The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 736 - 757 The End of the Story

(Post first, amend later)

"So Shrek has not died, he simply lost his Divine office of the Dead?"

"Yes, because Ao amended the rules of Divine Power after the Years of Upheaval, and because there are still followers who worship him, Shrek did not die completely. However, due to the significant decrease in his followers and the loss of his most important divine office of the Dead, his power was greatly weakened. (Note 1)" Kalalin spread his hands, "Furthermore, many gods who were killed during the Years of Upheaval have reappeared, thanks to the persistence of their followers. This includes the three gods of death who were killed, though their powers are much diminished..."

"Let me add a bit more detail," Alamir raised his hand, "Of course, all this is from the perspective of our Church of Shuni."

"Go ahead." Lancelot looked at his glass which was now two-thirds empty, "I’m sure the Lady of Love has her share of gossip..." ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

"Oh, yes, no doubt about it." The elf grinned, "First, about Ao and Misla—I’m referring to the former Goddess of Magic, of course. Everyone knows that Ao killed Misla on the stairs of the Heavens, but many do not know that Ao always had a certain... affection for Misla. In fact, it was He who notified Misla in advance of the Supreme Deity’s possible reaction, allowing the Goddess of Magic to distribute a portion of her Essence to some of her chosen people, and Midnight was among them."

"And yet He still struck down the Goddess of Magic?" Little Yisa crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks in indignation.

"As a Guardian God bound to protect, and under the watch of all gods on Earth, Ao had no choice," Alamir gently shook his head, "When He had no choice but to fulfill His divine office, a tear fell from the Guardian God’s craggy face to the ground, filled with His heart’s agony and guilt. It is said that the tear turned into a gemstone, filled with wild and perilous energy. Although the Lady of Fire always found this lonely guardian to be too rigid and dull, among all the gods, only She was able to understand Ao’s feelings."

"Sigh..." Lancelot let out a sigh, "That is indeed a tragedy. Anything else?"

"Yes, about Cranvo and Midnight." Alamir rubbed his glass with his palm, "Due to some misunderstandings, their relationship has deteriorated from what it used to be. Speaking of which, this matter is actually because of our former colleague Anton. Kalalin, you should know that the Book of Xirei eventually ended up back in Shrek’s hands, right?"

"Yes, at Candle Castle, the greatest library on the Fayrun Continent," Kalalin nodded with gravity, "I’m not clear on the details."

"Shrek managed to have Anton read the Book of Xirei, which forced Midnight’s High Priest to see everything through Shrek’s perspective. In Shrek’s view, Midnight was an evil, cruel, and bizarre harlot. Anton’s self-consciousness was no match for this view, driving him into madness, and he soon took his own life in torment. Upon learning this, Midnight immediately rushed to the Domain of the Vague to demand the soul of their mutual friend from her lover, only to be rejected by Cranvo."

"Why?" Little Yisa interjected impatiently once more, "Is it because he was jealous of Anton and Midnight’s relationship?"

"I’m afraid not," Lancelot shook his head, "I guess it is because of His duty, just like Heim."

"Exactly," Alamir shrugged, "Xirei had destroyed Anton’s faith in the Goddess of Magic, and when he committed suicide out of agony, that faith was not restored. As the King of the Dead, the ’Judgement of the Damned,’ it is Cranvo’s duty to punish the non-believers, meaning, He must press Anton’s soul onto a terrible wall..."

"The Wall of the Faithless," Lancelot pronounced the somewhat ominous name, "I’ve heard of this concept before."

"Yes. There’s an ancient curse on the wall that binds the souls attached to its surface and inflicts great pain. Meanwhile, it forces those souls to constantly struggle; if they stop moving, the wall would gradually petrify them, eventually making them part of itself. In essence, the wall itself is an instrument of torture, intended to warn mortals who refuse to believe in the real existence of the gods. Xirei took advantage of a loophole in the rules. After Cranvo ascended to godhood, His first act was to turn the original eerie Skeleton Tower into a transparent Crystal Tower, aiming to show people that death is neither mysterious nor terrifying, and He would publicly judge every soul that stood before Him according to the rules agreed upon with the gods..."

"Which means, He’s facing the same predicament as Heim."

"Yes. The Lord of the Dead rejected the Goddess of Magic, His once lover, which deeply saddened Midnight. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand Cranvo’s dilemma, but she realized that she and Cranvo were now on two completely different paths. Although a few years later, Xirei was brought before the great court of Divine Power, and Anton stood before the gods as a witness. Cranvo opened His heart to Anton, allowed him to see what Midnight was like in His eyes, thereby restoring Anton’s sanity, and eventually he went to the heart of the Spell in the Divine Kingdom of the Goddess of Magic to enjoy the peace of immortality. This somewhat eased the relationship between Cranvo and Midnight, but did not return to the way it was, because the problem between them had not really been resolved: They are now gods bearing their duties, and if another conflict arises, their divine offices will leave them no room for turning back..."

When Alamir finished speaking, the cozy drawing room fell into silence. Everyone stared at their cups, wanting to say something, but they couldn’t find the right words. Finally, it was Lancelot who broke the quiet, lifted his cup, and spoke softly:

"To the King of the Dead, Cranvo, and the Goddess of Magic, Midnight, may They find a reason to walk together again."

His companions echoed, then drank the remaining liquid in their cups in one gulp.

"Ah, I think it’s about time, time to return to my warm bed," Alarin stood up, swaying slightly from the buzz, "We’ll be leaving tomorrow, right?"

"I don’t know," Lancelot gently shook his head, "I hope so."

"Ah, which means, tonight might be the last night I spend with that bed, so I’d better say a proper farewell." Scholar staggered toward the stairs, "Good night, my friends. May you all have sweet dreams."

(Note 1: As for the official history where Xirei kills Midnight and then she is resurrected in the 5th edition, I’m pretending that never happened. The whole mess of the 4th edition is hereby deemed non-existent, just to clarify.)