My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Chapter 998: Chapter 1000: Snake Temple

One day, a priestess arrived.

She was striking in a quiet, unsettling way. Her eyes shimmered like polished gems, and a long white garment flowed from her shoulders to the floor, trailing behind her like mist. At her waist hung a single book bound in dark leather.

She passed through Damon’s tower without resistance.

No one stopped her.

In fact, the demons she passed lowered their heads in reverence as she walked by.

She moved calmly through the corridors until she reached the throne room at the very top. The massive doors opened for her without a word.

She stepped inside.

The priestess stood before Damon’s throne and bowed her head.

Up close, her beauty was almost entrancing. Long dark hair fell past her knees, swaying gently when she moved. The ornaments in her hair were simple, unadorned, almost austere.

”I greet the ruler of the City of Trace. I am Tamia of the Snake Temple. I have come to invite you to the temple to receive your rewards.”

Her voice was soft. Measured. Each word flowed into the next in a way that made listening to her feel effortless, almost dangerous.

Damon leaned slightly forward in his throne, studying her.

”Hmm. I see. Very well then.”

He rose to his feet in one smooth motion.

”Let us depart at once.”

The priestess did not move.

She simply looked at him.

For a long moment.

Then she whispered,

”You are favored by the Unknown God.”

A sharp wave of murmurs rippled through the demons in the throne room. That was not something spoken lightly. A priestess of the Snake Temple would never say such a thing without certainty.

Her gaze lowered slowly to Damon’s chest.

”You are reviled by the Unknown God.”

Damon frowned.

Then scoffed.

”Really now. Which is it? Does he favor me or hate me?”

She shook her head gently.

”Why can it not be both? He is a god caught between two extremes. An archon of wrath and a paragon of patience. The god who is also a demon.”

Her eyes softened slightly.

”Grave hardship lies in your future. Treasure the moments of happiness you have. They will be fleeting.”

Damon narrowed his eyes.

That was an ominous thing to say. But then again, she was a priestess of the Unknown God, who also worshipped the Goddess of Doom. Expecting good news from her would have been naïve.

”Tell me something I don’t already know.”

He crossed his arms.

”You’re not going to repeat that tired old prophecy of his, are you?”

She blinked.

Then she smiled faintly.

”I see why my god has taken a shine to you. You are similar... yet very different.”

Damon rolled his eyes.

”I imagine you know him personally, then.”

She shook her head.

”I dare not. I only know he was benevolent until his benevolence betrayed him. Even so, he wishes salvation for all.”

Her gaze sharpened.

”You, on the other hand, sever yourself from others. Though you wish to do good... that is where you are similar.”

Damon stared at her in silence.

He really disliked religious zealots.

What a load of nonsense.

He was nothing like the Unknown God. That being had never known what it felt like to be weak.

”Forget it. Take me to your temple,” he said flatly, dismissing her words.

Off to the side, Renata watched them with a slight frown.

’He just met a priestess and he’s already flirting with her.’

The priestess raised one hand.

A small object appeared in the air above her palm. It slowly unfolded, metal and stone rearranging themselves until it formed a small altar.

She looked at Damon.

”You may take one person with you.”

Before anyone else could speak, Wendy hurried to his side.

”I’ll go. Pick me.”

Damon sighed quietly.

He couldn’t take Renata. He needed her here to oversee the demons. Lana had once been human, and he didn’t want to involve her. He had considered taking Matia, but she was already hidden within his shadow.

Wendy was the most practical option.

”Very well,” he said.

Damon stepped onto the altar. Wendy joined him at his side.

The priestess began to mutter under her breath. The book at her waist glowed faintly.

The air around them darkened.

Then space itself folded inward, forming a silent black void.

And they vanished into it.

**********

The air that greeted them was cool and fragrant, rich with the scent of flowers and the lingering promise of rain. Sunlight poured down over an immense garden, bright and almost unreal in its beauty.

White buildings rose between trees and winding paths, their walls inlaid with crystals and softly glowing gemstones. Light refracted from every surface, scattering gentle colors across the walkways.

For a moment, Damon simply stood there, steadying himself as the last trace of vertigo from the teleportation faded.

All around him were women moving through the gardens in quiet harmony. Some tended to plants. Some walked in pairs, speaking softly. Others read beneath trees. There was no tension here. No fear. No harshness.

”Where is this place...” he muttered under his breath.

It looked like someone’s idea of paradise. A place where ugliness had never been allowed to take root.

He had been to the Holy City before. Seen the temple of the goddess there.

Compared to this... it felt crude.

Damon stepped off the altar and took a slow look around. Cranes circled lazily in the sky. Peacocks wandered freely through the gardens. Colorful birds nested in the trees while flamingos and swans glided across clear pools of water.

At the very center, where dozens of stone paths converged, stood a grand temple.

”Follow me,” Tamia said softly.

Damon had expected something solemn. Severe. Oppressive.

Instead, the Snake Temple felt alive.

The priestesses they passed were smiling. Relaxed. Unburdened. They bowed politely to Tamia and glanced curiously at Damon, but there was no fear in their eyes.

Tamia glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

”Do you like the Snake Temple, my lord? Or has one of my sisters caught your eye?”

”Ahem.” Damon cleared his throat.

Wendy elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

He smiled anyway.

”All of your sisters have caught my eye. It would be hard not to notice so many flowers in bloom, with the scent of spring in the air.”

Tamia smiled at that.

”Then... have I also caught your eye, my lord?”