ã€ŠI am Prometheusã€‹


 Chapter 1: The end of my existence.

    Mankind has matured. Ever since my return from my exclusion on Caucasus there wasn¡¯t a need for me anymore. Mortal life continues to toil away going about their own goals and ambitions. Now that Pandora has unleashed upon the world the sins and desires of the corrupt mind; humanity has changed. However, I deem this as necessary change; only by overcoming the evils of the heart will mankind truly prosper and evolve as a society.

    Change.

    That is something we gods lack. Olympus has grown stagnant. We divine beings have grown too complacent upon our thrones of power. We have the power to bend the wills of mortals to our every whims and yet we don¡¯t understand. We are no more free from the wills of Gaia and Chaos than our forefathers: the Titans. Just like Cronus and my father Iapetus, our time will end and a new generation will spring forth and seize the throne.

    That fool Zeus. In fear of his end, he imprisoned me upon that forsaken slab of stone. He¡¯s just like the rest of our forefathers. Drunk with absolute power. Just like Cronus and Uranus, Zeus fears his end. His end will come with time, right now, all we can do is wait.

    Who am I exactly? I am the offspring of Iapetus. Deemed to be a Titan. I fought alongside the new generation and ended the rule of Cronus. I am the bringer of fire, the benefactor of mankind. I am Prometheus.

    Millenniums I¡¯ve wasted as the damned bird of the sky god ripped into me. Oh it wasn¡¯t painful, no way. The pain was little compared to the pleasure I felt. I knew that every second that ticked by, the thought of that damned Zeus¡¯ offspring will soon one day end his rule, brought a smile to my face. Oh yes, continue with your ways and spread your love upon everyone O Great One. Don¡¯t let your end deter the desires of your loins. After all, not even gods can escape the threads of time and fate.

    Enough about Zeus. He was but a trivial subject on my mind. No, what¡¯s more important was the genesis of free thought and free will upon mankind. After Pandora had released the evils upon the world of man, mankind grew irritable, they sought for control and dominance; they became just like us divine beings. Oh how ironic, the children that I wasted countless mind numbing centuries to perfect, reduced to the evils that plagued those of divine blood. Maybe this was the fate of Gaia.

    Time.

    What is time? What a funny concept, made up by man. Time was invented by mankind, they are not like us; they are not immortal. I find such a concept amusing, after all, we gods do not die, we only cease to exist, thus we have ceased to change; forever chosen to remain in our perverse and static ways. Is it because of death that has caused mankind to change in so many interesting ways? The knowledge that their ¡®time¡¯ was limited had allowed mankind to be nurtured and pressured into changing themselves? Very amusing. However, I digress.

    With my power for forethought, mankind¡¯s prominence was guaranteed. No, it was engendered ever since I was given the task of birthing my ultimate creation. The balance of power has already shifted from our divine hands and unto mankind. Mankind doesn¡¯t exist because of us, we exist because of mankind. With this, I can feel at ease. After all, I too am a god. Though we do not perish, we will soon one day meet our end. Whether that is banishment into the depths of Tartarus for all eternity or forgotten in the mists of ¡®time¡¯. Why not seek an earlier end?

    Right now, I¡¯m journeying to Tartarus. When I passed by the souls of the dead, I¡¯ve always wondered to myself. Does Hades enjoy living amongst the denizens of the dead? I feel that if given a choice I would choose to live amongst the dead. They are rich with life. Funny how contradicting these two concepts are. After all, how was it possible for the dead to be full of life?

    That¡¯s just one of the many mysteries of mankind. I can give you a hint though. The dead are simply mankind in their purest form. One of Athena¡¯s greatest achievements. Cleansed of all evils that plagued the Overworld, the souls of the dead are in fact something I envy. They know nothing, cleansed of all past crimes after undergoing the punishments of Hades. They are the purest essence that I know, even more than us divine beings. That is what I deem to be alive; to be pure and have an endless potential to become anything. There¡¯s no way up once you¡¯ve reached the top, the only other road is back down. Potential. That is also something that we gods lack.

    Which brings me to my next point. Are we gods alive? With a wave of our hands, everything we want will appear within our palms. What then, is the point of this? I must say, I find this fact disgusting. It dulls our senses, separates us from the feeling of achievement. Something that I stressed greatly upon creating mankind. Something that I wished I had, and I did at one point. Soon after mankind was born, I felt it. This sense of achievement, my greatest gift to the world. I guess that is what we gods lack. After having a taste of the ambrosia of achievement, I had to have more. Soon I became something of a caring parent to mankind. The more I helped them and defied the tyrannical rule of Zeus, the more sense of achievement I felt.

    However, like all things, these feelings soon ended.

    I¡¯m no longer needed. If I continue to interfere with the growth of mankind, their bright future will change. They are no longer children that need to be led by the hand. No, they are now adults, ready to pave their own paths in their mortal existence. I understood this, it must be because of my love for my children that I¡¯ve decided to do what I¡¯m about to do.

    The Gates of Tartarus stood before me. The foreboding sense of ancient power engrossed my entire divine being. Even I, a titan of great ability, cannot stand whilst in the presence of such a being. What was Tartarus? Was it a prison used to hold the gods of old?

    No.

    Tartarus isn¡¯t a place. Tartarus is a being. Just like Gaia and Chaos that created us. Tartarus is the other side of Gaia. In a sense, Tartarus is Gaia¡¯s shadow.

    ¡°Why have you come here, my child?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve come to seek my end.¡±

    ¡°Little Prometheus, I can tell that there is something different about you. Why are you this way?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve grown tired. I¡¯m no longer needed. Fate no longer has a place for me. I fear that if I remain here, I will interfere with fate, I will truly become the one that I hate the most.¡±

    ¡°Fate is a fickle being, my child. It is ever changing. As one who stands guard over the future of everything, don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve made this decision too arbitrarily?¡±

    ¡°I do not think so. I¡¯ve had over a millennia to think about this decision. While being preyed upon by the bird of Zeus, I¡¯ve reached a conclusion. My decision was further solidified after I watched my children walk upon the earth. If I were to stay here any longer, it would stunt the growth of my children. I will become drunk with power. No, this is the best decision and one that I must make if I wish to remain as myself.¡±

    ¡°*Sigh* You are one of my brightest children. Unfazed by the power that you possessed. I fear that if you leave this world, it might crumble down into ruin. Yet, I understand your fears. I too chose to distance myself from the ongoings of the world that I have created. I want to ask you one last thing before you leave.¡±

    ¡°Ask away. This will be the last time we talk.¡±

    ¡°If you were given another opportunity to help mankind once more, would you do it?¡±

    Those words struck a chord within me. Was I truly ready to end my life? Ready to descend into the abyss and remain there for eternity? Yes I was. If I was given another reason to help my children once more, I wouldn¡¯t hesitate. But, using my powers of forethought and in a sense foresight, mankind will prosper regardless of interference from us gods. I do not see any chances of me ever being needed anymore.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°I would. In fact, I wish I was relied upon. It brings me great joy that my children relied on me. However, it brings me even greater joy that they have grown up and do no need me anymore. I¡¯m stuck at an impasse, as a parent I wish them the best, if that best requires me to leave, I will leave.¡±

    ¡°I understand your dilemma. Then, if I were to say that in another world, the equivalent to your children are in need of your help, would you help them?¡±

    ¡°I do not understand your question. There is another world?¡±

    ¡°Silly child. Gaia is just one of many that gave birth to existence. Just like this world, there are countless others. Right now, in another world, mankind is in need of your assistance. If you do not help them, they will perish.¡±

    I want to help them. To feel that sense of achievement once more. I will help them. I must help them. In the end I¡¯m just a selfish god like the rest. Am I truly doing this for the sake of mankind? Or am I doing this for myself? I thought that I¡¯ve already surrendered myself to death. Yet, I cling to the thought of existing once more.

    ¡°Is there some way I can help?¡±

    ¡°There is. I will send you over to that world. However¡­¡±

    ¡°However?¡±

    ¡°I cannot guarantee that you will remain the same as you are here. Even I am not sure if you will retain your powers. I cannot fathom how much you will lose or how much you will gain after traversing to the other world. You may even be forever changed upon reaching the new world. Even so, will you still do this?¡±

    What is godhood? It¡¯s simply something that every mortal wanted to obtain, yet they cannot understand its meaning. To be a god is a sentence of eternal duty. I abhor it. It is boring; what is the point of being a god if it meant dulling your emotions? I¡¯ve seen many gods and goddesses succumbing to the vices of power. They kill and copulate as if the matter didn¡¯t concern them; they do not understand the responsibilities that are set upon them. They neglect those below them, feeling that the ones below them are insignificant.

    What these gods and goddesses do not understand is that, mortals are not like us. They truly understand the emotions that we¡¯ve become despondent or never even had. They know what love, what struggle, and what achievement feels like. They may have short lives, but they live it to the fullest. Something that we gods lack. If I were given a chance, I want to live as a mortal. I want to keep feeling what achievement feels like. I want to experience love, I love my children, but I also want to experience more than that. I want to lay my life, my existence on the line for the ones that I love. It doesn¡¯t feel like love when I was chained to a rock for bringing mankind fire; yes, I suffered, but it was only temporary.

    What I desire was to be needed and loved.

    ¡°Send me there, Tartarus.¡± I answered adamantly. I do not fear the unknown, in fact, I welcome it. If I¡¯m no longer needed here, then I¡¯ll just go where I¡¯m needed.

    ¡°Understood.¡± Tartarus paused for a second. I could feel the same feeling that I have towards mankind emanating from Tartarus. ¡°Prometheus, I will miss you. Promise me and Gaia that you won¡¯t change, alright?¡±

    Right before me, the Gates of Tartarus opened. Unlike with my father and the Titans, it wasn¡¯t the abyss that greeted my eyes. It was something even more foreboding. I don¡¯t want to change who I am, I don¡¯t want to become like Zeus, but I knew that if I become human, I might not be myself anymore. As I stepped into the unknown, these thoughts and fears echoed through the lonely darkness.

    Even after I¡¯ve solidified my will to end my existence, I¡¯m still such a coward. I¡¯m a hypocrite. I speak of change, how the gods never change and wanting change. Yet, here I am, fearing change. Who knows what the future holds, my ability of forethought eludes me. I¡¯m now out of my domain. As I trudged on, I felt my powers wane, my limbs grew weaker. Where am I going exactly?

    Is this what it feels like to be banished to the abyss? I wouldn¡¯t mind staying like this forever if it meant that I will remain as myself. I¡¯m scared. I¡¯m frightened that if I reached the other world, I would become like Zeus. I fear that I might become a tyrant that feels no sympathy and remorse. I fear this and yet I continue on. Though the mankind in the new world isn¡¯t the ones I gave birth to, they can comparatively be their brothers. I cannot neglect them; if they need me, then I will be there for them.

    ¡°I¡¯ve received advanced notice of your arrival, little godling.¡±

    Who was that?

    ¡°It seems your powers have weakened during your journey here. I¡¯m sad to say that it could¡¯ve been more interesting if they remained. Though, that would make it boring I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Who are you? Show yourself.¡± I began to feel fear and enmity. This presence was similar to Tartarus in the sense that it surrounded the entire darkness.

    ¡°Tsk Tsk, you are a mighty impatient one aren¡¯t you? Well, that¡¯s also fine with me.¡± An amused laughter rang out from my surrounding, bringing back reminiscent memories of Apollo¡¯s Lyre. ¡°Gaia and Tartarus told me that you are their favorite child. I can see why already.¡±

    ¡°Gaia? Tartarus?¡±

    I see now. This must be the mother of this world.

    ¡°Who might you be, O Great Mother.¡±

    ¡°Hehehe, such a drastic change from just a few seconds ago. That¡¯s fine, I quite like you, though I¡¯m not sure why specifically. I am Altear, just like your Gaia, I gave birth to this plane of existence.¡± While speaking, a dainty little human girl appeared out from the darkness. She looked like she was an 8 year-old human child from back in my world. Dressed in a pure white robe, she looked like a priestess from one of the temples that worshipped us gods. Upon her brow was a head of fresh snow fallen hair, combined with her golden irises reminiscent of those with divine blood, she could only be considered as dangerous as Aphrodite.

    ¡°You are quite young. I must say, is this your real appearance?¡±

    ¡°It is. After all, this world that I gave birth to is still very young. It is also a very interesting place, it took me a great deal of time to finally envision what I want in this world. Of course, Gaia helped me a bit. I must say, Prometheus, Gaia and Tartarus both promised me that you will be very beneficial to the growth and development of my world. Is that true?¡±

    ¡°I cannot say for certain. After all, I¡¯m only a selfish godling that wants to feel what it¡¯s like to be mortal. I cannot promise anything, but if there¡¯s anything you wish for this godling to do, please say so.¡± My future is in her hands. I¡¯ve already decided, as long as I¡¯m needed here, then I¡¯ll stay. I¡¯ve already committed myself to non-existence, so even if Altear was to turn me away, I would not blame her for doing so.

    ¡°That is true. It is quite selfish of you to want to forsake your godhood.¡± Anyone would agree to that. I would have done the same if it weren¡¯t for what I felt when I created Humanity. ¡°Therefore, as punishment, you will be sent down to the Overworld.¡±

    Truly a mischievous being, this one was. In order to not make me feel in debt to her, she instead worded her gift as a punishment. There must be a reason why I was sent here, Tartarus did say that this world required my help.

    ¡°Is there something that must be done in the Overworld that requires my help?¡±

    ¡°Nope. I just want to see what you will do once you¡¯ve become mortal. I¡¯m interested to find out what could possibly have happened to changed you so much, little Prometheus. Therefore, I want to see your adventure, your journey as a mortal. Part of me wants you to experience joy, but another part wishes ill upon you because you¡¯ve forsaken the gift of divinity.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you, O Great Lifegiver. Any normal being would have felt the same way with what I¡¯ve done. However, their opinions matter little to me. I¡¯ve made my decision and I¡¯m going to follow it through until the end.¡±

    ¡°Nice answer. From now on just call me Tea (Tee-ah). You aren¡¯t one of my children; you are a guest here. Now, before I send you down, Gaia begged me to give you a gift to make your mortal life easier. Will you accept her blessing?¡±

    Gaia truly is a caring mother. Not only does she let me leave my duty, she had also granted my wish and sent me away with a farewell gift. I felt some regrets from my decisions, but it¡¯s now too late to return. I don¡¯t want to be seen as a coward and someone that goes back on their word in the eyes of Gaia. I can trick and lie my way through my enemies, but in front of Gaia, I must maintain absolute honesty.

    ¡°I¡¯ll receive her blessing.¡± Thank you Gaia.

    ¡°Good. Since you are one who appreciates knowledge and wisdom, I¡¯ll give you this.¡± She held out a soft white light from her hands. It shined through the darkness that surrounded the two of us and made my felt warm, just like when I delivered the flames of life to mankind. I received the light and absorbed it into my soul.

    ¡°What is this, Tea?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll find out once you¡¯ve entered the Overworld. For now, we shall part. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll meet soon.¡± She winked mischievously, truly like a goddess that will bring destruction and war through her beauty. I¡¯m not sure what she meant by soon, it¡¯s all relative. Soon could be a few seconds or it could mean a few centuries if gods are concerned. That¡¯s why I¡¯m sure I probably won¡¯t meet her for a while.

    After our conversations have ended, Tea began to fade away¡­

    No!

    It¡¯s not that she¡¯s fading away, it¡¯s my vision that¡¯s dimming. I felt myself slowly losing myself over to the warm embrace of sleep. We gods do not need sleep, feeling such a mortal experience upon my mind and limbs caused a soft and fuzzy feeling to spread throughout my entire soul.

    As I slowly blacked out and accept my new life, I felt some lingering regrets. I¡¯m positively certain that Humanity back in my old world would prosper, but I can never be 100% certain. No matter what happens, I would always have some doubt in my mind, after all nothing is certain. Not even us gods.

 Chapter 2

    When I woke up, I found myself in a dimly lit room. More like a prison. Sunlight was bearing down on me through the holes within the thatched roof, even the walls looked worn down with the many tears in its lumber. I found myself on a thin stretch of nothing more than straw, What a pitiful situation, I¡¯m living no better than a human slave.

    As I sat up from my straw bed, I became intrigued by the feeling of weakness my body was exhibiting. Taking a closer look at my limbs, I could see the bony structure of my arms and fingers, as well as the veins that protrude from beneath the sickly exterior. Is this how it felt to be human? I wondered briefly. The thought never really dawned on me, a godling, that humans felt so powerless. No, I seem to be an exception. My thoughts began to refer back to the human slaves that existed back in Gaia¡¯s world.

    There was no reason to continue sitting here, so I decided it was best to leave the enclosure and explore my surroundings. As soon as I pushed open the worn down door, an explosion of sunlight graced my eyes, temporarily blinding them. When my eyes finally adjusted, the sound of afternoon Jays greeted my ears. A plethora of greenery displayed its wondrous glory before my dim eyes. There was a wildness that existed in this environment, something that could be felt but not seen.

    ¡°Haha.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but let out a relieved cry. Tears began to flow down the side of my sunken cheeks. This is it. This was what I yearned for. I fell down onto my knees, bent over and cried. These were tears of happiness and relief. I could cry for longer, but I soon found out that I didn¡¯t have any more tears.

    My current self was malnourished, judging by my current condition, for months, maybe even years. The excitement from before had already dissipated, replaced by a strange gloom, the gloom of reality and doom. To give an example of just how bad my current situation was, I could wrap my hand around my bicep and touch my thumb and index together.

    What I need was food. What I don¡¯t have was food. I thought back to the empty room; there were no furniture, no food, no water, only a thin straw bed. Tea, was this the gift you gave me? I felt bitter, I just became mortal, but already I¡¯m about to go meet Hades. Oh wait, forgot, I¡¯m not in my previous world anymore. Who were the gods in Tea¡¯s world? It won¡¯t take long until I meet them.

    However, fate had a different path for me. Right at that moment¡­

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    A gentle voice tickled my ears from beyond the thicket. Soon, a face that matched that beautiful voice appeared from the brush.

    A Goddess! A Goddess has appeared! Were my initial thoughts. However, soon rationale replaced these absurdities and I calmed down to some extent.

    ¡°I knew I heard something!¡± The woman began to display an elegant smile, one that would cause wars to be fought over. Soon, she exited from her verdant cover and approached my thatched hut. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    I could only continue to stare. I was shocked. Not because of her beauty, but because of something else. What she had just said wasn¡¯t the language used back in Gaia, it had no resemblance to any of the languages that existed in Gaia. No, what I just heard was alien, something that leaves me shivering with delight. This is truly a different world. However, even this wasn¡¯t the strangest thing of all. What was strange was the fact that I understood her.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. You might not understand me. Hm¡­¡± She crossed her arms and rested her chin on her knuckles. After a brief moment, she began to speak in an entirely different way, ¡°[Are you okay? Need help?]¡±

    ¡°Pfft¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help myself. The look of constipation on her face caused a bout of laughter to escape my dry cracked lips. Hearing my laughter, the woman before me began to blush and shrank back slightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Miss. I can understand you just fine.¡± I used the prior language.

    This must be the gift that Tea was referring to. It wasn¡¯t a bad gift, after all, if this world also had many languages then being able to understand all would help tremendously.

    ¡°So you can speak the Fae language?¡± A look of interest appeared upon her brow. ¡°Even though this is Animae territory?¡±

    ¡°Fae? Animae?¡± I expressed my puzzlement. These words were foreign to me, even though I have the gift of language. Before I could go on, a loud gurgle erupted from my pea-sized stomach, making the woman before my eyes emit a bell-like noise of laughter.

    ¡°Before that, let me prepare something for us.¡± She dropped her pack beside me and jumped back into the thicket. After a couple minutes, she returned with a freshly plucked ground bird and a small pouch of ripened berries. My mouth unconsciously began to water when I watched the fat on the bird caramelized.

    ¡°Here.¡± She poured the berries into a small bowl, ¡°Have these while you wait.¡± I gently picked up a deep red berry, though she offered them, a person can never be too careful. I could only continue to eye the berry. Seeing my act of suspicion, she let out another laugh and sneakily snatched the berry out of my fingers and popped it into her mouth. ¡°It¡¯s safe! Haha!¡±

    With my worries relieved, I also picked up another one and gently placed it into my mouth. As soon as I bit down, a burst of sweet and tart enveloped my tongue. Me, a person who had a foot in the grave already began to salivate even more. As the sweet nectar gently dripped down the back of my throat, unknown energy coursed throughout my limbs. All manners and etiquette escaped my mind as I ravenously wolfed down the bowl of berries.

    To my dismay, the bowl soon was cleansed of its contents. I looked back at her and the empty bowl in my hands. Feelings of guilt and embarrassment was easily discernable on my face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have more.¡± She poured out another handful of berries into the bowl, which I promptly began to consume with ravenous fervor. After my third bowl and the bird, my appetite seemed somewhat sated, so I began to slow down my eating. Now that I had more energy, I began to examine the woman that had taken a seat next to me.

    She was a natural beauty, unlike Aphrodite who was prideful and jealous, this woman doesn¡¯t emit a trace of superiority. Her large green almond shaped eyes shows great wisdom and knowledge, yet her face was as pure as new-fallen snow; not a hint of wear and age. Though her hair looked unkempt, it was still relatively groomed and tied in a long braid that was placed at the side of her bosom. However, the thing that drew the most attention of all was perhaps her smile. Every time her lips stretched out, the dimples at the side of her cheeks would cause me to blush. She was truly a Goddess, a Goddess of Beauty!

    Now that my hunger was sated, I need to satisfy another desire that I have.

    ¡°Miss, can you explain to me where I am?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± I watched as she frowned slightly. It would be strange to anybody if a person you¡¯ve found living in a place asked where he was.

    In order to clarify, I answered, ¡°I meant to say, I¡¯ve gotten lost in this large forest and found this little shelter out here. Soon after finding this shelter, I came down with a sickness and couldn¡¯t move, thus resulting in my miserable appearance.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why!¡± She attacked with her smile once more. ¡°No wonder you¡¯re out here! No one would be stupid enough to live out here when they are so weak.¡±

    She correct, my current body is quite below my standard, even if I was mortal. Just standing up and moving caused me to become light-headed. I¡¯m just curious as to why Tea would send me down onto the overworld with such a weak and sickly body. Have I been tricked? A drop of fear tinged my thoughts before I shook it away.

    ¡°What you¡¯ve said is correct young lady, I¡¯ve become quite malnourished. If you would so perhaps do me a favor and lead me back inside.¡± I struggled to stand up, now that I was fed, drowsiness accentuated my consciousness, beckoning me to enter into its soft embrace.

    Hearing my request, the young miss hesitated. Do I look that untrustworthy? I could only grin apologetically. Not even a full day has passed by and I¡¯m reduced to begging a stranger for a favor. O how far the mighty hath fallen! I guess she took pity on my weak figure and helped me up to my feet and lead me inside.

    ¡°Cough Cough Cough!¡± So pitiful. I began to cough violently after I sat down on the straw bed. Seeing such a sight, I guess regret filled the young ladies mind and she nervously bit her lower lip.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± She expressed her worry as she touched my forehead.

    ¡°I¡¯m be alright, I just need to rest.¡± I reassured her. She looked like she was in a hurry, my frail and weak body couldn¡¯t possibly hold on any longer, so I didn¡¯t want burden her with worry.

    ¡°Are you sure? I can stay here longer and nurse you back to health.¡± She scooted over closer to me, it seemed as though she was projecting someone else onto me. I see, this young lady has a heavy past.

    ¡°No need young one. Continue on your journey and leave this one be. I don¡¯t have much longer.¡± I sighed. Ever since waking up, I could feel my life draining away rapidly. I guess this was why Tea said we¡¯ll meet again soon enough.

    ¡°No!¡± She clung onto me as I gently closed my eyes. It wasn¡¯t sleep that was beckoning, it was Charon coming to guide me to the afterlife. I came to a realization. ¡°Grandmother! Uwaa~!¡±

    I was correct, I reminded this young lady of someone important to her. Otherwise, why would this young lady take the time to stop and feed this one? Her clothes were travel worn, caked with dust. Her usually well-groomed hair was slightly tussled and her eyes were slightly bloodshot. It doesn¡¯t require close observation to notice that she was in a hurry and yet she had spent this time tending to me. Even if the one she loved wasn''t me, I could still feel her deep love that she harbored.

    Just like this, my soul separated from the body of the aged woman that I had shortly become.

    ¡°Hey! We meet again!¡± Tea suddenly sprang up beside me as I peered down at the grieving young miss below.

    ¡°I never asked for her name.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter does it? You¡¯re dead already.¡± Tea only just tilted her head in a questioning manner.

    ¡°I guess you are right. Though it was short-lived, I must thank Tea for giving me a chance to become a mortal.¡± I was glad, even if it wasn¡¯t for a full day, I already experienced what it felt like to be a mortal.

    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re satisfied with just that? Are all of Gaia¡¯s children like this?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to go back down there?¡± She pointed down at the young lady who seemed to have begun to dig a grave.

    ¡°I do¡­¡± It was selfish of me, my half-day life as a mortal wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy me. I want to spend a full life, living as a mortal. It was hard to convey my thoughts to Tea, I feel like I¡¯m intruding too much into her world.

    ¡°Nice answer!¡± She suddenly snapped her fingers and I felt myself dozing off again. ¡°We¡¯ll meet again soon!¡±

    That line again. I awoke once more, but this time I kept my eyes closed. I contemplated her words. From experience, I guess this life will also be a short one right? I was still in the midst of deciphering the meaning of Tea¡¯s words when suddenly¡­

    ¡°Wake up you lazy asshole!¡±

    *Splash!*

    A large content of water splashed onto my, the freezing water jolted me fully awake. After clearing my eyes, I finally saw the perpetrator. How dare this lowly mortal! To defile a god like me! I stretched out my hand and willed his existence to burn in the flames of Phlegethon!

    ¡°What are you doing, you shit stain?!¡± The large figure at the door way slammed the bucket down violently on my temple, stunning me for a good few seconds before a large slap placed itself on my left cheek. ¡°Get your ass out there and work!¡±

    It hurt.

    No, not the slap. No, not the blow to my temple. No, not the crude language. What hurt the most was the sudden realization of weakness and hopelessness. I had become a mute young man. My tongue was removed; now that I looked closer, I was covered in bruises and cuts. Such humiliation, the only thing I could do was endure.

    Obeying the dominating and wrathful person¡¯s orders, I scuttled helplessly out of the dark cold room that I was locked in. I noticed that it was quite difficult to rotate my head, the problem stemmed from the choker around my neck. It restricted my breathing and neck to some extent. It wasn¡¯t until later that I found out the owner of the collar had set it that way.

    I had become a slave.

    One of the lowest caste in society, with the dead being the only thing below me. Actually¡­ I rescind my earlier statement, even the dead were treated better than me. The dead were groomed and washed before finally seeking peace in the confines of their stone coffins. I was coated in bruises and cuts and fecal matter. There was a throbbing pain coming from my lower left leg, from what Apollo taught me, this was an infection. The infection was most likely caused by the open wound¡¯s exposure to the fecal matter.

    Over the next week, I became more and more exposed to this cruel treatment. I was beaten if I don¡¯t follow orders. I was beaten if I was too slow. I was beaten if I was too quick. I was beaten as a reward for following orders. I was beaten for the sake of being beaten. My spirit became numbed, though I used to be a godling, such a treatment could only be endured. I¡¯ve tried many times to escape, but that only ever resulted in me getting beaten. Master truly enjoyed the thrill of hunting for a runaway slave. I won¡¯t end my life. No, that would be too selfish of me. I don¡¯t even deserve to be in this world, it was a gift from Tea, I would treat this gift in earnest and do my best to live as a mortal.

    In the middle of my second week as a slave, the infection soon grew to a point that inhibited work. I was severely beaten because of this.

    Master, please treat this one¡¯s infection. I begged the overbearing large man who was busy whipping another fellow slave. I kept pointing to my swollen leg.

    ¡°You want some too?!¡± He roared as he cracked the whip over my dry skin, ripping open the flesh and exposing the open wound to the air. Fresh blood dripped down as my Master clicked his tongue and kicked me away as he resumed torturing the other slave.

    Why did I ask him for such a thing while he had a whip in his hand some might wonder? Some may think it was short-sighted to ask at that moment in time, however that is incorrect. Master was only truly happy when we slaves were being beaten, especially when he pulled out his favorite tool. I figured it was best to ask when Master was at his peak during his ¡°punishment¡± sessions.

    After being denied help for my leg, I weakly crawled to my small corner and rested.

    Over the coming week, the infection had left my leg paralyzed, I was severely beaten. My Master had stopped feeding me, ¡°Those who don¡¯t work, don¡¯t eat!¡± He roared and shut the door, locking me in the windowless stone prison.

    The infection had puss and blood leaking down my leg, there were also white specks near the edge of the large cut. By this point, the swelling had caused my leg to swell to double its normal girth.

    Maggots. I bleakly thought, soon my leg would become a home to carrion bugs like flies and maggots. It was painful, but I somehow managed fall asleep after making that observation.

    The very next day, I was awakened with the usual splash of cold water. This has become normal for me. A bundle was thrown at my feet.

    ¡°Put that on.¡± My Master ordered and left the dark room. What he had thrown at me was a black cloak, This person takes me for a fool, because I¡¯m mute. Today I will find out what my fate from here on out will be. I will either be sold off or maybe even put down like a sick work mule. I steeled my resolve and donned the slightly worn cloak and limped after Master.

    Seeing me hopelessly limping after himself, Master got angered and raised his fist up in the air, ready to give me another severe beating. However, as if realizing it would be a mistake, Master stopped himself and with one hand lifted me by the collar and threw me onto the back of a cart.

    I was being sold.

    Treated like a sack of the wheat I milled daily, I sat quietly at the back of the cart and watched Master negotiate furiously with a well-dressed man. The man¡¯s attire was visibly more appealing than what I could only call the rag that Master wore. Before I knew it, it seemed as if the two had come to a compromise and shook hands. I could do nothing to prevent what was to come.

    Master had returned back to the cart and as if handling a bowl of fine glass, picked me up, removed my collar, and handed me into the custody of a half-dressed muscular man who carried me into a building. The muscular man sprouted a scruffy bed of bristly hair with two strange protrusions at the top. As I continued to observe the man who was carrying me, he snorted and growled.

    We finally entered a room that looked like an examination room. There was a small bed in the center of the room, which I was placed down upon. After securing me to the straps located on the bed, the person who bought me and the man who carried me left the room. Beside the bed, I saw tools, surgical tools. My face paled greatly, normally I would be ecstatic upon seeing the tools of a physician, but given my current circumstance, I knew what was bound to happen.

    Amputation.

    I tugged on the straps that secured me tightly to my fate. Weakened after not being fed for a couple days, I didn¡¯t have much strength. Even if I was in a better condition, I doubt that I would be able to escape from these well-polished leather straps.

    Soon, my fears came true. A person who I could only describe as psychotic entered the room. No attire befitting of a physician was worn, but of a butcher.

    A deep guttural cry escaped my mouth. If I could curse and threaten the man, I would. I could only helplessly cry out as he rashly examined my infected leg. Not taking care as he squeezed the area around the infection, causing my scab to burst open and a large amount of puss and blood leaked out. Excited, the man began to rustle through the cabinets.

    The pain from the infection jolted my mind awake. Adrenaline rushed through my body. I was still focused on the infection, when suddenly the man returned and within his hands was¡­

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°A saw. Hehehehe! Be grateful slave! That I didn¡¯t decide to use an axe!¡±

    I struggled violently, threatening to break free from my restraints. My heart was racing non-stop and my breathing became erratic. My eyes were dilating profusely as I stared as the rusty saw within the psychotic man¡¯s hand. The next thing could only be described as purgatory.

    The man began operating on my leg. My vision had explosions of blue and red lights as the teeth move back and forth across my knee. Every millimeter of movement caused electric shocks to my brain, signaling immense pain. I began to cry out from the depths of my entire body as my mouth began to foam. Meanwhile the insane monster laughed hysterically. I will kill you!

    I wasn¡¯t sure how long I was out for, maybe it was an hour or maybe it was a day? Two days? A week? When I awoke, I was resting on a straw bed in a dimly lit room. Beside me were what I could only assume were also slaves. I weakly looked as my left leg¡­ or what was left of it. I began to tear up, If I was still a god, growing it back again wouldn¡¯t be a challenge at all.

    ¡°Get up trash!¡± A large rough looking woman with no sense of delicacy yanked me up and stuffed a walking stick under my arm and forced me to follow her. Half dragging me, she led me into a well-furnished room and left. Soon a man, who I recognized as the person who bought me entered, behind him stood a proud looking gentlemen.

    ¡°Here it is your Nobleness. We just received this one a week ago. After treating its injuries, it has finally recovered to be adequate for your tastes.¡± The bootlicking man began to say to the man who was following him.

    Approaching me, he stared into my defiant eyes. Memories of the amputation were still fresh in my mind. This trash is no better than my last master, if I could kill him I would. The merchant saw my eyes and angrily replied with a passionate strike to my left cheek.

    ¡°[Olson. Stay your hand, if you so much as touch it, I will have your business and your life annulled.]¡± The atmosphere heavily weighed down on me, the pressure that I felt contained a very weak amount of power similar to a god. However, what drew my attention was the language this proud looking gentlemen used. It wasn¡¯t the language of the Animae that my last master used, it was different from the language of the Fae.

    ¡°Yes, your nobleness.¡± The merchant known as Olson weakly replied back in the language of the Animae.

    ¡°[Good.]¡± Without even giving a second glance, the prideful man tossed a small coin bag at the merchant and picked me up gently. Slinging me over his shoulder like a bag of wheat, the man turned around and left. No matter how much I struggled, I couldn¡¯t break free from this man¡¯s vice-like grip.

    ¡°Quit moving.¡± The man threatened, as if on command, my body froze up. No matter how hard I tried to force my limbs to move they now obey the gentleman. The gentleman got into a well adorned carriage and soon left. There was something odd I noticed, this wasn¡¯t the same scenery I had seen when my last master sold me off. For one thing, it was a lot colder than I remembered it and there weren¡¯t coniferous trees in the area. Just what happened while I was asleep?!

    Being mute, I couldn¡¯t really express myself and ask the gentleman these questions. He didn¡¯t look like he paid any more attention to me; treating me like a package for delivery, he continued to stare out at the passing coniferous forestry. This long silence drawn itself for what seemed like half a day until the carriage approached a well-guarded estate.

    A small squad of well-armored guards approached the coach and finally, after ascertaining who it was, let us through into the estate. Once more carried like a sack of wheat, I was given to what I could only assume was a servant girl. She looked well off, better than a slave like me.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get you into the baths shall we?¡± She spoke in the strange language. Guiding me and also helping me, she led me up the stairs and into a large bathing area. Without regard for my privacy, the servant began to rip off the dirty clothes that I was dressed in with a look of disgust. After stripping me naked, she sat me down and worked on a strange mechanism along the wall. To my surprise, hot water gushed forth from the nozzle on the wall and doused me, greatly relaxing my stiff body.

    Who knew taking a bath felt so good? Has my life decided to take a turn for the better? I contemplated as I washed myself. I can¡¯t remember the last time I washed myself with warm water. The servant girl seemed unsatisfied with my washing, so she snorted and began to wash my body for me. Lathering up a sweet smelling soap, she began to massage my stiff body with it, greatly relaxing my tensed up muscles.

    After my bath, I was forced into a silk robe and led into a waiting room. I guess all the suffering is gone now. I gently smiled as I leaned back on the soft chair. While resting, the servant girl returned with a cup of green liquid on a platter.

    ¡°Drink it. It¡¯s for the body.¡± She placed it down and left it in front of me and left the room. Gently bringing up the murky green liquid to my nose, I took a whiff; it smelled like honeydew melon with a splash of strawberries. This was probably something that Dionysus would¡¯ve made, he always loved making these kinds of drinks. Without much thought, I downed the beverage in one gulp, only after did I noticed how parched I was.

    Like this, the servant girl returned with platters of greens and spices. They were all lightly saut¨¦ed, being a slave who was hardly fed, I took to the dishes with fervor and nearly cleaned out everything. Strange, I¡¯m being treated so well, yet aside from the servant girl and proud gentleman, I haven¡¯t seen anyone else. Suspicion began to creep at the edges of my mind, which I tried to push back.

    However, waiting in an empty room, dressed in nothing but a robe was daunting on the mentality. Just as I was about to get up and look around for the servant girl, she happened to walk right in.

    ¡°Oh you¡¯re ready? Good, it¡¯s about to start.¡± She helped me as we began to walk through an unknown number of hallways and corridors. This place was quite large, compared to my old master¡¯s four roomed building. Suddenly, we arrived before a set of huge doors, easily three times the height of a fully grown man. The servant girl tapped lightly on the door and it swung open.

    Creeeeeak¡­

    My eyes widened at the sight that laid before my eyes. A large recession of what I could only assume as well-dressed nobles gathered within the room. On the opposite side, a small platform was erected and on the platform a woman of peerless beauty stood. Just like me, she was garbed in a silky white robe. From afar, she looked at me with dead eyes, they were eyes devoid of life. After being led up to the stage, I stood beside the beauty and examined her.

    Delicate silk skin, well-endowed body, and dead blue eyes. It was as if she never even acknowledged my existence beside her. Her eyes continued to stare straight at the entrance whence I entered from, as if expecting something to appear. Soon the lights dimmed and a short, but a finely dressed man walked onto the platform.

    ¡°Fellow nobles! I¡¯ve gathered you all here today to celebrate the coming of age of my daughter Liliri!¡± As soon as he announced her name, loud clapping erupted from the crowd and the huge doors swung open. A pubescent girl with red hair and a viciously proud gaze entered the room. ¡°As per the ceremony, she shall finally gorge upon the flesh of these humans!¡±

    What?! My mind began to fire off warnings. Did I hear correctly? They¡¯re going to eat us? I looked over at the woman beside me and saw tears falling down the side of her cheeks. My thoughts began to race as I remembered Caucasus. I looked around for a means to escape, this was terrible, there was a veranda behind the platform, but the gentleman from earlier was silently resting outside.

    As soon as I laid eyes upon his figure, I submitted myself to my cruel fate. With just one word, my body disobeyed my will, how was one able to fight that? If only I still had my powers as a god. I thought. Soon all thoughts of escape flew out of my mind and only wishes of a quick painless death remained.

    I was wrong.

    With knife in hand, as per the ceremony, the 14 year old looking girl walked up onto the stage. Her feverous eyes meticulously moved back and forth between the facial expressions of the woman and myself. I want to die first! Pick me! I tried to say. I don¡¯t want to witness what they would do after ending her life.

    As if understanding my pleas, the girl known as Liliri smiled innocently and plunged the knife straight into the wrist of the woman beside me.

    ¡°Ahhhh!!!¡± She screamed a glass-shattering screech and collapsed onto the platform. Fear surfaced in my eyes. Which the red haired girl feverishly studied.

    ¡°Stand up!¡± Liliri yelled and as if held by an invisible hand, the body of the woman levitated off the ground.

    ¡°N-no more! Please! I beg you!¡± She began to plea, tears streaming down the side of her cheeks as blood gush down her useless left arm.

    ¡°Cattle should just be quiet!¡± Liliri reached out and forced the woman¡¯s mouth open. With a flick of her wrist, a wriggling mass exited the woman¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°AUUUGHHH!!!¡± She screamed in agony. My blood ran cold as I witnessed a large amount of blood spurting out.

    ¡°Oops!¡± She quickly dipped her fingers in a strange solution and plunged her finger into the woman¡¯s mouth. ¡°Can¡¯t have you dying so quick.¡± After that, she picked the severed tongue and evilly showed it in front of the woman before placing it within her mouth and chewing it. The woman continued to cry out in pain while watching the red haired girl consume a part of her.

    From beside the girl, my stomach lurched  trying to forcefully remove its contents. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t possible, it was as if something were holding it back, That drink! When I tried to avert my gaze, an invisible force turned my head back to watch the scene. As the slow torture continued, the woman¡¯s cries became weaker and weaker; the fear began to grow and grow as I helplessly watched the girl known only as Liliri.

    I watched as Liliri slowly removed finger after finger, toe after toe. Proceeding from that, she moved onto limbs. When the limbs were removed, she got started on the most disturbing part, the organs.

    I wanted to faint, but I couldn¡¯t. She wanted to die, but couldn¡¯t. As she weakly watched the girl meticulously cut the flesh away from her stomach region, the woman looked directly at me. By this point, I was screaming in fear. She could only stare, not even utter a word and turned back to face the girl. By the time it was over, the woman¡¯s head was finally severed and the woman¡¯s severed parts were collected by servants.

    Snacking on what I could only assume was the woman¡¯s upper arm, the red haired girl walked right in front of me. My mind was already at the point of breaking, thus all other thoughts aside from fear had escaped me. ¡°Such a shame, no tongue.¡±

    She began to work on me. With the handling of a refined chef carving a piece of prime steak off the slab of meat, the girl sliced me open. My deep guttural roar raged over the cheering of the crowd. The louder I cried, the more animated Liliri became.

    I was the main dish.

    I could feel every inch that the sharp knife cut into. Explosions of pain appeared in my eyes, but I couldn¡¯t do anything. I wanted to die, but I couldn¡¯t die. I wanted to faint, but couldn¡¯t faint. As she continued to carve into me, her expression became more passionate. It was as if she were in lust, as if she was lusting after my expression of pain and agony. Just like the woman before, she began to sever my appendages. My mind began to feel hazy, the pain was clouding the fear, That¡¯s good¡­

    Soon, the night reached its pinnacle. As I weakly stared at her triumphant figure and the knife that was pointed at my naval, I was reminded of that shitty eagle of the sky god. My anger surged forth and I felt the bonds holding my body weaken. The fear was replaced by rage. Death. Revenge. Atonement. Survival!

    Live!

    These emotions circled endlessly within the short timespan that I felt the hold weaken. If I still have my limbs, I would¡¯ve been able to snatch the knife out of her hands and possible taken her hostage. Maybe I could¡¯ve saved myself. Tis a hopeless wish, I was doomed the second my previous master sold me to the merchant. I resigned myself to my fate. My eyes dimmed. Death.

    Nothing.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± A voice I seemed to recall hearing a long, long, long time ago called out to me.

    ¡°If I¡¯m seeing you, that must mean I¡¯m dead.¡±

    ¡°Bingo!¡± Tea laughed merrily, somehow bitterness was all I felt in that moment. ¡°How was life this time little Prometheus?¡±

    ¡°Terrible.¡± I sighed. ¡°I felt helpless from the moment that I entered the world. A series of uncontrollable events that soon snowballed into my death by torture.¡± After having my soul released from my body, only then did my mentality recovered to its original state. Though I still have memories of the experience, it felt like a dream, even though it just happened.

    ¡°Aye, you are correct. Do you know why I made you live these kinds of lives little Prometheus?¡± She grinned mischievously.

    ¡°I can only assume. Before coming here, Tartarus said that I was needed here. Shortly after arriving here, I was given the life of an old woman, about to pass on to the afterlife. After that episode, I assumed the life of a slave, bound to a violent master and sold off to become food to what I could only assume to be monsters. One life, a life of love. Another life, a life of pain and suffering. These are the cruelties and virtues of your world. However, it doesn¡¯t seem to have any control, as if it were unmapped land.¡±

    ¡°Ding Ding! You¡¯re right!¡± She clapped her hands while smiling widely, reminiscent of a child. ¡°This world has no gods. Unlike Gaia, I wanted my world to have more freedom. Thus, I created all the lives in my world with no overwhelming advantage over another. All the races in my world have the chance to attain the power to become a god.¡±

    ¡°A world without gods.¡± I repeated.

    This is truly unprecedented. I¡¯ve never had experienced this before, a world where no supreme being will guide you. No overwhelming power to pray and offer sacrifice to in return for blessings. This is truly a wild world.

    ¡°Yes, however, little Prometheus, didn¡¯t you also notice anything else?¡± She gestured slyly.

    ¡°Do you mean the different races? If that¡¯s what you¡¯re talking about, then yes. In my first life, I was an old human woman. The girl that I first met also looked human, but she seemed more similar to the forest nymphs back on Gaia.¡±

    ¡°Forest nymphs?¡± She asked, suddenly as if realizing something, ¡°That¡¯s right! They looked adorable so I decided to borrow their concept when I created the Fae!¡±

    ¡°Fae?¡±

    ¡°A race of long-eared fair folk. I originally designed them around the concept of the nymphs, those who convene with nature. Soon they evolved and became like so. With the strength to wield the elements, the Fae became a major power.¡±

    ¡°I see, what about Animae?¡± I recalled the young Fae from the forest speaking of Animae Territory.

    ¡°Ah the Animae. They were the ones that treated you like a slave. This race or convergence of humanoid creatures were an evolution of beasts. Amazingly, these Animae (self-proclaimed) were the human¡¯s attempts at gaining strength. Through various experimentations, beast and human became one. Originally used for war, these intellectual individuals soon broke free and found their own nation and race. These beasts have the ability to boost their physical abilities to certain extents.¡±

    ¡°I see. You mentioned humans. Are they the same ones in Gaia? The ones that I created? Tea?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s skip that for now, the last major race are the Daemon. They were the race that tortured you while consuming your limbs before your eyes. Personally, these acts are frowned upon, but I have a policy of ¡®no interference¡¯ so I can¡¯t do anything about them. These Daemon are composed of terrifying creations that evolved from the darkest reaches of my world. They love to prey on humans, using their superior abilities to control humans.¡±

    ¡°Is that the explanation for that strange power that held me up while I was being cut up?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. They are strong, if they could unite, they would easily be able to overpower the Fae and the Animae easily. Thankfully, the Daemon are a fickle race and keep their interests as a priority.¡±

    ¡°Now then, I would like to hear about Humanity.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve said you created all races to have no overwhelming advantages right? Don¡¯t tell me, just like Epimetheus, you forgot to leave gifts behind for Humanity.¡± I began to feel frustration build up.

    ¡°Oh no, I didn¡¯t forget.¡± She quickly corrected, ¡°It¡¯s just each race has its own advantages and weaknesses. For the Fae, they are born initially weak, but gradually become stronger the older they become. The Animae are violent creatures that often solve disputes with blood, thus they could hardly gather up a large enough force to invade. The Daemon, as previously stated, can never agree on one agenda, they also have an inherent weakness to light, to varying degrees.¡±

    ¡°So then, what does Humanity have?¡± I impatiently tapped my toe on the nonexistent floor. ¡°Last time, I gave Humanity fire and knowledge. I wonder if I would have to do something similar to that in this world.¡±

    ¡°Though Humanity is currently on the decline, as you can tell from your lives, Humanity has always managed to persevere. Even though Humanity is clearly the weakest of the four great races, it still manages to hold that title to this day, it shows perseverance. Its weakness is humanity has no affinity to the magic that permeates this world. Thus, leaving Humanity no way of protecting itself.¡±

    ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered my question. What gift did you give Humanity?¡±

    ¡°Humanity, I¡¯m giving them the most wondrous gift of all.¡±

    ¡°You still haven¡¯t bestowed a gift upon Humanity?¡±

    ¡°Nay!¡±

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you done so?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t time yet.¡±

    ¡°When will it be time to give Humanity their gift?¡±

    ¡°Soon.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll believe you. However, what is the gift?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve said it. I¡¯m giving them the most wondrous gift of all.¡±

    ¡°And that is?¡±

    ¡°You.¡±

 Chapter 3

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡±

    ¡°No further explanations?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There must be a deeper meaning behind Tea¡¯s actions. After experiencing the lives of the two down on the land of the living, I¡¯ve ascertained that humans were cruelly treated. The Animae, treated humans as nothing more than tools. The Daemon, were even worse; they treated humans as livestock. My memories flashed back to the young Fae woman that I had met when I was living the life of an old woman. She was quite a charming young lady, but I can¡¯t say she represents the opinions of all Fae.

    My conclusion: Humanity was in danger of extinction.

    That conclusion might be an exaggeration, most likely the human nation would be wiped out and they would be forced to live on as domesticated animals or tools. Currently, I was ignorant of the situation down on the surface, therefore I cannot come to a sound conclusion and these were only my assumptions. I can¡¯t act on just assumptions alone.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too hard about it Little Prometheus. This was supposed to be a gift, so just go out and enjoy yourself.¡± Tea exuded a genuine and motherly aura leaving me awed.

    ¡°I can¡¯t not think about the current situation of Humanity¡­¡±

    ¡°Mm¡­ Fine, we¡¯ll do it this way.¡± Tea gave a long sigh and lifted a finger up, ¡°I¡¯ll give you the chance to decide what you want to do once you have arrived in the Overworld.¡±

    That seemed reasonable. Once I have arrived, I¡¯ll be able to understand the circumstance and make a sound decision. ¡°Alright.¡±

    Right after hearing my confirmation, Tea¡¯s gaze narrowed in concentration. A brilliant flash of light engulfed my and I feel my consciousness fade away into the light.

    Afterwards¡­

    Altear had just sent down Prometheus¡¯ soul into the Overworld, strangely enough, it took more power than what she had imagined. The thought lasted on her mind for a short moment before she waived it off as Prometheus possessed a divine soul.

    ¡°Are you fine with this?¡± She spoke off into the emptiness.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Right before her eyes, a mature woman, dressed in a divine white toga materialized. ¡°That child works too hard.¡±

    ¡°Un.¡± Altear nodded in agreement. ¡°Were you perhaps watching what Little Prometheus was doing earlier?¡±

    ¡°I was watching.¡±

    ¡°Do you think what I did was cruel?¡±

    ¡°No, I would¡¯ve done the same thing if I were you.¡± The woman¡¯s gentle features shook curved into a smile. ¡°Never has a god forsake their divinity to become a mortal. It¡¯s no surprise that you made my Prometheus go through that to try and convince him.¡± The woman went up to Altear and patted her head, her gaze was motherly and gentle as she warmly smiled at Altear.

    ¡°Gaia! I¡¯m not a child!¡± Altear stubbornly tried to pry herself from the motherly figure.

    Gaia only let out a chuckle and removed her hand.

    After fixing her hair, Altear asked, ¡°Why did you lie to Little Prometheus? Humanity doesn¡¯t need him. I have already made plans for what I want to happen in my world. Even if Little Prometheus wasn¡¯t sent here, Humanity would¡¯ve still survived for ten more millenniums.¡±

    ¡°Well Altear, you are still new to this, you wouldn¡¯t understand yet.¡± Gaia stared down onto the Overworld, her gaze was melancholic, as if she were reminiscing of the past. ¡°Seeing such a strong soul sacrificing so much for someone else, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s beautiful?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t understand.¡± She shook her dainty head.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t given birth to a direct being, it¡¯s understandable that you won¡¯t understand. All divine beings are selfish. They all crave power and authority, that greed was later shared and dispersed onto the mortals. The only one not affected from this was my Prometheus. I¡¯m sure it was partly due to his ability of forethought; nothing lasts forever, not power, not authority, and definitely not gods. Prometheus ignored power and instead focused on exploring the horizons. This led him to sacrificing everything for the sake of Humanity back in my world. I just felt that such a strong soul deserved something better.¡±

    ¡°You sent Little Prometheus here on the pretense that Humanity here needed help, just so that he wouldn¡¯t become entrapped in Tartarus?¡± Altear recalled that Tartarus sent Prometheus to her after convincing him not to give up.

    ¡°Correct. I can¡¯t have such a noble soul waste away in the abyss. If my Prometheus has given up here, then I will just send him away. That¡¯s why I wished for you to save him. Provide him a fulfilling life, it doesn¡¯t matter what you do, just please take care of my little one.¡± The motherly woman bowed deeply.

    ¡°Alright, alright. If you are the one asking I can¡¯t say no, now can I?¡± Altear rushed forward and helped Gaia up. ¡°Then, do you want me to erase Little Prometheus¡¯ memories of your lie? After all, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right to leave him convinced that Humanity needs him.¡±

    ¡°Please do. It was a simple white lie to make him come to your world. Can you also seal his memories of his life back on Olympus? I don¡¯t want his past to interfere with his development; knowing my Prometheus, he¡¯ll most likely do something righteous, I just want him to enjoy himself.¡±

    ¡°Alright, that shall be done. Is there anything else you want me to give him? I¡¯m in the mood to do something big, so I¡¯ll take some suggestions.¡±

    ¡°My Prometheus always fancied the power of creation so¡­¡± Gaia stretched out her arm, after a flash of yellow light, a small rod appeared in her palm.

    ¡°The Scepter of Phanes?!¡± Altear yelled out in shock after witnessing the object that had just materialized. ¡°You couldn¡¯t possibly be¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly as you¡¯ve imagined. I wish to grant him a part of this.¡± Gaia handed over the rod, as soon as Altear received it, the rod disappeared in a flash of yellow light.

    ¡°U-understood. However, with this much I¡¯m not sure if his mortal body would be able to withstand the power.¡±

    ¡°Whoever said that my Prometheus ever had to be a full-blooded mortal?¡± Gaia hinted.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Understood, I shall make it so. Should I use you or myself as the template?¡±

    ¡°This is a selfish request, but I want my Prometheus to take after me. Is that too much?¡± Gaia guiltily looked at Altear.

    ¡°Not at all, I just hope that this doesn¡¯t cause too much of an issue down on the Overworld. After all, even Aphrodite pales in comparison to you. Down on the Overworld, sadly the female gender isn¡¯t treated too kindly, if Little Prometheus were to be born as a female, I fear people will take advantage of that.¡±

    ¡°The same could also be said over here. After the issue with Pandora there was a lot of unrest amongst the mortals. It¡¯s fine if we make my Prometheus into a man or woman, as long as my Prometheus lives a fulfilling life, it is fine by me.¡±

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll leave it to chance. After sending Little Prometheus down, we cannot interfere anymore. Are these your final decisions?¡± Behind Altear was the gentle transparent image of Prometheus¡¯ soul. Unlike most souls, Prometheus¡¯ soul had a strong golden color to it.

    Gaia slowly walked towards Prometheus¡¯ dormant soul, every step seemed as if it were a tear drop into a pool of water. Even the seas of Poseidon cannot withheld the amount of tears Gaia seemed to shed with each footstep. Gaia¡¯s shoulders seemed to droop the closer she got to Prometheus¡¯ soul, her usual gentle smile was replaced with a set of quivering lips.

    ¡°My Prometheus¡­¡± Her barely audible voice echoed out into the emptiness, ¡°I hope you can forgive me for what I¡¯ve done to you. I only lied for your sake, so please¡­ live a fulfilling life for me. Goodbye.¡± She reached out and caressed Prometheus¡¯ head and placed a kiss on the forehead before quickly stepping back.

    ¡°The preparations are finished. I shall be sending down his soul now. Please stand back.¡± After watching Gaia¡¯s quivering figure, Altear sighed a bit and concentrated on guiding the soul down onto the Overworld. Unlike earlier, where she tricked Prometheus, this time she was actually sending down the once divine being.

    The process was a long and arduous procedure. Unlike death and birth in the Overworld, which had its own autonomous system, Altear had to directly interfere with the system and prevent a different soul from entering the new-born child and placed Prometheus within instead. Luckily no incidents occurred and the implementation went smoothly.

    She decided to confer the strong soul onto a young couple. It was a warm family. Satisfied with her work, she decided to return to Gaia and ask if Gaia was satisfied with her decision. Even if Gaia wasn¡¯t satisfied, it was too late to change anything. However, after Altear returned, Gaia had already returned to her world.

    I guess that¡¯s fine too. It must have taken a lot of control not to cry. Altear thought.

    Altear was still in deep thought when a strange occurrence began happening in the Overworld. Over the house that Prometheus was born into, the air fizzled with frightening energy. A large storm was gathering. Dark ominous clouds soon enshrouded the surrounding landscape and unleashed their devastating firepower unto the land.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    This is strange¡­ Altear finally began to investigate the unnatural phenomenon.

    *Bang!*

    Right after the first thunderous roar rang out, a huge amount of similar explosions rang simultaneously after. Altear¡¯s heart shook with fear.

    ¡°Prometheus!¡± She screamed out and raced back down.

    Arriving at the humble house that was in ruins, Altear immediately dispersed the flames and removed the debris. Please be safe! She thought as the debris began to clear, revealing three figures underneath.

    A young couple were huddled together, both covering the body of a new-born baby. Blood was leaking from both their mouths, a result of large internal hemorrhage. It doesn¡¯t take a medical specialist to understand that they had already entered the cycle of rebirth. Altear choked back her breath and separated the two and looked at the baby underneath.

    ¡°Who would do something so cruel?¡± Altear shook with fury. All over the world storms gathered and the ground rumbled causing mass hysteria to erupt throughout the world. Turning her attention back to the child in her arms who was barely a month old, she felt deep pity for the child¡¯s future. ¡°Little Prometheus, I promised Gaia that I would take care of you. Life may be harder after what has happened, but bear with me. I promise great things will come soon. Just bear with me¡­¡±

    Altear had already lost the perpetrator that had caused the incident. The best she could do was to be on guard and be ready in case another attack occurs. Meanwhile, she had to decide who she would give the baby to.

    The mother¡¯s side, although well off, I don¡¯t think it will be a good idea for the child¡¯s mental growth. The father¡¯s side however¡­ They are nice people, though they are constantly struggling to make ends meet, they are always loving and caring. It¡¯s decided, Little Prometheus, you will go live with your Uncle. I¡¯m not sure what name your parents have given you so¡­ from now on you¡¯ll be Garett. I hope that with this name, you¡¯ll live a loving and caring life.

    She caressed the child in her arms and disappeared from the wreckage of the house. Immediately appearing before the doorstep of a small village house, Altear gently sat down and just like Gaia, kissed Garett on the forehead before knocking on the door.

    POV of Galen

    It has been many months since the harsh drought, even though it¡¯s already gone, the farm has suffered greatly. The problem with making ends meet was keeping him up at night, countless times he would ponder what he should do. If it weren¡¯t for his two sons and daughter that had already grown up and married, Galen and his wife, Rhetti, would¡¯ve been starved to death.

    Galen and Rhetti lived in a decently sized village with a population over 300. Due to its close proximity to a large town, the village was prosperous and rarely had any troubles. The troops of the large town would have routine patrols, guaranteeing the village¡¯s safety. The only problem was the taxes that came along with the protection, combined with the recent drought, it had caused the two married couple to suffer.

    Luckily his children that had already moved out sent some money, just enough for him and his wife to live. Galen was thankful, thankful for the love that he and his children all shared. Within the village, there was a small shrine dedicated to the Goddess of Fertility. Ever since the drought, this being was soon created in hopes of reversing the dire circumstances. Therefore, Galen would often wake up early in the morning and pray at the shrine before he began his work in the fields.

    It was this particular morning, before the sun was out, a knock surprised him. Normally, no one would be up at this hour aside from farmers, Galen kept his guard up and opened the door.

    ¡°Aga~¡±

    ¡°A baby? And a girl?¡±

    Galen stared at the little bundle of joy that was someone else¡¯s child. Memories of his own children surfaced in his mind. However, before he could say anything else, the girl spoke out. ¡°Are you Galen Zoel? Older brother of Eilen?¡±

    ¡°That is I, yes.¡± Galen was on guard. The girl appeared in the early morning, bearing a child that seemed like it was born just recently. If that wasn¡¯t suspicious, then he must be an idiot.

    ¡°That is great, I finally found you!¡± The girl immediately broke down crying while clutching the child in her arms. Galen¡¯s guard softened a little seeing such a young girl cry. She looked no older than his own daughter when he married her off at the age of 16.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong little girl? Why were you looking for me?¡± Galen reached out and wiped away her tears.

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s just¡­¡± She continued to sob uncontrollably. Without hesitation, Galen brought her inside.

    ¡°Take your time, you¡¯ve found me now, so it will be alright.¡±

    ¡°Eilan¡­ Eilan¡­ He passed away!¡± The little girl managed to cry out before returning once more into uncontrollable sobbing.

    After hearing the little girl mention his little brother, Galen¡¯s mind blanked out. His little brother that had just sent news of his marriage a couple months back is dead. Impossible! He thought.

    ¡°Tell me you¡¯re joking!¡± He heavily shook the girl, forgetting that she was holding onto the baby.

    ¡°Wahh~!¡±

    ¡°Tell me it¡¯s a joke!¡± His hands were tightly clenching the arms of the girl that was sobbing. It was at that time that Rhetti was woken up by the noise.

    ¡°Why is it so noisy in here?¡± She walked in while yawning, immediately upon seeing the scene she slapped Galen¡¯s hand away from the girl. ¡°What are you doing? You¡¯re hurting the poor child!¡±

    ¡°Rhetti! This girl is saying that Eilan¡­ He¡¯s¡­ He¡¯s dead!¡± Galen struggled to get the words out of his mouth.

    Rhetti also was shaken after hearing Galen, but she managed to somewhat keep her calm. ¡°Firstly, child, please give me the baby to hold. I¡¯ll try to calm the baby down and then we can get this all sorted out. Is that alright?¡±

    ¡°Un.¡± The girl manages to nod and reluctantly hands over the baby.

    After everyone has calmed down to a manageable level, the questions began to fly from everyone¡¯s mouths.

    ¡°First, who are you?¡±

    ¡°I am Tea, a close friend of Eilan.¡±

    ¡°How did you find me here?¡±

    ¡°Eilan loved to talk about his family a lot. He always mentioned you when he talked to me. That¡¯s how I managed to find you.¡±

    ¡°Finally, i-is what you s-said true? Eilan¡­¡± A complex atmosphere enveloped the room.

    The girl didn¡¯t give a verbal answer, but silently nodded. ¡°After the fire, only their child remained. After I arrived, I was given the child by the townsfolk that were there first.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡±

    ¡°Dear, this must be hard on you. You two were so close, even closer than brothers¡­ It¡¯s hard to think that Eilan isn¡¯t here any¡­ more¡­¡± Rhetti¡¯s shoulder trembled slightly and she suddenly rested her head on Galen¡¯s shoulder, sobbing quietly.

    Galen felt that a large lump had formed in his throat, preventing him from speaking. Rhetti had handed him the baby before she cried into his shoulder. Taking a glance at the baby that was quietly drinking goats milk, Galen could discern Eilan¡¯s sharp gaze in the child¡¯s eyes. There was no doubt about it, this child was Eilan¡¯s. Though he had never seen Eilan¡¯s wife, Eilan would always write and tease him about how beautiful she was; now he could see why, the child was really a work of a god, peerless beauty.

    ¡°I think Eilan would¡¯ve wished for you to raise his child if he wasn¡¯t here anymore¡­¡± The girl named Tea spoke softly.

    By now Galen¡¯s tears were staining his beard. The shock of finding out his brother is gone still hasn¡¯t fully set in. He could only blankly admire the baby that he held in his arms, finding all the similarities of his late brother in the child.

    The silence drew on for a long period. The sun had long arisen, but the people in the small house were still grieving silently. It wasn¡¯t until the girl stood up that the grieving ended.

    ¡°I have to go.¡±

    Rhetti quickly called out, ¡°Please, at least stay until you¡¯ve rested. It must be a long journey to arrive here.¡±

    ¡°No, I cannot stay. I still have to tell inform Helen¡¯s family. I¡¯m sure they would want to know what happened to her. By the way, Eilan decided to name the child Garett, after you and your wife. I hope that you raise him up well, give him the same amount of love and care your brother would. Also¡­ please, don¡¯t tell him about the truth. Raise him up as your own.¡± Without another word, the girl named Tea disappeared from the house.

    ¡°Rhetti¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, Dear?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s give Garett the love and attention Eilan and Helen couldn¡¯t give.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Dear.¡±

 Chapter 4

    <u>13 years passed by¡­</u>

    <u>Matthias¡¯ POV</u>

    I had that dream again.

    In the dream, I was molding mud. I kept on forming the shape of a person and then destroying it and beginning over once more. Lately, it¡¯s been happening more recently. Sometimes I would dream of talking to beautiful people whilst watching from the clouds. I felt as if I were inside someone else¡¯s mind.

    Going back to the dream from earlier, I kept on molding the mud. I felt happy. Every time that I molded the mud into the shape of a person, I would smile uncontrollably. I¡¯m not sure why, but even when I destroyed my creations, I felt as if I gained some important and profound knowledge. I would then again resume the molding process once more; the result with a more distinct appearance than the last.

    This last dream however, it was different. In the past the mud figure wasn¡¯t as pronounced, it was impossible to discern the features on the mud doll. This latest dream, the mud doll had eyes, nose, mouth, and even ears. I wonder what it¡¯s trying to tell me. Father did say that spirits tend to play pranks on unwary people, but I¡¯ve never heard of them continuing the prank for years on end.

    ¡°Matt? Are you awake?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mother!¡± I got up from the bed, right now wasn¡¯t the time to delay. Today was the day that I get assigned an apprenticeship. Eldest brother was going to inherit the farm once Father retired, therefore I had to have a different trade. Second brother had already traveled to the town nearby and was currently working as a smith at the forge.

    Father had already called up all the people that owed him favors. In the village, farmers with more than one boy would call upon the people who owed them favors and seek an apprenticeship for their younger sons. Normally the people who were called can decide whether to take the child as an apprentice and the farmer cannot really decide for their child.

    ¡°This the boy?¡± A rough looking man with the air of a military man asked unreservedly when I stepped outside. I must have overslept, something quite unusual for me to do. Along with Father, five other individuals stood proudly. Along with the village guard that had spoken earlier, I could recognize the village medicine man, the frail scholar, and a hunter that my father bought meat from time to time. The last person was shrouded in mystery.

    I was already well acquainted with the medicine man, I learned a bit of medicine making from him. The art of turning the plants you see on the ground into a consumable that could save lives always intrigued me. The medicine man also had an interest in my talent; before this day came it was pretty much decided that he would take me on as his apprentice.

    Though it was already decided without Father¡¯s knowing, we still had to undergo the formalities to respect the other people¡¯s trades. The guard was a well-known person in the village, but I don¡¯t see myself sporting a spear and donning heavy metal armors all day. The scholar, though I¡¯m very well-versed in the texts pertaining to studies of magical beast behaviors, there¡¯s not that many books in the village. To be scholar required one to be well off; it was something that I could not afford.

    The hunter, although I admire their skills, their way of living is solely dependent on the abundance of game in the forest; I do not want to place my livelihood on something I cannot guarantee. Not only was it dangerous because of magical beasts, the risks outweighs the rewards. No, if only I could protect myself, the life of a hunter wasn¡¯t bad. Sadly, a boy from a family of farmers cannot afford to contract a spirit, nor could I receive formal training which was a luxury only rich folks can afford.

    The last man was wearing a green mottled cloak, he looked really out of place. There was something different about this person, I¡¯ve never seen him around the village before. Judging from the expressions of Father and the rest of the tradesmen, this person was dangerous. Unlike the guard, this man reeked of blood, of death. I¡¯m not sure why exactly, but my nose was always quite sensitive; I could smell rain hours before it came.

    ¡°Yes, this is my boy. Thank you all for gathering here today, I know that you are all busy people and have better things to do.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, my shift just finished so I¡¯m not as quiet as I usually am.¡± The guard captain announced. The rest of the group just quietly nodded to get things moving, the guard was never quiet; he loved to talk.

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t take any more of your times. I would like you all to evaluate my son over here, is he worthy of becoming an apprentice of any one of you?¡±

    I stepped out in front of Father. I was a bit nervous, normally I don¡¯t like being stared at by people. Something I find strange was the strange stares that everyone would give me, thus I elected to refrain from exposing myself too much to the village. Unlike the other children, I loved books and stories. Father would always tell me the adventures of Eilan, Father¡¯s brother. In those stories, Uncle Eilan would always surprise me one way or another. If I had the chance, I would no doubt become an adventurer like him.

    ¡°Oi, kid, stick out your arm.¡± The guard commanded.

    As soon as I did so, he examined my hand and arm. Did he need to be so rough? I thought. The guard was roughly handling my arm, examining minute details. Soon, he also groped my thighs, probably to study my body structure.

    ¡°Hm, you are quite the delicate one aren¡¯t ya? I¡¯m sorry Galen, this boy ain¡¯t fit to become a guard. Are you sure you raised him on a farm? He looked like he¡¯d been living as royalty damnit. No shred of developed muscle anywhere!¡± The guard snorted and walked off, not caring how callous he was being.

    Certainly I looked really thin, but I have always helped Father and Eldest brother in the field. There was no way that I¡¯m weak, such a shame the guard came to such a quick conclusion. He would be surprised at how much stronger I am compared to my looks. The next to speak was the scholar.

    ¡°*Sigh* I¡¯m sorry, Galen I came here to reject the apprenticeship. There¡¯s nothing more I can teach him that he doesn¡¯t already know. The knowledge within this village is limited and Matthias has already perused all the books that I had with me.¡± He looked at me proudly, aside from me no one else had the interest in books and information. I could only return a apologetic smile and nod as the scholar also turned around the left.

    The only tradesmen left were the Hunter, Medicine Man, and the Stranger.

    The Medicine Man stood nonchalantly, already sure that he was going to be able to take me in as his apprentice, and meanwhile the Hunter was studying my features closely. The Hunter was more reserved than the guard, he only stood back and studied my physique.

    ¡°You.¡± He pointed at me, ¡°You go into the forest to pick herbs from time to time right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    After a short pause, the Hunter suddenly asked, ¡°Want to become my apprentice?¡±

    ¡°¡±!!!¡±¡± Father and the Medicine Man were shocked, normally the tradesmen would ask more questions and thoroughly inspect the potential apprentice before deciding. To decide after a short glance, it was very strange.

    ¡°Surely you¡¯re joking!¡± The Medicine Man panicked and interjected.

    ¡°No, this child. Have you seen him move? He moves with the grace of a panther stalking its prey, silent and deadly. Perfect for a hunter. His footsteps are light, his stride is balanced, I envy his skills in this regard.¡±

    Impressive, this Hunter had seen me in the forest? I¡¯ve entered the forest many times to gather herbs to practice and I¡¯ve only seen this man once or twice.

    ¡°Even so, I think Matthias is more suited to become a medicine practitioner, don¡¯t you think so?¡± The Medicine Man argued, ¡°That minor salve that you bought the other day was made by Matthias did you know that?¡±

    Now that he mentioned it, I remember making something of that sort the other day. Truthfully, I made that to convince the Medicine Man to take me in as a disciple, using the best quality ingredients I could find.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Even better, if the child could do something like that, then I have more of a reason to take him in!¡± The Hunter challenged.

    ¡°I think Matthias would benefit more if he were under my tutelage! Besides, he needs money, the best way to make it is to become a medicine practitioner! Plus, it¡¯s safer, who knows how dangerous the deeper part of the forest is!¡±

    ¡°Oh I wouldn¡¯t say so, the child has gone in pretty deep.¡± The Hunter stared at me. Since when was this man following me during my forest gatherings? It was true, the best medicinal ingredients were hidden deeper inside the forest.

    ¡°I-i-impossible!¡± The Medicine Man was shaking from shock. I¡¯m sure he thought it would¡¯ve been easy to take me on as an apprentice. Even I was sure that I would definitely get picked up by the Medicine Man, I am genuinely surprised that someone else had taken interest in me.

    Just as I the two continued to bicker, the Stranger finally spoke.

    ¡°Enough.¡± He growled. ¡°None of you are qualified to teach the son of Eilan Zoel.¡±

    Wait. Did I hear wrong? I heard him mistake me for Uncle Eilan¡¯s son. If I remember correctly, Father told me Uncle Eilan and Auntie Helen passed away after a disaster struck their home.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear incorrectly.¡± The man answered my questions as if he could read my mind.

    The two bickering villagers began to raise their protest when suddenly a deep bone-shaking cold filled the surrounding. ¡°I suggest you two take your leave. I have something to discuss with ¡®Father¡¯ and ¡®Son¡¯ about.¡± The man¡¯s face was covered by a thin cloth and he wore a hood, but I could tell he was glaring at Father.

    The two villagers couldn¡¯t do a thing and peacefully left, I could only watch the reluctant Medicine Man as he departed. Father, who was just as frightened decided to continue the talk inside the house.

    ¡°I¡¯ve come as promised.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t give you permission to do this!¡± Father weakly resisted. I¡¯m not sure what they were talking about, but I understood it had to do with me. I could only quietly sit and listen to their one sided exchange.

    ¡°It is not up to you. Eilan and I made a promise, a promise that I intend to fulfill. I¡¯ve already told you this ten years ago.¡±

    ¡°You h-have no proof! How do I know that you¡¯re not lying?!¡±

    ¡°Fool! Don¡¯t lie to me! It was already decided that if anything were to happen to Eilan and Helen I would be given custody of the child! I¡¯m not sure who was it that gave you their child, but after I finally managed to track the boy down, I was already lenient enough to let you raise him until he was old enough. As the boy¡¯s godfather, I have every right to him, more so than you!¡±

    That¡¯s impossible, this conversation is taking a weird turn. First of all, just from the contents of their conversation, they are referring to me, but how can this be? My Brothers and Sister were all grown up already and left, aside from Eldest brother, only I remained here. But, I could only remember Father from the day I was born¡­ Was it possible this man was mistaken?

    ¡°Y-you have n-no evidence! I want physical evidence that proves you are the godfather!¡±

    ¡°Evidence? Will that finally shut your stubborn mouth?! Hmph! Fine!¡± The man rummaged around under his cloak.

    *Shhn!* He unsheathed a magnificent blade from under the cloak. What¡¯s the most amazing thing of all was the sword looked to be too large to fit under that cloak. I wonder where he hid such a large sword? I thought to myself.

    I glanced over at Father and his face was ashen. Was that sword the evidence? I wonder what the meaning behind the sword was, why would Father look so scared?

    ¡°Aequitas¡­ Eilan gave you Aequitas?!¡±

    ¡°Exactly, if this isn¡¯t sufficient evidence, then you truly are a blind man. Out of respect for you as the older brother, I let you raised Matthias up until now. Today I¡¯ve come for him to begin his training.¡±

    ¡°H-h-he¡¯s just a boy! At least wait a couple more years until he¡¯s fully grown!¡±

    So this conversation was about me... If that were the case, that would mean I¡¯m not Father¡¯s son? I¡¯m actually¡­ the son of Uncle, no¡­ Eilan¡¯s son? That just brings up more questions! Who is this man? Why did Father lie to me, all my life I thought¡­

    ¡°Denied. Right now is the best time to begin training; when the body is undergoing its growth phase.¡±

    ¡°T-then, at least let him stay for a few more days! To say his goodbyes!¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve already waited three days since I¡¯ve arrived in this village. I¡¯ve explicitly showed you myself when I arrived, you should¡¯ve known this would happen. This was brought upon by yourself. We leave tonight, I¡¯ll come pick up the boy then.¡± Without waiting for an answer, the man left the house and disappeared from our sights.

    ¡°Father¡­ Is what the man said true? I¡¯m not your son?¡±

    I don¡¯t want to believe it. I want Father to say no, even if he had to lie, I wanted him to say no! If he says no, I don¡¯t care what the stranger does, I won¡¯t go anywhere! I¡¯m staying here with Father and Mother!

    ¡°¡­ It¡¯s true, Matt.¡± Father weakly answered, much to my denial. ¡°Now that you know the truth, I might as well tell you everything¡­¡±

    ¡°Please¡­ No¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t bear the thought of it. Why did Father not deny it?

    ¡°13 years ago, you were brought over to us. It was very early in the morning, before the cock crowed, a stranger knocked on our door¡­¡±

    As Father recounted what happened that morning, the morning when I was delivered to Fa- Uncle Galen¡­ My mind went blank. My whole identity, my current self was living a lie. It was a bitter sweet lie and as long as the truth wasn¡¯t out, it would remain sweet. Too bad the truth was out; I was violently ripped from my little bubble of peace and security.

    Ignorance.

    All the stories of Father, my real father, his accomplishments, and his deeds. I¡¯ve always dreamt of getting to know this man that I¡¯ve called Uncle Eilan. I always thought that if Uncle Eilan were still alive, would he teach me to become an adventurer like him. Every time Fa-Uncle Galen talked about Father, he would often stare off far into the distance, especially when he recited the many stories of Father. I¡¯ve always wished that Father wasn¡¯t dead, so Uncle Galen would be happy, I would¡¯ve never believed¡­ that Uncle Eilan was my true father¡­ Now I¡¯m wishing that I had never known about this¡­

    I want this day to never happen¡­

    ¡°Matt, please¡­ Forgive me. Rhetti and I, we only wanted to shelter you from the pain. We never wished for you to find out the truth.¡± Uncle Galen was weakly holding onto my hand, I couldn¡¯t bear to bring my head up and look at him in the face.

    I¡¯m confused. Lost. How am I supposed to look at Uncle Galen from now on? He lied to protect me, yet he still lied. These complex emotions were racing through my heart. Thinking back to the stories Uncle Galen told me, Father was a great man. Now that I know Eilan was my father, I see these stories in a different lens. I will only ever know about Father through these stories. I must cherish them.

    I have to answer Galen. I don¡¯t hate him, in fact I should be thankful. Thankful for giving me a family, a home to stay in.

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t hate you U-Uncle Galen¡­¡± Such foreign words, Uncle Galen¡¯s hand tightened when he heard me speak, ¡°You gave me a home. You cared for me as if I were your own son. For 13 years, I truly was your son. If today¡¯s events hadn¡¯t happen, I would¡¯ve remained your son for the rest of my life. Sadly¡­ it wasn¡¯t meant to be. Now that I know the truth I want to ask you one thing¡­¡±

    ¡°*Sniff* Ask.¡±

    ¡°Did Father truly died of natural causes?¡±

    Uncle Galen paused after hearing my question, he thought a bit before answering my question. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. A-after you were delivered to us, a week after a message was delivered telling me that Eilan and Helen were dead. The message only said it was during a large storm, nothing else was stated¡­¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± What was strange was, the message should be sent using air transport. Rarely do mails and messages get sent through land travel. If you are not rich and cannot afford to use transmission crystals, then the only other options were by air or land. In order for the mail to arrive in a week after I was delivered¡­ Does that mean the person who delivered me to Uncle Galen traveled faster than the messenger?

    As if answering my question Uncle Galen started saying, ¡°The girl who was carrying you looked like she was just a teen like yourself. Back then, I¡¯m sure she had just come of age. I don¡¯t know how she did it, but she managed to find us before the message arrived. Now that I think about it, I never did ask for her name. She just said she knew Eilan¡­¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    If I can find her¡­ maybe I can get some answers. Who was that girl? Why was I sent here? Where was Mother¡¯s family?

    ¡°Come Matt, let¡¯s talk for a while. Let¡¯s talk for as long as we can until you have to go¡­¡±

    We talked, Uncle Galen and Aunt Rhetti both told me to take care of myself. We talked about my daily routine, what not to do, and my life from here on out. It was a tough situation; no one wanted me to leave. We talked for hours on end, the misty morning sun soon began to set in the distance and we still continued talking. We talked until we ran out of things to talk about. By the time night rolled around, we were softly crying in each other¡¯s arms.

    ¡°I¡¯m back. Come out.¡± The cold voice called from outside our small house.

    ¡°Remember Matt, do not anger the man, he¡¯s dangerous. Also remember everything we talked about. And please¡­ Don¡¯t forget about us.¡± Aunt Rhetti gently caressed my cheek before breaking down into tears and running into the other room.

    ¡°I won¡¯t forget. I promise.¡± I shouldered my small bag of clothes and a small bundle of food. I didn¡¯t have much in my possession. Uncle Galen tried to force me to take some money, but I refused him.

    ¡°Hey Matt, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of Father. You go out there and do what you have to do. To me you¡¯ll always be my brother.¡± Trey, my eldest brother proudly patted my shoulder. He had just returned from the field and had quickly accepted the situation.

    ¡°Thanks Eldest Brother. Remember to look after¡­ Mother and Father¡­¡± I said and quickly left the house. If I was to stay any longer, I knew it would just be harder to leave.

    ¡°Took you long enough.¡± The man growled. ¡°We have a lot of ground to cover, so get a move on.¡± The stranger turned around and started walking away. This man has no tact, he didn¡¯t even bother to introduce himself.

    ¡°First of all, who are you? I know nothing about who you are or what you do, all I know is you claim to be my godfather, whom I¡¯ve never met.¡± I resolutely stood outside the front door. If I was to go any further, I have to at least know who this man was. Living on the farm, I haven¡¯t learn much about etiquette, but I do know enough that I have every right to question this stranger.

    Stopping in his tracks, the man turned around once more. ¡°Names don¡¯t matter much in my profession. If you must call me by name, then Haze will do. Now isn¡¯t the best time to have idle conversations. We will speak later.¡± Without another word, the man known as Haze turned around and continued walking.

    I took one last look at the home that I grew up in. Memories of the last 13 years flooded me before I turned around and followed the stranger known as Haze. Little did I know, my carefree life was about to change drastically.