Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son

Chapter 181  Inder Sephtis [6]

"...Sigh."

In the silence of the night, a boy stood on the terrace of the academy.

His purple hair fluttered around in the gentle breeze.

Leaning on the terrace fence, his tired blue eyes gazed at the garden below.

...There they were, a girl with gold hair streaked with platinum and a girl with blue hair, sitting on a bench talking to each other.

Even though he stood far away, he could still notice the small smile they shared.

...A smile he hadn't seen on their faces for a long time.

"...They sure are an unusual pair." He whispered softly, looking at them.

His gaze lingered on Christina for a while before he turned around.

"...How the fuck did you get addicted to smoking?" He grumbled, glaring at the handsome black-haired boy standing opposite him.

Aimar glanced at him, his lips parted as he inhaled the smoke deeply.

The sweet and bitter taste of the cigarette lingered in his mouth as he replied, "...Shut up, fucker."

Azariah chuckled softly before turning serious, "Fuck off, bitch."

"..."

Aimar looked at him silently, his hand lowering the cigarette.

"The fuck happened to you?" He asked, leaning forward and extending his hand.

Azariah glanced at the cigarette in his hand before leaning forward and taking it, his lips parting as he replied, "...Nothing much, I'm just trying to live my life."

"By hurting others?" He scoffed, looking at him, "That sure is one hell of a way to live."

Ignoring his words, Azariah inhaled the smoke before asking softly, "...Where is Oliver?"

"...With Aaliyah." Aimar replied softly, "...They had a date today."

"...I see." Azariah whispered, nodding his head, "...That fucker grew some balls, didn't he?"

"Yeah." He replied, shrugging, "Not like you, running away from his loved ones."

"...Do you mind if I say fuck off again?" Azariah asked softly, glancing at him.

Aimar quietly looked at him, lips parting to say something, but in the end, he held himself back.

Turning around, he sighed, whispering, "...Call me if you need any help."

Azariah didn't reply, and Aimar walked out of the terrace.

Inhaling the smoke again, Azariah glanced up at the star-filled night.

Slowly, he lowered his body with a grunt, sitting on the floor, relaxing his aching muscles.

"...Inna." He whispered softly.

[<I am listening.>]

"What is an Avatar?" He asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.

[<Hmm? Why do you ask?>]

Inna replied, her voice filled with confusion.

"I'm just wondering, what really is an Avatar?" He asked again.

[<...Qais, what are you hiding?>]

"...Nothing." He replied, shrugging.

[<...Stop lying>]

"I'm not lyin—."

[<You can't hide it from me for long, so just tell me already>]

Azariah whispered, messing up his hair. "...I was thinking about being one—."

[<No>]

"...Why?"

[<No, you won't do anything like that>]

"But wh—."

[<Trust me, you don't want to be part of their games>]

"Explain properly, Inna." He grumbled, "Don't try to be mysterious."

[<...>]

She remained silent, her answer clear from this.

"Of course you wouldn't." Azariah let out a dry chuckle, placing his hands on his sides and gazing up, "...Like always, you'll hide stuff from me."

[<That's for your own good>]

"Yeah, yeah." He replied, dismissing her words, "Sometimes I wonder if you even care about me."

[<...>]

Inna's voice quieted down, a brief silence lingered between them.

"...I'm sorry." Recognizing his mistake, Azariah apologized softly.

She didn't reply. Instead, a soft light emerged in front of him.

He squinted his eyes, body tensing as he prepared himself for combat.

"Calm down."

A familiar voice echoed, not in his head as usual but from the light.

"Huh?" He let out a startled sound as the light died down.

...And there she stood.

A woman wearing a luxurious black gown adorned with intricate gold patterns.

She had an ethereal, goddess-like appearance. Her long, voluminous golden hair cascaded around her in soft, flowing waves.

Her eyes were an intense red, shining brightly.

The black gown she wore was elegant and form-fitting, highlighting her curves perfectly.

Azariah stared blankly at her, unmoving.

She didn't disturb him, clasping her hands behind her back and letting him have a good look.

...Seconds turned into minutes, but Azariah kept looking at her, in a daze.

She leaned forward, her face inches away from his as she whispered with a mischievous smile, "...Love at first sight?"

Azariah abruptly snapped out of his daze, controlling his uneven breath, and replied, looking away, "You never told me you were this... mesmerizing."

"What else did you expect?" She replied, smiling while sitting beside him, "...After all, I am the Goddess of Love~"

Azariah closed his eyes, her intoxicating scent making his heart skip a beat as he swallowed hard.

"You alright?" She asked, her hand fixing his hair, soothing him.

"...Yeah." Azariah replied, still trying to calm himself down, "I thought gods couldn't enter the mortal world."

"They can't. If any god does, they will immediately be expelled and weakened or, worse, become the target of other gods." She replied softly, "...But you see, I'm a special case."

"...Is that so?" Azariah mumbled as she leaned closer, weaving small braids from his purple hair. "Why did you come out?"

"Because I'm serious about it." She replied firmly, "....No matter what happens, never try to be anyone's Vessel or Avatar."

"Why, Inna?" He asked, voicing his frustration, "If I don't do that, how am I supposed to free myself from that 'woman'?"

"You'll never be able to do that if you use others' strength, especially not with the help of other gods." She whispered, her hands continuing to move,

"...You see, gods are flawed, like humans. They have their own agendas and goals. Even this world wasn't made by some benevolent god, but by an imperfect and arrogant entity."

"...That's new." Azariah whispered, half-focused on her words and half on her hands, "...And now a lot of things don't make sense."

Inna chuckled, "It will once you know everything. But for now, you're too weak."

"You had to say that, didn't you?" He grumbled, feeling frustrated at her words, "...And you still haven't told me why I shouldn't be an Avatar."

Inna kept her gaze on him for a while before she replied, "Let me give you a hint. You know every god has their own world where they live, right?"

"...Yeah."

"But those worlds are not perfect. They can't always live there." She replied, staring at him, "...The only perfect place for them to live is Pleroma."

"Pleroma?" Azariah repeated, tilting his head.

"Right. You guys call it heaven." She replied, chuckling, "Like most gods, it has different names depending on who's calling it, but its real name is Pleroma."

"I see." Azariah whispered before asking curiously, gazing at her, "Wait, do you also have your own world?"

"I do." She nodded, gazing up at the night sky, "You see that star... That's my world." Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Azariah looked up as well, gazing at the eight-pointed star shining brightly.

"But I can't access it." She replied, reaching her hand out as if touching the star.

She lowered her hand, and a dress emerged in her grasp. "...All I can do is take some of my clothes out."

"That's some nice party trick." Azariah mused loudly, smiling.

"You like it?" Inna asked, smiling back, "I'll make sure to perform it at your child's birthday."

Azariah's smile vanished, his face darkening as he grumbled softly, "...Shut up."

"Aww." She chirped, pinching his cheek, "Did I hurt my virgin baby?"

Azariah slapped her hand away, standing up. "...I was in jail most of my life. I couldn't even date a single girl before I was thrown into this world."

Inna stood up as well, replying, "...Tsk tsk, you're contracted with the Goddess of Love and still a virgin. Shame on you."

"Hey, at least I kissed someone."

"That's not something to brag about, Qais." Inna chuckled, walking closer.

"...Why are you so tall?" Azariah grumbled, noticing the height difference between them.

Even when he stood straight, she was a head taller than him.

"...People used to be taller in my time." Inna replied, shrugging, "And I'm below average as well."

"Really?" He asked, gazing doubtfully forward.

Why are they so... enormous?

He wondered, staring at her chest, his mind drifting for a second, imagining hugging her. If he bent slightly, his face would comfortably—

"Are you thinking something naughty?" Inna asked, folding her arms to hide them, but they still slipped out. "...Bad Qais." She pouted.

Azariah quickly averted his gaze from her. "...I don't know what you're talking about."

Inna smiled mischievously, leaning closer to his ear as she whispered, "...Just so you know, I don't mind."

At last, Azariah's face started to heat up as he stared blankly.

Her smile turned into a grin as she whispered, "...Someone is looking like a tomato."

"Ahem." Azariah coughed to hide his embarrassment before his face turned serious, "...I want to ask something, Inna."

"What is it?" She replied, turning serious.

"This power of fate that I have and the one who put me into Azariah's body." Azariah mumbled, gazing down.

Immediately, Inna's face darkened slightly as she understood she was going to face the question they never wanted to.

Taking a deep breath, Azariah whispered,

"...It's the god worshipped by Principalities, Sabaoth, right?"