Chapter 423: Not Quite a God

"Any more questions? Any complaints about the judgement that has been cast?" Sylvi directed the questions towards the Elarian, who was clearly upset about it all, but who did not raise his head to speak again.

With a curt nod at the dogs obedience, Sylvi turned to Belladonna and gave her a cheeky smirk.

"I see you still haven’t discovered the question. What’s taking you so long? Although I have to admit, so far I’ve been thoroughly enjoying watching you stumble towards it. I’m eager to see what you do next.

Just remember who is actually your ally dear."

Sylvi gave her another unseen wink, which Belladonna knew completely by feeling, before tilting their head back. Their body went limp, stumbling slightly before catching themselves, as the shadow retreated from their face to reveal the plainly average face of a thirty something year old man.

As soon as Sylvi’s presence disappeared, the Elarian let out a low growl and snatched his spear from the ground.

"Take heed Abomination, this will not be the last time we meet. The Gods will grow bored of you eventually, I am sure of it, and when the time comes I will be there to end your wretched life myself."

"I look forward to it. Maybe by then, I’ll give you a proper fight." Belladonna answered with a cocky smirk, even if she doubted her own words.

But it was enough to convince the Elarian, who simply scoffed at her ignorant confidence, before he launched himself into the air and disappeared, allowing the Moonlight around them to return back to normal from the crimson hue that it had previously taken on.

At the same moment, the wall of light turned intangible again, causing Figg to phase through it and fall flat on his face as he had been pressed up against the wall.

He scrambled to his feet, brushing himself off with cheeks flushed in embarrassment, before crouching next to Belladonna as if nothing had happened.

He checked over her, inspecting her for any injuries that the Goddess didn’t deem worthy enough for her healing, before his hand glowed with a soft, mossy green light.

Figg frowned deeply, glanced at his hand, before casting the spell again, and then again, before frowning deeper.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Belladonna asked, watching his face twist with confusion and annoyance.

"The spell isn’t working. Not like it should at least." Figg muttered as he tried casting it again.

The mossy glow spread from his hand and spread over the scar across Belladonna’s abdomen, where the spears blade had pierced her. However no matter how much mana Figg pumped into the spell, he couldn’t get the wound to disappear.

He could close it up to stop infection, same with the holes caused by the lasers. But whilst the laser holes left no scars at all, the Holonite blades left wicked and jagged scars that wouldn’t even fade in the slightest nevermind considering disappearing to give her her perfect skin back.

"Save your energy Green Dude, it won’t work. That’s Blessed Hollonite. Spooky girl is gonna have those scars forever."

The pair paused, exchanged a confused look, and simultaneously turned their heads towards the third party who had just spoken. It was the shaggy haired ’Sylvi’, but now without the shade covering half of his face, this man had lost all of the grace and poise that the Trickster Goddess naturally exuded with even the smallest of actions.

The man, on the other hand, smiled dumbly back at them as his eyes hung half open, perhaps because he was high on some substance.

He held out his hand, grinning at them widely.

"What’s up, I’m Raev. Avatar of Sylvi, the Trickster Goddess. Well, one of them at least. So uh... where am I exactly?" He glanced around, the goofy smile still plastered on his face whilst his hand was held outwards, although it seemed he had somehow forgotten that he had even done that.

"You’re an... Avatar?" Belladonna asked, looking over this strange man in disbelief once again. If she hadn’t just seen Sylvi possessing his body, which was the only possible explanation for what had just happened, then she would have never believed this man was anything close to an Avatar.

Even having seen it, she was still having trouble processing it.

It wasn’t just his slow and deliberate, yet simultaneously slurred, speaking voice that made his position doubtful, and made it absolutely clear that he definitely without a doubt was high on something, and unfortunately he had not brought his stash with him.

No, what was strangest was the fact that this man had literally zero aura in the slightest.

Not the type that Lilith needed to farm, nor the standard type of magical aura that any magic wielding being had.

But, according to Belladonna’s senses, there was nothing. Nada. Not a single spec of mana from this man who had very clearly just done magic.

A rabbit with a particularly mean look in its eyes could come along and seem more intimidating.

"You’re in a jungle, in somewhere called the Moonwrath Valley." Belladonna told the strange Avatar.

"Moonwrath, huh? That’s in uh... in uh..." He snapped his fingers, trying to jog his memory, before finally getting it and pointing to Belladonna with a goofy smile.

"Lucetania, right? Aw crap, it is... She took me to a totally different country this time. Didn’t even give me a proper warning, it’s gonna be a total pain to get back." Raev sighed heavily, the dauntless task of his return journey hanging over him for all of five seconds, before he turned around and noticed the church ruins behind him.

"Oh dang, Church of Elaria. Not many of these left you know, I wonder if its still got some of the goods on the inside." Raev chuckled to himself, gesturing for the others to follow before he wandered into the Church without a single care in his dreamy, high as a kite life.

Figg glanced at Belladonna, shooting her a confused look, before he rushed in after the strange Avatar.

However Belladonna didn’t make it more than a few steps forwards, before she stopped in place and stared at the church in fear.

Her hand touched the long, ugly scar across her stomach, the sensation of her soul burning inside of her still fresh in her mind.

"At least I won’t be alone out here. Even if you don’t come out, I know you’re still in there, right Beanie Baby?" Belladonna called into her shadow, smiling halfheartedly to try reassure herself.

She heard a soft ’Mreow’ in response, before Beans poked his head out of her shadow and glanced around.

He looked at the Church, tilting his head in curiousity, before glancing over his shoulder at Belladonna. He slowly blinked once, not much thought behind those adorable eyes, before Beans promptly darted towards the Church and disappeared through the doorway.

"You little traitor..." Belladonna muttered to herself with a soft sniffle, before she stumbled onto the ground and pulled her knees up to her chest as she waited for them to return.