Chapter 59: Interlude: Reawakening

The gentle ray of dawn wakes me up from my usual slumber. I shiver in the cold, frigid air. It’s been over two years since I’ve come to this castle in the snow, but I can never get used to this bone-chilling climate. Not that my old home is any better weather-wise, but it certainly still beats this.

A knock on the door interrupts me from my thoughts. However, the owner of the noise doesn’t have any sense of politeness in him, as the giant door to my bedchamber creaks open as soon as the first knock sounds.

“Had a good sleep?” The black-haired young man sounds, his eyes shining behind the pair of glasses he wears. If I was still the same me from two years ago, perhaps my heart might have even skipped a beat before his looks. But not anymore.

“He’s not here, you know.”

“Of course not. This is your room.”

“No, I mean… here. He’s gone. Dead.”

“I know. He told me yesterday.”

“Then what brings you here?”

“To see you, of course.”

“If that’s your idea of trying to make me fluster, forget it.”

“And here I thought your heart and mind would still remain the same even after you’ve inherited His power. Guess He won that bet after all.”

The young man then snaps his fingers, signaling for a tea set to appear. Helping himself to a cup without a care in the world, he continues:

“Well? How is it?”

“How’s what?” I raise my eyebrows in doubt.

“God’s power. Feeling anything different?”

“It feels… surreal,” I ponder for a second before giving my answer. “I’m still ‘me’, but at the same time…”

“You feel as if a voice is calling out to you, correct? His voice, I assume?”

“How did you know?”

“He told me so when we first met. But I never understood what it meant.”

“I can show it to you, then.”

“Just the answer I wanted to hear. But isn’t the voice trying to stop you from doing so with everything it had?”

“Let me guess, He wanted it that way?”

“Correct.”

“I thought so as well. And that’s why I have to do it.”

“… Are you sure?” A sense of surprise gleams in the young man’s eyes. For the first time since we’ve known each other, there’s something out of his reach. “You could just as well be dooming your own world.”

“All of this farce happened because our forefathers were so afraid of you that they abandoned all hope and went to the extreme just to keep the status quo. As the next God, I have a duty to break that notion, and what better way to achieve it than by peaceful diplomatic understanding of one another?”

“Diplomatic?” The young man chuckles at my claim. “You, I can reluctantly see, and I’m happy to oblige too as long as my goal is unaffected. But do you really think that the ones fighting down there, your own friends and comrades, would give a stop to it?”

“I don’t know. But I have to convince them, for if not me, then who?”

“Spoken with conviction, I see,” with a satisfied smile on his face, the young man answers. “Well then, let’s see what they’re doing for ourselves, shall we?”

“See for ourselves? Are you suggesting that we come down there in person?”

“Of course not,” a shake of the head to signal a ‘no’. “For one, your body is still in the assimilation process of taking in God’s power. Who knows how you’d behave when both the physical and mental shock hits you.”

“Are you saying that I’m a loose cannon?” I lightly clench my fist. I thought I had long forsaken all emotions, but it appears that anger still lingers somewhere in there.

“I’m just saying that it’s much easier for me to restrain you up here rather than down there,” the young man snickers. “And besides, consider it practice for your newfound power.”

“You said ‘practice’, but you don’t even have this power. How would you know how to use it?”

“I knew Him way before you were even born, remember? Did you really think I couldn’t pry out some information from that old crow?”

“… You two really are peas in a pod,” I shake my head in disappointment, letting out a sigh. “But fine. How do I do it then?”

The young man, as if waiting for this exact moment, points towards my forehead.

“Just imagine it with as much detail as possible. Magic is fueled by imagination, and God’s power is no exception. It’s just that its true potential is much larger than any other magic you might know. Now, close your eyes, focus, and let loose.”

I follow his instructions and close my eyes. Within the darkness, I think long and hard. I want to see them. My friends. My loved ones. I’ve spent these two years in who knows where, and I’m finally free now. I want to meet them again. To tell them that I’m fine all along. To tell them…

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As I open my eyes once more, a large portal appears from thin air. Within the portal, the image of them shows up, but it’s not what I wanted to see in the slightest.

There he stands. The boy of destiny, speechless and filled with regret. In front of him is a pile of hacked body parts, still warm in their crimson coating.

“H… How…” before I know it, tears have already filled my eyes. “How did this happen? What were they doing for it to be like this?”

“They were being human,” the young man answers, waving his hand to disperse the image I just created. “And it looks like you’re being human too, right now.”

“All I wanted was for us to peacefully coexist with one another… How can’t anyone share the same sentiment as I did?”

“There were people with the same ideals as you, but they knew that peace cannot be achieved with words alone.”

“You’re saying… my forefathers were right all along?”

“No. Even if their ideals were correct, the way they decided to handle things was not. And I don’t want that mistake to happen again.”

Seeing his sincere face snaps me out of my trance. However, the feeling I’ve just received isn’t joy or calmness. No, I’m reminded once more of how dangerous this man before me is.

“Are you speaking on my behalf, or are you speaking for your own gain?” I ask, my voice shivering with rage.

“Two years might have just been a flash, but are you really asking me that?” The young man answers with a smile. “Since when have I thought about anything else other than myself?”

“… I should have known.”

“It’s why I saved you two years ago, after all.”

“Did you anticipate all of this?”

“The exact events? No, of course not. But I had a general guess. The old crow was harping about an heir from a long time ago, after all.”

“And I played right into your hands.”

“Something like that. But without me, you’d never get to this position.”

“And I’m supposed to thank you for it?”

“I don’t know. Should you?”

“… No matter what you say, my stance won’t change. I will figure out a way to settle everything peacefully.”

The young man grins once more before my claim. “Then how about a little wager?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“We have four Archangels, and five Demon’s chosens…”

“Six.”

“We had six.”

“… Fine. Five.”

“Put four of them together in four one-on-one matches, while you convince the destined boy. If any of those five pairs results in a peaceful negotiation, then I’ll happily back off of your world. Sounds like a deal, is it not?”

“Are you suggesting I put them in a death match like some kind of sick game?”

“Ah, but this is the important part,” the young man points towards me. “Your God’s power is incomplete, remember?”

He’s right, and I hate that. Ever since the original God, this power of mine has always been half of what it could have been, and I know why too.

“I see. If there’s even one of them that cooperates, then there is no limit to my power.”

“Correct. With it, you can do anything, even the most taboo of all – creating and restoring life itself. There would be zero sacrifices if you win this bet. Sounds good enough for you?”

I bite my lips, carefully gauging my options. If we ever go to a full-scale war like the first one, the result would be completely devastating. Just one of them at their fullest potential was enough to damage a nation, let alone six of those Demons, and not to mention the Archangels too. I can’t reel them in even with this new power, and their destructive force is just as bad...

I hate to admit it, but between an all-out war and sacrificing a small group of people dear to me, then I’d rather…

No. Don’t think like that. Believe in yourself. Believe in him. If it’s us, I know we can do it.

“Fine. I hope you don’t regret your decision, Ryuuro.”

“I hope you don’t regret yours, Princess.”

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