Souls Online: Mythic Ascension-Chapter 288: Oh really now?

Barker was quitely seething inside but he had to maintain appearances. Like Tremlin, he too believed in Elven superiority as the Elves still had someone of a higher race among them.

These outsiders were heathens and mutts who did not know their place. He had heard rumors that the elf in that motley crew of strays had Draconic blood in their veins but was more inclined to believe that they had been conned.

That was the more believable option. However, he simply maintained his smile and remarked

"I’m so sorry young heroes but your tales are very hard to believe. An influx of souls like that would require the power of gods, something rarely seen nowadays. Most Gods have fallen into slumber, their apostles disappearing into the annals of history, gone and forgotten."

Rachel frowned at the Elders words. She could sense the malice hidden deeply in her words. However before she could say anything. Lily chimed in with a cold angry tone of her own.

"And pray tell Old Man, who do you pray to? What God teaches the practice that you and that Old Fogey over there worship."

Barker felt a vein starting to throb while Tremlins fists clenched, infuriated that such a lowly mutt would speak to them in such a matter.

"Little One, we pray to the Goddess of Nature and Life. The Great Eldara. I doubt you would have heard about her in your....travels."

"Oh really now? You worship Eldara? That’s soooo interesting. Considering she is my mentor and technically my patron, would that not make me her apostle and by extension, make me higher rank than you~?"

For a moment, no one said anything.

Then the murmuring began.

Soft at first, just a ripple among the gathered elders. A few turned to each other, speaking in hushed tones too low to catch. Others stared at Lily with a mixture of disbelief and alarm, trying to gauge whether she was joking, delusional, or serious.

Tremlin stood up so suddenly his chair scraped across the wooden floor.

"That’s impossible!" he barked. His voice echoed through the chamber. "The Great Eldara would never choose a measly beast to carry her will! You dare call yourself an apostle?!"

Before anyone could react, Lily moved.

With a practiced spin of her fingers, she pulled her rifle from her inventory

in a smooth, fluid motion. It gleamed as she leveled it directly at Tremlin’s head. Her posture was casual, but her eyes were icy.

Everyone froze.

Leo’s breath caught. Even Rachel took a step back. Crystal instinctively moved in front of Aria, while Greg blinked, stunned.

Lily never pulled her weapon unless she meant it.

And this time, she meant it.

"You want to run that by me again, old man?" she said, voice calm but deathly serious.

A soft hum filled the chamber. The rifle in her hands began to glow faintly. Gentle, natural green light pulsed along its barrel, tracing faint symbols etched into the wood. It was subtle, but unmistakable.

Elder Mira gasped.

Nyra stood up halfway in her seat, eyes wide.

"That glow..." Syen whispered. "That’s not just an enchantment. That’s a divine blessing."

Alenya looked like she had seen a ghost. "That’s... Eldara’s mark. I would know it anywhere."

Elder Barker’s smile faltered, just for a fraction of a second.

Tremlin’s face twisted in fury and disbelief. "That cannot be. That is forged. A mockery. Eldara would never—!"

"She did," Lily said flatly. "You’re just too blind to see it."

The rifle pulsed once more, a faint wind stirring her hair despite the stillness in the chamber. Leaves rustled along the walls of the great tree as if in recognition.

Silence reclaimed the room once again.

This time, no one dared question her.

Not out loud.

Lily lowered her rifle slowly but did not holster it. The chamber was still silent, the glow of her weapon casting warped shadows along the wooden walls.

"If our words aren’t enough for you," she said coldly, "then let’s just name names."

She gave a short nod to Aria.

Aria stepped forward, her voice smooth and clear.

"Ariel. Goddess of Avians and Wind."

A breeze stirred through the hall. It circled the group gently, brushing hair, tugging robes. It was quiet and light, yet it carried presence. Power. Recognition.

Several elders looked around in alarm.

Greg took a step forward next. He didn’t bother raising his voice.

"I don’t remember his name," he said simply. "But thanks to him, I am now a Progenitor Titan."

The air around him thickened. A low groan came from the floor beneath his feet as the roots of the Heartwood strained quietly. The chamber seemed to shrink, just a little, as if space itself was adjusting to make room for him.

Eyes widened across the room.

Penny stepped up with a grin that could cut glass. She flipped her hair, placing one hand on her hip.

"Violetta. Goddess of Art and Death. Yes, I know, I’m fabulous."

She gestured vaguely toward herself like she was unveiling a masterpiece.

"And in case the subtle hints didn’t make it obvious, I am also an Elder Vampire now. Try not to faint. Or do. I could use the entertainment."

Gasps broke out from the more traditional elders. Faelar gripped the armrest of his seat with visible tension. Rhistel actually recoiled as if her words were acid.

Luna stepped up next. She didn’t smile. She didn’t pose. She only looked Barker dead in the eyes.

"My teacher is the War God."

That was all she said.

The temperature dropped again. No noise. No wind. Just cold weight. The silence that followed was thick enough to choke on.

Crystal was last.

She didn’t need to move. She simply straightened her back and let her words ring out.

"I am a Draconic Elf. I stand under the protection of the Dragon God."

The very bark of the Heartwood Tree cracked faintly behind them. A deep, low rumble moved through the roots like thunder trapped beneath the earth. The ancient wood groaned in acknowledgment, as though the tree itself remembered that name.

The chamber was deathly still.

The divine pressure that now hung in the air was no longer subtle. It pressed down on every inch of space, not from the group themselves, but from above, below, and all around. The gods were watching. Listening. Acknowledging.

One by one, the elders’ expressions changed. Mira’s eyes were wide with shock. Nyra held her hand over her mouth. Even Syen had paled.

Only Tremlin and Barker remained standing.

And trembling.

Each name had struck them like a blow. Each pulse of divine pressure chipped away at their doubt.

And now they stood, faces pale, bodies stiff, aspower far beyond their station bore down upon them.

Their arrogance was gone.

All that remained was fear.