Chapter 455: The Warning
"I think she’s a danger to my lady," Abaddon said.
Ethan gained an uneasy expression, and said. "It doesn’t look that way."
"That is the problem. It doesn’t." Abaddon replied, then paused before continuing. "You see, Morgana has never accepted that her fate is bound to my lady. For a very long time, she has tried to free herself from it, and every attempt has failed."
"Of course, it will continue to fail. The effects of an Elder God’s power cannot be undone by ordinary means. Only another Elder God could possibly reverse something created by one of their kind."
"This is one of the reasons I believe my lady may be overlooking an important factor. Morgana is more powerful now than she has ever been."
His expression grew a bit more serious.
"Her magic has grown several times stronger than it was a thousand years ago. But more importantly, she now rules an enormous kingdom, one filled with resources, armies, powerful demons, and countless means at her disposal."
"She may be unable to sever the bond tying her to my lady, at least until my lady herself reaches the point where she can undo it. But that does not mean Morgana is powerless against her."
Ethan’s expression tightened.
"And although Morgana may not be able to do so herself but she can definitely use everything at her disposal to kill the Mistress."
Abaddon let the words settle for a moment before continuing.
"If she were to succeed, she would force my lady into another reincarnation cycle, leaving her unable to return for hundreds of years. And if Morgana is truly willing to kill my lady simply to gain a measure of freedom, then you should consider what she might do to the rest of you—the people who came here with her."
His gaze hardened.
"Given Morgana’s current power and the resources at her disposal, accomplishing something like that would be relatively easy for her."
Ethan looked puzzled, hinking through Abaddon’s words before asking, "But if your fates are bound to my wife’s? Would killing her not put you in danger as well?"
"Yes," Abaddon answered. "But there are a few exceptional circumstances."
He paused briefly before explaining. "Elder Gods cannot truly be killed. Each one is an embodiment of a particular aspect of existence. Because of that, even if my lady’s physical form is destroyed, she is not truly dead."
He looked at Ethan. "Our blessings would be weakened, but we would not disappear along with her."
Ethan nodded slowly, but Abaddon continued.
"There is something else you should understand about Morgana. She has been able to retain her level of power, and even surpass it, without relying on the blessings granted to her by my lady’."
There was another pause before the angel began gesturing slightly to further explain.
"When my lady lost a portion of her power, we Blessed felt it as well. The blessings we received weakened accordingly... even I, face some decline in my powers due to this"
"Under the same circumstances, Morgana should also be weaker than what I remember."
"But that isn’t the case," Ethan said.
"No." Abaddon shook his head. "Before becoming my lady’s Blessed, Morgana was, if I recall correctly, was merely a mage capable of casting magic....Becoming a Blessed gave her an enormous increase in power. But the strength she possesses now is no longer dependent on that enhancement."
He glanced toward a random direction in the distance.
"Whatever power Morgana possesses now belongs mostly to her. The blessing may still grant her certain benefits, but her current strength is something she has developed herself."
Abaddon paused.
"I suspect it has something to do with the nature of demons to evolve....of course, Morgana is half demon."
Ethan raised his head, a question forming in his expression. "Why are you coming to me with this instead of my wife?"
"The Mistress already knows how dangerous Morgana could be," Abaddon answered. "I have spoken to her about it as well. But she has a certain fondness for Morgana."
He paused briefly, considering his words.
"Sometimes, it feels like the fondness a mother has for her child. At other times, more like that of an elder sister toward a younger one....She sees parts of herself in Morgana—a woman who refuses to live by rules and will fight against those she considers oppressive. They share a certain sense of kinship."
Abaddon turned back to Ethan.
"That is precisely why I am speaking to you. I admit that much of this is speculative, but it would be foolish to ignore the possibility entirely. We should still take every precaution we can."
He added, "Understand that this is simply my duty to my lady."
Ethan gave him a slow nod, acknowledging his concern.
However, after another thoughtful moment, he asked. "Just to put this into perspective, in case the day ever comes when Morgana actually becomes a problem... how powerful is she really? I could tell she’s strong, but I have no idea how strong."
Abaddon answered. "When Morgana came under my lady’s shadow, I could sense she had entered a new level of power—one very, very close to a Lower Deity"
Ethan’s eyes widened. "Lower Deity?"
"Yes." Abaddon affirmed.
Ethan exhaled. "Then fighting her would be a very bad idea."
Abaddon gave him a knowing nod.
There wasn’t much conversation after that as the fallen angel had completed the objective of giving this warning.
He extended his wings and turned toward the sky, preparing to leave. But just before taking flight, he stopped.
"And Ethan...About your summon. I do not know what she experienced, but I understand hatred toward my own kind better than most."
"Left to me.. I would see that they all burn."
With that, Abaddon beat his wings and rose into the sky.
Ethan watched him disappear into the night, his words lingering in his mind.
——
A few more days passed in relative peace.
"Peace" was perhaps a generous word for it, considering a Watcher had been killed inside Lord Krygon’s palace. Still, there had been no consequences for it.
The Demon King also made no further appearance, neither did he request for Nathan’s presence.
So, for the time being, everyone, most of them rather, just focused on why they had come to the Demon Continent: training.
Valerie and Miss Bernadette had gradually gotten the hang of using True Magic properly, their control improving with each passing day.
Bettie’s growth as a Dark One also continued steadily, while Percival, apparently terrified of losing his fitness and becoming rusty, had decided to join the others in training as well.
He regularly forced Eduardo into spars, most of which ended with Percival losing anyway.
Wilson joined a few times, or just watched, while Ethan and Hayley continued with their usual training regimen.
Ethan had also made progress on something else.
The cellular base station he sketched out five days ago, was finally built and complete.