Varsas remembers that he used to feel intense hatred once upon a time.
It was during the Lantonian war, the Lanton empire has set themselves up as some kind of enemy of the world. The power projection capability of the Lanton empire was global with their walking city. Giant behemoth made out of machinery that is capable of transporting entire army.. Even the old teleportation magic can't keep up with the scale of what the Lantonian are capable of. Entire army can be transport anywhere around the world on sturdy city size structure that double as weapon.
It gets so bad that there was even an offensive on Mahaima itself. He remembered being absolutely angry that the battlefield has gotten so close to his own home, and endanger the safety of his parent. He remembered being angry at the destruction, the sight of the walking city crushing absolutely everything underneath its foot.
He remembered that intense hatred, and the feeling that the Lantonian has to be exterminated. It was the propaganda of the army, sure, but it was also the feeling of wanting to protect your own home from invader.
It was foolish of him.
He remembers being so blinded by hatred that he took it upon himself to cut the walking city in half.
That was the day everything changed. Millions of Lantonian died in the immediate aftermath. And the social dynamic between Varsas and other people has also changed. They begun to fear him. Even his own comrade, even Viola.
But it was too late to regret it.
In their desperation, the Lantonian released their final weapon. Their capital city itself, the actual "Machinery City" that inspired their other invention. The largest, most populated, most weaponized structure ever created. The Lantonian's leadership has gone mad in their desperation, and in that final attempt there is no going back anymore, it was either the world or the Lantonian then.
When the capital city of Lanton headed for Mahaima, it was Vaine who begged him to do it. He pleaded for him to save them.
If the aftermath of the destruction of the previous walking city was bad, the destruction of Lanton's capital city brought the world to silence.
And then the death of so many people lead to the final stage of Varsas-reon's birth, with Varsas as the trigger and the center of attention of the world, it was no wonder that that thing took his shape. Gods are being of belief, and in the mind of the people at that moment, when they thought about the Lantonian war and wanton destruction, they thought about Varsas.
It was all his fault in the first place.
If he did not push the Lantonian too far, they wouldn't have released their final solution. If he didn't literally cut it in half, but let the war run its course, the Mahaima's army could have grind it down with attrition. The Lantonian wouldn't have been so shocked and fearful that they tried a last gambit. They are afraid of him as much as he is afraid of them destroying his home.
And then there was the birth of the war god.
In the end Varsas realized that the thing he was participating in was just a human war. Conflicts happen all the time in the world. It is in human nature. That is why his step mother said human conflicts should be let alone to run its course. There is no right side in a war, just as there is no wrong side. Did the hundred and millions of Lantonian deserve their dead under his hand?
Varsas tried to empathize with the Lantonian after the fact. He appreciates their culture, even though there are multiple issue with it. He is especially interested in their technology, even before the deed. That is when he realizes if one put effort into it, one can find common ground even among enemies.
Human conflicts can be settled by normal human, no need for some freak with a spear to show up and kill off one side.
At present time, Varsas walks toward the edge of the town where a crowd is gathered. The bookshop owner is beaten and about to be judged by the mob.
Varsas causes an intense thunder clap to strike over head everyone there. It is a strange sight where large bolts of thunder strike down at the same time, seemingly about to hit the crowd yet stopped in mid air before disappearing.
Everyone involved is on the ground, clapping their ear and covering their head. Some even defecated on the spot.
"That is enough. Everyone go back to their home." He says to everyone there.
There are a few angry protest about letting a Lantonian traitor go free, but everyone is so out of it that the response is weak.
"Not here." He emphasizes. Not in the Gungnir land.
The crowd remember the peaceful lives that they have lived, the pleasant atmosphere of their neighborhood. Do they want to ruin that peace by their action?
The crowd disperse but there was one thing on their mind.
"Was he always capable of doing that?"
Varsas glances to the lynched man and lift him up by his shirt. The action seems violence but he takes care to not actually hurt the man.
"And you, get out of here."
The man hurry off, thanking him, before getting away, probably out of the city to somewhere no one know him.
In the first place the crowd is rile up by the rhetoric that the book is propaganda from Lanton, that has the magical power of seducing proper scholar out of their home. This propaganda itself comes from Mahaima. Of course a book does not have the magical power of seducing scholar, it just causes them to be awed at the advancement of the Lanton Empire compared to their own knowledge. The one who left probably was not loyal to their country in the first place.
"Smooth." Lufa says waiting for him.
After that Varsas arrange a meeting with his father. The first thing he says was
"If we are going to stay neutral about this war, we should actually try to reinforce that neutrality, not taking side."
Marrik Gungnir was reading, Varsas glances at the cover of the book.
If I was to resurrect the dead.
Varsas almost broke his cool facade, sputtering at the book his own father is reading, but he resists it. One time was enough.
"I heard about you stopping the lynching that started just because of this one book. And quite frankly, I agree. You did a good job son." The man closes the book and stand up, with awe and aspiration in his eyes.
"Knowledge like this should be spread, not buried away just because of politic." The man smiles widely.
Varsas narrows his eyes at that.