"Well, irrational or not, they did it. They wanted the humans to fight against each other, so they sowed hostility among the seeds. This meant that whenever they met, they would fight to the death!"
Oldavin paused his explanation, as he put his hands behind his back. "Initially, the fights were terrible, as none of the humans used their god given power. The gods decided they would host a tournament, and whoever won the tournament, would get a wish granted."
"So … what does this have to do with your world and it being destroyed?" asked Reeve.
"Also, how did the humans learn to use this godly power?" Soren supported.
"Each god wrote a scripture on how they wanted their seed to be trained, and passed this scripture to their temples. However, since this was world changing, the bishops decided to hide this part of the scripture. Only they could train the seeds, and as for how they found them, they used various relics. Thus, when the training was completed, the tournament would begin."
He paused. Everyone was listening attentively, with the exception of Mysa, who appeared to be fidgeting. With a sigh, he continued, "The first person to win the tournament, asked for the gods to grant his seven relics the power to summon them. These relics were called foundation stones. So, as long as you have all seven, you can summon any god you wish, and have them do something for you."
"Oh, so that's how the foundation stones came to be? How come they aren't kept in one place?"
"Humans have limited life spans, even if they have a bit of the gods' power. Initially, the foundation stones were kept in a crypt, along with the scroll showing how to use them. However, due to plundering and so on, they became lost and separated. Very few humans knew about their existence, and as they died, even fewer knew about them. Currently, they are relics of the legends, no one believes they exist, apart from a select few."
"Well, that explains quite a lot. So, what are we doing here? What does the seven seeds, and the tournament have to do with me?" Reeve asked.
"Right, I mentioned that our world was destroyed by titans. Magic doesn't work on the titan king! That's why even a powerful civilization such as ours was powerless against it. We could only watch as the titans sucked the vitality out of our world", Oldavin paused, and Reeve could swear he saw a tear drop from his eyes. It seemed this was quite an emotional story.
"I'm sorry for your loss", spoke Reeve, in a low voice, as he looked at the other ancients. All of them were quiet, and even Mysa had stopped fidgeting, and was looking solemn.
"It's alright. During the fight against the titans, Ezrom discovered a portal, and through it, we managed to leave. After arriving, we sealed the portal to prevent the titans from following. However, the seal has weakened, and one of the titans has managed to come here. Ordinary titans can be defeated using magic; however, the titan king cannot be. I came up with a plan to use the godly power of the seven seeds to defeat the titan king. That's why he is here", Oldavin pointed at Soren.
"B-but I-I don't even know how to use this power!"
"Don't worry, you will be trained to use it", Mysa interjected. She continued, "I'm sure Oldavin has made the right preparations." She yawned.
"And what about me?" asked Reeve, who was still carrying the unconscious Riza. "Also, she needs help. Do you have any healing portions? Or do I have to take her to the doctor?"
"Unfortunately, even Haggarth who know how to heal people, can't help you, let alone a human doctor. A god manifested their will through her body, and this left divine energy in her body. If it's not removed, she'll turn into ash very soon. The only one who can remove this divine energy residue, is the goddess of life, Luminus. The only way you summon her, is by gathering all the seven foundation stones."
"What? How am I supposed to do that? Isn't there another way? How did you get in touch with the gods?"
"That's the only way to help her. Without the foundation stones, even if you somewhat manage to summon the gods, there is no guarantee that they will help you."
Reeve looked crestfallen. "Where do I even begin looking?"
"I have a relic you can use to find the location of a foundation stone", replied Oldavin.
"Thank you very much. Can I, have it? Also, I need to learn magic, can you teach me?"
Before Oldavin could reply, a cold voice suddenly echoed, "Oh, we're all here. Where is Diophas?"
All the ancients' faces turned ugly upon hearing this voice, with the exception of Mysa who simply frowned.
Following the voice, came a young man with long black hair. He was average in height, and was wearing a black tunic, with black pants. He looked like a heroic army general, even though he wasn't wearing any armour. There was just something about this young man. Was this what they called charisma?
"Hello, Mysa, my flower", the young man smiled at Mysa, as he drew closer. He seemed to have appeared out of thin air.
Mysa returned the smile, before saying, "Hello to you too, stuck up old bastard. I wonder how many times I have to reject you before it gets to that thick skull of yours!"
The young man's smile froze on his face. "Eh … I guess your foul mouth is still running. No matter, I love you the way you are, foul mouth or not."
"You have some nerve, Ezrom, coming here after what you did!" Oldavin spoke.
"Let me kill him instead!" Paldin began walking towards Ezrom, who maintained a nonchalant attitude.
"Before we get to that, I have a message from the god of space and time, Aion. He says the barrier will break in less than a month's time. We can start killing each other here, and the titan king will come and finish this world. Or we can work together. What do you say?" he smiled.