My brows knit tightly into a deep frown as I took a few steps back from the spot I was standing on.
For some entirely unfathomable reason, my body involuntarily reacted, moving away from the eerily perfect voice long before the rational part of my mind could even grasp the situation.
Kiara… that name sounded familiar. But for the life of me, I couldn't recall where I had heard it before.
A soft giggle echoed in the dimly-lit steel chamber following my instinctive retreat. n-/.---/--.-)I--n
In the next surreal moment, a silhouette gracefully stepped out of the shadows in front of me.
"...What the–?!"
As she entered the small circle of light, revealing her face, I couldn't help but widen my eyes.
My breath seemed trapped in my lungs, and my words remained stuck in my throat as I could feel my heart thumping wildly on an erratic beat, skipping a few in the process.
The young woman in front of me was the most angelic being I had ever laid my eyes on.
Her long, flowing silver hair fell down to her slim waist, and her alluring eyes softly glowed in the subtle hues of aquatic and cyan, depending on the light reflecting off of them.
Her small, triangular face with soft features made her look like a heavenly angel, still untouched by the impurities of the mundane world.
Draped in thin, flowing white robes with delicately embroidered edges cascading off her shoulders, she enticingly revealed her silk-like jaded skin – a dress befitting her ethereal appearance, accentuating her enthralling figure.
Yes, she was undeniably beautiful. Maybe the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
However, there was something unnerving about her. I felt compelled toward her but my mind was screaming at me to just run away.
When our eyes met, I felt something pull in me, as if I could just get lost in her gaze. Quickly, I turned my eyes away from her and looked down.
Seeing my reaction, the young woman giggled softly.
After a brief pause, she said in a gentle, reassuring tone, "There's no reason for you to be afraid, Lucas Morningstar. I won't hurt you."
Afraid? Me? No, I was not afraid of her. I was downright terrified. Her appearance alone was enchanting enough to shake my mental fortitude. But what truly staggered me was the aura of undeniable strength emanating from her.
She was unfairly strong. Far stronger than any mortal had the right to be.
Looking at her felt like staring at some kind of a deity – and that was something coming from me since I really had stared at a God before.
"Where am I? Am I dead?" I inquired, scanning my surroundings and not daring to look at her no matter how tempting her beauty was. "And how do you know who I am? Are we acquainted?"
"You're not dead," Kiara shook her head and replied in an amused tone. "Moments before the Hydra devoured you, you used some sort of magic on it. It allowed you to see its memories. Right now, you're simply revisiting the past through its memories."
Magic? Memories? Wait a second, I remember using the Enigma Sightstone on the Hydra to trap it in an illusion for a split second.
Did I unintentionally get into its head back then? Yeah, it could be possible. However, something was still not right.
A frown creased my face. "If I'm reliving the past through its memories, why are you here? You're not that Hydra. And how can you talk to me?"
Kiara smiled. "One of my many Abilities allows me to recreate and combine all the mythical serpentine creatures. So, in a way, that Hydra was a part of me. That's why by seeing its memories, you're seeing mine."
"...Abilities?" I questioned.
"Right, your world calls them Gifts," Kiara corrected herself.
Your world? Is she from another world? An alien? I didn't see long ears, so she's not an elf. A vampire? No, I should know about a vampire as powerful as her.
Shaking my head, I refocused on the present and decided to ask a few more questions before jumping to conclusions.
"You still didn't tell me how you're talking to me. You shouldn't even be able to see me," I pointed out.
Kiara placed her hands behind her back and started circling me. I tried not to look at her directly, fearing the consequence.
"One of my other Gifts is to see the future. I have seen myself talking to you, so I can talk to you. Although, right now I'm just talking to air." Kiara giggled again for some reason.
Meanwhile, I shook my head. "One of your Gifts? That's not possible. One person can only have one Gift. Two at most, but even that's unheard of in decades."
"Normally, yes," Kiara nodded. "But I was granted these Gifts by a generous God that I serve."
"A God you serve?" I asked dubiously.
"Yes," Kiara nodded and jumped in front of me. My eyes widened as I quickly turned my gaze away from her once again.
Kiara laughed, as if playing with my mind was amusing for her. "You asked me if you and I were acquainted. Well, we are not… yet. But I believe we will be soon."
"What does that mean?" I asked, narrowing my gaze and staring at her at the side of my eyes.
"The God that I serve has taken an interest in you. He sent me here to visit you," she said.
"Visit me or try to kill me? Because your Hydra wasn't as calm as you," I spat.
Kiara chuckled. "Lucas, if my Hydra wanted to kill you, you'd be dead. It just wanted to have your attention. But you started attacking it."
She shrugged. "In the end, it lost control. But good job. You managed to kill off one of its heads. You are strong."
I waved my hand, not interested in hearing more praises from her, and came back to the main topic. "Tell me about this God of yours. What is he the God of?"
Kiara smiled, lingering for a while before answering, "He is the Dragon God of life, death, and destruction. He's the Ruler Of Countless Universes and the Prince of Heaven's Fall. He's the man destined to kill all the True Gods to free this mortal realm from their absolute rule. He is… Samael Gracefell."
