"Shiva The Destroyer? Well, doesn't he sound swell." Indra ignored Mane's mockery and went on to explain. "It is a moniker he earned after destroying many worlds. He cares about nothing and doesn't work with logic. He is a dangerous entity. The current you is nothing but an ant before him. You will do well to remember to stay away from him."
Mane furrowed his brows in worry. It wasn't pleasant news that he was being targeted by a god, and a rogue god at that. There was no way he would want to cross paths with this mad entity. Someone who took pleasure in destroying planets wasn't an enemy to make when you were only an earth realmer.
"But why does he want to kill me?" Mane wondered. If this god cared about nothing, then it should be safe to say that he wasn't supposed to care about his status as a Supreme. So why was he being targeted?
"He needs your blood to strengthen himself." Indra answered. His answer only served to bring more clouds of confusion into Mane's already foggy brain.
"What do you mean? How does my blood have any strengthening effect?" he asked
"Well, it is believed that Shiva strengthens himself by causing destruction to the realms. He uses the energy created from the devastated worlds to improve his strength. It isn't only limited to worlds though. The main reason he started targeting worlds was because it is difficult to kill a god. Shiva's power allows him to absorb the strength of those he kills. Since he cannot kill gods so easily, it doesn't matter if he is able to defeat them. After all, they must die before he can attain their strength. Besides, if he keeps going after gods, the gods themselves would not sit still, they would come after him."
Mane silently listened to Indra. He understood the god's words. It seemed that this god called Shiva was able to absorb the inner energy of others once he successfully killed them. Ideally, he should be going after gods. But circumstances made it impossible for him to do so. Not only were gods extremely difficult to kill, the society of gods wouldn't allow one to go about hunting them. They would band together to deal with the rogue god that dared prey on them. This made hunting gods impossible. Gods like Indra who went after other gods were rare. This wasn't only because it required that one be massively talented, one also had to have a strong backing to act without considering the consequences. But even those with the strongest of backgrounds couldn't go about killing gods on a whim. In Indra's case, the god was left alone to his devices because he was necessary. Indra didn't just target any god, he always went after the dangerous gods; gods whose presence was a threat to mortals and gods alike. He was like a vacuum cleaner. Once the universe got too dirty, he was the one that was meant to clean it up. So his actions were always overlooked. But once he killed a god who had performed no evil, he wouldn't be allowed to go free.
"So he went after the weaker ones- mortals. He raided worlds, killed the people, and absorbed their strength. But he is a clever god. Every world has the god they worship. Some worship several gods, others serve only one god. Shiva was careful to avoid the worlds that serve multiple gods. He only targeted worlds that had pledged their allegiance to a single god. Once he destroys that world, it wouldn't matter much. After all, gods have several worlds that bow to them, losing one or two isn't really a problem. As long as Shiva compensated them for their meagre loses, they ignored his actions. And to avoid their ire, he didn't target just one god." Indra's words were cold, and they sent a shiver down Mane's spine.
Although Mane felt that this god wasn't a bad one, even he could clearly sense the indifference in Indra's tone as he spoke about the destruction of the worlds. It was clear that even the relatively good gods like Indra didn't care much for the life of mortals. The gods truly regarded the lives of those weaker than them as dirt. Mane knew he was one of these mortals. His parents were gods, but he wasn't one yet. Well, maybe he was a god. But he wasn't a fully grown one- he was a godling. Unless he grew into his true potential to attain the godhood that his superior genes warranted, he too was regarded as a mortal. To the gods, anyone below the ascension realm- even Nobles- were all mortals. Any person who could be killed as easily as men killed bugs was regarded as a mortal before the gods. Even worlds that worshipped these gods were seen as no different from the rest. Mane was certain that the worship of mortals was of benefit to these gods, but he didn't know how exactly they benefitted from the worship of others. But one thing was certain: To the gods, destroying planets filled with mortals filled them with no emotion. And that thought terrified Mane. His parents were gods. Mane couldn't help but wonder if his parents were the same.
"You clearly don't care about the fate of mortals. And you seem to dislike this god. Which means you would probably kill him once you got your hands on him. It doesn't make sense. Since you do not care about our lives, why do you detest this god?" Mane enquired. He could tell from Indra's tone that he didn't care about the lives of mortals. Yet he could also sense the disdain in the god's voice when he spoke about Shiva's actions. There was no way this disdain was towards the mortal man- it was meant for Shiva. That was the one thing Mane didn't understand so far.
"He destroyed a world that belongs to me. I was meant to be their protector, but I failed them. I want to kill Shiva for that, but I cannot. His life is not meant to end by my hands. His time hasn't come yet." Mane was surprised by Indra's words. He could sense a little remorse in Indra's voice. Finally, the god was showing some emotion. The surprise on Mane's face wasn't hidden, so Indra easily saw through it. He knew why the boy was feeling this way, so the normally taciturn god felt that he had to clear the unjust assumption that Mane had drawn about him.
"It isn't that I do not care about the lives of mortals. No one has the right to take the life of another, no matter how trivial it may seem. Gods do not interfere in the matters of other gods. If a god has his world destroyed, he/she is the one responsible for their fates. It is that god who must decide if he would pursue the murderer, or let the culprit be. I cannot help those whose gods have turned their backs on them."
Mane was enlightened. So that was why the gods seemed so nonchalant. Even these seemingly all powerful beings had restrictions on their authority. It seemed that the godly society was more complex than he thought. But now Mane couldn't help but wonder if his father had his own world. Did his old man have people serving him somewhere? And what about his mother? Was she also the celebrated patroness of a planet out there?
"Besides, you aren't much different." Indra suddenly added. "What are you saying?" His words startled Mane. Was this god comparing him to the indifferent gods? How were they even the same kind of people?
"You are telling me that you haven't killed before? I have watched you for years now. I have seen you don the cloak and fight the forces of darkness that seek to consume this world. That is fine. Yet in your callousness, you allow them to grow. For although they aren't a threat to you, they are a threat to the planet. You believe that this evil must exist to keep the various nations on a leash. You prevent them from warring against their neighbors by allowing this evil to roam the lands. Because of your decision, many have died, yet you have remained deaf to their pleas. These people see you as a god, yet you watched unperturbed as they are slaughtered, all for the greater good. I don't disapprove of your actions. In fact, I quite agree with you. You are no different from us gods. We would do the same in your shoes. You are a godling, immature but still a child god. Although you haven't grown into yourself, your mind churns like it is supposed to. You have the mind of a god."