The Devil's Betrothed
Chapter 475: Gods and Demons

Chapter 475: Gods and Demons

"Allow me to share a tale of Esmeray," began Sierra, her voice weighted with reverence. "She was not just any demoness but the only decendent to the former Demon King, the esteemed Princess of the Demon realm, and the most formidable demoness the Demon realm ever had."

Evanthe’s eyes narrowed in recognition. "Ah, I’ve come across that name in ancient scrolls—Esmeray, the audacious Demoness who dared to challenge the very heavens."

Sierra’s gaze held steady. "Indeed, a power struggle has long existed between the celestial realms and the Demon realm, each side trying to establish their dominance. Despite both sides equally powerful, Gods had always managed to defeat Demons.

"In the last unfortunate battle between Gods and Demons, when the Gods, consumed by their relentless ambition, sought to destroy the Demon realms entirely, Princess Esmeray made the ultimate sacrifice. She harnessed her formidable power of darrkness and sealed the Demon realm by creating protective barrier around it, thwarting the Gods’ invasion.

"This protective barrier, woven with Esmeray’s unparalleled strength, proved so formidable that even all the gods together could not shatter it. Since then the Demons are trapped inside the Demon realm and there is no war between Gods and Demons as they can not come face to face. Now, within this confinement, the Demons await their Princess’s prophesied return, yearning for freedom and establish the Demon realm back to its previous glory."

Evanthe, mulling over the revelations, posed a probing question, "While Esmeray’s lineage befits her mastery over darkness, how did she come to wield the divine powers of the wind?"

Evanthe could somewhat guess the answer to the natural course, why an offspring would have a dual energy core.

"Long before Esmerraye was born, there was a time when the Gods and Demons decided to make peace with each other. Gods had been controlling all the elemental attributes while Demons had only darkness. During that peace agreement, a celestial concession was made: the Gods would bestow one elemental attribute upon the Demons. That one element was elemental attribute of Air.

"As a result, the angelic guardian of the Air domain was promised in union to the Demon King’s sole heir. The angel of Air element was betrothed to Demon King’s only son. She was powerful and was supposed to ascend as the Goddess of Air element but as she was being married to the Demon realm and was going to be a part of Demons, she was not assigned with the title of Goddess. She remained as Angel.

"From this union, Esmeray was birthed, inheriting the profound duality of her lineage: the Darkness might of her father and the ethereal winds from her celestial mother."

Everyone was paying entire attention to the story, as if they were immersed in it.

Sierra continued, her voice steady, "Esmerray was not an ordinary Demoness but someone who was blessed with absolute darkness unlike other demons who only possessed ordinary darkness. It was because the lineage of the Demon King came from absolute darkness and his grand-daughter inherited it from him."

"Though Esmeray’s mother was the most powerful being who controlled the air element, she could never get the title of Deity. So, it was the same for Esmeray. Esmeray could never be considered as the deity of the Air element but remained as the Demoness. Now she is reborn as Oriana, in the human body, she would still be the Demoness, the Princess of Demon realm."

A shadow crossed Evanthe’s face. "So, you’re suggesting that her mother..."

"She had departed to the realm of nothingness," Sierra confirmed gravely. "When the hellfire broke out, Esmeray lost her mother who used her powers to stop it but could not stand against it."

Evanthe furrowed her brows, seeking clarity. "But if Esmeray’s mother was wedded to the Demon King’s son to foster peace between two realms, why did conflict resurface?"

With a wearied sigh, Sierra responded, "Nothing is absolute and peace is the same. It takes just a slight crack to break that peace when the formidable individuals stand against each other. They can not hide their greed under the disguise of peace for long. One way or another, things are bound to break. Peace between two realms is nothing but wishful thinking."

Yorian’s gaze sharpened with concern. "And if Oriana ventures back to the Demon realm, then what?"

Sierra’s expression darkened. "Undoubtedly, Oriana’s return would plunge all three realms into chaos. Should the Demon Princess harbor vengeance and align with the golden Dragon, the repercussions would be unimaginable."

Yorian’s voice quivered with urgency. "So, are we to intervene and prevent Oriana’s return?"

Pausing thoughtfully, Sierra responded, "It remains uncertain whether Oriana has reclaimed memories of her past life amidst this upheaval. As mere supernaturals navigating mortal realms, we tread on delicate ground. Interfering in the age-old conflict between demons and gods may be beyond our capability."

"You are not from this realm, Lady Sierra," Yorian commented.

"After I was stripped off of my title of Deity of Earth element and was banished to the human realm, I belong here. I have nothing to do with heaven realm," Sierra replied. "All I know is, I need to protect Seren while staying by her side."

Drayce’s brow furrowed with concern. He looked at his mother-in-law, Sierra, who was still hiding the fact that she was Seren’s mother. He said politely, "Yet, Lady Sierra, if this upheaval affects all three realms, wouldn’t the human realm suffer as well?"

His all worries were related to his wife. How could he let her fall in the midst of any chaos?

"The human realm is safeguarded by its most formidable protector," Sierra answered as she peeked at Evanthe, who could feel her gaze on her even when Sierra had her face hidden under the hood.

Observing the silent exchange between two women, Drayce ventured, "You speak of... the Devil?"

Though the figure in question was undeniably his father, Drayce seldom acknowledged him by that foreboding title.

Sierra nodded, "Devil is the strongest one in all three realms who can defeat Demons as well Gods, alone. He sides with neither Gods nor Demons and he simply chose to protect the weaker ones and became the protector of the human realm."

Intrigued, Yorian ventured, "Had Prince Arlan not stirred from his slumber today, and had Oriana continued to..."

Sierra interjected with certainty, "The Devil would have descended, wielding his unparalleled darkness to quell her unchecked power."

Drayce’s eyes flickered with some unknown emotions as he asked, Sierra, "Lady Sierra, you truly believe he would intervene?"

"He certainly would have," Sierra moved her gaze from Drayce to Evanthe, "especially when someone dear to him is here."

Evanthe pressed her lips into a thin line as to not comment on it, a moment of contemplative silence enveloping them all.

Breaking the stillness, Sierra continued, "There is something else I have discovered about Prince Arlan and Oriana."

"What is it?" Evanthe asked.

"The divine energy of Air element coursing through Oriana and the force safeguarding the darkness within Prince Arlan are inexplicably identical or I must say they are of the same origin."

The revelation struck them all profoundly.

Evanthe’s voice betrayed a hint of astonishment. "Are you absolutely certain of this?"

Sierra’s voice held unwavering conviction. "Without a doubt. I recognize the unique resonance of that divine energy, reminiscent of Esmerray’s mother. While it’s expected for Esmerray to inherit that divine power from her mother, the mystery deepens as to why Prince Arlan shares this same energy. There’s an intricate connection between Esmerray’s mother and the soul of the Dragon. Her divine power seems to act as a protective mantle for the dragon’s essence within Arlan."

"Why are things getting even more critical and confusing? Instead of getting answers, we are left with more questions," Evanthe mumbled.

"I believe we will get answers soon given how things are happening unexpectedly," Sierra assured and thought, ’Deity of fire element is back, and now the Demon Princess. Seems like the heaven realm is going to be in chaos soon.’