GodWithWings
patreon
Ch 17 - Echoes of a Fallen God
🕑 Added 2025-05-22 16:08:05 +0000 UTCI held the crystal tightly, straining to force my mana into it.
The veins on my forehead bulged from the pressure. My face was flushed, almost feverish, but no matter how hard I tried, the mana inside me refused to respond.
“Aria,” I called out, still gripping the crystal, “how do I channel my mana into it?”
She didn’t move, pretending to sleep.
I kept staring at her back. She remained completely silent, unmoving, but I knew she was awake. Eventually, she moved under the weight of my unblinking glare and let out a long sigh before sitting up.
“I’ll help you this time,” she muttered, annoyed, brushing her hair out of her face, “but after this, I’m sleeping.”
She stood, walked over, and stopped in front of me.
“Give me your hands.”
I held them out.
She placed her palms against mine, her skin oddly warm considering the cold cave.
“First, close your eyes,” she said softly.
I obeyed.
“Now, tell me - can you feel your mana flowing?”
I nodded. “Yes… not much, but I can feel it moving.”
“Good. That’s more than most can say at this stage,” she said, her tone more patient now. “Mana flows through the same channels as your blood, but it’s not carried by it. It moves around it. Like a second current, hiding in the same river.”
She let go of one hand and tapped lightly on my wrist. “Here, it flows down. Through your fingers. Then back up. Through your arm, into your chest.”
Then, she placed two fingers against my sternum.
“This is where most people lose it. The chest is where mana coils and wraps in on itself. If you try to push too hard from here, it scatters or turns against you. That’s why it doesn’t reach your hands.”
I nodded slowly, focusing on the sensation. I could feel something faint, warm, and moving.
“Don’t force it,” she warned. “Just guide it. Think of it like moving smoke through a pipe. If you blow too hard, it curls backward or breaks apart. But if you breathe slowly, steadily, it will flow.”
I tried again. This time, I didn’t push. I pictured the mana like mist, and gently willed it downward.
“That’s it,” Aria said, her voice softer now. “You’re doing it.”
I felt it shift, sliding into my arms, toward my palms.
“And now,” she whispered, “focus that stream into the crystal. Imagine the mana touching it, like dipping your hand into water. Let it flow.”
I did as she said, and the moment the mana brushed the crystal’s surface, it reacted.
I felt a soft pulse.
Then the crystal came to life. A pale cyan light flared between my fingers, faint but steady.
Aria stepped back, rubbing her eyes. “It’s working. Now you’ll see whatever’s inside.”
The light continued to grow, slow and deliberate, like a door easing open.
And then it began.
Something slipped into my mind. Not just images, but sound, sensation, emotion. It hit all at once.
At first, it hurt. A sharp pressure, like my thoughts were being crushed from the inside. But then my mind went numb, as if my brain had drifted into a state where it could process everything at once without breaking.
It was chaotic. The memories from the crystal didn’t just exist alongside mine, they collided. My own thoughts blurred with foreign ones. My previous life, the current life, and hers… all tangled together.
Slowly, it began to settle.
One by one, the fragments sorted themselves. Each memory found its place, slipping into a space that felt made for it. No longer just noise, but a sequence. A story.
And only then did I understand what the crystal had shown me.
My eyelids got heavier as the scenes started to flash in my head.
…
Broken bodies covered the battlefield, piled where lines of brave warriors had once held.
Elves, previously gleaming in silver armor, now lay broken and bloodied. Their advantage in strength, strategy, and skill meant nothing against the sheer numbers of the enemy that knew no fear.
This wasn’t a war. It was a slaughter. A horde of twisted races driven by one purpose: to erase the Elves from existence.
Only one female elf remained. She leaned on her greatsword, once a proud extension of her will, now a little more than a crutch. Not far from her, a red troll tore into the body of her fallen kin, blood smeared across its face.
She tried to lift her sword, wanting to slay the troll or die trying, but could not. Her body refused to obey her will.
The elf lifted her head with effort. Her silver eyes were glossy from devotion slipping into despair.
“We’ve failed you, High Mother of Sylvan…” she whispered, the words catching in her throat. The agony in her body was nothing compared to the weight pressing down on her soul.
Her gaze was fixed on the one figure who still stood tall against the overwhelming strength of the enemy.
The Goddess.
She hovered above the battlefield, radiant armor and white wings tarnished by blood and dirt, her flickering magical power held strong and kept the foes at bay.
Before her, three beings floated - Gods, each more monstrous than the last.
The one covered in hellfire smirked as he watched despair creep into her eyes.
“High Mother of nothing!” he laughed, voice dripping with mockery. “Once proud, now forced to watch the end of her race.”
That grin didn’t last. His expression twisted into disgust as a massive fireball surged from his outstretched palm, roaring toward the Goddess. The flames left a trail of ash, incinerating dozens, maybe hundreds, of his own worshippers in its path. Their screams and agony meant nothing to him.
The Goddess waited.
The inferno grew louder, closer. Still, she stood. And when the fireball reached her, she raised her hand. Silvery runes appeared in the air, forming an intricate diagram, and the inferno died the instant it struck her sigil, vanishing like a candle snuffed by the wind.
“Look at that, she still has enough power to survive my attack,” the fire-wreathed God growled, then grinned again, excited. “No wonder you managed to unite all the elves. Should we keep her alive a little longer? Toy with her?” His words were laced with mockery, another attempt to tear down her dignity.
The second God floated lower, looking at her like something spoiled. His green, rotten face distorted in disgust before he spoke:
“She’s too delicate for my tastes… She’d fall apart the moment I touched her.” His voice grew quieter with each word, the excitement fading. She wasn’t a worthy opponent anymore - not for a true God. He cast his gaze to the third and final figure, looking smaller than the rest.
Unlike the others, that one had no visible aura. Or perhaps they did and simply feared to reveal it in the presence of the other two. They remained silent, their eyes never leaving the Goddess. There was no glee, no mockery in that stare - only hatred.
“I warned you that you’d regret it,” they said at last, smirking.
The Goddess smiled bitterly but said nothing. Her gaze swept across the battlefield. The elves who lay broken and bloodied below weren’t just worshippers. They were her creations. Her children.
Then the sorrow in her eyes faded, replaced by determination as the last embers of her divine magic stirred, silvery runes appearing around her for the final time.
“I would never regret dying for them,” she whispered, smiling faintly as the silver blood spilled from the corner of her lips. Then, her eyes shifted to the right, as if seeing something no one else could.
“I accept, make sure to…” Her words broke as a pure, blinding light exploded out from her body.
And when it faded… she was gone.
…
I stayed silent for a while, still sorting through what I’d seen.
The Goddess wasn’t just the Velmoryn God… she was the God of Elves. Or maybe she still is.
Now I wasn’t even sure she had perished. And in my ignorance, I might have destroyed the statue of an extremely powerful god.
The realization stung. I had acted on impulse, torn the statue down without understanding what I was dealing with. Without asking questions. I couldn’t afford to be that shortsighted again.
The memory had confirmed something else too. There were other gods. At least three more. And they were far more powerful than I had expected. Just the trolls I glimpsed in those memories could wipe out my entire tribe, one I hadn’t even fully converted yet.
I need to hide, but still grow. Even if it’s risky to be proactive, wasting time is worse.
Who knew how long it would take before one of my followers was discovered by another god? And the moment that happened, my existence would no longer be a secret.
Even if no one cared about a Nascent God, I wasn’t going to gamble on that.
I looked down at my vessel, still sleeping soundly, the memory slowly settling into his mind. Unlike Avenor, I wasn’t bound by a brain or the limitations that came with one.
I’ll let him explore the dungeon. When he does, I’ll decide what comes next.
Maybe he’d find another memory stone left behind by the Goddess. And if not, I’d still learn more about the Velmoryns and, more importantly, how magic truly worked in this world.
Even that short lesson from Aria had taught me far more than just how to channel mana. I had realized something bigger: divine power wasn’t different from mana, it simply operated on another layer. And all this time, I’d been letting the system handle it for me.
That would change.
Soon, I’d control it myself. Creation. Destruction. Every skill. No more guessing the cost, no more surprises. I’d wield divine power with the same precision Aria used with her crimson energy.
Despite everything I’d just seen - the threats, the scale of what was out there - I felt excited. Driven. Motivated.
I would grow. Quietly. Relentlessly.
Until even those three gods would think twice before making a move against me.
But there was still one thing I couldn’t shake.
Who was the Goddess speaking to, the one no one else could see?
The question weighed on me, but I had no time to focus on it - three giant spider mutants were approaching the cave.
Didn’t Aria say those runes would erase their presence from the outside?
I didn’t know if the creatures could actually sense the Velmoryns inside, but their movements didn’t seem random. They charged straight toward the cave, ignoring every other beast in their path. Smaller animals fled in panic, but the spiders didn’t even glance at them.
It was Teryo who spotted them first.
“Hurry! Wake up Avenor, we’ve been discovered!” he shouted, already grabbing his bow. In one smooth motion, he nocked an arrow, drew back, and exhaled slowly to steady his shot.
The arrow flew true, right into the head of the nearest spider. But it bounced off uselessly.
Normal bows weren’t going to pierce these things.
“Aria, where is Avenor?!” he asked, worry creeping in his voice.
“He just used the memory stone. He can’t be woken up,” Aria replied calmly. Her tone was steady - no trace of fear or urgency.
“Ninali, buy me some time. I’ll deal with them one by one,” Aria ordered, her voice suddenly sharp.
Ninali was frozen, pressed against the wall like a shadow.
“What are these things…?” she whispered, her voice shaking.
“Ninali!” Aria shouted, snapping her back to reality. Then she turned to Teryo. “Vael Teryo, try distracting one of them… for as long as you can.”
He didn’t hesitate. He turned and ran straight for the spider furthest from the cave, shouting to draw its attention. Once it turned, he fired a single arrow, then took off into the trees, the monster chasing after him.
Aria’s call was enough to somewhat calm Ninali. She grabbed her staff and moved beside Aria, still visibly rattled. Her hands trembled as she began forming runes, lips pressed into a tight line. I could see her eyes darting behind closed lids as she tried to focus.
She’s forming the same runes she used against Tharuun…
I was surprised I recognized it. I’d only seen it once, yet I remembered every detail.
Is my memory sharper now that I’m a god?
I had no time to dwell on that.
Unlike Ninali, Aria’s eyes stayed wide open. Her diagrams were smaller but more numerous. And she completed her spell first.
The closest spider halted mid-charge. It let out a shriek of pain and collapsed, its massive limbs thrashing as it hit the ground.
A faint crimson aura shimmered around its entire body.
It was suffering, and Aria had done it alone.
It felt like invisible hands had gripped the creature’s limbs and were tearing them apart. One of its legs twisted unnaturally, spinning a full circle before it was ripped clean from the socket. A burst of dark green blood sprayed into the air like a fountain.
But Aria stayed focused on it, completely locked in. She didn’t even glance at the others.
Ninali was a different story.
She was shaking now, struggling to stay upright. Blood leaked from the corners of her mouth. Her body hunched forward, and her hands tightened around her staff like it was the only thing holding her up.
She was burning herself out just to hold the spell together.
“I can’t hold it any longer!” she screamed, collapsing to the ground.
The third spider surged forward.
Its limbs moved fast now, scraping the dirt as it lunged toward the cave entrance with a shriek loud enough to rattle the stone walls.
Aria hesitated.
All she needed was one final push and her target would die. But if she broke focus now, she’d have to start the spell over. And there was no time.
The third spider was too close.
“I’ll distract it!” Vaelari yelled, rushing forward, my shield and sword clutched awkwardly in his hands.
He could barely lift them.
The spider raised one limb high and swung.
Vaelari dropped into a crouch, jamming the shield into the ground and bracing behind it. It barely slowed the blow. The shield flew from his hands, and he staggered backward, almost falling.
“Just a few more seconds…” Aria called, her voice strained now. The crimson glow around her target blazed brighter as she poured as much of her mana into the spell as she could.
“Avenooor! Wake up!” Ninali screamed, using everything she had left.
“It’s too late…” Vaelari whispered.
He stared up at the leg now rising above him. He didn’t blink. He didn’t move.
“I’ll see you soon, my love.”
**
A/N -
Initially, this scene was meant to be a prologue, but I decided that it would be more effective as a memory left behind by someone else
