[Interludes Vol. 1.5] In which we finally meet Lumi, who f*cked around and was made to find out.(5/6)

She walked over to the draped statue and pulled it down.

"It is a simplistic depiction of the Creator, is it not? Compared to the one you believe in, there is no need for elaborate decorations to conceal what is essentially the truth of our kind. We are born simple; some weak, some strong. But all can grow through consumption of the blood of those stronger than us. And it is all that our Creator asks of us. Not to war pointlessly with others, not to create things to worship, simply to live and grow, to take what is necessary to become more than we are, but to never forget we are simple beings with simple beginnings."

I stared at the old one who then touched the statue, before putting the draping back over it.

"I know who you are. I was there when you came before I had to conceal myself and protect the last of my tribe. But that is in the past. You cannot give me back my maker, nor can you restore to me my irreplaceable Spear-hand. I take pleasure knowing her spear was what ended your life back then, but now you are a Bloodmaw, child. Shall I tell you why your spells of smite do not work on us now? I'm sure you are curious as to the reason."

She was right. I was exceptionally curious as to why I couldn't smite all of these damn abominations.

"Quite simply, should you somehow be able to cast those spells again, you would also be killed by them. It's not that you can't cast them, it's just that your very blood prevents you from killing yourself in such a way. It would not be a noble self-sacrifice to do so, but both murder and suicide. I'm sure your Goddess doesn't wish to see you die in such a useless and wretched way, which is why she has made it so your divine magic can only restore and repair. However, should you find yourself willing to pray to the Creator, perhaps that will change. Of course, I don't intend to try and convert your beliefs… nor do I plan to stop you trying to convert any of the tribe to believe in your Goddess, should you somehow find success in that. You are free to do as you like, Sunless-saint. Whether you accept your new fate or not, you are now a Bloodmaw Goblin, and all the hatred of the human world you came from, that you held onto so firmly in your heart, and that you brought with you to destroy us, is now yours to shoulder. Time will pass, you will eventually undergo the ceremonies of blood and become more Bloodmaw than you could ever wish to be. And that is the just revenge the Creator has bequeathed to me, at the cost of the lives of my precious tribe at your hands, and those of the Silver Skins. Now you may begin to atone for all that you have done, and your forgiveness will only come once you have done what all other Bloodmaw are tasked to do with their lives… become more."

A hand patted my shoulder and the Old One walked out of the chapel. I was left staring up at the statue of the Goddess Elara, and I felt broken. I couldn't find the words inside of me to continue my prayer to the Goddess, simply sitting down on one of the stone benches and clutching the holy symbol made of bones around my neck that my new mother had made for me, in an attempt at making some peace between us.

A short while later, the human male that was my new father had come into the chapel and sat down next to me.

"Hello, Lumi. If you're done praying, want to go play on the swings?"

"Why… do you corrupt yourself with these goblins?"

I had never asked him the reason before, but after listening to the Old One, I wanted to know why this Human would help restore these evil abominations.

"Because I could find love nowhere else in the world, Lumi. As for marital love, I remain unsure that all but Vera is capable of feeling that way about me. But there is not a sliver of doubt that all of my daughters are innocent young girls who, with proper guidance, can become as civilized and proper as the children of any other goodly race. And so long as I live and breathe, I will do all that I can to see them live happy lives away from the hateful stigma that follows all of the so-called evil races."

"What about my mother, who was once human?"

"What about her? I would love to tell you that we love each other, but I would be a fool to think that she could ever love me for all the pain I've inflicted upon her, knowingly or otherwise. Instead, she's given me a chance to atone for my sins by giving her the best life possible within these circumstances, and that is what I have chosen to do. In return, when I have a rare moment when I desire to be with a human, she offers me it as a small mercy. The fact that both she and you are the most human-like among the Bloodmaw is something that brings a little peace to my heart."

"So, you'd rather be among humans?"

"Not particularly. As I said before, I could find love nowhere else. The ones to accept me as I am were the Bloodmaw Goblins. There are two adages from where I originally hailed from that may explain why I am comfortable here, and do not think of escaping. The first is home is where the heart is. All that I love is within Goblinhome. You, and all my daughters. The second is the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. I have shed blood and taken lives, granted they were only big nasty black wolves twice the size of me, for the sake of protecting these goblins and it's more than any human might have ever done for me on account of just being another person from the same race."