Behold one of my ideas that finally came into fruition. Given the spark of inspiration and having just enough time to squeeze this little bit in, I present you Sacred Decision. I may have mentioned in my review and comment replies once or twice, but now its no longer just a promise.

This is a NON-CANON side story, a what-if of Spin of Destiny focusing on Ilias and Luther, and honestly, I think this the most fun I've had writing something.

Unlike the Omakes you've previously read this story will have multiple parts to it and eventually have an ending. Granted the frequency of posting the parts of this side story will be even more irregular, given the fact that it both might hold spoilers for what will happen in Spin of Destiny and that its secondary story.

The reception I gotten from the last chapter was staggering, incomparable to what I have gotten previously. Turns out all you have to do to get people's attention is to kill the main character and give another one PTSD. Rest assured I won't be using shock to garner more responses, what has happened and what will happened has already been planned out with only minor changes and additions being made as the story goes on.


Light descended onto the room. It was golden, omnipresent, divine, covering every single corner that it could find. No meager darkness was safe from its reach, as insignificant as it was it couldn't hide away from the light's purging influence. All as it should be in the domain of Ilias – Heaven, more so in her personal room. Only a single shadow was cast, but it mirrored every single movement of this realm's owner. As above, so below, as above, so below as she paced around from the confines of the room, her plans expanding ever forward into eventual fruition. There were admittedly some oddities, minuscule unexpected details that stuck out…

Ilias' fingers were gripped around the edges of the magic window she'd opened into the world below, her hands nearly entering it. All it took for her to rail back was to remember how tainted the world was with her sister's influence, how unlike her domain the ambient darkness filled and stuck to everything like glue even to the earthly creations that worshiped and praised her. It sickened her to no end, especially when looking upon her sister's former home, yet it was worth all the frustration it gave her to skim whatever bit of information the Goddess could take and follow a certain hero vital to her plans.

Alma Elma, out of all the hurdles the little one had to face the Succubus was the most infuriating to her, that flying obscenity just had to decide to go and harass him as if her mere presence wasn't enough. Ilias smiled in glee as she watched the so-called Heavenly Knight retreat in shock from Luther, someone who she previously thought was nothing but a footnote in history, an ordinary adventurer, a pathetic heretic that ends up as a useful tool and piece helping Luka achieve his designated goal. He was nothing to the Goddess or the world she would reshape, and neither was that strangely rebellious spirit of his. A rebellious worm was still a worm, though maybe some use came with it.

But now she couldn't help but reconsider that previous judgment, her blue eyes lighting up like stars seeing that the man's powers, its sheer quantity, and nature struck fear, uncertainty, and regret into Alma's heart as he attacked her. In sheer bliss she watched one of her most hated creatures struggle to even touch that man without getting harmed. While she was shaken and hesitating, he fought like a flawless automaton – there was no pause in his movements and he appeared to think of new strategies as the battle went on.

Come on…come on, finish that demon whore, make my day! The Light Goddess' hands gripped the magic window harder, almost seemingly cracking the edges, as Luther's fingernail blades got closer and closer to ending Alma's life, but never getting close enough to granting her that last bit of satisfaction. Chamber's aura continued to radiate out as he danced around the deck of the ship, its azure color lighting up its surroundings as winds lashed around him like whips, starlight covered his skin and that parasite of his was in overdrive.

Ilias' eyes narrowed on the energy surrounding him. Hamon, he called it, I believe. It was certainly unique just like many of his other skills, but they could be easily replaced with some type of basic magic in less effort wasted. Any and all skills he possessed she could easily triumph with might, anyone could. Yet all of the peculiar skills and tools in his repertoire this one did draw in her interest, his moments with it were fleeting and she could never get a look at it closely and simply pegged it to be a regular regeneration ability This energy feels like it's coming directly from his…

The Goddess froze for just a moment, her body and face leaning into view below as it zoomed onto power sparking and calmly flowing from him. It was both vast yet contained in such a small space, calm yet fierce, infinite yet both finite, powerful yet fragile – life itself, the soul of man…he was wielding it as a weapon… No, not just that. His soul is completely connected to his body, they move as one…

Opposite of her sister, in the matters of spirit and soul she was absolute master, none had reigned supreme over her, not even Promestein or her ambitious group of lackeys surpassed her in knowledge and skill at manipulation of it, that wasn't their purpose, to begin with. However, one constant problem existed within her field of expertise and in hindsight should have been obvious from the start ever since her first interactions with Alice I – the spiritual realm never quite mingled well with the physical: One or the other might have been faster or slower, stronger or weaker, one was never a true reflection of the other. It infuriated her to no end especially during her attempts at creating humanity, to think of the limitless potential of the soul had to be chained with the trappings of flesh to protect it and bring a small piece of what its powers laid hidden. In the end, she had to settle on the second-best option, taking an already existing animal and guiding its evolution through slowly altering the species soul. She forced herself to be reminded that she lacked her sister's talents in her efforts. What she did in years, Alice the I could have possibly done in a span of several days.

Yet here was this man, whose body was wholly connected to his soul, one feeding into the other of near-perfect harmony. She had never gotten to this level of perfection, nobody had, not a single Human, Goddess or Monster, no matter what technique they used they could never synchronize their soul perfectly to their body. I can see it, touch it from even such a distance, but it resists my influence. Prideful and true... Ilias could view into people's souls, but never this clearly.

Just seeing it is enough for now…Ilias reached deep into the dimensional opening, her fingers grasping the outer rim of his aura and pulling on it, taking a minuscule piece. She curled in her hands, fingers swaying the lowly amount of energy that followed her movements. Ilias couldn't help but play around with it, intensively observing it cling onto her fingers until she finally grasped hard on it. Having no other place to go, the cold spark of spirit went inside her hand.

W-what...? A shiver went down the Goddess' spine, in an entirely ungraceful manner, she nearly fell through her viewing space onto the ship. Oh, how she would be mocked if that occurred, no that any of it mattered? From the small spark absorbed a barely noticeable strand of power formed, one she had gripped onto without noticing.

Stopping herself from failing she looked onward to Luther, not at him or the battle he was participating in, it no longer held interest as much, but his soul. Its very nature was now open to her and only her. Never before had she ever felt someone else's being in such intimate detail. Cold…never-ending cold, but there is more. There was always more, the soul had layers upon layers, whether it is a worm's or Goddess' like her. Beneath the apathetic frost there hid desperation, rage, and peace melding together into unrecognizable mush. Furthermore was sorrow and despair, loss.

Is that…? No…it can't be…A single twitched as she took a sharp breath, the hand's grip on the string becoming almost enough to break it. Ilias pulled as much as she could without straining what little connection she had left and grasped for an even deeper part, fingers wrapping around a pitch-black void. It was a taint she was all too familiar and all too willing to get rid of with, back from where it was not but a simple shard within her. A hunger that grew into an empty endless longing never sated by anything she did. Loneliness, is this mine or his? Both…?

Dark, all-devouring, never vanishing, strangely she could see the bare beginning of a reflection forming. Before she could get a good grasp on the shard and understand its nature the string broke and she fell back. Wait, no no no! I need to look at it again, was it real or just my imagination!? In haste she leaned forward onto the hidden opening, her body stopping to a screeching halt once she spotted Alma's fist digging into Luther's chest. It took a full ten seconds to properly process what had occurred, of what Alma had done, undermining the very self-claimed reason for her species existence. If not for the opportunity stripped away from her in this act Ilias would have laughed at the Succubus Queen failing her race's purpose, but there was no laughter that came from her.

Frantically she tried to grab onto the last remaining fragments of his aura, anything she could keep for personal study, but it was all fleeting. The moment she touched it either had vanished from the severed link or was absorbed into her. There was nothing that she could hold. Luther's body dropped to the hardwood floor of the ship...In an instant it was all gone, not a single sliver of what she saw was leftover in the human's dying body. Nearly breaking the magic opening she saw the Heavenly Knight that had harassed Luka and killed Luther casually leave.

Ilias threw her head back, her frame sinking into a soft chair as she heaved a sigh of exhaustion that turned into a frustrated, drawn-out groan. The Goddess felt as though she was on the cusp of making an important discovery only to be ripped away from it… it yet was another reason to hate the damnable bitch that was Alma. Someone she would have the full pleasure of wiping away from existence once her plans fell into fruition. With melancholy, she looked onto what remained – a dying Luther, her shocked hero and the one who allowed it all to occur.

Is it really all over, just like that? Her hands twitched as she held them over the magic window. Ilias was about to let them touch the murky water of her view, fingers inch ever closer to the barrier separating her powers and the world below. No… it doesn't have to be, I have all the power in the world to change this, to see if what was in that spirit was true. She told herself but stopped the approach.

And why should I care if it is there, what more do I have to from it. My plans wouldn't need to change just because some worm has that in him. A small chuckle of disbelief escaped Ilias' mouth, she was being too abnormally hasty. There was no need for any of her intervention. What is done is done, no point in digging into irrelevant things.

Besides it's not like he is going to die here, that woman is too irresponsible to let her mistakes run their course. The Goddess of Light stood up from her chair and paced a couple of steps away from the magic window. He'll be up and about again and I'll just see what lurks underneath, no matter how much it takes. Yet there was no denying the hungering curiosity eating away at her, constantly commanding her to look and probe into the situation. Such curiosity was a first admittedly, Ilias thought it had long died out of her, never to be seen again in the many centuries and millennia that had passed. Yet here I am musing whether or not to save the life of a single human, a heretic no less…Emotions are irrational, I don't know why so many down there hold them in such high regard.

It didn't take long to realize the choices layout in front of her. A decision to either cast aside her pride and patience, give into that long-forgotten curiosity, or to throw it away, let it pass out of her system, and continue forward until she had another chance. It's not so simple, if I had him here I could see even clearer, he could hide nothing from me.

Ilias looked around her room, a place where her sister's darkness would never step foot. It was neat and orderly, nothing was out of place and it had all the comfort she needed, except it was…Empty, there is no one here but me. Except for one high-ranking angel or two, or even her last remaining Seraphim barging in with a report she was all alone here. She frowned at the sight of her own shadow, the only other constant company she had in a long time here

The Goddess hung her head low and reached for the magic mirror, divine light shone from her right arm as it inched ever closer to the man's body. This time it moved with confidence and resolve, a hunger for knowledge deeply rooted itself in her soul and countenance.


Luther awoke…he wasn't quite sure he would wake up ever again nor could he bring himself to believe he would wake up. But here he was and the light burning into his corneas certainly disproved any doubts he had. None of that mattered anymore, the only thing going on in his mind was a question of his own whereabouts and an intense desire for someone to get the light out of his face. Maybe I'm finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel…frankly, I wish I was blind.

The man coughed as he took in his first gasps of breath, vision cleared up to reveal a marble ceiling unfamiliar to him, a mural of what looked to be a blond woman holding a star surrounded by darkness was painted on it. Chambers felt sore, his entire body was limp, rather unresponsive to his mental input, he barely had any energy left in him after his fight. Being in an unknown space didn't help his predicament, but there was no life left in him to panic. Another rasping dry cough came and the memories began flooding back into him – his voyage on a ship, Alma's uninvited visit and harassment of both of him and Luka, him snapping and…losing himself, and finally his apparent demise.

Luther's hands rushed around, frantically searching until they wrapped around the bag near him. Good. It is still here with me. That is a nice start. Scratch the question of where am I? The real one is "how am I still alive?" or am I still alive? Did Luka and Alice revive me somehow, and if they didn't this doesn't look anywhere near the ship I was in. He mused on the appearance of the room he was in. It looked more like a decorative small sanctum devoted to Ilias rather than the starry sky that greeted him before his passing. He perfectly understood that one of his companions would take an affront to the idea of dragging his unconscious body to anything dedicated to that Goddess, even as a form of shelter. And so he knew there was one thing left to do.

The stand user used what remained of his energy to lift his head and what he saw wasn't the friendly and concerned faces of Luka and Alice, but the Goddess of Light, Ilias herself, observing every little movement he made. Well, that just confirms it, I'm actually dead…in more ways than one. His head fell back onto the carpet with a thud.

"You got to be fucking kidding me. Can't I just have one break?" Luther exclaimed to no one in particular. His flippant behavior made Ilias raise an eyebrow and his audacity to speak to a Goddess in such a crude manner had shocked her a bit, not even her enemies had spoken to her with such lack of respect.

"Is this the way you treat your savior? Perhaps it wasn't worth trying with people like you at all." Ilias scoffed at the worm's ungratefulness, but in hindsight, it wasn't really surprising her. "What more can I expect from a heretic like you…?" She stepped closer to his prone form, smiling at how each footstep made him flinch ever so slightly.

"Forgive my insolence…" Luther drawled on, pure sarcasm dripping from his voice. Being forced to make peace with his demise so early and knowing full well he wasn't getting out here alive or not he figured he might as well get the last laugh. "It's oh so easy to be polite when you've been brought to death's door by a Succubus Queen only to fall into the hands of someone possibly more hazardous to my health. Please, tell me how I am supposed to address you after everything that has happened?"

A façade and nothing more…His words didn't reach Ilias just as much as the tone they were delivered in. He was shaky and nervous behind that blank stare, and his voice was that of a man who had no idea of the fate that awaited him. "Start with 'my merciful Goddess'."

"Because that might just give me enough mercy to not just obliterate you where you lie, worm. " Ilias grabbed onto his collar and dragged his slumped puppet of a body up against a wall. She didn't care how barbaric and undignified this approach was, some hell had to be paid for her pride was shamed. Much to his credit, besides flinching, the man didn't react much to her rough treatment, not even showing any resistance. "You should feel thankful that I at the very least find some part of you useful. Otherwise, it would straight to Sealed Sinner's Prison with you for daring to open that filthy mouth of yours."

"Chuuuu!" Ilias heard a low growl come from the man's body. Tusk emerged from him, pointing its tusk at her neck as she inched closer to its master. She gave a wicked smile to it, her other hand grabbing onto its squeaky small frame. So much killing intent and hatred came from its beady eyes that it was almost adorable to her how in comparison it wasn't close to being a threat.

"Tusk, stay back, there is no point in this," Luther ordered the piece of his soul to return, it cried out in rebellion from the very moment he laid eyes on the Goddess. Something deep within wanted to surpass her and wipe away all the harm she had caused, perhaps one day he might have if not for the precarious situation he was in.

Tusk weakly cooed in some vain attempt at resisting but gave in in the end, phasing through the Goddess' hand and going back into Luther's soul. Ilias gaze shifted back onto him, and much like Alma and Alice, it felt as though she was seeing right through him and maybe in this case the feeling was more literal this time. "Good, you know when to submit…this will make things easier. Now then, use that power of yours, bring out your soul. I need to see it."

It took a full moment of deciphering to figure out what she meant, taking the full steps to piece together the context behind her request. Chambers knew she was watching him at times, if not for curiosity's sake then for simple information gathering, and with that came no doubt that she held knowledge of his capabilities or at least a part of it and so he came to a single question. What did she want him to use? What brought out his soul? "Hamon…you want me to use Hamon?"

Ilias' left eye twitched. "Yes, just what else did I mean? Your little parasite is nothing to me, it's what around it that holds what I desire."

Alright, she is definitely interested in what Hamon is, but why? It is just some basic ability that brings out life force. What could be so important about it? I may just find out right about now….Out of his inquisitiveness and a small desire of wanting to survive just a little bit longer, he closed his eyes and took deep meditative breaths. Cutting out the perception of his surroundings to focus wasn't an easy task, especially with a hostile Goddess breathing down his neck, but he found that the meditative pattern of Hamon breathing helped ease his nerves and kept him steady for the most part. Serenity fed onto itself and a silver aura flared to life around his body. He could only hope it would last this time.


Luther opened his eyes. They glinted, colors shifting from a dull grey to a bright reflective silver as his aura glowed brighter. It sparked between him and the divine woman holding him. The man's body became stiffer, less numb as muscles came back to life. He might have not shown it, but he was frightened by the sight before him, one that made him keenly aware of who he was at the mercy of and how fragile his life really was – Ilias' countenance had twisted into that horrible signature smile she had, but what disturbed most wasn't the smile itself…no…it had been the insane obsessiveness behind those blue orbs.

"Yes…yes!"

Chambers bit his lip, groaning and moaning as Ilias dug her hands into his silver aura, tearing all the way into the inner confines of his soul. He gasped at the sudden intrusion, cursing himself for even considering going along with her requests, but it was far too late. She had already gripped onto his spirit before he could stop his Hamon from flowing out, it felt as though she was going to physically tear out of its vessel, tear him out of his human flesh.

"Give it to me, now! Show me if what I saw was real…"

They both fell atop the bed nearby, Ilias dragging his still rather numb body with her and pinning him down unto the soft velvety fabric below. He may have gotten to its unrivaled comfort were it not for the biggest intrusion of privacy in his entire life, nothing was from her as both his body and soul had become a window into the very makeup of his being. The self-writing blueprints, one might say. Minutes painfully passed one after another with the Goddess of light grabbing onto whatever she could find – emotions and faded memories that were etched upon his soul.

He then soon found that his aura returned the favor in kind. Wrapping and enveloping her divine form the silver dug into her, reaching into the far crevasses of the insane deity's being. Enduring her assault on him wasn't enough apparently, looking through what she held hidden was an obligation for him as well. For the man it had appeared there was no possible end to this torment, he wanted to be free from it, but no matter how much he called his spirit and body to action neither had answered. Hopeless endurance till the end was his last option left.

That was until Ilias hit something and pulled it right out of him, the insane expression fading away completely into disbelief. She opened her mouth but nothing came out except incoherent sputtering and formless gibberish. It was black as the void itself and seemed to consume all light nearby it, hungering for more. Dripping some unknown gaseous liquid from the strands still keeping it connected to his flesh. It pulsed and they noticed none of them could be a single inch away from it. The Goddess cradled it shuddering as another black void emerged, this time from her own chest carried by Luther's silver light. With a single string they connected, and neither of them needed to say or think anything to perfectly understand what it was when their eyes met…they were both staring into a mirror, and from that moment they regained control.

Ilias jumped away from him, nearly falling back onto a dresser, her only saving grace had been the ability to fly. She looked down in a mixture of wonder and bewilderment at the alien below her, their gazes meeting. The information she had gained explaining every oddity about him. "You…you're not from this world, there is not lick of light or dark in you. A perfectly natural human."

Luther let his head fall onto the bed, sinking further into the soft fabric and letting out a tired groan, what power he might have gained from Hamon to move his body had been drained away by his exhaustion. I don't know what that was, I don't know why it happened and lastly, I don't think I want to know. Tense silence dawned on the room, none of them daring to say another word to one another, as Luther got his bearings straight. The realization that his identity was compromised struck him like a bat. He didn't respond to her observations, instead, he averted his vision to the rest of what he assumed were Ilias' private room. His mind wandered on what he had unintentionally found in Ilias.

Maybe…just maybe I can get out of this alive if at least a bit insane by the end of this…Coupled with the realization that he had left behind Luka and Alice a hope burned, it wasn't a roaring flame, but it still burned. A plan was quickly forming, one that required him to likely keep this Goddess entertained for as long as possible, and if he was lucky to have the situation be salvageable enough then he didn't need most of it. A certain piece of the room might just help him get started.

The man cautiously turned back to her, flinching at the sight of her unhinged appearance. He spoke. "How about we discuss this over a game of chess? Think you could beat a lowly mortal like me, hmm…"

"Last I ever played it was with my sister…" After a pause of consideration, she answered, nodding to him and already moving to grab the board. "But I do not forget easily, nor does my mind ever rust. Know this, your last mistake here, even as an outsider, was challenging an eternal being to such a game. This time I pick black."

Perfect…


Up to the point where Ilias decides to save Luther's life, that part is canon. Her decision is the difference she made in this side story, hence the where the name came from.

It is also the point of in time where you get to see our little main character stop giving a fuck and his second defense mechanism - snark. Unfortunately for him that sort of stuff doesn't please the Goddess of Light. The results of it, I have already shown.


Reviews:

-Guest 1: Don't worry, even then I'm taking my own time writing this, it just so happens to be that writing Spin of Destiny is quite an entertaining facet of my life. And yes, Luther nearly got Kakyoin'd by Alma of all people much to everyone's shock. You're not a horrible person for making such an observation.

- lytsadboi: Second favorite shanty, only beat by "The Flying Dutchman" for me, figured someone would mention Black Flag.

- lilbigstoryteller: No worries, apologizes if my sarcasm was a bit off putting. In all seriousness I'd rather not spoil the story much more than I already have through my conversations.

-Bluzerker: This side story partially answers that question through the eyes of Ilias, but there is still more that will happen in the actual next chapter. Though you have brought up an interesting concept that never really expected to be executed by one, quite a daring move for fanfic writer. As for the smut in the story, you'll likely won't see it until later into the plot, even then its only a couple of scenes, nothing too big. I myself am unsure of why I decided to take this route considering the nature of the origin. But I have already started writing, so I suppose it can't be helped.

-e10620: Not really...

-Dragon Of The Eclipsing Moon: Guessing you didn't really expect a side story to come out of this next, but I'm not exactly a machine that can keep writing the same plot. Some small breaks have to be taken.

-doomqwer: Quite a few ripple effects indeed, can't quite wait to write them. Regarding Alma, much like many of her peers she has done her fair share of damage except it through her carelessness instead of full-on intent most of the time. She is one of the Heavenly Knights that would have to come to terms with that. Granberia has enough control over herself that every action taken by her is mostly intentional, done with understanding of the consequences. Tamamo is the same in that regard, except she is more laid back, there is not much to be developed with a being that his lived for thousands of years. Lastly Erubiete is too entrenched into her hatred to think about it, appears a bit too late into the story for my liking, and even disregarding her hatred she is too stoic to act out of impulse like Alma.

-Ayman El Kadouri: Thank you, I try my hardest to make them interesting.

-TheBeginnerLibrarian: As a certain godlike entity in a blue suit once said "Be prepared for unforeseen consequences."

-denitr: Never thought I'd heard that comparison, but I appreciate the compliment.

-Nattor: And now a side story...

-Astrogamer: Great to hear, that was my full intention to display such a contrast. Though admittedly some parts of me feel as if I'm creating a sort of tonal whiplash when I write my chapters, especially this one. But I'm glad that isn't much of the case, at least from what I can tell.

-Guest 2: I feel as though characters and dialogue are supposed to be important in a story, not just simple tools to be used to progress the plot whatever it may be. It is supposed to bring the ones you're writing to life, of course, some will always tools of the narrative but it only helps your story flourish if what you're writing feels organic. Many of moments of the story have only been written because that's how I feel those particular people would react even if might have served to accomplish nothing in the grand scheme of things. Now it may be my own personal gripe, but my own view on this is partly the reason of why I don't read much fanfiction. Not all, but a lot of it feels too rushed and stilted for me to enjoy.

-Guest 3: Most existing fiction has potential in it, its more or less how you write it. Granted, the more outlandish and fantastical the setting, the more freedom an author has.

-Bibliotheca Mundi: Well, he'll be doing something with this particular god. ( ͡ ͜ʖ ͡)

-THE TOWER OF PIMPS: In this case, the most unexpected god decided to help him. And if Jesus ever appeared in the world of MGQ and spoke to Luther, dear...one can only imagine how on alert all of Heaven would be. Believe me, there is so much more to the Spin than what Gyro and Johnny had managed to do, and his survival is based on how much he could develop on it.

-Gentlemen Rance-T.M: Don't think that passion will ever burn out, more of slowly fizzle out because there is not a lot of things that interest me in life.

-genilgames: I have to be completely honesty with you here, even with the way you described the "true" Alma, she still sounds like an awful person to me. Maybe its my own overly self-analytical personality that always leaves me asking why I do certain things, but I can't say I'd like the type of person you described whether her actions were intentional or not. Regarding the whole harem route...I might as well say write this out now while I have the opportunity - there will be no harem and that's that.

-Guest 4: No promises are made.

-that one guest: I am aware of that issue myself and in fact do have someone to proofread my chapters. Its just when you're constantly editing thousands of words it gets hard to not just skim through some sentences. I might go back and look through the entire story once I have enough time and motivation.

Thank you for the support and I'll see you next chapter.