96 Fall of The Canyon 1

For several days after the battle with Lariel, Aleks had taken his closest subordinates around his new domain. The region was far too vast to explore much of it, but what they saw was a magnificent and untouched land. They explored for miles around and saw the valley's beautiful scenery first hand. This rich land was completely untouched by the hands of mortals since the merging of the world into the God Nexus. It was truly a wondrous place with sparkling lakes, vibrant forests and rolling green pastures. There was an abundance of wildlife, fertile soil, and fishing grounds overflowing with sea life. Aleks's connection to the land itself was growing and he could spread his consciousness out, allowing him to sense even more distant places. As his understanding of the Origin and his powers grew, his domain would continue to expand until it encompassed everywhere his influence spread.

Despite the serenity that should come from such an experience, Aleks couldn't find peace. There was something which was constantly on his mind, eating away at him from within. He didn't allow it to show, but the uncertainty nagged at him. Although he had plotted and struggled to get to this point, the future was too vast, too vague, and too laden with pitfalls. The others might not have noticed Aleks's feelings of anxiety, but it didn't escape Lariel's eyes. No one understood better than her what his future might bring.

\"Aleks, you are now the same as a Demigod, but you are also something more than that. You are unique, this place is a perfect example of that. The gods all have their domains in the outer planes, but you were able to establish your domain here through the influence of the Origin. Here in this place, you will be able to manifest your will in a variety of ways. As you grow your divinity and gain more worshippers, you will be able to manipulate your domain even more. This place will be where you will have your greatest strength. It will protect you, and provide for your people the more you invest in it.\"

Lariel was smiling gently as she tugged on Aleks's arm, much to the annoyance of Lenia and Nelay who refused to leave Aleks's side for even a moment.

\"Master, do you have to stand so close to that harpy!?\" asked Lenia who wasn't able to keep it in anymore. Her jealousy was certainly rearing its ugly head.

Nelay secretly gave her a thumbs up, she admired Lenia's bravery in this instance. She wanted to say something too, but she didn't want to come across as overbearing and Lariel was not the same as the two of them. She was an Angel and someone closely tied to Aleks's past. In a way, this made her feel somewhat inferior. Aleks was too preoccupied with testing out the limits of his consciousness on his new domain to pay attention to Lenia.

Lariel looked back at Lenia with an arrogant smile and said, \"We are discussing important matters little girl.\"

This infuriated Lenia, but they were in fact discussing something of importance. If she said any more, Aleks might think less of her so she shut her mouth. This didn't stop her from glaring at Lariel which only made Lariel's smile grow more brilliant.

Lariel continued to speak into Aleks's ear, almost like a whisper between lovers or like the enticement of a siren. This was clearly to antagonize the others even more, but even more so it was to put them in their place. Lariel's pride wouldn't allow her to share her position at Aleks's side. She was different from them, they had given their souls to Aleks and could never turn against his will whether they wished to or not. An Angel on the other hand, were more like vassals offering their fealty. This tied them to the one they served and there were consequences for breaking their oath of fealty, but it did not bind them absolutely. She still retained her free will, which is something the others lacked when it came to Aleks. In her mind, she was the only one who could properly advise Aleks. These girls were just children to her.

\"You must consolidate your power. To do that, you must not only destroy the will of the barbarians living on the Steppes, but you must destroy their spirit. You need to make them submit fully to you and worship you as their god. Destroy their center of worship, devour their ancestral spirits, and crush their system of authority and tradition.\"

Aleks eyes which had seemed distant, suddenly grew clearer and he turned to look at Lariel, their lips almost touching.

\"You're not telling me anything I don't already know.\"

He then walked away from her and kept his distance, \"We have much to do, let's go.\"

This made Lenia and Nelay feel strangely satisfied and they both thought to themselves that it served her right for acting arrogant. It didn't seem to bother Lariel, though, who only smiled and followed after him. She wasn't in any particular rush. She knew much better than the other two the difficulty in thawing Aleks's heart. He was a broken soul who was already broken well before he witnessed the end of his world. The long years of torture at the hands of Tihr and his co-conspirators only served to exacerbate an already existing affliction.

His relationship with her was complicated and she was probably the only one who could make him feel uncomfortable. It was similar to a man who could be fearless among strangers, but embarrassed when dealing with a childhood friend who knew all his humiliating secrets. Although they hadn't spent much time together, Lariel had already saw into the depths of his mind and knew everything about him in his former life. When they first met, he was only a mortal and there was nothing he could keep from her. There wasn't anything she didn't know about him. This included his personality, experiences, and even the memories he wished the most to keep hidden. Their minds had once shared a profound connection.

After several days of hard riding, Aleks and his small group finally arrived near their destination. He had already left behind his fledgling domain where his army of former slaves and servants were busily working to construct a settlement. He originally wanted to leave both Nelay and Lenia in charge to oversee the construction, but they were unwilling to leave his side. He could have easily have forced them with a simple command, but they had pleaded with him to take them with him. Seeing their determination, he couldn't bring himself to deny their request so he allowed them to come along.

It wasn't truly necessary for them to remain. With his connection to his domain through the power of the Origin, he knew everything that happened within his territory. He could even use this connection to communicate with those who now worshipped him. This new power came with his new status as a Demigod. It wasn't absolute, and nowhere near the same as the abilities of a full fledged god, but in the region where his domain existed he was capable of some of the abilities of a god. This domain was still small and only encompassed an area of about twenty square miles, but this would continue to grow until the entire valley was within his domain. Once he grew influential enough and advanced even further in power, it was possible for the entire continent to become part of his domain.

None of the group of four had slept much on their way to their destination. As a Demigod, Aleks no longer needed much sleep or food. He could easily go days without either. Lariel also did not need such things, but Nelay and Lenia still needed to sleep and eat as they were both mortals. However, they had slept very little and mostly ate in their saddles the entire trip as Aleks did not wish to delay too long. There was still a battle which he needed to be a part of. It was one which would seal the fate of the Orgren Steppes and he needed to leave his personal mark on it. Not to mention a powerful dragon and a sister who still needed to be dealt with. These were the only real threats that concerned him.