"Who the fuck are you?"
"Woah, how rude of you, Ryker."
In front of me stood a mosaic figure. He didn't have a face or any real features, he just had the vague shape of lips moving as he spoke. It was like a mannequin had suddenly come to life.
"Well, since you want to know so badly who I am..."The figure cleared his throat, and with a theatrical tone said,"I'm the Human God."
"Human God?"
Another God?! What's up with these guys? First that Dragon God who looks like a psychopath, and now this self-proclaimed 'Human God' who looks like a failed comedian. I really need a break from these guys.
"Yes! I'm the Human God, and I'm here to help you, Ryker."
"First of all, I have a couple of questions to ask you," I said as I got to my feet to face this guy.
"Umm... you remind me of someone..." The figure frowned while speaking. "Fine, since I like you so much, go ahead. Ask me whatever you want." He returned to his theatrical voice.
This guy is really messed up.
"What is this place, and how am I here?"
"Oh, this place is my home, and I was the one who brought you here."
His answers were vague, he definitely didn't want me to know where I was or why I had been brought here.
"Look, Ryker. I know a lot of things, and I can see a lot of things. That's why—"
"Get me out of here." I cut him off, dry and sharp.
"I should be somewhere else, and I've already lost a lot of time. My family must be worried, so get me out of here."
The Human God looked genuinely shocked by my abrupt answer. He sighed and turned his face away.
"You're right. How could I possibly be useful to you?" He covered his face with his hands, pretending to be sad as he spoke."It's not like I could help in your meeting with Perugius, nor could I help you protect your little brother from Perugius."
"What did you say?" As I spoke, I could see a smile forming behind his fingers.
"Oh, nothing. It's just that Perugius thinks your little brother is Laplace's reincarnation."
"What?!"
"As you heard. Perugius believes your little brother is the reincarnation of the Demon God Laplace."
"How are you so sure about that?"
"For what other reason do you think he would ask to see your brother?" He faced me again as he kept speaking.
"It is destined that Laplace will be reborn, and before you ask—no, your brother isn't Laplace's reincarnation."
"Then why would Perugius try to hurt him?" The Human God began circling me, as if he enjoyed seeing my desperation.
"Because he doesn't know. I know, because I'm a true God. Perugius is just an idiot who happened to learn divine magic." I decided to stay silent as he spoke.
"What Perugius knows is that there's a possibility your brother is Laplace's reincarnation. And that alone makes your brother a risk. To Perugius, Sieg is a risk, a risk he won't tolerate."
The Human God looked at me, expecting me to say something. When he realized I would stay silent, a spark of excitement appeared in his white, empty eyes.
"I can help you with this whole situation."
"Tch. Out of the kindness of your heart?"
"No." He stopped circling me and stood right in front of me.
"I'll give you some advice to help you, and in exchange, you'll do me a favor as well."
"Why should I even accept this advice of yours? Maybe I can't do much myself, but I have my father and my mothers to handle the situation. Even the Dragon God came with us."
"Sounds like a good team. But tell me. Are you willing to take the risk? Your little brother's life is in your hands." I could only stay silent while biting my lower lip. This idiot is good at this.
The Human God sighed and spoke again."Look, Ryker, let's do this. I'll give you one… no, two pieces of advice for free. If you find them useful, then we can make a deal. What do you think?"
"Ugh. I guess I don't lose anything by listening to—"
"Wise decision, my friend!"
"Tch, you seem very excited, Human God."
"Jejeje… now, listen carefully." He cleared his throat and straightened his posture. "My first advice is simple: when you encounter Perugius, touch his hand with yours."
"What the—?"
"My second advice is this: In one year from today, go to the main street behind the Magic University and free an elf slave from a cage."
"What is that supposed to mean?! This is the worst advice ever!"
"Jejeje… good luck, Ryker."
"No! You idiot!" As I ran toward him, my consciousness began to fade, and everything went black.
---
I woke up, sweaty and alarmed, as the sunlight hit me, blinding me. I could feel the air on my face.
"Seems I'm back," I muttered to myself.
"Oh, you're back."
"WAHH!" In front of me was my father, analyzing every corner of my face.
"Father, don't do that!"
My father just laughed at me and helped me get up.
"Oh, we must be late, right?" I said, looking around nervously, but I found everyone staring at me strangely.
"Ummm, we're not late, Ryker. We've just arrived a few seconds ago," Father said, his face confused.
"You fainted when we exited the teleportation circle, but that's normal, and it seems that you're fine."
"Oh... I get it. Sorry."
Everyone looked confused at me. It seemed that time flows differently wherever I was with the Human God. I looked at my father and hesitantly asked a question.
"Father... is the Demon God Laplace destined to be reborn?"
Silence fell over us. My father looked nervous, but then he spoke.
"Well... yes, but I can assure you there's nothing to worry about, Ryker."
He sounded nervous, more nervous than when talking with White Mother when she was mad at him. That Human God was right. And if he was right about Laplace being destined to be reborn, perhaps he was also right when warning me about Perugius' intentions.
"Welcome, Rudeus Greyrat. Perugius-sama awaits."
A woman snapped me back to reality. I couldn't see her face behind the bird mask she was wearing. The sun shined brightly on her golden hair locks, though the most remarkable feature I noticed was the pair of jet-black wings growing from her back.
She guided us through the luxurious palace until we arrived at a huge door. The woman adjusted her white robe and opened it.
"Please, come in," she said in her artificial tone.
When we entered the room, I saw multiple pillars and chandeliers. Beside them hung several curtains embroidered with emblems and crests. And finally, at the front of the room, stood around twelve people surrounding a throne.The owner of that throne? The Armored Dragon King, Perugius Dola.
"Rudeus, you finally arrived." His voice sounded like lightning.
I saw both of my mothers and Zanoba kneel as a sign of respect, so I mimicked them. The only ones still standing were my father and the Dragon God.
"You made me wait, Rudeus," Perugius-sama said, clearly annoyed.
"My son was just born," Father replied firmly.
"Arumanfi explained that. That is the only reason I allowed it. I believe you already know why you are here, correct?" Perugius-sama said dryly, leaning forward.
"I do know." When Father spoke, he helped Mother stand up so she could show Sieg to Perugius-sama. Father explained that Sieg wasn't Laplace's reincarnation—he said that even Orsted had examined him.
"And what if your son is Laplace?" Perugius replied, his tone threatening.
"Then we'll fight." I could feel the determined aura emanating from my father. Seeing the scene, my fear only grew stronger. Father had explained everything to Perugius-sama, yet he still asked if Sieg was Laplace. I remembered the Human God's words: To Perugius, Sieg is a risk, a risk he won't tolerate.
"My brother isn't Laplace." As I opened my mouth, all the gazes turned toward me. I stood up and walked forward.
"If after hearing all my father's words you still believe that my brother is Laplace's reincarnation, then you lack intelligence."
The twelve servants of Perugius looked at me with bloodlust. My mothers, Zanoba, and my father had their mouths open in shock.
"Ryker Greyrat." Perugius spit my name as if it were a curse, his golden eyes fixed on me.
"You dare speak to me like that in my own palace?" His words made my ears rumble and my knees shake for a second, but I remembered all my Red Mother's teachings: protect the ones you love and care about, no matter what.
I stood firmly and walked to the side where my father was.
"If my family is in danger, I don't care who you are." I clenched my fists, not to threaten him, but to calm my own nerves. Shit... what am I doing?
Perugius stood up from his throne. "I've heard about you. The youngest Water Saint in history, a remarkable achievement. But answer me: do you think you can fight me?"
His voice made the air catch in my throat, and all my muscles began to shake again.
"Ryker! Stop this!" my father shouted, grabbing my shoulder. Damn... why am I doing this? Of course I can't fight him. He's a God. If he wanted to, he could kill me with his fingers. I shouldn't have done this. I should've stayed quiet and—
"WAHH! WAHH!"
The silence was broken by Sieg's cries. He had slept through the whole trip, but now he started crying.
I never had a brother in my past life, so I don't know how it feels to have someone younger than me. But what I am sure of is that when I heard Sieg cry, something boiled inside me, making all my doubts disappear instantly.
"Fuck this..."
While everyone was distracted, I conjured a water spell mixed with a wind spell. The mixture of these two created a dense barrier of fog, water, and humidity across the room.Then I launched myself forward with SonicBoom, heading directly toward Perugius.
I was fully aware I couldn't defeat him. He was a God, but I remembered the Human God's first advice. Before Perugius could react, I grabbed his hand firmly, and a spark of lightning burst from both of us.
In a second, the lightning enveloped my entire vision, blurring it completely. I stopped seeing Perugius' face, and instead I saw multiple colored lights swirling around me. Then everything went black—but slowly, the colors began to return.
I found myself in a different place.I wasn't in the palace anymore.I was standing in a burned field.
"What is this?" I tried to speak, but my voice didn't come out. Everything was still blurred, but then something fell from the sky.
When I looked forward, I saw two male figures. They were too far away for me to see them clearly. The first figure was kneeling; he was injured, crawling and trying to escape from the other man. The only detail I could distinguish was the golden light in the injured man's eyes.
Suddenly, the other figure turned in my direction. He stood still… looking directly at me.
"I see you…"
His lips barely moved, as if whispering, yet I heard his words clearly. The moment I met his gaze, I instinctively writhed in fear. The killing intent he released was far worse than Perugius'. He was just looking at me—just looking—but that alone was enough to fill my eyes with tears from how terrified I was.
"I don't want to die…" I whispered, and just like that, everything became blurry again.
And I returned to the palace.
When I came back to my senses, a large blade was about to cut my head. But something suddenly blocked the strike and sent me flying backwards. I saw Red Mother with her blade unsheathed, defending me from one of Perugius' servants.
Then Orsted stepped forward and removed his helmet before anyone could react.
Everyone backed away in fear the moment they saw his face. I looked at him too, those same golden eyes and silver hair that Perugius had.
A sharp pain exploded inside my head, and I felt warm liquid run down my face. Blood… coming out of my eyes.
My father kneeled beside me, holding my shoulders. "Ryker… are you okay?"
Before I could reply, Perugius stood up. Blood was dripping from his nose. He staggered slightly, and the winged woman rushed to support him. He stared at me.
He didn't look angry. There was no wrath in his eyes. Only shock.
"Ryker Greyrat… what are you?"