Godslayer Lysette: Chapter 229

Chapter 229: The First Demon

“The first demon?” Ari asked Lysette.  “I thought you said you didn’t know of any others?”

“The only other one I know of is the former owner of this body.  And he’s dead, so yes, I do not know of any other living demons.  Which is why it’s so crucial that we hear of the memories in this sanctum!”

The voice still beckoned from all around, now joined by an array of lights flickering all about.  Dani in particular was enraptured by the auroral curtains shimmering with every color of the rainbow, but Ari too watched with wide eyes as the lights slowly drifted toward the surface, taking a form very similar to Lysette’s.

“Our story begins four million years ago.  At that time, Aestori civilization was still at its zenith.  The Gods and the Godslayers had battled with one another for half a million years, but at that time, those conflicts were measured.  Though they jockeyed for power and influence both on Aimarion and in the Celestial realm, all sides knew that the conflict was one of supremacy and control, and that all-out conflict would lead only to mutual destruction.  And so, they took steps to ensure that the collateral damage was mitigated to the extent possible.

“But that small respite would eventually come to an end.  All by the hands of an ambitious woman not so different from you, Godslayer.  A woman who lost everything: her friends, her family, her children and grandchildren.  A woman who realized, just as you do, that conflict unending would spell disaster for all involved.  And so, for countless years, she worked to find some way to end a conflict which seemed otherwise unending.

“Her name, for a time, was Lavenna.  For nearly a century, she was the leader of a town called Ceron, which was not located far from here.  She was revered as a fierce warrior and a strong protector, one beloved by the community she led.  And a warm, loving mother, or so it was said.  But when her daughter, son-in-law and their two infant children were killed by mercenaries in service to a rival town, leaving her with no remaining family, all pretenses of her former love for others vanished.”

“After a hundred years of meditating and Cultivating in isolation from all others, she reached her conclusion: The only way the conflict could end is if everyone involved, regardless of side, was compelled to stop.  By force.  And to do that, she became the first demon.”

The projection paused, shifting its form slightly.  It grew a bit taller, a bit bustier, and its hair grew longer, matching Lysette’s original length which flowed in wavy patterns down to the small of her back.  She wore light leather armor, something Lysette imagined more stylistic than practical in a society composed entirely of Cultivators.  Far more prominent was her weapon, a massive shamshir nearly as long as her height, with a slightly serrated cutting edge.  And finally, and most ominously of all, her entire face, save slits for her eyes and nose, was shrouded in a series of bandages which acted as a veil.

“The progenitor of demonkind?” Dani asked.

The projection nodded.

“When she emerged, she abandoned her name and swore an oath to see all those involved in the slaying of her kin slain in turn.  From that day on, she was known as Lilit, the first demon.  With no love left to give, no reason to protect, and nothing to live for except to hone her strength as a Cultivator, she became a swordswoman as powerful as she was ruthless.

“Ambitious beyond measure to gain the power to avenge her slain family.  Devoted entirely to her cause: To inflict retribution far and wide against everyone who wronged her, and to ensure that not a single individual involved in the slaying of her loved ones escaped her wrath.”

Lysette took a deep breath, understanding full well the subtext that she, too, carried those same attributes, was bonded to the incarnations of those very domains.  And that she, too, was capable of being just as ruthless and cruel as Lilit was four million years ago.

“What happened next?” Lysette asked.  “How did Lilit reach her end?”

“The conflict, which was at the time in a lull, escalated quickly.  With her new demonic powers, she laid waste to the neighboring town, searching for information about those responsible.  And when they professed ignorance, Lilit slaughtered them without mercy or remorse.  Thousands died, and still her thirst for vengeance remained unquenchable.

“Her strength grew as any sense of proportionality, compassion, or empathy for her fellow Aestori descended.  Within a scant five years, she was, in every sense of the word, a true demon.  A creature completely devoid of impulses except self-preservation and the desire to grow her power without limit.  A mindless monster driven to kill.”

“Am I doomed to the same fate?” Lysette asked.  “I will admit that, at times, I feel the pull of the demon’s power within me.  That bloodlust, that rage, that all-consuming desire to feed.  It scares me.  Scares me knowing what I’m capable of.  Scares me even more at how easy it is to give in to that side of me.  And yet, I fear I can’t protect my friends, my loved ones, my partner without the strength of demonkind within me.”

“Always in motion, the future is.  Succumbing to your demonic impulses is a potential future.  But it is far from the only future that awaits you.”

“Is there a future in which I can save this world?  I promised another aspect of the Aestori legacy that I would do everything in my power to prevent a second destruction of Aimarion.  And I intend to carry that out, as my sworn duty as humanity’s Godslayer.  But I fear that I cannot get strong enough to carry out everyone’s will.

“My demonic abilities and the strength I can gain from them are the only path I see forward.  But I need to find a way to not lose myself in the process and become the very thing I want to stop.”

“Your heart is indeed strong, Godslayer.  As is your desire to protect your friends.  However, while your bonds are your source of strength, they are also the knife upon which Aimarion lies.  For it was only when Lavenna lost her family did she descend into the madness that was Lilit.  And so it may be the same for you.”

“Are you telling me I have to abandon my friends?  Abandon my partner?  The one person who I can let my guard down around?  The one person who keeps me tethered to my remnant humanity, who reminds me each and every day with their very presence that I can be more than just an agent of destruction against everyone who has wronged me?  I–  I won’t do it.”

“Learning to let go is a possible solution to your quandary.  Ensuring that your friends and new family do not fall to the same fate as Lavenna’s is another.”

Lysette nodded and closed her eyes, kneeling before the Aestori projection.  “Then my choice is clear.  But I still wish to hear the end of Lilit’s story.  How was she eventually stopped?  And why do demons still exist?  I would have thought that after the gods reshaped the world, they would have ensured that the new world’s structure did not allow for further instances of demonkind.  Especially if we are so reviled and so threatening to the established system to be given that moniker.”

“Even we do not know all of the details of the system which governs Aimarion.  I suspect only Aimarion’s creator could tell you for certain.  However, Aestori researchers and Cultivation scientists did conduct some studies on the matter.  And the consensus was that demons were never an intended part of the design of Aimarion.  Rather, they were the byproduct of some other part, probably one directly tied to how mortals’ prayers empower their deities.  One tied so closely to that system that the gods could not tamper with it without risking their own divinity in the process.”

“Regarding Lilit herself, eventually her strength became so great that she rivaled the gods themselves.”  The projection shook its head.  “No.  Surpassed the gods would be more accurate.  Lilit’s power grew seemingly without limits in so short a time that, had drastic measures not been taken, she would have certainly scoured Aimarion clean on her own.  And so, in an exceedingly rare instance of unanimity among the gods, they banded together in one final stand against their creation and narrowly managed to destroy her.”

“But they cannot directly intervene now.  And the previous owner of this body was also a demon, so–”

“So why has Lilit’s menace not been repeated?  Four million years ago, the gods had never before conceived of such a being.  They were unprepared for exactly what a demon was and the speed at which Lilit amassed power.  By the time they took her threat seriously and sent their Godslayers after her, she was more than strong enough to end them.  But now, knowing well the threat of demonkind, the gods have taken steps to ensure that any such demonic threats are curtailed before they reach Lilit’s strength.”

Like Saffron did to Karcheck.  No doubt that’s what he was warning me about in his own way.  The threat that demons pose to Aimarion.  To the gods.  He seemed…  proud when we departed back then.

“But this is different, isn’t it?  The gods are so busy warring among one another, and Zarielle grew so desperate that she…  She gave me demon power, knowing full well the risks that it would entail.  But also knowing that with the gods in such disarray…  That’s why she seemed so disappointed back then.

Lysette’s eyes widened.  “That’s why she was so pissed with me back then.  All the conditions were right.  Demonic impulses, loss of family and friends.  Nothing to live for except revenge.  She wanted me to become just the same as Lilit, all while pulling strings to ensure the other gods and their Godslayers didn’t get wise to my abilities.  And then, when I was strong enough, she’d point me at Asterion, get both of us weakened to the point where–”

Lysette shuddered.  “I–  I didn’t, though.  I managed to maintain my ability to feel compassion, to care about others and learn to love once more.  Or, I suppose I should say, Dani helped me regain both.”

“Me?” Dani asked.

“When I was reborn, all I could think about was revenge.  Of gaining information and strength to that end.  I–  I don’t know what would have happened if I had been attacked that night instead, or if it had been someone else there who found me while I was trying to understand my powers.  I might have attacked them.  I might have killed them.  Probably would have.

“But it was you.  And you, by just being the kind, caring, compassionate you that you were to me that day.  You helped me, by giving me someone else to care about.  And then I met Serrena, then Mirae, and slowly others as well, and history continued down its present course.”

Dani shuddered in much the same way Lysette had a moment earlier.  “That’s…  that’s pretty heavy.”

“All of this is heavy,” Ari said.  “I thought two days ago that this was just a war between nations.  But a war between gods with demons and the fate of the world and now all of these relics from an ancient civilization.  If I had had any less military training, I would certainly have passed out from being overwhelmed.”

“So what happens now?” Lysette asked the Aestori projection.  “Do we stay here and train?  Do I receive another task, or perhaps another trial to overcome?”

The central dais lowered slightly, twisting to reveal that there was some hidden sanctum within this monument as well.  Lysette remained on one knee, though she raised her head slightly, while Ari and Dani both wobbled as they attempted to regain their footing as the ground shook all around them.

“Enter,” the projection said.  “Learn more of our story.  More of Lilit’s story.  Receive our guidance, or wisdom, and from there, chart a course toward the future we all hope you will provide us.”

Chapter 228: https://www.patreon.com/posts/113428902

Table of Contents: https://www.patreon.com/posts/101896170

Chapter 230: https://www.patreon.com/posts/113503573