I stared at Alisax and shook my head.
"That's got to be the dumbest thing I've heard all day."
She faltered, clearly surprised. "What?"
I shrugged. "Think about it. Your High Commander wanted to betray and depose the Luminus Queen—an Incarnus known for slaying gods. And he wanted to replace her with a Darkling who had… good interpersonal skills? That's just bloody dumb."
The daemon chuckled, her distorted voice carrying an almost melodic quality. "You humans are truly fascinating. No matter how absurd the odds, your sense of optimism is almost infectious."
She turned her head toward the sky as if searching for something long lost. "Alexander was like that too. Even when it was clear all was lost, he carried a hope so fierce it almost made you believe it was true."
I looked at her, the flickering shadows around her tall form blending into her black armor like living flames.
There was something hauntingly beautiful about her—a stark contrast to the darkness she embodied. For a moment, I wondered how she had looked as a Luminus.
"So," I asked, half-curious, half-wary. "What did you tell your High Commander?"
"I told him I would rather die than become a traitor," she said, venom lacing her distorted voice. The air grew heavy with her anger, her aura crackling like restrained lightning.
"And what did he say?" I asked quietly, bracing myself.
She shook her head with a bitter sigh. "That was the most baffling thing he ever said. He told me I was the most sane of us all. And then he left."
Her shoulders tensed, the shadows around her flaring. "Soon after, a sickness spread among the Lumini."
"It wasn't just a disease; it was a darkness that consumed them. It turned them into twisted beings of shadow… into daemons."
Her clawed hands trembled, her voice cracking. "Alexander was the first to notice. It was as if he felt the distress of his goddess."
"He gripped his sword, his light shining brighter than I'd ever seen, and ran to the throne room without hesitation. That was the last time I saw him."
I scratched my cheek awkwardly, unsure of what to say. "I, uh… I'm sorry."
She shook her head. "Thank you, Mordred," Her voice grew colder. "I tried to follow him, but I was ambushed by royal soldiers—my own comrades."
"The darkness had already consumed them, twisting them into the daemon soldiers you Deathwalkers fought in Blood Valley."
"Oh," I muttered, scratching my cheek again. "Sorry. I, uh… kind of disintegrated them in Blood Valley."
She waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine, Mordred. They were already too far gone."
Her claws clenched into trembling fists. "I fought my way toward the throne room, cutting down those who once served under me. But just as I was about to reach my goal, I was stopped by Zygaxis."
She turned her eyeless gaze to me, her distorted voice heavy with sorrow. "You humans know him by the name you gave him."
A chill ran down my spine as she spoke the name.
"Asphodel."
Zygaxis. So that's the name of that rooty son of a bitch. I would carve it into his chest the next time we met.
"What did you do?" I asked, even though I already had an idea of the answer.
"At first, I didn't recognize him," she replied, her voice dropping. "He had become an abomination—a mass of blackened roots and darkness. He told me he had gained power beyond anything he'd ever wielded and offered me the same."
She shuddered, her voice dripping with disgust. "I rejected him and called him an absolute traitor. We fought. Even before his corruption, Zygaxis was a formidable opponent. As a daemon, he was… monstrous. The toughest foe I've faced in my long life."
She lowered her head, shame etched into every trembling movement. "It wasn't enough. I was defeated, stripped of my armor, and dragged to the throne, where he tossed me at Lilith's feet."
Her voice faltered as she continued. "Lilith smiled. Not the cruel, sadistic grin you'd expect, but something soft. Kind."
"She kneeled, held my face as if I were her child, and whispered how 'adorable' it was that I still believed in Queen Phoebe."
Her clawed hands clutched at her arms as though trying to protect herself from the memory. "Darkness seeped out of her hands. It was warm like a tide washing away all my pain, my anger… everything."
"For the first time, I felt free."
She laughed bitterly, her voice trembling. "The terrifying thing is… I didn't resist. I let it happen. I let the darkness consume me. And for a moment, it was bliss."
Her head snapped up, shadows surging around her. "But just as the transformation took hold, a blinding flash of light tore me away from her grasp."
"I snapped back to my senses and witnessed my Queen standing before me, her entire body blazing like a star as she faced the Darkling who had turned her people into monsters."
"The moment I saw Her Majesty, hope surged through me. She was the Goddess of Restoration and the slayer of gods. I believed, without a shadow of a doubt, that she would save us all."
"Well, that's what I believed at the time," Alisax said with a sigh. "But the hope I felt then… turned into horror and disgust as I realized the creature I had become."
Her hands shook as she raised them to her head. "Lilith turned me into a monster with her touch. When I saw what I had become, I lost all rationality. I couldn't face Queen Phoebe. I was horrified… so I fled."
Her voice cracked. "I ran, hoping foolishly that the darkness would fall away as I escaped the palace, my home… my Queen."
She clenched her claws. "I saw Lumini—bright and dim, young and old—succumbing to the darkness. But they didn't resist. It was as though they welcomed it."
Her voice grew quieter. "And I didn't stop to help. I just ran, as if outrunning my shame."
"By the time I calmed down and decided to return, it was too late. Queen Phoebe was gone. I could no longer feel her presence. Every Luminus had become a daemon, and Lilith turned her gaze to the world beyond the Tear."
"Huh. I guess that's when the demons started popping into Blood Valley," I remarked and noticed Alisax's forlorn body language.
I stood on my tippy toes and patted her shoulder. Her jagged armor was cold as ice and a sharp edge nicked my finger. But I ignored it.
"I'm terrible at comforting people, but you're being too hard on yourself," I said, looking up at her towering frame.
"You were overwhelmed and acted on instinct. That's not cowardice—that's survival," I gazed into the fathomless darkness underneath her hood.
Alisax turned her head to me. "I fled, Mordred. I abandoned my queen and left her to fend off against Lilith and the traitors," her distorted voice was hollow and broken.
I walked past her and looked at the vast landscape stretching before us. In the distance, I noticed the faint silhouette of what looked like a mountain.
It is quite odd, a solitary mountain rising from the vast white landscape.
For me to even see its faint silhouette this far away, it must be colossal.
"Alisax" I turned to face her. "Perhaps that's what the Incarnus wanted. She wanted you to escape. If she couldn't save her people, maybe she was glad to save you."
Alisax seemed surprised by my words. "What makes you say that?"
I smiled. "From what you told me about Phoebe, what she did back then, seems to be in tune with her selfless character."
"I believe she wanted you to flee with your life."
I could feel Alisax's eyeless gaze on me before a chuckle escaped her. "You humans and your boundless optimism are truly fascinating."
She stood beside me and pointed to the faint silhouette in the distance. "That is our destination."
"The faraway mountain?" I asked with a frown.
Alisax shook her head. "That used to be the capital city of the Lumini. Now, it is the fortress and palace of Lilith, the Daemon Queen."
I blinked and stared at her. "Wait. That's not a mountain?"
The daemon turned to me. "No Mordred. That is not a mountain."
"Holy Incarni," I breathed out and felt faint as the sense of scale hit me like a blow from a hammer.
I plopped to the ground and took out a vial of blood, the last one in my possession.
Opening the vial, I took a sip. My mind cleared and a burst of energy perked me up.
Alisax observed as I let out a relaxed breath and took another sip.
"Doesn't drinking blood cause problems in the digestive system of humans?" she asked, perplexed by my behavior.
"I'm special. So I'll be fine," I remarked, holding up the half-empty vial. "Plus this is the blood of a Paladin. Well, ex-paladin but one nonetheless. It is quite potent."
"I am actually addicted to blood but fortunately, I can control the urges, well, most of the time, that is," I let out a chuckle before emptying the vial and feeling the surge of ecstasy and power coursing all over my body.
"Ah," Alisax sat down beside me. "Sometimes it is good to indulge to calm yourself down. You will need to have a strong mind."
"After all, we have a long journey ahead."