The old man looked at the three of them in disbelief as they tried to convince him that time had reversed. Unsurprisingly, he thought they were crazy, and they thought they were crazy themselves. They boarded the train back and didn't know what to even talk about. They checked with a few other passengers on the train, but they all gave them the same date. They truly reversed time; their first thought was the ant.
Is it still alive? Does it have such power that it can reverse the flow of time? How would they even fight back against such a monster? Would anyone even believe them? Yuno shook at the idea of a creature with such duality.
Yuno and Asmir arrived at the castle, Asmir still leaning against Yuno for support. This time, the castle was different; it felt brighter and smelled fresher. It felt like the middle of spring in the center of a flower field, with the breeze in your hair—the aroma of foliage and the calm of nature.
"My sister's here," said Asmir in a serious tone.
"Faria?" Questioned Yuno.
"Yeah," answered Asmir.
Faria was second to the throne for the Kingdom of Ara. She became a Mythbound soon after Yuno was born. Faria is what people call "handpicked by divinity," not just because she was a walking genius but because her abilities were god-like. Her mere presence could bring a sense of calm and freshness; her domain was seemingly boundless.
"She's here for the Festival of the Lost," added Asmir.
While they walked inside, they met Faria. Faria's eyes widened as she saw her brother's clothes stained with blood. At first, her eyes were pitch black, as if her pupil covered her whole eye. It emanated anger; then her eyes turned sorrowful, with the blackness fading and her pupils returning. She looked at them and smiled; her aura exploded into the hallway, like a burst of air filled with the smell of mint and lemons. Instantly, as the wave of air hit them, Asmir's clothes were clean, his pain gone, and his appetite back.
She got closer; Yuno gave her an awkward smile. He didn't realize she was so tall; she wore a robe that went over her feet and draped behind her. She radiated light—not visible, but one could sense it was so strong. If Yuno could ever imagine an angel, it would be Faria. For some reason, the windows felt like they were letting in more light and the birds were chirping in cohesion. All discomfort faded from Yuno.
Faria grappled Asmir, giving him a tight hug.
"Ahh, let me go," exclaimed Asmir.
"Aw, why? I haven't seen my little brother in so long," giggled Faria.
Her voice was deep but still feminine. Her tone was strong and demanding, but still gave room for joy. Her embrace was strong; Asmir struggled to loosen her grip, and Yuno struggled to watch. He was jealous; he would never be embraced by his sister ever again—he was far too weak to save her. In the endless sea of golden light created by Faria's presence, Yuno was a ship made of sorrow and despair.
He let the two of them catch up and went into his room. He sighed and changed into his clothes. He needed to check a few things, the main thing being his necklace. It had gone missing after the fight with the ant had ended. Yuno's guess was that it too was part of the cycle and disappeared with the end of said cycle. He tried to check his phone, but the app was missing. He then downloaded the app and tried to log in, but it said he never created an account.
I guess I need to visit old man Rie again. Would he even remember me?
The second thing was the book he was reading; he woke up in the divine court with it in his hand. He had a hard time making sense of the text, and even the court counselor refused to help him. He swooshed his hands and the book appeared—it was leather, and it had a small carving on the cover: "1".
He opened the book and saw the two pages he had read; they floated above him, both at different lengths. He reviewed the pages and tried to make sense of the words. He was conflicted—he was curious as to what was going on, and he was disgusted at the word choice of the god who had written the pages.
Yuno had come to his own conclusion. He had established that the book was talking about the birth of humanity. He made a guess and assumed that a Stigma was an Anki. But the most difficult part to comprehend was the dead god. Gods could die? Or be killed? Who is strong enough to kill a god? Were humans living on the corpse of a dead god? Was he living on the dead god right now?
His mind wandered, but he wanted to know more—he didn't have much to do. He was waiting for Captain Hiro to report back on whether the cycle had actually ended. He was also clean and well rested because of Faria's domain. So he could just sit and read, so he did.
Page 3
Her name was "Duniah," the fallen God. What a beautiful name; her name is the embodiment of life. I too have a name now; the God of chaos, Ilaj, gave it to me. He even gave me the choice to deny, which of course I didn't.
"Weileya."
That is me—indeed, a beautiful name. Compared to the god of life, I don't know; regardless, it brings flight to my ears. I also had the opportunity to speak with the new God of Life; her name is Tera. She was the only partner of Duniah: Duniah had raised her in her image and made her incomprehensibly powerful. Now, Tera has taken her place. I wonder if Duniah was proud, if she saw Tera as a second opportunity for her revenge. But I do feel sorrow for Tera; she has to watch as her mother's body gets defiled by seedlings. I mustn't tell her I have found the seedlings a spectacle.
I shall tend to my seeds—they are precious. I have been given complete dominion over their existence by Ilaj. Ilaj is one to be fearful of; he has complete obedience of the Prophets. I will soon have to visit them, where I will choose my partner. Once more I question the responsibility given to me—I am but too young to be a god, and definitely too inexperienced to create one.
Today, the seedlings were quite amusing. Noa, the second one, had failed to live up to the expectations set for him by his birth. The mountains were a good choice by Ditya; it let them prevail against most creatures created by the decaying God. A few more seedlings manifested a Stigma, but as expected, their bodies perished under the divine gift. But there was one that stood out — at this point, I had given up on giving them all names; they were simply growing so fast. It was a fortunate problem to have; it kept me entertained, as I had very little to do.
But she deserved a name.
"Forceen."
Forceen had slain 12 monsters so far, and her body maintained itself. Her Stigma had gotten stronger; it was adapting to its frail master just as she was adapting to the powers given to her by her Stigma. The balance was a joyous event to watch. And soon, just as Forceen adapted, the mountain was littered with homes and farms. The seedlings are loyal to one another; they tend to each other's fears. Their fear is what keeps them united, something a god lacks. Maybe that is the reason why so many regimes of the Prophets and Pantheons have collapsed.
I pondered the meaning of death — a non-voluntary execution handed down by fears. For an immortal being such as myself, I do not fear death. But neither did Duniah, and now she is dead. I doubt she feared death as it came upon her. She was fearless, so it seems, as she refuses to die.
I wish for Tera to live based on her own volition. To follow the steps of a god — especially one fallen — is not a path I believe suits her godhood. Likewise, the seedlings: their desire to conquer the very ground beneath is a task beyond their comprehension.
As I pondered, Forceen had finally fallen, her existence desecrated by the alien strength of her Stigma. But I fear not; my confidence is mad with such will that I know the seedlings will bring forth another, then another, and then another until they have obtained their desires. They will continue their struggle until they are either deprived of their fate or have conquered said fate. May the joys of mortality fall upon the seeds.
End of page 3
"Huh? What?" wondered Yuno.
It was expected that he wouldn't understand the literal words of a god, but this left him with more questions than answers. But it also provided some clarity — not to the questions he had about prior pages, but rather questions many nations pondered. Many nations worshipped different gods; there were five primary gods, therefore five primary religions.
Ilaj, the god of chaos, was one of those divine beings that led the Cult of Entropy. Referred to as a cult as it is seen as an evil religion, and many follow the religion in secret. Despite its secrecy, it is a massively popular religion spanning billions of people in all 14 nations. "Religion shaped the early ages of the nations," Yuno's father used to say.
Yuno lay on his bed, limbs stretched out and the pages floating above him, when he felt the angelic domain of Faria fading. She must be living. Faria comes to Sah Raim every year to hold the Festival of the Lost. The nation of Ara was founded on a great stretch of rivers, called the Simian Stretch. It was the only natural body of water that connected all the main cities of Ara and provided water from the inner border to the outer border. The Simian Stretch has become a sacred symbol for the people of Ara, and as the rivers flow from the inner border to the outer border, with Sah Raim being the closest city to the border, Faria comes every year to lead prayer. She prays the full stretch of the river, walking over a billion miles. Many believe all the lost souls who have failed to rest in peace follow Faria in her journey up the river to find peace at the very end. For every city she reaches, more souls join her.
Yuno had seen the festival numerous times, but often he would fail to understand the impossibility of the task Faria takes on. To traverse a billion miles in less than two months — what a powerful person she was. Clenching his fist, Yuno intended to learn as much as possible from her. If anyone could help him take his revenge, it was a person like her. Well, the whole royal family of Ara were all labeled as "hand-picked by divinity." Any one of them could fill the needless void of knowledge Yuno has.
But he needed to be stronger if he wanted revenge, if all it took to take revenge was to be picked by gods then his nations wouldn't have fallen to start with.