Minutes later, the others stormed into the hollow with energy shields raised, prepared for a battle to the death.

Instead, they found me sitting cross-legged, feeding Pazuzu chunks of dried fruit from my trail rations like I was babysitting a demonic griffon.

Heim's jaw dropped. "You're...feeding it?"

Jiuge squinted. "Why is it wagging its tail?"

Agnos looked between us. "Wait...did you tame it?"

I managed a shaky, triumphant smile—half defiant, half delirious. "Well… turns out being a virgin finally saved my life. Who knew?"

Pazuzu let out a low, satisfied rumble that vibrated through the cavern walls, the sound both primal and oddly… pleased. It circled around me like a living fortress of shadow and scale, coiling protectively as if I were a rare treasure instead of accidental bait.

Heim scowled, arms crossed over his chest like a brooding wolf in denial. "Are we really going with the virgin theory? Because, uh—I'm one too. And it didn't exactly curl around me like a mythical cuddle beast."

I blinked. "Wait. You're still a virgin?"

He looked personally offended. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I just—never mind." I raised my hands in surrender. "Good for you. Didn't peg you for the sentimental type."

"I'm saving myself for the right person," Heim muttered, his ears twitching indignantly. "With a good dowry and strong wolf pups."

His declaration made me pause. I stared at him for a beat longer than necessary. Then my gaze drifted down to the pendant around my neck—the one pulsing faintly with Kaleon's essence, still warm from the earlier flare of power. Something didn't add up.

If Pazuzu's sudden protective instinct wasn't triggered by the whole virginity angle—then what was it?

I held the pendant between my fingers, watching as it glimmered faintly, almost like it was breathing. Kaleon's essence. That was the common denominator. But… that couldn't be the full reason. War Beasts who had been exposed to Kaleon's aura were known to go berserk—ravenous and unthinking, as if the scent of their fallen god turned their sanity inside out.

So why had Pazuzu—an Abyssal Emperor War Beast, no less—reacted the opposite way?

My mind raced. Maybe… it wasn't just Kaleon's essence. Maybe it's the fact that it's been mixed with mine. Diluted. Altered. Humanized. I wasn't just carrying Kaleon's fragment—I was part of it now. The energy had fused, changed. I wasn't Kaleon. I wasn't a god either. I was something in between.

And maybe that scent—the mingling of a god's legacy and a mortal's mortality—was what made the difference.

"Interesting…" I murmured to myself, eyes narrowing. "It's not just the pendant. It's me."

Heim raised a brow. "What are you mumbling about now?"

"Nothing," I replied, slowly tucking the pendant beneath my shirt. "Just trying to figure out why it didn't eat me."

"Right. Virgin perks." He nodded, still skeptical.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure. Let's go with that for now."

Pazuzu gave a low rumble of satisfaction and curled around me protectively. Then, with a swift turn, it snapped its gaze toward the others—eyes glowing like molten pits, each slit pupil narrowing with predator precision. It lowered its body slightly, wings fanned, talons twitching in preparation. One wrong move, and they were ash.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there, big guy," I murmured, gently pressing a palm against its side. "They're with me. Not food. Friends. Mostly."

It blinked. Once. Slowly.

Then, as if understanding, it let out an indignant huff through its nostrils, shooting a final warning glare toward Agnos, Jiuge, and Heim before settling back into a more relaxed, though still territorial, coil.

"I owe you an apology," I whispered, glancing up at its obsidian ridged face. "For the internal screaming I did when you drooled on my head."

The beast didn't reply, of course. But I swear… the corners of its mouth curled. Just a little.

Lightning danced harmlessly around us.

Wind whispered.

And for the first time in what must've been eons... Pazuzu slept.

Agnos, Jiuge, and Heim couldn't get near me—Pazuzu had erected a barrier, a swirling shield of wind that shimmered faintly in the dark like a cyclone sealed in glass. Even from behind the wall, I could see their expressions shift from panic to relief when they saw I was unharmed.

Agnos, ever the stoic one, blinked slowly, golden eyes wide with astonishment. His feline ears twitched once—an involuntary tell that something had truly shaken him.

"There's no record. Not in Mythica, not in any realm," he said quietly, as though speaking it aloud might unravel logic itself. "No one has ever tamed an Emperor War Beast."

Jiuge let out a low whistle. She dropped into a casual sprawl on the floor like we hadn't just faced certain doom five minutes ago, stretching out her arms and legs as if preparing for a moonlit spa session. "I agree with Agnos. This is a first. Looks like you've got the realms' favor, Carl."

Heim, unsurprisingly, was less than impressed.

He grumbled while twirling his warhammer in practiced arcs. "I still don't buy the whole 'virgin whisperer' theory. You probably just looked gullible enough to snack on later." He paused, smirking. "Save the best dish for last. That's what I'd do."

I stared at him, deadpan. "Your jealousy is showing, Heim."

"Please. I'm not jealous of bait."

"Well then, bait comes bearing receipts." I tugged down the edge of my shirt to reveal the swirling tattoo etched on my chest—cyclonic in shape, ancient in design. It pulsed faintly, like a living mark.

The effect was instant.

All three gods stilled. Jaws slack. Breath held.

Agnos' brow furrowed in disbelief. Jiuge blinked twice. Heim dropped his warhammer.

Then, as if they all collectively realized the absurdity of what they were seeing, they sighed—loud, long, resigned.

And just as things were beginning to settle—the moment I dared to believe we might be in the clear—Pazuzu stirred.

Its massive body jolted upright, eyes snapping open with a predatory gleam. A low growl rumbled deep from its throat, vibrating through the ground beneath our feet. Its head turned sharply, gaze fixed on the far edge of the chamber's darkness. As if… waiting.

Then I felt it.

The air thickened. The shadows deepened. An oppressive pressure surged in like a wave crashing inward from all directions. Not magic—something far more primal. Ominous. Authority woven into entropy.

Agnos, Jiuge, and Heim dropped to the ground instantly. Prostrated. Pinned. Their divine essence recoiled in the presence of something far older and more dangerous than even they could comprehend.

Pazuzu's barrier shielded me from the worst of it, but I wasn't a god. I had no divine grace to blunt the weight pressing on my bones. My knees gave out. I collapsed, gasping, every breath labored as pain twisted through my ribs like invisible claws. My vision blurred.

Pazuzu let out a distressed whimper, circling me protectively. But even the Emperor War Beast couldn't remain still. It paced restlessly, snarling into the shadows, baring fangs at the encroaching presence.

And then—

A voice cracked through the chamber like thunder splitting sky:

"Kaleon! You dare!"

The words weren't spoken—they descended. Heavy. Divine. Like judgment incarnate.

I clenched my jaw, heart hammering against my ribs. Whatever had arrived… wasn't here for small talk.

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