God? GOD?
How could that be possible?
Although Coulson and Melinda did believe that Patch possessed powerful superhuman abilities, this so-called "god" claim was just too absurd. They clearly didn't believe it, the doubt was written all over their faces.
"Mr. Mavis, even if you don't want to give us a real answer, there's no need to brush us off with something like that, right?" Melinda frowned, her tone filled with frustration.
God? What a joke.
Melinda silently shook her head. Deep down, she didn't believe a word of it.
After all, this was the 21st century, not the ignorant Dark Ages of medieval Europe. Sure, many people still identified as Christians, but in Melinda's view, ever since Darwin's Theory of Evolution, the notion of "God" had already been disproven. To her, those believers were merely seeking psychological comfort.
She looked at Patch unhappily, convinced that he was just making things up.
"Brushing you off?"
Patch chuckled softly. "Ms. May, do you really think I have any need to brush you off?"
"But—"
Melinda was about to say something when Patch cut her off.
With a calm smile, he said, "The idea of 'God' only exists as a vague concept in human minds—a product born out of humanity's fear and reverence for the unknown."
"If something like that can be called a god, then why can't I call myself one?"
"And besides…" Patch suddenly drew out his words.
"Gods control lightning—so can I."
As he spoke, he raised his hand, fingers spread. Countless arcs of electricity gathered in his palm, crackling and snapping as they twisted into different shapes—a sphere, a cube, a cone.
The lightning looked like clay in his hands, kneaded and molded at will.
Coulson and Melinda were both stunned, staring at him in disbelief.
They exchanged glances, silently deciding that after this mission, they must report everything to Director Nick Fury immediately.
Because even if Patch wasn't a god, he was definitely an extremely dangerous and mysterious person. The control he just displayed was something no mutant they had ever seen could achieve.
And Patch didn't seem to be a mutant. His powers might involve something far more mysterious.
---
"Gods control fire, and so can I."
Patch continued, closing his hand. The lightning vanished instantly, replaced by a blazing flame that flared to life in his palm. With a wave, he sent the flame drifting around the room.
Coulson and Melinda, mouths half open, stared in disbelief.
"Gods control life and death—and that happens to be my specialty."
Patch suddenly extended his hand toward a potted plant on the windowsill. Coulson and Melinda instinctively turned to look.
"Death."
As he spoke, the plant began to wither at a visible speed. The green branches turned brown and rotted until they became a pile of dried twigs.
"Growth."
In the next moment, the dead branches began to regain color. A vivid green spread across them, and soon the plant was lush and full of life once again.
"This… this…"
Coulson and Melinda trembled, pointing at the plant, unable to speak.
If the lightning and fire had shocked them before, this power over life itself was something beyond comprehension.
"Surprised?"
Patch smiled at their reaction. "Now do you believe me?"
"No…"
Coulson turned to face him. "Mr. Mavis, while your abilities are indeed astonishing, I still can't fully believe it. I can't imagine that beings like gods truly exist in this world."
"Then what do you truly think, Mr. Coulson?" Patch asked with a grin.
"In my opinion, there's no such thing as gods. They might just be aliens, or people who possess powers beyond our understanding."
"Oh?"
Patch looked genuinely surprised. He gazed at Coulson, admiration in his eyes. "Mr. Coulson, you're a man of great wisdom."
"And you're right. There are indeed no so-called gods in this world. Most of them are just humans, glorified by the ignorant masses—merely different from ordinary people."
"But to command the laws of nature, to be acknowledged by the will of the universe as a true god—that's something else entirely."
"However…"
Patch's tone shifted. "I am different."
The laws of nature? The will of the universe? True gods?
Coulson and Melinda felt that Patch had circled back to the same topic, and his words were getting more and more mystical.
He had just denied the existence of gods, and now he was affirming it again. It was contradictory.
So Melinda couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Mavis, don't you think your words contradict each other? You deny them, then affirm them—it's confusing."
"Contradict?"
Patch frowned slightly, then said, "Ms. May, you've misunderstood my meaning."
"But you just said there are no gods, and now you say true gods exist. Isn't that inconsistent?" Melinda pressed.
"Consistent with what? What is consistency?"
After a brief pause, Patch explained, "Consistency is based on people's understanding of known things."
"And the gods I deny and the true gods I speak of are completely different concepts. The 'gods' I deny are merely ideas, while 'true gods' represent the highest level of power I possess."
He thought for a moment, then continued, "To put it simply, if my system were a nation, then a 'true god' would be its supreme leader—the president. Though the comparison isn't perfect, it should help you understand."
"'True god' as a president?" Coulson asked, surprised.
"Yes." Patch nodded. "But far more powerful than any president. In our wizarding system, a 'true god' is the ultimate existence. When they reach that stage, they transcend the limits of humanity itself."
"To be honest, those true gods can no longer be called human. They exist on a higher level of life."
"Just as the difference between a single-celled organism and a human."
"Wait…"
Melinda suddenly interrupted, realizing she had just heard something incredible.