Abraksas's Surprising Proposition
After finishing my conversation with Bellona in the corridor and returning to my room, Miel lay limply on the bed. "Miel..." My heart ached. She was suffering because of me, yet there was nothing I could do.
"Just hang in there a little longer. Bellona's pressuring them to finish the passage quickly..." I carefully placed Miel on my palm. She felt so light and fragile. I could sense her life force draining away rapidly.
"There must be something I can do..." My throat tightened. Since Michael had sealed my divine power, I couldn't use Divine Radiance. But my abilities as a flower were still intact.
I poured all my strength into sprinkling pale green pollen over Miel. The magical pollen clung to her wings, starting to emit a faint glow. But the effect was minimal. Healing pollen without divine blessing was too weak.
"Stronger..." I used polymorph to shift into my flower form. As the Thanatos Crown, nectar began to ooze from my petals. Miel fluttered weakly over and landed on one, slowly sucking up the nectar. I could feel her wings trembling faintly.
Please, let this work... While she fed, Miel's wings seemed to regain a tiny bit of light. The tips, which had turned completely black, shifted ever so slightly to a dark indigo. But it was still far from her original blue hue.
Time passed, and I reverted to human form. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I gazed at her. "Michael... If it were your power, Miel could be fully healed..." Miel flapped her wings weakly on my palm, as if saying, "It's okay."
…
While tending to Miel, the door suddenly burst open. "Ricoris! The passage is complete!" Bellona appeared with an excited expression.
"Really? Already?"
"Yeah! Abraksas finally finished it. Let's go check it out right now!"
A spark of hope ignited in me. Finally, we could return to the human world!
"Miel, did you hear? We can go back at last!" I quickly laid her on a neatly folded handkerchief and placed it on my shoulder. I tied Crimson Bind securely at my waist and draped the Night Veil cloak over my shoulders.
"I hope they don't recognize me..." My heart pounded the entire way to the passage. Could this cloak and my changed appearance fool Abraksas? If the one who killed all his cultists and ruined the ritual showed up now to use the passage...
"Miel, you think it'll be okay?" Miel fluttered feebly on my shoulder. There was no time. If I didn't get her to the human world soon...
"Ha, ha..."
Arriving at the passage with Bellona, the sight nearly stopped my breath. A massive magic circle was etched into the enormous cave floor, while dark red liquid oozed slowly down the walls, seemingly avoiding the circle. The grooves in the floor pulsed with violet light like a beating heart. The air was thick with oppressive pressure, making it hard to breathe.
Black sparks occasionally erupted from the circle's center, briefly forming strange symbols in the air before vanishing. Surrounding it were various evil gods—some humanoid, others monstrous—all wearing grim expressions.
What...? Is the passage not working...?
Then, my eyes locked on the central figure. A man in a robe of deep darkness, with neat black hair, sharp features, and striking gold-flecked crimson eyes. Even he looked despairing, like a tragic movie scene.
At that moment, the status window revealed his identity.
No way... That handsome guy who could pass for a movie star is Abraksas...? His personality, as described by Bellona, was the complete opposite of what I'd imagined from his appearance. Abraksas was actually a crazy alpha male...?
I stepped forward cautiously. The evil gods turned their gazes toward me one by one, eyes filled with suspicion and curiosity.
"Who approaches?" Abraksas's voice echoed through the cave. My heart leaped to my throat.
"It's me, Bellona. And my beloved disciple Ricoris came along."
Abraksas's eyes widened suddenly. Something was off. Surprise... and joy flashed across his face.
"Ricoris... That flower Ricoris?"
My heart stopped. "Y-Yes...?" My voice trembled. Busted already?
"What? You two actually know each other?" Bellona asked in surprise.
"Hahaha! Of course, very well. Mind giving us a moment alone to talk?"
"Sure... It's fine, Ricoris. I need to chat with the other evil gods anyway. I'll be back soon." Bellona squeezed my shoulder reassuringly, though a hint of suspicion laced her voice. She smiled to ease my mind.
As Bellona left, the other evil gods gradually dispersed. Soon, only Abraksas and I remained.
He rose and approached slowly, his black robe shifting like living shadows. "To meet in a place like this, Ricoris. How did you end up in the Demon Realm? As Bellona's disciple, no less."
His voice was softer than expected, but his gaze was sharp, piercing right through me.
"Uh... It was... by chance."
"By chance, hmm? Intriguing. Michael's apostle wandering into the Demon Realm by accident."
I choked. He even knew I was Michael's apostle.
"No need to panic. I know you killed my followers and ruined that ritual."
His eyes gleamed dangerously, darkness thickening around him. Crimson Bind vibrated fiercely at my waist. Was it protecting me, or reacting to him? I couldn't tell.
What do I do...? Am I dying here...? Even if I'm the enemy, I'm only six years old... The responsibility lies with my guardian!
"I... I'm still only six..."
"But that's not why I cleared the room." His expression softened abruptly, the darkness dissipating. "I'm actually relieved you're here now."
"Huh...?"
"I'll keep your secrets. That you're Michael's apostle. That you slaughtered my followers."
He drew closer. Up close, his gold-flecked crimson eyes were even more vivid, as if peering into my soul.
"Ricoris, there's actually something I must ask of you."
***
"Ah~ This is so boring." I sighed, repeatedly tossing and catching a small energy orb I'd formed with my fingers. The surrounding landscape was a wreck. What was once green meadows and villages had become a blackened wasteland of death. Black mist rose from the parched earth, and corpses shuffled about with crumbly footsteps.
"Ugh... Did I skimp too much? Why are there so many defective ones?" A ghoul dragging its own arm caught my eye. I flicked my hand, sending black energy at it. Its arm reattached instantly.
"Maybe I should've left it. Humans seem more terrified of the defective looks anyway."
Hmm... I spun the energy orb on my fingertip. It had been a week since I arrived here, but Rico still hadn't shown up.
This is taking forever... The rumors should have spread fast. Frostia froze the north, and I turned the south into undead territory. The whole area must be trembling in fear, especially since it's central continent—news would've spread everywhere.
Hurry up, Rico. Your owner is waiting.
I hurled the black energy orb high into the sky and caught it. This time, I made it bigger—now the size of a human head. I scanned the surroundings. The western forest was withered, the eastern stream turned to black sludge. Far north, Frostia's ice domain gleamed. Nothing alive there; when she gets serious, she freezes souls too.
"So boring..." I thought of Frostia briefly. What was she doing up north? Strolling through ice statues in quiet meditation, maybe. Or pining for Rico in uncharacteristic sorrow.
Well, how much did Rico miss Frostia...?
I twirled the orb, reminiscing over the past three years. What a ridiculous mess. We both passed out drunk on dwarf golden brew for three years. Who could've guessed that booze I brought would knock us out that long? I knew it was infamous, but not that potent. Oops, I forgot—Frostia slept for three years because of my mistake. Can't imagine her rage. Or her guilt over leaving Rico alone so long...
"It's okay... We'll see Rico again soon." I inflated the orb to my height. Black light spread, turning floating dust into undead flies. Thousands buzzed around me.
"Eww... Gross... Shouldn't have made these. What does Rico even like about bugs?"
Then, distant hoofbeats. Turning, I saw a group in knightly armor approaching—about ten. Glowing emblems on their gear, and the leader wielded what looked like a holy sword. One of those so-called "heroes."
"Aigoo, heroes this time...?"