Morgana: The Mother Of All

Chapter 547: The Crimson Graveyard of Gods

Standing in a massive hall, Aurelia kept her presence low, her eyes scanning the angelic gods waiting in the hall with her.

 There were ten of them.

 Five men and five women.

 And they were all... intimidating.

 Power radiated from them in palpable waves, a mix of divine energy, martial prowess, and an aura of absolute confidence that made her feel like a child playing dress-up in her mother's clothes.

 They were her peers, but also her superiors in every way that mattered. They were the elites, the chosen ones, the best of the best of Uriel's pantheon.

 'And I'm just a placeholder,' she thought, a wave of inadequacy washing over her. 'a temp'. I'm only here because Mother wants to... test me. or maybe use me as a sacrifice.'

 She was shaking.

 She was scared.

 "Listen up!"

 A strong, commanding voice cut through the nervous whispers, drawing everyone's attention. Aurelia looked up and saw her.

 Miriel. 

She was tall and imposing, her silver armor etched with glowing runes of power, her long, white hair tied back in a severe, practical knot. Her face was a mask of cold, military discipline, her grey eyes sharp and calculating. She was the newest gold-rank goddess.

 Aurelia had a history with Miriel; they were from the same 'batch' of created gods, from the same source. They can be considered twin sisters.

 However.

 Family isn't something Uriel's creations cared about. It was all about power and performance.

 Miriel had always been the ambitious one. The ruthless one. The one who would do whatever it takes to get ahead. She was a living embodiment of the concept 'I must stand on top'.

 She's perfect in every way, except for two things.

 One, she's arrogant, looking down on others, even her superiors, as long as they are weaker than her.

 Two, she absolutely hates Aurelia. It was an irrational, deep-seated hatred, a venomous loathing that had no clear logic. 

 Aurelia knew the reason for this hatred. Miriel was jealous of her. More specifically, her golden hair.

 Uriel has a special fondness for gold; it's her signature color. And Aurelia was born with golden hair. It was a sign, a subtle hint that she might be... special. That she had a place in their mother's heart that Miriel could never have. And she blamed Aurelia for that.

 In her mind, Aurelia 'stole' her rightful place, her mother's love.

 "As you all know, we are about to embark on a mission of great importance," Miriel began, her voice ringing with authority. "A mission that will determine the future of our pantheon, and our mother's dominion over the mortal world."

 She started to lay out the plan, her words sharp, her tone dismissive. She was the de facto leader of this group, or at least in her eyes she was.

 No one asked her to speak, and no one stopped her. They just ignored her, having their own conversations.

 This simple act of disrespect made Miriel's face darken with rage, her grey eyes flashing with a dangerous light.

 But she couldn't do anything. She might be strong, but she wasn't stupid. Picking a fight here with Lady Seraphim in the house would be suicide.

 She spotted her 'sister' in the back, trembling, looking small and pathetic, a wave of disgust and a predatory smirk formed on her face.

 But as she was about to say something, the doors to the hall burst open, and a new heavy presence filled the room.

 It was Lady Seraphim. 

 She didn't walk; she glided, her eighteen wings of pure light folded gracefully behind her, her very presence silencing the room instantly, every head bowing in reverence, including Miriel.

 "It is time," she announced, her voice a calm, melodic chime that held the weight of a thousand collapsing stars. "Follow me"

 She turned and led them out of the hall and onto a vast, open platform, suspended over an endless sea of swirling cosmic clouds. In the center of the platform stood a massive, pulsating portal, a swirling vortex of silver and gold, a gateway between worlds.

 "Before we depart," Seraphim said, turning to face them, her golden eyes scanning each of them in turn. "There are a few rules to keep in mind."

 She raised a single, slender finger.

 "One: You will obey my commands without question. My word is absolute, hesitation will be met with... Death."

 "!!!" A shiver ran down Aurelia's spine.

 Death was something almost unknown to gods like them. They were immortal, eternal. To die was to be erased, to be unmade. It was the ultimate punishment.

 "Two: Do not, under any circumstances, use your divine energy," she continued, her gaze hardening, especially on Miriel and a few other hotheaded ones. "Release just a tiny bit of divine energy there, and death will be a blessing."

 Murmurs of confusion and disbelief rippled through the group. Not use their divine energy? Death? Aren't we just going to Earth to meet our goddess, Uriel?

 They couldn't help but think that they were going to some void battlefront.

 "Third, when the color of this bracelet turns black," she said, holding up her wrist, revealing a simple, unadorned silver bracelet. "You must inform me. Understood?"

 "YES, MY LADY," they all replied in unison, their voices a chorus of obedience. 

 "Good," she nodded, then turned to the angel behind her, who started to distribute the same type of bracelet.

 As Aurelia put on her bracelet, she felt a faint, tingling sensation, a subtle connection to the others, a network of shared awareness. It was a communication and tracking device, a leash to keep them all in line.

 "Let's go," Seraphim commanded, stepping into the portal.

 One by one, they followed, their forms dissolving into the swirling vortex of light.

 Aurelia took a deep breath and stepped through.

 The transition was jarring. A dizzying, disorienting rush of sensations, colors, and sounds. It felt like being torn apart and put back together in an instant.

 And then, silence.

 She found herself standing in a.... terrifying place.

 A sea of blood under a dark sky of screaming souls.

 Aurelia froze. Her heart pounding, her mind screaming.

 The air itself felt wrong. Heavy. Suffocating. Every breath carried the scent of iron, ash, and something ancient.

 Below her feet, the crimson sea moved slowly, thick like syrup, waves of blood crashing against shores made of black bone and shattered skulls. Above them, the sky twisted endlessly, billions of translucent faces trapped within the darkness itself, screaming in eternal agony.

 The screams weren't sounds.

 They were emotions.

 Despair.

 Madness.

 Rage.

 Hunger. 

 Aurelia almost collapsed as those feelings slammed into her mind like a tidal wave.

 "W-what is this place...?" one of the younger gods whispered, his voice trembling.

 "No divine energy," Seraphim warned instantly, her tone ice cold. "Suppress your instincts."

 The god immediately shut his mouth.

 Aurelia could feel it now.

 Something was watching them.

 Not one thing. Many things.

 Countless things hidden beneath the blood ocean... moving.

 Her bracelet glowed faintly silver around her wrist, and only then did she realize the horrifying truth.

 The bracelet wasn't for communication.

 It was protection. A mask, a cloak hiding their divine nature from whatever things lurked here.

 "Follow closely," Seraphim commanded, her golden gaze sharp as she took the lead, walking with her back perfectly straight. "Do not stray. Do not speak unless spoken to. Your life depends on it."

 They had no choice.

 They followed.

 Each step was an act of will. Each breath is a battle against the oppressive atmosphere.

 After walking for about five minutes, the scenery changed.

 Nope! Not changed, but more like something was added.

 And it wasn't something nice.

 "Gasp!" Aside from Lady Seraphim, everyone gasped.

 What appeared before them were impaled beings.

 Humans.

 No... not humans.

 Their souls... they were...

 "!!!" Aurelia's blood ran cold.

 They were gods. 

 Dozens and dozens of gods impaled on massive crimson spears that rose from the blood sea, their bodies twisted in agony, their divine energy corrupted, their once radiant forms now reduced to hollow shells of pain and despair.

 Their faces—frozen in eternal screams.

 Miriel turned pale, her arrogance replaced by raw, unfiltered horror. "Th-these are... gods of other pantheons..."

 "Yes," Seraphim said, her tone calm, detached. "This place was the battlefield of the divine war that happened sixteen years ago."

 Divine war? Sixteen years ago?

 Aurelia's mind raced, connecting the dots. The battle that forced the alliance of gods to retreat... This is where it happened. This is where they died.

 However, she was confused.

 That war was between gods and mortals, right?

 And now, as far as her eyes could see, she only saw gods impaled.

 What kind of mortals could do this to gods?

 "We do not linger," Seraphim stated, pulling them from their horrified thoughts. "We are guests here. It would be rude to stare."

 Guests.

 In a graveyard of gods.

 Aurelia felt sick. 

...

 They walked and walked, the path of black bone stretched on, the impaled gods becoming a grim, silent audience to their passage. With each step, the weight of this place pressed down harder, a physical presence that made their joints ache, and their breath catch in their throats. The screams in the sky seemed to grow louder, more personal, as if the souls were calling out to them, begging for a release that would never come.

 "Stay alert," Seraphim warned, her golden eyes scanning the structure that appeared ahead. "This is the most dangerous part of our journey."

 The structure was immense, a crimson palace, a fortress of solidified blood, its towers piercing the screaming sky, its walls pulsing with a faint, sickening light. It looked like a heart, a massive, diseased heart beating at the center of this hellscape.

 It was a fortress of death.

 When they reached the gates.

 Aurelia, Miriel, and the rest of the angelic gods witnessed a shocking scene.

 Lady Seraphim, Uriel's most trusted creation, one of the First, a being of immense power and absolute authority... knelt.

 She lowered her head, her eighteen wings folding inwards, her form trembling slightly, not with fear, but with... reverence.

 This was an act of submission. A declaration of inferiority.

 The angelic gods were stunned.

 They had never seen Seraphim bow to anyone, except for Uriel herself. To see her kneel before... this... it was a fundamental shift in their understanding of the cosmos. It shattered their perception of power, of hierarchy, of their place in the grand scheme of things.

 "All of you kneel immediately, or you'll join the impaled," she didn't even bother to raise her head.

 Hesitantly, they followed her lead, sinking to their knees on the black bone path, their gazes fixed on the ground, their hearts pounding in their chests.

 "O Great Mother," Seraphim's voice, usually so calm and authoritative, was now soft, respectful. "Your children are back." 

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