God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Evangeline\'s figure, standing at the heart of this shifting dark realm, appeared almost ethereal. Her eyes, reflecting an unsettling yet captivating crimson light, focused intently on Cain. Her presence exuded a mix of authority and an enigmatic allure that both intrigued and unnerved him.

Cain frowned, immediately realizing who she was talking about,

"Lukas? So this is where you kept him."

Evangeline nodded, "I even fed him everyday, so he isn\'t malnutritioned."

Cain smiled wryly, "He might be fed, but I am quite sure he isn\'t happy with these... living arrangements."

This world of shade and darkness was certainly far from ideal. Cain couldn\'t even tell if he was standing on something solid, as the soles of his feet couldn\'t register any feedback at all. It was quite the eerie feeling...

Evangeline shrugged, "It\'s his fault for falling into my hands."

Cain\'s face turned grim, "Does that mean I have fallen into your hands as well?"

While Cain seemed calm on the surface, internally, his heart was as cold as an icicle.

\'I knew she was far more powerful than she let on.\'

Dragging him into this place against his will was certainly a fine way to display her power. If it had been anyone else, they most likely would be quivering in their boots by now.

Evangeline chuckled, "Relax. If I wanted to take you out, I wouldn\'t do it this way. Besides, don\'t you trust me?"

Staring into her dangerously beautiful eyes, Cain found himself at a loss for words momentarily.

Eventually, he let out a defeated sigh,

"Just lead the way."

With a somewhat smug liook on her face, Evangeline began walking. As they walked, she explained,

"This place is a result of my skill, {Shadow World}. Think of it as a mini, sub-space that follows me wherever I go, and is linked to a dimensions of darkness and shadows."

Cain couldn\'t help but ask, a bit confused,

"Dimension of shadows?"

She paused for a brief second before explaining,

"It is difficult to put into words, but think of it as a spiritual realm, only instead of mana, there are only shadows in here. Well, there\'s more than that, but that\'s not important right ght now."

\'What else could there be here?!\' Although he was a bit panicked about that one glossed over detail, he decided to let it rest.

Placing her hand on the dagger sheathed on her wiste, she drew it,

"I have almost total control over this space. The shadows obey me as I am their master. I can store all sorts of things in here, including living beings."

She chuckled, "Although that isn\'t its primary use. I mostly use it to shuttle through very large distances, as everything in the mortal world is linked through the shadows."

Cain nodded, having understood. If what she said was true, then Lukas wasn\'t dead. However, he was curious to see what state he currently was in.

They walked for a few more minutes before reaching the heart of the darkness.

Cain was a bit shocked by what he saw. Seated on a chair and sipping what appeared to be tea from a dainty teacup, was someone Cain could only assume was the fabled Champion of Light, Lukas.

Light blonde hair, alabaster skin, and piercing blue eyes. Dressed in impeccable white armor that had not a single scratch on it with a sword at his waist with a winged guard.

\'They really do look alike.\' Thinking about his sister Chloe, Cain could how they were related. Although Chloe had more feminine features and longer hair, they looked very identical.

If Cain had to describe him in a single word, it would be \'pompous\'.

Lukas raised his head. Seeing Evangeline approach, his face turned a bit darker. However, when his eyes landed on Cain, he paused for a moment.

He had a frown on his face as he spoke,

"This is him?"

Evangeline smiled lightly, "Lukas, this is our leader, Cain. He currently doesn\'t go by any titles, so feel free to call him that."

Lukas scanned him from top to bottom before finally settling on his face. He squinted,

"Are you sure you aren\'t trying to pull a prank on me?"

Cain\'s brows twitched, \'What the hell is that supposed to mean?\'

Although he was annoyed by Lukas\' obvious rudeness, he decided to keep him mouth shut for now and see where things were going.

Evangeline\'s face suddenly turned very cold,

"I can allow you lots of things, but what I will not allow is you disrespecting him in front of me."

Sensing her seriousness, Lukas frowned to himself,

\'She\'s really serious, huh...\'

Taking another look at Cain, he analysed his features.

Wavey, long, black hair, slightly toned skin, and an athletic build, somewhat handsome and yet savage-looking at the same time, deep black onyx eyes, and a pair of guns holstered to his hips.

If he was to describe him with a single word, it would be, \'Barbaric\'.

Lukas shook his head, "I am sorry if I seemed disrespectful."

Then he turned to Cain,

"So you must be the one who stole Eva\'s heart..."

Evangeline threw him a mild glare, "I thought I told you not to call me that?"

Cain sighed, "Eva, why did you bring me here?"

Evangeline turned back to him,

"That\'s-"

Before she could get all the words out, Lukas had already stepped up,

"I\'m asking for you to release me."

Cain scratched his head, "Why would I do that?"

Lukas smiled confidently, "Because I am far more useful out there than trapped in his hell."

Cain sneered, "Is that the best you can do at convincing?"

Lukas\' face turned dark,

"If you want to have a hold on the Lightslayers, you\'ll need me. From all the news I\'ve heard so far, I know we are close to the City. Meaning a while new world filled with hostiles. You\'ll need all the power you can get."

Cain smiled, "And how do I know you don\'t just plan to betray me?*

Lukas shrugged, "It\'s a risk you\'ll have to take, no?"

Cain shook his head, "Thank you, byt we can do without any risks for now "

Lukas secretly grit his teeth, \'He still won\'t bite, huh...\'

Having been trapped in here for a long time, he had tried his best to escape. At first, he had tried breaking through the shadowy walls and floor, but that had done next to nothing.

Then, he had tried attacking Evangeline, but that had backfired many times. He even had his own armor torn apart most of the times he attempted to do that.

He had tried every other thing, but it had also failed. Then, a silver lining was presented to him,

\'As long as you can convince him, I\'ll let you go.\'

Recalling the words of the evil, devilish woman standing not too far away, Lukas gritted his teeth,

"Then what do you want, what would it take for you to let me go?"

Cain rubbed his chin. He could tell Lukas was desperate. He hadn\'t even tried attacking him when he saw him.

He had no idea what sorts of powers Evangeline had used to break him in like those but he\'d sure as all hell didn\'t want to find out. In any case, that meant there was a lot of room to work with here.

"What would it take, huh..."

Sensing Cain\'s odd gaze on him, Lukas paled.

\'Good Lord...\'

Just as he was about to say something, Cain spoke,

"How about this; I want to make three requests of you. As long as you agree to fulfill all three, then I will agree to letting you go."

Lukas frowned, "Listen, if it is anything inappropriate..."

Cain\'s face turned grim, "You want the deal or not?"

"Fine, fine! I agree! What is it you want?"

Cain cleared his throat, then turned to Evangeline,

"Eva, is there somewhere we can sit?"

With a curt nod, she waved her hands, and two chairs sprung out from the shadows. Taking his seat, Cain stared Lukas right in the eye,

"One question, one request, and one favor..."

Lukas gritted his teeth and nodded. Although he burned with fury on the inside, he could endure. For the sake of his goals, these circumstances were but mere roadblocks.

\'There will be nothing to stop me.\'

He still dreamed of becoming powerful enough to rule the entire planet under his thumb one day. Although it seemed childish, it was what he truly desired, what he felt was his birthright, as there was no better human suitable for such heights, not even the girl standing before him.

Seeing his acceptance, Cain continued,

"First, the question..."

He paused a bit for dramatic effect, before speaking,

"What do you know about the Celestials?"