Malediction of the Depth – Silence in Judgement

Lea has a new pastime now, that being standing in the middle of the intersection and doing nothing.

She was fully ready to head to Empire's Edge, but there was nothing wrong with waiting it out. Especially when more Star Gods are coming. Despite the stares, Lea kept on humming to herself, practicing a melody for her next hunt. The main purpose was feeding herself.

When the observers woke up from her passive feeding, all of them decided to stay away. So Lea decided to come to them.

Confusion tasted funny; fear was savory. Like a meat course with foreign seasonings. So good... she thought inwardly.

Of course, she wasn't alone. On top of her head was The Plague Garden; Lea even made her head have more horns to create a crown for it to sit comfortably.

But she isn't here just for a meal; she was gathering information. Those who are exposed to her presence inevitably reveal what they think under the power of Unconscious.

What she found was... worrying to say the least.

Normal people, those who didn't use rituals to obtain Paths, are awakening through the new method. People were starting to find out the mystical side of the world, though not all were lucky. The emotional distress of people vanishing from thin air made this more disturbing, making it easier for the common folks to turn into Horrors.

For Lea, what's neat about this new way of being a Pathstrider is that they are inherently weaker than a Second Step Pathstrider, with no display of any fantastical abilities. That is, unless exceptions come, of course.

They still can perform rituals to obtain the Path powers. But they are basically locked without the ability to choose.

"Mn...", the slime mumbled.

"What is it?", Lea asked. She could sense the emotions but not the thoughts of the Star Gods; she was pretty sure she would die if she did that.

However, she was pretty good at reading emotions. So she was able to understand The Plague Garden a bit.

The people who obtained Paths with this new system, in the Mother of Life's eyes, were 'normal'. It was an uncomfortable sensation.

Like Charlotte's gaze when she became a demigod, the first time she was recognized as a 'person' by an Outsider. The Star Gods treat the people like that woman, because to higher beings, the people of this planet are nothing more than hollow creatures.

Lea stared at the clock, almost fifty... it was time for her to return—

"You!!"

She turned, facing the person she had been expecting. Dawn was starting at her.

I didn't think it would be this soon... she thought. At least the new year, not when she was going home.

"It is not the right place, princess.", Lea spoke, her voice calm and emotionless, "The mansion is a perfect place to talk."

With that, Lea picked The Plague Garden off her head, carrying the slime in her arms. And instead of sinking into the shadow, she used Soul Morph to grow wings and took off.

"Wait!!", Dawn cried out from the ground.

"Mm!", The Plague Garden stuck out an arm, waving at the distraut Dawn.

And so, Dawn was running at full speed, Upgrade her clothes into a suit of combat armor. Lightweight and rocket-propelled.

She wanted answers; what happened to Lea, and why is a Star God wearing her face? With how chaotic the world is, she couldn't get extraterrestrial information from Charlotte alone, and the next best person is a greedy merchant whom she couldn't reach.

The Faceless Twilight was faster than her, making sense coming from a Star God. Totally not a fraud faking being one.

Violence is forbidden in Lacrosa; flying is a bit iffy for this city. Seeing how the Steam Bat was staring at her...

But at least she wants resolution about what happened to Lea.

...

The doors swung open; Dawn realized she was not made for this place. Instinctively, she Upgrade her necklace into a filtration mask; even then, it didn't help much.

The reception hall was filled with black curving spikes, beating a golden glow like a heart; a dark blue fog covered the floor.

And the smell - the damn smell of the place was absolutely rancid, as if an entire ocean of rotten fish was here!!

How can anyone live like this?! Even her workshop didn't smell this bad!!

Dawn was about to gag, but she kept her appearance up with The Faceless Twilight standing in the center of the hall, connected to this mansion. That tall and faceless horned god looked completely ominous.

"You need to tidy this place up.", Dawn mocked the appearance of the mansion.

Lea was offended and was about to retort. But she Silenced her excitement, keeping it neutral.

My place isn't that bad... though Lea cannot smell.

"Mm...", The Plague Garden squeaked.

Lea nodded, understanding what the slime said, "It's still under renovation."

The Plague Garden decided to renovate the whole mansion. Even though Lea just wanted to trim the overgrown backyard.

"Let me introduce myself properly.", Lea stated, making the Cursed Constructs around her creak in agitation, "I am..."

What is the naming convention of Star Gods again?

"Nm!!", The Plague Garden squeaked, giving her an idea through emotions.

"Haser Pnimalom the Faceless Twilight of Judgement, Malediction, and Veil.", Lea had no idea what this name means.

That made Dawn shiver, because of Malediction and Veil specifically. For Pathstriders, Malediction is the literal Path of Evil; they cannot help but commit crimes - Lea was able to resist that to some extent via changing the focus of her malice, but normally, Villains are the worst people to be around. And with Veil, Pathstriders are called Liars, because they are pathological liars; nothing they say can be trusted.

Star Gods are the epitome of Attributes, how would a Star God with Malediction and Veil be?

Judgement, although being the main Attribute, is a Neutral Attribute. That just means The Faceless Twilight would either be a straight-up malicious, or delusional enough to believe in their own lies. Or both.

Lea got all of it from reading Dawn's mind.

"I already know your question for me.", the mask receded, showing her face, "Is this person familiar to you?"

"You...", weapons began to manifest around Dawn, but it was shut down by this mansion exerting itself on her.

As a precaution, Lea unsealed Ouis Marei, forming a skeleton armor covering herself. Cursed Constructs grew out of her body, holding the bones and connecting herself to the necklace. To add on, Lea created the symbol of a deer skull behind her, using the power of the ring.

"You don't want to do that.", Lea warned.

"Don't use her face...", the princess gritted her teeth.

"I refuse.", it's still my face.

"What happened to Lea? What happened to my friend?!"

"Ah, got to the right part.", Lea covered herself up again, "I got this body under the sea when I was just waking up. Not the best, could be better."

She could tell Dawn was using Erudition to Mimick Judgement to discern her words. As someone who chose Judgement... Lea found this quite disrespectful.

The Plague Garden vanished from her arms, startling Dawn. The air became more... dreamy.

"What did you do?", Dawn created a gun, raising it in a defensive position.

"I find it quite distasteful that you try to look into me. Aren't you afraid that you might know what you shouldn't? I merely didn't want The Plague Garden to find me being... me."

She grew a bit bigger and blocked the entrance with Cursed Constructs.

"Ah... the so-called gods here have something called Honorific Titles from what I have seen..."

And so, Lea would make her own...

"Malediction of the Depth;

Silence in Judgement;

Wandering Terror of Twilight."

Words are power, even in a dream. And that Lie would be reinforced by the God of Order.

The tri-colored diamond-shaped eye of the Jester appeared behind Lea, overlaying her own symbol.

"The Boogeyman, as you call my manifestations during my sleep."

"The Boogeyman—?!"

The floor shattered like glass, dropping Dawn down a bottomless pit. This is her Dream World, after all. How would one wake up from a dream when the master wouldn't allow it?

Lea kept standing there, waiting for about five minutes...

"And... down."

She shattered the ceiling while repairing the floor. Dawn dropped down in front of her.

"I've been falling for five minutes!!", immediately, Dawn began to open fire.

The astral bullets came rushing at Lea, but they turned into flowers, harmlessly dropped down on the ground the moment they reached her.

"Arvon Lily...", Dawn recognized the flowers.

The only flower to have a naturally black color, though more of a very deep purple. For why Lea used it, it was because it looked cool.

Dawn certainly didn't so, as a noble she had to study the meaning of flowers. Arvon Lily means Forever Goodnight. A peaceful death. That knowledge certainly came in handy.

And Lea just found out.

"You know I can kill you any time, right?", she got up Dawn's face, binding her with more Cursed Constructs, "But I am merciful to a Saintess..."

The Faceless Twilight shut up.

As she heard something else...

Pr...

It was getting louder.

Pro...

Pro? What?

Sensing something bad was about to happen, Lea backed away and kicked Dawn out of her Dream Realm. But in that fleeting moment, she had grasped the full scope of what that was.

Proto...

That was the Law of Progression's name - Proto.

Lea returned to the real world as well, her body still holding The Plague Garden, finding Dawn breathing heavily on the ground. But her sunset orange hair had changed to white, and behind her, an astral projection of gears, clicking together and working as a machine...

What the fuck is happening?

Though she pieced it together rather quickly. It was the World at work; hard work and enduring suffering will always be rewarded. The very core concept of Trial.

And enduring Lea's desire to eat more negative emotions was enough to warrant a reward. Which, from the look of it, was the full integration of the Divine Domain.

What kind of bullshit is this?!

But Lea kept herself calm.

"Entelechy of Light...

Unfolding..."

Dawn stopped herself; she realized what was wrong with her. Rather, what was wrong with the Honorific Title in the first place!!

Charlotte's Honorific Title for Progression wasn't correct; it wasn't wrong either. Just right enough for it to work, but nothing more.

"Knowledge Beneath Eternity;

Forever Incomplete and Forward;

Entelechy of Creation!!!"

The gears behind Dawn ignited. Pure, undiluted Progress made manifest.

"Proto!!"

Her body lifted off the ground, suspended by invisible threads of causality as the Divine Domain integrated itself into her being. The white hair burned brighter, taking on an iridescent quality that shifted between silver and gold.

Lea's Cursed Constructs recoiled from the waves of creative energy flooding the space. Black thorns withered and regrew. The dark blue fog condensed into droplets that floated upward instead of down. Reality itself was being upgraded around Dawn.

Are you serious?! Lea complained inwardly, backing away further... You're ascending in MY HOUSE?!

Dawn didn't answer. Couldn't answer. Her consciousness was elsewhere, touching the very Law of Progress itself.

The astral gears multiplied, forming a clockwork halo behind her head. They spun in perfect synchronization, creating a harmony that sounded like the universe humming in approval.

Lea watched, equal parts awed and furious.

The Plague Garden bounced excitedly in her arms, clearly delighted by the spectacle.

"Mm! Mm!!"

"I know it's impressive.", Lea muttered to the slime, "but this is incredibly rude."

Dawn's transformation reached its peak. The gears stopped spinning for one perfect moment, then clicked forward in unison.

She descended slowly, feet touching the corrupted floor. Her eyes opened, no longer orange but brilliant white-gold, burning with the light of infinite possibility.

Dawn steadied herself, breathing hard, her new divine power settling into her body. She looked up at the Faceless Twilight, at the Star God wearing Lea's face.

She could see more, fully utilizing another Path she just obtained, Revelation. To see through The Faceless Twilight— But she stopped; her focus unintentionally landed on The Plague Garden. That slime, that tiny jiggly cute thing...

"What the hell..."

Inside that ball were countless diseases, illnesses, viruses, bacteria. Breeding, dying, killing each other, mutating, multiplying at the same time. A factory of death and decay... The Plague Garden, true to its name, is a garden of countless plagues. If for some reason that ball burst... the entire world would be destroyed.

Lea looked down at the green slime, now realizing she was holding a world-ending threat essentially. But no matter how much she looked and felt, there was no malice within this Star God, only pure good vibes.

"You can be afraid of me, but don't be afraid of Mard Awalan.", she held the slime up, squeezing it like a stress ball.

"Nn!!", but ot escape with a body spin, flopping onto the ground with a wet splat.

She could feel Dawn's stress shooting through the roof. Only when The Plague Garden rolled away did her stress recede.