251. Umbra’s Suspicious Hunch
Secret Proscenium Stage, Somewhere In between space and time, outside the realms of reality
The immense, bright sphere of the Sun stood floating in the distant void, safely held away from the Secret Proscenium Stage. Solious, the Goddess of Light and Justice, sat down opposite Umbra, the God of Secrets, upon the cool, black stone of his domain. The constant flow of whispering voices that permeated the space intensified, a rising chorus of hidden truths, before falling into a profound stillness as Umbra raised his hand in command.
“So, what trespass do you intend to commit in my realm today, Solious?” Umbra asked, his voice calm yet deeply resonant with the power of concealed knowledge.
Solious sighed, the sound carrying a thread of intense frustration. “I even teamed up with Gilnto, offering to bribe Herptian with a Solarius soul to gain an audience, but… she, that indolent whore, somehow declined my request to summon the soul of my apostle for a conversation.”
“Ha ha,” Umbra laughed, a low, unnerving sound that was immediately amplified by the thousands of whispering voices echoing him. “What did you expect? Gilnto to act as your faithful lackey?”
Umbra allowed the mockery to linger. “If anything, he is far more inclined to ally with Herptian, since that ensures he gets to witness more divine conflicts and greater wars. You might have promised him a great war, but given that nothing has proceeded as you proposed ever since we all agreed to turn back time, it is a miracle he even helped you step into Celestia Castle.”
“I am not here to listen to your mockery, Umbra,” Solious replied, her frustration palpable. “I require a solution. Tell me, is there truly no conceivable way for me to pass on critical information about the otherworlder to my apostle?”
Umbra ceased his movement, regarding Solious with piercing intensity. It was abundantly clear that the Goddess of Light was highly uncomfortable in the oppressive, shadow-filled atmosphere of his domain, pushing through her distaste only out of urgent need.
“Tell me, Solious,” Umbra began, his gaze widening as though he were perceiving the entirety of the cosmos and the secrets within it, at once. “It is quite odd, you know.”
“What is?” Solious replied, her tone sharp with haste.
“The otherworlder appeared from nowhere the moment we all gods agreed to turn back time, and none of the Twelve were able to determine the how or why of her sudden insertion into our reality,” Umbra explained, his sinister smile growing. “Naturally, everyone, from Volkanos to Florea has sought answers from me, the undisputed holder of secrets. Even Herptian, whose Apostle the otherworlder currently possesses, lacks the answers, which is why she summoned her Apostle’s soul for a private conversation with the anomaly.”
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Umbra finally stood, gliding across the stage until his face was positioned directly before Solious’s. The intimacy of his shadow was a stark contrast to her inner brilliance.
“Yet, you, Solious, do not seem concerned with how the anomaly arrived in our world. Instead, you came only for a solution, a way to counter this unexpected element by informing your apostle.” Umbra’s voice dropped to a chilling whisper. “As if you already possess the answer to that question yourself. There is a deeply buried secret here, isn't there, Solious? One you have kept from the rest of us.”
Before Solious could reply to the cutting accusation, a soft hand settled on Umbra’s shoulder from behind, emerging seamlessly from the surrounding concealed darkness. A woman’s voice, smooth and deceptively calm, cut across the divine confrontation.
“You dare flirt with another woman when you have me, Umbra?” the voice demanded.
Umbra’s composure shattered instantly. He spun around, his perfect mask of predatory calm replaced by visible, nervous panic. The woman was Isabella, his wife, a soul who resided in the physical form of his shadow, fully visible only within the depths of his domain. She was dressed in gowns spun from woven night, her beauty an ethereal, quiet complement to his dark power.
“What?! No, no, no!” Umbra stammered, frantically taking a few steps away from Solious. “It’s my sister, Solious! Don’t get jealous, love, I was merely conducting... diplomacy!”
Isabella pouted, an expression of mortal jealousy that looked incongruous on a being of pure shadow. “What do I know? You gods' perversion knows no rules,” she said, her voice laced with skepticism.
“What? No! Don’t compare me to Herptian, Love. She seeks out trouble; I merely manage the consequences of mortal and divine folly!” Umbra began to rapidly console his wife, whispering earnest assurances.
Solious, watching the surreal display of domestic discord interrupting the fate of the cosmos, let out a deep, exasperated sigh.
“What are you sighing about, huh?” Umbra snapped, giving Solious a sharp, accusing glare as he paused his attempts to placate Isabella. “As if you never fell in love with a mortal before?” He returned immediately to convincing his wife that he was simply maintaining political necessities, not indulging in romantic intrigue.
Finally, Isabella relented with a resigned nod. “Fine, we will discuss the definition of ‘diplomacy’ later.” Her gaze immediately sharpened, pointing toward a specific area of the stage that remained utterly, unnaturally pitch dark. “The Saintess seems to be praying specifically to you, so I came to inform you.”
“Ha! So it’s finally time she seeks answers to her blessings, huh?” Umbra chuckled, a dark, satisfied sound. “This Saintess was quite late in figuring this logical path out.” He started walking toward the deepest part of the shadow. “Isabella will keep you entertained and restrained while I have this long-awaited conversation with the Saintess,” Umbra instructed Solious, before vanishing into the darkness without waiting for a reply from the Goddess of Light.
Once he was gone, Isabella moved to the center of the stage and settled onto the edge of the cool, black stone where Umbra had been. She looked directly at Solious, her eyes filled with cool assessment. “So, Goddess of Light and Justice? What exactly do you want with my husband?”