Chapter 53 : The Truth

  In a bustling tavern in the city of Flahoa, in Voltruite:

  I’m sitting at a table, finally ready to savor a huge, well-earned plate of pasta. Curiously, the table is rectangular; I was convinced that all tavern tables in this world were round. All around me, the tavern is lively, full of people, laughter, and raised voices. This kind of atmosphere has an almost comforting feel to it.

  “Well,” I say, determined, breaking through the background noise, “it’s time to set things straight.”

  “Yes, we really should…” agrees Githin with a serious look.

  “So… you’re Oscar, is that right? Githin is just the name of your reincarnation, right?”

  “Exactly… It’s been a while, Aley, hasn’t it?” he says, a nostalgic smile lighting up his face.

  “Alright… When I merged with my past self, I felt your energy,” I say with slight hesitation.

  At that moment, Alfira interrupts, her gaze intrigued. “You’ve regained all your memory, Aley?” she asks, curious.

  “Not really,” I reply, shrugging.

  “So you don’t remember anything?” she continues, pressing.

  “Yes, I do…” I look at her, searching for the right words. “I remember everything that’s important—” I begin, but I’m abruptly interrupted by Elvaria, who nearly jumps on me.

  “Tell me everything, Aley! What are we supposed to do? Why are we here? Why did we kill each other, for heaven’s sake?!”

  I calm her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Easy, Elvie. I’ll explain, I’ll explain…” I say, catching my breath. Then I continue, more seriously. “You, Veron, Oscar, and I, we were a group: the Emissaries of Humanity. When the Will of the World realized that humans created by the gods could reach the Void Absolute, it became afraid.”

  “Afraid? What do you mean?” Elvaria asks, surprised.

  “It feared that humans would transcend it, surpass it. In its pride, it ignored the fact that the gods themselves had obtained the Stria, an essence of the Void Absolute. It was convinced it could retain control, no matter what.” I try to continue, but Githin raises his hand to stop me.

  “Let me take it from here, Aley, because what comes next isn’t pretty…”

  I nod, giving him the floor. “Go ahead, Githin.”

  He takes a deep breath, then begins: “As Aley said, the Will of the World grew fearful. By allowing the gods to use the Stria to create humanity, it took a risk: some humans could also obtain a trace of it, since this magic was the very essence of their existence.” He pauses, gathering his thoughts. “Out of fear, it decided to order the execution of every human, using the deities as its pawns.”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “I understand… so that’s why the Holy War began…” murmurs Valentin thoughtfully. Githin continues, still focused.

  “Aley, Veron, Elvi—or Elvaristria, or Elvaria, whatever you want to call her—and I, we had obtained the Stria. This suited the royalty at the time, who decided to use us as a means of defense against the Holy War. We were literally nothing more than weapons of war.”

  Githin grimaces, recalling painful memories. “The problems started when the Will of the World realized it was losing. We were all forced into this war. Some gods allowed themselves to be killed, others were crushed by our power. In the end, we managed to assassinate Orthos and end the war… or so we thought.”

  Suddenly, Elvie interrupts Githin’s explanation, puzzled: “Wait… so it’s the Will of the World, that woman who shines with white light, who gave us the Stria? The one who reincarnated you, Aley?”

  Githin turns to her, his expression hardening. “No. That’s just its representation. The true Will of the World resides in the Prism, that’s who betrayed us.” He continues, his voice darker. “When we killed the last of the gods, the Will… let’s say, collapsed in fear.”

  “As a reflex defense, it took all the fragments of Stria from the deities we’d killed and buried them within us, like stuffing a potato.” Githin grits his teeth. “It hoped to transform us into deities, and it succeeded.”

  Elvie’s voice trembles as she murmurs, “I think I understand the rest…”

  “What do you mean?” asks Alfira, turning an innocent gaze toward Elvaria.

  Githin goes on, his voice hoarse. “By transforming us into gods, it forced the Holy War to continue. Becoming gods condemned us to an existence lower than its own. We found ourselves under its control, unable to manage our immense power. Every movement we made devastated a country; the magic emanating from our bodies suffocated the unfortunate peasants living in the surrounding lands. We had become true monsters.”

  I turn to him, cutting into his story with a calm but firm tone. “And the only way for us to save humanity from ourselves was to kill each other.”

  “Exactly, Aley. But we didn’t do it out of hatred; we did it with honor: by challenging each other to duels.” Githin gives a sad smile.

  “So… that’s why I had those visions…” murmurs Elvaria, her hands trembling.

  Githin continues, in a grave voice: “But we weren’t fools. We prepared something for you, our captain, the strongest among us. We knew you would be the last to survive. So, we sacrificed all the magic in our bodies before dying, to allow someone like you to be reborn in another world, where the Will of the World would have no power.”

  Everything becomes clear in my mind. So, you knew I would eventually return here… After all, it’s here that my soul rests. But the Will of the World blocked my reincarnation… even if it could no longer control me. I died as a god, and was reincarnated as a human. In other words, I had become a separate being. To force my reincarnation, I had to threaten the world itself, causing a collision between this world and mine. It was clever.

  I then speak up, my voice firm. “Our goal, the Prism, is essential. We have to go there, confront the Will of the World. If it resides there, it’s because it’s a sort of control room for this universe. When we get there, we’ll have a choice: to destroy it or to take control.”

  Valentin murmurs, glancing around to ensure no one else is listening. “Taking control… that would mean becoming the gods of this world, right?” We all nod in response.

  “Then let’s destroy it!” exclaims Valentin enthusiastically.

  “Yes, that’s best,” echoes Elvaria with determination.

  “EXPLOOOSION!” shouts Alfira suddenly, unable to contain her excitement.

  I smile slightly and turn to Githin, nodding in thanks. Then a thought crosses my mind. “Alfira, you knew about the Emissaries of Humanity, didn’t you? Before the tournament, you said someone was targeting us.”

  She looks at me, an enigmatic smile on her lips. “At that moment, I was only repeating what the royalty of Voltruite told me. Thinking back, Mercuria is a princess of Voltruite, and that information came from here.”

  Elvaria furrows her brow. “And we’re currently in Voltruite…”

  “Shall we investigate?” proposes Valentin, looking mischievous.

  I sigh with a smirk, aware that more complications await us.

  I raise my own glass with a smile. “To friendship, and the shit that come with it.”