God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chapter 375: Reol, Othershore.

Death was the end...

Every being that possessed life lived so it could die one day. It was common knowledge that once that day arrived, it was all over.

This reality made life precious. Many sought power so they would never die. And some of them did succeed, while others didn't...

Cain never thought he would be one of those people who didn't succeed.

'To think I'd be the first to die. And so soon at that. I was convinced it would be that crazy Manny.' Cain said to himself.

Looking around, he found himself in a very odd situation.

'Am I really dead?'

Although all the evidence pointed towards this conclusion, he still wasn't very sure he was dead.

And that was because this wasn't how he had imagined the afterlife would be...

Cain kept looking around, his mind becoming more and more baffled. For starters, all he could see for miles on end was a huge body of water that stretched on forever. And he was seated on that body of water, dressed in a plain white robe.

Clenching his fist, he couldn't feel an ounce of power within him. He couldn't sense his Ki, mana, or even Devil Essence.

The strangest thing about the place was the star hanging overhead. One part of it was a blinding white, while the other oozed with a malignant darkness.

It was very strange to see something like that. The star rotated on its axis drowning one part of this endless body of water in absolute darkness, and the other with scorching light.

Despite how big the water was, Cain could still see seven spires that stretched beyond the heavens like the claws of a colossal stone creature that had been buried deep within the waters.

"What is this place?'

"This is the Reol, the Othershore."

Cain was startled to hear a voice coming out of nowhere. However, there was something familiar about that voice. His eyes darted around as he tried to find the voice's origin.

Once he did, his look of confusion gradually settled and was replaced with one of apprehension and fear.

There, seated before him was the Primordial Devil of Death, Lyx. Cain was shell-shocked. She was dressed in a flowing black robe that was linked to the dark side of the large body of water. Her piercing eyes which made Cain feel so naked stared at him without a single change.

However, the only difference between this Lyx and the Lyx he had met when he was still alive, was that one of her eyes was pitch black, and there was a tattoo of a character he couldn't recognize on her forehead. However, he instinctively knew what it meant.

'What the hell is going on here?'

Lyx continued to stare back at him with a beautiful face lacking any emotions. Then, the mask of indifference broke and was replaced with a small smile. Although he was terrified, Cain had to admit, Lux was incredibly beautiful, especially when she smiled.

"To think I'd get to see you again so soon. We really must be tied together by fate."

Cain waved his hand and sighed, "I just think I'm unfortunate. Fate has nothing to do with it."

"Hmm..."

Lyx fell silent for a moment, then spoke up again,

"Pray tell... What are you doing here?"

Cain scratched his head, "Well... I think I'm dead. What did you say this place was again?"

"This place is called Reol. The Othershore." Lyx answered.

"Right... And my guess is that this is where people go when they die, right?"

Lyx nodded, "Not quite..."

"Eh?" Cain was surprised because he had been so sure.

Lyx stared at Cain, the smile on her face. However, her entire being was leaking with indifference, almost as though she wasn't a living being.

"This place is... The Othershore. Where all Devils come when they are to be reborn."

'What? So only devils can come here?'

Cain frowned as he stared at Lyx,

"But... I'm not a devil?"

Lyx stared at him, that small smile still on her face,

"Well... I'm not so sure about that."

Cain's face contorted. A Devil? That was the last thing he wanted to become. However, he knew this should have been impossible.

"Well, you are wrong, lady. I'm not a Devil. However, my body was corrupted by Devil Essence before I died. This has to be a misunderstanding..."

"A mere Devil Corrupted does not possess the qualifications to come here. However, I can sense you truly aren't a Devil. At least you weren't. The soul of a devil is more twisted and malignant than this. Your soul is like a shiny gem." Lyx said, her eyes twinkling with amazement.

Her reaction made Cain suspicious,

'Is she really the same Lyx I met when I was still alive?'

He kept his concerns to himself. However, he had other questions to ask,

"So, what now? Am I also going to get reborn?"

Lyx shook her head, "No. You cannot be reborn."

Cain scratched his head, "Why not?"

"Because you are not a Devil."

"Okay? Then what do I do now?"

Lyx smiled at Cain again when he was panicking. This seemed to have some calming properties, as the tension he felt slowly faded away.

With a sigh, he bowed slightly,

"I'm sorry for that embarrassing display."

Lyx waved her hand, "It's alright. Do not fret. I alone do not have the authority to send you over again. However..."

Suddenly, a voice came from behind him, sending him into another loop of confusion,

"I take my eye off you for a moment, and you go ahead and die? How incompetent..."

Cain turned around to see another Lyx glaring down at him with frightening eyes.

'Yep... This is the real deal alright.' Cain immediately knew that the Lyx he had been talking with all this time had been an imposter.

Cain swallowed a mouthful of saliva as he chuckled nervously,

"What can I say... I truly have poor luck."

Lyx snorted. Then she turned to the other Lyx who was seated on the water's surface, still sporting a smile,

"And you... How long were you going to keep playing with him?"

"Hehe..." The fake Lyx put the long sleeve of her robe to her vibrant red lips and chuckled.

Turning back to Cain, the real Lyx folded her arms and glared at him. Cain noticed she was also wearing a robe similar to the fake Lyx. However, that robe was white.

"To think this would happen? Well, it isn't necessarily a bad thing." She mumbled to herself.

Cain was confused. However, he dared not disturb the Primordial Devil from her musings,

Then she stared straight into Cain's eyes,

"Human. No... You are a Devil now."

Cain's eyes widened, "A Devil?! How is that possible?!"

Lyx sighed, "To put it more accurately, you are a hybrid. There aren't many hybrids in the universe, and I don't think I've ever seen a human-devil hybrid before. However, this is partially my fault."

Cain's eyelids twitched violently,

"This... But how?"

Lyx frowned, "The veins I gave to you must have sped up the Devil Essence Corruption. I was under the impression that it would be impossible if you had protection from the Nomad's gift. Something must have accelerated the corruption. This is truly unprecedented."

Cain's head throbbed as he tried to digest what Lyx said. Suddenly, Cain calmed down. He stared at the Primordial Devil and her replica with a relaxed smile,

"Well, it doesn't matter. I'm dead now."

Silence...

The two Lyx stared at Cain with different expressions, making him feel a certain type of way.

Cain frowned and a cold sweat began to form on his forehead,

"I am dead, right?" Cain said with a pale face.

"Not exactly..."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The real Lyx cleared her throat, and spoke in a voice that reverberared through the waters, "You have a piece of a Primordial Devil inside you. Do you think it will be so easy to die?"

Cain scratched his head. He didn't know what to think...

Lyx stared at Cain deeply,

"The domain of death is overseen by myself as an entity. Souls of Devils departed use this water to reach the Othershore. Look..."

Lyx pointed beneath her. Cain followed her finger and was greeted with a massive shock. For some reason, he hadn't noticed till now, but there were billions of moving shadows within the waters below.

Some were small, others could only be described as colossal. Cain even saw one that could be on the planetary scale. Of course, none of them were as big as Lyx had been during the time she had been sealed within that tree.

"To put it simply, you cannot die through normal means. Even if your body is completely destroyed, you will not die." Lyx said ominously.

Cain frowned, "That doesn't sound like a good thing."

"Not necessarily. You are not immortal. Physical attacks that destroy you entire body might kill you. However, your soul is still that of a human. And something more..."

Cain sighed, "So if I am not dead, what am I doing here?"

"Although you aren't dead. You are not exactly alive either..."