By Zephyria 
In the beginning, there were eight gods.
The gods joined forces to create the world. The sea, the land, the sun, and the moon were made by their hands. In the midst of their busy work, another god suddenly emerged from the power residing in the moon’s shadow.
It was the birth of the Ninth God.
As an adult loves a child, the eight gods came to cherish the Ninth God. Most of the creations made by the eight gods were for the Ninth. Yet, the Ninth God, born with a deficiency, was never satisfied.
Only one thing could satisfy him: a creation he himself had sculpted.
It was the first human.
“Honestly, the first human… had nothing to offer except his appearance. He perfectly resembled the Ninth God’s personality: vicious, cruel, capricious. He was a control freak and arrogant to boot. In other words, he was unbearable to look at.”
Didn’t they say he resembled Ruben? That was absurd.
The god shot Ruben a look and sighed once.
“He was also excessively greedy. So much so that he cursed his creation to love him forever, even after his death. The youngest swore on the Origin that she would love him forever, even if he never returned…”
“….”
“And yet, he began to wish for his return.”
What happened after that was not much different from what was already known.
The eighth god, Yulan’s Golden Turtle, abandoned her Origin for the Ninth God. However, the shell of a mere creation could not fully contain the god’s soul and burst. The Ninth God, weeping, gathered the shattered body of the first human, but it could no longer be recognized in any form.
The seventh god was sufficiently satisfied with the world he had created. However, he was greatly terrified by the thought that his beautiful world might one day grow old and disappear like the first human. While abandoning his Origin, he took the opportunity to gift his soul to the Ninth God. The Ninth God failed again.
“And the soul of the first human and the souls of two gods… were reborn, imbued with the Ninth’s will. They were divided into tens, hundreds of pieces, becoming tens, hundreds of humans. The Ninth finally admitted that time could not be turned back, and we thought that was the end of it. That’s why we wholeheartedly helped you all prosper.”
“….”
“Did only the youngest want to create humans? The truth is, some of us, including myself, have human forms because it is our essence. We were reborn as gods after ascending in status, having lived as humans in other dimensions.”
“….”
“I love human history. The records built up step by step, the various devices that developed for greater convenience. The ways of thinking and acting passed down through generations.”
“….”
“How could I, then, tell newly born young humans that what constitutes you is a product of despair and pessimism? I simply wanted to convey that this mad endeavor began with sweet and endearing emotions. Since they are creatures who won’t live long anyway, what’s wrong with them experiencing a little sweetness for a moment?”
“….”
“You have been loved by the gods since the beginning, and you will continue to be, so live freely, loving and being happy. That is how we taught, informed, and raised you. That was simply the ideal continent we desired. Everyone living on this land would love moderately, be happy moderately, die moderately, and then be reborn.”
Ruben furrowed his brow. The child swallowed his ragged breaths and asked again.
“Can only the Ninth God kill humans?”
“That’s not the case, but… if we were to interfere, the human soul would be annihilated due to the difference in our planes. What’s the point of increasing the Mana absorbed if they don’t reincarnate? We are already complete beings. That’s why, if possible, we want humans to be handled by humans.”
“…How many years ago was it that the Ninth God first went mad…?”
“…Around fifteen hundred years ago.”
The Oasis also said the Ninth God had gone mad around that time. While there might be differences in events viewed from the two gods’ perspectives, the main points were the same.
“All of us, including myself, were managing well by physically suppressing and stopping the Ninth from going mad again. After all, we outnumbered him… and except for my eldest sister and the Oasis, we were all rather tired of the Ninth.”
“….”
“But then, he who had been quiet for a long time tore the world apart. In that fury, this stranger here came, and other things crossed over. The continent was on the verge of twisting and collapsing. I was so angry that I grabbed him and tore him to shreds… but even then….”
Finally, the god, unable to bear it, began to sob.
Ruben pressed the corner of his eyes with one hand. He looked extremely weary. If the being seated before him were not a god, he might have massaged the child’s shoulders. Unable to commit such a discourteous act, he endured, standing as if nailed in place.
After deep thought, Ruben clasped his hands together and placed them on the table. His voice, laced with a sigh, lacked reprimand and sounded a little gentler than before.
“So, you are saying that even after punishing the Ninth God yourself, it was in vain, and you sought out the stranger.”
“That’s right. I am a being who operates according to the laws of this land. A god does not die unless they destroy their own Origin. That… applies to the youngest as well. But the stranger is different. Mikael already exists and acts by different laws than us.”
“Even though he was born in Sierren and has lived with us for a long time?”
“Even so. Mikael’s soul fragments persistently seek each other out. No matter how many times he reincarnates, that child will remain in an alien form. However, his consciousness might not be as intact as it is now. Therefore, I see this as the last chance to completely annihilate the Ninth. While the stranger’s past life memories and consciousness are intact, using the power of another world.”
The god’s gaze flickered towards me. I unconsciously adjusted my posture.
“He is not within Sierren right now. He is undoubtedly climbing the Yuil Mountains. So, I intend to take Mikael and go find him. It would be better for me to accompany him to find that fellow.”
Following the god’s gesture, the quill began to dance. With a rustle, as the page turned, the standing letters formed a colossal shape. It was the form of a giant human with a round hole in its chest.
A tiny piece of text extracted something red from its chest. Then, it split it in half…
It swallowed it whole and grew three times larger.
“So, Mikael. With your sword, split the Ninth’s Origin in half and devour it.”
“…Yes?”
Simultaneously, Ruben’s expression hardened ominously. Seeing the fiery rage burning in his eyes, I met the god’s direct gaze. As Ruben stood speechless in disbelief, I asked in his stead.
“Is that… the karma of god-slaying?”
“That’s right. And it’s also the only way you can take root in this world.”
“That means…”
“By devouring the Origin and laws of a god, you can blur the bond that has permeated your soul.”
“It’s not dangerous?”
“Of course, it’s dangerous. But from then on, you will be able to become a complete person of this world. Meaning, you can die normally and be reborn normally. Not in your original world, but on this continent.”
Ruben remained silent, his lips tightly shut.
For the child’s sake, I brought forth the questions I had memorized and presented them one by one to the god.
“I heard the First Goddess is… in the Magic territory. Is that correct?”
“…Yes. She is probably searching for the fragments of the Ninth that I tore apart. Because if Wesley regains the Ninth’s full power, there will be another great upheaval, and she is trying to prevent that.”
“And the Oasis?”
“She… honestly, I don’t know what she’s trying to do. She’s the type to be easily swayed if you treat her well right in front of her, so I actually wish she wouldn’t meddle in this matter.”
“Then, the contaminated Mana on this continent….”
“Wesley Kiadris, you just need to defeat the Ninth God. After stopping him from causing chaos, suppress him again with Sierren’s Divine Object. At that time, the First, the Second, and I will also be able to help. Although it’s contaminated Mana, it’s fundamentally the source of Mana. Unrefined basic Mana. You humans already know how to handle it almost perfectly.”
While asking questions and receiving answers, I placed one hand on Ruben’s shoulder and gently massaged it. Ruben did not lean on my arm, but he tried his best to calm his mind. Hearing Ruben take a deep breath, I continued to ask.
“So, what the Ninth God is trying to do now, is it to remold the first human’s body and infuse it with a soul, in other words, resurrection?”
“No. That mad bastard…”
The god placed the book he was holding on the table. The pages flipped forward with a loud rustle, stopping at the very first page.
The page, filled with ink-blackness without a single word, came into view.
“He desires regression.”
“…Regression?”
“To the very beginning. To the state before the first human, the Ninth God, and all eight of us were born, and to start anew from the very first moment. That’s why he’s stealing all the significant Mana from this dimension and that dimension.”
“But, time….”
“Right. Time cannot be turned back. So, what he’s trying to do is destruction.”
The god looked around with a distant expression.
He gazed at the knights standing with stern faces, the wizard, the tapestry woven by some artisan, the carpets, the furniture with soft curves, and the mirror sofa, and murmured.
“He wants to return to a time when this world was not divided. I told him to die alone if he was going to die, but he says what he’s doing isn’t suicide.”
“….”
“It’s eternal union, a perfect marriage. A state where they can never part or be separated again.”
My eyes widened. I forgot to even blink. I covered my mouth with one hand. Not satisfied with that, I rubbed my cheek. Letting out a deep breath, I replayed what I had heard.
Secret marriage.
So that was the truth behind that pathetic, mad excuse.
I regretted the time I had been swayed by such nonsensical madness. I ran my hand through my hair, which I had swept back, then let go. A hollow laugh escaped me.
Ruben, who let out a similar hollow laugh, shook his head once to regain his senses. His black, soft hair swept across his forehead before being neatly placed on his cheek by Ruben’s hand.
“…I am certain that he must be stopped. Regardless of the method… since it is a dangerous task, we must receive a more substantial reward.”
“Reward?”
“You have not yet spoken of where the Vivian’s Divine Object is, its condition, or whether it can be obtained. From your perspective, where should we begin?”
Ruben’s eyes were sharp, and his lips were firm. His chin was raised high, revealing the line of his neck. He clenched his fists so tightly that the veins stood out on the backs of his hands. He pulled his hands, which he had placed on the table, closer to his body.
“Do we only need to kill the King of Bivan?”