He inclined his head slightly, as though in greeting to an equal. "One of the three Supreme Gods."

Arabella froze.

"…Huh?"

The words took a heartbeat to sink in. Supreme God?

Her crimson eyes narrowed, the faintest ripple of shock flashing across her usually unreadable face.

She knew gods existed she had dealt with many of them before. She even had a son with one, the Sun God himself. That much of divine politics she understood well. Gods were prideful, arrogant creatures who toyed with mortals and considered themselves untouchable.

But Supreme Gods? That was new.

She'd never had heard any of them.. not in any scripture or any divine she'd ever met, not even from the Sun God himself. Yet the way he said it… the stillness of the world around him, the faint hum of unseen power in the air.. it all felt real. Terrifyingly real.

And then another thought struck her.

A Supreme God… having a conversation with my daughter?

Her expression darkened.

Nancy.. had slapped him. The same god standing before her, untouched and serene. She was well aware of how prideful gods could be.. easily insulted, easily enraged. Many would've obliterated an entire city for less.

Yet he had taken it without retaliation or any anger.

That alone made him even more unnerving.

Arabella's instincts screamed at her to stay on guard. Her aura coiled tightly around her, power humming beneath her skin as she watched him closely. Despite the calm mask she wore, every sense in her body was alert ready to strike at the slightest threat.

"What is your relationship with my daughter?" she asked sharply, her voice cold and commanding.

Riven's white eyes glowed faintly in the dim light. He smiled not mockingly, not kindly, but with that same distant serenity that seemed beyond human comprehension.

"I have no relationship with her," he replied smoothly. "Do not be concerned, Arabella."

Her eyes flicked, narrowing slightly at the way he spoke her name so casually as though he had every right to.

"I was merely guiding her," he continued. "Showing her the path she walks and the consequences that await if she resists her fate. It is my duty, as the Preserver.. the keeper of the cosmic balance."

Arabella's expression hardened.

Consequences? Fate?

Her tone turned sharp, demanding. "What fate? What consequences are you talking about?"

Riven tilted his head, still smiling faintly like a teacher addressing a stubborn student.

"She was destined to be raped four days ago," he said calmly, his voice disturbingly casual as if discussing the weather. "It was the first step in the arc of her destiny.. the event that would shape her life before her end."

Arabella body suddenly tensed.

Riven continued, unbothered by her rising fury. "Her fate was to suffer, and after four years, to die by her own hands. That suffering was to balance a distortion in the world's weave. But she avoided it.. because of him."

His white eyes seemed to flicker faintly at that a subtle acknowledgement of Razeal without naming him.

"Now, the balance must correct itself. The more she resists, the harsher the consequences will be. I merely told her the truth ..so she might understand, accept, and prepare. As her mother, I hoped you would teach her the same."

He smiled faintly. "That would be best."

For a heartbeat, the world fell silent. Even the wind stopped.

Then

"How dare you…"

Arabella's voice trembled.. not from fear, but from pure, unrestrained fury.

Before thought could follow, her body moved. In a blur of crimson and gold light, she shot toward him her hand extended like a spear aimed for his heart.

The air shattered with the force of her movement. Her aura burned through the clouds, pressure warping space itself.

But before her hand could reach him

Riven moved.

Or rather, he was already there.

One instant he stood yards away. The next, her world blurred.. and he was in front of her.

Her eyes widened.

What?

She hadn't even seen him move. The speed was impossible ..even to her divine senses. It wasn't teleportation; it was as if reality itself had skipped a beat to accommodate his will.

And then a hand touched her face.

Not roughly, but gently fingers pressing lightly against her skin, cool and firm.

Arabella froze.

Her entire body locked in place. The mana flow in her veins halted. It felt like invisible chains wrapped around her limbs, holding her midair.

Her crimson eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at him at the pale fingers covering half her vision.

He was standing just inches away, his expression calm, almost pitying. Through the small gaps between his fingers, she could see his faint smile.

"That," he said softly, "is such an unnecessary thing to do."

His voice wasn't mocking or angry. It was simply… disappointed.

Arabella tried to move, but her body didn't respond. Her aura had vanished no, it hadn't vanished. It was contained. Suppressed by something she couldn't comprehend.

Her lips parted slightly. "Wha.. what did you… do?"

Riven's gaze softened, the faint glow in his eyes dimming slightly as he held her effortlessly in place.

"You are powerful, Arabella," he said gently. "But power alone cannot touch what is written in the stars."

He slowly released her face, stepping back as her body regained its motion. She gasped softly.. the air rushing back into her lungs, mana flooding her veins once again.

He didn't raise his hand further. He didn't threaten her. He didn't even move to defend himself again.

He simply smiled.

"I mean no harm to your daughter," he said quietly. "But fate has already marked her. You may protect her from mortals, from beasts, from gods even… but not from the design of the cosmos itself."

"There is nothing to be offended about in this," Riven said softly. His voice, calm and almost too gentle for the weight of his words, rolled across the sky like a ripple in still water.

"She has gained much from fate," he continued, white eyes unblinking, tone as steady as the wind. "It is merely her destiny.. let her follow it. You may guide her however you wish, lead her where her heart demands, though I had hoped you would help her understand the order that governs all things."

He paused, the faintest hint of pity brushing the edge of his tone. "Still… I will not intervene between you and her. I never intended to. And I would not have preferred to take such actions.. so please, behave yourself. There is no need to attack me. It would change nothing."

He let out a breath.. not of exhaustion, but of calm dismissal before releasing his grip.

His pale fingers slid away from Arabella's face, and he drifted back through the air, floating at a respectful distance once again, as though the confrontation had been nothing more than a passing inconvenience.

Arabella staggered slightly in midair, her equilibrium returning. She took a moment to steady herself, controlling her breathing, her crimson eyes locked on him with a cold fury.

Whatever he had done to her.. that thing it had left her body completely frozen. For those few seconds, she had been utterly powerless, unable to move even a finger. The realization sent an icy shiver through her spine.

He was powerful. Far beyond her comprehension.

But who could blame her reaction?

His words had been insulting. Arrogant. Monstrous. Speaking so casually about her daughter her daughter and saying that such vile things were her "destiny."

She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. Anger burned through her like wildfire, but even through that flame, her sharp mind whispered reason.

You can't win this fight.

So she forced herself to breathe. To steady her heart. To calm the rage that threatened to burn her from the inside out.

Riven watched her quietly. His expression remained the same calm, almost gentle but the faint curve of his smile suggested amusement.

"You should not be disappointed," he said finally. "Your daughter has gained far more than you realize. Fate has been… exceedingly generous to her."

His tone was faintly patronizing, and that only made Arabella's jaw tighten.

He continued, "She gained a good family. Had you not found her that day.. had you not taken her in and adopted her she would never have survived long enough to realize her potential. She would have lived a life far worse than you could imagine."

Then, with that same unnerving calm, his smile deepened. "Isn't that right… Arabella Dragonwevr?"

Arabella's eyes widened slightly.

"How did you" she began, but her voice faltered as realization struck.

He knew.

Not guessed or assumed. He knew.

Her secret.. the truth she had buried deep under decades of silence.. was something only she knew.

And yet this being spoke it like it was carved into the air itself.

Her mind raced. How much does he know? Should she contact the Imperial Empress? The Council of Dukes? The Church? Or whole empire powerhouses?

A god had appeared within the Empire.. one beyond their knowledge. That was no trivial matter.

But her thoughts were cut short when his next words reached her.

"She's lucky," Riven said softly, almost with affection. "To have a mother like you. You seems genuinely consurned and scared for her."

He chuckled lightly at the brief flicker of hesitation that crossed her face.

The sound.. light, genuine, almost warm made her frown even deeper. There was something about his tone that she couldn't quite decipher. Mockery? Admiration? Pity?

She didn't ask. She wouldn't.

And before she could decide what to say, Riven was gone.

Just like that a flicker of white light, a faint whisper of air and he disappeared.

The space where he had been standing was now empty, the sky silent.

Arabella hovered there for a few seconds longer, staring at the emptiness he'd left behind. Her breathing was still uneven.

For the first time in decades, she felt truly powerless.

Then, slowly, she turned her gaze toward the horizon.. toward her home.

---

Ten Minutes Later.. at Dragonwevr Castle

Arabella stood on the balcony of the main hall, arms crossed, her expression unreadable.

The faint rush of wings drew her attention.

She looked up just as Nancy descended from the clouds, her ice-blue wings folding neatly behind her as her boots touched the stone courtyard.

The shimmering frost on her feathers faded into mist before vanishing completely.

"You're back," Arabella said, her tone neutral but her gaze steady.

"Yes, Mother." Nancy's voice was calm polite, restrained. "You were waiting for me?"

Arabella turned and began walking inside without answering right away. "I was concerned," she said at last, her voice carrying softly through the hallway.

Nancy followed, her pale eyes watching her mother's movements carefully.

There was something different about her.

A faint stiffness in her posture. A quiet weight in the air.

"What happened, Mother?" Nancy asked, stepping beside her as they walked through the corridor. "You seem… different."

Arabella stopped. For a moment, she said nothing. Then, slowly, she looked over her shoulder at her daughter.

"As I told you," she said softly, "I was only concerned."

Her eyes lingered for a moment longer sharp, assessing before she turned again and continued down the hall.

Nancy frowned faintly but said nothing more. Maybe her mother was just worried, she thought. She could understand that.

Still, something about the air felt heavier than before.

After a few quiet minutes, Nancy's voice broke the silence again.

"Where is he?" she asked suddenly.

----

Five minutes later, Nancy found herself standing before a crimson door.. the one that led deep into the castle's inner chambers.

She opened it.

A blast of hot air hit her instantly, the heat thick and suffocating. The room glowed faintly red, the stone floor cracked with veins of molten energy running beneath it like rivers of lava.

Nancy stepped inside. Her ice-blue hair fluttered slightly in the rising heat.

In the center of the room, chained to the floor, knelt a man. His skin was covered in burns and bruises, his wrists mangled where the shackles bit into them. His back was bent, his head hanging low, strands of black hair falling over his face.

He barely moved. Only the faint, shallow rise and fall of his chest showed he was still alive.

As Nancy's footsteps echoed across the floor, he slowly lifted his head. His dull, pain-clouded eyes looked up.. and froze when they met her icy gaze.

Nancy stared down at him. Her expression was blank. Empty. But the faint tremble in her fingertips betrayed the storm she was holding back.

"Oh, don't worry," she said quietly. Her voice stretched slightly, almost melodic but hollow. "I've just come here… to reward you for your loyalty."

Ranguard eyes widened onfusion flickering for only a second before being replaced by dread.

Nancy raised her right hand slowly, and from the air itself, shards of frost began to gather. Crystals formed around her arm, spinning, merging, and lengthening until they shaped into a massive sword of pure, translucent ice, nearly as tall as she was.

The air around her dropped instantly in temperature. Frost spread across the floor in an expanding circle, meeting the red glow of lava and hissing into vapor.

Nancy didn't hesitate.

The sword came down.

A sound.. sharp, clean, final cut through the air.

And then the screaming began.

It was raw, terrible, and endless echoing through the walls, bouncing off the molten stone.

Nancy's face didn't change. Her eyes stayed cold, her expression calm but her grip tightened, her body trembling slightly with each swing.

The blade rose and fell. Again. And again.

The sound of ice meeting flesh. The dull thud of limbs hitting the floor. The smell of blood and vaporized heat.

No words. No mercy. Only the sound of her breathing, deep and steady, as she unleashed every drop of anger, every trace of humiliation, and every shard of vengeance buried inside her.

She didn't know how long it lasted. Minutes, maybe hours.

But when it ended when her arm finally stilled, and the sword melted into mist the room was silent again.

Nancy stood there, covered in blood and steam, staring down at the lifeless body.

Her chest rose and fell slowly. Her eyes were cold, but deep inside them, something flickered something fragile, on the verge of breaking.

And in the silence many thoughts came to her head.

She would not let anything happen to her. Whatever fate or destiny had in store… she wouldn't allow it.

But how? She wasn't even sure what to do about this… this thing.

Then, suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.

Should she go to Razeal?

He knew about this.. Right?

----

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.