1358 Ten Thousand Year Grudge [Part 2]
William didn’t have to wait long for the voice to speak to him once again, telling him a story that he didn’t know.
“Eons ago, when there was only Darkness in the universe and, contrary to popular belief, I was the second existence that came into being…”
The owner of the voice said these words fondly, as if reminiscing of a distant past that no longer existed.
“In the beginning there was Chaos,” the voice said softly. “Then, the Protogenoi, who are also referred to as the Primordial Gods, came into existence.
“Void, Darkness, Earth, Sky, Mountains, Sea, Underworld, Light, Day, and Love.
“They were the first existences to exist during a time when there was nothing else in the universe.
“And… through Love, many others were born.
“The earth was filled with creatures, both fair and hideous, and the Gods came into being. After hundreds of years of evolution, different races and civilizations thrived. Among them, Humanity was the most populous, allowing them to spread to all corners of the world, carrying their beliefs, and venturing into the unknown.
“Their lives were very frail, and subjected to the whims of the Gods, who controlled the elements, and wielded powers that mere mortals weren’t able to fathom. And yet, these frail, and short-lived creatures, were the very pillars that kept these mighty beings into existence.”
There was a short pause as if giving William time to digest the words that had been spoken. A minute later, the Goddess who lurked within the Darkness continued her tale.
“The lives of Gods weren’t that peaceful,” the voice stated. “Even among themselves, grudges, jealousy, schemes, deception, and paranoia were rampant.”
The owner of the voice chuckled, as if to ridicule these petty squabbles among existences that stood above the mortal realm.
“Then war happened.
“A War between Gods, which shook the very foundations of the world, destroying the land, and changing it in ways that one couldn’t even imagine. For ten years, the Gods fought against each other, until a victor emerged from the chaos.
“After that great war, a time of peace settled across the land, and one of the first Pantheons in existence came to be. Everything went well at the start, until the Head of the Gods went to spread his seed to every beauty that he laid his eyes on.”
Another chuckle filled with ridicule reverberated in the surroundings before the Goddess continued where she left off.
“This God had dethroned his father, and threw him into the pit known as the Underworld. He thought that everything was over then, but to his surprise, a prophecy came into existence.
“You who have overthrown your father will one day suffer the same fate.
“That was the prophecy that made him stop his affairs in the mortal realm, lest he be dethroned from the seat which he had strived hard to get. But, as if due to a twist of fate, this child, who shouldn’t have been born, was born… thanks to a Goddess who had nurtured the God, who claimed the seat as the King of all Gods.
“Oh… the irony. To this day, I didn’t see it coming. Eventually, the God, who proclaimed himself to be the King of Gods, thought that he succeeded. But, alas, her foster mother wasn’t able to stop herself from caring for the poor soul, whose existence was denied.”
A light snort was heard within the darkness before the words of the Goddess once again reached William’s ears.
“She sent the soul of the unborn child into the Cycle of Reincarnation, in exchange for her Divinity. This Tender Goddess placed a condition on the soul that it wouldn’t be born on the same plane existence as his father. After that, she took to the Heavens and became a constellation. Watching over him, laughing with him, crying with him, and wishing him happiness in his life.
“But, something unexpected happened. This soul, who was in the future, suddenly found himself in the past. Meeting the God who was supposed to be father, and even fought against him. Their battle shook the heavens, made the lands tremble, and made the heart of a certain Goddess… skip a beat.”
A solemn silence then descended within that pitch-black world that lasted for several minutes before an Obsidian throne appeared before William. Seated on it was the Primordial Goddess, who looked at the Half-Elf with a smile that was sweet enough to rot his teeth.
“Oh, just to make things clear, that Goddess was not me,” the Primordial Goddess said. “I only fell in love with you after I watched your struggles for hundreds of years, after I became aware of your existence.”
The Primordial Goddess snapped her fingers and the image of blonde-haired beauty, with blue eyes, appeared in front of Wiliam. Her beauty paled in comparison to the Primordial Goddess in front of him, but there was this calmness that soothed William’s soul as he looked at the Young Goddess in front of him.
“This young Goddess didn’t command the elements. She couldn’t make the wind blow for her sake. She couldn’t make the sea split apart, so she could walk on on the dry ground beneath it, nor could bend the will of the mortals, in order to make them do her bidding.
“She didn’t have that power. But, the power she wielded was very important to the Gods of that Pantheon. If that soul hadn’t traveled back in time to meet her, as well as defeat her father in front of her, which made her fall in love with him, perhaps that Pantheon would still exist. Alas, she fell in love, and because of that, she cast aside her Divinity of Eternal Youth.
“This was the power that kept the Gods and Goddesses of that Pantheon young, allowing them to live for thousands of years, making them nearly immortal.
“But, after she cast aside her identity as a Goddess, to follow that young man whom she had fallen in love with, the Gods of that world, slowly aged. The civilization of the people that worshiped them also waned, making them lose their power as the years went by.
“The Goddess of Eternal Youth might have thought that her disappearance wouldn’t be a big deal to the Gods, but contrary to what she thought, the importance of her existence was irreplaceable. No one before, or after her, managed to take her place, and because of that, one of the first, and strongest, Pantheons in existence was buried in history.”
The image of the Young Goddess disappeared from that Dark World, and the Primordial Goddess who sat on the throne looked at William with a sad expression on her face.
“That young Goddess’ name was Hebe,” the Primordial Goddess said softly. “But, she now has a different name. After thousands of years of death and rebirth, her wish has been granted. She was now married to the person whom she fell in love with. Now, here is a little question, my beloved William…
“Do you know who Hebe is in this current generation?”
The Half-Elf bit his lips because even though he had lost his memories, and had no recollection of his other past lives, it was quite easy to know who the Primordial Goddess was talking about.
The one person that she couldn’t forgive, even if thousands of years had passed.
It was none other than the black-haired beauty, who William met on Earth, and the person whom the Primordial Goddess wanted the red-headed teenager to forget.
“Belle,” William said firmly. “Her name is Belle.”‘