God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

With a light kick, Gilead turned the corpse over.

Glassy eyes that held all the fear, rage and confusion the soul that had just recently departed were what Gilead stared into.

However, he didn't feel even a bit regretful...

Abigail, the Heart Ward walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder,

"There is no need to feel pity. His death serves a greater purpose that what he was."

Gilead shrugged her hands off his shoulder and turned to face him,

"You said you can get us an audience with this... Cain, right? When?"

Abigail retracted her hand and placed it on her mask. She calmly pulled the mask off to reveal an absolute gorgeous face with smoky eyes that seemed to pull her victim's heart in,

"Anytime you are ready." A call smile dancing on her lips.

Gilead ripped his mask off his face as well to reveal his face. He wasn't overly good looking, but his facial features were pleasant. His angular face made him look valiant, but his cold, almost uncaring eyes gave him a much needed darker edge,

"I see. In that case, set it for three days from now."

Abigail raised a brow, "I believe that is too far away. The dome will give out any day from now."

Gilead turned around, "We need time to prepare. Judging from what you told me, that Cain won't be easy to deal with. We need an edge on the negotiations, or we stand to gain nothing and be swept away."

Abigail smiled, "I see. I was right to believe in your capability."

Gilead didn't turn around. Instead, he directed his gaze to the rest of the Pilgrim's on the room,

"Well? What are you all waiting for?"

Seisha chuckled and calmly pulled off her mask to reveal her own stunning face as well,

"How amusing..."

The next to get rid of their masks were the Sky and Earth Wards.

Following that, the sound of clattering masks hitting the ground echoed through the halls of the dark temple.

Their identities as the followers of Balangol had died that day.

Gilead sucked in a deep breath.

From today onwards, they would guide themselves in their own path, not hidden behind the facade of a false god.

***

Three days passed quite quickly, sitting the relatively dark room, Cain felt something.

'Someone's headed this way?'

With the {Dark Soul} with him, he could make up for his lack of wide area perception.

Because he had used his magic again, the damage on his spirit had become a bit more severe.

So, under Susan's strict urgings, he had decided not to use even a lick of mana for some time.

It was a bit difficult, trying to adjust. But he managed well.

With the Dark Diver at his side, he didn't need to miss his {Eye of Clairvoyance} at the very least.

He had expected his door to slam open.

Instead, he felt a presence envelope him from behind.

A slight sweet fragrance filled his nose and a breath tickled his earlobe,

"Someone's here to see you."

Cain sucked in sharply and his body froze up. His expression became a bit strained,

"You are getting better at this, aren't you..."

Evangeline chuckled lightly.

Cain felt the presence behind him disappear.

Before he could have a sigh of relief, the presence reappeared right in front of him. This time, seated right in front of him, on his desk.

He looked up.

Even in the darkness, her red eyes gleamed. It would have been a sinister and terrifying thing to witness if he didn't know he bore no I'll intentions towards him.

'I hope so...'

He sighed and leaned back a bit, partially to avoid being too close,

"Who's looking for me?"

The slight smile hanging on her lips faded just a bit,

"A Pilgrim. She said you are expecting her."

Cain raised a brow, "I see..."

He got up from his seat and began walking towards the door.

The darkness before him shifted and Evangeline stepped out, blocking his path.

Cain shuddered,

"W-what wrong?"

Evangeline hummed, "Why would a female Pilgrim come looking for you? Dod you have any business with her when you had your fun in Valestorm?"

Cain sighed and walked around her,

"Whatever it is you are thinking, please get it out of your head."

He continued as he walked towards the door,

"She's the informant I was talking about. And the newest addition to our ranks."

Evangeline's gem like eyes narrowed,

"Really?"

Cain gave her a small smile, "Really."

Then his expression changed, "Why do you think I would lie?"

His smile became a bit teasing, "Do you think I'm hiding another woman from you?"

His words were meant to be a joke, but Evangeline thought otherwise.

Her crimson eyes glowed in the dark, sending chills down his spine.

Clearing her throat, Evangeline walked past him,

"Don't get cocky now. You wouldn't want to keep her waiting."

'What the hell was that bloodlust? How scary...'

With a sigh, Cain followed behind her.

Stepping outside, he was greeted with a gust of cool night wind. The starless sky was illuminated by then giant crescent in the sky as always.

Basking under the silver moonlight was an unfamiliar, yet beautiful face. Cain was sure he wouldn't have recognized her if not for the robe she wore.

He felt his heart stir the moment he saw her face.

Evangeline gave him a side glance, and her face fell.

She turned back to face Abigail, her expression less than impressed,

"Cut that out."

Abigail smiled, "I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to bewitch him."

Cain shook his head and gave her a wry smile,

"That was impressive."

Abigail bowed slightly,

"It is nice to see you again, Cain."

Cain chuckled wryly, "I feel the same way."

"What business do you have here?". Evangeline said, her crimson eyes filled with barely concealed irritation.

Abigail's smile dimmed as she spoke,

"I have gotten rid of any resistance in Valestorm. We can proceed as planned."

Cain's eyes narrowed.

Back then when he had entered the Temple of Sands, he had met with her as the Heart Ward, she had told him a lot of things.

She had also given him a small hourglass pendant which she would use to contact him when the time was right.

He had pushed all that to the back of his mind because of the battle, but a week or so back, she had contacted him.

And had informed him fully of her intentions.

'But still... To think she would do it all on such a short time. I'm impressed.'

Abigail then sighed,

"However, there are a few things bothering me."

Cain raised a brow, "Pray tell, what could they possibly be?"

Abigail shrugged, "The location of the Lord. He was seen during the battle a few times, but then suddenly disappeared. Even his corpse wasn't found afterwards. I have no idea where he is. If he is still alive, his presence in the future might become a knife in our side."

Evangeline suddenly let out a chuckle. Abigail frowned,

"Do you perhaps know something?"

Evangeline shrugged, then smiled,

"Sure. I am in possession of your Lord. Or rather, a few parts of him. The rest are too mangled to be of any use so I threw them away."

Abigail's expression turned strange,

"I see."

Cain stared at her in surprise,

"You fought him on your own?"

Evangeline gave him a casual glance,

"Sure. Is there any reason to be surprised."

Abigail nodded, "I don't mean to be rude. But Duke Blackwater, despite his insidious characteristics, is a very powerful fighter. His reputation proceeds him even before the apocalypse."

Evangeline shrugged, "Sure. I know all about his infamy. But in the end, it couldn't stop me from gouging his eyes out of his head. Not even his strange abilities could stop me."

Her gaze turned a bit menacing,

"If you want, I could show you how I did it..."

Cain felt compelled to leave the scene. Although it was a bit disguised, he couldn't deny the hostility Evangeline was giving off.

And if he could notice it, Abigail most certainly could as well.

She frowned, "I believe this is the first time we are encountering one another..."

Evangeline smiled, although it wasn't very friendly,

"Call me Evangeline. And while this might be the first time we are meeting, I have encountered your kind before."

Her eyes narrowed as she took a step closer,

"Make no mistake; I won't make any moves to stop whatever it is you have going on. But don't go out of line. Your manipulations will only take you so far."

Abigail's frown pulled back slightly and morphed into a smile. However, that smile seemed even more frightening than her frown.

She turned to Cain,

"You believe I am trying to manipulate your leader?"

Evangeline nodded, "Indeed I do. I know your time quite well. You survive my twisting the minds and hearts of others, tempting them into doing your bidding. Seeing as you are still alive all this while, I can take a guess at how good you are.

Abigail sneered, "What a joke."

Both women turned to Cain at the same time, their eyes saying the same thing;

'Side with me or face the consequences!'

Cain let out a tired sigh.

"When can you arrange a meeting?"

In such a difficult situation, the best thing to do was to change the subject as fast as possible.

Abigail gave Evangeline a cold look before turning back to Cain,

"Three days from now."

Cain contemplated a bit,

"Alright, three days it is. Although we might be pushing it slightly, seeing as the barrier might not last that long."

He gave her a small smile,

"Thank you for the hardwork." Read new adventures at empire

Abigail gave him a soft smile, her long lashes fluttering,

"No, thank you. Our futures are now in your hands, so I expect you to take good care of me from now on."

Then she gave Evangeline a nasty look before turning around. Her image distorted and shook.

The next moment, she was gone. As though she was never there in the first place.

Cain sighed in relief then turned to face Evangeline who didn't seem to be in too good of a mood.

"A tough opponent indeed. Far more complicated than those two..." She muttered to herself.

Sensing Cain's concerned gaze, she glared back at him,

"What are you staring like that for? I get that she's pretty, but try a bit harder to resist next time!"

Cain could only nod in acceptance.

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