"In this world of vast possibilities, endless potential had to be limited to maintain a balanced system."
Her grim voice mixed with her dreadful expression, creating an uncomfortable presence that seeped through Cole's skin. He could feel every vibration of her voice tickle his bones.
"Before the existence of False and True Earth, the world and universe as a whole existed on one plane; that plane is now referred to as Eaden." She sunk her throat deeper as her tone dropped drastically into something thick.
Her eyes went dull. "In that world, humans, supernatural entities, and other species lived harmoniously together. Though 'harmoniously' would be a bit of a stretch." She lowered her head. "I don't know much about it myself, but still, that is a world I want—a world of equality with no deities."
Cole felt a cold air swirling around him; her words had weight like an anvil, crushing his very skeleton where he sat. The knowledge of such an overbearing concept made him curl his lips as sweat drizzled on his face.
'Keep your composure, Cole,' he thought, clutching his jeans like a frightened child.
Despite trying hard to hide his anxiety, Cole's gloomy eyes gave his act away. That mere detail was enough for her to catch on.
"I hope that info's not too much?" she asked with a bold smile.
Cole answered, "No, please keep going."
"I would love to, but unfortunately, that's all I know. So, I'm just going straight to the point from here." She reverted her demeanor back to normal.
Cole focused intently on her, sharpening his ears for her next set of words.
She parted her lips and paused to build suspense, then chuckled for a good minute.
After that, she spoke, "I want you to become my Faction Head."
Cole lowered his brow as he straightened his lips. "You have a faction?"
"I do now!" She burst out, gleaming with joy.
Cole was baffled. 'I don't get it.'
She explained, "That task I gave you was an adherence test. Typically, when a faction starts, the first head is given a mission. If they pass, they're given access to interact with deities, and once an alliance is formed, a faction is created." She sipped some tea.
"Or at least, that's just the basics." She set down her cup.
"The test you were given was the easiest adherence test, but at the same time, the most difficult."
Cole raised his brow. "I don't understand. Can you please explain?" His eyes twitched; the lingering effect of her previous words was still at play.
She raised her finger and smirked. "For the average person, going up against those guardians is impossible, but the majority of the faction heads established today underwent far worse trials than yours; some even lost something valuable in the process. Yours was the easiest." She raised her second finger. "However, even if they got past the guardians, if the conditions weren't in alignment as they were for you, the Venerable would have killed them."
Cole had a difficult time digesting everything he heard; like having a huge cut of meat stuck in his throat, he was forced to gulp it down or have it choke him to death.
For the sake of the already established conversation, he continued, "So what are the benefits of becoming a Faction Head? Could that power you promised me be one of them?" He stretched an awkward grin.
"No, not from me. I'm a deity that no longer exists, so I'm afraid I can't really give you the full buff of a Faction Head." She smiled politely with an insultingly straight face.
Cole's awkward grin collapsed as he let out an enraged growl. He grabbed her head, squeezed it tightly, and toyed with her like a joystick.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She groaned
"You're sorry? Why did you bring me here in the first place if you're this useless!" He dragged her head through different angles.
She stiffened her face. "Come again?" Her tone was a calamity on its own.
Cole shot back and returned to his senses with etiquette. "Pardon my rough behavior, ma'am. It seems I've had one too many cups of fine tea."
"I only gave you one cup, and you didn't finish it." A vein popped on her forehead.
'I'm screwed.'
She sighed and tapped her fingers on the table, the look in her eyes one of displeasure.
"Before I was rudely interrupted... I myself can't grant you all the powers of a Faction Head; that's another reason why I had you go after the Venerable." She leaned closer to Cole.
Without a hint of warning, she dug her nails into Cole's chest, then further thrust her hand into his skin, ripping his chest in the process. Cole was stunned; like a chained prisoner, he was unable to move or react.
His instincts failed him in that moment.
She dug deeper into his chest. Cole sat watching with a revolted expression as his eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.
Finally, she halted.
In one single action, she gouged out Cole's heart from his chest, the veins and arteries still attached.
Cole was popeyed; he widened his mouth, but words couldn't formulate. His voice went dumb, and the disbelief playing in his eyes was a testament to his condition. His hands kept quivering in place, yet he was unable to move an inch.
She held it in her hand as it continued beating, showcasing it for Cole to behold. Oddly enough, neon purple and green molds grew at the top of his aorta, and crimson flowers bloomed from his left ventricle.
Cole was lost between a mix of dumbfoundedness and pure mesmerization.
She noticed this and tilted her head to the side. "Thank me, Cole..." She savored his frightened yet intrigued expression.
"...You are now a Venerable."
"Huh?!" Cole exclaimed.
"You passed the adherence test. Not only are you immortal, but you also have full control over the realm the Venerable resided in and the guardians within."
Cole was on the brink of stretching a deranged grin.
"However, as I mentioned before, I'm incapable of giving you the powers of a Faction Head, so two of those things are inaccessible to you," she spoke in a smooth, uplifting voice. "But still, congratulations."
'She's... I... huh?' Cole was stranded in his own mess.
She placed Cole's heart back and watched it heal, after which she returned to her seat and sipped her tea.
"I don't expect you to digest all this so quickly. Take your time, and when you're ready, I'll continue." She gave him a thumbs up.
Cole enclosed his palms as he pondered. 'Calm down, Cole.'
"If I want to gain enough power to be able to control that dimension, what do I have to do?"
She smiled. "Straight to the point as well, I like that." She relaxed her shoulders and laid back. "You simply have to join another faction for the time being and ascend from there."
"You'll still have the alliance with me, but since I'm a deity that technically no longer exists, nobody will know. To everyone else, you're just Cole Raiden, an accomplice of the highest order." She concluded.
"I don't like being regarded as an accomplice," he smiled frantically with unsteady lip movement. "Even then, I'll do it since I'm immortal and all."
'That's a good boy,' she thought.
"I'll keep as much contact with you as possible. Till we meet again, Cole." She waved in a blissful manner.
Cole gaped. "Wait, how do I go back to being alive?"
She widened her eyes creepily. "You'll fall, is all."
'I'll fall?'
The ground beneath Cole's feet opened up and swallowed him whole. The only thing discernible within the dark pit was Cole's horrified screaming.
The deity tapped the table as she stared blankly at the three moons hanging in the sky. Some catfish hovered above her head.
"I can't wait to get out of this place," she muttered.