Tolzna froze at Alaric's words, mustering what little strength he had to meet his gaze.
Alaric looked back at him and asked, "Any thoughts, Lil' Tolz? After all, Suah is… well, technically your child?"
A look of pain and disgust crossed Tolzna's face. "He's not my child. He's just a monster," He said.
"Don't hold any hope for Suah. He has no humanity... he's nothing but a monster." Tolzna paused, then looked at Alaric, warning him.
He feared Alaric might see Suah as another victim, like himself, or a misguided child. But Tolzna knew better. Suah wasn't some wayward offspring. Born of sin, he was the epitome of evil, the pinnacle of indulgence. Suah wasn't just the Mother Tree of Desire's child and lackey in this world... he was a symbol of the depraved side of the Chained Pathway.
Alaric raised an eyebrow, unsurprised. "Got it. I won't hold any expectations for him, but I won't kill him either... not yet, at least."
Tolzna looked at him, puzzled and stunned.
Alaric's lips curled into a smile. "Suah is a child acknowledged by the Mother Tree of Desire. They're connected, both by blood and in mystical terms. Keeping Suah alive might just give the Mother Tree of Desire a little surprise down the line."
The Mother Tree of Desire had many children, but few were as closely tied to her as Suah. In the realm of mysticism, such blood and mystical connections opened up a wealth of possibilities.
Tolzna's furrowed brow relaxed. He started to caution, "The Mother Tree of Desire is dangerous…"
He stopped mid-sentence, realizing the figure before him was, in some ways, even more dangerous than the Mother Tree of Desire.
"Don't worry. I may dismiss them strategically, but I'd never underestimate an Outer Deity," Alaric said with a chuckle, noting Tolzna's hesitant expression.
He paused, then added with a touch of frustration, "I was hoping you could handle the Rose School's aftermath, but looking at your utterly drained state… ugh, Medici's going to chew me out again."
"My apologies. Give me some time, and I'll recover quickly to take on the work," Tolzna said, his weak voice carrying an apologetic tone as he tried to muster some energy.
"Oh, come on, rest already! I'm not about to exploit an injured subordinate. Go sleep!" Alaric waved him off, pushing Tolzna toward a room in the separate space to rest.
Tolzna tried to protest, but his condition was too poor. In the end, he obediently lay down to sleep.
"Good night, Lil' Tolz. When you wake up, it'll be a brand-new day!" Alaric said.
…
After settling Tolzna, Alaric yawned and left the separate space with Bethel, arriving at the misty town.
The usually desolate misty town was unusually lively. The Evernight Goddess was chatting with The Ancient Sun God, likely catching up. Antigonus was crouched before a seemingly unconscious mythical creature, occasionally poking it with a curious claw.
An avatar of Amon stood nearby, clearly intrigued by the creature but refraining from touching it, unlike Antigonus.
Not far off, on a rooftop, Zaratul hung suspended, his expression stiff as he tried to minimize his presence. It was hard to say if it worked, given no one was paying attention to him anyway.
"This is Suah?" Alaric's gaze landed on the mythical creature before Antigonus. He frowned, his tone laced with disdain. "So ugly. Can't he maintain a human form?"
He turned to Antigonus. "Stop playing with that filthy thing. Do you even want your claws anymore?"
Antigonus froze, immediately hopping back three meters to show his obedience. He then pulled a handkerchief from nowhere and diligently wiped his claws until they gleamed.
"Good. A magic wolf should stay clean!" Alaric nodded approvingly before turning to the Evernight Goddess and The Ancient Sun God, who had paused their conversation. "How'd Suah end up like this?"
It was a fair question. Suah looked far from normal, exuding an intensely evil aura. Unlike typical mythical creatures, he had a warped, distorted presence that was hard on the eyes. His body bore multiple tears, not from external attacks but as if caused by internal changes.
"The Mother Tree of Desire tried to make Suah self-destruct at the last moment. I stopped it," The Ancient Sun God explained.
The Evernight Goddess didn't contradict him, smiling as she added, "Clearly, the Mother Tree of Desire didn't want her divine child falling into our hands."
"Understandable. I wouldn't want something so closely tied to me in enemy hands either," Alaric said, nodding.
"How do you plan to handle him?" The Evernight Goddess asked.
"Lock him up for study, of course. He's the perfect specimen for researching the Mother Tree of Desire's power. Plus, that reproductive trait…" Alaric grinned, recalling Frank's experiments in the original story with mushrooms derived from Suah, a descendant favored by the Mother Goddess of Depravity. His gaze on Suah grew expectant. "Maybe he'll bring us some surprises... like solving food production issues."
Though less directly tied to motherhood than the Mother Goddess of Depravity, the Mother Tree of Desire still held some authority over reproduction.
At this, everyone's expressions turned odd. Unfamiliar with the "Mushroom King's" potential, they couldn't quite grasp Alaric's line of thought.
No one objected to his plan, though.
The ever-responsible Sun God spoke up cautiously, "Be careful of contamination."
He wasn't worried about the Mother Tree of Desire's power corrupting Alaric but rather its potential to taint food supplies.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Alaric said with a smile. He turned to the Evernight Goddess. "Protecting Earth is everyone's duty, but I still owe you thanks for stepping in this time."
***
Hey, everyone! I'm currently working on a new Marvel project, and I'm really excited about it. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, feel free to give it a read:
[Marvel Apex Predator]
Synopsis:
What would happen if you were born into a world filled with bizarre races wielding even stranger powers, as a species whose sole purpose is to evolve by devouring every other race?
Chaos.
That's exactly what happens when the universe's one and only true Apex Predator is born into Marvel.
This is the story of how Xenomorph tears apart the cosmic food chain and reshapes the hierarchy of life itself.