That was the first thing Gaela recognized—the absence of everything. No ground beneath her. No air in her lungs. No light to define the edges of her own hands.
Just an endless, suffocating void.
'Did I die?'
The thought should have terrified her. But before panic could take root—
"Not dead. Not yet."
A voice. Smooth, genderless, neither young nor old. It hummed against her skin like distant thunder, resonating from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"Who are you?" Gaela demanded.
"Huh? Not even a 'Where am I?'" The voice chuckled, its tone dripping with sarcasm.
"You Origins have always puzzled me… Is it pride? Bravery? Or mere stupidity?"
"Show yourself!" She demanded.
A beat of silence. Then—
"What do you want with my son… Your Excellency?" Her voice wavered, eyes burning with unshed tears.
She had suddenly realized the truth; she was powerless here, where a being whose power is incomprehensible, eyed her.
"Whoa, that was fast." The voice said in surprise, then let out an amused hum.
"But I'm afraid you're wrong. I'm only a fragment of his will—the real 'Excellency' is already dead."
"!?" Her breath hitched. The shadows before her rippled, and materialized into a tall, indistinct figure. His features blurred as if her mind refused to process them.
"You… look familiar," she whispered.
"No, I don't." His grin was friendly, but his words slithered like a knife.
"And if you recognize me, I'll be forced to kill you. So don't overthink it."
A shiver clawed down her spine.
"Anyway," he continued, waving a hand, "back to business. You tried to infiltrate his consciousness. Reckless. My System would've erased you… but I intervened. Consider it a favor." His smile sharpened.
"After all, you're the one who bore him."
"System?"
"That's what your son talks to."
"Why him?" Her nails dug into her palms.
'There has to be a reason.' She thought as she stared deep into his illusive face.
"Would you believe me if I said it was mere luck?"
"No."
"Afraid so." He sighed, as if disappointed by her stubbornness.
"Time's up, Gaela. You'd better return before fate marks your body as dead."
Her soul flickered, edges dissolving into the dark. "Don't you dare harm him!"
The man's grin turned predatory.
"That… depends entirely on him."
And with that final, taunting whisper—she was gone.
~~
Golden light flooded Gaela's vision as choked sobs reached her ears.
Her sight cleared to reveal Davin's tear-streaked face hovering above her, small hands clutching her sleeves with desperate strength.
"Mother! You're—you're awake! I thought you were—" His voice fractured like thin ice.
She raised a trembling hand to his cheek. The warmth of his skin against her fingers made a smile blossom on her face.
'So alive...' The memory of that voice coiled around her heart like a serpent as she caressed her son's face.
'I won't let him have you.' Moving deliberately, she pulled Davin into her arms.
"Shh, my love," she murmured, rocking them gently. "Forgive me for frightening you... I'm here now."
"But—you weren't breathing!"
"Think of it as a bad dream." She pressed a kiss to his hair.
"I promise never to scare you like that again."
"O-okay." Davin's sobs quieted, tears drying in the afternoon breeze. Silence settled between them in their yard, peaceful yet heavy.
Davin didn't notice how his mother's arms trembled, nor the conflict raging behind her golden eyes.
'If I do this, he'll find me... and I may never see Davin or Ray again. But my son will gain a choice—a chance to defy that man and his System. If I do nothing...' Her embrace tightened imperceptibly.
'He'll remain a puppet to a dead man's will.'
When Davin's breathing steadied, she drew back. His questioning gaze met hers—and he shivered.
"Mother?"
"It's about time I tell you something important." She smiled, while her eyes turned black and her irises glowed gold.
"We are not humans, my love. We are Celestial Origins."
'Why tell me this now? And System—what's wrong with her eyes?' Davin stared at the serpentine golden eyes regarding him with terrifying tenderness.
[What is she planning?]
"Our people thought so highly of themselves that Fate cursed us with Pride." Golden scales blossomed across her arms, legs, and the curve of her jaw.
"Not all Origins bore this burden though—only the most prideful one."
[Host, get away!]
[Her power rank is increasing exponentially! She intends to do something that will interfere with me—and by extension, also you!]
'What do you mean her rank—'
[Warning!]
[Extreme threat detected! Initiating emergency—]
"It's too late for that." Gaela's voice cut through the System's alert, her power pinning Davin in place.
Six radiant angelic wings unfurled from her back, casting long shadows.
"Fate must have laughed when you chose my son as host. Because he will be the one you'll never control!"
[...]
"My ancestor discovered how to pass the curse to the next kin without death's release." Her voice softened when she addressed her son, as her form grew more majestic.
"My father gave it to me when he got tired of its weight. Now I give it to you."
She raised a clawed hand, and sliced her other palm. Blood welled, shimmering with golden light.
"I, Gaela Vy Light, by my true name, bequeath to you the burden of millennia. The misfortune from Fate and the scourge that haunts our bloodline. I curse you with the Origin's Pride!"
Her bloody palm pressed against his forehead, causing a runic mark to appear momentarily onto his skin.
Davin's knees buckled as overwhelming weakness struck him. He then collapsed against his mother, his vision dimming down.
"Know this, my son." She cradled him as his world darkened.
"I love you. I always will. Live the life you deserve—truly and fully."
As consciousness fled, Davin's last sensation was his mother's tears falling onto his face.
~Thousands of miles away~
A throne creaked as its occupant stirred.
On it, an old man sat comfortably before his eyes snapped open—a pair of piercing golden eyes.
His gaze cut South-eastward, through stone walls and across unseen horizons, as if drawn by some primal thread.
"So that's where you've been hiding."
A smile cracked his weathered face, revealing milky white teeth. 'Ten years of waiting. Ten years of searching. And now—this?'
"What could possibly be worth blowing your cover after all this time... Gaela?"
The question hung in the air, thick with the scent of old bloodline and older power.