Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son-Chapter 517: [When Fallen Fall] [13] [Descision]

"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?"

Azrael didn’t respond; instead, he just stared at her back.

The woman with whom he had lived most of his life.

She was one of the few with whom he had shared his vulnerable self.

He still remembered the first time he met her.

It was right after the death of the Creator God.

A young girl, barefoot, standing among the falling remnants of divinity.

She had been crying in confusion.

She didn’t know who she was.

She Didn’t know why everyone present looked at her with fear, awe, or hunger.

Azrael had approached her slowly back then, knowing how frigle she was.

She had looked up at him with tear-filled golden eyes and asked a single question.

"Why does it hurt?"

That moment had stayed with him longer than any war.

"I asked you something," her voice snapped him back to reality. "Answer me, Azrael."

Azrael drew in a slow breath.

The garden felt quiet, as if even the leaves were waiting for his answer.

"Yes," he said at last. "I do."

Anastasia’s fingers tightened slightly at her side, but she still didn’t turn around.

"I wish to live with you," Azrael continued, his voice steady but low. "But I also wish to liberate the Mortals from the cruelty of Gods."

She finally turned to face him.

Her golden eyes searched his face, as if looking for a lie he had never learned to tell.

"Is that all?" she asked, pointing at him. "But by doing so, the demigod will remain on Lumina."

She turned her finger to herself. "And the Gods will be thrown away."

Azrael did not look away.

"Yes," he said. "That is exactly what will happen."

Anastasia’s hand slowly lowered, and for a moment, she said nothing.

It was clear to her what Azrael had planned.

He wanted to live separately from her.

Anastasia let out a slow breath.

"So you have already decided," she said quietly.

Azrael nodded once. "I have."

She looked past him, toward the trees, toward the sky she had learned to call her own.

"You always decide alone," she said. "Even when you stand beside me."

"I learned that from watching gods," Azrael replied. "They decide first and explain later."

Her lips curved faintly, not quite a smile.

"And yet you became nothing like them," she said. "That is why this hurts."

She stepped closer, stopping just a short distance away.

"If you do this," Anastasia continued, "you will bind yourself to Lumina. You will bleed with it, age with it and even suffer with it."

"I know," Azrael said.

"And I will remain above," she said softly. "Watching a world I can no longer touch."

Azrael’s voice lowered. "That is why I cannot stay with you."

Silence settled again.

"You were there when I first opened my eyes," Anastasia said. "You taught me everything."

"And you taught me restraint," Azrael replied. "When power should stop."

Her gaze wavered.

"You are choosing a mortal over me," she said, looking at him.

Azrael noticed her wording, but he didn’t react.

"I am choosing a future where no one is born just to be prey," Azrael answered.

Anastasia closed her eyes.

For a brief moment, she looked like the girl she once was.

Her eyes opened as she gently touched his face.

"I will wait when you fall," she said. "And I will be there for the rest of our life."

"...."

Azrael didn’t respond. Her hand, that once had warmth, now felt cold to him.

Anastasia walked past him, leaving him alone in the garden.

Once again.

Azrael was left alone.

---

Ten days after the judgment passed by Azrael.

...Satan declared a war against him.

But it wasn’t just Satan; the Primordial Beings had turned their backs on him as well.

Every Primordial, including Anastasia, had walked out.

On the surface, they seemed neutral, but in reality, they all favored Satan.

And the Gods had already been on Satan’s side from the start.

In just ten days, the world stood against Azrael.

The only ones who stayed were those who were always loyal to him.

Azrael stood at the edge of Lumina’s upper firmament, watching the borders of the world ripple under distant pressure.

"So this is your choice," he said quietly.

No one answered.

Below him, the mortal lands continued as they always had.

They did not know the sky above them was becoming a battlefield.

Azrael turned around and looked at the floating castle.

The floating castle drifted slowly through the upper sky of Lumina, its halls lit by pale veins of light running through the stone.

He took a step forward and entered the building.

Inna stood beside the throne, arms crossed, her expression tight.

"They’re mobilizing faster than expected," she said. "Satan isn’t wasting time."

Azrael leaned back, resting one arm on the throne’s side.

"He never does," he replied calmly.

"You don’t look surprised."

"I’m not."

Inna frowned. "The Primordials cutting ties... Anastasia included. Did you expect that too?"

Azrael’s gaze remained fixed on the ceiling above.

"Yes."

Inna exhaled sharply. "You’re going to fight all of them."

Azrael kept his silence. Truth be told, he wasn’t sure how he would win the fight.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, fingers interlaced.

"Satan wouldn’t want the war to end quickly," he continued. "The Primordials want distance so they can deny responsibility."

"Azrael," Inna said softly. "Satan isn’t an easy opponent."

"...."

Azrael knew that more than anyone.

Satan, being the first created by the Creator God, was much more powerful than him.

Even though they were technically brothers, Satan was thousands of years older than Azrael.

Given a fair fight, Azrael had to admit he couldn’t defeat Satan without preparation.

Satan also fought for amusement and thrill.

So Azrael was sure he would drag the war for a long time.

"You only have two demigods, Arawn and Varan," Inna spoke again. "And only one Goddess, me."

Azrael stared into Inna’s eyes as she continued. "How are you going to win against the rest of the world, Azrael?"

Azrael leaned back as he looked up at the ceiling.

"Wouldn’t it be nice to have a moon where we can go, away from all this?" Azrael asked with a small smile.

"Azrael—"

"Can you give me some time," Azrael cut off her words. "Alone."

Inna looked at him for a second before she nodded her head.

She walked away, leaving him alone in the large hall.

Azrael remained seated, staring up at the pale lines of light running across the ceiling.

Slowly, his gaze fell on his hand where an orb was placed.

A voice echoed beside him. "Are you planning to use it?"

Azrael glanced to his side, finding the Goddess of Fate standing there with her hands clasped behind her back.

Azrael did not flinch.

He looked back at the orb in his palm, its soft glow steady, patient.

"I was hoping you wouldn’t show up so soon," he said.

The Goddess of Fate tilted her head slightly, her veil shifting as if stirred by a wind that wasn’t there.

"You were hoping," she replied, "or pretending?"

Azrael gave a quiet breath that almost sounded like a laugh.

"You always phrase things like that," he said. "As if the answer doesn’t matter."

She stepped closer, her presence barely touching the air.

"It matters," she said. "Just not in the way you want."

Azrael’s fingers tightened around the orb, then loosened again.

"This thing," he said, lifting his hand slightly, "it shows me what you wanted me to see."

"It shows what can happen," she corrected. "What plans fate has for you."

Azrael leaned back against the throne, eyes half-lidded.

"You told me they were approaching others," he said. "The Outer Gods."

"Yes."

Azrael was silent for a moment.

"If I use it," he said slowly, "I step closer to the future you keep circling around me."

The Goddess smiled faintly.

"You’ve already stepped into it," she said. "This is just you opening your eyes."

Azrael looked away, toward the empty hall.

"You need a plan, Azrael," she whispered softly. "A plan that will give results after ten thousand years."

Azrael turned to look at her as she walked closer.

"You would need to treat everything in this world as a pawn," she whispered, standing behind him. "You need to carve a way to win against everyone."

"A plan that lasts ten thousand years," he repeated. "You speak as if I won’t see the end of it."

She only responded with a smile.

"Crack the orb, Azrael," she said softly. "And take my powers."

Silence stretched between them.

"You will understand who is using you as a pawn," she continued. "And who you truly are."

Azrael stared at the orb for a long second and....

Crack!

He broke the orb.

A strange light emitted from inside and entered his body.

Azrael’s chest heaved, and his eyes blurred.

A world of unknown was now in front of him.