I and my allies are our best chance of tipping that balance and preserving the world we currently have.”

Ari shook.  “It’s all too unbelievable.  I want to dismiss everything you’ve said as a fabrication.  But— and I don’t know if this is part of our pact or not— I know deep in my very core that everything you say is the truth.”

“With the exception of my cover identity, I have not knowingly lied since arriving here.”

Ari nodded.  “So, what do we need to do now?”

“For now, we head back to base and report on our training mission.  We’ll also report that we eliminated a contingent of Elithrian spies inside our border, and are fairly confident there were no survivors to report back.”

“As you will.”

A few hours later back in Ciricu, Lysette sat in the corner of her and Mirae’s living space, watching as Mirae was putting the final touches on their altar.  The room was dimly lit, with only a few candles and the echoes of twilight and starlight streaming in through the front window.  The air filled with light smoke and the rustic scent of incense as Mirae set it asmolder.  And finally, after straightening everything up one last time and adjusting their flowing suit jacket, they beckoned to Lysette, meeting her in front of the altar and giving them a long and passionate kiss.

“It all looks wonderful,” Lysette said.  “Nearly as perfect as you, love.”

Mirae blushed.  “Almost makes me wish this altar is for the two of us getting married, Lysette.”

“I’m sure too many people are going to want a much grander celebration for that day.”  Lysette held Mirae in her embrace, burying her face in their neck and shoulders.  “I never once considered getting married back when I was a human.  And after my rebirth, all I could think about was learning about my power, getting stronger, and one day claiming my revenge.”

“Complaints?”

“Never.”

A knock came from outside, followed by Lilia’s voice.  “Mirae?  Are you almost ready?”

Mirae and Lysette parted, letting their fingertips linger against one another for an extra half-second before the former opened the door.

Lilia gasped as her eyes wandered at Mirae’s dapper attire.  Mirae smiled and took her hand, beckoning her inside and guiding her to the seat in front of the altar.

“It’s all so much, Mirae.  I would expect this much… atmosphere, I guess, if you and Lyse were having a date night.  But to do all this for my initiation.  I–  I’m humbled.”

“It felt right.  Lyse’s Domain is Reciprocity, so forming pacts is, by its very nature, in accordance with said Domain.  And Serrena’s is Ambition, which focuses more on what comes after.  But mine is Devotion, and as such, I need to demonstrate that my Devotion to my disciples is worthy of theirs to me.”

“It’s still hard to believe that the person I roomed with at the Academy ended up becoming a demigod, and is now about to take me under their tutelage as a Cultivator.  But here we are.”

“And I certainly never thought that the woman I fell in love with would be a demigoddess and take me on such a whirlwind journey across the continent, all while helping me to become so much more than I could have ever imagined half a year ago.  But, just like you said, here we are.”

“It’s not going to hurt, is it?”

Mirae laughed.  “When Lyse and I formed our pact, neither of us even knew we were doing so until several days after the fact.”

“Wait…  Shouldn’t you or her or, I dunno, someone, have known what you were doing?”

“When I was reborn,” Lysette said, “I wasn’t told much about how my power works.  Basically just told, ‘You’re a demigoddess and you need to Cultivate to grow stronger, now you have two weeks to figure it out before I summon you for your first assignment.’  Everything after that has been research, trial, and error.  Usually more than one of those.”

Lilia turned back to Mirae.  “You’re sure this is safe?”

“I am.  I wouldn’t have asked this of you if I wasn’t confident of its safety.”

“So, what do I need to do?  Am I just supposed to start praying to you?”

“If you’d like to, now would be the time.  Once our pact is in place, you will carry the seed of divinity within you, and your prayers will no longer resonate with the system that Lysette and Serrena had told us about.”

“Is that true?”  Lilia turned to Lysette.

“It is.  Again, as best I know from experience.  I don’t feel any surge of strength when Mirae prays to me, even if they acknowledge me as their goddess.”

“I wonder why that is?” Lilia asked.

“I do too,” Lysette said.  “I’ve wondered a lot about Omnia’s system since I learned about it.  Best I can understand is that having the seed of divinity within you makes that system see you as a ‘god’ instead of a ‘mortal’.  At least in some abstract metaphysical way I couldn’t even begin to comprehend.”

“Well, Omnia’s system was designed to create deities which would respond to the desires and hearts of mortals, right?” Mirae said.  “Maybe once a god and a mortal have made a pact, the system knows that the mortal in question is being taken care of by their new patron.  So instead of needing the system as a whole to filter those prayers to the right deity, the pact itself handles the matter directly.”

Lilia sighed.  “It’s a little much to think about.”

“Rest assured,” Mirae said.  “Whether you choose to form a pact with me or not, I will still use this power of mine to protect you to the best of my ability.”

“You’d still let me back out after going through all this trouble just for me?”

“Of course I would!  The last thing I’d want is to form a pact with my friend without making absolutely, completely, and totally sure that it’s what she wants as well.”

“Is that what you want?” Lilia asked.  “To form a pact with me?”

Mirae lowered their head.  “Lysette and I have been discussing this for a long while.  About this world of Cultivators, about how society is structured, and now about how the system that governs all of this was formed and continues to operate.  And we both agree that it’s not fair and needs to change.

“We’re going to change it.  But that’s going to be a long-term project.  It might take years or decades and maybe we end up failing despite our best efforts.  And during that time, we’re going to be stuck living in that system.  I know she and I are in agreement when I say that we both want to use the power we’ve been given to make things a little easier for those who we can help.  Whether that’s by forming pacts with some of our friends and close confidants or helping others with Cultivation so they can better stand up for themselves against outside forces that threaten them.”

Mirae reached her hand out toward Lilia.  “I acknowledge that yes, I do genuinely want this for you for my own reasons, selfish though I may be.  But I also, equally genuinely, believe this will be an opportunity for both of us.   And finally, more strongly than either of those two things, I want to respect and abide by your wishes, whatever they may be.”

Lilia took Mirae’s hand and clutched it between both of her own.  “Mirae, I don’t know why I know this, but something within me tells me that this is the right thing for me.  And I trust that feeling, just as I trust the first friend I made last year when we were both new students.  So please, Mirae, do what you have to do.  I agree to the pact we’re about to form.”

“Close your eyes and feel my words in your heart and Spark,” Mirae said.  “Lilia Whitmore, tonight you accept the blessings of Mirae Trosst, Aimarion’s Demigod of Devotion.  Always remember that Devotion cannot exist without both the devoted and the devotee.  And therefore, followers of this principle shall always strive to act in accordance with mutuality, with fairness, with consideration and kindness, and most of all, with a sense of responsibility toward our comrades, our allies, our lieges, and our subordinates alike.

“Always remember that the strength you will be given should be used in service of causes greater than yourself.  What causes you choose to support are yours and yours alone to decide.  But always they should support the common good, to the extent such is possible.  Do you agree to live your life in accordance with these principles?”

“I do, Mirae.  For as long as you will have me as your disciple, and as long as I have the strength to carry out the principles you have outlined.”

“Then, by the Essence which surrounds, fills, and empowers us, let us seal this pact and use our combined strength toward overcoming the many obstacles which still lie before us.”

“Of course, Mirae.”  Lilia smiled as warmly and genuinely as any smile could be.  “I will aspire always toward that goal.”

Chapter 225: https://www.patreon.com/posts/113256870

Table of Contents: https://www.patreon.com/posts/101896170

Chapter 227: https://www.patreon.com/posts/113256878