God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chapter 377: Return.

Lyx fell silent for a while. Then she replied,

"It isn't impossible. However, having a heart of Devil Essence might suppress your human nature even more and make you more Devilish."

Cain thought about it, 'The Devilish nature isn't something pretty at all. A terrible lust for murder, chaos, and destruction is the true nature of a Devil. Will I be able to beat that?'

Then, a grin appeared on his face,

"Only the living get to worry about those problems..."

Lyx surprisingly let out a chuckle, "Indeed. In that case, I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, don't make any sudden movements, regardless of what you see. You haven't been dead for a long time, so your soul didn't need to wander too far. It won't be long now..."

Cain heaved a sigh of relief. Getting a favor out of a being as powerful as Lyx, a Primordial Devil, was something not many beings in the countless universe could boast of.

Still, he couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong with this whole situation.

'Why had she agreed so easily?' He couldn't help but think.

His brows furrowed, 'Perhaps she wants me to owe her a favor. In that case, there will be nothing to worry about. But something tells me there's more to it than that.'

Although he had the freedom to speculate, Cain would never know for sure until he verified it from Lyx. He didn't want to push his luck at all...

Staying silent, he took in the unrealistic scenes that passed him by as they traveled at an extreme speed.

He was able to truly appreciate the serenity of this place. This was nothing like he had expected. He had initially thought that the afterlife of the Devils would be a hellish, nightmarish landscape that was fitting only for the damned.

Never had he expected it to be so calm. However, he was still a bit ticked off. For example, he wondered where exactly the place was.

Since it was a place where departed souls went, there was definitely nothing physical about it. When he looked under, he could see the souls of high uncountable Devils trudge forward slowly.

They didn't seem to be aware of their surroundings at all. There was no fighting amongst themselves. They all just walked forward, trying to get to the place where they would be forced to undergo rebirth, only to die again...

Cain also took the time to realize that by default, the sheer number of Devils walking on the ocean bed meant that this body of water was immeasurably big. And that was judging from what he could see.

He didn't doubt that he couldn't see the entirety of the water's depth and surface, so he couldn't make an accurate judgment.

And then, there were those claws that formed the pillars holding this strange world up. Despite how fast they were traveling, the pillars didn't seem to be getting closer at all. They were as far away as they had been since he first laid eyes on them. It was as though they were a backdrop in a very realistic painting.

Not wanting to fall, Cain held on to Lyx right as they continued her journey. Feeling the soft, yet hard body of the Primordial Devil was very conflicting.

It also hurt him when he realized that she was much taller and bigger than he was, despite having a dainty stature. Hence, he could carry him quite easily.

Although she wore a robe, there was no hiding the fact that she was a Devil.

'Cain she be considered a broodmother?' There was no telling...

Occupying his mind with idle thoughts such as these, he passed the time. And then finally, they came to a halt.

Cain had already become quite sleepy during this time. Yawning, he looked around,

"What... We are here already?"

Lyx roughly dropped Cain onto the water. His face paled when he thought about drowning. However, when he made contact with the water, it was as though he had landed on a stretched-out piece of leather. The surface of the water simply ripples slightly. Other than that, there was no change.

"Prepare yourself..."

Her robe fluttering in the wind, Lyx slowly sat on the water's surface. The was absolutely no change when she did this.

Cain watched in amazement as Lyx formed a series of strange hand seals while chanting under her breath. The white and black sun in the sky pulsed a few times as she continued the strange ritual.

This went on for a few more seconds...

Then, Lyx began writing on the air. It was a strange runic language, one Cain couldn't make head or tails of. There were numerous runic languages, but the one Cain had learned was the general runic language.

Almost every Tierless and even numerous Tier 1 beings used the general runic language. However, as specifications increased, one was forced to learn and use a runic language that was the most fitting for one's spells, skills, and crafts.

The one Lyx used was far more advanced and ancient than anything Cain had ever seen. It was even beyond archaic. Just looking at it made his eyes water, with sharp pains shooting into his head.

It was just as complicated as the runes that had been used to create the seal that had bound Lyx for an eternity...

'So this is high-tiered magic...' Cain was fascinated.

The surface of the water began to rumble. Cain loomed at the source of the commotion, and was astonished by the scene playing out before him,

Very slowly, a gigantic gate that was covered in thousands upon thousands of motifs was revealed to him. These motifs were incredibly cryptic, yet they infused him with a feeling of dread. They were terrifying to look at.

Some of them resembled abominable creatures, while others depicted deranged sacrifices offered to evil Devil gods.

The gate was decorated with other sigils and tunes that he also couldn't understand. So he didn't even bother. Instead, he turned to Lyx, who had a calm look on her face.

"Are you prepared?" She asked Cain.

Cain couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive at the foreshadowing.

He cleared his throat, "Is there something I should be warned about before going through this... thing?"

Lyx paused, "Whatever you do, keep walking... Steel your mind and resolve, and maybe you won't come out from the other side broken."

Cain sighed,

"Thanks... That helped a lot." He said dryly.

Lyx nodded. Taking his hand in hers, she walked towards the gate. Feeling a bit strange, he tried to release his digits from her vice-like grip.

"What are you doing?" She said, glaring down at him.

"What are YOU doing?" Cain said, pointing at their interlocked hands.

Lyx seemed fed up, "To prevent you from running back."

Cain rolled his eyes, "Run back? Why would I do tha-?"

Before he could complete his sentence, they had stepped into the gate, and he immediately regretted his words...

The urge to run as fast as he could enveloped him, but he couldn't run, as his hand was firmly grasped by Lyx.

'I... I take it back. This place is truly hell!'

***

On the other side of the gate, Cain gagged, trying to empty out the contents of his stomach. However, he was a spirit, and hence, didn't possess one. That didn't stop him from trying though.

"What... What was that?!" Cain managed to say through hoarse breaths.

Lyx spoke indifferently, "That... was The Levónt. It is something all Devils must pass through when they die."

Cain's eyes widened and his pupils dilated,

"Why?!"

Lyx went silent, her long hair and robe fluttering behind her,

"It is a curse we must endure just for existing."

Cain couldn't hear anything other than indifference. However, he was sure there were emotions hidden beneath these words. Emotions he was incapable of understanding...

'I'll also go insane if this is what I'm forced to endure every time I die!'

Cain had wrongly thought that he would be able to use the fact that he couldn't die as an incredible boon. However, what he had just experienced made it so that he never wanted to die again.

The worst part of all this was that he could tell it would have been much worse if Lyx wasn't there. He was incredibly grateful for this...

With a sigh, he stood to his feet and stared at what was before him...

"This is where we part ways..." Lyx said all of a sudden.

Cain nodded understanding. He knew this time would come. He had concluded that this Lyx was in fact, the real Lyx. And she had entered here just for his sake. This meant that she would also return to the point where her physical body was, just like how he would.

'Perhaps this is her physical body...' He couldn't help but think. However, it seemed quite farfetched, so he dropped the thought.

"I will be able to find you so long as we are in the same world. Whenever you die, you will be returned back to White." The black-robed Lyx said.

"However, you will be forced to make the return journey on your own. And that includes passing through the Levónt..." Lyx said with narrowed eyes, observing Cain.

There was no change in Cain's expression as he nodded. Then turning to Lyx, he bowed deeply,

"Thank you. I'll forever remember this debt I owe you."

Lyx was taken aback by this action for a second. However, a warm smile appeared on her face as she nodded,

"I'll take your word for it, then..."

If Cain had seen this, he would have been beyond shocked, as he had never seen the black-robed Lyx smile.

With a wave of her sleeve, she turned around. As she walked away, Cain's spirit body had already displayed into motes of light.