Free Web NovelChapter 285: Playing God
___ The Next Morning ___ ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
The California residence had barely awakened when a terrifying pressure descended upon the mansion like a mountain falling from the heavens. The ocean outside churned violently as waves slammed repeatedly against the cliffs below, while every demon within the residence instinctively lowered their heads. Even the air itself felt heavier.
"What do you mean by you don’t know where she is?" Damian hissed, his eyes burning like two brilliant violet suns.
Loth hung several feet above the floor, her boots dangling helplessly in the air while invisible force gripped her throat. Her face had already turned pale from lack of oxygen and both hands clawed desperately at her neck even though there was nothing physically there to grab.
The morning had begun peacefully enough. Damian had finally decided to check on Clara and erase the memories she carried of him before moving forward with his plans. What he expected was a simple visit. What he found instead was nothing. No energy signature. No trace or lingering connection he could follow.
It was as if Clara had vanished from Chicago entirely.
Naturally, the first person he questioned was the woman he had specifically assigned to watch over her.
"She... she came in contact with the church..." Loth gasped painfully. "She quit her job and left. I couldn’t track her after that because the Seed was amongst them."
The explanation only made Damian’s expression darken further. The room temperature dropped and the furnitures began rattling.
His grip tightened instinctively.
"You mean to tell me my woman was taken away by the church and you did not think it was important to inform me about it?"
The words came out quietly and that somehow made them even more frightening.
Loth’s pupils shrank.
She knew Damian well enough to understand the danger signs. When he shouted, he was merely angry but when he spoke softly, someone usually died.
Rachel immediately moved forward and grabbed his wrist with both hands. Her eyes carried genuine concern rather than fear.
"Calm down a bit. You will kill her."
Ruby and Hazel quickly nodded beside her.
Neither of them particularly cared for Loth’s wellbeing, but they understood what was really happening. This wasn’t about Loth. This was about Clara.
The moment Damian realized she was gone, every unresolved emotion from the breakup had resurfaced.
Only Rin seemed unaffected.
The fox stood comfortably upon Damian’s shoulder and flicked one of his tails.
"Relax. It’s not like the church will harm her. I already know why she must have made contact with them."
That statement finally penetrated Damian’s anger and his grip loosened. Instantly he dove into the shared connection between himself and Rin, examining the fox’s reasoning.
Loth crashed to the floor and immediately doubled over, coughing violently while greedily sucking air into her lungs.
’Clara must have been struggling to deal with the side effects of being with you. Since she already knew your demonic origin, the church probably seemed like the most logical countermeasure. Honestly, if you think about it, her decision makes sense.’
Damian remained silent, his face stayed cold yet slowly he nodded. Unfortunately, it did make sense.
Without another word he shut his eyes and expanded his perception. His awareness spread across Chicago, then Illinois and then beyond.
Countless lives flashed across his senses.
Millions of voices.
Millions of emotions.
Millions of heartbeats.
Yet Clara remained absent. He found nothing within the clusters of noise that filled the world.
"Corbin..."
The name escaped through clenched teeth and a murderous light flashed through his eyes.
If he had simply killed that priest when he had the opportunity, none of this would have happened.
"What do you plan to do?" Rin asked.
Damian opened his eyes immediately.
"What else?" He glared at the fox. "Go wherever she is and bring her back."
Rin reached out and lightly tapped his shoulder then he slowly shook his head.
"Didn’t you want to let her go?"
The question struck harder than expected, causing Damian to frown.
"If this is how she moves on from you, shouldn’t you let her?"
Buzz!
His fists clenched instantly.
The words irritated him far more than he wanted to admit. Mostly because they were true.
"She hasn’t reached out to you," Rin continued. "Doesn’t that prove she doesn’t need you?"
The room fell silent and nobody interrupted or defended him. Because everyone understood Rin was making sense.
Damian hated it.
He hated every word. Yet he could not argue. Clara had left willingly and she hadn’t called or texted or even reached out once.
Not even after he woke from his mating ritual. The realization left a bitter taste in his mouth.
What right did he have to force himself back into her life?
What right did he have to decide her future for her?
Slowly he exhaled as the anger drained from his shoulders. Only the exhaustion remained.
With a defeated sigh he collapsed backward onto the couch. Silence filled the room as no one spoke, everyone simply waited.
If Damian chose violence, they would follow him. If he chose restraint, they would follow that too.
Such was the nature of a prince.
After several long minutes Damian finally raised two fingers.
"Alright. I won’t take her away."
Everyone immediately looked up and the tension eased slightly upon hearing those words.
"But I will do two things. Damian continued in a firm voice.
"I still plan to find out where she is and confirm she’s okay. As long as she’s safe, I won’t interfere with her life. And I will kill Corbin. He has to die."
His demands sounded reasonable so this time everyone nodded without hesitation.
Even Rin approved.
Compared to the alternatives, this outcome was practically merciful.
The fact Damian wasn’t currently flying toward the Vatican with murderous intent already felt like a miracle.
"But if you must find her," Rin added, "do it discreetly. We should maintain a low profile."
Damian nodded and then slowly closed his eyes.
The atmosphere shifted and an invisible force rippled through space.
His voice echoed through reality itself.
"DEVOTEES, YOUR GOD CALLS UPON YOU ALL."
The words spread across the planet. Every believer heard him.
Human.
Spirit.
Demon.
Rich.
Poor.
Powerful.
Weak.
It did not matter.
Every soul that truly believed in Damian heard his voice.
Across the world heads snapped upward. Their vision blurred and clouds swallowed the skies.
A colossal throne appeared amongst storm clouds as lightning roared and violent winds raged.
A lone figure sat upon the throne. The distance between them felt impossible to measure.
Close yet infinitely far, visible yet obscured.
Darkness concealed his face. Only burning violet eyes remained.
Snap!
Instantly on the clouds three giant faces materialized within the clouds.
Clara.
Corbin.
Linda.
The images burned themselves into the memories of every devotee.
Then Damian’s voice thundered once more.
"FOR ANYONE OF THESE THREE YOU FIND, THIS GOD WILL GRANT YOU A WISH!"
The vision vanished instantly.
All over the world believers staggered in shock. Meanwhile, Damian opened his eyes inside the mansion.
The room had become silent. Even his wives looked mildly disturbed.
"Was that necessary?" Rin asked.
Damian nodded without hesitation.
"If I won’t get involved, then I’ll have my devotees do it for me. It’s only natural."
Nobody could argue with that logic.
It was shameless but effective.
The church can spot a demon coming from a mile away but not humans. Having everyone keep an eye out for them was the least violent path he could explore.
Damian rose from the couch and began walking toward the stairs. Halfway there he suddenly stopped.
Then slowly turned around to look at his wives, Rin and Loth Everyone was staring at him curiously and expectantly.
The realization slowly dawned on him and his expression became strangely blank.
"Erm..."
Everyone blinked.
"What do I do now that I’m a demigod who has nothing else to do with his life?"
The question hung in the air. For several seconds nobody answered.
Then Rin sighed.
It was a long, exhausted, sympathetic sigh. The reality of immortality had finally arrived.
For years Damian’s life had been a race. Now he had arrived at a point where immediate survival was no longer his greatest concern.
The pace of life was about to change dramatically.
Rin jumped down from Damian’s shoulder and landed upon the couch.
"Grab a seat first."
The fox patted the cushion beside him. Then his expression turned unusually serious.
"This will be a long discussion."
