Berengar stood in the lands of the Aztec Empire. It had been a lifetime since he had last been to these lands. And currently his son, Cualcoatl, was by his side. By now Berengar was in his seventies, and despite looking a decare or two younger, he felt his life quickly coming to an end. He would likely only live to be eighty.
Perhaps it was the wear and tear he had gone through during his youth on the battlefields. And the damage his body had sustained during his trials to prove his worth to Odin. Or perhaps it was simply the weave of fate. But Berengar knew that he only had a few years left.
And while his body had begun to age rapidly, the blessings of the Gods having begun to wear off. He wanted to say goodbye to an old Ally when he still had the ability to do so. Thus, Berengar had journeyed across the world, to the jungles of Mesoamerica, where he found himself once more standing before the great pyramid of Teotihuacan
Berengar cried out in the loudest voice he could manage, to a being that had been forgotten by time itself. His son, gazing upon him as if he were suffering from dementia as he did so.
"Oh, great goddess of Teotihuacan. I have returned at last. Please reveal yourself to me and my progeny. We wish to pay our respects."
Cualcoatl was educated in Germany, and because of this, he had a very secular outlook on religion. Though he personally did not believe the gods of his people really existed, religion was still a driving factor in the Aztec Empire.
Thus, he simply scoffed at his father, as if the man was finally losing his marbles. That is until a voice appeared, along with a sudden mist.
"So you have come to say goodbye to this goddess at last? Very well, I will hear your words, Berengar von Kufstein." action
Once the mist had taken over the decrepit ruins of an ancient civilization. They quickly dispersed to reveal a city that was entirely intact, as if it had never collapsed in the first place. The most notable thing, however, was the absence of all life besides from Berengar and his son.
Cualcoatl was astonished by what had just happened, and could hardly believe his eyes. He was just about to make a remark about this when his father urged him to keep up.
"Come on, boy, I'm an old man. Certainly you should be able to keep up with my pace!'Having snapped back to reality, after hearing his father's words, the Aztec Emperor scurried after his father, who had a hard time climbing the many stony steps which led into the Great Pyramid of Teotihuacan.
Once inside, Cualcoatl was astonished to see a beautiful Mesoamerican woman sitting on a throne, with her elaborate headdress by her side. But perhaps most surprising of all was the fact that Berengar kneeled in front of this woman, as if she were his master. Once it became clear that he was supposed to kneel, Cualcoatl did the same while listening to his father speak to the supernatural entity sitting in front of him.
"Oh, great Goddess of Teotihuacan. My son and I have come to pay our respects, and I have come to personally say goodbye."
There was a melancholic expression on the beautiful goddesses' face, as she saw what had become of Berengar. The years had rapidly begun to take their effect, as the blessing that the mystical pool had once given him wore off. He may look like he was in his sixties, but the goddess knew that within a year, possibly two, he would look his own age, if not worse.
Thus, rather than look at his miserable state, she waved her hand, and temporarily reversed his age, back to the way it was when they had initially met. She then wore a sultry smile, as she expressed what she had done.
"I can only do this much for you, and it will immediately expire the moment you step foot out of my domain. But I definitely prefer the way you were the last time you visited."
Berengar looked at his own reflection in a pool of crystal clear water and smiled. He was young again, truly young, not just in appearance. But he felt his body temporarily rejuvenated, as it had been when he was still in his twenties all those years ago.
Cualcoatl was shocked to see his father's youthful appearance, and was about to say something, when the man effortlessly rose from his kneeling position and thanked the Goddess for her temporary boon.
"To be young again, even if only for a day, is a great gift. I will treasure what few moments I have in this state. I apologize goddess, I should have made the journey earlier, but I knew that when I did it would be our last time meeting, and I could not bear the thought of leaving you all alone here, without having hope of seeing me again."
The goddess wore a bitter smile, as she gazed upon Berengar's weary expression, and shook her head, while assuring the man that she was just thankful that he had actually returned to say goodbye.
"I honestly did not think you would pay someone as insignificant as myself any attention. But I am happy that you have come to say farewell. I can tell by your current state that you have a few years to live at the most.
But, you have served your purpose in this world, and will be granted a reward in the next life that is greater than anything I have ever witnessed a champion receive in the history of this world. Soon enough, you can rest in your own paradise, with all your loved ones. Perhaps, if you are willing, I can cross over to that plane and see you again."
Berengar did not realize that this was possible until now, and when he heard these words come from the Goddesses mouth, he was quick to accept them.
"I would like that. I would not be alive today if not for you. And I have come to give you my thanks and to say my farewell. When I finally enter the next life, I would not mind spending some time with you. You are, after all, one of my many benefactors.
And just so you know, this is my son, Cualcoatl. You remember the woman I was here with the last time I visited? She is his mother. And he is the new Aztec Emperor. I have brought him here today, so that he may understand the reality of this world, and perhaps even pay back the favor which I owe you."
Cualcoatl gazed up at his father in disbelief before asking the question that immediately came to his mind.
"Father, what are you saying?"
Berengar chuckled when he heard this, before grasping the man's shoulder. Where he then asked his son to repay a debt which he owed the Great Goddess of Teotihuacan.
"I am asking you to do everything in your power, to ensure that your people begin to worship this goddess once more. The gods gain power by the number of worshippers they have, and because of this, she is not long for this world, just as I am. If you can embrace her as a part of your people's religion, she would be able to survive much longer, perhaps indefinitely. What do you say? Are you willing to do this for me?"
Cualcoatl looked at his father, and then at the goddess, before nodding his head in agreement. Now that he knew the gods really existed, he would do everything he could to earn their favor. And since he had come face to face with this beautiful goddess, he could not help but fall to his knees and worship her on the spot.
"I Cualcoatl, swear that I will do everything I can to spread the word of you, my Goddess, from this day, until the end of my days."
The great goddess of Teotihuacan wore a sultry smile as she licked her lips before expressing her thoughts aloud.
"Your son is cute. Do you mind if I play with him a bit?"
Berengar chuckled when he heard this, before responding to the goddess with his answer.
"Only if he consents...."
Cualcoatl looked up at his father, and the great goddess of Teotihuacan, and before realizing that he himself had been de aged to the point where he was now in his early twenties. Then the goddess stepped forward and grabbed his hand, before whispering something seductive in the Aztec Emperor's ears.
"Show your devotion to me...."
With this said, Cualcoatl, would follow the Great Goddess of Teotihuacan to a more private chamber where he would become the second member in Berengar's family to fuck a goddess.
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I wanted to thank you all for supporting Tyranny of Steel up to this point. From here on out, until the very end of the novel, updates are going to be less frequent with one chapter a day. Instead, I would like to invite all of you to read my new novel Interstellar Age, at https://com/book/interstellar-age_26235247006730205 which will be receiving my primary attention from here on out. Thank you all for the support you have shown me, and I look forward to writing novels for you all for years to come!