The cool air within the car seemed to calm Maitho. It wasn't so cold that it would raise goosebumps on his flesh. He felt as though it was adjusted to the right temperature, enough to allow him to relax without making him feel comfortable. For the past few days, all he had been doing was reacting to one situation or the other. It still felt the same, as he sat inside the vehicle. But for some reason, he felt that he could finally take some time to ponder his next course of action. He didn't have to be in a rush. At least, not as much as he was in before.
"You haven't told me yet," said Maitho, realizing that he still needed to discover Raiden's plans. "How are you going to kill all Guardians?"
Raiden offered one of those smiles that meant that he was all too pleased to explain, but whatever he was going to speak, it would be something no one expected. Maitho wasn't certain if that was good news or bad. "I just told you that you had died in the World War. How do you think you are still here?"
Outside the tinted windows, Maitho noticed that they were stuck in a traffic gridlock. Theyw ere definitely on the highway, but the car moved at the pace of inches. The erratic rhythm of horns of a multitude of vehicles belonging to impatient drivers that reached him were muffled, which led him to believe that the vehicle itself had some kind of soundproofing. If not that, then it might have something to dampen the sounds from outside. Because of the tint, he had a view of the outside, except that it looked like someone had turned down the contrast of the world. It was like watching everything in partial darkness. Despite that, if he couldn't see anything outside with full clarity, anyone standing outside will be close to zero visibility when trying to look into the van.
"Resurrection? Is that what I am supposed to guess?" said Maitho.
Raiden tsked while shaking his head. "Come on. You have to be certain of yourself."
Frustration welled up within Maitho, but this time, he didn't allow it to take over. Before he could react with annoyance, he stopped to consider his emotional state. While he loathed to admit it, Raiden did have a point. He was reacting, not acting. So far, he had allowed his emotions to guide him and they had never proven to be reliable companions. His encounter with Charon revealed everything he needed to know about what he would have done if pushed to the edge. It was only because of Raiden's intervention that he was among the living at that moment. He wouldn't admit that, of course. Even though he realized that he had a debt to pay.
"Resurrection," said Maitho, with as much certainty he could muster. Oddly, he actually did feel confident about his response. "That's what I believe."
"Then you are right."
"Wait. Really?" said Epona, her eyes narrowing in focus. "Ye're sayin we were brought back tae life. Bi whom? the Devas?'
"Yes. And maybe no," said Raiden. "You see, we cannot die. Not permanently. We are destined to live for as long as the human race survives." He pulled open another beer, carefully removing the cap and taking a slow sip. He exhaled in contentment, allowing himself a moment to cherish the drink. "It's been more than a hundred years since your death. It's all the same with every single Guardian. If we die, we are reborn in a hundred years. A reset button, if you will."
"Sae we get another chance at life," said Epona. She adjusted her position, placing one ankle over the other thigh and extending her arms along the top of the seat. "Maybe thare is an afterlife in the end after all."
"It's not exactly an afterlife in its traditional sense." Raiden pointed the lip of the bottle at her. "You aren't just given a second chance. You live the same life again."
Epona frowned. "Whit the hell daes that mean?"
"When us Guardians die, we are born after a hundred years. It's a normal birth and we grow up until the age of twenty-three. After that, we stop getting older. We gain immortality." He took another sip of the beer. Maitho wondered about Raiden's manner of delivering information. It always seemed as though he was putting on an act, trying to draw in the audience. While that was certainly true, Maitho realized that there was much more to the long pauses and circular manner of speaking. Raiden delivered information and allowed them to settle into the minds of the listener. He did that when he needed to deliver a truth that no one saw coming, simply so that they could feel its weight. "Here's what happens. We have the same physical features. I mean, the same face, same body. Even our powers are the same. Nothing changes at all. Everything is exactly as it was in our past lives, down to the last strand of DNA. I'm pretty certain each strand of hair is in the same position as well. But here's the best part. Every single reborn Guardian has the same fate. They have to continue their work from where they left off."
His words had the desired effect. Maitho could feel chill pass through his arms, raising gooseflesh on his skin. He wanted to deny the words that Raiden had spoken. But he knew that deep down, the man was right. Something nagged at him and he instantly caught that thought. "So you're saying we are reborn as, well, ourselves. That I will be the same Maitho in every reincarnation."
Raiden nodded as the beer bottle neared his lips. "That's correct."
"So why can't I remember anything about my past life?"
It seemed as though Raiden was waiting for that question. He lowered the bottle without drinking its contents. A smile spread on his lips. It wasn't mocking, nor was it for him to gloat. It was a sad reaction, like he was going to regret what he would be saying. That alone made Maitho tense. "That's the thing," said Raiden. "You don't remember anything because the only part of yourself you don't get to keep is your memories. We are born anew. A clean slate. Fresh minds for the Devas to mold any which way they want. Guess who they send to do the molding?"
The answer was obvious. Maitho didn't have to think about it for too long. Epona answered for him. "Charon."
"Exactly. He appears the moment a Guardian suffers an accident." He emphasized the word 'accident'. "Of course, we all know that everything is staged. Every single Guardian has a near death experience with Charon appearing at the right moment as their savior."
Maitho felt his mind trying to withdraw into itself. It wanted to shut off the outside world. There was too much for it to take in all at once. His reactions began to fall back into their previous routine. He was already looking for nearby exits, gauging how he could escape the vehicle and then make his way into the night. He would then run as fast and far as he could until he could put the past few days behind him.
Some part of his mind recollected Raiden's words. He didn't want to admit it, but he was always on the defensive. He had never enjoyed conflicts. When it was part of his job, he could justify it as something that was necessary to save a life. Even then, things had never reached a point where his life had been in any real danger. Not until he had come across Jonathan Cray.
He forced himself to pause.
He was done walking away. The only thing that would come from taking the escape route was that he would simply find a lonely path that led to a dead end. He was going to die. Of that, he was certain. But he realized that he wanted to do something about it. Sure, he probably won't make much of a difference in the end, even though Cray and the Norse Guardians seem to think quite highly of him. He just didn't want his last moments to be meaningless. He didn't want to easily allow himself to die without his life holding some meaning to someone. "What does this have to do with killing all the Guardians?"
Raiden sighed. He looked at Maitho for a while before placing his bottle on top of the refrigerator. "Don't you see? It does not matter. We can die, but we can come back. Human beings? They don't get to reincarnate. They get just one life. If that life ends early, then well tough luck. But the question arises. Is it really luck? Are the moments they experience just chance encounters?"
"So you're saying that someone," Maitho paused, realizing that he knew who the 'someone' he was about to refer was. "You're saying that the Devas, the Gods and Goddesses, plot everything? Even people's deaths?"
"They plot what is best for the advancement of humanity, or so they claim. But that means they organize events. The collateral damage from those events however, that is something they don't care about. Why does a mass murderer gets to live? Simply because they have a purpose to serve later on. Did you know that most of the vile tyrants in history were supposed to die, but never did? Let me give you an example. Ever heard of the Munich Beer Hall?"
Maitho nodded, already dreading where the conversation was going. Of course he had read about the moment that created a man who would go on to be one of the central focus of the second world war. "That's where Hitler gave his speech about the Nazi party."
"Indeed. You know how that went. His passionate speech did not sit well with a few people. A few fistfights later, some of those present took out their pistols and began firing at the stage, right where Hitler was standing. Guess what happened? Not one of the bullets struck him. In fact, he actually continued to give his speech even with the shootout occuring right in front of him. Now why do you think that is Maitho?"
The answer came to Maitho. His mouth felt dry, as if his body was preventing him from answering. "Guardian."
Raiden didn't smile. He didn't look satisfied that Maitho had given the right answer. Rather, he looked pained, as though it was something even he didn't want to hear. "That's right. There was a Guardian there to ensure nothing happened to the future dictator. That's our lives. That's what we are doing. We are not saving people. We are saving ideals imposed on humanity by all-powerful beings. And I, for one, don't want it to continue."
This was it. All of Raiden's words came down to this very moment. Maitho had so many more questions he wanted to ask, but he pushed them all aside. There was one vital question that stood above all others. Epona beat him to it. "Sae whit are ye gaun'ae dae? Hou is sacrificin the lives of Guardians gaun'ae save humanity?"
"First of all," said Raiden. "I told you that I'm not going to kill anyone directly. I'm not a murderer. Well, we are not murderers. This is as much Cray's and my team's plan as it is mine."
"Hou is that gaun'ae be possible?"
Raiden leaned forward. "You have to understand this. Every time a Guardian dies, someone takes their place. After all, that particular Guardian is not available for the next hundred years. Obviously, a replacement from the same or another Pantheon takes over until the reincarnated Guardian turns twenty-three, ready to continue their work."
When he sat back in his seat, Maitho noticed that he was in a state of calm. Maybe it was because he was about to reveal his plans finally to the one person he wanted to. "I'm going to stop every single Guardian on this planet from completing their mission. All of us will reach the end of our allotted time. When that happens, only one fate awaits us, we all die. That's the rule. We either complete our mission or lose our lives. Cray and our team, we are going to prevent the Guardians from completing their mission. That way, we simply perish. For the next hundred years, there shall not be a single Guardians on this planet. For the next hundred years, the plans of the Devas will be in total chaos. Humanity will get a chance, however small it may be."