Secret part-2

The celestial hall was a place of both beauty and terror, its vast expanse illuminated by the faint glow of countless stars above. The air was thick with an ancient, oppressive energy, as if the very walls of the hall were alive and watching. Julius stood at the foot of the towering throne, his figure shrouded in shadows that seemed to writhe and pulse around him. His eyes, a piercing blue, glowed faintly in the dim light, their intensity enough to make even the bravest soul tremble. The woman knelt before him, her silver hair cascading like a river of moonlight, her presence both alluring and unnerving. She was beautiful, but her beauty was tainted by something darker, something sinister.

Julius kept his distance, standing near the base of the throne, his voice echoing through the hall with a commanding authority. "Where are the others?" he demanded, his tone sharp and unyielding.

The woman remained on her knees, her head bowed low. "I do not know, my lord," she replied, her voice trembling with a mix of reverence and fear. "I have been in a long slumber, hiding from the Seraphim. I moved from one body to another, waiting for the day I could stand before you once more."

Julius's heart skipped a beat. *Seraphim?* The word echoed in his mind, but he dared not ask for clarification. He couldn't risk revealing his ignorance. He was playing a dangerous game, pretending to be the Shadow God, and one wrong move could unravel everything.

The woman continued, her voice soft but laced with a strange desperation. "My lord, why do you not call me by the name you once gave me?"

Julius froze. This was the moment he had feared. He didn't know her name. He didn't even know who she truly was. His mind raced, searching for a way to deflect her question without exposing his deception. He straightened his posture, his voice dripping with divine arrogance. "Do you expect me to remember every name I have bestowed? Do you command me to do what I do not wish to do? Be grateful I am speaking to you at all."

The woman didn't raise her head, but the tension in her shoulders was palpable. The silence that followed was heavy, suffocating. Julius couldn't tell if his words had worked or if she saw through his facade.

Then, slowly, she rose to her feet. Her movements were deliberate, her silver eyes narrowing as they locked onto Julius. "First," she began, her voice cold and cutting, "it is not the way of the Shadow God to descend from his throne." Her lips curled into a sneer. "My lord, Sharun, always called me by the name he gave me. He would never forget."

Julius's heart pounded in his chest. He could feel the weight of her gaze, the suspicion growing in her eyes. She took a step forward, her voice rising with anger. "Who are you, impostor? How dare you sit upon his throne?!"

Before Julius could react, she lunged at him, her hand transforming into razor-sharp claws. He barely had time to summon the shadows, weaving them into a protective barrier around himself. Her claws struck the darkness, the force of her attack reverberating through the hall.

Julius gritted his teeth. *Good, good. The shadows are stronger here. I can hold her off.* But his confidence wavered as she let out a mocking laugh.

"You dare try to deceive me with such pitiful manipulation of the shadows?" she snarled, her voice filled with venom. "You wretch! I'll skin you alive and make you beg for death!"

Her hand glowed with a blinding light, and to Julius's horror, the shadows around him began to dissipate. He stumbled back, his mind racing. *No, no, no! This can't be happening!* She was too close, her claws inches from his throat. He could feel the cold breath of death upon him.

In that moment of desperation, the whispers returned. They were louder now, more insistent, echoing in his mind like a chorus of ancient voices. *"Give the order, and your enemy will disappear."*

Julius didn't hesitate. He closed his eyes, his voice barely a whisper. "Destroy this woman."

The response was immediate. *"As you command."*

A force unlike anything Julius had ever felt erupted from behind him. It was overwhelming, a power so vast and terrifying that it seemed to shake the very foundations of the celestial hall. The woman was thrown back, her body hurled across the room as if she weighed nothing. She landed hard, her silver hair disheveled, her eyes wide with shock and fear.

Julius collapsed to his knees, his body trembling. He could barely comprehend what had just happened. The power that had surged through the hall was beyond anything he had ever experienced. It was divine, ancient, and utterly terrifying.

The woman scrambled to her feet, her face pale, her hands shaking. "This presence…" she muttered, her voice trembling. "It's not the Shadow God, but… it's similar. The power of a king. The King of Darkness? Has that wretched fiend truly defeated my lord? What of the other kings? What has become of them?"

Her thoughts were a chaotic whirlwind of fear and confusion. But before she could act, a new sound filled the hall—a deep, resonant thud, like the footsteps of a giant. Julius turned, his heart pounding, to see one of the stone guardians moving. Its massive form, once frozen in place, now came to life, its stone joints creaking as it stepped forward. In its hands, it held a colossal spear, its tip gleaming with an otherworldly light.

The woman's eyes widened in recognition. "This… this is impossible," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "That form… that power… there's no mistaking it. It's him. The Sky King."

Julius's blood ran cold. *The Sky King?* The name meant nothing to him, but the sheer presence of the stone guardian was enough to make him feel insignificant. It moved with purpose, its steps shaking the ground as it advanced toward him. Julius could do nothing but stare, his body frozen in terror.

The woman, too, was paralyzed, her silver eyes locked on the approaching guardian. "This can't be…" she murmured. "He was a friend of the Shadow God. A king in his own right. The Sky King…"

The guardian stopped before Julius, its massive form towering over him. For a moment, there was only silence. Then, it knelt, its head bowing low. The hall seemed to hold its breath as the guardian spoke, its voice deep and resonant, like the rumble of thunder.

"My lord," it said, addressing Julius. "Your will has been done."

Julius could only stare, his mind reeling. What had he just unleashed? And more importantly, what had he gotten himself into?