"Hand me my child!" her voice wrought with emotion as she shouted.
Her desperation was visible, and the midwife was startled by her intensity.
Despite the urgency of the situation, the midwife quickly composed herself and rushed the stillborn infant over to the Empress's bedside, placing him in his mother's arms.
The Emperor, confused by the commotion, turned to the midwife's assistant next to him and asked,
"What is the matter, Lydia?"
But panic and fear were etched on Lydia's face, and she shuddered, unable to share the tragedy that had unfolded before them.
The midwife spoke up, her voice trembling with grief,
"My lord, the child. The child is stillborn."
At this, the Emperor's knees buckled, and the valiant and renowned man succumbed to the overwhelming grief that washed over him at the news of his son's fate.
Vania was overwhelmed as tears poured endlessly down her face as she gazed at her lifeless son.
The only words she could seem to utter were,
"No, no, no! Wake up, you stubborn boy. Please, just for me. Just for Mother."
The room was filled with a deep sense of sorrow and loss, as the royal couple mourned the loss of their long-awaited and hoped-for child.
Desperation sinking in, Vania began to curse the gods indignantly, her voice filled with anger and grief.
Her words were like sharp knives slicing through the air, blaming the deities for the unfortunate reality of her child's condition.
"How dare you treat us like this! We pray! We worship! We devote our lives to you, and just when we think you've answered our prayers, you slap us in the face like this!"
As Vania's voice echoed through the room, all commotion ceased, and a heavy silence hung in the air.
She was so consumed by her grief that she didn't notice the sudden stillness. Then, a deep and powerful voice reverberated throughout the room, shaking the very foundations of the palace.
"Is this really how you feel?"
Startled by the sudden and intense voice, Vania sat bolt upright, scanning her surroundings for the source.
To her surprise, she saw that everyone in the room appeared to be frozen in time, as if caught in a spell. Her heart raced, and she started to hyperventilate as panic set in.
The mysterious voice boomed again, seeming to come from right next to her, and it was both commanding and soothing at the same time.
"Relax, I will not hurt you. In fact, I might be able to help."
"What is this? Show yourself!" Vania shouted hysterically, her eyes darting around the room in a desperate attempt to locate the source of the voice.
The mysterious voice let out a heavy sigh before speaking again, its tone now tinged with sadness.
"I am here, child of man."
Vania's head whipped to the right as she heard a voice.
A chill ran down her spine as she saw the mysterious figure standing before her.
His pale skin looked almost translucent in the dim light of the room, and his hair, though white and graying, still looked full and lustrous.
She couldn't help but notice the intricate symbols adorning his black gown, that looked like intricate circles within circles, each one seeming to pulse with an otherworldly energy.
With her heart pounding, Vania instinctively pulled her stillborn child closer to her chest, as she stared at the ghastly figure standing by her bedside.
But then, the man spoke, his voice low and soothing, and Vania's fears began to subside.
"As I've said before, I won't hurt you, so there's no need to be afraid," he reassured her, his words calming her nerves.
Vania struggled to maintain her composure, her voice trembling as she asked the question that had been plaguing her mind,
"Who...who are you?"
The pale man before her smiled, revealing a set of perfect, pearly-white teeth.
"Ahh yes," he spoke in a soft tone,
"I am Elias. It is a pleasure to meet you." He bowed gracefully, his long hair cascading over his face like a shimmering waterfall.
Vania was dumbfounded, her mind racing with questions and uncertainty. Could this truly be the fallen God Elias? And what could he possibly want with her?
As if reading her thoughts, the mysterious being spoke again,
"Good, I see that I have your full attention. Empress. shall we have a talk?" His voice commanding and authoritative, but there was a hint of something else there, something almost... friendly?
Vania's expression twisted into one of fear and disbelief. What kind of business could she possibly have with this otherworldly creature? And what price would she have to pay?
"I have chosen your child to be a vessel, a vessel that will carry on my will long after I am gone. He is special, very special indeed." Elias's spoke, his expression serious and determined.
His voice echoed through the room, his words carrying an immense weight that seemed to shake the very foundation of Vania's being.
She struggled to comprehend the idea of her lifeless child being chosen as a vessel, but the man's intense and serious expression left no room for doubt.
As Vania's emotions became increasingly turbulent, Elias remained unflinching in the presence of her distress.
"Special? My son is dead. He is stillborn. How could he be special?" Vania cried out, tears streaming down her face.
Despite her outburst, his face was a mask of stoic indifference as he spoke in a measured tone, his words ringing clear through the air.
"You are right, he is dead. However, it is not too late, as it is within my power to restore his consciousness and life essence," he explained, his words carrying an aura of unimaginable power.
Vania's face contorted with anger and she lost all sense of caution, lashing out at the mysterious figure in a fit of rage.
"Begone, demon!" she spat, venom dripping from her words.
But Elias remained unmoved, his gaze steady as he spoke again.
"I apologize if I have offended you, Empress. It has been a while since I have interacted with your kind," he said, his voice as cool and collected as ever.
Vania observed how unfazed Elias remained in the face of her outburst, causing her to slowly settle down. Suddenly, a remark he made earlier dawned on her, prompting her to ponder its meaning.
'Wait. Did he say it is not too late? it is possible to restore my childs life?' she asked herself.
With her inquisitiveness and desperation surpassing her rationality, Vania inquired,
"What do you mean when you say it is not too late for my child?"
"I have come to provide your offspring with an opportunity for life. However, it comes with specific conditions to be met," Elias replied.
Desperate, Vania probed further.
"Why are you offering me such help? In all the Doctrines, Elias is said to be an egocentric and unethical deity - the same god who instigated the catastrophic event a thousand years ago. The one who wishes to taint people's minds with prohibited knowledge. If it wasn't for the four superior gods, humanity would have perished ages ago. So why have you come to offer your aid?"
The entity calmly stared at Vania, holding her gaze in silence. The silence became uncomfortable, leaving Vania uncertain of his thoughts or reactions.
Then suddenly, he burst into laughter, an expression she didn't expect from the being.
"Excellent, truly excellent. Those four have really done a number on your kind. I must commend them for pulling off such a devious plan. It's only been a millennium, hasn't it?" Elias remarked, holding back a chuckle.
A blush crept up Vania's cheeks, her face turning scarlet with embarrassment.
"What's so amusing?" she inquired, attempting to mask her shame.
Elias beamed at the Empress, wiping away what looked like tears.
"That is a tale too lengthy to recount, and unfortunately, my time in this world is limited."
Vania picked up on a sense of dread in Elias's tone, sensing a tinge of sorrow as she peered into his empty eyes.
Despite not knowing the specifics of his troubles, she found herself empathizing with him to some extent.
"Why are you offering me your help?" she asked, this time without hostility.
Elias sighed heavily.
"I merely wish for my will to endure, and I believe I can accomplish that to some extent by reviving your child's life. Do you understand? As I mentioned before, certain conditions must be met - terms that you may not appreciate."
Vania pondered his words, stirred by a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.
"I understand your apprehension," Elias remarked, still wearing a grin.
"But consider this - where are your deities at this moment? Are they present, providing you with a way to revive your child? Or am I, a fallen god, the one who answered your prayers?"
Elias's candor stunned Vania, rendering her speechless. She couldn't deny that she had been seeking a means to save her child, yet it was Elias - not one of the higher gods - who had emerged before her.
'Why hasn't Ashar or any of the other gods come to heal my child?' she mused.
Uncertainty flooded her mind, leaving her unsure of what to do or what to believe.