The Dark Before The Light

After a few minutes, Acacia got to her feet and walked, not bothering to glance back at the horrific tableau she'd left behind. She retrieved her bags, slinging them over her shoulder, and continued along the path of the glowing green crystals. She walked for what felt like hours, not a single new sound or disturbing sight breaking the monotony. She pulled out the calendar, ticked off the day, then returned it to her bag, strapping the wristwatch onto her wrist to monitor the passage of time as she delved deeper and deeper.

She kept her eyes peeled for anything suspicious, but so far, nothing overtly crazy had happened. She glanced at the wristwatch again, noting it was already late afternoon.

"Time flies by, and so far, nothing but an endless road," Acacia muttered, stopping in her tracks.

'You sound disappointed that something isn't trying to eat you,' Daemonis remarked.

"I'm just observing, okay?" Acacia grumbled. "I'm going to take a small break." She sat down on the ground and pulled her second bag before her, wrinkling her nose at the slight mess inside. She extracted some squished bread and a small can of fish, tearing the lid off before stuffing the fish into the bread and taking a bite.

'My mother would kill me seeing me eat like this,' Acacia thought with a small chuckle, chewing slowly. She felt Behemoth stir, and he stretched his neck, attempting to snatch a bite, but she quickly raised the makeshift sandwich out of his reach

"You've already eaten one of those baby things," Acacia commented, feeling Behemoth biting her neck. "You know that doesn't hurt me, right?" But the small animal continued its persistent nibbling regardless. She sighed, tore a piece of bread, and handed it to him. He snatched it from her fingers, fitting it in his mouth as he chewed and swallowed it whole.

Acacia brought the rest of the bread back to her mouth and finished her small snack. She then counted her remaining cans. She had quite a few, though some sauce or liquid had stained the inside of the bag. There was also a second loaf of bread.

'They probably didn't know what to pack, hm,' she thought. 'Let's see, some canned fish, beans, and meat. That seems okay for a while. I won't eat every day, so it lasts.' She closed her bag and continued her journey forward.

'By the way, why did you choose me?' She asked Daemonis, a new question surfacing. 'I'm not asking about how angry I was; there are many people, I'm pretty sure, who are more rage-filled than I am. They're much more powerful as well. It would be easier to just bond with them than with someone who has to learn everything from scratch.'

'Hm, well, while I was passing by... There were a lot of dead people on that road. Some filled with fear, some filled with peace. Your rage was the most prominent thing. I wondered if something so small could feel that type of anger. It was exhilarating watching your soul struggle to keep you alive for the sole purpose of killing your brother, even though you had nothing,' Daemonis chuckled at the memory. 'You were the perfect vessel for me. I knew my powers would quickly take root. Another reason was that we don't pick powerful humans.'

'Why?' Acacia asked, a brow raised in her mind's eye.

'Weak humans are the best candidates for something like this,' Daemonis explained. 'If we picked a human who already has their own powers, it would be difficult to bond since their powers would conflict with ours, fighting for dominance, thus making it difficult for them to train their divine powers. In common cases, they explode from the force. And since gods don't have enough time to train a vessel, we cannot waste any precious time on a human that might explode. But weak humans? Perfect. They have absolutely nothing, which makes it perfect for the powers to become their own.'

'Ah, so I was weak and vengeful, perfect for you,' Acacia thought, shaking her head.

'Exactly, although other gods prefer other requirements like love or other nonsense. There is one god that was an exception; he had magic and also became a god. I could only imagine the suffering he went through keeping both at bay successfully,' Daemonis said casually.

'Interesting,' Acacia thought, walking further into the cave.

She checked the wristwatch, noting it was already late evening. She sighed at the sight; even though she didn't feel tired, she could feel her patience wavering. She continued to walk as the crystals glowed, observing that the air in the cave felt more corrupted, or rather, stiff.

Suddenly, she noticed a bright light ahead and immediately picked up her pace, rushing towards it. The oppressive darkness around her faded as she quickened her steps, the bright light growing closer with every stride. Soon, she burst into a vast, ruined temple. It was unbearably bright, illuminated by countless white crystals embedded in the high, cavernous ceiling. Cracked floors stretched out before her, flanked by immense, crumbling pillars. In the centre, between two imposing doors, stood a colossal statue of a woman. One door was pristine white with gleaming gold handles, while the other was made of aged wood with rusted handles.

Acacia stopped before the statue, which, to her shock, slowly began to move, causing Acacia to instinctively recoil. The massive stone head turned, its blank gaze settling directly on Acacia.

"...you are the one, the one Ramiel told me about." The statue's voice boomed across the vast temple, yet it was surprisingly gentle. The colossal stone woman smiled softly down at Acacia.

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"What?" Acacia furrowed her brows, craning her neck to stare up at the towering figure

"Fate has already predicted your arrival, child; it was no mere coincidence that you are here. I have tried to talk to you in the past, but you have a rather overprotective god." The statue chuckled, a sound like grinding stone.

'Overprotective? This parasite in my head?' Acacia thought with a deadpan expression. A sudden, sharp pain lanced through her head, making her wince. She rubbed her temple, and the pain subsided.

"So... what do you want to talk to me about?" Acacia asked, lowering her hand.

"Are you ready to be a goddess?" the statue inquired.

Acacia blinked, rubbing the back of her neck. "I guess I am."

"A guess is not a definite answer, dear. If you don't wish to have it, I can sever your bond, and you won't die from it. I know that Daemonis has locked you up in a bond where he brought you back to life, and since he is keeping you alive, you will die if the bond is severed." The statue slowly crouched down, its immense finger gently patting Acacia's head.

Acacia's grip on her bag tightened as she stared up at the statue. "I can't. I'm not giving it up. I don't care if it sounds selfish, but this power is mine now."

The statue's gentle smile vanished, replaced by a booming peal of laughter that echoed through the ruined temple. "I see why he chose you. Even your predecessors all have a fondness for people who are... stubborn, to say the least."

'Stubborn?' Acacia thought, feeling a flicker of offence at being laughed at.

"But, do you know you are not a mortal anymore?" the statue asked, its voice regaining its calm, gentle tone.

"Huh?" Acacia blinked in confusion.

"You are a demi-goddess at the moment, just like me, although I will never become a full-fledged goddess like you will. Since I was born by a mortal, but you are chosen, and you will ascend. The fact that you are clinging to this power, I'm sure your duties on this planet will become clear to you," the statue explained.

Acacia looked down at her hands for a moment, then shifted on her feet. 'I'm not human anymore?'

"The process is normal for you, since you are ascending. You won't be the same after a year, and the year after that. Many gods lose their humanity along the way; it makes it easier to... make tough decisions." The statue slowly rose back to its original towering posture.

Acacia's face grew a bit grim at the thought, but she quickly snapped her mind out of it. "I heard Ramiel left something. Has someone else taken it?"

"Hmm, he did leave a diary and something for you. Don't worry, no one ever gets past here. I do pity the humans that believed they could in the past," the statue sighed heavily, its gaze settling on Acacia. "Now, choose, dear. Which door shall you enter to fulfil your purpose?"

Acacia felt a wave of relief that her perilous journey wasn't for nothing. She looked at the two doors: one pristine white with gleaming gold handles, the other made of aged wood with rusted handles. 'If I know anything from movies and books, the ragged door always leads to treasures while the pretty door leads to suffering, but this is real.'

"What if I choose the wrong door?" Acacia asked.

"Then you will have to face the challenges. They both have their own challenges; it's up to you to choose the one to handle," the statue replied.

Acacia stared at the two doors for a moment, thinking deeply. 'Does that mean the challenges in the worn-out door are harder? Or the pretty door? I also have to keep in mind that Ramiel may have left something in either door.' She stared deeply before raising her hand and pointing at the pristine white door.

"I will pick that," Acacia declared, pointing at the pristine white door.

"Excellent choice! This path leads to challenges that will hone you into the goddess worthy of your powers," the statue exclaimed, its booming voice resonating with an odd excitement. "While the second one offers daily challenges, I'm eager to see how you prevail."

"Worthy of my powers, huh?" Acacia murmured to herself, staring at the gleaming door.

"Before you go, child, someone is interfering with your bond. Trying to sap your powers, it seems they've placed something on your body," the statue said, its massive finger pointing directly at Acacia. "But it's futile. Your powers are already connected to you, and a mere mortal cannot sever your bond. Though, the method used could disrupt your mana flow, making it difficult to control."

"I will deal with that wretched thing when I come back," Acacia said, her voice turning cold, her wings twitching with barely suppressed fury.

"Oh dear," the statue chuckled.

"Is there a way I can break it?" Acacia pressed.

"Yes, just focus on your mana. You will find the anomaly connected to your mana, and you can handle it from there," the statue explained.

"Thank you for the information." Acacia nodded at the towering woman, who smiled and gestured towards the white door. Acacia walked to it, gripped the gold handle, and pulled. She was immediately blinded for a moment by a sharp, pulling light that seemed to draw her in, and then the door swung shut behind her.

Acacia groaned as she blinked, her eyes adjusting to a new environment. She found herself in another cavern, significantly wider and larger than the last, illuminated by a gentle glow from blue crystals embedded in the cavern walls. She looked around, noting the seamless, closed door from which she'd emerged. To her other side, another pathway beckoned deeper into the cave. She got to her feet, moving forward, checking her wristwatch occasionally. It was very late in the night according to the timepiece, but without a sky, telling the time felt abstract.

After a few hours, she stopped. She pulled out the second loaf of bread and a can of fish, finishing her meal quickly. Then, removing the blanket from her bag, she spread it on the ground and rested, drifting off to sleep. Behemoth curled tightly around her neck, a warm, silent sentinel. Hours ticked by slowly, marked only by the occasional whisper of wind and the faint skittering of unseen insects in the vast, crystal-lit darkness.

A small, cold, wet droplet landed on Acacia's face. Her eyes fluttered open in irritation, only to snap wide in terror. Hovering directly above her was a massive, gaping mouth. The creature itself was eyeless, its enormous nose sniffing the ground, then her hair. Acacia stiffened instantly. The monster's black fur, adorned with unsettling pink polka dots, brushed her face as it continued to sniff, then seized her second bag, the one filled with her remaining food. It swallowed the bag whole, the sickening crunch of its contents echoing in the cavern. Satisfied, it lumbered away, disappearing into the blue-crystal gloom.

Acacia waited, barely daring to breathe, until the creature was completely out of sight.

'Seriously?!' She screamed in her head, gritting her teeth.

She scrambled quietly to her feet, snatched up her blanket, and stuffed it into her remaining satchel. Without a backwards glance, she walked away at a hasty pace, constantly looking over her shoulder to see if anything was following. Distracted, she wasn't watching her step and suddenly slipped, plunging into a large body of water with a gasp. She thrashed, feeling the immediate sensation of drowning. Below her, a pair of glowing green eyes opened in the depths.