Trial One~Time375Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpifWySI5F
The group made their way down to the innermost part of the temple. After briefly scouting the area they entered the deepest chamber.
Salem's second Djin Sibi, followed after them, confirming that the coast was clear. "All of the guards are dead. There's no one else here. Doesn't seem like they called for reinforcements either so we probably won't see anyone here until tomorrow."
He looked at the quivering figure in the center of the room. They clutched a staff and used it to lean on as they desperately tried to steady their shaky legs."It seems like this child is at her limit."
Li looked the child up and down. "Young master, it seems the divine staff was being held here. This young girl seems to be the goddess to whom it belongs to."
The girl was surrounded by a barrier. She looked to be no older than sixteen. Salem wasted no time in making his way over to her. He pushed through the barrier, breaking it with ease. He then reached down and took her hand in his.
Salem's third djin, Dakuri scowled. "That bastard. He had a goddess trapped here all this time! She's so young too!"
"Are you the servant of God that was sent to get me?" She asked hazily.
"No. The ones you wish to meet are not coming. If you wish to live then leave this place and come with me."
"Who...are you..."
"Salem."
He spoke to her the same way he spoke to everyone. Her being a Goddess meant nothing to him. He was never one for titles after all. In a way, this was just part of his charm. He tightened his grip on her hand and smoothly pulled her up. As her gaze began to focus, she found herself captivated by the man's smile and something else, the dragon medallion around his neck.
•~•~•~•~•~•
The girl was taken back to their base. She seemed to have some sort of amnesia after having so much of her life force drained. All she could remember was her name. "Sheila Omarosa." She seemed to be young, possibly no older than sixteen. For someone so young she and Salem had extremely opposing views. He valued freedom and didn't condemn those who were considered to be "impure." He treasured maintaining a good relationship with the other races. Salem didn't agree with what their God was doing in these times of war. He felt as though God had turned their back on them and so he sought to create a new world where this God did not exist.
Sheila, being a young and naive Goddess, saw no fault in their God's decisions. she viewed the many races as "impure." Not only that but she wished to rid the world of such impurities. Over time, Salem had collected many books. During his time in the tower he learned to summon many different beings, all of which became his servants. They all happened to be of far less than holy blood. When Sheila arrived at the base she lost her mind at the sight. Salem's first conversation with her here ended in him calling her a "despicable woman."
Salem was a carefree, humble man that was loved by both spectrums of the divine. From birth the shi made it very clear that they adored him. This confused Sheila. How could someone who spends his time with demons and ghouls be so loved by divine forces? She didn't speak to him for days after their fight but during that time she did observe them and in doing so, she learned that he was right. Her mind set had indeed been despicable.
She ended up befriending one such demonic entity and realized that they were only different by name. They both felt and longed for the same thing. despite appearances and names, they were the same at their cores. Titles such as goddess and demon, didn't apply in Salem's world and perhaps that was a good thing. She would never have been able to freely converse with such creatures otherwise.
As she came to understand Salem's way of thinking, he began to warm up to her. She couldn't help but think of how brutally honest he was. If he didn't like something he'd say it, much like in the manner he did to her. Despite his calm and regal exterior, he did possess a childish side which was evident in the way he would get excited when he found new books or when he was conversing with other races. He had a talent for befriending anyone and anything. His genuine nature seemed to be what lit a spark in Sheila's heart.
•~•~•~•~•~•
When the war between races had reached it's boiling point, Salem's resistance was called into action. When Sheila learned of her new friend's inevitable demise, she pleaded with Salem to bring her along. Seeing her sincerity and how drastically she had changed in such a short amount of time, he agreed to take her with him. They left for the western summit where everyone was gathering to fight.Upon arrival they witnessed the humans desperately trying to stave off the other races. Salem called down a curtain of lightening that split the forces and drew their attention to him.
"People of Aruma Ditallu, Stop this needles fighting! We don't have to do this! The resistance will free the land and build a new one where we can all live as equals! As a human man, this is the only thing I can do to atone for the sins of my father and his army."
A large creature with a strange appearance shifted to face Salem. He towered over him as he spoke. "Salem. Your proposal is interesting....however I don't believe we will ever be on equal terms. The differences between us are far to vast to overcome. You are a being of immense power, even your father, though cruel, has been blessed with strength far greater than any of us. Others have been gifted with various powers but us...we have nothing. We have been forsaken by God!"
Salem frowned. "That isn't true! The difference between us isn't as hopeless as you'd like to believe! We all have something in common!"
The creature frowned but continued to listen. "What would that be?"
Salem smiled. "It's love. No matter who we are, even the cruelest of individuals would surely have people who they care about. We all desire to live happily. We love and suffer in the same way! So let's do this together. We can change the world so we can all live together proudly!"
It was silent for a moment. As if everyone were trying to process his bold words. It wasn't long before those gathered began to cheer. They put down their weapons and looked to Salem with a newfound joy in their hearts. Ri stood beside Salem and found herself thinking of how incredible he was to move so many people.
"I want to be like him. I want to be able to illuminate the lives of others, just like he did today."
Those were her thoughts as she watched on in silence.
•~•~•~•~•~•
Five years had past and Sheila was now an active member of the resistance. She was now twenty one and although she was still rather childish and impulsive, she was no longer the naive little girl she once was. She also seemed to have developed quite the crush on Salem. He had grown quite a bit as well. He was now twenty eight and had matured very nicely, both physically and mentally. The warring races were now at peace and on several occasions, they had built statues in honor of Salem, but he had destroyed them. He really didn't like those things.
Despite their current era of peace, a new problem had risen. The land was dying and so was their God. Salem's father had drained so much power from it that now their God was weakening and as a result, their world began to slowly crumble. One night, the resistance sat chatting, as Salem read. Somehow the topic of marriage had arisen, which made Sheila rather fidgety. Falan, the only married djin among them was the instigator. He leaned on Salem's shoulder as he read and grinned.
"Salem, listen. You're twenty eight and you're not getting any younger. Why don't you settle down and have some children already?"
Salem sighed heavily. "I'm not interested in that."
Falan frowned. "My, how cold."
Salem chuckled and looked up from his book. "You're right. I am cold. Even if I were to speak of familial love, I can't say that I've experienced it. I have never met my brother and I have not a single memory of love between my father and I. That's why I sometimes get jealous when I see how happy you are with your wife and son. You have a love for a family that I never had."
Falan couldn't help but smile. "Salem. you know we care about you, but there's a limit to the comfort friends can provide. If it is a family you want, why not start one with Sheila?"
Sheila whirled around, a deep blush played at her cheeks. Falan simply looked over to her with a knowing smirk. Salem stared at her for a while before laughing.
"What are you talking about Falan. Start a family with this brat? She's 200 years too early to be considered as a suitable wife."
Sheila stood up angrily and threw her slipper at Salem, who ceased his laughter as it made contact with his head.
"So after all these years you still see me as nothing more than a child?"
Salem remained silent. He felt a slight pang of regret in taking his joke so far.
Sheila clenched her fist. "I'll show you...I'll show all of you! I'll become a mature, dependable adult! Then you'll have no choice but to see me as a woman!"
Sheila stormed out shortly after her sudden declaration, leaving everyone else in silence.
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