Amon had a hard time. His only salvation was his skill in interpreting ancient texts and his sharp intellect. The sorcerer focused on the main points and discarded the secondary ones. Gradually, a picture of the local reality formed in his mind.
The cosmos of Fallen Goddess was a tangled mess of supports, exceptions, and senseless laws, on which new rules were piled up. The structure was monstrously unstable and threatened to collapse from the first serious jolt.
'If I were one of the inhabitants here, I would constantly be trembling in fear,' thought Amon. 'If they only knew how fragile the walls are that separate them from total chaos!'
Indeed—the world, originally designed as an elegant cathedral, resembled more a crude orcish hut, built "quickly and beautifully." There were holes everywhere, and paradoxes roamed freely inside. What was especially striking was the violation of the conservation of energy that Fallen Goddess had introduced for a rare flower and the surrounding ecosystem of the celestial garden. Carelessness played a cruel joke on the Goddess. The absurd rule cascaded throughout the entire cosmos. And someone managed to take advantage of it.
A clever succubus discovered that, with her husband, she could accumulate power endlessly. According to Amon, Fallen Goddess had been lucky—this debauched demoness hadn't thought of anything better than drowning the world in pleasure. If someone like him were in her place… people would have faced a much worse fate. That's what happens when you entrust the creation of a world to a woman.
"... I called it harmony," the Goddess declared with an admiring sigh.
"Admit it, my creation is magnificent! Unfortunately, freeing me will not be easy. To break the symphony of spheres is an incredibly difficult task."
Amon mentally snorted. If there were warp here, he'd tear Heaven to pieces, striking at the vulnerable points. It would be enough to set up stakes in the shape of the Hob-gat symbol, impale eight thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight people on them, and recite the full name of the supreme demon Nuiriech, which consisted of one hundred words.
To destabilize Pandemonium, even less was needed. A demon slightly above average could manage that. The only problem was that the Goddess had failed to create warp.
"I'll figure something out, Fallen Goddess," Amon solemnly promised. "You will definitely regain control over the world."
"Ah, I can't wait!" exclaimed the Goddess, rolling her eyes dreamily. "First, I'll deal with that impostor. Then, I'll rewrite the law of demonic energy. I'll impose proper restrictions on it. No succubus will get in my way anymore. When the Demon Queen realizes that energy no longer accumulates past the established limit—oh, it'll be so much fun! How did I miss that? I never imagined she'd take the throne. All because of the Iron Demon. He killed the contenders, scared my poor monsters. I don't even remember creating him. Though lately, I've been so forgetful…"
Amon tensed. His powerful intuition was practically screaming—this is it! Don't miss this moment, ask the right question!
"The Iron Demon? Who is that, great goddess?" Amon innocently inquired.
Fallen Goddess darkened.
"Ah, there was one. A thousand years ago," the Goddess reluctantly said, switching to her usual speech without the pompous tone. "I don't even want to remember him."
"Don't let her avoid the answer!" screamed intuition. "Go ahead!"
Amon knelt. This was an important moment.
"As you wish, my lady. Your word is law. Let's disregard this little detail, even if it might be important for your liberation. I'm not afraid of challenges. On the contrary! The harder the task, the sweeter the reward."
Fallen Goddess looked at Amon tenderly.
"Kneel, knight. Your reward will be truly sweet, very sweet," she whispered sensually, then added:
"But I don't want to make your path harder. Alright, I'll tell you about the monster. Though, I don't remember much. It was so long ago."
The sorcerer lowered his head as if signaling he would accept any decision, and the Goddess continued:
"Monsters used to choose their king through a duel. Fairly honest—one on one. Of course, no one forbade eliminating opponents before the fight. Many took advantage of that, but if the battle occurred, it always involved two. The Iron Demon broke that rule. He showed up at the tournament uninvited and attacked all the participants indiscriminately.
At the time, I couldn't pay attention to it. I was mentoring the Chosen Hero of the human race. I sent angels there, but when they arrived—the battle was over. Most of the monsters died, bleeding and oozing slime. Only two survived—forgot their names—weak, but clever enough to hide behind others. The Iron Demon was also on the brink of death.
According to the angels, before he died, he laughed and shouted something, but I don't remember what. It doesn't matter. The most unusual thing was that the Iron Demon looked human. Just in armor. But he wasn't human—humans don't have toothy beaks or wings made of flesh-covered steel. Where did this monstrosity crawl out of?"
The Goddess shook her head in disgust.
"I've created some pretty terrifying monsters, but the Iron Demon was far worse. You see, monsters, like all my creations, are harmonious. They have their own beauty. But this one—he was utterly unnatural. Like someone's insane nightmare."
"I'm sorry, Goddess," Amon said, raising his head. "I can see the memories do not bring you joy, clouding your beautiful face. Let us not speak of it."
The sorcerer had already obtained the information he needed. The Iron Demon was undoubtedly a being twisted by warp. That meant Amon wasn't the first outsider in this world. The Iron Demon... a possessed space marine? A Chaos Champion, already on the brink of demonic transformation? His appearance resembled a servant of Tzeentch. And his behavior—like a berserker of Khorne. Or did the visitor have good reasons for engaging in an almost hopeless battle? But why? This needed to be figured out. Such a large-scale event could not have gone unnoticed.
Fallen Goddess flickered, and through the gray fabric of Pandemonium, a bright cushion appeared, out of place in this gloomy place.
"Our meeting is coming to an end, knight," the Goddess said softly. "But it won't be the last. The priestess's strength is running out. Don't drive her away—through her, we'll maintain contact. And be cautious... I don't have full control over the believers. Don't let her tempt you. Remember—you must remain pure until our wedding."
Right in front of Amon, a tipped wine jug appeared.
"I will remain pure," the sorcerer promised confidently, rising to his feet.
Fallen Goddess smiled seductively and flew down from the throne, coming up close to Amon. She slightly parted her lips as if for a kiss and gently brushed them against his. The illusion was so real that the sorcerer felt the light touch as though it were in the flesh, causing his heart to flutter. He didn't know what had happened. Had Fallen Goddess truly kissed him, or was it just a trick of the mind? In any case, her touch—real or imagined—was incredibly pleasant.
"Until we meet again, my love," the Goddess whispered, dissolving into the air.
"Until we meet again," Amon muttered in confusion, and unexpectedly, his voice betrayed him with a slight tremor.