Emperor's harem: Transmigrated with SSS mana talent
Chapter 88: [Forbidden Gods]

Chapter 88: [Forbidden Gods]

Kael leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on Nyra with quiet intensity.

"Nyra... how many gods are there, really?"

Nyra’s smile faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression.

She hesitated for a moment, then replied softly,

"There are seven greater gods in this whole world."

Kael listened carefully, nodding as she continued,

"Each ruling over a core aspect of existence: Light, Darkness, Life, Death, Order, Chaos, and Time."

He frowned slightly.

"But... where does the War God fit in?"

Nyra smiled gently.

"Here’s the twist — the War God isn’t separate. The god of Chaos also holds authority over war, so we call him the War God also."

Kael’s eyes widened in surprise.

She went on,

"Like my Night Goddess, who holds authority not just over darkness, but also mystery, fate, and more. And the god of Time? He also governs space."

Kael finally nodded, the pieces falling into place.

"So you can’t describe a god’s power in one word," Kael said, his tone quiet but thoughtful.

Nyra smiled, nodding gently.

"Exactly. Each god governs many aspects. Their power is... layered."

She paused briefly, then added, "There are also lesser deities."

Kael tilted his head. "Lesser deities?"

She folded her hands.

"Humans who have reached godhood by achieving rank 9. They’re not as powerful as the Greater Gods, but many people believe in them. In some regions, they’re even worshipped."

Kael nodded slowly, taking it all in.

But he noticed her hesitation—the way her voice faltered for just a moment.

He leaned forward slightly. "Speak openly, Nyra."

She looked down, her voice almost a whisper.

"I... read this in one of the old libraries. Just scattered fragments. Rumors, maybe. But they speak of something else..."

Kael’s eyes narrowed. "Who are you talking about?"

Her voice was barely audible now. "The Forbidden Gods."

Kael froze. "What?"

Her expression darkened, her voice almost a whisper, as if uttering the words might summon something best left buried.

"There are myths," she said slowly,

"Of seven gods that stand opposite the Greater Seven.

Not their shadows... but their counters.

Unnamed in most texts. Unworshipped. Unwanted. Their power... not divine creation, but divine unraveling.

For every divine law... they are the flaw.""

Kael felt a chill snake down his spine.

He didn’t interrupt—he already had a guess where this was going.

"They’re not spoken of in temples. Only in ruins, and old, forgotten pages."

Her gaze was distant now.

"For example... if the Greater God of Time governs motion, memory, and the endless river of days..."

She paused, her fingers curling slightly.

"...then the one that opposes him is said to govern Stillness. Not rest. Not peace. But the death of time itself."

Kael’s mouth was dry. "What’s it called?"

She looked at him, eyes unreadable.

"Some call it Nullarion. The Moment-Killer. Where he passes, clocks forget, wounds remain open, and even gods lose track of themselves."

Kael leaned back slightly, breath tight.

She added, barely above a whisper, "And that’s just one of them..."

Kael leaned in, voice low but curious, "So... what are the others?"

Nyra immediately shook her head.

"I only read about one. Just one. Nullarion."

Silence.

Kael sat motionless, the candlelight flickering across his face as the weight of Nyra’s words settled over him like a shroud.

His mind drifted—no, raced — back to a memory he had tried to bury.

That temple.

The one hidden atop Mount Veilspire.

Silent halls carved into obsidian rock, a statue with no face, an altar that bled ink instead of blood.

A chill crawled down his spine.

His gaze lifted toward Yue, who now floated idly a few feet away, arms folded, watching him.

She met his eyes without blinking.

"Yes," she said softly, as if reading his thoughts.

"You’re thinking right."

Kael’s lips parted.

"That temple..."

"One of them," she confirmed. "It belongs to a Forbidden One."

Kael’s breath hitched. Cold sweat began to bead along his back, soaking into the collar of his tunic.

Yue didn’t stop there.

"That temple," she said slowly, her voice flat, as if reading from a death sentence,

"the Temple of Sacrifice—it is dedicated to Nortic."

The name alone felt like it scratched against the inside of his skull.

"He is the counter to the God of Life," she continued, "but his reach doesn’t end there. Nortic also holds dominion over lies... and veils. The unseen. The forgotten. That which lives behind masks."

Kael stiffened. The mask. The one he still carried.

Yue floated a little lower, her tone turning almost mocking.

"And as I told you before—each of the seven continents hides a temple of a Forbidden One. Ours... just happens to belong to Nortic."

She tilted her head, smiling coldly.

"How lucky you are to have walked in... and still walked out."

Kael said nothing.

After a long, tense silence, Kael’s lips moved almost absently.

"...Nullarion..."

Nyra’s chair scraped sharply against the floor as she stood. Her hand darted across the table, grabbing his wrist with sudden force.

"Kael," she said, voice low and grave, "remember this."

Her expression had changed—no longer flustered, no longer calm.

It was solemn. Almost fearful.

"Be it a Greater God, a Lesser Deity, or a Forbidden One... never, ever speak a god’s true name."

Kael blinked, confused. "But we just did. Nullarion, Nortic—"

"No," she cut in, shaking her head.

"Those aren’t their true names. Just names we gave them. Names made safe."

She leaned forward, her voice no louder than breath.

"If you ever—even by mistake—speak one of their real names aloud..."

A pause.

"...you could go mad. Right then and there."

Another pause.

"Or worse."

Kael’s chest tightened. "Worse?"

Her eyes were wide, unblinking.

"You could draw their gaze."

Outside, the wind howled faintly—like a whisper just beyond the walls.

Kael’s voice came slowly, hesitantly—as if afraid of his own question.

"Wait... what if someone’s just... reading? An ancient text. And... unknowingly speaks their name?"

He didn’t finish.

He didn’t need to.

Nyra did.

Her tone was colder than before. Almost hollow.

"They go mad."

She didn’t blink.

"If they’re lucky."

Kael swallowed hard, throat suddenly dry.

Nyra continued, voice distant, as if remembering something not her own.

"There are stories. Scholars whisper them in corners of silent libraries—historians found frozen in place, eyes wide, mouths open... mumbling syllables no one else can understand. Some vanish. Others... remain."

Her fingers tapped the wooden table softly, rhythm slow and deliberate.

"That’s why there’s always a shortage of historians in this world."

A silence fell between them.

Kael’s thoughts raced. Suddenly, even knowledge felt like a trap.

Nyra’s smile was faint, dark.

"But don’t worry, Kael," she said, teasing but without warmth, "as you grow stronger, your mind will learn to bear small doses of forbidden truth."

She stood slowly.

"Until then... try not to let curiosity kill the Kael."

Kael just snorted, quietly.

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