My Family in the Novel?

Chapter 266: Holy war 4

"Sis..."

"Yes?"

"You're not really serious, are you?"

"Why would I not be?"

Adrian hesitated, unsure of how to articulate his concerns. "Well... for a couple of reasons," he began, his voice trailing off uncertainly.

"Are you feeling sorry for this angel perhaps?"

"Not really,"

"Then there's no problem, is there?" Nyarla's voice remained steady, her confidence unshaken. "And besides, you might want to control other parts of your body first before you go at it with your girls... your strength is way beyond what a mortal can take right now."

Adrian paused, considering her words carefully. "Even if you say that, don't you think this is wrong?" he questioned, his voice laced with uncertainty.

As the very person who had nurtured Adrian's respect for women, Nyarla's suggestion went against the moral compass she had instilled in him. It was a departure from the values she had taught him, and Adrian couldn't help but feel a sense of unease at the prospect of following her lead down this dark path.

Nyarla took a moment to assess Adrian's reaction, recognizing the gravity of the situation. What she was suggesting ran counter to the morals she had instilled in Adrian since he was young—a fact that weighed heavily on her conscience.

With a heavy sigh, she prepared to address her brother's concerns.

"I know I was the basis of your moral compass, Ian," Nyarla began, her voice tinged with regret. "But now, you are a being far beyond mortal's moral constructs. Whatever you do, whatever you feel like doing, no one can judge you except those higher than you. And right now, this angel isn't one of those beings. You are now in a position to do whatever you want."

Her words carried a weighty truth, underscoring the vast difference in power between Adrian and the beings he once considered his equals. As Nyarla continued, her tone grew more serious, her eyes locking with Adrian's as she spoke.

"The ramblings of the sheep are mere cries in the ears of a lion," she declared. "Trust me, if you knew what this angel has done to both the demons and the people of this world, you wouldn't think twice about degrading her."

It was a stark reminder of the harsh realities of their existence—a world where the lines between right and wrong were blurred, and where those in power held sway over the fate of others.

"So why don't you just enjoy the moment, Ian?" Nyarla's words echoed in Adrian's mind, urging him to embrace the power at his fingertips.

Hearing his sister's words, Adrian halted in his tracks, his gaze shifting to the naked form of Emilia, who lay before him, tears streaming down her face as she pleaded for mercy.

In that moment, a primal urge surged within him, a dark desire to dominate and control.

Yet, even as the temptation beckoned, Adrian couldn't shake the sense of moral unease that gnawed at him.

A small part of him wished to ravage Emilia, to degrade her and use her for his own ends. But deep down, he knew it was wrong.

Despite his newfound power and the boundless possibilities it offered, Adrian remained tethered to his humanity, however faint it may be. Instead of succumbing to his base instincts, he resolved to act with conviction.

"No..." Adrian's voice rang out with unwavering determination. In that moment, he felt a sense of clarity wash over him, the lingering haze of temptation dissipating as he looked upon Emilia with newfound resolve.

She was nothing more than a pawn in their game, a pitiful creature who had fallen into their clutches.

"I see..." Nyarla's tone was approving as she nodded in response to Adrian's decision. With a clap of her hands, she brought their exchange to a close.

"You passed," she declared, her expression inscrutable.

"Huh?" Adrian's brow furrowed in confusion

"I guess you're still the same Ian as I knew..." Nyarla's words hung in the air, a mixture of approval and understanding.

"Was that a test?" Adrian's voice was filled with curiosity, his gaze fixed on his sister.

"Yes," Nyarla confirmed, her expression unreadable as she raised her hands in a commanding gesture. With a flick of her wrist, Emilia, shrouded in darkness, floated towards Adrian, her body gently placed at his feet.

Confusion furrowed Adrian's brow as he watched Nyarla's actions. "What are you doing, sis?" he questioned, his voice tinged with concern.

Ignoring his inquiry, Nyarla continued with her dark ritual. With a subtle gesture, she summoned forth dark flames that engulfed Emilia's body, eliciting anguished screams from the archangel. Adrian recoiled at the sight and sound, the intensity of Emilia's suffering piercing through his senses.

…..

As the flames consumed her, Emilia's once-golden radiance faded, replaced by an aura of darkness. Her pale white hair turned to ash, her pristine wings reduced to charred remnants. The vibrant blue of her eyes dimmed, replaced by empty orbs devoid of life.

Though Emilia was unaware of her physical transformation, she could feel the changes taking place within her.

'The loss of her divine light'

Emilia sighed in despair, a heavy exhale that seemed to echo the weight of her disillusionment. Once a celestial being, revered and powerful, she now found herself stripped of her divine status, reduced to the lowly state of mortality. It was a bitter irony, a cruel twist of fate that Emilia could scarcely comprehend.

Gazing down at her tarnished hands, she felt a surge of self-loathing. These hands, once instruments of divine will, now bore the stains of human frailty. How had she fallen so far, she wondered, to be relegated to a form she had long looked down upon with disdain?

As Emilia lifted her gaze, her eyes met Nyarla's impassive stare. The figure before her was a haunting vision of decay, clad in a tattered dress that hung in shreds around her broken form. Blonde hair, once radiant, now hung limply around her pallid face, and her eyes, empty and lifeless, seemed to pierce through Emilia's soul.

Nyarla was a being of incomprehensible power, feared by even Emilia's great mother and creator. In the early days of the war, Emilia and her siblings had underestimated her, dismissing her as a lesser threat.

And it all lead to their deaths… which she will probably face soon.

Faced with her unyielding presence, Emilia could only lament her folly.

Nyarla had the ability to strip away divinity itself, reducing even the highest-ranking beings to mere mortals. It was a terrifying prospect, one that left Emilia feeling vulnerable and exposed. And yet, even the balance of the universe seemed powerless to intervene, leaving Emilia to confront her fate alone.

With a sinking heart, Emilia realized that her destiny had already been sealed. No matter what she did, she could not escape the inexorable march towards her own downfall. It was a sobering realization, one that filled her with a sense of resignation and despair.

As Emilia grappled with the weight of her impending suffering, a chilling realization began to dawn upon her. No matter what actions she might take, they would inevitably lead to her own torment. It was a bleak prospect, one that filled her with a sense of hopelessness and despair.

But as she surveyed the beings before her—the one who could alter the course of the natural world and the other who consumed souls with insatiable hunger—a new understanding began to take root within her.

They were not mere monsters, aberrations to be cast out from the realm of creation. Instead, they were integral parts of the natural order, fulfilling roles as vital as her own.

Emilia had long viewed these beings as anomalies, entities beyond the boundaries of the universe's design.

But now, as she felt their terrifying power firsthand, she realized that they were as much a part of nature as she was. They served a purpose, just as she served hers.

In a moment of clarity, Emilia understood that these beings were not outliers but rather the embodiment of the universe's inherent duality.

Just as there was light, there was darkness; just as there was good, there was evil. It was the most fundamental law of nature, a balance that must be maintained at all costs.

And in that balance, Emilia saw her own powerlessness mirrored back at her. If humans were at the mercy of nature's whims, then even the gods themselves were powerless in the face of these primal forces.

…..

"Everything I've just said was just a lie... well except for the making use of her power, that is... now touch her" Nyarla said, his voice dripping with malice as he pointed towards the frozen figure of Emilia lying on the ground.

Adrian's confusion was palpable. "Huh?"

"Like I said, touch her. Just try doing it, you'll understand what I mean," Nyarla insisted, his tone ominous and commanding.

Slowly, Adrian knelt down beside the motionless Emilia. Although she appeared unconscious, something about her seemed different. Yes, she was still visibly frightened by their presence, but this time there was a resignation in her eyes, as if she had given up and accepted her fate.

"Did you take her divinity, sis?"

"Yes,"

Although such an act wasn't entirely surprising given Nyarla's authority, Adrian nodded, bracing himself to touch Emilia's hand as instructed.

"Now try holding onto it…"

Nodding at his sister's words, Adrian tentatively clenched his hand around Emilia's, only for the fragile appendage to splinter and rupture under the pressure of his grasp.

Emilia squirmed, but made no sound of pain, causing Adrian to recoil in shock and horror at the realization of what he had done.

"Now do you understand what I mean by making use of her, Adrian?" Nyarla's voice cut through the silence like a knife. "I wasn't lying when I said you are too much for your loved ones."

Adrian could only nod mutely.