The world folded inward, then cracked open in gold and violet light.
I stepped out of the tear first, Ramona a heartbeat behind me. Our halos flared, mine a triangle of molten gold, hers a swirling violet ring that pulsed like a living storm.
The great hall below us went silent. Nobles stared up in awe and terror. Then the first one screamed.
Blood burst from his eyes and ears as my light touched him. Another followed, then another, until the entire assembly was on their knees, trembling, their seven orifices bleeding as the weight of divinity pressed down.
I sighed. "Well… that's unfortunate."
Beside me, Ramona tilted her head, lips curving faintly. "I always forget how fragile mortals are."
"I forget as well" I muttered, walking forward as if the chaos didn't exist.
We passed through the sea of kneeling nobles, their foreheads pressed to marble, chanting prayers through shuddering lips. Ahead, Enoch and Alfonso were already on their knees, tears streaking their faces.
"Praise be to Lord Adam! Praise be to Lady Ramona!"
Their voices quivered like wind through cracked glass. The others joined in, eyes fixed on the floor, none daring to look directly at us.
I stopped at the base of the dais. "Keep your eyes down," I said evenly.
"Your existence isn't strong enough to withstand our presence. I'd rather we not repaint the floor with your blood"
Ramona shot me a look, the small, warning glance she gave when I got too casual, but said nothing.
I extended my hand to her. "Come," I said softly. "Let's sit."
She took it, her touch cool. Together, we climbed the steps and settled onto the twin thrones beside Enoch's. The hall filled with golden and violet light that shimmered across the walls like living dawn.
For a long while, no one moved. Only the sound of trembling prayers filled the air.
"You've done well," I finally said, my tone almost conversational.
"Things could've been far worse."
No one dared to answer.
I leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on my knees. "Now, let's talk about the beastmen."
The air thickened.
"They're not just barbaric tribes," I continued. "They have gods, four of them. Ramona and I faced them in the north." My fingers drummed once against the armrest. "They bleed, though. Strong, but not untouchable. Still…" I smiled faintly.
"If you wish to wage war, advance with confidence. God is with you."
It came out too casually, perhaps, but it was enough. The nobles began to murmur blessings under their breath. Then I turned to Enoch.
"Bring me three suits of armor and three weapons."
He blinked, startled. "At once, my lord."
Servants rushed in, dragging gleaming armor sets and finely crafted blades. They laid them carefully before me, bowing low enough to nearly kiss the marble.
I rose, stepping down from the dais. Light followed. Extending my hand, I let golden energy spiral from my palm and wrap around the armor. Plates glowed, runes etching themselves like veins of sunlight. When I turned to the weapons, they shone until they looked newly forged, almost as if touched by the sun itself.
"There," I said, stepping back. "Fit for saints and fools alike."
Ramona's voice carried a quiet laugh. "You shouldn't call your future champions fools."
"History usually proves me right," I replied, climbing back to my seat.
Once I sat, I asked, "Anything else that needs my attention?"
Enoch hesitated, a strange expression tugging at his face. "If I may ask, my lord… your form, it seems blurred. Like you're both here and not."
Before I could answer, Ramona chuckled softly beside me. "Lord Adam's level of existence has risen," she said smoothly.
"Your mortal senses can't fully perceive him anymore. If he showed you his true form…"
She gestured to the nobles still shaking below. "You'd end up like them. Or worse."
A few of the nobles flinched. Alfonso swallowed hard, lowering his head again.
Enoch smiled faintly, eyes shining with devotion. "Then your ascension is complete, my lord. You'll rule the gods themselves."
I let out a small laugh. "Let's not rush that, Enoch. One crisis at a time."
Ramona's hand brushed lightly against mine, her violet eyes flickering with amusement.
"You always pretend you don't like it," she murmured, voice low enough only I could hear.
"Godhood's exhausting," I said, leaning back.
Her smile softened. "And yet you carry it better than anyone I've ever known."
The hall was still kneeling. The air still shimmered with divine power. Somewhere in the distance, I could hear the faint song of the faithful rising from the city below.
I exhaled slowly. "Rise," I commanded at last. "And be at peace. Your gods walk beside you."
As they stood, trembling, tear-streaked, I leaned closer to Ramona and whispered, half-smirking, "You think I overdid the entrance?"
She glanced at the blood on the floor. "A little."
"Eh," I said, waving it off. "They'll live. Probably."
Her quiet laugh filled the throne room, and for a moment, just a moment, I felt like nothing else in the world mattered.
A few moments later.....
The hall had gone quiet after Enoch's booming command. The generals had bowed, the courtiers had scurried out, and the marble floor still trembled from the echoes of armored boots. Now, only Ramona and I remained on the thrones, the golden light filtering through the high glass made the room feel like a cathedral of calm before a storm.
Enoch now stood before us, chestplate gleaming, his deep voice steady but fierce as he barked final orders to his captains. Alfonso hovered beside him, murmuring about supply lines and the readiness of the vanguard. When they turned and marched away, the great doors shut with a deep thoom, leaving behind only silence and the low hum of divine energy that always seemed to linger around Ramona.
She turned her head toward me, resting her chin on her knuckles, eyes curious and bright beneath her silver hair.
"This authority of yours," she said at last, her tone thoughtful, almost teasing. "How does it work again?"
I leaned back on the throne, exhaling through my nose. "It's… hard to explain without sounding insane," I said, waving a hand idly.
"So basically, I see strings. Thin, glowing threads that rise from the crowns of people's heads. Humans, mostly, gods too I suspect, because I can see them on you."
Her eyes sharpened slightly. "Strings, me?"
"Yeah," I said, leaning forward now, elbows on my knees. "They move with emotion, with thought. When I focus on one, I can… tug it. Pull at it softly, and the person falls asleep. Push, and they wake up. It's like manipulating the current of their consciousness."
Ramona tilted her head. "So you can control dreams."
"To a degree," I admitted. "I can enter them, shape them a little. Sometimes it's like walking through a fog that has memory. I can nudge their thoughts, guide them toward decisions… but I can't force them."
She frowned. "Why not?"
I smiled faintly. "Because it's like holding a spider's silk. Pull too hard, and it snaps. The mind can only bend so much before it breaks. If I push too far, the subject collapses, their consciousness just… folds in on itself."
She looked at me in a frown. I waved my hands quickly
"The mental break is only temporary, they go back to normal after a few hours"
Her gaze drifted away, thoughtful. "That's dangerous. You're basically holding their souls in your hands."
"Yeah," I said dryly, "no pressure."
Then, after a pause, I added, "But it also means I can touch the minds of gods. When I fought the beast gods… I saw them too. Their threads were thicker but they were not reacting to my probe. I couldn't bend them before but now that i can see yours im guessing my control over the authority is now stronger."
Ramona's eyes flicked toward me again, her expression unreadable for a moment. "So you could enter a god's dream or end their sanity." she murmured, more to herself than to me.
"Maybe," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "But I'd rather not find out what happens when a god's mind snaps."
For a few moments, the only sound was the faint rustle of the banners above, whispering in the rising wind. The tension between duty and dread hung in the air like a blade's edge.
Then the doors burst open again.
Enoch strode in, the blessed armor polished to a mirror sheen, his red cape snapping behind him. The air around him carried that heavy, grounded feeling only true warriors exude before battle.
"My lord, my lady," he said, kneeling with a hand over his heart.
"The army stands ready. We march now."
I rose from the throne, the sound of my sandals echoing against the marble floor. "You already have my blessing, Enoch," I said firmly.
"May your blade strike true, and may your victory be swift."
He bowed deeply. "As you command, my god."
I reached out and helped Ramona to her feet. Her hand was cool against mine, the faint crackle of thunder dancing under her skin.
"Shall we?" she said softly, her storm-blue eyes glinting.
"With pleasure," I murmured.
A flash of blinding light filled the hall, divine power thrumming through every corner of the throne room, and in the next instant, the space where we stood was, probably empty. The only thing that remained was the echo of thunder fading into silence.