"Am I a god?!" I screamed.
"No. Have you been listening to anything I just said?" He asked, clearly annoyed.
"What, didn't you just say I was a god?" I asked confused.
"Exactly! The word in the spotlight there being was. You are no longer a god because it was stolen from you: your godhood."
"Oh." I bent into a seating position and began to contemplate everything I had just heard, along with this heartbreak I just got. I once again failed to remember that in this world, nothing was free. Most of all, power. There was no way I could just become in a whim. Forgetting this crucial and vital piece had caused me to raise my hopes and once again have them shattered.
"Hekate. Was that our name?" I asked.
"It was." He said. We were both silent for a some time before he spoke again. "There's more to that story, but let's leave that for another time. There is still the decision to be made about those guys outside."
"Yeah, you're right. How long have we been in here?" I asked.
"It wouldn't matter. This is our mind. Time is nonexistent here, so anything we do here is done here in no significant time compared to outside."
"Oh. Okay. Then, can I spend some time alone here for a bit?" I asked.
"Haven't you had enough of this place?"
"What do you mean? Have I ever been here?"
"You'd think you would notice these things, but no. You wouldn't dare." He replied.
"Will you tell me or not?" I asked impatiently.
"I will." He paused. "The first time was when you were seventeen. After that time when you were crying desperately for help. If you remember correctly, you went into a slumber before waking to find yourself twelve again."
"That is true. Anyway, now that we are on the topic, how did you do that? How did you make me… whatever is the opposite of age?"
"Well, I did say that all gods are proficient in all fields. You just can't be a master in all. So also I am proficient in my father's field. More so because he is my father."
"What field is that?" I asked, putting on a rather curious look.
"My father is the master of time. He goes by the name of Cronus."
"Oh my. Your… wait, if he is your father and I am you, isn't he also my father? But then, what about my actual father? Isn't he really my father?"
"We were picked off the streets. And that is a very nice way of saying it. So, yes. He is also your father. In a way."
"Huh. Then this 'mind' of ours. You were talking about the first time I had been here?"
"Yes, of course. Time is one of the most tricky to control fields. Being just a thousand years plus old, I wasn't especially skilled in it, but my luck was that my father was the master of time: thus giving me a little bit more authority over time itself. I couldn't control how far back we went. I just knew I wanted to go back, and I did."
"During the period that we were moving backwards, you were in a deep slumber. For you, it may have been longer or shorter depending on how much time you wanted to spend in our mind, but for me controlling the body, I had to experience every single moment. Going back in time is like embarking on a journey. The further back you wish to go, the harder, more tedious and of course, longer the journey. Counting in human years, it took me over five thousand years to embark on that journey. I obtained some profits on the way back, including some skills I learned and experience I packed up."
"Now, I'm confused." I said.
"Well, it's like an actual journey. There are also monsters that exist outside of the time continuum, but all these are too much for you to understand. This mind of ours harnesses the power of space and time better than I ever could, lest you may understand even a little where I'm coming from."
"Wow." I stopped to digest all the information I just got, while Hekate waited patiently. It took me a few minutes before I finally spoke up. "I will have you explain more of this to me in the future." I said.
"Surely." Hekate gave a short reply. "Now, let's go conclude some business of ours."
Immediately after speaking these words, the whole place warped and I was once again seeing everyone as they had been before we left. I saw the system screen right in front of me displaying Hekate's name as the user. This assured me that I was currently not in control and was just a spectator.
'That reminds me… Hekate?' I called from my mind.
Yes?
'Do all gods have the system or did you just happen to obtain it in that journey of yours through time?' I asked inwardly.
What system are you talking about? He asked.
'What do you mean, what system? Can't you see it? It's literally right in front of your face.'
Hmmm. There were cases when you got benefits and I did not. It's simple really. The gods stole my godhood already, ergo the universe no longer recognises me as a god. Therefore, you became the primary owner of this body. If your soul were to die, so would this body and also me. So also, if something were to be awarded to this body, it would be awarded to you since you are the primary soul.
'Huh. That's… that makes a little bit of sense. But then, how did you get all the experience you were talking about?'
I got experience, and that isn't physical or visible. I trust the system is visible, so you got it instead.
Now, stop bothering me so, or I will send you to the abyss until I am done with my work.
I kept very quiet after this. Even though I knew him killing everyone might hurt me a bit, they were ultimately not my friends. They were either just acquaintances to me, or they were just neutral people, or they were that one I had been fighting with who I regarded as an enemy. That one who would soon be history. That El.