Myths Reawakened

Wayne talked about the strange aspects of Monica’s existence, including how it always came back to life with others being none the wiser and the existence of the lucky ancient silver coin of Death.

“My father possesses a lucky coin granted by Grau the Misfortune Spider, the Observer among the three avatars of Death,” Wayne said gravely. “It was after that the black cat showed up uninvited. It couldn’t have been a coincidence.”

Rognes fell silent. He had a few theories:

First, the goddess’s thoughts had fallen into slumber, so, forgetting who She was, She considered Herself a mere black cat. She was instinctively drawn to things related to Death. Following Grau’s scent, She found Her way to the Lando Estate, turning Herself from a stray to a house cat.

Second, the black cat had already awakened as an entity of the goddess’s thoughts. Sensing Grau’s energy, She approached on purpose to figure out what the subordinate god was up to.

Third, Grau was on their side. He had only given Auston the coin as a way to deliver the goddess’s thoughts to the human world safely.

“What do you think, Wayne?” Rognes asked after sharing his hypotheses.

“Patience. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions with something this important,” Wayne said, presenting a question instead. “Tell me about the subordinate gods. Who are they, and what kind of beings are they? Do you know them?”

“Grau the Misfortune Spider is a lazy one. I don’t know much about him. He seems like an entity with few desires...”

“Saigner the Soul-Devouring Crow, I do know very well. She’s most loyal to the goddess, yet she was the first to betray the goddess.” Rognes accused derisively before adding in a low voice, “My birth is related to hers. It’s because she was born that I came to be. The goddess referenced parts of her thoughts when creating me.”

What? Your mom had a daughter before you?

Wayne raised an eyebrow. He would tolerate an additional mouth to feed, but two? How much more will feeding them cost him?

Oh, just feed them potatoes, you say? Fine then.

“Just like me, Saigner is a creation of the goddess, made with a lot of effort and care. She’s the most favored subordinate god.”

Rognes sounded jealous. It sounded like the grievances a younger brother might harbor for his older sister to Wayne. The Death family wasn’t always peaceful, it appeared.

“Last but not least, Sizorn the Wings of Winter. He started following the goddess a long time ago and has achieved many feats. He used to be a great dragon. When his heart was carved out, he couldn’t simply accept his death, so he offered the goddess his loyalty before his demise. He’s the most powerful among the three subordinate gods.”

“Wait, I have a question.” Wayne tried to find the right wording before saying flatly, “About Sizorn... Was his heart taken by the knight order of the Goddess of Sun?”

“How do you know that too?” Rognes was shocked. It felt like Wayne knew everything.

“It’s a coincidence. A coincidence...” Wayne fell into deep thought. It turned out that the Lando Estate had a deep connection with the Goddess of Death that couldn’t be dismissed. Every member of the family had something to do with the goddess. The Goddess of Darkness should pull out of the chat. The Goddess of Death was enough for the Death Knights and their family.

He scratched his head. He had to reveal how involved he was with the Goddess of Death. “To tell you the truth, I once met Grau. He issued an invitation and asked if I would be willing to devote myself to Death.”

“When was that?!” Rognes asked in shock.

“Before I ran into Julia, so I wasn’t yet the Death Knight then. According to Sukra, though, I already had the right to become your successor...” Wayne frowned. “I died once before meeting Grau. I’m not sure who was responsible for that. If it were Grau, he should’ve tried to kill me again when we met the second time, but he didn’t. Once he realized that I started out as Death’s follower, he never showed himself before me again. Perhaps he is a spy.”

Rognes considered it, finding it a likely theory. Then it would mean that Grau had sent the goddess’s thoughts to the human world to protect Her, and, confirming that Wayne was the Death Knight, he concealed the information. Without Grau hiding him, Wayne wouldn’t have grown stronger smoothly, and he wouldn’t have come to the underground catacombs to liberate Rognes.

“Are you sure he’s one of ours, Wayne?”

“I’m not. I’ve only met him once, so it’s all speculation without proof.”

Wayne shook his head. Rognes was heading to the Underworld to save the Goddess of Death from being Schrodinger’s goddess. With the three subordinate gods biding their time, a misstep could kill Rognes. Wayne didn’t dare make a reckless conclusion.

He had transmigrated here, after all. As different from the original Wayne as he was, he couldn’t assume that Grau’s invitation proved anything. Wayne wasn’t even the same person.

Rognes nodded. “I’ll test Grau once the opportunity presents itself. If his betrayal isn’t a betrayal, it’ll be easier to save the Divine Realm.”

“Must you head to the Divine Realm alone?” Wayne asked.

Rognes smiled. “I know you want to go with me, Wayne, but you’re tasked with the protection of the goddess. I cannot grant your request.”

That’s not what I meant!

Besides, I’m not the right person to entrust the mission to. With me guarding the goddess, She will become something else entirely when you return.

Wayne kept his thoughts to himself. Were Rognes the champion protecting the goddess, Wayne would be Hades. Suddenly, the story just wrote itself.

“Don’t be disappointed. It’s admirable to charge at the frontline, but it’s equally so to guard the rear.” Rognes patted Wayne on the shoulder, handing Shadow Nightmare to him officially. “My successor—no, you’re the first true Death Knight. Remember, though the world is vast, you have the goddess right behind you. You must not let yourself become intimidated in this battle.”

Wayne straightened his back, motivated by his sacred calling. If only the Goddess of Death weren’t wrapped by tentacles.

“What would you do without Shadow Nightmare, Rognes?”

“Shadow Nightmare stands out too much. I can’t take it to the Divine Realm to begin with. It’ll only expose me.” Rognes chuckled. “Just like Saigner, my power does not stem from Shadow Nightmare. You’re the true Death Knight, Wayne. The goddess will be proud of you.”

That made Wayne blush with embarrassment. Every time he faced those of exceptional character, such as chosen knights like Rognes, Moula, and Leo, or his white moonlight, Anastasia, he always felt a little helpless because he felt lacking in comparison.

Of course, that wasn’t going to stop him from corrupting the Goddess of Death. Now that She was in his hand, he would make sure to feed Her something good!

“Ah, did the goddess create Julia because She foresaw Her fate?” Wayne asked curiously. His instinct told him that the goddess had a plan.

‘Gods’ had dropped like flies in the War of Faiths. None of the survivors were a pushover. The Goddess of Sky was a good exception that proved the rule. She was so naive that She met her demise in the war.

Darkness was cunning and shrewd, Nature was a savvy schemer, and Sun and Moonlight, the weakest among the five goddesses, had formed an alliance. It didn’t make sense that Death would be sitting in Schrodinger’s box doing nothing.

There had to be more to the situation!

Rognes agreed, and he was certain of it. “The goddess is undeniably powerful. She must have foreseen something for Her to send Her thoughts out of the Divine Realm in advance.”

More than that, though, he didn’t know.

Wayne stopped pressing. “When do you plan to go, Rognes?”

“Now. I’ve entrusted the goddess to you, so there’s no point in lingering in the human world.” Rognes sighed. Originally, he was tasked with guarding the underground catacombs, but the rebellion in the Divine Realm threw a wrench into the goddess’s plan, and the catacombs that had been built with great effort became useless.

No plans were above changes.

“Aren’t you going to chat a little more with Julia? She misses you. She always talks about you when she’s with me.”

“No, it’s enough that she’s happy.” Rognes turned to look at the edge of the Death mist, reminiscing about something. Despite the lack of a face, the bare skull seemed to be smiling.

A man! A true man!

Wayne looked at Rognes and then at the child’s mother who had fallen under his influence. He decided to take the child in.

“Wait for my good news, Wayne. I will save the goddess!”

Rognes marched away, gradually vanishing into the grey mist, entering the passage to the Underworld. To eliminate the risk of Wayne following him in secret, he even erased the spatial disturbances.

The danger in the Divine Realm remained, but with Wayne protecting the goddess, he was certain that She would be safe in the human world.

Rognes moved quickly, so quickly that Wayne couldn’t stop him even if he wanted to. He looked at the lingering Death energy thoughtfully. The underground catacombs served as coordinates, and now, this last patch of land of Death was the Underworld’s tether to the human world. One day, he would be able to enter the underworld through this space.

Rognes was such an outstanding character with such extraordinary integrity that Wayne felt compelled to help. He planned to one day rush into the underworld to claim Rognes’s goddess, master, and mother—bah, to join Rognes in saving the Goddess of Death!

Wayne swung Shadow Nightmare. Julia stepped out of a portal and cocked her head when she didn’t see Rognes anywhere.

“He’s gone.”

“Gone?”

Julia deflated. Her previous master didn’t even say goodbye before leaving. What a scummy rider!

“He left to do what a man has to do.” Wayne patted her with a smile. “Don’t be sad. He left without saying anything because he didn’t want to see your disappointment. He asked me to tell you that he will come back and apologize to you in person.”

“Oh,” Julia mumbled, feeling empty and disappointed inside.

Wayne jumped onto her back and transformed into the Death Knight, swinging Shadow Nightmare. “Julia, let’s go above ground and see which demon pawns remain. We must bring them the toll of Death’s bell!”

Julia breathed out purple flames, feeling rejuvenated with a proper weight on her back. When she charged, she didn’t even remember who Rognes was. Now, she only needed Wayne.

A portal opened. The primary threat to Franc’s world of magic and the nightmare of countless mages, the Death Knight, officially descended!

“Kekekeke—”