The creature in front of them was unlike anything they had ever seen before. It had appeared suddenly, right after the bright light had vanished.
Meanwhile, those who had previously been in its place—Zarathul, Qudsiyah, and Gbághàrám-Moth—were nowhere to be seen.
The Pendragon family stood on high alert, their senses sharp. The sheer size and presence of the figure before them were enough to make them feel both threatened and intimidated.
They had encountered many beasts in the past, some of them massive, but none had ever reached the size or exuded the overwhelming aura of the creature standing before them now.
"Heck… Are we going to fight that thing now?" Caspian muttered, his tone a mix of frustration and disbelief.
The group, despite their unease, prepared themselves for combat.
"I don't think we should hold back," Elder Rooney said firmly, his eyes never leaving the massive figure.
Just as they were about to take action, the humanoid horse-like creature tossed the large crystal it was holding into the air. A blinding light, similar to the one before, engulfed its body.
The light didn't last long. When it faded, the massive figure was gone. In its place, standing on the wasteland left behind by the earlier fight, were Qudsiyah and Zarathul.
Qudsiyah had returned to her human form, and Zarathul's head was back to its normal horse-like shape.
"Were you about to attack us with your dragon energy just now?" Qudsiyah asked, appearing beside the group with a sly smile.
"Wait… You two were the ones who turned into that gigantic beast?" Stan asked, his eyes wide with shock.
"You're right," Qudsiyah replied calmly. "That's something Zarathul and I do when we go up against a god. But honestly, it seems like this Gbághàrám-Moth wasn't much of a fighter."
As they spoke, the cloud they were on began to move toward the wasteland. While they traveled, Qudsiyah was bombarded with questions.
"You said Divine Slayers have power comparable to gods but aren't gods themselves. Does that mean you and Zarathul are Divine Slayers?" Peter asked.
"Not exactly," Qudsiyah replied. "You could consider us some type of demigods. However, when we merge into that form you just saw, our combined power becomes comparable to that of gods. Perhaps in that state, you could call us Divine Slayers."
"The gods… How much do you know about them?" Elder Rooney asked cautiously, his tone heavy with curiosity.
Qudsiyah fell silent for a moment, her expression thoughtful.
"Not much," she finally replied. "Just enough knowledge for someone who isn't one of them."
The cloud eventually arrived safely at the wasteland. As it dispersed, the Qudsiyah who had been accompanying them dissolved into clouds and floated away.
"You really did manage to kill the god," Stan said, addressing the original Qudsiyah who stood before them now.
Qudsiyah gave him a small smile.
"Of course, we did. He wasn't even a strong one," Qudsiyah replied.
Everyone exchanged puzzled glances. It was hard to believe that Gbághàrám-Moth, with the overwhelming aura he radiated, was considered weak.
Noticing their confusion, Qudsiyah decided to elaborate.
"Don't worry about it. I'm just saying we've dealt with far stronger gods than him," she explained casually.
Before anyone could respond, Caspian shouted, pointing at the sky. "What about that thing?"
High in the air, the massive crystal left behind from the fight was now descending toward them. It gleamed like a celestial object, casting a shadow over the group as it neared.
Seeing this, Qudsiyah calmly raised her hand. The crystal's descent slowed, and it gently touched the ground with little to no sound, despite its enormous size.
Now up close, they could all feel a familiar energy emanating from the crystal.
"Is that divine energy?" Elder Rooney asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Yes. To be more specific, that's what's left of Gbághàrám-Moth," Qudsiyah replied.
"Gods leave crystals behind just like beasts?" Caspian asked, stepping closer to inspect the massive gem.
"That's not true," Qudsiyah corrected him.
"When gods die, their bodies disintegrate into nothing," she explained.
"What do you mean?" Caspian asked, now fully intrigued. The others leaned in, eager to hear her explanation.
"I mean that when a god dies, their body turns to dust, leaving no crystal behind," Qudsiyah said firmly.
"And why does that happen?" Elder Rooney asked, his tone cautious.
"Because gods don't truly die," Qudsiyah answered simply.
Her words made Caspian step back from the crystal in alarm.
"Gods don't die," Qudsiyah continued. "They enter the reincarnation cycle and are reborn later. This process can happen quickly or take thousands of years to complete."
"Then what is this thing?" Stan asked, his gaze fixed on the enormous crystal.
"This is Gbághàrám-Moth," Qudsiyah replied.
"He's still alive?" the group exclaimed, collectively taking a step back.
Qudsiyah chuckled softly at their reaction.
"He's harmless in this state. As I said, when gods die, they enter the reincarnation cycle. However, I've trapped Gbághàrám-Moth in this crystal, just as I've done to several gods who have tried what he did today," Qudsiyah explained.
"Being in this crystal means he won't reincarnate. Additionally, his power can be extracted and used directly from the crystal," she added.
"I assure you, he won't be able to break out. And even if you somehow release him, he would simply enter the reincarnation cycle and remain harmless for a long time," Qudsiyah assured them.
Her calm demeanor eased the tension slightly, but the sight of the massive crystal remained unsettling.
"You did this to him to stop him from reincarnating. Why?" Elder Rooney asked.
"I didn't do it for that reason alone," Qudsiyah replied calmly.
"First, I did it to stop the gods from investigating his death," she explained. "When a god dies and enters the reincarnation cycle, other gods are alerted to it—but only if the god enters the cycle," Qudsiyah continued.
"Gbághàrám-Moth is dead, but his soul and power are trapped inside this crystal. This prevents him from entering the reincarnation cycle, ensuring the other gods won't know he's dead. If they find out, they'll conduct investigations, and more gods will be sent here—to the place where his energy was last detected," Qudsiyah explained further.
"That's not all," she added. "I've learned that when a god reincarnates, they do so with the memories of their past life. I've also discovered that there is a god out there who can speed up the reincarnation process. This means if Gbághàrám-Moth were to enter the cycle and reincarnate within hours, the gods would immediately know what he saw here today."
The others now understood why Qudsiyah had placed Gbághàrám-Moth in such a state.
"I wonder," Theron asked, breaking the silence. "Do Divine Slayers also reincarnate?"
"Something similar, but it's different in our case," Qudsiyah replied. "But I can't go into detail right now."
The group noticed why Qudsiyah didn't elaborate—just as Theron asked the question, the faint green glow of the Fate Aura appeared briefly around her.
After some time, the planet had begun to calm down. The crew members aboard the spaceship were being treated for internal injuries they had sustained simply from being exposed to the overwhelming aura of the god.
While this was happening, Qudsiyah, Zarathul, and the Pendragon family had ventured further into the planet. They now rode atop a moving cloud that carried them swiftly out of sight. Zarathul, however, chose to fly alongside them using his own wings.
"Where are we going?" Stan asked Qudsiyah, who was seated nearby on the cloud.
"I need to take care of a few things to ensure that the gods don't attack this planet again for a while," Qudsiyah replied.
It wasn't long before they emerged from the thick, cloudy skies. Below them stretched a vast ocean of water, much of it frozen over. The emptiness of the horizon, with nothing visible in the distance, made it clear they were flying over an immense expanse of ocean.
Not long after, they arrived at a small island. The island had a single large mountain peak, its summit covered in snow.
Landing on the island, the group made their way toward the mountain. As they got closer, they realized the mountain wasn't an ordinary one—it was some type of massive castle. The walls of the structure glowed faintly, illuminated by tiny blue crystals embedded within them.
Qudsiyah led the way, and soon, they entered an enormous open space.
The hall was vast, far larger than they expected. It was so spacious that they doubted the castle they had entered could possibly contain it.
But what truly caught their attention were the walls of the hall. Lining the walls were several enormous crystals, each similar in size to the one holding Gbághàrám-Moth.
"Are these what I think they are?" Stan asked, his voice filled with amazement.
"Yes," Qudsiyah replied. "Those are the cages I use to trap gods who have tried to take over this planet. I keep them here and use the affinity of their powers to maintain this planet's balance."
The group observed the crystals carefully. There were about ten in total, each glowing with a unique color.
"The red crystal over there," Qudsiyah said, pointing to a vibrant red crystal, "came from a heat god. With its power, I've been able to keep this planet warm enough to sustain life. After its sun died, everything on this planet had frozen solid. Thanks to that crystal, I can warm it up just enough."
She then gestured toward another crystal.
"That one helps me create light in the clouds, brightening the skies even though there's no sun."
The group listened intently as Qudsiyah continued. "Many of the crystals here are used to keep this planet comfortable for its inhabitants. But now, I'm here for a different reason—I'm going to move this planet."
"Move the planet?" Peter asked, baffled. The others were equally confused.
"Yes," Qudsiyah said, nodding. "Gbághàrám-Moth is dead. Although the other gods still believe he's alive, they will eventually notice his absence. While we fought, I managed to trap Gbághàrám-Moth's energy within this planet, but he had already used his power to break into this place.
"If the gods decide to search for him, they will come to where his energy was last detected, and that was outside this planet. To protect it, I plan to move this planet to another location in space."
"I assume you'll use the crystals to accomplish this?" Elder Rooney asked.
Qudsiyah smiled and nodded. "Exactly."
After a moment, she turned to the group and asked, "Since you're here, I need to know—do you plan to stay on this planet where it will be safer, or will you return to Earth?"
---
A few moments later, the scene shifted outside the cloudy planet, now suspended in the vastness of space. The planet began to spin slowly, picking up speed. Then, in a brilliant flash, it shot forward and disappeared into the darkness of space, leaving its previous location behind.
---
This marks the end of Arc 1 of My Family Bloodline. This arc focused mainly on introducing the world of Paragons and the rules that govern it.
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The story is only just beginning, and the most exciting parts are still yet to come.