Gilead held Boaz's head and body in his hands. He was silent for a moment, eyes fixed on the universe. His gaze seemed lost in deep thought. He then thought, without speaking:
(My poor little one… You only knew Nehemi, and even her, you don't count on her to save you… but on a demon you met recently? What a waste. I'll eliminate you all… and erase this timeline to make these bitter memories disappear.)
Without hesitation, Gilead seized Boaz's being and erased it. Then, in an instant, he appeared in Erasa's village, where he threw Boaz's lifeless body behind a hut before disappearing.
In front of that hut, children were playing happily. One of them decided to go around and stumbled upon Boaz's corpse. He screamed in terror, immediately alerting the other villagers.
Erasa had just returned from an expedition in the world of myths, rich with discoveries that could improve the world of her dreams. But arriving at the village, she saw chaos: a dense crowd had formed around a specific point, piquing her curiosity.
She heard crying. The villagers murmured, shocked, wondering who could have committed such an atrocity.
Erasa pushed through the crowd, and what she saw left her speechless.
Nehemi was in tears, kneeling before Boaz's decapitated body, lying on the ground. Jérôme and the others watched, helpless. Even the most advanced resurrection skills didn't work.
Nehemi, desperate, had placed her head against the stomach of the lifeless body and continued to cry, deaf to Jérôme's comforting words.
Erasa approached and addressed the crowd:
Erasa: "Stand back!"
She held out her right hand, deploying a concentrated aura to try to resurrect Boaz. But nothing happened. She quickly understood the unthinkable: Boaz's being had been erased. Resurrection had become almost impossible.
Because being is the source of body, mind, soul, and story. If being disappears, everything else collapses.
Erasa fell to her knees, murmuring:
Erasa: "Is Boaz… really dead?"
The last words he had spoken to her came back to her. Nehemi was still crying. Erasa, meanwhile, tried to hold back her tears.
Jérôme approached her gently and asked:
Jérôme: "Lord Erasa… is there really nothing left to do?"
Erasa stood up slowly and declared:
Erasa: "Yes… there is one possibility left. Protect the village as best you can, Jérôme. I'll be back very soon."
With those words, she turned and disappeared in a flash.
Jérôme knew Erasa was just as affected as Nehemi.
In a distorted space, Erasa flew at lightning speed. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she couldn't stop thinking about Boaz. About his past…
She murmured:
Erasa: "Why him? All he wanted was a normal life… was that too much to ask? He never knew true happiness… but I won't abandon him."
She then left the world of existence and entered the outer void, a place where all reality disintegrated. There, a massive distortion disrupted her body, making her clumsy.
To protect herself, Erasa created a body shield that enveloped her entire being. But her sadness did not wane. Hundreds of questions raced through her mind, with no answers. She then reached a depth of the outer void where even the laws of nothingness no longer existed. It was a fatal place, where nothing not even the laws of the void could subsist. There, no being had the right to exist more than even the concept of existence itself was no more.
It was this nothingness that, for a moment, prevented Erasa from moving forward. The path in this void was senseless, everything was alien, supernatural, chaotic.
Despite the pain, Erasa thought of a strategy. She implemented it: she created an accelerated dimension containing artificial laws to survive. This dimension lasted only 0.001 seconds before dissipating.
Erasa: "Hmm… That time frame is more than enough for what I want."
Her hands and legs began to turn into cement statues.
She then chained the creation of accelerated dimensions to move in the outer void.
But the situation was becoming critical. Each time Erasa crossed a dimension, it immediately disintegrated. Yet, she persisted, creating new spaces again and again to continue moving forward. She knew crossing the entirety of the outer void remained impossible, even with this method.
So, she materialized a third arm, summoned KAMI, the sword Lilith had given her, and cut the very reality of this void. This blow allowed her to extract herself from nothingness.
Erasa then came out of a kind of novel , literally, under the eyes of the creator of this work, the author.
He, stunned, fell from his chair, back against the floor, and screamed:
The author: "My God!!!"
Erasa emerged, but her body was in a state of obliteration. Her limbs, transformed into cement, disintegrated like dust.
She immediately regenerated, realizing she was no longer in the outer void but in a "real" world, governed by laws similar to those she knew.
The author (bewildered): "Good heavens… but who are you?!"
Erasa fixed him with an icy, annoyed look.
Erasa: "Are you kidding? I'm Erasa. A fictional character you created. I just emerged from the novel you're writing… I'm here to change the story."
The author, disconcerted, stammered:
The author: "But… What are you talking about?"
Erasa narrowed her eyes. The next moment, the author's body fractured into pieces, leaving only the head intact.
She resurrected him and ordered:
Erasa: "Change this story."
The author, still shocked to be alive again, was speechless.
The author: "I… I don't understand what you're talking about!"
Again, his body exploded under the invisible pressure. Erasa brought him back to life, implacable:
Erasa: "Do what I tell you. Otherwise, I'll kill you again and again… Do you want to feel this pain infinitely?"
The author trembled, unable to find a way out.
The author: "But I… I don't know…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Erasa raised her hand, ready to explode him once more.
Panicked, he changed his tone:
The author: "Wait! Have mercy! At least tell me how I can help you! I beg you, I don't understand anything that's happening… I'm completely lost!"
The author started crying, kneeling before her. Erasa felt the pure fear he felt.
She approached and, in a less harsh voice, asked:
Erasa: "Wait… You mean you really don't know me?"
The author shook his head frantically.
The author: "No! I swear… I have no idea what's going on. I feel like I'm living a nightmare…"
Erasa scrutinized him. Like all demons, she could detect lies effortlessly. The author wasn't lying. He was genuinely terrified… and sincerely ignorant.
She lowered her head, ashamed.
Erasa: "I… I'm sorry. I got carried away… Someone I loved died in this story. During my trip to a world called the world of myths, a fairy revealed to me that we are just fictions… created by an author that only monstrous beings can perceive. She said you control everything: the script, the fate of each character… I thought you could help me."
The author looked at her, intrigued.
The author: "The world of myths?"
Erasa nodded.
Erasa: "Yes, you must have written it in this novel."
The author shook his head again.
The author: "No… not at all. If you want to check, go ahead. The novel is called Expension. It tells the story of a powerful man who murders to rule…"
Erasa, stunned, seized the novel. She scanned it at a glance and assimilated the entire story. But what she discovered left her speechless.
This novel… spoke neither of gods, nor of demons, nor of parallel worlds… And even less of her.
Erasa: "What?! How is this possible?! Are you sure I come from this novel?!"
The author shrugged.
The author: "Strangely… yes."
Erasa froze, troubled.
Erasa: "Am I… really in the real world?"
The author: "No idea. But wherever you come from… you are capable of things that, here, are impossible. Things… supernatural."
She frowned.
Erasa: "What else do you do, besides writing novels?"
The author: "I work in a cafeteria."
Erasa couldn't believe it. She was reading his thoughts at the same time: no trace of lies. He was telling the truth.
She observed this world. Scanned the entire universe. One thing was clear: here, there was only one universe. Humans only speculated about multiverses or parallel dimensions.
Erasa (thinking): I understand… many things now.
Erasa: "Here, I see that humans invent their own gods… Hindus, Christians, Buddhists… But where I come from, gods and demons are very real… Tell me, do you believe in God?"
The author nodded.
The author: "Yes, of course. I am a believer."
Erasa felt uneasy. She had scanned the whole world… and had not felt any superior presence. This world seemed… so much less dangerous than hers.
Erasa: "I also looked at all the fictions of the Earth… and I saw that demons there are often powerful enough to kill fictional gods. Do you think it's possible… for a demon… to kill a god?"
The author thought.
The author: "Hmm… I don't know. But in my opinion, not an absolute god. Maybe those invented by man… but certainly not the true God, if he exists."
Erasa remained silent.
The author asked, "Did I say something wrong?"
Erasa sighed.
"No… You're right. I could never defeat Gilead. Besides… I'm a coward. I came to take refuge here, with the author of my story, because I was too afraid to face him… Gilead… that god… he terrifies me."
Tears streamed down her face.
The author felt helpless.
"Please don't cry… If I could change this story to help you, I would. But I feel… stupid and useless. Listen to me…"
Erasa still sobbed.
"That god, Gilead… is he the absolute in your world?"
She wiped her tears.
"Not exactly. There are several gods. All terribly powerful. Each god represents an absolute. And we, demons… are their victims."
The author jumped.
"You're… a demon?!"
She lowered her eyes.
"Yes… I disgust you too, don't I?"
The author shook his head.
"No. You are… so sensitive… and gentle… for a demon. Did you know that Gilead could be the equivalent of a Lord of Myths here?"
"A Lord of Myths?"
"Yes… Absolute gods… but inspired by human legends. Zeus, Neptune… Terrifying forces, but not truly God…"
Erasa listened, captivated.
She asked, intrigued:
"The Lords of Myths… they are also absolute gods, aren't they?"
The author answered calmly:
"Yes… Zeus, Neptune… They are figures of extreme power in their representations. But basically, they are inspired by legends. Sometimes they evoke a kind of ultimate god, without ever fully embodying it."
A silence fell briefly before Erasa continued, her voice slightly trembling:
"So… the world I come from, could it be that someone wrote it?"
The author smiled, almost mysteriously:
"I can't say for sure, but yes, very likely, it's a theory worth considering."
Erasa's gaze darkened, then she looked up at him:
"So… you really are the author of my novel?"
"From what I see, yes or maybe, he answered directly. But your presence in my work… that's something else. You know well I never mentioned you in my writings. And yet, you are here. As if God himself wanted you to be part of it, honestly it's so mysterious…"
She was silent for a few seconds, then asked sincerely, almost fragile:
"Do you think I can defeat the god Gilead?"
The author nodded slowly:
"Yes, it's possible. According to legends, the Lords of Myths… and even the invention of myths themselves… are just constructs of the imagination. One theory among many. In some cases, a superior demon can indeed triumph over a Lord of Myth."
A smile lit Erasa's face. She softly breathed:
"Thank you… that reassures me."