Divine Apostasy Book 11 - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

No one spoke while Ruin read the prophecy two additional times.

Ruin didn’t consider himself special. Yes, a god most Cultivators revered wrote a poem about him, but he’d always attributed his situation to the sacrifices Uru had made using her own pathways. She’d placed him on his current trajectory.

Ruin’s Intelligence certainly set him apart, and his work ethic and Cleverness had supported his achievements. In his heart though, he believed others could’ve matched his accomplishments if given the opportunity and tools.

Hamma disagreed passionately when Ruin confided these thoughts to her. She argued he had it backwards and that he was literally the only person in their Universe who could do what he did. That only the right combination of Intelligence, obsession, and curiosity could create the path he walked. But Hamma loved him, so he hadn’t taken her words to heart, no matter how often she reminded him he was special.

The prophecy Deryssa displayed, from an ancient Spire that anchored one corner of the Outerverse Destruction Realm, shook him.

Returning this universe to balance was such a monumental undertaking, Ruin had difficulty wrapping his mind around it. Only through the support of his friends and the aid from powerful deities could he possibly succeed.

Such a monumental task paled if compared to the scale of the prophecy Deryssa had shared. Worse, it destroyed the belief that he could remain isolated in this universe. He didn’t care about the Outerverse. But, apparently, the Outerverse cared about him.

Ruin couldn’t bring himself to deny the prophecy out loud. It spelled his name, the state of his body, the fact he had the Destruction Emperor Class, plus the blue runes and references of tones and harmonies.

“What is heaven’s gate?” Ruin whispered.

Deryssa responded with a reverent voice. “It’s the location where the tribes escaped the void. No one knows where it is, although many have tried to find it. The six churches don’t agree on much, but they all believe the enemies we left behind will attack through this gate—and the Last Emperor will save us.”

“And the sacred hall?”

Deryssa shrugged. “No one has any idea.”

“Wardens?”

“Nobody has ever seen them.”

“Are you okay,” Overlord asked Ruin.

Ruin looked over at his friend and shook his head. “No.”

Deryssa left the throne and knelt, placing her head on the stone platform.

“Dammit, Deryssa, don’t do that,” Ruin snapped.

Deryssa remained kneeling, her hands clasped above her head. She softly chanted what sounded like a prayer. “Herald of Shadow, guide us through the endless night. Protect the faithful—”

Ruin interrupted Deryssa with a scream. “Stop!”

The distant sun flared brightly with harsh light and the platform shook.

Deryssa didn’t move from her kneeling position and continued to mouth the chant, careful not to let any sound emerge.

Fury filled Ruin, but he stopped himself from destroying Deryssa’s summoned body. Instead, he calmed himself and reached down to Deryssa, gently pulling her up. To his shock, tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Guilt hit him like a knife in the chest.

“I’m sorry for yelling,” Ruin said.

Deryssa shook her head as she fought to hold back her sobbing. She took three deep measured breaths. “I’m the one that’s sorry. This has hit me harder than I expected. All the generations of suffering. Our family’s persecution. It will finally end. But no one is left to see it. To watch our family fulfill the most important prophecy of our people. I flip from joyfulness to misery every few seconds.”

Of all things, Nameless flitted through Ruin’s thoughts, but he knew the source of those memories and gently pushed them away. Those were theories for the future. Something that created terror and hope in equal measures.

Ruin felt terrible for Deryssa’s loss but had zero interest in getting sucked into some Destruction Realm war. The more he learned about the Outerverse, the more he wanted to avoid it.

“I need your help Deryssa, so let’s start by treating me as an equal. I have some questions about what I saw around those huge towers.”

Deryssa nodded and sat back on the throne. Ruin stepped back and out of her personal space.

“Great,” Ruin said, “what can you tell me about what I described earlier.”

“I’m not sure how, but you described Vyrelion, the capital city of the Destruction Realm. The center of our society. The immense palace between the five towers was indeed the Emperor’s, and the surrounding seven city-sized palaces were the other families. Ours is the palace closest to the Death Tower.”

“Ours? Wouldn’t the Val’dor enemies have taken everything?”

“Perhaps some distant lands, but our holdings are vast, despite our weakness.” Deryssa pointed to Ruin’s upper arm. “Everyone desires that Circlet of Authority for the Remembrance Spire. They won’t allow another family to gain any advantage. Their greed protects our wealth. When you return, you will find our kingdom much as I left it. We have trusted stewards that have served us for eons.”

Deryssa frowned.

“What?” Ruin asked.

“I got so caught up in the prophecy I forgot how hopeless your survival is,” Deryssa said. Her eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. “The prophecy mentions tones and harmonies, which makes sense now, since you said you’re a Harmonic. That kind of power might give you a chance of survival. We’d need to convince the Harmonic Faction leaders the balance is served best with you alive, even if that means war in the Destruction Realm. Balance is all they care about, and they’ll be reluctant to leave the Material Realm to interfere.”

Deryssa stepped off the throne and looked around the platform for the first time. She glanced up at the towering statue, and then back to Ruin.

“This is your mind, isn’t it, not a pocket dimension you control.”

“Yeah.”

Deryssa studied the huge statue again. “This is extraordinary. You’re even supporting three other constructs without any visible strain. Your mind must hold astonishing power. I know little of the Material Realm factions, but everyone fears the Harmonic Makers. It’s rumored that a few are so powerful they can support an entire city inside their mind. Can you imagine? We’ll need to prioritize that type of training. If you could gain such strength, it might allow you to survive.”

Ruin glanced over at his friends. Overlord covered a laugh, Uruziel shook her head, and Sivart pinched the bridge of his nose. Ruin would tell Deryssa the true extent of his mind some other time. He didn’t think her psyche could handle another shock right now.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Ruin replied. “Maybe I’ll meditate or something.”

Ruin sympathized with Deryssa over the treatment she and her family endured for so long, but it wasn’t his problem, and he had no intention of leaving his Universe. In fact, as soon as he gained the Meridian Runes and regained his human body, he planned on leaving the Destruction Realm for good. The prophecy might be referencing him, but why would he risk everything he cared about to go to a place where everyone wanted to kill him. In many ways, they deserved what was coming to them.

Despite that, Ruin’s curiosity about his fight demanded he ask another question. “That brings me to my other pressing question. Did I battle the other Emperor?”

“The Emperor is a Saraph like us, so what you described was some type of defensive ward.”

Ruin tried to hide his disappointment. While the physical power of the shadow creature seemed overwhelming, Ruin knew he had a lot of room to grow and felt confident he could match it. It had been the ease and strength of his Willpower that gave him hope. He’d easily dominated that shadow mentally.

Deryssa noticed Ruin’s expression. “The Emperor himself would have posed an impossible opponent for you at your current strength, but that doesn’t minimize your accomplishment. That creature is a primary ward for the palace itself, and likely capable of defeating armies. Certainly, only the oldest bloodlines could stand against it. I’m still confused about how you got to the capital and how effortless wielding your Willpower sounded.”

“I have a theory about that,” Overlord said, and everyone turned to him. “When I ventured out to grab you after you went into your rage spiral, I didn’t notice a change in myself. Sivart had the same experience.”

Ruin waited for Overlord to continue, but the man evidently thought his explanation sufficed.

“When we use the Minions,” Uruziel said into the silence, “there’s a noticeable impact on our ability to wield magic. We always assumed it related to being outside your mind, everything takes longer and is harder, but Overlord and Sivart think its related to the body itself.”

“Thank you, Uruziel,” Ruin said before meeting Overlord’s gaze. “You really suck at explaining things.”

Overlord tapped his temple. “That’s not my fault. Blame my humble beginnings.”

Ruin rolled his eyes but considered their observations. He recalled how it felt pushing his consciousness through the Tower connections, and found Overlord’s observation was true. At the time, he’d been so focused on Sivart and the safety of the Tower paths that it hadn’t triggered his awareness, but it was definitely there.

Ruin considered why he hadn’t noticed before, and it didn’t take long to come to a likely reason.