CHAPTER 396: WHO IS THE PRETTIEST OF THEM ALL?

The land of Eldoria was drenched in blood. The previous stains hadn’t even faded when the new crimson piled up on them. Layer by layer, red dyed the royal city Myrthiana.

Then, like some ominous curse, it spread toward other cities.

First to the city of ruin, Ferni, where Soren was hiding. Then toward Uzera, healer’s paradise, where Klein and Capsian were getting treated for the wounds Darius had given them.

Before they even saw it coming, the Archduke had ruined every church, and like a man on a suicide mission, he slaughtered everyone who dared to step in his way.

Old, young, innocent, killers, orcs, beasts, animals, even plants... none were spared.

It was so brutal that the cry for help resonated in every corner of the world.

The mortal realm burned. And in the heavens, a mother’s heart shattered beyond repair.

Goddess Myrthia, still waiting for her beloved son’s return, was devastated when Xion perished.

If only she hadn’t been so consumed by other matters.

If only she hadn’t allowed Xion to leave.

If only...

So many ifs, and not a single answer.

The heavens, once alive with her laughter, now seemed colder. Even the shimmering clouds felt heavier, as though mourning alongside her.

She could only watch as the Archduke lost himself to rage and descended into a killing frenzy.

The slaughter was so merciless, so indiscriminate, that it shook the heavens themselves.

With Darius’ power, entire cities could fall in a day. Wiping out the households responsible for Xion’s suffering was nothing to him.

There was one man who could stand against him. Father Michael.

And so the church’s holy blade clashed with the devil’s chosen.

To Myrthia’s disappointment, the other deities sided with Michael.

"For all his flaws, Michael has killed far fewer than Darius."

"Darius had been tainted with demonic spirits. It is unsafe to let him live among the mortals."

"Michael spreads the word of the gods among the common folk, keeping their faith alive."

"Without that faith, we would all fade from existence."

"I vote for Michael."

In the end, only two voices stood for Darius—Myrthia herself, and Mr. Cat, the eccentric new deity presiding over a world where humans had evolved into animal hybrids.

Just when Myrthia worried, another voice chimed in.

It was from one of the blessed.

"Goddess, here is my prayer, and let Darius win this war. If Michael won, there would be no more you in this world." Minato continued to pray wholeheartedly.

That finally startled the eccentric gods and goddesses to mull over their decision.

If they killed Darius, Michael would be too powerful, but if they don’t kill Darius, no one would be spared.

In the end, they decided to turn back time.

That way, both Darius and Michael had no reason to fight with each other.

And if Darius, for some reason, ended up killing again, that would directly send him to hell.

Because if they compared the people harmed by Michael for his own amusement, they were far fewer than those killed by Darius in his rage.

The adult angel was not allowed to approach them and corrupt them.

To punish Xion, they erased his memories as well.

So, the world started spinning on its second loop.

However, some things were just meant to be, and some were not.

The little angel Xion, with his still-innocent eyes, stared at the water curtain in the heavenly halls.

Only... his gaze was not fixed on the scenery.

It was fixed on the silver-haired, green-eyed figure he saw moving through the mortal realm.

"Mr. Cat? Who are considered the prettiest ones? Males, females? Or animals?"

The words were just as obscure as the angel himself.

It was the sort of impossible, roundabout question that only Xion could ask.

"That’s not how it works, little one," Mr. Cat flicked its tail. "But if you compare species... Elfs are considered the prettiest species on land, while mermaids and sirens are for water."

Elf... Elf. Pretty elf.

"I want to meet an elf. Can I go?"

The god’s fur bristled. If he were human, he might have clutched his chest in alarm.

Those words made the god hood inside Mr. Cat’s heart rattle like a drum.

"No. You aren’t going anywhere without supervision."

"Then... can I go with supervision?"

"No."

And so began Xion’s daily campaign.

The next day—

"Can I go today?"

"No."

The day after that—

"Can I go now?"

"No."

And the next... and the next.

"Mr. Cat, can I go today?"

"No."

"Oh..." Xion’s wings drooped, and his chubby cheeks puffed up in visible annoyance.

He should have been angry.

Once upon a time, he would have been. But now, he couldn’t seem to get enraged at Mr. Cat, or at Mother.

Not even when they kept him locked in his side of the heavens.

"Fine... I’ll come back tomorrow," he muttered, shuffling off toward his chambers.

Life in heaven had changed him somehow. Though his innocent mind couldn’t figure out why.

He might not have noticed the extent of his damaged soul, but other angles did. And they all pitied him.

None were aware exactly what had conspired while they were busy handling the affairs entrusted to them.

Only that the once talkative, curious little angel no longer flitted between the clouds, peppering them with endless questions.

Xion had become quiet. Almost so quiet that the heavens felt oddly silent to their ears.

There were a few who tried to approach Xion with his favorite things, but that only had the opposite effect.

Xion started hiding from them, staring at them with wide, panicked eyes as if they were there to harm him.

In the end, they could only leave him be.

Yet all of this was reported back to Goddess Myrthia.

Unaware of all of it, Xion continued to follow his own routine.

Avoid any angel with white hair or grey eyes. They were scary to him. So very scary that he wanted to hide in his mother’s embrace.

But he couldn’t. He was a big angel now. If he still asked his mother to hide him, they would never let him meet the elf.

So, he needed to be strong.

His days passed in a slow, muted rhythm which consisted of doing exercise, mixing potions, brewing salves, and then retreating to his bedroom as though it were a hibernating cave.

He barely visited the gardens anymore. He avoided the open halls unless summoned. He even stopped chasing after the shiny flies during the night festivals.

It was easier to stay inside.

Easier not to feel the ache of wanting something he could not even understand.

The only real passion left to him was the water curtain and the silver-haired elf whom he believed was dancing upon the ice.

In reality, Darius was simply practicing swordsmanship. While, to Xion’s mind, each strike and spin was a complicated dance.

"Mr. Cat—"

"No, Xion. Not allowed."

"But I haven’t even—"

"Still no."

"Pretty please?" he tilted his head to the side and widened his eyes as far as possible. "Aren’t you my best friend? I don’t have anyone else to ask for help."

Xion was acting shamelessly cute, but those words struck heavily on Mr. Cat’s heart.

Xion didn’t have any other friends.

This was exactly why they almost lost this child to that voting game.

Perhaps it was also their fault for hiding Xion like this. If they had sent him with other angels early on, he wouldn’t be so unaware of the dangers of the human world.

Then, nothing like that would have happened.

Mr. Cat was well aware that goddess Myrthia was also blaming herself. She was so ashamed of her own powerlessness that she had started to quietly increase her influence.

In the end, they just wanted this little angel to be happy.

If they continued to keep him locked, they were doing exactly what Michael had done.

So, when Xion came the next day, his persistence finally wore the feline god down.

With a resigned sigh, Mr. Cat agreed to take him to meet the "elf."

However, he couldn’t leave his post for too long either. His newly stabilized world might just erupt like a volcano if left unchecked for long.

Putting a special protection spell on Xion, he went to look for Minato.

From that day onward, it became Minato’s secret mission to protect the child of the goddess.

And little Xion, with his wings safely hidden and protection charms piled upon him like a tiny hill, stomped toward the Darkhelm estate.

The difference was the size of the elf.

Darius was not the big elf he had seen dancing in the snow, but a child just a few inches taller than him.

In that instant, the world seemed brighter.

The snow sparkled more, the cold air felt sweeter, and for the first time in so long, Xion had a big, happy smile on his slightly flushed face.

Elf was still an Elf.

Even at this smaller size, he looked so cute!

Xion’s blue eyes lit up as he ran toward his destination, leaving fresh footprints on the snow-white floor.