Divine Apostasy Book 11 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Any hope of getting out of this situation alive disappeared as Miranda continued. Ruin and Rami both stumbled backward to get out of the way of Miranda’s clone, which seemed to get bigger the more she spoke.

Ruin’s Identify ability still worked and displayed some basic information.

Name: Varthon the Abyssal Lord

Species: Void Wyrm

Type: Rift Weaver

Might: Exceptional

Description: Void Wyrms are rare creatures, able to withstand the unforgiving nature of the abyss between universes. A handful possess the extraordinary ability to create bridges through the void, allowing others to cross the treacherous nothingness safely. These are called Rift Weavers, and they rank as one of the most treasured beings in existence.

Miranda continued. "Ten millennia have passed, and here you still lurk in the abyss, rotting like a coward! When the cosmos balanced on the edge of annihilation, we both made painful sacrifices. For the universe, for balance, I sealed myself away within the Third Secret. And you? You wallowed in the depths of this cursed Realm, nursing your pride like a spoiled hatchling!”

Varthon’s eyes widened, and he stepped away from Miranda’s massive form.

“Do you remember the fire that once burned in our hearts?” Miranda asked. “The storms we conjured with our fury? Look at you now, Varthon—less than a shadow, a disgrace to your kind. You cower in the darkness while I endure the solitude of prison, my essence stretched across dimensions to preserve life. Yet you, you couldn’t even muster the strength to rise above your self-pity.”

Ruin raised his hands to try and calm Miranda down, desperate to try and salvage a path to his and Rami’s survival, but Miranda faced the other direction and completely ignored him.

Rami pushed Ruin’s hands down and slowly shook her head, eyes wide in fright.

Miranda had just gotten started. “You accuse me of betrayal, but who betrayed whom? After we battled the chains of destruction, you chose isolation, turning your back—not just on me but on all that we stand for. You dare to compare your suffering to mine? You, who had the freedom to roam, to fight, to live. Instead, this is what you embraced? To wither in the depths like a frightened lizard!”

Varthon’s eyes blazed. In a blink, the man disappeared, replaced by a massive grey wyrm. Deep, muted grey scales swallowed most of the light rather than reflecting it.

Ruin felt the same nausea he had upon seeing the void behind Rami’s arrival. Varthon’s movements were deliberate and powerful, echoing ancient strength shaped by the void itself. Black eyes held the vast cold indifference of the abyss, with motes of fierce intelligence and pride blazing like dying stars. Despite his size and potential for annihilating the surroundings, a palpable sense of weariness surrounded him, the burden of millennia weighing heavily on his sleek wings.

Varthon roared, giving Ruin an instant headache, but it didn’t faze Miranda in the slightest.

Miranda continued, her voice softer. “You only thought of yourself, Varthon. What of the legacy of our scales. There’s so much more than the two of us, something greater, something beyond our grievances.”

That seemed to take Varthon by surprise, and he folded his wings against his body. Despite their similar size, the Void Wyrm looked built for speed with curving edges and sleek outline.

Miranda folded her wings and seemed to hunch in on herself. “And yet, here you are, still drowning in this pit, blaming me for choosing the greater good over you. Your heart has grown as cold and empty as the void you so cherish. You have wrapped yourself in ignorance and have yet to understand the weight of the choice I made, not out of disregard for you, but out of unyielding love for all creation."

Miranda began to fade, and she stretched her head outward until it almost touched Varthon. Her last words were whispered, but Ruin’s Archangel hearing caught every word.

“And, most importantly, for my family.”

Miranda disappeared and thousands of small pieces of paper floated gently to the ground. Like a living puzzle they reassembled into a picture.

No one spoke, and after ten seconds, Varthon transitioned into his human form. He stepped forward and knelt in the pulverized remains of the throne. He gently picked up the picture and Ruin caught a glimpse of it.

Instead of the weird bird and five towers, a new hand drawn picture had appeared. Now it just contained three flying creatures: one grey and two black—one much smaller.

It didn’t take a genius to put the clues together and arrive at the most likely conclusion.

Ruin turned to Rami who intently studied Varthon.

Thirty seconds passed in painfully awkward silence.

Varthon gently pushed the paper to his chest, and it disappeared. He looked up and met Rami’s gaze. She hadn’t stopped staring at the Abyssal Lord.

Varthon spoke from his kneeling position, his voice didn’t contain the condensed power from before. Now he sounded tired and maybe sad.

“I came to this location because an opening to the void appeared. How could such an impossibility occur? I arrive to find not one impossibility, but an additional three. I honestly am so overwhelmed by this sudden turn of fate that I’m questioning my sanity.”

“What’s impossible?” Rami asked evenly.

Ruin sensed Rami’s tightly coiled emotions but stopped himself from reaching out both physically and mentally. The last thing she needed right now was a distraction. Plus, of everyone they knew he was probably the least equipped to navigate the minefield of emotions Rami likely felt right now.

Varthon sat back and crossed his legs. He held out a hand in front of him. “Please.”

Rami stepped forward and sat a few feet in front of Varthon.

The Void Wyrm looked up at Ruin. “You too, Saraph.”

Ruin knew he couldn’t outrun Varthon, plus he couldn’t leave Rami here, and she certainly didn’t plan on going anywhere yet. He strode forward and desperately tried to think of a way to even the balance of power.

The only thing that came to mind was trying to alter their luck with Fate’s Balance. As soon as Ruin focused on the ability, a small tab appeared on the left side of his vision. With a thought it opened, and he stopped walking, too shocked by the values to do anything else.

Ruin had looted a body earlier, and it had automatically looted everything he’d killed during his fight with Lalquinrial. Ruin hadn’t known that included the luck threads though. Now he knew it did.

Fate’s Balance:

Positive Threads: 8,120

Negative Threads: 8,944

Borrowed Threads (1% Max): 0

With the display open, everything Ruin looked at, including things like the towers, all took on a glowing outline letting him know he could shift threads to it. He considered how much positive luck he should shift to Rami and how much he should save in case they needed to fight. The option of shifting eighty-one luck to himself existed for the first time. Hamma would be so thrilled.

As Ruin sat next to Rami, he refocused on Varthon and considered pushing some bad luck toward the wrym.

“Void take me,” Varthon said. “How are you holding so much fate?”

There goes the element of surprise, Ruin thought.

“Think twice, Fate Weaver,” Varthon said calmly. “The accidents I cause are catastrophic. Manipulating my fate will certainly result in your death.”

Ruin took the threat seriously, but kept the display open, ready to transfer all the bad luck to the Void Wyrm if he attacked.

“What’s impossible?” Rami asked again.

Varthon held up a finger, and Ruin noticed the man’s nails, while short, looked incredibly sharp.

“That in this universe any creature other than myself can traverse the void.” The Void Wyrm held up a second finger and shifted his gaze to Ruin. “That I would encounter a Saraph, since the only Saraph this Realm contained was a royal of house Val’dor, murdered long ago. I constructed the Channels to this universe myself and would know if anyone new crossed them.”

Varthon paused as he returned his attention to Rami. He held up a third finger and Ruin decided they resembled talons.

“That an old…” Once again Varthon paused, before finishing with, “friend, appeared to give me her regards.”

Rami kept her eyes locked on Varthon’s.

“And fourth,” Varthon whispered. “Discovering something inconceivable.”

“What?” Rami asked her voice soft to match Varthon’s.

“A family.”