Chapter 68: The Heir Of God

In front of me is the girl I couldn’t save back then. The girl I thought I’d lost two years ago.

“Bea… How…”

“I guess I have some explaining to do, huh…” the girl scratches her cheek in embarrassment while letting out an awkward smile. “I was technically dead that day, but before that, I was saved by a certain someone and brought here. When they brought me to God, my heart had really stopped, and I died for real… but then God brought me back to life using a prototype Gift.”

“A prototype Gift? Does that mean you’re an Archangel now? Where’s God, then?”

“No. It’s called a prototype because the Gift is actually akin to an empty container without any special power of its own, save for its curse of immortality inherited from Infinity, like its brethren. The reason for that is because… that so-called “empty” Gift is the key to pass down Infinity from God to another.”

Bea then hesitates, taking a deep breath as if not wanting to continue this conversation any further. But in the end, she reluctantly lets out a sigh and continues:

“And as for your second question… you’re looking at her.”

Even though I can clearly hear those words, I can’t believe the meaning they hold. No, I can’t believe any of them. “W…What do you mean?”

“I mean just that, Peter,” Bea retracts her smile, just like when we had our last argument. “I’m now the new God of this world.”

“I… I don’t get it… How?”

“Well, you just saw that stream of memories, didn’t you?”

“Those were… memories?”

“Yup,” Bea lightly nods. “Memories of the previous God, Jesus Christ, or rather Christopher, heir of Infinity. It details how God was born, and the exact origin of this pointless struggle between us.”

Her words are like knives that cut straight into my heart. “Don’t say it like that. We’ve done nothing to lead to this struggle.”

“No, you’re wrong,” Bea replies with a regretful shake of the head. “When I received Infinity, this is also my responsibility to bear. But mark my words; I will not let the same mistake our forefathers once made happen again.”

“Mistake?”

“Peter, you’ve seen them, right? What do you think about them?”

“… What do I think? What are you talking about?”

“Zero and Infinity. The origin of the Demons and God. Did you not feel anything when you realized those two were one and the same?”

“I…” I can’t think of an answer, simply because of the fact that I genuinely don’t have an opinion on it. How could I? Bea is here, alive again, right in front of me, and suddenly she’s now the final enemy I’m supposed to destroy? How can I process that, let alone the ridiculous stream of memories she’s shown me?

“Zero and Infinity should have never been separated, Peter. It’s as Chris said, if the original God hadn’t abandoned his responsibilities and left the powers to his sons, none of this would have happened in the first place. And now I’m finally fixing the problem he caused.”

“Fixing the problem? But how…”

Not letting me finish my question, Bea has already offered her hand out to me:

“Join me, Peter. Let’s make the world a better place… together.”

Her words strike me like lightning. Together… I’ve wanted to hear that word from her a long time ago, back when I didn’t know I would lose her that day. Now, when she’s right in front of me, how could I stand to lose this chance?

But if I take her hand… what about my journey until now? What about the people I’ve met, the ones I’ve shared my ideals, the ones I’ve stood alongside in combat… the ones I’ve put to rest? Can I really just take her hand and pretend none of it ever happened? What… what would that make all of my work?

“… Peter,” a voice sounds within me, the moment I’m at my lowest.

“… Balam… Tell me, what’s the right thing to do?”

“I… don’t know,” answers the Demon. “To be honest, I never thought something like this would happen. I always imagined the final moment for us was to unite everyone and topple Jesus, but who would have guessed the old crow would just off himself and pick a new heir like that. And it’s the Princess, no less.”

A brief pause from the Demon, before he clicks his tongue. “Part of me wants to honor my Lord’s will and finish what we started, but…”

I’m sent back to the grassy field in our shared space, while Balam temporarily takes over my body and continues:

“Let’s talk, Princess… Or should I call you ‘God’ now?”

“Demon… no, that’s not the appropriate way of making a deal,” Bea lets out a smile as she sees the switch before her. “Balam, isn’t it?”

“… I’ll humor you, then. I am indeed Balam, Peter’s current Demon partner.”

“Beatrice Bedryant, former First Princess of England, and current God. Pleased to meet you.”

The two exchange handshakes without much issue. And once they’ve both properly sat down, the conversation continues, with Bea once again taking the initiative:

“Now, about my offer…”

“What do you have in mind?”

“You’ve already known the wonders when Zero and Infinity combine, right?”

“… I’ve heard a bit from my Lord, yes.” Balam lightly nods.

“The original Demon Lord Peter?”

“… He said it was a sin we should never pry open.”

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“… Figures. It’s a miracle power that lets the wielder bend reality to their will. Imagine it; a world without war, without strife, where no one, and I mean no one, will ever have to die again. Think of how much we’ll be able to achieve with it! How good our lives would be!”

“But what if the one person who holds said power goes out of control?” Balam raises his eyebrows in doubt.

As if predicting the situation, Bea answers in an instant. “It’s not just one person anymore. I have the Archangels for Infinity. You Demons make Zero… Do you understand where I’m going here?”

“A group of selected individuals to form a unified opinion about such power…”

“That’s right. We’re not just having two people anymore; we’re forming an entire group. An entire organization, even, with proper laws and rules to abide by, and a truly equal system to lead the people to their rightful potential! Isn’t that great?”

Bea’s words remind me once more of her old ideals that she had spoken that day... And now, I finally know my answer.

… I can’t accept that. It’s just a fancier coat of paint to control people. If we were doing that, we would be no different than the arrogant God that flooded the world just to stop humanity from progressing. But on the other hand, I do not wish to fight her at all, and if there’s a chance to convince Bea to change her mind, then…

“Balam, switch with me.”

“… With honor,” the Demon smiles, before returning to his own realm and giving back my body’s control to me.

“Bea, don’t do this,” I immediately say. “Doing that would just be controlling people in another way… Can’t we just abandon it all and return back to how we were?”

“… You’re suggesting that we follow the original God’s example? When everything he did was the main cause of all of this?”

“Everything was like this because Chris and Peter went on to fight that war in the first place, was it not? If they had just stayed like their father, things would still be the same.”

“With great power comes great responsibilities, Peter! Why are you suggesting that we, the ones with power, stay out and do nothing? Wasn’t that the reason you were against us when you first started?”

“I know that! And I know what I would lose by doing that! Don’t you get it, Bea? How miserable I was when I couldn’t protect you? I don’t want it to happen again! I don’t want this conflict to continue!”

“That’s why my idea should be the way! We can guarantee that none of us will go out of the line!”

“What if everyone went out of the line? What would happen then?”

“I…” Bea hesitates, as if picking just the right words to say. “Fine. I have one more insurance.”

In a surprising turn of events, she points towards the cross on my neck. “Peter, Balam, listen up. I’ll say it just once; by working together, we can achieve miracles… and that includes reviving the dead. Work with me, and everyone can be brought back: your families, your friends, your Lord, even Pedro… Everyone.”

It’s an offer I can’t refuse. It’s too good to be true. If I can just undo everything I’ve done so far, then…

Undo everything so far?

Why am I thinking that?

Wouldn’t that just make my journey even more pointless?

I want to bring back people. I don’t want to lose more. I don’t want to be dragged into more conflict with the people I love.

But…

I can’t. I can’t lose everything I’ve done. If I lost them, then what would I become? What was all of this for?

Am I wrong? Am I right? Why am I contradicting myself like this?

“You’ve convinced me, Princess,” from within my mind, Balam’s voice speaks. Before I can say anything else, he’s already taken over my body once more.

… Why?

I thought we were partners, Balam? Why aren’t you saying this to me first? Why are you deciding things on your own?

“You’re just an egotistical prick,” once again, his words echo within my mind.

Heh…

Hehe…

“Ahahahahaha!” I laugh at the simplicity of the situation. I laugh at the truth of the matter. I laugh at what I truly am, as I forcefully return Balam to his cross once again.

 “… Peter? What’s wrong?”

“It all makes sense now. My contradicting emotions,” I answer, the smile still not leaving my face.

“What do you mean? What contradiction?”

“Bea, I love you. I don’t want to lose you. But I don’t want you to follow the same path that Chris once did. And at the same time, I can’t stand the thought of people being controlled. Not because I feel sorry for them, no. It’s because I personally don’t like it. Do you get it?

I just have an unrivaled ego. I want things to be happy. I want things to be the same, but I also don’t want my efforts to be undone. And that’s why…”

I take off Balam’s cross and point Excalibur towards the girl I love.

“I’m taking both halves – Zero and Infinity alike.”

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