As the straining Grimjak looked weakly up at the figure which had the sun's rays shining upon them his eyes widened. What met him were two, almost glowing, light blue sharp eyes belonging to a tall 8'0 woman with purple hair that went down just past her shoulders, having a diagonal fringe just above her eyes. Her build was broad, wearing a black and dark purple set of heavy armor made of a pristine metal not ever seen before.

"Despite his pain he pushed forwards. This is the sort of determination I need. But..."

The woman crouched down.

"..he's almost dead. My presence itself is straining his sub-being body to it's limits."

Her voice was strict and echoed like it was amplified, having a cold accent. Grimjak fell from his knees and onto the floor, his eyes slowly closing.

"Hm. Axel..did you send me one who isn't matured in the ways of the intelligent energy?"

Axel's foot stepping into view was the last thing Grimjak saw before his consciousness faded.

Grimjak's eyes opened swiftly with a large inhale, followed by a cough. He sat up slowly and realized he was in a bed in a stone room of sorts, moss everywhere. He looked ahead seeing Axel leaning against a wooden door. It was the only exit.

"Wh~" Grimjak coughed again, before speaking once more. "..where am I?"

"Still in the church, just in a separate room." Axel looked up at him with a chuckle. "You're extremely lucky your brain didn't fry. The magikal strain was close to killing you."

Grimjak looked up at Axel with a slight frown. "Then how come I'm alive?"

"Because I saved your ass. You see...that woman you saw. She..how do I say this.."

Axel looked down, moving his white fringe off his blindfolded eyes slightly before looking back up.

"..she's not of this existence. What you beheld was a being known as a Heavener."

Grimjak slowly stood up, taking in what Axel said. "H-Heavener?" He looked at Axel after he stood up, his red eyes then looked down at the stone floor in confusion.

"A servant of a God. Their children, bodyguards..however you put it. Their presence alone is enough to kill someone without enough knowledge of magik."

"Gods?..I thought they..well I was on the fence about their existence." Grimjak was silent for a second, doubts running through his head. "I guess that explains her height and magik strain." Grimjak responded, looking at Axel. "Can I approach her without being almost killed?" He simply asked.

"Yes, you can. She is able to restrict her magikal presence but this nullifies her power. If, or when, we enter battle alongside her you must be ready and train for that day, got it?" Axel put his hand on Grimjak's shoulder.

Grimjak looked at his hand before looking back at Axel, giving him a grin with his crimson teeth. "Does this mean you're stronger than me, Axel?"

"Hm, if you can put it that way. Most I get around her is a headache."

Axel then moved away from the door behind him. "This door leads to just in front of the exit of the church, you'll know where you are straight away."

Grimjak then walked through the door, to his left was the main hall of the church. He slowly walked down it, soon reaching the front of the church...and the Heavener woman.

The Heavener was sat down on a bench that overlooked the hall, obviously makeshift and moved from elsewhere. She soon stood up from the bench, looking down at Grimjak.

"My name is Zedarka..and I am the one who will lead this initial conquest. It is a shame our initial introduction almost lead to your death, but no matter. I shall restrain myself until you are stronger." Her voice echoed as usual, the bass of it filling the hall of the church.

Despite the magikal strain's absence, Grimjak felt a huge amount of fear rush over his body. This was the first time he had felt such a sensation in a long long time. He sucked up his emotions and responded.

"A Heavener, hm? What is someone like you doing here?" Grimjak felt a drip of sweat fall down the back of his head.

Zedarka kept her sharp eyes locked onto Grimjak, a second of silence falling upon the church before she responded.

"I was kicked out of my home by the Gods..."

Zedarka spoke out, looking up at the shattered stained glass windows next to them. "Me, alongside my father."

Grimjak squinted. "Your father? So..." He thought about Axel's explanation of Heaveners. "..your God?"

"Yes. We were exiled because he killed another God." Zedarka looked down at Grimjak as she said this, his blood ran cold.

"K-Killed? A God?.." Grimjak looked at the floor. "How is that possible?" His eyes widened as he stared at the floor, various questions running through his head.

"Everything can be killed." Zedarka interrupted his thoughts causing him to look up at her again, her blue eyes locking onto his red ones. "..he killed the God because they told him he would be met with a terrible fate; killed by a mortal. This enraged him..."

"So he killed the God in his rage?" Grimjak asked, sitting down on the bench she was once sitting on, she remained standing.

"Yes. Despite multiple attempts at questioning him, it didn't sway the God's so-called prediction of the future." Zedarka's eyes narrowed, before looking at Grimjak. "That God that my father killed...was the God of Fate."

Grimjak leaned forwards. "Fate huh?..so you both got exiled for your father's actions. Exiled from where? And why didn't they just kill you?"

"Hm. It was their intention to kill us. My father saved me and I managed to escape from that realm known as Above or Heaven as you sub-beings call it. I floated through the cosmos for billions of years, fading in and out of consciousness...until I sensed his presence..the presence of the mortal his sleeping soul had inhabited.." Zedarka looked down at Grimjak.

"Sleeping soul? So you mean-"

"Yes." Zedarka interrupted. "His soul is lying dormant inside of a mortal on this planet known as Adepta. No doubt I wasn't meant to find it as I'm meant to be dead but..I sense it. His punishment was to live and die as a mortal that wasn't aware of his soul being that of a god; a spectator of another weaker being's life."

Zedarka looked up at a stained glass window behind them.

"There is a so-called myth in your world known as the Devil. The idea of a being that was exiled from his home for his sins."

Grimjak turned on the bench, noticing the stained glass she was looking at resembled a winged being falling from the stars. "So your plan is to wake his soul up, yes? That is why you're here and why you spent all those years in the cosmos. You were searching."

Zedarka looked back down at him. "Yes. And once I do so I will find the remains of his power; his Halo."

"Halo..you mean the circular object above the God's heads? In their depictions I have seen such a thing."

"Yes. It is what gives a God power. Usually, it cannot be destroyed at all. It is an impossible feat...unless the God is exiled or killed. His Halo was scattered into four pieces, I witnessed this myself. The locations of these pieces aren't exactly obtainable easily. But what I do know is that to maintain a dormant soul inside of a subject their body or source of power must be nearby. So, under that logic, the pieces of the Halo must be on this planet..or the solar system we're in."

Zedarka then looked at Grimjak. "I already found one of four pieces in the hands of a certain miner."

Grimjak leaned back, thinking to himself. "It is a lot to take in..but, what is your ultimate objective, Zedarka?"

Zedarka paused for a second, before looking back down at Grimjak.

"We will create a new universe..."

Grimjak's eyes widened. "Wh-"

"Grimjak. You know the cruelty this universe hosts. And if the God's themselves are cruel enough to lie about my father's fate and exile him, having him live in a sub-beings body as an act of humiliation, then we need a new order. The God's are selfish..not answering any prayers you sub-beings have because their heads are too far up their asses." Zedarka looked right into Grimjak's eyes.

"Axel is one of a group that supports me. This church acts as a temporary base. It is well hidden because if the general public sees me they will think I'm an escaped mutation or something. I am eight foot tall, after all. And I don't think any of you sub-beings are that tall."

Grimjak looked at the floor, taking everything in. He then looked slowly up to Zedarka. "I never thought I'll be in this position.."

Zedarka folded her arms, her black and dark purple armor clanking slightly as she did so. "Hm. Maybe I am ignorant of your position and current situation."

She slowly turned around, walking away. "I will be outside. Talk to me once your mind is clear...

...and Grimjak?"

Grimjak looked up at her. "Hm?"

"If you decide not to join my cause. I will have to make you forget what we've talked about, your knowledge of me and your knowledge of Axel. If you resist I will kill you." Zedarka continued looking at Grimjak over her shoulder for a few seconds before looking forwards, starting to walk once more outside the church.

A drop of sweat fell down the side of Grimjak's head as he looked at the mossy floor of the ruined church, thinking to himself.

"Her father is exiled because he killed a fellow God. But did he really deserve the punishment provided? Living through the eyes of a mortal until their death then dying alongside them? And she has a point..the God's haven't given any signs..no answers..nothing. She is the only solid evidence of their existence. Maybe if I help her..I will become powerful..powerful enough to no longer be worried about being weak. Maybe get revenge on that Hugo bastard. All of this whilst creating a better universe under our control."

Grimjak quickly stood up, running after Zedarka and running outside, finding her leaning against the church outside.

"Zedarka!"

She looked up at Grimjak in response. "Yes?"

"I'll join you..and help you in your cause to awaken your father, find his Halo pieces, and build a better universe." Grimjak gulped and looked up at Zedarka, who stopped leaning on the wall. She then walked over to him and extended her hand, a breeze blowing both of their hair to the side.

...

"Welcome, Grimjak. And thank you."

On top of the church was Axel, looking down on the two. He smirked as he saw the two shake hands, before looking out to the forest as a flock of birds flew overhead.