Working on Cover Page For Volume 2 of the Novel - Bel Zane is the Face of Volume 2 - Three Sketch Art of her posing

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  A question bloomed in Alle’s mind, sharp and urgent.

  'What is this thing?'

  Before her stood a woman of striking Latina descent, her presence radiating an otherworldly power. Alle’s abilities, some unique and others inherited from Nier when resurrected her, thrummed in her veins.

  From Father to Daugther you could say.

  Her eyes, glowing an unnatural bck, could pierce the veil of life itself, revealing the souls of all living things in vibrant hues of red, blue, gold, bck, silver, green, and whole bunch of other colors, and shapes, each with a distinct shape that represent their uniqueness. But this woman… she was different. Her essence defied comprehension, as if she shouldn’t exist in this world at all.

  Alle strained to perceive her soul, but it eluded her. There was something, a presence, a shadow, but it had no shape, no form she could grasp. It wasn’t a soul, not in any way Alle understood it. The act of looking at it sent a searing pain through her skull, like staring into an abyss that stared back.

  A wet warmth trickled down her cheeks. Alle touched her face, her fingers coming away slick with blood. Her own blood, seeping from her eyes. She gasped, her gaze snapping back to the woman.

  The stranger’s skin was a deep, sun-kissed tan, adorned with intricate red markings on her body like stripe’s of tiger. A pair of curved, bck goat-like horns crowned her head, glinting in the dim light of the room they where now in.

  Her amber hair cascaded In wild waves, framing a figure that exuded raw, primal energy, cd only in a loosely tied bathrobe that did little to conceal her curvaceous form. Her presence was both alluring and terrifying, a paradox of beauty and dread all in one.

  She had glowing pink womb tattoo on her lower abdomen.

  The woman’s piercing gaze then locked onto Alle, her lips curving into a knowing smile.

  "You have a rare gift, child."

  She said, her voice a seductive melody, and easy on ears.

  "A higher degree of soul sight than even my Darling possesses, it would seem you have inherited his Occultist Eyes, just a more evolved one in the soul department that is. But don’t be so foolish as to stare at me with those eyes. You’ll only hurt yourself by doing so."

  Alle’s breath hitched, the blood still warm on her cheeks.

  "W-What are you?"

  She stammered, her voice trembling with awe and fear.

  As she went and hid behind Nier, she realized as a newborn monster her instinct always take the forefront.

  As such she was subconsciously reliant on her powers, even if she did not understand them.

  If she didn’t even properly understand her own self, it goes without saying Kaly was an existence that terrifies her to no end. Because of this Kaly also confused her to no end.

  The woman's smile widened, revealing a hint of sharp, predatory teeth.

  "What you see isn’t a soul, little one. It is but a mere fragment of my true form, a glimpse of the concept of Dark Fertility itself. It is not something a mortal like you can comprehend. Even if my dearest Darling, touched a part of its changeless essence, would go mad before grasping even a fraction of what I am!?"

  Silence was Alle’s only response.

  Words failed her as she stood frozen, her mind grappling with the incomprehensible presence before her.

  She dared not ask more, her instincts warning her against probing deeper into the abyss that was this woman…Kaly.

  Nier, however, broke the stillness, his arms folded as he fixed Kaly with a piercing gaze.

  "Do you have any idea what she is?"

  He asked, his voice steady but ced with curiosity.

  Kaly’s red eyes glinted with an ancient, knowing light look at the child, as she close then responded back to Nier casually.

  "She is a Darkborne."

  She said, confusing Nier who replied back with...

  "Darkborne?"

  Nier echoed, the word foreign on his tongue. It was the first time he personally had heard the term, and it stirred a flicker of unease in his chest.

  Kaly’s lips curved into a cryptic smile.

  "Any being born from your power, any child you sire, is a Darkborne. The offspring within this avatar’s womb for example, and Imani’s as well, fall under this category.”/"

  "Darkborne are typically the progeny of Outer Gods like us, though their cssification varies. Depending on their conception, they range from Semi-God to Demi-God, and in rare cases, full Outer God. The children you’ve conceived with human vessels, like Imani and this avatar, will be Semi-God Darkborne, their DNA infused with a faint trace of your Dark Essence. But that child beside you."

  She said, nodding toward Alle.

  "s different… You crafted her with one of your spells, I presume. As a living entity, she is closer to a Demi-God Darkborne than a Semi-God."

  The torrent of Information hit Nier like a tidal wave. His gaze shifted to Alle, who stood stoic, her bck eyes unreadable yet brimming with an untamed energy.

  'A Demi-God?'

  His thoughts racing.

  'Who would’ve imagined?'

  He mulled over Kaly’s words, his thoughts turning inward.

  'Creating another like her is no small feat either. The Soul Stay Spell demands 55,980 units of Negativity…a costly and heavily conditional ritual spell to even cast so sparingly. First, a fragment of the target's body must remain. Second, the revival must occur within twenty minutes of death, or the soul departs to its destined afterlife, be it Heaven or Hell. Third, and most crucially, the person must want to return. If even one of these conditions isn’t met, my spell will fail. Mass-producing Darkborne isn’t feasible at my current level.'

  Hmmmm... Nier’s eyes lingered on Alle, the weight of her existence settling over him.

  She was no mere creation in any light, she was a Demi-God, forged by his power and bound to him by something deeper than blood… Pheraphs as he is a fragmented of Kaly, they are fragment of him too

  "How interesting."

  He said aloud, his voice low and contemptive, then continue by asking.

  "So, she is a great addition to the family, then?"

  Kaly smirked, as she replied to him saying as such.

  "It’s like pulling an ultra-rare in a gacha game. She is not just fine, she is an exquisite addition to our family."

  "That’s good then, I am gd I created her when I did."

  "Fufufu!!"

  Kaly chuckled, then looked at Alle and back to Nier and spoke.

  "Then I’ll take care of your little monster tonight darling. Go get some rest. That human vessel of yours doesn’t need sleep, but it is healthier for it."

  Nier nodded, stifling a yawn.

  "Thanks a lot… Alle, go with Kaly. She will show you to a room and give you a tour of the pce."

  "Yes, Father."

  Alle replied, her voice soft and submissive, her red eyes gleaming with quiet devotion.

  As Nier ascended the vil’s grand staircase, his footsteps echoed faintly in the cavernous hall. Kaly then stepped closer to Alle, her hands csped beneath her chest, accentuating her commanding presence. She reached out, gently lifting a strand of Alle’s snow-white hair, her smile both warm and excited.

  "What beautiful hair you have."

  Kaly murmured.

  "Like fresh snow, pure and innocent. Yet you, little Darkborne, are anything but innocent. You don’t even realize how dangerous you are, do you?"

  Her eyes narrowed, seeing beyond Alle’s human fa?ade.

  "Your cells sing to me when I call and tell me what you are. A body of assimition and dissimition, a pathogenic collective of blood, flesh, and cells, all infected with the soul of Alle Kiryaru. My poor child, you’re quite the freaky creation. So much so, If you reach your full potential, you could rival even the the powerhouses of modern-day Hestas in their ultimate stage._

  Alle’s eyes widened, a flicker of fear mingling with curiosity.

  "And the Hestas? Can Alle really beat a perfect Hesta!?"

  "Of course you can, well not as you are now, your body is still mutating, especially now with that other girl inside you. And you will also have to train a lot even after your mutations settle and your abilities are properly stable."

  Kaly’s smile then softened, but her gaze remained piercing.

  "Tell me, child, before we start the tour, what do you think of our dearest darling?"

  "Darling… you mean Father?"

  Alle asked, her voice hesitant.

  "Yes."

  Kaly said, her tone teasing yet probing.

  "Your precious Daddy. What do you think of him?"

  Alle opened her mouth, but no words came. Her thoughts swirled, a chaotic mix of awe, loyalty, and love.

  And then her mouth open, and she replied saying.

  "I think he is…

  Meanwhile, upstairs, Nier stepped out of the shower, steam curling around him as he toweled off.

  "What an exhausting night."

  He muttered to himself.

  "The Hunt was thrilling… until I ran into that crazy woman. Still, I got away, and with a good haul to show for it too."

  He colpsed onto his bed, the cool sheets a stark contrast to the air conditioner’s icy breeze. His arms folded behind his head, he stared at the ceiling.

  "I gotta admit, to yah big guy, it is not a bad night, all things considered though. New spells, a massive haul of Negativity, what more could I ask for?"

  A yawn escaped him, his eyelids growing heavy.

  "Still… I’m beat."

  Drowsiness enveloped him like a tide, pulling his mind into darkness. His thoughts blurred, drifting into an ethereal void.

  It’s like plunging, blind, through an endless abyss, he thought, half-aware. Moving, yet still. Here, yet not here.

  Nier’s mind drifted, pulled toward a distant point in the void. A vision flickered in the bckness, a fleeting glimpse of something vast, ancient, and unknowable. It called to him, a siren's song promising his deepest desires.

  “I see it.”

  He whispered, his voice swallowed by the darkness.

  “I see it at st.”

  He reached out, drawn to the faint, pulsing light. It was so close, almost within his grasp, and he knew, somehow…that touching it would fulfill his greatest wish.

  "Almost there."

  He murmured, his consciousness teetering on the edge of lucidity.

  But just as the light brushed his fingertips, a gentle presence enveloped him from behind, pulling him back with a tender embrace. A voice, soft and melodic yet heavy with warning, whispered in his ear.

  "Not there, child of Circe. The Blight will sense you if you go further. It works with Mother, despite their hatred for one another."

  The voice was achingly familiar, stirring memories Nier had long buried.

  "Let me take you somewhere safe."

  It continued, pulling him away from the abyss.

  His mind surged, the darkness shattering like gss. Light flooded in, sharp and disorienting, sparking a sudden awareness.

  Nier clutched his head, a throbbing pain pulsing behind his eyes.

  “}8What the hell is with these headaches tely?”

  He muttered, wincing, as he felt soil on his back.

  Blinking, he took in his surroundings as he got up. The world was alien, surreal.

  The sky above was an endless expanse of bck, streaked with vibrant auroras that danced in hues of emerald, blue, gold, pink, violet, and crimson.

  To his left stretched a vast ke, its surface shimmering with an unnatural glow. Silhouetted figures, humanoid wisps of blue and red light, moved along its shores.

  Some swam, others dived, fished, or washed clothes, while a few seemed to drown in the gssy depths, their actions a strange blend of mundane and eerie.

  The ground beneath his feet was carpeted in crimson grass, soft yet unnervingly vibrant.

  The air hummed with an otherworldly energy, as well, it was Gaian energy, Nier could not miss it, however the Gain energy was much more pure.

  "What is this pce?"

  Nier asked, his voice tinged with confusion and awe.

  Then a voice came.

  "You’re in Eden Child of Circe."

  A voice answered, sharp yet familiar.

  Nier turned, his heart lurching. The irony of being called “Child of Circe” by her hit him like a bde. Standing before him was a woman, both strange and unmistakable.

  Her long straight hair cascaded down her back, split evenly, fiery red on the left, inky bck on the right. He had seen her change hair colors before, dismissing it as dye in his youth, unaware then of her ties to the supernatural world.

  Her skin was fwless, almost luminous white, and she stood tall, nearly six feet, yet still forced to tilt her head to meet his gaze.

  Cd in flowing, ethereal garments that shimmered like the auroras above, she exuded a commanding presence, her form both alluring and intimidating.

  Her eyes, sharp and unyielding, locked onto his with a stoic intensity.

  Nier’s jaw tightened, a surge of old resentment rising in his chest, as he called out to her by a title he had not used in more than decade.

  "Mother."

  He said, his voice ced with disdain.

  "What are you doing here?"

  Before him stood Circe Augustus, the woman who had haunted his childhood, second only to the family curse that had shaped his life.