Chapter 402:Voices
Lilith remained seated. She had no idea how long she meditated since the ruin didn’t tell her. There was only darkness. And slowly, something within her began to change.
She could feel the faintest movement inside her core. Not an increase in power.
Understanding.
The first fragment of a law; The Law of Darkness. It wasn’t complete,not even close. She had only touched the edge of it nut the realization alone sent a shiver through her.
If she could comprehend the law completely, then darkness would no longer simply be a tool she wielded. It would become something she understood. Something she could impose upon reality itself.
That was the difference between controlling an element and comprehending its law. And perhaps that was why Sovereigns were so terrifying.
They weren’t simply stronger. They understood something fundamental about existence.
Lilith slowly opened her eyes.
The darkness remained but she no longer felt afraid of it. For the first time, she felt welcomed by it.
She stood.
Then took another step. This time, she didn’t walk because she wanted to find the exit. She walked because she wanted to understand.
The corridor seemed to stretch endlessly. Every step carried her deeper and the darkness grew heavier, then lighter, then heavy again.
Sometimes she felt as though something was watching her. Sometimes she felt completely alone. Once, she thought she heard footsteps behind her.
She turned but found nothing.
She continued, then she heard laughter.
A woman’s laughter.
Lilith stopped. Her heart beat once, then twice as she listened and tried to find the source but nothing. She continued walking.
Another voice whispered.
She couldn’t understand the words so she stopped again to listen but the voice disappeared.
A cold sensation moved down her spine. This was no longer simple meditation; the ruin was testing her.
Perhaps it was showing her the things she feared. Perhaps it was testing whether she could remain herself without her powers.
Lilith continued.
The darkness began forming shapes.
Memories.
She saw Atheline standing before her. She reached out but he disappeared.
She saw herself surrounded by enemies but they vanished before she could even do anything.
She saw the palace, the world tree, the battlefield, and her kingdom. Everything appeared for only a moment before dissolving back into darkness.
Lilith realized what the ruin was doing.
It wasn’t trying to frighten her. It was showing her how dependent she was on what she knew. Everything familiar was being taken away; her senses, her magic, her husband, her kingdom, her memories, and rven her certainty. She was being forced to walk forward without them.
Lilith smiled faintly.
"You really are troublesome."
The darkness gave no response. She walked step by step; her breathing remained steady. She didn’t know what waited ahead. She didn’t know whether she would gain anything. She didn’t know whether the ruin would eventually release her. But she had stopped caring.
She wanted to understand.
And perhaps that was the beginning of the true trial.
Lilith walked deeper into the darkness.
Then suddenly...
"Little girl..."
She stopped.
The voice was faint, ancient, almost impossibly distant. Lilith slowly turned her head.
For the first time since entering the ruin, she could feel something other than herself. Someone was there.
The voice came again.
"Lilith..."
Her eyes widened.
It knew her name. She remained completely still, then the voice whispered from somewhere ahead.
"Come closer."
Lilith stared into the endless darkness. Her instincts screamed at her to be cautious.
Yet beneath the fear, beneath the uncertainty, beneath everything she had felt since entering the ruin, there was something else.
Curiosity.
She took one slow step forward. The darkness swallowed the sound, then another voice, even quieter than the first, called her name.
"Lilith..."
She stopped.
And the darkness before her seemed to open, like something had finally noticed her. Lilith’s expression became serious.
She took another step, and the voice called to her again, this time, much closer.
"Come..."
The voice called again.
"Lilith."
This time, it wasn’t distant, ut was directly in front of her. Lilith stopped walking.
The darkness surrounding her had changed. She couldn’t explain exactly how, because she still couldn’t see anything, but the endless emptiness that had surrounded her moments before suddenly felt occupied.
Something was standing there; watching and waiting. Lilith remained motionless.
"Who are you?"
No answer came.
She waited, then the voice laughed softly. It was a woman’s voice, strangely familiar.
"You’ve walked all this way, and that’s the first question you ask?"
Lilith’s expression hardened.
"Would you prefer I attack you?"
"With what?"
Lilith’s eyes narrowed. The woman laughed again.
"No Aether, shadows, daggers, or husband standing beside you. You have nothing here, Lilith."
The voice moved. Lilith heard footsteps circling her.
"You came here seeking darkness, yet the moment everything else was taken from you, you became cautious. Frightened, even."
"I’m not frightened."
"Aren’t you?"
"No."
"Then why is your heart beating faster?"
Lilith didn’t respond. The woman continued walking around her.
"You are frightened. You simply learned long ago how to hide it. That’s different."
Lilith slowly turned toward the voice.
"And what exactly are you supposed to be?"
Silence, then...
"You."
Light appeared. Lilith instinctively raised an arm over her eyes. After spending so long surrounded by absolute darkness, even the faint illumination hurt. Her vision gradually adjusted.
She lowered her arm, and froze. A woman stood several meters away. She had black hair, greyish skin and pointed ears. They were the same height, the same face, and the same eyes.
Lilith stared at herself.
The other Lilith smiled.
"Disappointed?"
"What are you?"
"I already answered."
"No." Lilith shook her head. "You’re wearing my face, but that doesn’t make you me."
"Doesn’t it?" The other Lilith stepped closer. "Perhaps I’m the part of you that understands what you refuse to understand."
"And what would that be?"
"That you don’t control darkness."
Lilith remained silent. The false Lilith stopped directly in front of her.
"You’ve spent your entire life believing you were its master. Shadows answered your call, so you believed darkness itself belonged to you."
Her smile widened.
"Arrogant."
Lilith stared directly into her eyes.
"Perhaps."
The false Lilith’s smile disappeared.
"Good."
The ground vanished and lilith fell. There was no warning whatsoever. One moment she had been standing on stone and the next, there was nothing beneath her feet.
Her stomach lurched as she dropped into darkness. Then... Water. Lilith crashed into freezing water, the impact forcing the air from her lungs.
She sank immediately.
Her eyes opened but there nothing, only blackness. She kicked upward; there was no surface.
Lilith continued swimming in the waters but she still couldn’t find anything. Her chest started to tightened. She changed direction, still nothing. There was no way to determine which direction was upward.
She stopped to think.
She released a small breath and the bubbles moved past her face. She followed them, kickinh desperately. Her lungs burned as she started to loose air. She swam faster.
Then her hand struck something.
Stone.
Lilith’s eyes widened. There was a ceiling above her. She pushed against it but nothing moved. Her remaining air escaped in a stream of bubbles.
She turned.
She needed another route, then something grabbed her ankle. She twisted around and looked down but it was only darkness, still she knew what it was.
A hand.
Someone was beneath her.
Lilith kicked violently but the hand didn’t release. Another grabbed her other leg, then another caught her waist.
She struggled against them. Her lungs screamed. She reached downward and grabbed one of the wrists; it felt exactly like hers.
A face emerged from the darkness below; her face. The false Lilith smiled beneath the water as her lips moved.
She heard the words directly inside her mind.
’You wanted darkness.’ The hands pulled and she sank. ’Then drown in it.’
Lilith fought. She kicked, punched, and twisted but nothing worked. More hands emerged from below and dragged her deeper.
Her chest convulsed, because she needed air.
Instinct took over. Lilith tried to summon her Aether but nothing. She tried her shadows, still nothing. Teleportation also the same results.
She opened her mouth involuntarily and water rushed inside. Pain exploded through her chest causing her to cough underwater, and more water entered.
Panic overwhelmed thought. She clawed at the hands trying to free herself. The false Lilith appeared before her again.
’Still searching for your power?’
Lilith couldn’t answer.
’Still waiting for your shadows?’ The woman touched her cheek. ’You haven’t learned anything.’
Lilith’s vision began darkening.
’Darkness doesn’t care whether you’re a Queen.’ Her consciousness started fading. ’It doesn’t care that you’re powerful.’
The hands pulled her deeper.
’It doesn’t care who loves you.’
Atheline.
The thought appeared immediately. Lilith’s eyes widened.
The false Lilith smiled at that reaction.
’There.’ Her voice became almost gentle. ’That’s what you’re truly afraid of.’
Images appeared around them. Atheline standing alone, Atheline injured and Atheline disappearing into darkness. Lilith reached toward him but h vanished.
’You’re afraid of losing him.’