My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 999 - 1001: Goddess Of Salvation

Damon blinked in confusion, wondering if she was serious. Subconsciously, he had figured priestesses would remain rigid, aloof, and detached.

Evidently, that belief proved mistaken.

"You are the fairest flower in this garden," he replied smoothly, overlooking the lethal glare Wendy shot his way.

Tamia’s cheeks flushed crimson right away.

"I... you flatter me, my lord. If you desired any of my sisters, you would only need to court them."

Damon showed real astonishment.

"Aren’t priestesses meant to be celibate? I thought you wouldn’t be allowed love or marriage."

Tamia shook her head softly, smiling.

"What kind of wicked god would forbid his priestesses from finding love?"

Damon hesitated.

His mind had conjured odd ceremonies, pledges of endless loyalty, a lifetime of seclusion for their deity.

She paused in her steps and faced him.

"The temple urges us to seek love. We must stay pure only until marriage. That rule shields us, not binds us."

She started walking again.

"Have you ever fallen in love, my lord?"

Damon’s features softened a touch.

"I have."

"Love is painful," Tamia murmured softly. "If you love someone, you will suffer."

Damon figured she spoke from her own trials.

Before he could answer, she shook her head.

"I have never fallen in love. It is simply something the Unknown God teaches. If you love someone, you must suffer. But if that is true... why do we encourage love? Does our god want us to suffer?"

Damon had no reply.

He recalled Lilith. Ishana. Ties that weren’t romantic but strong enough to mold destinies.

"Maybe he isn’t just talking about romance," Wendy chimed in finally.

They both turned toward her.

"Love between couples is what people think of first. But what about love between a mother and child? Siblings? Friends? Your home? If you love, you will suffer. I know that first hand."

A subtle tightness seized Damon’s chest.

He caused that very suffering.

’Wendy...’

Tamia stayed quiet for a moment. Then she smiled.

"You are very insightful, my lord. Many demons have come here. All of them dismiss love as weakness. Except you."

"Yeah, well," Damon said lightly, trying to brush the weight away, "not everyone likes talking about their feelings. But your philosophy is interesting."

Tamia’s smile broadened just a bit.

They moved under a vast stone arch.

"Then allow me to properly introduce you to the Snake Temple. This is the oldest temple in the world."

Upon passing the archway, the view transformed.

The gardens vanished behind, supplanted by sleek white stone and massive pillars. The air became cooler, more silent, infused with awe.

Two gigantic statues rose before them.

One was instantly identifiable: the Goddess of Doom.

At her side loomed another form.

A woman Damon knew without doubt.

He had viewed this statue once prior, far in the past, when escorting Lilith to the temple for her stigmata.

Tamia motioned toward it.

"That is Lolth. The Demon of Salvation."

"The Demon of Salvation..."

Damon remembered the name etched below the statue from long ago. He had glimpsed it before, but never truly examined it. Never ventured to evaluate it.

True entities resented such inspection, a lesson learned bitterly.

Instead, his gaze turned to the neighboring figure.

The Goddess of Doom.

Her face lay shrouded by a delicate veil. Her pose evoked a mourning widow. One hand grasped a heart that bled. The other wielded a sword thrust downward, signaling the battle’s close with only funerals ahead.

Gazing upon her alone overwhelmed Damon with choking assurance.

Death. War. Endings.

This wasn’t a goddess of rage or devastation.

She embodied the end itself.

Next, his eyes settled on the other statue.

And the sensation flipped entirely.

Where Doom suggested a somber rite, this one brought dawn after eternal gloom.

Hope.

Warmth.

Joy.

A hushed, improbable conviction that brighter times awaited.

Unnoticed by him, Damon’s shoulders relaxed. His breaths evened out. For an instant, he reverted to boyhood, sky-gazing with faith that his dreams could yet unfold.

"What... is she?" he whispered.

Tamia beheld the statue with a gentle smile, like greeting a longtime companion.

"Worshiping a Demon King is blasphemy. That enters godly realm. Only gods should be worshiped. Though... the Unknown God is both, which leaves a grey area no one quite knows how to handle."

She placed her hands together softly before her.

"So we honor demons. And worship gods."

She looked at Damon.

"We honor the Unknown God. And so too, his brides."

Damon frowned lightly and turned to her.

"His brides? I thought only Doom was..."

"Yes. She is," Tamia affirmed. "But she is not the only one."

She pivoted entirely to confront him.

"A bride of the Demon God doesn't always signify a wife. A bride merely denotes one fated for marriage."

Damon's forehead creased in thought.

Tamia's gaze shifted back to the statue.

"Legends tell that in ancient times, long before our goddess shaped this realm, she lived as a mere mortal. A female born bearing a trait that branded her as the bride of a deity who hadn't yet emerged."

Her tone softened a touch.

"She drew the intense interest of numerous primordial entities. Many... enigmatic ancient ones."

Damon absorbed her words quietly.

"She climbed to great heights of strength. Yet, right at the brink of true transcendence, a shift occurred. Rage toward the Unknown God consumed her. From that fury, she seized Lolth's divine essence... and rose to become a god."

Damon's eyes expanded a fraction.

"And Lolth?"

A subtle, eerie smile graced Tamia's lips once more.

"Lolth yearned solely to draw nearer to the Unknown God. Thus, she willingly took on the role of demon in her stead."

She motioned toward the statues.

"This explains our Goddess of Doom... alongside a Demon of Salvation."

Damon exhaled softly.

"The Goddess of Doom was meant to be a demon..." he murmured deliberately.

Tamia inclined her head.

"We might have gained a Goddess of Salvation instead."