The Guardian gods-Chapter 441

Speaking of the child, Xerosis looked around and found herself alone. Panic set in, never in her long life as a demigod has she gone through the feelings she was going through now.

Xerosis looked around frantically, her sharp eyes scanning the vibrant landscape of the spirit realm, but the child was nowhere to be seen. A cold weight settled in her chest, unfamiliar and disorienting. Panic. She had faced death, gods, and monsters without fear, yet this—this was something new.

Never in her long existence as a demigod had she been truly alone. There had always been someone at her side: her mother, her brother, or, in their absence, Crepuscular. But now, in this vast and beautiful realm, she was utterly alone.

Abandonment.

The concept was foreign to her. Even in solitude, she had always been tethered to someone. But now, there was nothing. No guiding voice, no reassuring presence. Just her and the endless, unknowable expanse of the spirit realm.

She clenched her fists, forcing herself to steady her breathing. She could not afford to break here. The words of the child echoed in her mind—her path to ascension was unlike that of her cousins or brother. It was uncertain, perilous. And if she faltered, there would be no second chance.

Closing her eyes, Xerosis inhaled deeply, centering herself before taking a single step forward. Then another. She trekked through the realm, taking in its wonders with cautious reverence. The towering trees whispered in voices too faint to grasp, the elemental treants moved with an ancient grace, and unseen eyes continued to watch her every move.

After what felt like hours, she stumbled upon a small house nestled within the ethereal landscape. It was unassuming in structure, but the air around it pulsed with an unmistakable aura of divinity. Power radiated from its walls, ancient and commanding.

Curiosity stirred within her. Perhaps this place held answers. She turned towards it and began to approach.

Or so she thought.

The more she walked, the farther it seemed. No matter how many steps she took, the house remained at the same unreachable distance, as if space itself refused to allow her closer. Time stretched, or perhaps collapsed entirely. She was unsure how long she had been moving, only that she had not moved at all.

A sigh escaped her lips. This is not where I am meant to be.

Reluctantly, she shifted her gaze past the house and continued walking. This time, she did not choose a direction—she simply moved. The realm, for all its beauty, felt like a shifting maze, guiding her towards something unseen.

Then, without warning, she felt herself squeeze through something.

It was not a doorway, nor a barrier she could see. The very fabric of reality seemed to contract around her, pulling her through a space that should not have existed. A strange pressure enveloped her body, then released her all at once.

She stumbled forward, breath caught in her throat.

And when she looked up, she was somewhere else.

Xerosis stood frozen, her mouth slightly open, an unfamiliar emotion creeping into her heart. Awe.

Before her lay a hoard unlike anything she had ever seen—treasures scattered in chaotic abundance. Mountains of gold, gleaming gemstones, divine relics pulsing with latent power, and artifacts from long-forgotten ages. The sheer opulence of the sight sent a shiver down her spine.

She was entranced.

Her fingers twitched, an unnatural urge welling up within her—an instinct to take. To own.

It was only then that she sensed the presence watching her.

A colossal figure loomed within the shadows, its sickly golden form shifting unnaturally in the dim glow of the treasure piles. Xerosis’ breath hitched as her gaze met its cursed, glowing eyes—pools of insatiable hunger and twisted obsession. They flickered wildly, darting from one treasure to the next, yet always returning to her, as if she, too, were something to be possessed.

Then she saw its mouth—not the one on its face, but the grotesque maw embedded in its stomach. Lined with jagged, gold-tinted teeth, it gaped hungrily, a viscous mix of saliva and molten gold dripping from its edges. Each drop hissed as it hit the floor, pooling into molten veins that slithered across the cavernous hoard like living filaments of greed itself.

Xerosis shuddered. Yet, despite the horror before her, she found herself... fascinated.

She didn’t notice when her expression began to change, her awe twisting into something darker. Greed. Hunger. Need.

Her hands clenched into fists.

This was not her.

As a demigod, she had never known lack—riches had always been within reach, and hunger was a foreign concept to her, her divine physique sustaining her effortlessly. Yet right now, she felt a gnawing emptiness. A primal, overwhelming desire to consume, to claim everything around her as her own.

Her lips parted slightly. Had she... always been missing something?

The golden leviathan did not speak, yet its presence whispered to her, its aura slithering into the cracks of her mind.

This was her first step.

Unknowingly, by stepping into this place, Xerosis had set foot upon her path to ascension.

And the realm of the Arch-Curse, The Covetous Leviathan, was eager to welcome her.

Xerosis’ breath came in shallow gasps. The sensation was strange—unfamiliar yet undeniable. A hollow pit clawed at her stomach, an ache unlike any wound she had ever received. Hunger.

Her fingers twitched again, reaching toward the closest pile of treasure—gleaming golden chalices, sapphire-encrusted daggers, divine relics humming with dormant power. They called to her, their luster promising fulfillment, completion, something she had never known she lacked.

No.

Xerosis clenched her jaw, willing herself to look away. She did not need these things. She was a demigod. She had never wanted for anything.

And yet...

Her hands did not move away.

A voice, deep and resonant, slithered through the cavern like liquid gold.

"You have never wanted, because you have never known what it means to lack."

The leviathan’s eyes bore into her, and suddenly, the cavern was gone.

Xerosis gasped as she felt the shift. The air around her changed—thicker, heavier. The warmth of divine energy that always surrounded her was gone.

She was somewhere else.

The first thing she noticed was the cold. A biting, merciless chill that gnawed at her skin, sinking into her bones. She was barefoot, standing on cracked earth, the remnants of an abandoned village surrounding her. Huts, long since burned to husks, loomed in the distance. Ashes swirled in the wind.

Then came the hunger.

A searing, twisting pain coiled in her gut, worse than any wound she had endured. It was an emptiness that clawed at her insides, relentless, maddening.

Xerosis gritted her teeth. She had never felt this before. Never had to fight for sustenance. Never had to wonder where her next meal would come from.

A child’s cry pulled her attention.

She turned her head and saw a thin, frail boy, barely clothed, curled in on himself. His lips were cracked, his ribs visible beneath his sickly pale skin. His hollow eyes stared at her—not with fear, but with something far worse.

Resignation.

Xerosis’ heart twisted.

"This is the fate of those who have nothing," the voice whispered. "Do you understand now? The hunger, the desperation—when one has nothing, greed is not a sin. It is survival."

The boy’s breathing was shallow, his eyes fluttering. She needed to help him. She needed food.

Her gaze darted to the ruins. A single, half-rotten loaf of bread sat among the wreckage. Just enough for one.

She moved to take it—only to stop.

A presence loomed behind her.

She turned.

More figures emerged from the shadows—ragged, hollow-eyed, starving. Men, women, children. All of them looking at the bread in her hands.

Her mind raced. If she gave it to the boy, the others would suffer. If she kept it, he would die.

"Decide," the voice whispered. "What will you do when you, too, have nothing?"

Xerosis clenched the loaf in her trembling hands. The hunger clawed at her throat. She had never been forced to choose. Never had to fight for something so simple.

Her fingers tightened around the bread.

And for the first time in her existence, she understood.

The vision shifted.

Now, she stood in a grand palace, draped in finery, her body strong and healthy once more. Servants lined the halls, bowing as she passed. Trays of exotic fruits and meats were carried before her. She had everything.

Yet, a bitter taste filled her mouth.

She looked down—her fingers adorned with golden rings, yet they felt empty.

Beyond the palace walls, she could hear them—the starving, the desperate.

And inside, she could feel it—the fear of losing what she had gained.

She had climbed out of hunger and into wealth. But was it enough? Would it ever be enough?

"Now, do you see?" The leviathan’s voice echoed through her mind. "Hunger and greed are one and the same. One drives the other. Even gods are not immune."

The realization struck her like a thunderclap. This was her trial.

The experience would not end until she truly understood it.

Xerosis gritted her teeth, her divine pride warring with the mortal instincts forced upon her. She refused to lose herself to this hunger—to this greed.