(This chapter will explore the different circumstances of both the trouble maker Megiddo, who was called in by the boss last chapter, and the questions our protagonist, Alex, will ask the now-unsealed Calido so that he can learn more about the Divine Beasts. PS: We will start off with Megiddo but, through the perspective of the boss)
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After I sent my younger brother to bring Aurora and Megiddo to where I am, I sat down on the chair I just created and sighed. These are very stressful times me and my brother are going through. We have to inform the others of the danger and make sure that no one will disappear.
I haven't introduced myself, have I? My name is Genesis and I am currently the leader of the group known as the Divine. Alternatively, and stupidly, known also as Gods. My younger brother is called Apocalypse and he is the co-leader of the Divine.
The both of us were the first Divine to ever exist. Of course, I came just a tiny bit earlier than him. However, we were definitely NOT the first things to ever exist.
No.
We were actually the first of the third generation of beings to be created. Our grandparent was the very first. I say grandparent as it is only one being. It gave birth to our parents by itself and through its own powers.
That should be enough information about us to satisfy you for now. Right when I was thinking that, I felt the 3 presences enter the room I was waiting in.
"Brother, I have arrived."
"Hello, Mentor."
"Yeah! Hi there, Big Boss!"
I turn and look at Apocalypse, Aurora, and Megiddo standing there. Aurora and Megiddo were siblings and were supposed to become the successors of me and my brother, respectively.
Aurora is the perfect example of perfection. She is kind, polite, and hardworking. Her brother, on the other hand, is very impulsive, panics easily, and shows no respect for anyone and only shows a shred of respect towards his sister, me, and my brother.
I narrow my eyes as I look at the both of them. I already know that Megiddo has done something without my permission but, I want him to confess he did that something by himself.
"It is good to see that you are both well. No trouble handling your respective domains, I hope?"
"Of course not, Mentor."
"Yeah! My job is especially easy."
"Now then, I want to discuss something important. But before I do that, Aurora, has Megiddo done something wrong recently?"
"Now that you mention it, he has."
"Hey!"
"Be quiet. So, what has he done?"
"He recently ventured into my realm without my permission. Of course, I caught him and forcibly sent him back."
He did that, hmm? Now, it should be time for him to start confessing to what he did. I am certain that he meant no ill will but, he needs to know this already.
"So, why did you go to the exact opposite realm to the one that you govern? Was there a particular reason why you did so?"
...
"Yes. I am sorry for not asking you. I heard you and the other high-ranking Gods talking about the danger the Scourge represents. So, I wanted to at least do something for you, and prove to you that I am someone worthy of succeeding your brother."
I was surprised by his sudden switch to a serious tone. I haven't thought that he would say it so easily. Plus, he just activated his Authority Release, making him look older and cloaking him in one of the energies my grandparent controlled.
If he was going to do that, I will respond in kind. I stood up from my chair and activated my Authority Release, cloaking me in the exact opposite kind of energy he is cloaked in. My form was much more powerful than his, accentuating the difference in power and authority between us.
"Answer the question."
"Yes, sorry. Actually, the thing I did was-"
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Phew.
I was never more glad to be alive than now. I was able to escape a giant volcano by myself, and I was not seriously or fatally injured. I was able to unseal Calido, took the gem stone that was placed near him, and got some light metal that was forming near his body.
Now that I am completely safe, I will have to ask Calido some questions and, hopefully, get some answers out of him.
(Hey, Calido? Can I ask you some questions?)
(You are welcome to ask.)
What should I ask him first?
...
Maybe I should ask how he got sealed and why. That would probably give me some insight into what the other Divine Beasts were like.
(So, how were you sealed?)
(I was soundly defeated by an opponent that was very powerful. After that, I don't know what happened and only became awoke to being stuck inside. As for why I was sealed, I believe that the stranger attacked me because I went berserk.)
Berserk?
Does that mean that he started destroying everything he saw?! Man, that would pretty scary if I was alive during that time.
(Why did you go berserk?)
(I have no idea. Something came over me one day and I started feeling the urge to destroy everything I saw.)
(I see.)
In actuality, I don't understand anything from this conversation so far. But, I gained the useful information that he was sealed because he started rampaging. If that happened to all of the other Divine Beasts, then they should be somewhat similar to Calido, right?
(Then, tell me about your origins.)
(My origins? It should be obvious that I evolved from a certain kind of monster that was present during the time before I was sealed. I do not know how long ago that time was but, I can tell that it much longer than 10,000 years ago.)
So, he came from a kind of monster? I mean, that should be obvious. I just didn't associate him with a monster because he seems to be very intelligent and came speak calmly.
(Anyway, I came from a kind of monster that was very lizard-like. My mother told me that the name of my species was called a Flameburst Lizard. We are tiny when we first hatch but can grow to a maximum of 5 meters long.)
Oh. Flameburst Lizards? Sadly, I don't think I saw a monster called a Flameburst Lizard in the monster manual when I read it before. I did see a monster called a Salamander but, I think that they just look extremely similar. Calido might very well be the last of his kind. Maybe I should guide the conversation to a topic that is less depressing.
(Have you met any of the other Divine Beasts before?)
(No, I have not. I have heard from my mother that there were 3 other families of monsters who had powers comparable to my own. I don't know if they became Divine Beasts as well, though.)
Really?
He hasn't met them before but knows about other families of monsters that had powers that were similar to his? They could have become the other Divine Beasts. Still, he said that he knew only 3 others. Meaning that, the 5th Divine Beasts really came out of nowhere during the 1000-year gap between my lives.
(Calido. I have a question about something.)
(Keep going.)
(Um. What will happen to your Mana and your powers?)
Yes, that is the question I will ask him. He is supposed to be a Divine Beast that has huge amounts of Mana and can control fires and lava. If his soul was shattered, which is where the Mana comes from, can he even use it when the part of my soul that I used to make him whole again doesn't have any Mana?
(So that is your question. I still have some Mana left inside of me. Unfortunately, only the part of my soul that was originally mine can produce Mana. However, as time goes on and your soul starts to gradually fuse with mine, I should have greater potential in my magical capabilities.)
(Why is that so?)
(It is the fact that your soul is so empty that it would increase my potential amount of Mana. It is much easier to fill a huge, empty container than to keep replacing the container with something slightly bigger every time it overflows.)
Ah.
So, it is the same with what Death God told me. My soul can accommodate and fuse with many things because of the fact that it is devoid of Mana. Speaking of the soul, isn't it intertwined with the mind?
(How about your mind? Won't having a piece of me affect you?)
(Of course it will. When our souls start to gradually fuse, I will become a new kind of being, neither Ignis Drakonis or you. But, because your soul makes up a huge percentage of mine, you can expect me to start thinking a lot like you. I might even inherit some of your personality traits.)
What?! He could possibly lose his identity because of me!?
(And!? You are alright with that happening! Won't you just become someone almost like me?)
(I understand from where you are coming from. However, I disagree. I need to leave my old self behind and start anew, helping the one who unsealed me. So, I am perfectly fine with me being able to think like you.)
Really?
So, I just learned some crazy things.
(Oh yeah. How long will it take for our souls to start fusing?)
(I can't tell but, it should finish fusing in 3 or 4 years from now.)
(I see.)
So, I might have someone who thinks like me talking to me in my head around that time, huh? Oh well.