"Those are extremely bold words, especially since it's coming from a sickly child who has never walked on his own two feet." Sol didn't hold back his words.
{Low blow! Nicely done… Well played.} Damon couldn't help but commend the God of Death's ruthlessness.
This shameless deity didn't know how to hold back, even when going against children.
"As I was saying before, I was rudely interrupted… We lacked experience and we lost to them. In our absence, these old deities installed themselves and leached off this world's resources. They posed as Deities and stripped mortals of the memories of their true God's. It took us a thousand years before we were reincarnated by Õnis after our first death."
{Hold up… After your first death? Do you mean those old men whooped your asses more than once?} Damon burst out laughing hysterically.
Sol could only lay there in silence, listening to a fifteen-year-old laugh at him uncontrollably. Sol was beginning to wonder if Damon remembered his life was in his hands, or if the boy was truly bold.
After a minute or so, Damon finally calmed down, sniffing between laughs.
{I'm so-so sorry, please continue.} Damon said why, trying hard to hold back his laughter.
"No one is born a deity, it is a journey every being must undertake. Those rules applied to us during our reincarnation. Living in mortal bodies in a world ruled by our enemies, we were forced into hiding, but somehow we were always found by the world and killed before we could return to our rightful place as new Gods and reclaim our throne. The old Gods never intended to let us regain our positions, so they used the beings we were created to protect against us." Sol continued his story.
"Life after life we tried to ascend the heavens without bloodshed but every single time we have been backstabbed by mortals meant to worship us, not anymore. After being leached on by divine beings, Õnis is running out of resources. This is our last chance to reclaim our throne. This time, we will use any method necessary to reclaim what we have lost." Sol gave a summarized story of his life.
{Wow… That's a lot to swallow. It's really hard to believe, considering we just met.} Damon said thoughtfully.
His words attracted a frown from Sol, whose fragile ego was hurt.
"Are you calling this deity a liar?" Sol was annoyed.
If he and the other New Gods didn't fall from grace, every word he has ever spoken would have been recorded by now and read to the world as divine proclamations.
{Relax, I never said that. It's just hard to doubt something you grew up believing your entire life. I bet you any child who tells their parents your version of the story would have been rewarded with a sound beating.} Damon explained.
"True." Sol nodded in agreement.
{So what is the difference between a God in a mortal body and a mortal?} Damon asked.
"Spirit magic and Õnis' inheritance." Sol blurted out as soon as he heard the question.
"Spirit magic may not be exclusive to deities, but we are born with it, giving us an edge over the rest. It grants us a unique connection to the world, allowing us to perceive world energy." Sol explained.
"World energy is the purest form of energy created by the world. Casting spells using world energy naturally improved its power and effectiveness threefold. It is beneficial to the body and magic cores… There are many more benefits to it. Mana is basically the by-product of World energy." Sol wasn't willing to go into details on the benefits of World Energy.
"Spirit magic allows spell casting without incantations. It also gives us access to specific spells limited to it… The benefits are boundless… I can go on for hours." Sol let out an exhausted sigh.
Damon's body was still too weak, and he was exerting too much pressure on it just by thinking for long and speaking a lot.
"We will continue this discussion later." Damon said as he slowly closed his eyes.
Silence followed, and after listening to the deafening silence in his mind, Damon was shocked by his findings.
Sol had fallen into a state of hibernation after staying awake for a few hours. His presence was much weaker than expected, it felt like he was recharging.
The process of his hostile takeover of Damon's body was meant to end with him eating Damon's soul. But since he decided to keep Damon alive, he skipped the last step, and this was the price he had to pay.
Bam!
The door to the room swung open and Damon's parents walked in with a tray of soup and hard bread.
"Damon?" Rowan was startled when he saw Damon's eyes shut tight.
He ran over to the bedside and gently placed his head on Damon's chest. Only after listening to his breathing and heartbeat for a few seconds did he let out a sigh of relief.
"He is just sleeping." Rowan smiled at Maria. "Let's give him some space to rest."
Rowan got up and gently led his reluctant wife out of the room. Due to the pain Damon had to endure, he barely got any sleep. Seeing him sleep so peacefully was also another good news.