Goddess's Countermove

“I really don’t understand why you came back.”

Xia Lun stared at the Aise before him, his expression dark as water.

The atmosphere was tense, broken only by the occasional birdsong outside the window, a reminder that time was still moving. The morning sunlight slanted in, drawing a sharp line of light on the floor between them, as if splitting them into two separate worlds.

“Actually, I don’t really understand why I came back either... Father.” Aise shrugged helplessly. “It’s not like I came back on purpose.”

“What exactly are you after?”

Aise tilted his head slightly, a strand of Mian’s flaxen hair falling across his forehead. He idly twirled the end of it with his fingers.

“I really don’t have any goal. I just want to survive... but unfortunately, it seems my very existence is a mistake in this world.” Aise sighed deeply, looking somewhat resigned. “To be honest, I was living quite well in other worlds, Father. I fit in better elsewhere.”

“Then why don’t you go back?”

“I am your son, after all. Now that I’ve finally seen you again, I don’t want to leave.” Aise bared a sinister grin. “Besides, in this peaceful world, I don’t have to kill until my soul goes numb, I don’t have to constantly watch my back for sneak attacks, and I don’t have to worry about alien parasites infesting my soul while I sleep... I’ve been longing for days like these.”

“I will never let you off.” Xia Lun’s voice was heavy.

“Then that’s my honor, Father...” Aise gave a slight bow. “Is there anything else you’d like to ask? I’ll answer everything.”

Xia Lun was silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over Aina, who stood nearby like a motionless statue.

“The Goddess...” Xia Lun spoke again, slowly. “You’ve seen the Goddess?”

Aise’s lips curled into a meaningful arc. “Father, isn’t it a bit inappropriate to bring that up in front of Mother?”

Aise clearly knew about the terrible relationship between his mother and the Goddess.

“Answer whatever Xia Lun asks.” Aina’s gaze was like a sharp blade; if possible, she would have run Aise through completely.

“Mm... alright, I have indeed seen the Goddess.” Aise, of course, understood his current situation. “The Goddess... she really did take my soul away the moment you killed me, Father. When I saw her, I thought I was seeing you, Mother... Oh, Mother, I know you don’t like hearing that, but she looked so much like you.”

“Tch.” Aina clicked her tongue. Her mood was clearly unpleasant.

“That dazzling golden hair, and those holy wings on her back... Aside from that, she was almost exactly like you.” Aise let out a light laugh, teasingly. “Can you imagine? I actually called her ‘Mother’ without thinking, and asked her what she was doing...”

“That’s not what I want to know.”

Seeing his wife’s expression grow worse, Xia Lun cut Aise off. “Get to the point.”

The smile on Aise’s face carried a hint of schadenfreude, since it was Xia Lun who had insisted he talk about this.

“Alright, Father, but there’s really no point to speak of. After our meeting, the Goddess simply sent me away... I could even sense her contempt and disgust for me—exactly like you, Mother... Oh, sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

He apologized without any sincerity and continued.

“In short, I was just a backup plan or a pawn for her, to be used when needed... But unfortunately, I never got to be used. She probably forgot about me entirely. I never served any purpose.”

So even Aise was just a pawn? One that never even got to function...

“But Father, there’s something you might find interesting.” Aise changed the subject, a glint of cunning flashing in his eyes. “I found out later...”

“Oh?”

“Those Twilight Apostles were actually a backup plan the Goddess prepared to resurrect you.” Aise grinned, a bright yet chilling smile, watching the change on Xia Lun’s face. “But since Mother had already resurrected you, they lost their original goal. That’s how they accidentally summoned me from another world, mistaking me for the true Hero... Ah, don’t blame me for stealing that role. At the time, my memories were a mess, and I had no idea what I was doing...”

Sunlight streamed into the room, falling on Aise. He got up, walked to the window, and closed the blinds. With his movement, the room darkened, leaving only thin rays of light seeping through the slats, casting dappled shadows on his face.

Then Aise lounged back onto the bed with a lazy, casual air, like a king who had finished inspecting his domain.

Xia Lun, meanwhile, seemed shaken by what Aise had just said.

“The Twilight Apostles... were a backup plan the Goddess prepared to resurrect me?” Xia Lun murmured to himself, finding it absurd.

How could those mad and dangerous heretics be connected to the Goddess?

“Of course, Father. Haven’t you noticed? The earliest Twilight Apostles were all from the Goddess’s church. That was clearly her decree... You’re slower on the uptake than I thought.” Aise was now lying on the bed, crossing his legs, his posture exactly like when he had met Mian in the dream before. “As for those historians, they worshipped the Hero, so they were easy to manipulate. I used some of my abilities to make them all fully believe my identity.”

“They were all normal before they came into contact with Aise. It was only after that they turned out like this.” Aina gently comforted her husband, her voice carrying a tenderness that no one else got to hear. “This has nothing to do with you, Xia Lun.”

Aise, lying on the bed, raised an eyebrow.

“Why would the Goddess want to resurrect me? To her, I’m just a pawn like you, aren’t I?” Xia Lun couldn’t help but ask.

“Haha... It’s true what they say: those involved are blind to the truth, Father.” Aise laughed out loud. “You really couldn’t see something so obvious?”

“Aise, you can shut up now.” Aina’s gaze turned cold.

But Aise didn’t obey.

“It’s because... Father, the Goddess loves you...”

The moment the words left his mouth, the crimson in Aise’s eyes instantly faded, and he fled in panic.

“Uh... ah!” Mian was startled by the ice blade pressed against his throat and stumbled backward, his back hitting the wall beside the bed with a thud.

What terrified him even more was Aina, standing before him, filled with murderous intent.

“Wh... what’s going on?” Mian asked, looking innocent.