My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 814 - 815: Two Children

One might expect to see flashes of terror and dread in their eyes after witnessing such a gruesome display, yet Damon found only intense curiosity and fascination reflecting back at him.

While addressing her brother, the young girl never took her eyes off Damon.

"Lyn, you’re right, it’s magic..." she murmured calmly. The raft continued to drift, swaying gently under the rhythmic pulse of the river's current.

Standing atop the water’s surface as if it were solid earth, Damon narrowed his eyes. He kept his focus on the pair, performing a swift evaluation of their threat level.

By all appearances, they were merely children. The sister looked to be ten, while her brother appeared thirteen. They were nothing more than kids.

At seventeen, Damon wasn’t significantly older in years, yet the scars of his past experiences made him feel like an ancient monster in comparison.

Though he had moved past his extreme paranoia, he maintained a sharp sense of caution regarding them.

He began a slow trek toward the floating wood.

Once he reached the craft, he stopped. With a sharp flick of his foot, he sent the raft skidding toward the riverbank, the sudden momentum slamming the two children face-first onto the deck.

A dull thud echoed as the raft hit the shore, splashing murky mud across the wood and soaking their tattered garments.

The boy, Lyn, scrambled to his feet instantly. He shook the water from his frame before reaching down to help his sister stand.

Transforming into a fluid shadow, Damon glided across the water and manifested on the bank ahead of them.

A fresh layer of apprehension finally settled on the children's faces as they watched him. It was only natural for them to be wary of a powerful stranger.

"Stay behind me, Sithara," the boy hissed in a low whisper.

She gave a small nod, silently beginning to circulate her mana. Her fingers trembled slightly as she attempted to weave the threads of a spell.

Before Damon could close the distance, Lazarak leaped through the air, landing between the two groups with a soft grin. His small feet sank inches into the soft mud.

"My goodness, children. Actual innocent children. I haven’t run into a child in thousands of years."

Lazarak appeared genuinely thrilled by the encounter, his voice light and full of cheer. His disarming demeanor caused the children to relax their guard, if only slightly.

"You saw thousands of children just a moment ago," Damon grumbled, thinking of the Mother of Stillbirths and her horrific, undead brood.

The siblings traded glances before looking down at the toddler-sized figure who spoke with the authority of an elder.

"A talking baby..." the girl whispered.

Lazarak’s expression soured instantly.

"I’m a god, dammit."

Damon let out a mocking sneer.

"Yeah. God dammit..."

Lazarak slapped his own knees, which was about as high as he could reach.

"Stop making puns. This is hardly the time. We need to spread my magnificence and gain followers."

Damon rolled his eyes while Lazarak cleared his throat, puffing out his chest to adopt a more divine posture.

A soft aura began to radiate from him as shadows crept from the earth, swirling around his diminutive frame.

"I am Lazarak, god of darkness, peace, and serenity."

He went silent, posing as he waited for the children to gasp in recognition.

The two looked at one another, then turned back to the self-proclaimed deity.

"Never heard of you..."

Lazarak’s divine presence collapsed in an instant. His complexion turned ashen, and his tiny hands began to shake at his sides.

"Wh... what... I... I am... no... I mean..." he stuttered.

"You haven’t heard of me? Surely you’ve heard of my greatness. God of peace and darkness. Brother of Aetherus..."

The children looked puzzled until the name Aetherus was mentioned.

"Oh, Aetherus. Yeah, we’ve heard of him. We’re from Aetherus after all, god of light," Lyn answered. "But we don’t think he has a brother."

Sithara bit her lip nervously as she looked at Lazarak.

"You shouldn’t claim to be a god’s brother. You’ll get in trouble."

Observing them, Damon noted how obvious their sibling bond was. The boy possessed dark, glossy hair and piercing green eyes. Though his frame was slight, his gaze held a sharp, calculating spark.

Even from his position, Damon could see the boy was analyzing the risks and looking for any possible route of escape.

The girl shared the same dark hair, though hers was longer and pulled into a neat braid. Her eyes were a gentler shade of green, possessing a quality that suggested she already understood the truth and merely sought confirmation.

She possessed a powerful intuition.

Their clothes were a mess of patches, now dripping with river water.

Damon had no patience for pleasantries.

"Who are you, brats, and where are you from."

While Lazarak remained distraught over his lack of fame, Damon pushed forward with the interrogation.

"My name is Lyn, and this is my sister Sithara," the boy replied with surprising composure.

He offered a slow, respectful bow, and his sister followed his lead.

"Thank you for saving us. We are grateful."

Ignoring the gratitude, Damon moved to his next inquiry.

"Where are you from, and how did you end up here."

The siblings exchanged a quick look.

"We come from a region on Aetherus called Aerona. Our father committed an offense against the lesser gods, so our entire family was banished here as punishment, just like so many others."

Damon looked toward Lazarak, who gave a simple shrug. The story checked out. Lazarak had previously described this realm as a prison. While Damon hadn't been able to use the Eye of Veracity without a physical form, he now utilized it without hesitation.

"And where is your father now," he asked, his voice dropping an octave.

The boy wavered for a moment, biting his lip.

"He’s gone. Our father is dead. He died when the chained people came."

Damon’s eyebrow arched.

"Chained people."

Lazarak nodded, clarifying the term.

"The Chained are the indigenous inhabitants of this world. They belong to the same races found in Aetherus, but they serve as jailers who hunt down outsiders. More specifically, a Chained is anyone who serves Seraph Null and adheres to his doctrine."

Damon gave a slow nod of understanding.

Suddenly, he lunged forward and seized the boy by the throat. He hoisted him into the air, his grip tightening as his expression turned frigid.

"Why did you lie? Your father isn’t dead, is he."

The young girl let out a scream and tried to unleash her magic, but a single cold stare from Damon caused her legs to fail. A paralyzing aura of pure terror washed over her.

Lazarak lifted a hand as shadows began to swirl around the group.

"Now now, my friend. Calm down..."