Dark Divinity

'Great!', just the person Omen was hoping to avoid. The boy's terror seemed to be escalating as Omen approached. Ignoring the boy's frantic gaze, Omen walked over to his bed, which was conveniently located next to Tame's, and lay down with a sigh. He was just starting to relax when he heard a series of hurried, frantic footsteps approaching.

"Oh, come on," Omen muttered in annoyance, sitting back up with a sharp motion. The sudden movement startled the panicked boy, who let out a small yelp and scrambled backwards, his eyes even wider than before.

"What's wrong?" Omen asked, trying to keep his voice calm despite his irritation. "Did I accidentally become a beacon of terror or something?"

The boy, still shaking and wide-eyed, could only stammer incoherently, his panic reaching a fever pitch. Omen sighed and ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out how to defuse the situation before it spiralled any further. The last thing he needed was to add 'psychological tormentor' to his list of unintended roles.

"Uhm...about what happened today, uhmm… I'd appreciate it if no one knew, please," the slim boy stammered, his fear evident. Omen could practically see the anxiety bubbling up inside him as if he might collapse from the pressure if not handled carefully.

Omen offered a reassuring smile, trying to ease the tension. "I promise to keep it a secret if you tell me what I saw this morning."

The boy looked even more distressed at this request. "Uhmm... to do that I-I'd have to uhmm to uhmm…"

"To what?" Omen urged, his patience wearing thin. The boy's rambling only seemed to increase his frustration.

Omen's fury grew as the boy continued to stammer. He groaned and hauled him outdoors, not waiting for a proper response. To say that the boy was afraid would be an understatement; he appeared to be about to lose control of his bladder at any moment. Omen, determined to get some answers, ignored the mess hall and marched the boy outside the bunker. The freezing air hit them immediately, making the boy shiver uncontrollably. Within seconds, the boy's fear was overshadowed by the biting cold, and they were rushing back inside, both of them looking a bit sheepish.

Once back in the relative warmth of the hallway, Omen turned to the boy. "All right, what did you want to talk about?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. Omen's roommate remained as scrawny and short as he had before. It was becoming clear that every lifeform in this place possessed unique traits, but the transformation that suddenly happened in front of him was unsettling.

Whereas earlier, the boy's panic had been profound while he shivered from the cold still tormenting him, his current demeanor was suddenly eerily calm and devoid of emotion. The shift was disconcerting. Omen's exogene sense had failed to detect any abnormalities before, but now his instincts screamed at him to flee…his timidity and innocent aura changed into something deadly and menacing.

"My name is Kiba," the boy began, his voice now unnervingly tranquil. "They call my kind the Red Wolf. We tend to have a symbiotic relationship with our lifelong host, and we saved you for a reason."

Omen's stance remained tense; he neither moved closer nor retreated. His gaze remained fixed on Kiba, his senses on high alert. He had unintentionally placed himself into debt to an unknown being, and the implications of this filled him with profound dread.

"We need your help," Kiba continued, his voice cold and unyielding. "It's something that can benefit us both. Do you remember the gang I saved you from today? I want them dead. During the last purge, they killed a loyal friend of mine, and friendship is one thing I take seriously."

Omen's mind reeled at the stark coincidence. He and Kiba were, in a twisted way, in similar situations. They both sought the death of Jacobi and his gang, but for profoundly different reasons.

Kiba's motive was rooted in a personal vendetta for a lost friend, while Omen's drive was compelled by his [relentless] passive skill—a force that made any objective that entered his mind obsessively crucial. The compulsion to seek revenge wasn't just a choice for Omen; it was an overpowering necessity dictated by this passive ability.

"I know I'm indebted to you, but I'm not strong enough to face Jacobi," Omen admitted, his voice tinged with frustration. "The only thing I can do is see at night."

Kiba's expression remained impassive. "You can't fool me. We lycanthropes have one of the best senses of smell among beastmen. I sensed your aura ever since I first met you. You have an inaccessible amount of strength—an extent even I cannot fully gauge."

Omen shifted uncomfortably, trying to hide his growing unease. Kiba's glowing red eyes were unsettling as he tried to focus on the practicalities, pushing aside the chill that ran down his spine.

"That's reassuring," Omen said with forced calm, "but my thoughts still stand. How about we do this on the third day before the next purge? By then, I should be able to make a good level of preparation."

Kiba's presence, with its unnatural calm and foreboding power, was something Omen wanted to escape. The glowing eyes continued to unnerve him.

"Alright then, I accept this plan," Kiba said, his tone carrying a finality that brooked no argument. "We wouldn't have an opportunity to communicate like this again, except at night, so do not put a lot of pressure on my host. He's already terrified of you enough."

'Terrified of me! Dude you and your host have been freaking me out from day one!' Omen pondered as he nodded to Kiba in understanding, his mind already racing with thoughts of preparation and strategy. He watched as the red glow in Kiba's eyes dimmed and then vanished, the intimidating presence of the beast fading away. The transformation back to the slim, panicked boy was almost jarring.

With the red glow gone, the boy's previous demeanor returned. His black eyes were wide with renewed fear, and he immediately began stammering a series of apologies. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—"

…..

The next morning Omen was sitting alone under the withered tree, not bothering to witness the chaos of the mess hall's brutality. The third purge will begin the day after tomorrow and he needed to kill Jacobi before then.

"No, I'm still too weak," he said in frustration. He was still far from ready to face his henchmen not talking about Jacobi himself. With Kiba, he could likely survive, but he wanted to kill the muscular bastard with his own hands. "I should take them out during the last purge, Kiba should understand. According to him, I'm brimming with inaccessible power," Omen smiled at the way the red wolf had described his ability to steal potential.

"Who's this Kiba that's fooling you so badly?" a female voice shocked Omen. Standing over him was Anna. How was it possible for both her and her boyfriend to bypass his exogene detection every single time? He turned to her with a passive expression on his face and replied in a blank tone.

"A friend." Anna smiled mischievously at his response.

"Ooh, you're hiding things from me now," she said, making puppy eyes that would have been cute to just anyone, but to Omen, it was just completely revolting. He began to hate this bitch simply because of the fact she could easily cheat on her boyfriend and still act so nonchalant, well they both cheated on each other…What am I even thinking about? Their weird relationship is their concern.

"Of course, I am, the same way you're hiding the reason why you're fucking other guys behind Isaac's back," Omen retorted coldly, completely ignoring his hypocritical thoughts.

Anna's smile faltered for a split second before she regained her composure. "Touché," she said, her tone icy. She pushed some snow aside, moving her long black hair from her face. She then sat beside Omen and spoke without looking at him.

"I suspected you saw us. You're weak and naïve. Even if I explain my situation to you, you still wouldn't understand." Omen didn't respond immediately, pondering to himself, 'What does me being weak have to do with anything?'

"You know I'm a demoness. Unlike most of you, this is my realm. Aeltheron, the realm of the fae," Anna continued, her voice tinged with both pride and bitterness. "What do you know about the nine realms, Omen?" she asked without looking at him.

Omen paused, wondering where this conversation was leading to but decided to reply, nevertheless. "The basics. The first realm in creation; the realm of the gods, the bright side of the gods; Celestial realm," Omen scoffed inwardly at the title. He hated celestials with every fiber of his being. But he continued, "And then there's my home realm as you already know; the dark realm of Tenebris."

"Then the other realms. The Fae realm of Aeltheron, where we're now…which is still quite odd to me" Omen paused before resuming, " After Aeltheron, the Dragon realm, Kronos, the new realms; Amphytrion and Auralith, and the mundane realm of Terra."

Anna nodded at his explanation as she continued, "Aeltheron has a very close boundary with the Dragon realm. Some claim it's a sub-realm existing within Aeltheron, the realm of the fae which had the ancient name of Galactus, just like how the Celestial realm exists within the realm of the gods. It is partially true." She looked at Omen to confirm he was listening. 'where on earth is she going with this', Omen frowned in confusion but she didn't even glance at him again.

Anna continued, "The sub-realm that connects these two great realms is small and mostly ignored. That is my realm, the realm of demons, the underworld."

Omen swallowed his saliva as he slipped into his thoughts. Every Tenebrii knew about the demons. After all, they originated from the dark realm of Tenebris. Thousands of years ago, their species were banished from Tenebris, and no one knew what became of them ever since. Some of the demons loyal to the crown remained and continued to live in the empire, but one thing the demons had greater in power than the darklings was their diversity. Where a darkling mostly possessed dark magic cultivation arts, the demons could do anything literally anything no matter the dark lineage.

The only thing that stopped their revolution ages ago wasn't their greed for peace but because of their small numbers, the birth rate of demons were drastically low compared to other darklings. But nevertheless they were a race to never be trifled with.

Omen's eyes widened slightly. "The underworld? But how can it be ignored if it connects such powerful realms?"

Anna's expression hardened. "Because it is a place of exile, a realm where unwanted beings are cast aside. Demons, outcasts, and those who have fallen from grace find themselves there. It's a realm of darkness and despair, yet it holds immense power."

Omen nodded slowly, understanding dawning on him. "And you, being a demoness, have navigated through this realm, but I still don't understand how all this information relates to our conversation?"

"Exactly," Anna said, a hint of pride in her voice, she ignored his last question, choosing to accept his unassuming praise instead. "The underworld may be small and forgotten by many, but it is a crucible of strength. It has made me who I am, just as Tenebris has shaped you."

Omen's mind raced with the implications of what Anna had revealed. If she was a demoness from the underworld, her abilities could be far beyond what he had imagined. He needed to understand more about her and the realm she came from.

"You should be familiar with curse mages?" she asked, not waiting for Omen's confirmation as she continued. "I'm a demoness of seduction. It's in my blood to be seductive. Then I was cursed by a dark mage, one of you darklings," she said with stern eyes, finally looking at Omen. But they held no malice, just a rage that wasn't directed at him.

'No wonder she knew I was a darkling; I knew it was not that easy to tell my origin only by my ability to see at night,' Omen thought as he remembered the morning when she first saw his face; she had lied the night before that she trusted him, and now he realized there was more to it. 'No surprise she had a focused gaze when I informed her, I could see at night'.

However, Anna was still talking so Omen immediately turned to listen, "He cursed me and my clan for all of eternity, splitting our personalities into two parts until the unknown takes full control of our bodies and drives us to madness. My clan had an internal crisis, those who wanted to protect me from those who wanted to kill me. It was a full-scale war that I would have died from if the Entity hadn't pulled me out in time. For that alone, I'm grateful."

Omen's gaze was a storm of barely contained rage as he faced Anna. Through gritted teeth, Omen's voice cut through the oppressive silence.

"The Entity's rescue was only a temporary measure. This means you're far from cured. And according to you, this curse is eternal. From what I know, a curse of this magnitude could only have been cast by an incredibly powerful Darkling. None of the ones I know would fit the bill. But the only way to fully dispel such a curse is to kill the one who cast it. So, tell me, Anna", he looked at her coldly "Don't you want revenge?"