RISE OF EROS

Honestly, this group had problems. They were here only for their selfish reasons and as altruistic as they seemed, they were the complete opposite. They wanted to reach divinity, that’s all that matters to them.

Unfortunately, no matter how much distrust they had, they knew very well that they needed Crhono as an ally because his strength was necessary to fight against their enemies. After the small altercation, no one said anything else, not because they didn’t want to, but because tensions were rising and it wasn’t the time to fight between allies.

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Kael, Draneg, and the others still needed to be on good terms with Crhono, especially with Andrew, because they believed he was their ticket to divinity, so they didn’t pursue that issue further.

Andrew, after recording in his mind these demigods as unreliable people with whom he shouldn’t deepen relations, continued listening to Crhono about what had happened. Crhono did not pursue the subject either and continued the story in great detail. Once the whole story was told, it was Andrew’s turn to answer questions about what had happened inside the cave.

Everyone already knew that he had managed to assimilate the divinity of the deceased god inside the cave, but they did not know the details. They did not want to know how he did it, since it was obvious that he would not tell them, but about what he had gained.

Andrew was honest with them and told them about the benefits he had obtained along with his wives, concubines, and apostles. He told them about the mastery he acquired over water and the increase in strength that everyone had.

This again generated annoyance in the Draneg group. Upon hearing that with the ritual Andrew achieved the power of a demigod and that the women who accompanied him reached high levels of strength even though many of them were ordinary people, they did not like it.

They thought that, if they had participated in this ritual, they could have achieved their goals, so they complained. To be more exact, Draneg who seemed to be the one designated to ask that day was the one who raised his voice.

"Why did you bring your women to the ritual?" he asked. Although it seemed like a simple question, the implications were clear. He was calling him out for bringing people who would not add any value.

Let’s be honest, Andrew’s wives, concubines, and apostles were mostly ordinary people. Even though they had now reached high levels of power to be considered experts, they were still useless in the battle against Purgatory.

What Draneg really wanted to ask was, why didn’t he bring those who were stronger and would be useful in the battle against Purgatory if they became stronger? None of those present were stupid, everyone understood this.

Despite the annoyance Andrew felt, he didn’t get angry, or at least he didn’t show it and calmly replied, "Because the ritual needed them." Draneg and the other demigods weren’t convinced.

In fact, they were quite unhappy, as they felt they were being used without gaining any benefits. First, they went to attack Purgatory bases that didn’t give them any information.

They were turned away from this plan that could benefit them. They were made to fight a battle that could have been resolved without their intervention, only for Crhono to show up and claim the benefits and lastly, Andrew got what he wanted, without giving them anything.

This was what Draneg and the other demigods thought and honestly, they were upset. Working without gaining benefits is not something they do and although Purgatory threatens them all, the selfishness of these demigods can be absurd at times.

Even Andrew who is the least experienced among those present, could notice their discontent and was tempted to fire these guys. If it weren’t for the fact that they were still needed, he would have simply chased them away.

Crhono who was the most experienced and adept at reading people, noticed Andrew’s hidden annoyance and intervened trying to keep things from getting out of hand.

While they were chatting, Andrew’s wives, concubines, and apostles were coming out of the cave. When they saw them, they could also notice the changes. Not only had their presence and power changed, but their appearances had changed.

They looked younger, which wasn’t really true. What was happening was that the divinity they absorbed was refined into life energy, so their bodies were revitalized on a cellular level.

Their skin, hair, and physiques had been strengthened and cleansed of impurities, so they looked younger, but in reality, they only increased in beauty. Seeing them, Draneg and the other demigods in his group wrinkled their faces.

They couldn’t get it out of their heads that it was a waste of resources for these women to participate in the ritual. Despite those thoughts, they didn’t say anything, as it was already done and there was no need to cause further inconvenience.

At this moment they couldn’t do anything, so there was no need to continue generating discord with Andrew. They still needed him, so they simply kept quiet.

The girls didn’t know what Andrew and the others had been talking about, so they didn’t understand what was happening. They could tell that the atmosphere was not pleasant and when they saw the destruction of the surroundings they understood something.

They misunderstood that everyone was upset because they had just had a battle, but that wasn’t what was happening. Kael, Asha, Lyria, and Theron didn’t want to cause more discord anymore, but it seemed that Draneg was different.

Since he met Andrew for the first time he was always the most disrespectful. Today he had been doubting everything that happened or the others did and he dedicated himself to asking accusatory questions.

Now it seemed that he didn’t intend to hold anything back and said with annoyance, "I’m tired of being controlled like a puppet. They’re keeping too many secrets from us and we’re not getting any benefits."

With that sentence he started his speech, drawing everyone’s attention, and continued; "I’ll make it clear. I don’t know about the others, but if I don’t get any benefits, I won’t help this alliance anymore."

His words surprised everyone. Certainly, they had their differences and everyone knew his selfish intentions, but they never expected Draneg to be so direct. The other four demigods in his group were the most surprised, because, although they thought like him, they didn’t dare to say it. They preferred to play hide and seek and let Draneg take all the bullets.

No one here is stupid. Everyone knew the intentions of the others and it was obvious that Kael and the others thought like Draneg, but they didn’t dare to say it, for fear of being marginalized, like Draneg now.

Saying what he left behind was clearly showing that he was only here for the benefits, not for the common good. Unexpectedly, this attitude, unlike what everyone thought, was well received by Andrew and even Crhono.

For them, the fact that Draneg admitted his priorities even when they were selfish, demonstrated his character and showed that he was a person who could be trusted. There is no enemy more dangerous than the one you don’t see coming.

Although these demigods are not enemies, having selfish goals and hiding them with false altruism did not make them trustworthy, as they can stab them in the back when they least expect it.

That is why Draneg stepping forward and declaring his intentions was much better because at least he was a sincere egoist. At that moment, without anyone noticing, Andrew sent a telepathic message.

"When you leave, do not follow the others. Come back, we must talk without their presence," was what Andrew told Draneg telepathically. Although Draneg was surprised to hear the message, he hid it well, so no one noticed.

Andrew is now a demigod, so sending messages from consciousness to consciousness wasn’t difficult as long as it was within his operating range. He may not be able to exert his full power yet, but things like this are innate.

Everyone chatted for a while and agreed that they would continue to search for Purgatory and wait for Crhono to summon them in a few days to discuss destroying the fallen god fragment left by Purgatory’s leader.

Although dissatisfied, everyone agreed. Kael and the others left. Although Draneg had received Andrew’s message, he couldn’t stay, as it would be suspicious, so he left with them.

Along the way, they were all discussing the fact that Andrew and Crhono weren’t sincere, but Draneg wasn’t paying attention to them. His mind was on Andrew’s words. There were many possible reasons why Andrew asked him to return. Some good and some bad.

Draneg weighed each of these possibilities and ultimately concluded that it shouldn’t be anything bad. Because he had criticized and contradicted them before, if something happened to him, it was obvious who the perpetrator was and that would only separate the allies, leaving them at a disadvantage against the true enemies, so Draneg didn’t believe that Andrew wanted to harm him.

At that moment Kael asked, "Don’t you think the same Draneg?" He wasn’t listening to what they were saying, so he didn’t know how to respond, but he didn’t have to, in order to know what they were talking about.

Draneg despised these guys, because they thought like him, but behaved like hypocrites. Instead of supporting him before, they hid and let him be the one who received all the criticism and bad looks.

Because of this, he decided not to hang out with them anymore and pretending to be upset, he replied, "I already said what I wanted to say. "Don’t talk to me about them anymore," and without waiting for anyone he changed direction towards his territory, but in reality it was all an act.