Chapter 379: Twisted Kindness
In the darkest depths of the Duskwalker residence, Elysia Mystshroud was sitting cross-legged in a viscous pool of blood before a tiny red-leafed sapling growing out of a stone altar. A purple-tinted aura wreathed her body, making her appear ghostly to her family members kneeling in rows behind her, their reverence focused on the tiny tree.
Stella Crestfallen, the Grand Priestess of the All-Seeing Eye, had gifted Elysia a fruit that contained a divine seed of their god when Elysia had begged for a holy object to be the subject of her worship. Planting the seed, a small demonic sapling had sprouted. Since its birth, the whole Mystshroud family had carefully tended the tree, and Elysia had ensured it understood the greatness of the All-Seeing Eye through dreams via mystic Qi.
"Mytherion," Elysia said as she caressed the tree gently like a mother with her mystic Qi, "Do you understand yet? The greatness of your father?" The tree did not answer, but Elysia could tell it did not yet understand—for if it truly did, it would join them in prayer and sing praises to the high heavens. "Perhaps you need more blood. A child needs to eat." Elysia pricked her finger with the tip of a ceremonial dagger and dripped blood over the tree's leaves. The droplets of blood rolled off its small leaves and trickled down its rock altar into the pool of blood Elysia was bathing in below.
A few of the demonic sapling's roots had burrowed through the altar and extended into this blood pool, so Elysia used it as a place to leave corpses, her own blood, and some Mystic Qi. It was important that this child of her god was well-fed and taken care of.
Elysia let her Qi pour into the pool as she lounged back and lazily opened her mind to the demonic sapling to show it the wonders of the All-Seeing Eye. Her long silver-tinted black hair that ran down her back was sprawled out floating in the blood pool and got dirtied by the bits of half-decayed animals floating around, but she didn't care.
"Little Mytherion, when you grow up, you will finally understand that there's far more to the All-Seeing Eye than anyone thinks possible. I've seen it." Her voice dropped to a whisper, "He is not from this world. I need to raise you in case—"
Her eyes suddenly widened as she felt a domineering presence overwhelm her consciousness. Instead of resisting or even protecting herself, she let it flow in and dominate every part of her body and soul.
"Elysia Mystshroud, as the Vice Cult Leader, I require your assistance with something."
"Anything!" Elysia screamed in ecstasy as her god's words thundered in her mind like a chorus of the dead, and her body trembled, "My body and soul are yours to command. Just tell me what your heavenly gaze desires!"