Chapter 743: The Pretender

"Alright Igna, I'm heading out, see you later," said Serene. The conversation-filled living area drowned into nothingness. Raphael could be seen through the ajar door into the washroom, foam masked his jaw, Igna sat shy of an open window gazing onto the outskirts of Rotherham. 

"Master, I heard the name Draebala mentioned earlier," hailed across an open space.

"You know about it?"

"Yes," he shaved, "-After Kronos was dethroned, Zeus proposed that instead of ruling over different dimensions, any god who was interested in joining the Eipea Empire, which was ruled over by the supreme god, would have an opportunity of creating their kingdom and thus making a new world all to themselves. Hence the concept of domains and realms. The idea took some time to flourish, but once some of the more powerful gods such as Gophy and Lixbin joined, yes, lady Gophy, a very humble follower to Zeus at a time, was in line to have her own realm. High-tier deities joined, ensuing a domino effect. Everyone followed suit hoping to imbue fear into the demon's heart. Once the Eipea Empire was founded by which the ruling monarch is Zeus, the newfound peace Kronos instated was put into jeopardy as newer gods, launched full-on assaults against the demon and any other entities that could rival them. Seeing the strength of the Eipea Empire, all the demons united and fled deeper into the underworld dimension, they founded a new nation, Aapith. They didn't have any overseer, instead, a council of high-ranking demons which at a time held Satan, Lucifer, and Leviathan. After the foundation of two stable structures, the Eipea Empire and the Aapith Nation, the armies gathered into a full-out war. It ended in a deadlock, this when it was decided demons and gods would try and get along, yes, you heard me correct, I can imagine the look on thy visage, master. Gods and demons once tried to cohabitate, the majority accepted and those who refused were sent to Draebala - a dimension previously owned by Kronos. It became a war zone and the people suffer to this day, a living representation of pain. Anyone is allowed to go and blow off some steam, the thrill of killing, and the pleasures of hunting weaklings. No war means no fun since each side is blessed and cursed by the boon of immortality. Draebala was an exception to the nonaggressive pact between Eipea Empire and Aapith nation. In fear of a faction getting more members and tipping the power balance, Draebala became a testing ground for any low to mid-tier gods and demons. They would fight each other in hopes of getting accepted into either the Eipea Empire or Aapith. There is the current state in which the gods co-existed with demons and other beings, hypocritical rulership where none has to suffer save the dominion of

"Sure know a lot, don't you," remarked Igna, "-the Eipea Empire and Aapith Nation, I've heard those names before, didn't pay much attention, why would I, the concept of godly politics is laughable at best. Come to think of it, I once paid a visit to the empire, I think, tis when I was called to kill Gophy."

"You flatter me," he exited cleanly shaven, "-Draebala is a testing ground, it wouldn't look very good if an otherworlder invaded the shared domain of gods and demons. The latter is very vindictive, I advise strong caution."

"You say that," the windows shut, "-does it even matter, compared to Hades' realm where the ruler is still alive, Draebala, I assume is without ruler and order, deploying my realm in said land shouldn't be much trouble."

"Wrong," he argued, "-the lands barren and arduous, deploying the shadow realm would only invite the curiosity of onlookers, master, keeping the domain a secret is primordial, is it not?"

"You're right," he sighed, "-I'm not totally worthless," Orenmir and the new Tharis laid on the couch, "-I have my swordsmanship and blood-arts," a plain white shirt, grey pants, a backpack filled with supplies, gun and sword to his hip, the time displayed 10:59.

"Master, are you sure about heading into battle?"

"Raphael, I've left 100,000 Exa in cash, head into town and have fun, do I make myself clear?"

"Understood," he graciously accepted, "-if matters grow dire, don't be afraid to call my name, I will be summoned no matter the environment and opponent."

Hence, where Igna stood, a whirlpool of nauseating energy unleashed, Raphael sat nonchalantly with feet kicked onto the table, the television took precedence over his master's departure. 

The walls broke, the roof flung, the world disassembled, a blinding spark gave into a pause, '…' 

"Potato, fresh potato."

"Come get fresh fruits, Juea is in season, come one come all, you won't find anywhere better priced."

"Monster drops, alchemic concoctions, my stall is open to all who wish to partake in the occult," heavy, flexible, light movements went too and fro, the sight readjusted to a strangely familiar area. 

'-Marketplace?' came into mind, a street of merchants and stalls lined against walls, one end headed northward, the other, south. Various personage walked, some dressed in heavy, and other, light armor. A hue of olden air blew through the crowded street, at intervals, alleys would dip in and to the other pathways. Energetic children laughed and ran, nearly tripping onto Igna, from one end to the other, '-crowded,' he thought, barely able to dodge the balls of energy. A pull onto the shoulder strap tightened the backpack, '-the shadow realm,' he walked northward, '-the place's changed quite a bit.' Between flocks of equally arranged buildings consisting majority of the cityscape, a hill climbed to a majestically built castle. The vague layout of the overworld version of Rosespire rang true, '-not quite the same,' he figured, '-the merchant street is definitely the place where the dwarves build my item shop, well, a shop turned brewery. The width seems about right.' Further in, horse-drawn carriage promenaded around town, the area headed towards the castle felt lonely. An hour or so later, after reaching midway the climb to the noble district, a heavy object hovered from the castle and into the center, a projection lit the sky ablaze, "-Citizens of the Shadow Realm, us, the four Generals, have the greatest pleasure to officially start the Meltonia Festival!" far as he was, the cheers reached his position, '-Meltonia festival?' a glance towards the screams brought a smile. 

'Quantifying a person's strength has never been commonplace in the overworld. Then again, Draebala runs on a separate set of rules. 0 to 100 level is used to distinguish humans and other low-born races. If anyone were to surpass the limits of level 100, they enter the realm of sub-divinity, starting from the lowest, F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS. Anyone F-rank is be considered living demi-gods in the Draebala. Sadly, the true sub-divinity starts at rank S and ends with SSS. Since no one of the inferior races managed to get past F-rank, it was assumed that it was the pinnacle of strength. If by some miracle someone managed to get past the rank of SSS, they would enter the realm of true divinity. A realm extremely rare to get into, either born a god or forget reaching said height. Godhood is also divided into low-tier gods, mid-tier gods, and high-tier gods. The same goes for demons as well, instead of low-tier gods they had low, mid, and high-tier demon gods. Technically, there is also another rank, for gods, the title of Supreme God, and for the demons, tis God-slayer. All the ranks point to an emphasis on strength. Only the best is allowed audience and admittance into true divinity, Zeus holds the keys,' the manor faded into the distance, the gentle slope vexed into a sharper incline, '-Origin's knowledge very important. For Éclair to have a strong core – I'm looking for someone in the low-tier demon rank, below is of unimportance. Personally, my physical attribute may range in the S to SSS rank. Not exactly a deity when tis said a done. Hell, I don't doubt my rank to be in the range of 75 – 100. The last time I visited Draebala, the death element was at an all-time high, the deaths doubled my strength – I could force my way through any fight. Times changed, I don't have the luxury to jump headfirst into the fray; regeneration will depend on how potent the mana is, a repeat of Zagreus's tower will only shame my strength.'

"Igna?" a ball of fire dove onto the asphalt, a circle of flame dispersed, "-is that you?" flaming red hair shuffled to grab his jaw, "-Igna?" he gave a half-smile, her grip eased, the fire in her hair extinguished, "-it is you," she transitioned into a warm embrace, "-glad to see you well."

"Same here, the Meltonia Festival," said he seeking further explanation.

"Oh, I see," she looked to the town, "-December's upon the continent, we thought why not have the whole month to be a giant event. The capital's the centerpiece, residents from all over the world will join in the festivities," hasty to grab his hand, "-let's head inside," wings of flame materialized, "-why aren't you flying?" 

"Figured I'd take the scenic route?"

"As if."

The castle gates opened, the castle-town harbored residents, familiar faces. A stable held winged horses, '-the valkyries are staying here?' he thought whilst Intherna gradually increased her speed, they soon landed atop a spire, Victorian-styled doors and windows grew gothic and macabre, the arch entrance, tall and slender, gave into a study, "-where are we?"

"My personal rest area," she commented, "-there's a lot of books and a hammock, this baby's my pride and joy," no downstair stairs, instead, a magical circle, '-teleportation,' he figured.

"Take a seat," she clambered into the suspended bed, "-why are you here?"

"Astute," he replied, "-I thought Intherna wasn't much for politics."

"Is worrying about a friend considered politics?" 

"I apologize, didn't mean for it to sound rude. Here's the deal," to which he went into greater details, her expression varied along the journey, "-in the end, I need to head to Draebala in search for souls."

"I get the picture," her gaze firmed into the pointy hallow roof, "-I'm sure the risks involved are already known. Here's the thing, you're weak, truly and utterly weak bravado won't work, don't think I haven't noticed. The ten-year stuck inside Hades' realm strengthened the Shadow Realm in exchange for you and your magical element. The curse symbols, the hidden treasures of Staxius Haggard were open and used to preserve what little sanity is left – curses accumulated and reserved strength is but gone. You sit before me as a shell of a former god, demi-god, and warrior. Take away Mantia, any variant of the realm expansion, what's left is an obsolete mage unable to use his death element, mana regeneration," she glared, "-the element's stopped producing mana, hasn't it." 

"Cat's out of the bag," he exhaled, "-saw right through me, the element's indeed unable to replenish my mana reserves. For me to use magic, I have to call on my mana-manipulation arts. I'm plenty strong, the blood of the nightwalkers runs through my veins, sacrifices have to be made, and I chose to relinquish myself in favor of a better place for my companions. I say I did it for others, and I don't want to be thanked for it. I don't mind standing alone, and frankly, I don't care – what happens, happens, no amount of thinking will change reality. The Death Element's dormant and I fear the beast to never reawaken, the curse inflicted on my soul prevents ascension to godhood –the only way to rival a god is to unleash the Nevermore gates, which in of itself can't be activated since the element's unable to pulse. Watcher of the Shadow Realm, Heir to Death, inheritor of Origin and Time, the titles are for show," he gave a slightly woeful smile, "-truth is, I'm but a pretender."