Martin pulled out the documents in the file, a collection of pictures accompanying them.
Natasha, having recognized the word on the file, quickly crossed the distance to take a closer look at the contents.
Ren couldn't help himself also. Charlotte remained where she was seated, already aware of the specifics of the file.
Martin went through document by document explaining the details.
"Natasha, you know what the Lilim is. As for Ren, you lost your memories so I'll explain it keeping that in mind. The Lilim is a terrorist organization we have been looking into, mysterious on the surface. The intelligence in this file was very difficult to obtain and a lot of men were lost while compiling it.
The motives of the Lilim have for a long time remained a mystery. And only very few know what I'm about to share.
First appearing here in the 4th kingdom, a couple of hundred years ago when your grandfather had just ascended the throne…."
Martin's narration was cut short by a sudden outburst by Ren.
"FREAKING HELL! That man has already ruled for a couple of hundred years already?!"
"Ren, focus!" Martin gave him a stern looked and continued, "Since then, its influence has spread to the other kingdoms around the world and their numbers grow by the day. The lilim is a safe haven for the oppressed minority that cultivate death qi and each year new death qi users are recruited. This not only adds to its man power but also gives it an undead army at its disposal. They are a national threat to many kingdoms.
Their attacks are for the most part random and hard to track. Sometimes, they launch undead attacks on a kingdom. Sometimes full blown physical wars with multiple kingdoms. Sometimes discrete assassination of key political figures or influential tycoons, and sometimes they defend monsters that invade cities and kingdoms.
They are also seen carrying out a few righteous acts here and there. I guess for public sympathy.
On the inside however, the lilim turns into a cultic organization with devoted worship of a supreme being known as the Soul Devourer. An entity said to devour the souls of every living creature, adding to its strength. This soul devourer was spotted on camera once. Sadly, the man that caught the footage perished seconds after he was discovered."
Ren raised his brow in surprise.
So the soul devourer isn't a spirit as I had assumed. He has a physical presence. Could he perhaps be a mortal reaper with an insane amount of both physical and human resources?
He stared at the picture of the cloaked figure, raising up his hands with thousands of other cloaked individuals kneeling on one knee in reverence.
"I do not believe in the existence of gods nor souls but this Soul Devourer is rumored among the lilim to be stronger than King Octavius, the strongest of the kings. I can only imagine such power is border-line god-like,"
Martin's brows creased under the stress.
Ren had already come to terms with the fact that he was facing a god-like entity. But he had initially thought it was a spirt with little physical presence. He firmly believed he could increase his spiritual influence with the teachings from his previous life. But now the discovery that Soul Devourer was a physical being put him at a loss. One thing was evident since the time he arrived here, he was weak physically. He couldn't even go up against Natasha. How was he supposed to go up against a physical god?!
Charlotte turned her gaze towards Ren, a complicated look in her eyes. Her son was now held captive by this powerful being. What did that mean for Ren? Would Ren be forced to carry out terrorist activity along with the Lilim? Would The soul devourer turn her new son into an even more dangerous monster?
She didn't know. All she wanted to do now was hug her son but it felt too foreign an action.
Ren had spaced out, his mind racing, desperately trying to navigate a way out when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder.
Looking down, he saw it was Martin's so he looked into his eyes.
"This is a complicated situation I know, but hey, we'll figure a way out," Martin reassured, a faint smile tugging on his lips.
All Martin wanted to do right now was be supportive and lift a little bit of weight off his son's shoulders, however little. Maybe if he had done this the last time, Ren wouldn't have spiraled down the dark path.
Little did he know his simple action, had a more profound effect than that on Ren.
Ren felt a warmth in his heart he didn't know he craved—something he missed in his previous life. A father's care.
Charlotte rose from her seat and pulled Ren into an embrace, affirming her support and care with her gentle touch.
If Ren had felt a warmth before, now he felt a fire burning in his chest.
He was so caught up in the bliss of it that he didn't notice when a tear drop fell down from his glistening eyes.[1]
"I know the previous me has done a lot of wrong things. I apologize deeply. I promise to be different from now on. To right every wrong, I've done. I promise to never let evil come to his family. "Ren vowed, hypnotized by the warm emotions.
Noticing the situation had gotten a little too emotional for liking, Natasha cleared her throat, "Okay, great family moment here. Beautiful. But I think right now you guys should be worrying about Jerald. He wasn't happy earlier today. Maybe you have listened to your god friend Ren. Unlike what you thought, Ren, innocent is the last word to describe Jerald."
Her remark, snapped everyone out of whatever moment they fallen into to.
Jerald isn't my only problem. There's that old man from the hotel too.
And I still haven't found out the Soul Devourer's whole intention in staging this act. He put me out there to face the trial so I could put the blame on Jerald but why? If I had done as he had instructed, Jerald would be facing an execution now. What benefit would Jerald's death bring the Soul Devourer?
As if his thoughts had been read, the Soul Devourer's voice came in, not just as a sound but as a decree that weighed one hundred mountains.
"You stand there, believing you outmaneuvered fate. You believe your sentiment spared a life and earned you a reprieve. You are a child who has traded a training sword for a live blade, convinced he has won a better weapon."
A wave of ancient, infinite patience washed over him, more terrifying than any anger.
"My design was elegant. Jerald, exposed as a liar before the king, would have been executed. His son, Nick, is a pup—all bark, no fang. He would have been a nuisance, a whetstone to sharpen you against. Manageable. Predictable."
A pause set in, allowing the full weight of Ren's error to settle.
"But you... you let the wolf live. Jerald is not a pup. He is a seasoned political predator, humiliated and now harboring a blood-grudge. He has resources, allies, and a lifetime of experience in the very arts you are just beginning to comprehend. He will not come at you with the blunt rage of a child. He will come with the silent, patient precision of a master, and he will not stop until you and everything you have momentarily charmed are utterly destroyed."
A final, chilling thought was imparted. Not as a threat, but as a simple statement of fact.
"You were given a simple test of ruthlessness. You failed. Now, you face the final exam for which you are profoundly unprepared. I suggest you learn faster than you have ever learned anything, Ren Vaelthorn. Your newfound family makes for such excellent leverage."
[1] Ren, was an orphan in his previous life. So he got a little emotional