Chapter 189: Solaris' Enquiry!
Swallowing hard, King Rhopgin abandoned his usual theatrics. His voice, devoid of its usual bluster, wavered as he recounted the events. He spoke of Tessa's unexpected arrival, Prince Kuril's reckless provocation, and the tragic sequence of events that led to his death. He detailed how guards had fallen in their attempt to apprehend the girl, and how her claim of parenthood had thrown everything into chaos.
By the time he finished, the king's shoulders sagged, and his face was ashen. The story hung in the air like a dark cloud, leaving the crowd and Bandel Blue to process the gravity of the situation.
Bandel Blue barely acknowledged King Rhopgin's account, turning away without a word. The dismissal struck the king deeply, a sharp reminder of his diminished status in the face of Solaris. But Rhopgin, powerless in the moment, could only seethe in silence, his pride bruised beyond repair.
Bandel Blue stepped forward and faced Solaris, his expression calm yet commanding. The two gods locked eyes, their shared history and mutual respect palpable.
Solaris knew Bandel well—knew of his unparalleled ability to pierce through all illusions, to see truth where others faltered. It was a gift that Solaris himself, despite his vast power, had once coveted but could never attain. This singular ability had made Bandel Blue nearly untouchable, thwarting countless ambushes and ensuring his survival across centuries of divine conflict.
For a moment, Solaris's fiery gaze softened, betraying a flicker of curiosity and calculation. He understood that Bandel Blue's presence here was no coincidence. If anyone could discern the truth of the situation, it was him.
"SO, BLUE," Solaris rumbled, his voice like the grinding of celestial bodies, "WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE GIRL'S CLAIM? COULD SHE TRULY BE MY DAUGHTER—OR JUST ANOTHER FRAUDSTER SEEKING IMMORTALITY?"
The sun god's blazing eyes narrowed slightly as he leaned closer, his towering form casting an ominous shadow. "AND THIS EARTH SHE SPEAKS OF—IS IT REALLY IN TROUBLE, OR IS THIS ANOTHER DECEPTION?"
The crowd held its breath, their eyes darting between the two gods. Bandel Blue's answer could determine their fate—and the fate of a world.
"Lord Solaris…" Bandel Blue began, his voice steady despite the intensity of the moment. He met the burning gaze of the sun god, but his resolve faltered. The sheer power emanating from Solaris's golden eyes was unbearable, as though his very soul was being incinerated. He quickly averted his gaze, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple.
"Before I address the question of your parenthood to Tessa," Bandel Blue continued, his voice now quieter but no less grave, "you must be made aware of something… something that you may not know and is like a ticking time bomb. There is… a forbidden-level god residing on Earth."
The words hung in the air like a death knell. The crowd that had gathered, a sea of Kaelrians; temple attendants, mortals, nobles, and low level gods, collectively gasped. Whispers of disbelief and unease rippled through them.
"Forbidden-level…" Solaris's voice, rich and deep like molten magma, echoed ominously, silencing the murmurs. His fiery form seemed to dim briefly, as though he was absorbing the weight of the revelation.
"Yes," Bandel Blue replied, his tone even but unflinching.
A forbidden level god has a very high energy level between 100,000,000 Kaelrian Joules to 800,000,000kJ, this is an energy level even higher than that of Solaris in all his splendor. Their existence violates the natural balance of the universe.
The crowd erupted, voices overlapping in alarm.
"A forbidden-level god?" a voice cried out, tinged with panic.
"The harbinger of the Dark Age!" shouted another.
"Yes—the Dark Age!" someone else chimed in, their voice trembling.
Tessa, standing in the midst of the crowd, furrowed her brows. Her blue eyes shimmered with curiosity, though she kept her expression neutral. Having been raised on Earth, she was unfamiliar with Kaelria's ancient lore. Though born on this planet, she had been stolen away as an infant, deprived of her heritage.
"What is the Dark Age?" she whispered, her question almost drowned out by the growing din. However, her voice carried, sparking curiosity in others.
"How do you not know about the Dark Age?" A young Kaelrian male sneered, his plum blossom scent tinged with disdain. "Were you raised under a rock?"
"Leave her alone and explain it properly," another voice snapped, its sharpness cutting through the rising murmurs. "I've heard bits and pieces, but this is the first time I've seen Solaris himself acknowledge it. What exactly is the Dark Age?"
"How do you lot not know?" a mocking voice rang out, though it quivered slightly with uncertainty. As the speaker braced to continue, a wave of quiet swept through the crowd, and a ceremonial stillness settled over the gathering. Even Solaris, the mighty sun god, turned his burning gaze to the one about to speak. The weight of his attention was enough to hold the assembly in breathless suspense.
The speaker cleared his throat, the weight of the moment not lost on him. "It was the darkest period in Kaelrian history," he began, his voice rich with foreboding. "The time when forbidden gods were first discovered to exist. These beings—gods with power so vast, so unfathomable, they threatened to unravel the very fabric of reality itself."
He paused, allowing the gravity of the words to settle. The crowd hung on his every syllable.
"There was one in particular," he continued, his voice lowering, "a forbidden god who sought to transcend even the boundaries of his own kind. He believed that if there was a 'forbidden level,' then surely there must be something beyond it. Something… greater. A level that even gods could not fathom."
The crowd murmured, their eyes wide, sensing where this tale was headed.
"So, he set out on a path of destruction," the speaker continued, his words now thick with dark intrigue. "He began to weave a spell—an ancient, forbidden incantation. But it required a terrible price: the souls of countless beings. To fuel his bloodthirsty ambition, he embarked on a killing spree like no other. He slaughtered normal Kaelrians, sacrificed them, and used their life force to feed his monstrous spell. No one was safe—not the old, not the young, not even the innocent. His thirst for power was insatiable."
The speaker's voice faltered slightly, drawing the crowd in further, a collective breath held as they waited for the inevitable culmination.
"This wasn't just a god seeking power," the speaker added, his eyes scanning the crowd, his tone laden with finality. "This was a being willing to tear the world asunder to reach a realm where even gods dared not tread."