"You are the god."
"Yes."
"The all-knowing, all-seeing and the most powerful god."
"True. And for the record, I would like to say that I don't peek into everyone lives like a creepy stalker." Creto replied.
"He wasn't asking if you do. Where does that even come from?" Joseph interjected into the line of conversation between Creto and Marcius.
"I just needed to establish that before we go any further. I have been accused of godly stalking, countless times before." Creto retorted.
"Alright. Let's just, for a moment, say I believe all this,"
"You should." Creto cut in.
"What does the 'a second life in chance' entail?" Marcius asked and the white robed god looked towards Jospeh.
"This is, I guess, where I come in." Joseph replied. "You know how everything vibrates at a certain level of frequency, and there can be multiple,"
"Joseph, he comes from a cultivation world, which technology level is, at best, at renaissance era. He won't understand a thing about multiverse theory." Creto scolded with an annoyed tone.
"But they, they can create portals to different dimensions!" Joseph replied.
"It is magic."
"Technically, it is not."
"For them, it is. Portals are the combination of technology and magic. Their level of technology depends on how far they can study and improve the application of magic on various aspects. So, it is magic." Creto argued.
"As much as it is interesting to listen to your conversations, I will need some answer or I'm getting out of here." Marcius said.
"It is cute you think you can escape this place. But Joseph, continue on with the explanation and I would appreciate if you keep it simple and short." The god replied in amusement.
"Alright buddy, short and simple. I come from a different realm where some events happened in your world is written down as a book people read for entertainment. And the god now wants to send us back to the land of the living; on the condition that the two of us combine our souls into one, get back into your body and cause some mayhem on your world. Do I get it in one go?"
"Not that short and simple!" The god replied to Joseph sarcastic explanation.
"What do you want me to do! Do you want me to be short and simple or do you want me to give him a detailed rundown of the situation?"
"Have you ever heard of middle-grounds and compromises?"
Joseph and Creto argued as Marcius tried to warp his mind around the explanation.
"You are from different realm, like the Tridons."
"No! I mean… yes, but no!" Joseph replied hurriedly stopping his fight with the god. He looked positively disgusted.
"Look, I'm like the Tridons in a sense that I come from a different realm. And, I'm not like the Tridons in a sense that I'm not a behemoth of a mass murdering monster whose favorite pastime hobby is eating everyone and everything which is not a Tridon."
"What do you also mean by combining our souls? What about the fact that our world is an entertainment literature?" Marcius pressed on with the questions.
"It means that we will combine the two of us to become a new person. A new person with both our memories, habits, instincts and feelings. I know, alright. I know there is no reason for you to trust us. I wouldn't trust us. This is all very sudden to you and you obviously need time adjusting. But unfortunately, we don't have much time. So, let us show you something." Joseph replied, and he directed his next words at Creto.
"Show him. Show him the events from the book. Show him what happens after his death."
"What do you mean we don't have enough time?" Marcius asked but Creto slammed his staff hard on the floor and he was pulled into a vision.
*** *** ***
He saw his hometown burning, with the flames high above the sky.
His clan destroyed. His parents murdered. His grandfather died protecting his clan and his city. His little sister orphaned without any family left. All of which happened just because of one man. The man with the red hair. The man his little sister was in love with.
Just because of his ambitions, greed and actions, Marcius's loved ones had to suffer.
He could see death and destruction anywhere in his vision. He could see suffering, sorrow and anguish. It made him felt hopeless.
And at the center of all was, Logan Drakkon.
*** *** ***
Marcius came back from the vision with visible anger.
"Who is that guy? Who the f**k is Logan Drakkon?!" He shouted.
"Woh, woh, calm down a bit, buddy. Maybe it was a bad idea to show you the visions. Okay, just calm down and I'll tell you what you need to know." Joseph replied. "But first, can we all just sit down?"
Creto waved his hand and three cushioned chairs materialized. The god sat down as the other two followed suit, but in the case of Marcius, he did so reluctantly.
"Logan is a reincarnated guy." Joseph started. "Which means he died once and reborn into the past. He has three centuries worth of future knowledge. He knows what is going to happen. He knows the grim fate of your world. He knows the terrors and destructions that await the people of Rubrum." He explained.
"And here is where the problem starts. Logan is a prideful prick. He styles himself the one who will one day rule the entire Rubrum. And he knows he can do it with the help of his future knowledge. All he cares about is himself. Nothing else matters. He wants power." Here, Joseph stood up and began walking back and forth in frustration.
"He doesn't care that others get hurt or get killed because of him. He doesn't freaking understand his actions have dire consequences." Joseph voice raised little by little in anger. "Don't get me wrong. I'm no saint either. I would abuse the hell out of that future knowledge to give myself big advantages. But he is just, the most selfish, self-centered guy I have ever met. He doesn't care about the lives of his subordinates, or friends, or family. All he cares about is authority and power!"
Joseph calmed himself down and sat back in the chair.
"He will arrive at Mediolan, eight years after your death. You little sister will fall in love with his charming self and he will be accepted into your clan and family as the favored son-in-law, because of his astounding talent and strength. But while staying in Mediolan, he will accidently provoke the outside powers which he really shouldn't have. And your family, clan and entire city will pay the price for his mistakes." Joseph ended his explanation.
"This is not the first time he will bring misfortune to those around him, and it will not be the last. A few years after, he will become the most wanted man in the entire Rubrum and everywhere he goes, he will bring great shadow of death and destruction. At the end, he will succeed but half of Rubrum will be in flames by then." Creto added.
"So, I propose you this." The god continued. "I'll combine the souls of you and Joseph and put the end result back into your body. With your hardworking nature and dedication as well as Joseph cunning mind and his future knowledge, you will have a huge edge over Logan. You will work against him to stop him from ever rising to a position of power and authority. It will not be easy but I'll even grant you some blessings to keep up with Logan."
Marcius sat there and quietly considered the proposal.
"I understand the situation and I'm willing to accept the offer if it means I can save my family. But I need to know, what is in this for the both of you." He asked.
"I'm dead, like you." Joseph started first. "This is the end of line for me. And by combining our souls, a part of me and a part of you will live on in this new Marcius. I'm fine with it. Besides, it is a chance to screw over my lifelong most hated protagonist, there is just no way I'm passing this up."
"I do not understand all you said, but I understand the necessary part. So, it is okay." Marcius replied as he looked towards Creto in a 'what about you' manner.
"For me, I'll have an agent in Rubrum. See, different worlds and dimensions emit a form of energy called origin energy. And if we, the gods, have a huge influence over a certain world, we'll have a steady supply of origin energy from that world. And knowing the two of you, you will end up becoming the king instead of Logan, if things go your way. Even if you don't end up ruling over Rubrum, just by having an agent, I'll still gain significant amount of origin energy. Either way, it is a win-win for me." Creto shrugged.
"Godly capitalism, ladies and gentlemen." Joseph interjected in a joking manner.
"I'm not benevolent. I never claimed to be a benevolent god. I only do things if I get something out of it. And this is what I get out of this. So, are you in or are you out?" Creto asked Marcius.
"Alright, I'm in, if only to save my family." Marcius answered.
"Then let's get started. Time is short. If souls are out of reincarnation circle for too long, things can get ugly. I'll now combine your souls, give my blessings and send you on your merry way." Creto said.
"Will it hurt?" Joseph asked in a worried manner.
"I'm an expert in the field of soul magic. You won't feel a thing."
"What kind of blessings are we talking about?" Jospeh asked again.
"You will see later. It is something that will aid you greatly, I promise."
"Will we ever see you again?" This time, the question is from Marcius.
"If I decided you need to." The god answered as he snapped his fingers.
"Now, good luck in Rubrum."
*** *** ***
Author Notes
I'm sorry for a slight delay in updates.
I hope you enjoy the chapter!