Stepping through the portal reveals an endless meadow of crimson and lilac flowers littering every surface, leaving no view of the ground beneath.
Two moons floated in the midnight sky, casting their divine light upon the valleys of crimson and violet.
A single feminine figure stood in the bountiful garden of flowers, barefoot and crouching, picking multiple flowers, only to be replaced immediately.
"Tell me, little bird, do you like flowers?" asked the figure, her lilac and crimson eyes drilling holes into him, devoid of any feeling of warmth.
"Yes," responded Ratella, greatly intimidated by the encroaching God.
For reasons unknown to the boy, he began to feel terrified by the beautiful woman standing before him.
The air around her twisted at her command, becoming slightly ominous and sinister.
"What's your favourite type of flower?" asked the God once again, awaiting an answer. Her question seemed open-ended, but in reality was anything but.
"Roses."
"They are pretty flowers, but I personally like Moonshades more. Roses are one of two flowers that grow in this garden. Pick some if you would like."
Ratella nodded to the God, who was crouching and picking a couple of roses and moonshades to make himself a small bouquet.
The God affixed one of the roses to her ebony-black hair, which draped down to her knees. A broad smile grew across her face.
"It's nice to meet you, my child. You've been lost for a long time, but you have finally returned to your mother."
"It's nice to meet you, too," responded Ratella, the earlier unease and terror still looming in the back of his mind.
The deity opened her arms wide, seeking a hug. Ratella reciprocated the gesture, embracing his supposed mother in a tight embrace, seeing no other option but to comply.
He did this, not wanting to anger the woman.
"I've seen you've become rather fond of a little bird named Luna, a delightful woman and a courageous warrior. The treatment she is shown is truly disgusting," stated the deity, lying down, becoming one with the masses of flowers surrounding her body.
Her statement confused the boy as she was the one who ordered Luna to use her like an instrument of death.
She patted the ground next to her, inviting the boy to join her. He did as she wanted and lay next to the God made flesh.
"If you want to save the woman you hold dear you'll listen to my every word." declared the God, her tone growing more authoritative and demanding leaving no room for argument.
"I am not the Primordial Light as you've already figured out. If you want to stop the Primordial Light's plan for Luna's eventual death, bringing about an age of endless wars, birthing the new light requiem as she calls it."
"The Primordial Light wants Luna dead, but why?" blurted out Ratella, interrupting the God, gazing up towards the two moons floating above.
God didn't seem bothered by his interruption, seeing it as a natural part of their conversation.
"Her death is a mere stepping stone in her eyes. She will use her death to crush two of my horseys, then Zafikel's to crush another, and eventually Michael's to cause the collapse of Faravos. Slaughtering the Devils and Fallen, her end goal being total annihilation and genocide of my people."
The flood of information overwhelmed his brain; although shocking, he didn't detect a single lie in her words. He considered the possibility of her words evaluating the Primordial Light's past actions, and he found it plausible, judging by her inclination for purging the undesirable in her civilisation.
A single word stuck out from her long-winded statement.
"Horseys."
"She couldn't be referring to the four horsemen of the apocalypse, right?" thought Ratella, his fears growing larger by the moment as he began to realise who was lying next to him.
Ratella turned his gaze away from the night sky to the woman who was eerily looking back at him. Her smile, radiant and beautiful, never left her face for a second as she gazed into the boy's eyes.
A single drop of sweat formed on his brow, his concern lingering at the edge of his mind.
The deity's pale, soft hands grazed his face, wiping away his sweat, and she laughed to herself slightly.
"There is no need to be afraid of me, I am your mother after all. I bear no ill will against you or your friends, only the Radiance commanding you."
"Who are you? You're obviously not the Primordial Light; no embodiment of light would shroud itself in darkness."
"But you already know who I am, you've read those books about me and my kin. I've been watching you from the shadows, keeping tabs on my beloved son."Ratella eyed her warily after her admission of watching him.g.
"Fine, I am the Primordial Darkness, Nuit Evergarden, and you are my son. Ratella Evergarden."
"How can I be your son, though? It makes no sense," said Ratella in disbelief over the whole situation.
"That is not yet information you're allowed to know. If you want the origins of your birth, you'll need to follow my commands," said Nuit, looking at her son, running her fingers through his hair.
Ratella couldn't feel an inkling of hostility or malice coming from his supposed mother—only love and unbridled care. His mind calmed slightly, though his guard remained high in the face of a God of Darkness.
"Why did you abandon me then if I'm your son?" asked Ratella, the hatred for the people of Nova returning for a moment. That rage targeted his mother for leaving him fend for himself.
"What a truly unpleasant question. Don't worry yourself any more than necessary, as you'll remember eventually as you continue to grow and shed this angelic form, but for now, I'll say it was for the greater good."
After his question, her movements slowed, her evident guilt for leaving the boy gnawing at her soul and mind.
Ratella's feelings were mixed, but there was one distinct feeling about the woman; she seemed familiar not to his mind but his soul.
"Mhm, okay. For some reason, I believe you are my mother, but don't think I'll just go along with everything you say."
His words invited a graceful chuckle from the woman, banishing her former sorrow and guilt, replaced by joy.
"Why did you summon me here?"
"Ahh, I also forgot. If you want to stop the Primordial Light, plan to use the Seraphim as discarded pawns despite their aeons of servitude. You'll need to follow my orders and plan to banish the cruel God to oblivion, ensuring she never returns."
"I must do this to save Luna, yes?"
"Yes, my son. After you meet with the Primordial Light and shadow Michael for a while, you'll be commanded to most likely kill a traitorous Choir official to prove yourself. After doing this, you'll meet one of my horseys. She'll relay my messages and orders. Stick together, and I'm sure you'll get along, maybe."
Nuit turned away, avoiding eye contact as she said the last part. She did not want her expression to dampen his spirit, yet her action alone was more than enough to invite worries into his heart.
"Does this 'horsey' have an unruly personality?" asked Ratella, already knowing the answer. Nuit merely nodded at this, already looking fed up just by the mention of the horsey.
"Which Horsemen will meet with me?"
"She is the Horseman of War and the third Horseman to be created, like most of the Horsemen; she was an undesirable personality. She'll take the form of a potoo, an owl-like bird with wonky eyes, but don't call her bird form wonky, she'll explode."
"Name?"
"Liliana."
"No last name?"
"No, she told me it is an unnecessary feature of war. On the battlefield, there is no need for names of any sort, as they only distract and cost warpower. Her words, not mine."
"She's detached from human emotions, then I'm guessing by that statement."
"No, she may seem cold and unemotional but under all the ice there is a nice and charming young girl."
"Tell me, why did you create the Horsemen?"
"To protect myself from any outside threats entering my dominion. Although I was born in darkness, I do not wish for all to be consumed by its effects. Only those willing may join my shadow."
"It seems our time together is coming to an end. Any more time and the Primordial Light will become suspicious, and we can't have that."
"It was nice to meet you, even if you terrified me at the start."
"Ha, I'm sorry about that. I thought you were someone else for a moment anyway. Once you meet Liliana, show her some love, please."
Much like Michael, Nuit also opened a portal connecting to the Primordial Light's dominion, but movement wasn't needed from the woman to open one.
A mere thought was all that was needed to match Michael's power, which seemed unbearable during their little skirmish.
Before Ratella stepped through the portal, he turned to face Nuit.
"Goodbye, I hope we can talk more in the future, and you can show Liliana some love yourself, but I'll do my best."
Ratella waved towards the woman as he turned and stepped through the portal, shrouded in divinity, casting away the surrounding darkness of Nuit's realm.
"Bye-bye. I hope so, too, my son."