Evanthe closed her eyes, her heavy sigh resounding within the chamber.
"There are things I cannot say, but know things ended up this way in order to both protect her as well as that power inside her," Evanthe explained. "Given the sealed hellfire inside her, you must have long guessed our fight is not against the supernatural beings of this world, but against the divine beings of the heavenly realm."
Yorian grimaced. "I am not sure what happened and how the matters of deities reached the mortal world, but I will help you with everything I can."
"Thank you, Yorian," Evanthe said with sincerity. "Fortunately, in the mortal world, the powers of divine beings are restricted, otherwise, there is no way we can fight them. Despite that, this is still going to be an extremely dangerous mission. All we can do is to hide Seren until we find a solution."
"The true solution is only one."
"I know."
"Then we have to find it before that power starts hurting her and we won't be able to protect her anymore."
"We are running out of time, but despite our efforts, we could not find a vessel we can transfer that power to. Even if we did find one, we also do not know the proper way to do it."
"The one who placed that power inside her, that being must know how to transfer it."
Evanthe helplessly shook her head. "We fear it might harm her instead. That power has adapted to her body and forcefully taking it out is like putting paper over a fire and praying it won't burn. What we need is to seek help from the master of that fire, the true master of all flames in existence."
Yorian was dumbfounded. "You mean, the Deity of Fire from the legends? Your enemies are also from the heavenly realm. Why would a divine being like her help you out?"
Evanthe let out a vague smile. "It is quite complicated to explain. For now, we need to find her."
"Are you implying she descended on the mortal world?"
"According to an acquaintance, that deity suffered a tribulation and was reborn as a human. However, we don't know where she is."
"If she has truly been reborn, then she is destined to find her way back to regaining her powers. One's power is linked to their soul after all."
"My only concern is whether that deity reincarnated with her memories. If she is an ordinary human in this life, living ignorantly among the countless humans spread across the continent, it is like looking for a needle in a haystack. We are at our wits' end. I hope we can find her reincarnation before that power harms Seren."
Yorian stayed silent for a while before he asked, "When I scried into Queen Seren's past, I found out that she is not just an ordinary supernatural being. She has no beast bloodline in her body, but she has divine power. For her to have divine power as well, could she be a descendant of someone from the heavenly realm?"
"You are right," Evanthe admitted. "She is a daughter of a deity."
"No wonder I could not determine her race..." Yorian could not help but ask, "That human, Armen Ilven, is her birth father. I felt the resonance in their blood. Doesn't that make Queen Seren a half-human, half-god—a demigod?"
Evanthe helplessly sighed. "With her own power sealed along with the Deity of Fire's power, you could think of her as a mere human being. Even after we find a vessel to transfer that hellfire, she will remain mortal until she awakens her divinity and ascends."please visit
Yorian wanted to ask more, about demigods and awakening divinity, but his intuition warned him that prying into heavenly secrets might bring harm to him. He changed the subject. "How can I be of help tonight? Do you have a specific role for me to play?"
"I am not sure how exactly the situation will turn out. Though we casted layers of isolation spells around the vicinity of the cave, we do not know the extent of the abilities of those from the heavenly realm. You are both a warrior and a priest; you could both attack and defend. Just standby and respond to unexpected incidents during her coming of age."
"I will."
—---
Time passed by in a flash.
Since they were underground, they could not tell the time but when dinner had been served, those inside the cave realized that night had fallen.
After their meal, Martha informed Drayce and Seren. "It's time for us to leave, Your Majesties."
Hearing that, King Armen had a complicated expression on his face. He had been told earlier he was not allowed to accompany his daughter. After all, he was but a powerless human and couldn't do anything to help.
Martha saw his reluctance. "Your Majesty, do not worry. Trust that we have done the best we can."
King Armen nodded, his gaze not leaving his daughter who didn't spare him a glance even once. He lowered his head before Martha.
"Your Majesty—"
"Please." At this moment, the man bowing was not the dignified King of Abetha, but the worried father of Seren. "Take care of her."
"We will, Your Majesty."
Drayce talked to Slayer before leaving. "We might be gone for an entire night or more. Don't worry about it and wait for our return."
"As per your order, Your Majesty."
Slayer bowed to his King. Though he wished he could go with him, to be of some help, he knew the things his liege would face were matters beyond what human beings could handle. Rather than help, he might even be a burden.
Seren and Drayce were led to the ice cave once more where Sierra and Evanthe were waiting for them. Martha stayed outside just like before, and only the young couple entered that ice cave.
Seren held onto Drayce's hand before entering the cave as she could not help but be nervous, though she didn't know how exactly all this was going to affect her quiet life.