The Boxana Kingdom was the highest in power, influence, and money. No other kingdom could compare, and thanks to their reach, their voice echoed across the continent like thunder.
Then the king spoke.
"The goddess has betrayed humanity."
His words struck like lightning. They roared through the lands, fast as a storm wind. Some people fainted on the spot. Others dropped to their knees in confusion and fear. No one wanted to believe it. How could the goddess, the one who descended to protect them, betray mankind?
But the king didn't stop there.
"Send word to every kingdom," he ordered. "If anyone sees the goddess, report her to the nearest knight immediately."
The message spread like wildfire faster than lightning, faster than the flash. And within five days, the whole continent was buzzing. The temples were empty. Shrines abandoned. Not a single prayer was whispered in her name.
No worship meant no divine power.
In this world, a god is only as strong as their believers. And Ashley had just lost all of hers.
She was with David the Demon King when it happened.
The moment her glow faded, David noticed.
"Goddess your glow. It's gone."
Ashley's hands trembled. Her chest tightened like her own power was strangling her from the inside.
"I I need to see Alex. Where's Alex? Please."
David raised an eyebrow. "You want to see the hero? Beatrice is with him, but they're far—at the edge of the demon world. No human can get here on foot. No beast can fly that far. Only Beatrice can make it in and out alive."
Ashley fell silent.
David leaned in. "Is it serious? What's going on?"
Then Ashley broke. All grace thrown away, no divine pride left to hold onto.
"I've lost everything," she said, voice cracking. "All the prayers, the faith, the hope they're gone. Not a single human worships me anymore."
She looked him in the eye, shaking.
"In seven days I'll disappear."
"What?" David stepped back. "What do you mean disappear?"
"If a god is forgotten," she said quietly, "we fade away. We vanish. And if we don't fade we turn. We become something worse."
You'll become the Evil God?
Ashley nodded slowly.
David stared at her, speechless. The goddess once so radiant looked like a broken candle, flickering in the wind.
She expected him to mock her. Maybe even attack her. But instead, the Demon King did something strange.
He offered his hand.
What if I help you?
Ashley looked up, eyes wide.
"I could attack kingdoms. Kidnap some humans. Force them to worship you. At least that way you won't vanish, right?"
Ashley shook her head fast. "No. I'm not that kind of god. I'm not that evil."
David grinned. "Relax. If I lay a finger on you, that dragon of yours will burn my kingdom to the ground."
He sat down beside her.
"But what if I tell all my monsters to worship you? I don't gain anything from their worship anyway never got stronger from it. But maybe you can."
Ashley froze. "You'd do that… for me?"
"I mean, I'm the Demon King," David said. "Helping a goddess sounds like a wild story. But what the hell maybe I like you better than the humans."
Ashley chuckled weakly, tears in her eyes.
"No need for bloodshed," she said. "Just belief. Just a little hope.