Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son-Chapter 516: [When Fallen Fall] [12] [Nephilim]
There were beings who wanted the World of Lumina.
...Beings that were termed as Outer Gods.
Azrael looked at her hand for a long time before he looked away.
"I don’t need your strength," he spoke, his voice firm. "Nor do I need to see what’s going to happen."
The Goddess of Fate did not withdraw her hand.
She only watched him, the smile on her lips never fading.
"That is a lie," she said softly. "I know who you are, Azrael."
"...."
Azrael turned to look at the ghost who had been haunting him for thousands of years.
"When will you give up?" he asked, his voice grim. "When are you going to understand that I will never join hands with you?"
The Goddess of Fate smiled brightly at his words.
"And when are you going to understand?" she asked back. "...That you are not the only one approached by ’them.’"
Azrael’s eyes narrowed.
"...What do you mean?" he asked.
The Goddess of Fate finally lowered her hand and turned away, her gown brushing the ground without making a sound.
"’They’ are patient," she said. "’They’ do not gamble on a single piece."
Azrael felt a faint chill crawl up his spine.
"Who are ’they’ contacting?" Azrael asked softly.
She glanced back at him, her veil shifting.
"Why don’t you see that for yourself?" she replied.
Azrael blinked as he felt something heavy on his hand.
He slowly raised his hand, finding a small orb that glowed gently.
"What is this—." His words halted.
The woman was nowhere to be seen.
Azrael stared at the empty space where she had stood.
The wind returned, slow and cold, brushing past him as if nothing had happened.
"...Always leaving things half-finished," he muttered.
His gaze dropped to the orb resting in his palm.
It was warm.
He tried to clench his hand around it as he instinctively knew how to use it.
But Azrael stopped, unable to trust that woman.
"...."
He just kept staring at the orb.
---
The world of Lumina fifteen thousand years ago was much different than what it was now.
The Gods roamed freely anywhere, killing anyone without any consequences.
They were a nightmare to the Mortals.
Mortals were also far diversified and divided into different races.
After the death of the Creator God, the races divided themselves in the name of Gods.
The Primordial Beings led the ten most powerful races themselves.
From the time the Primordial Beings gained awareness to the day they became gods...
They waged wars against each other, using Mortals as pawns.
The Dajin being the collective name of the races led by Primordial Evils.
The Divyan being the collective name of the races led by Primordial Gods.
Yet among them all was one race that was still loyal to the Creator God.
The race that called themselves the "First Born of Lumina."
---
Azrael blinked as he reached his destination.
His gaze shifted to the enormous World Tree that shaded a part of the Rodinia Super Continent.
Taking in a deep breath, he began to walk, and the world around him blurred.
In just a few steps, he stood at the base of the World Tree.
As soon as he reached there, a man immediately walked forward.
He quickly got on one knee as he lowered his head. "My Lord."
"Arawn," Azrael spoke with a softness in his voice. "How are you doing?"
Arawn lifted his head slowly.
His hair was tied back neatly, his pointed ears catching the faint glow filtering through the leaves of the World Tree.
The katana at his side remained untouched, but his posture was straight, alert, as always.
"I am well, my Lord," he replied. "The World Tree is stable as well."
Azrael nodded his head, glancing up at the tree.
He had asked Arawn to look after the tree himself, as Azrael was sure someone would definitely try to harm the World Tree.
Arawn allowed himself a small smile before it faded.
"...You came in person," he said carefully. "That usually means something has gone wrong."
Azrael glanced at him. "You’ve learned to read me well."
"I’ve had time," Arawn replied.
Azrael stepped past him, resting a hand lightly against the bark of the World Tree.
The surface was warm, steady, familiar.
"Tell me," Azrael said, "have any gods visited this place recently?"
Arawn stiffened.
"...Yes," he admitted after a pause. "A few."
Azrael’s fingers stopped moving.
"Names."
"Some minor gods," Arawn said. "They were here with Lady Anastasia’s permission."
"...I see." Azrael nodded softly before he began to walk away. "Come with me."
Arawn rose from his knee and fell into step beside Azrael without another word.
"Lady Anastasia didn’t mention their visit," Azrael said after a moment.
Arawn hesitated. "She allowed them passage, but she didn’t trust them."
"...."
Azrael kept his silence as he continued walking away from the World Tree.
He had been alive long enough to know the meaning behind the World Tree.
The World Tree was here before the Creator God arrived.
But as time passed, the Creator God made some changes to it.
From what Azrael understood, the Creator God used the World Tree as an anchor point.
He knew one day the world would be desired by the Outer Gods.
The World Tree anchored Lumina to existence.
As long as it stood, this world resisted being claimed, rewritten, or devoured.
But if the World Tree was gone, the Outer Gods would definitely gain much better influence over the world.
They stopped at the edge of a clearing where the roots formed a natural platform overlooking the vast forests below. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Azrael let out a sigh as he looked around the place from above.
Arawn stood a step behind him, keeping his presence minimal.
After a minute-long silence, Azrael turned back to look at him.
"How is your twin?" he asked with a small smile. "Is he doing good?"
"Yes, my Lord," Arawn replied. "Surprisingly, the Sun clan is taking good care of him."
Arawn belonged to a clan that was under the influence of Goddess Anastasia.
Yet unlike other Gods, she allowed her followers to worship other gods.
And the clans of Sun and Time were one of them.
Clans that were rivals, yet lived together despite worshipping different Gods.
Arawn’s brother, and one of Azrael’s subordinates, Varan, left the Time clan and joined the Sun clan for his lover.
"He is living a good life," Arawn said with a smile. "And he will be a father soon."
Azrael nodded his head. "I will give the child my blessings."
Arawn bowed deeply. "That would be an honor for the child."
Azrael didn’t respond as he looked away from him.
"My Lord," Arawn spoke again. "Are we not going to do anything about the Nephilim?"
Azrael’s gaze remained on the forest below.
"...The Nephilim," Azrael repeated softly. "They are the problem of their respective Gods that the Watchers chose to follow."
"That’s the problem, my Lord," Arawn replied. "The Gods are ignoring them, and those giants are eating anything they see."
Azrael closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"I know," he said. "But I can’t do anything."
Arawn drew in a deep breath. "Why don’t you choose them instead of humans?"
Azrael turned back to fully look at his subordinate.
"You don’t see what I see in humans," he responded grimly. "You don’t see the filth that they carry in their hearts."
Arawn frowned slightly, but he did not interrupt.
Azrael turned back toward the forest, his wings shifting once.
"Humans suffer," Azrael went on. "They hate, they envy, they destroy each other. But they also grow. They change. Given enough time, some of them rise above what they were."
Arawn clenched his fist. "Are they a threat bigger than Nephilim?"
"They will die on their own," Azrael spoke softly. "Just kill the ones who have gone mad."
"But—"
"I am tired," Azrael interrupted softly, "of cleaning up the mistakes of gods who refuse responsibility."
"...."
Arawn lowered his head.
"...What should I do now, my Lord?" he asked.
Azrael looked back at the World Tree, its branches stretching endlessly into the sky.
"Prepare," he said. "As I will not stop until my goals are complete."
Arawn bowed deeply. "As you command, my Lord."
Azrael gave a small nod.
As Arawn stepped away to carry out his orders, Azrael remained at the edge of the clearing, alone once more.
Azrael’s gaze shifted up, his eyes staring at the sun.
The sunlight burned softly against his eyes.
"So many lives," he murmured. "All living under the same sky... yet never truly seen."
The sun did not answer.
He lowered his gaze, his fingers curling slightly.
The warmth of the orb returned to his thoughts.
’Not yet,’ he told himself.
Azrael turned away from the edge of the clearing and began to walk.
The forest parted for him without resistance, roots shifting just enough to clear his path.
Azrael continued to walk until he reached a spot that looked like a garden.
A woman stood near a small pool of clear water.
Her long, bright golden hair fell freely behind her.
She wore a simple white dress, barefoot, her reflection rippling softly beneath her feet.
She did not turn when Azrael approached.
"You took your time," she said calmly.
Azrael stopped a few steps behind her.
"Anastasia," he replied.
"Tell me, Azrael," she spoke without looking. "Do you not wish to live with me?"
