“Just as I thought,” Lethyxia murmured, her gaze darkening as a flick of her hand conjured a book from thin air. The tome settled in her grasp, its ancient cover pulsating faintly with ethereal energy. She flipped through its pages with practiced ease until her hand stilled. A vivid image of a man, as described by Helena, stared back at them from the parchment.
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“That’s him... but why?” Helena’s voice trembled, her eyes widening as they darted between Lethyxia and the book. “This book... is it the Asterial Records?” she asked hesitantly.
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“No,” Lethyxia replied, her tone sharp, decisive. “The Asterial Records disappeared thirteen years ago.”
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“But—” Helena began, only to be silenced by a raised hand.
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“It’s my book,” Lethyxia interjected, her voice steely. “The Codex of the Gods.”
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“The Gods?” Helena whispered, her breath catching. “Which means... that man is a god?”
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“Yes,” Lethyxia admitted, her lips pressing into a thin line. “As I feared.”
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Helena’s hands clenched at her sides, her voice rising in panic. “This is getting out of hand, Your Highness. I didn’t—no, I couldn’t have imagined—how can a dead person come back to life? I saw it myself! I sacrificed her with my own hands!”
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“What do you mean?” Lethyxia asked, her voice steady but probing.
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Helena’s gaze dropped to the floor as her words spilled out. “Xia. The one I sacrificed thirteen years ago. She’s alive, and she’s with that man.”
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“Xia?” Lethyxia’s expression shifted instantly, her composure cracking. Her fingers flew across the pages of the book, stopping abruptly. Her eyes fixed on the image of a woman, her expression hardening further. “Foul play, Moon. Foul play,” she muttered darkly.
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“Who is this woman she looks exactly like xia, Your Highness? And how is she connected to the man you’re looking at?” Helena ventured, her curiosity tinged with fear.
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Lethyxia’s voice dropped to a near whisper, her words heavy with foreboding. “His true name is Noctarion, the Eternal Sentinel. A being cloaked in living shadows, his obsidian skin adorned with shifting constellations that tell the stories of the cosmos.”
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She continued, her voice laden with reverence and dread. “His eyes are twin voids speckled with starlight, reflecting the secrets of the night. His mantle ripples with the essence of the primordial void. He wields a staff tipped with a crescent moon, bearing the Heart of Midnight—a crystallized fragment of the first night. Noctarion serves as the Guardian of the Veil, the fragile boundary between realms.”
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Helena shuddered as Lethyxia described his power. “He commands shadows, can extend night indefinitely, and manipulates dreams into solace or torment. His Oblivion Gaze reduces even gods to despair, while his Silence of the Cosmos renders entire realms lifeless.”
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“But how does he fit into this?” Helena pressed.
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Lethyxia’s gaze didn’t waver as she explained. “Noctarion is feared by all pantheons, bound by no allegiance. He stands apart, a wild card in the celestial hierarchy. Yet, he shares a bond with Mooniegale Asterlayna, daughter of Asta, the goddess of dark magic. Their connection is one of understanding—a kindred spirit ship between those who dwell in shadow and mystery.”
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She paused before continuing, her voice carrying an edge of bitterness. “Mooniegale fell in love with a mortal and bore a forbidden child. Asta, enraged, cursed her own daughter, her grandchild, and the child’s father to an endless cycle of suffering—an unbreakable loop of torment through lifetimes.”
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Helena’s voice wavered. “They tried to undo it?”
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“They did,” Lethyxia said grimly. “They risked everything, even involving me knowing the risk they'll faced. But Asta’s curse was beyond even the high gods’ power to break. And yet, that cunning Moon twisted her words, using Noctarion to guide her daughter through the fragments of destiny. Even now, she still linger.”
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Her grip on the book tightened, and her gaze burned with unyielding determination. “This game of gods is far from over, Helena. And this time, I won’t let myself—or everything I’ve built—crumble because of that child!”
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"Seems like your daughter has grown to be a lot like you," Lethyxia mused silently, her lips curling in a faint sneer. "Annoying little rascals, pretending to be clueless.
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Helena stiffened, her hands trembling as Lethyxia’s words settled heavily in the room. “Your Highness,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “What do we do now? If Noctarion is involved… if Mooniegale is still lingering… what hope do we have?”
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Lethyxia snapped the book shut, the sound reverberating like a thunderclap. Her piercing gaze bore into Helena, unyielding and resolute. “Hope? Hope is a fragile, fleeting thing, Helena. What we need now is strategy—and strength.”
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Helena swallowed hard, nodding despite the rising fear gnawing at her insides. “But how do we fight against gods? Against beings like him?”
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Lethyxia turned away, her cloak billowing as she strode toward the grand window overlooking the vast expanse of her kingdom. The moon hung low, its pale light casting shadows that danced across the walls like phantoms. “We don’t fight them head-on,” she said, her tone measured but laced with an undercurrent of fury. “We unravel their plans from the inside, exploit their weaknesses, and use their own arrogance against them.”
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She glanced back at Helena, her expression softer but no less commanding. “Mooniegale’s daughter—what do you know of her?”
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Helena hesitated, her mind racing. “She was… quiet. Observant. But there was always something unsettling about her, as if she could see straight through me. I thought ending her would secure the realm, but now… now it feels like she was never truly gone.”
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“She wasn’t,” Lethyxia confirmed, her voice sharp. “Curses of that magnitude don’t simply fade, Helena. They echo across lifetimes, twisting and warping the fates of those bound by them. That girl is no longer the innocent child you sacrificed. She’s something far more dangerous now—a pawn turned player.”
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Helena’s breath hitched. “And what of Noctarion? If he’s guiding her…”
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“He is guiding,” Lethyxia interrupted, her eyes narrowing. “Noctarion plays a long game, Helena. He doesn’t interfere unless it suits his agenda. But if he’s aligned with her, it means their goals converge—and that terrifies me more than any curse.”
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