Divine Apostasy Book 11 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Rami nodded as if she expected that answer. "Is that why my mom is so upset with you?"

"Yes, among other things. What is your name, if I may ask?"

"Rami is fine for now."

The silence dragged out, and Ruin shifted uncomfortably.

The movement broke the spell and Varthon jumped at the opportunity to change the subject.

"Who and what are you?" Varthon asked Ruin.

"My name is Ruwen and I’m a human from the Material Realm."

"That is obviously not the case."

Ruin looked down at himself before returning his attention to the void wyrm. "This is a mistake. I absorbed some armor in my transition to Angel and it took over when I arrived here. Then the Destruction essence ate my human body and replaced it with this. I don’t even know what a Saraph is.”

“If you didn’t look so much like her, I wouldn’t believe any of this.” Varthon studied the silver band above Ruin’s right bicep. “May I touch your band of authority?”

Ruin leaned forward and twisted to the left so his right arm was close to the void wyrm.

Varthon cautiously extended a finger and barely touched the silver band with the tip of one of his sharp nails.

The band responded with a surge of power and Varthon’s hand and forearm disintegrated. Varthon’s sleeve hung limply, but the void wyrm didn’t even make a sound.

“Fascinating,” Varthon muttered as his forearm and hand regrew. “I was positive it was fake. Where did you find it?”

“It was inside the Havoc Sovereign’s core.”

“I assumed as much. Necrolite’s possess the ability to store items in their cores. That doesn’t explain how you have it, since forcing a core open would only destroy the contents."

Ruin recalled how he’d placed the Destruction core inside his own center when trying to control the spread of Destruction essence in his body. "Well, I think in this case," Ruin said, "the inventory destroyed the core in an attempt to free itself. Unfortunately for me, that happened while the core was in my center."

"Are you joking? You placed a Destruction core inside your center? Are you stupid?"

"The consensus seems to be yes, but I usually don't have many choices."

"He's not stupid," Rami stated. "Just the opposite, in fact."

Varthon gave a small bow to Rami. "My apologies. I did not intend to insult your friend."

Rami would have normally accepted the apology, but she seemed a lot more on edge and her response confirmed it.

"He's more than my friend. He's my bond."

Varthon’s eyes widened, and—based on his expression—Ruin wondered if the man might vomit. The void wyrm quickly controlled his emotions, but the damage was already done.

Rami shifted from her cross-legged position to her knees and with a finger she roughly poked Varthon in the chest as she spoke.

"What’s your problem?" Rami asked a little loudly.

Varthon ignored the poking and truly looked apologetic.

"A wyrm bonding with anything is considered abhorrent where I'm from. And a human would never bond with a creature. So, the existence of such a taboo connection is shocking. I apologize for not controlling my response, it seems I’m out of practice. I had the same reaction with your mom. You’d think I’d learn."

Rami still looked like she wanted to fight but reluctantly sat back down.

Varthon turned his attention to Ruin. "I hope you know how lucky you are to have bonded with a void wyrm and spend every moment cherishing the connection."

That comment snapped Rami out of her anger. "What's a void wyrm? My path is perception."

"What?" Varthon hissed as he half-transformed into his natural form before regaining control.

That surprised Ruin and Rami, and neither one of them responded. Varthon’s response seemed drastically unnatural for such a revelation.

Rami, still emotionally coiled, took the comment and reaction negatively.

"There's nothing wrong with the perception path. You think because you're bigger than me that you're better. Well take this you fat grey salamander."

Ruin felt a little sorry for Varthon. The wyrm had obviously spent a lot of time alone and the last few minutes had produced constant surprises about things he thought impossible. It had obviously shaken the wyrm.

Varthon touched his temple. "Did you just pierce my mind?"

"Yes," Rami responded, "and it was easy."

Ruin wished Rami would dial her anger back a little, but he had enough self-awareness to know saying something like that would be disrespectful to Rami's feelings, not to mention she would probably give him constant migraines for a week.

Instead of matching Rami’s anger, though, Varthon smiled. "Was it really easy?"

"Easier than a Booming Hen," Rami spat.

Rami sucked in a breath and turned to Ruin. "Sorry, that was a terrible example."

Varthon looked confused.

Ruin reached over and gently squeezed Rami's shoulder, letting her know he supported her, before responding to Varthon.

"They’re chickens," Ruin said. "And they aren't known for their brains. Although they do have a superb grasp of marketing. Anyway, I had a run-in with a few of them a while back and it's a sensitive topic."

Varthon couldn't hide a grin. "You entered my mind as easily as a chicken's."

Rami pressed her lips together but gave a nod.

"Am I really a big, fat grey salamander?"

A small smile escaped despite Rami's best effort. "I guess you're not that big."

Ruin laughed in spite of himself and Varthon followed. A moment later Rami joined them. The oppressive emotional storm that surrounded them abated just a bit and some of the tension in Rami’s shoulders disappeared.

"Why did that surprise you so much?" Ruin asked.

"Void wyrms are incredibly rare. We have a unique ability among all of creation to navigate the emptiness between existence. The void is unforgiving and will exploit any weakness."

Sift had told Ruin about Shelley's family and how they'd left this place for another universe.

"What about an Elder Star Tortoise? I thought they could move around out there."

"I’m impressed you know about those noble creatures, but they don't actually travel the void. They can hear other universes and if they're close enough they can create a temporary wyrmhole from one universe into the other and travel there."

Varthon turned his attention back to Rami. "My kind are rare, but a tiny fraction possesses another ability that makes us incomprehensibly valuable. We’re called Rift Weavers, and we can create bridges between universes. These bridges can be used by anyone and are, for the most part, permanent."

"That's interesting, but it doesn't answer Ruin's question."

Varthon grew serious and locked eyes with Rami. "You tore the fabric of existence, navigated the void, and then ripped another hole to reach your friend. You, Rami, are a void wyrm."

That comment shined a spotlight on the obvious, but yet unspoken, truth between them. Rami remained silent.

"That is shocking all on its own," Varthon continued. "For many reasons, actually. What really shook me, however, was your evolution path. It's a mystery why or how the Rift Weaver ability appears in a handful of us, but every evolutionary path but one has produced at least a single Weaver."

"Perception," Rami muttered.

"Exactly so. I don't want to reveal the details of Rift Weavers in this place as they are closely guarded secrets, but I can tell you, Rami, a Perception Rift Weaver would be a creature of unparalleled power. Most believe they never appear because existence can't tolerate such an imbalance. Or, if not existence, then the Harmonics."

"The Harmonic faction would hurt Rami?" Ruin asked.

Varthon narrowed his eyes and a low growl escaped his chest. "No one will hurt my daughter."

The comment seemed to surprise Varthon as his mind caught up with his speech. He looked down, fierce anger replaced with sadness and guilt.

Varthon took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He raised his head as if the weight of the universe sat atop it.

"I'm sorry, Rami. For not knowing about you, for my absence, for so many things.”

Rami stared intently at Varthon.

“I understand Miranda's anger. She's right about me. After we were separated, I never left this place, which meant she never had the chance to tell me about you. My anger and pride kept us separated, and I’m ashamed about that. I hope someday you can forgive me."

Rami didn't speak for ten seconds and then gave a small nod. She swallowed hard a couple of times before she found her voice.

"You can start by not killing Ruin."

"I won't touch him, but that doesn't matter. I'm not an expert on Destruction Realm politics, but like everyone else in all of existence, I know that there is a single Destruction Emperor. The System here is odd and this universe was supposed to be a secret, so I don't know if the real Destruction Realm will get notified of such a monumental event. There’s nothing Ruin can do as the current Emperor will stop at nothing to annihilate him. I doubt even Aeonrial could survive an onslaught from the Destruction Realm, and he is a Harmonic prodigy."

"Aeonrial?" Ruin asked. "As in the guy who created this universe?"