Lord of Mysteries: Goddess of Origin

Extending her hand onto the distance, Selina immediately retracted it after a sudden realization.

W-What am I doing!?

At that moment, thin and mysterious mists cloaked the greenery landscape. Unlike the mist of the space above the gray fog, with enough scrutinizing, one would be able to discern through its light veil.

Behind its obscurity, Selina noticed a silhouette of a man, at a height higher than her by a feet.

Subconsciously, Selina desired to lessen the obscurity, enough to reveal the man's appearance.

The world then heeded her at an instant, mists began to disperse into the wind, exposing everything to Selina.

The man, at a distant from her, had a deep set of brown eyes, black hair, straight and aquiline nose, lean body and an outlined face, he's somewhat composed yet unsettled.

She immediately recognized him, It was the man whom she met at the basement, reformed from the amalgamation of insects displayed by Marquis.

What is he doing here!? Selina was stunned by the unexpected encounter, even in her dreams that disturbing memory of a human morphing, can still crept in!

Upon seeing the beautiful goddess, Daelan felt his body froze in horror.

The lady's appearance is heavily concealed by the illumination of light. Her face exhibits a swirling flesh identical to roots protruding with thorns, while her external body emits white radiance.

C-Child of God!? his thoughts stirred in fear as his back felt colder by each moment.

Subconsciously, Daelan's legs staggered backwards, attempting to further their distance.

With his remaining composure, he withdrawn his hand to his side, trying to feel the mystical artifact he was lend, but failed.

He was thrown into this situation empty-handed.

C-Can I severe my contact with him? Without wasting any second, Selina mustered the sensation of phasing, recalling the simulation where she fades from the space above the gray fog after the gathering.

Instantly, the green plain heeded her desire, the ground trembled in discordance and the spiraling vines that extends from Selina glowed with emerald light.

In the next moment, the man vanished along with the reappearance of the mist that envelopes the landscape in a thin veil once more.

...

The dreamy landscape became illusory and rigid as it shattered before Daelan. 

His body jolted upright, finding himself back in the manor, in the room filled with a series of bunk beds each being occupied by his colleagues.

He felt his whole being shiver in cold sweat. What happened wasn't merely a dream, it was the evidence that the ritual the cult attempted had succeeded without their knowledge.

Heart ramming his throat, urgency creeping, and with a silent whisper, as an experienced cultist and an insider he notified himself, "I need to see an exorciser."

...

In a dreamy landscape, with greenery plain extending endlessly across the horizons.

Selina was met with a lone atmosphere once more, the man that had 'visited' vanished without a trace.

Beneath her, the mural-like spiraling vines continued to pulsed in a mild vibration, enough to be noticed yet sufficient to be unnoticed.

How... Did he get here? Was it because of me? Selina's hand rose to in front of her, inspecting herself, she figured that this place was indeed a product by her dream.

But is it really just a dream? 

Lowering her palm to her waist, her gaze then wandered the endless distance of the green plain.

Can I go back? Just like before, Selina mustered the simulation of waking up or the sensation of severing her lucidity.

Without a second, the world became blurry tinge with illusory before shattering from reality.

Selina's figure returned to a sculpture of grotesque body throbbing violently before wilting into the ground that reverted to a floor of living and breathing flesh and organs.

The brood became quiet once more...

...

Moonlight glow filters through the transparent drops of the curtained windows.

Laying at the undraped mattress of the room's bed.

Selina, with a gentle force, exerted her opens. In a state of stupor, she saw her lavished room once again.

So it was a dream... Deep in thought, Selina propped herself from the mattress upright.

The mysterious world, the inaudible ravings resounding a word, encountering the man morphed from Marquis, her ability to command the dreamy landscape. It was all too real to be considered a dream, especially the physical pain she produced to herself that made her question the reality.

Seeing the leather suitcase untouched beside her, she was reminded of the incoming wedding that will be held tomorrow, a disguise for what will really transpire.

Anxiety and dread loomed her heart, prompting her to dismiss the strange dream she previously experienced.

Since the officials would not be coming tomorrow... Subconsciously, her fingers clenched the silk base of the mattress, she added internally, Even if death is certain...

But each plan she made all converge into failure.

Even drinking poison wouldn't work...

At that moment, a variable resurfaced to her mind. Deimsfel took the letter but it wasn't certain that he possessed her parent's silver emblems.

It will be another leap of fate, a redo of her return ritual.

But it's all she can rely on.

With that in mind, Selina stood from the bed and made her way to the dresser's desk, pulling a sheet of paper, an ink bottle and a single feathered quill.

Before she could proceed to write, she was at a lost.

Her mind wrestled for a solution. Reviewing details she have encountered throughout these past days. The antique mirror, the gathering, the dream, the diary, and the nature of the ritual.

Why would they preserve Selina's life after all this time? Selina's fingers strokes the feathered quill, her mind pondered for a possible explanation.

The wedding.

The mountainous of corpses underneath the manor.

The acting of the cults.

It's like they're trying to reenact an event... Then, at an instant, a sudden realization rose from her heart.

With this in mind, Selina lowered her head in search of a peculiar entry detached from the diary, almost immediately, she saw the torn page from the diary barely concealed beneath the dresser.

After taking the torn page, the quill, paper, and the ink bottle.

She stormed back to the bed, seated on its edge and began writing a compiled contents of her diary followed by piecing together, details that can lead her to the truth of her situation.

If the nature of the ritual truly is a reenactment, then could it be that their goddess have also been married? Selina's thoughts spiraled into branches, detailing previous acts of the former Selina as well as her general concept of the ritual.

They maintained the image of a bride being in a mansion with normality. Displayed characteristics incomparable to the original. Selina wondered if there's any actual reason for their replicates aside from concealing from the officials.

And about the groom... Selina recalled of Deimsfel's capabilities. He's exceptional, but not to the point where he is capable of defying reality, as described by the scriptures of the Evernight.

He is just a beyonder with a higher sequence than her and presumably using an unknown artifact. He isn't a god and most certainly isn't of any ancient families like the Augustus of the reigning king of Loen, his last name is Lawrence which isn't in any families of aristocracy.

Maybe they... only require the bride to be the portrayer? Selina felt a chill treading through her spine. She began writing her thoughts to the paper with diligent detailing. She couldn't afford to make a fatal oversight.

But how can that be? Selina wasn't spe-... The memory of her previous dream resurfaced in her mind.

If the ritual's only requirement is for the vessel, Selina, to accept the wedding. A simple misleading from the intended event would result in the disruption of the ritual. The reenactment would failed.

As her finger lined each sentence from her mind in the paper, using the modern English in order to masked her thoughts. She recalled Selina's previous action during the initial wedding, So that runaway bride practically saved her...

However, the cults displayed intellectual capabilities, there's a higher chance that tomorrow's wedding is just a charade for the actual ritual. If the family emblem of Selina's late parents truly reached the officials, then she have to opted to buy time for the raid to occur.

After contemplating for awhile, a short giggle escaped from her breath, If what I'm speculating is true, a simple slap from the bride to the groom should be enough, right?

Settling her thoughts, she took the paper and reviewed it one last time, before propping herself from the bed. She quickly made her way towards one of the wall lamps. Turning its knob, short sparks brought a lit plume, partially illuminating the room apart from the moonlight glow.

Opening its glass layer with a turn of its latch, Selina brought the paper to its light, burning its contents and melting into ashes that fell into it's class containment. 

...

As the dawn bathes the world in delicate glow.

Three consecutive knocks ringed from outside the door of Selina's room.

A single individual stood, patiently waiting for the lady's respond.

Daelan, clad in the form of Marquis, wrestled with the conflict stirring in his mind. The corruption seeping into him grew more persistent, and though he had conceived a way to resist it, the method felt increasingly futile.

If everything falls apart... I'm willing to risk it.

His hand clenched into a fist. He would not allow himself to be consumed by evil—a vow etched into him by his mother's parting words.

Just then, the door creaked open. Selina, upon seeing the familiar butler form of Marquis, offered a gentle, courteous smile.

"Shall we head out now?" she inquired softly.