Chapter 94 - Awakening
Chapter 94: Awakening
Inside a dim room, a young man shrieked and woke up covered in cold sweat. The bedsheets were torn apart, and his palms were bleeding, blood flowing down to his fingers.
“Demons!” The man held his head in pain, then knocked on his own forehead. “Why did I dream of such things?”
He could hear bugs whistling about but the man did not care. He left his room. His house was a moderately-sized manor, and it seemed that his family had considerable wealth. With just a thin set of pajamas on, the man stood beneath the moon. The breeze blowing by was somewhat chilly, but he did not look to be affected at all. He took a deep breath, calming himself down.
The man looked at his palm.
“Huh?”
He realized that the wound had already been healed, leaving behind only a light scar. He couldn’t believe it and held his palm up high to have a better look. Indeed, it was healing up, and when observed closely, even the scar was gradually diminishing.
“How is this possible?”
The shocked man suddenly realized he could see clearly in the dark night. Even though he had some degree of night vision before, his vision was nowhere as clear as it was now.
Unsure what was going on, he shook his head and murmured in disbelief, “What is going on? What happened to me…?”
…
In a remote convent, the suppressed cries of a female could be heard. A nun of considerable age barged into the room where the cries originated from and started casting a spell right away. A dim glow radiated from her fingertips as she looked worriedly at the teenage girl lying on the bed. The girl wore simple linen clothes and was delicate and pretty. However, currently, she was writhing in pain.
“Lianna, what’s the matter?”
The old nun hugged the girl and shook her, but it had little effect as the girl was still experiencing the nightmare, her face gradually getting paler.
—Protection from Evil!
The old nun swiftly cast another spell, and a cleansing divine light gently embraced the girl. She calmed down from the spell, and slowly opened her eyes. Perhaps still afraid, she let out a cry before diving into the old nun’s bosom.
“Abbess Isara, I… I… saw demons again!”
The old nun Isara held her fists tightly and said, “Pray to the Highlady of Silvermoon. She will protect her followers!”
The teenage girl trembled as she knelt on her bed and prayed. As she prayed, the grains of pure and holy divine power within the convent gathered on her body. Her fearful expression slowly disappeared.
It was a convent which was dedicated to the Highlady of Silvermoon. After she partly took on the role of blessing females, many convents which only accepted nuns started worshipping her. Her churches also experienced considerable changes as more female believers joined. The number of priestess grew. At some point, breast milk became the symbol of femininity and maternity. It also played vital roles in many rituals.
These changes were beneficial for the Highlady of Silvermoon as she could gain more deity roles. If she combined such roles, it was highly probable for her to become a powerful deity once again.
The bright particles of divine light dissipated, and the teenage girl’s mind was finally at peace. She looks at the old nun and asked, “In the end, I still can’t get rid of the demons plaguing my heart. They plant fear in me. Abbess Isara! Is it because my faith towards the Highlady of Silvermoon is not resolute enough?”
The old nun hugged the girl and gently patted her back.
“My dear Liana, you are the Highlady of Silvermoon’s most devout believer. Believe me, the goddess shall not let the demons harm you. She will always watch over and love you, just like a mother caring for her daughter!”
…
Similar scenes occurred in underground chambers, remote villages, ancient castles, and many other locations. Many experienced nightmares and woke up, only to find that the world was no longer the same as it was, at least for them.
In a dark canyon, an eerie man stood underneath the moonlight. He gazed into the distance and grinned.
“Oh, my dear brothers and sisters! You all have finally awakened! I have waited for this moment a long time.”
He leapt off the cliff which was dozens of meters high. As his silhouette turned hazy, he dashed away rapidly.
…
There was a place further north than the Northern regions where the terrain was made up of glaciers and icy mountains. The sea could be seen but was frozen due to the cold weather. In such a chilly environment stood a tower which pierced through the skies, its height completely beyond human imagination. If Soran were here, he would doubt if his original world, where technology was extremely advanced, could construct such a structure. The strange tower had withstood the harsh environment for millennia, but there were not even the slightest signs of weathering.
“Teacher,” a teen with a chiseled face said as he stepped onto the top of the tower. It was an ancient astrology divination platform. The teen stood behind his teacher and continued, “The Dread Lord have started spreading chaos and fear. They also awakened the Descendants of God earlier than expected. Perhaps we might need to do something this time?”
An old man, whose white hair and long beard almost reached the ground, turned around. He wore a grey robe, and slowly said to his apprentice, “Miyatole, you have to remember that we are mere observers at all times. Our mission is to observe the changes of the world, not interfere with it.”
The apprentice hesitated for a moment before arguing back, “But teacher, if we don’t interfere, the Dread Lord will revive through his descendant’s body, and the world will once again be shrouded in fear. He is a powerful demon god, and there may not be a better chance to make him fall if we miss this opportunity.”
The old man sighed and slowly said, “Miyatole, you have to remember we are neutral. We don’t side with justice, nor do we side with evil. It is only this way that the gods allowed us to exist. Besides, it is not so easy for a god to resurrect.”
The apprentice seemed to refuse his teacher’s final remark.
“If so, why did the God of Tyranny manage to resurrect?”
The elder saw no way out of the situation without explaining everything to his apprentice.
“To resurrect, there are many requirements a god has to meet. The bodies of mortals cannot hold the gods’ divine powers, even if they were the gods’ children. As such, a god will have to distribute his divine powers among his children before attempting to resurrect, making the children Descendants of God. The more powerful the god is, the more children are required to bear his divine powers. After the god dies, the divine power left behind would begin to converge, often causing the Descendants of God to fight among themselves in pursuit of power. In the end, the number of children left behind will just be a few, but they are also a lot more powerful than they used to be.
“Having powerful children and converging divine power is only a part of the resurrection process. What matters more is the power of belief. All divine powers exist because there were believers who devoted themselves to their gods. The act of worshipping gods gives the deities their power, and this is the most crucial part of a god’s resurrection. Descendants of God hold divine power, but they are not the believers’ target of worship. Thus, their powers can’t grow since they are not worshipped. The god’s soul would be able to relocate to a body which held his original divine powers, basically one of his children. The god could then mend his own soul using the divine power brought by his believers, then usurp his child’s divine powers as his soul’s authority over divine power is higher. This completes the process of resurrection.
“The reason why the God of Slaughter failed in his resurrection was because his bishops had betrayed him. The believers no longer prayed and worshipped him. The God of Tyranny managed to resurrect because his believers still kept their faith when he had gone missing during the process of resurrection.”
The teen seemed to have understood the situation. He lifted his head and asked, “Teacher, does this mean that it is impossible for the Dread Lord to resurrect successfully this time?”
The old man knocked his apprentice’s head with his staff.
“Remember we are mere neutral observers. No one can predict the future, but the gods will not allow the Dread Lord’s followers to spread chaos and fear. It should not be long before the Dread Lord’s believers suffer great blows. If the number of believers decreases, the chances of the Dread Lord’s resurrection will also lower proportionally. If there are insufficient believers who worship him, even if one of his children meet the resurrection requirements, it is still impossible for him to resurrect.”
The apprentice didn’t fully understand what his teacher had said, but he could tell that it would be unlikely for the Dread Lord to resurrect. With a smile, he joyously told his teacher, “I’ll go make some tea for you. I’ll use your favorite southern tea leaves.”
The old man sighed once again. He gazed afar, as though his vision could pierce through space itself. He saw a dazzling screen of light lowering from the sky, and it was indeed a spectacular and splendid sight.