Chapter 944 - Memory

The party is over, and even though I didn't even consider it a place to relax and have fun, some people see it that way. Now that I am back at the guild, I have to do my Guildmaster job, as the vice guild master keeps asking for my opinion on things he could solve better on his own.

Most of these things are even solved by his own suggestions, so I highly suspect he is doing it to get back at me for all the trouble he wrongly thinks was caused by me. The old guy is a demon after all, though he is nowadays enjoying a different battlefield than mine.

Still, I can control myself that much and leave most of my conscious mind to read the papers and actually think about the conversation and the decisions. Meanwhile, the more important part of me is thinking of more interesting things. About The Elf, Elian, that new stigma guy, and all of Ruby's talk about the system looking for a possible champion now that Pride might become a bigger trouble to it than the gods. And then there is the 13th floor and the Ruler of Sloth as well.

Once in a while, I also open my status to check the almost 50 million shards sitting there. It just feels good, and I can feel my body releasing endorphins every time I do so.

And I also finally unlock one of the Demigod's memories, this one being from the World of Gods.

My curiosity gets the better of me, so I appear in my mental space, triggering the memory, and right away find myself standing on the lush golden grass covering the wavy, not too tall hills dotted by trees with white trunks and green leaves.

A constant breeze makes the grass move as if it is making waves, and when I look across the horizon, I see far in the distance an enormous statue growing from the middle of the city that surrounds it. Next to it is a similarly tall tower. That city consists of layered circles of pearl white buildings and wider circles of greenery, consisting of about ten of each.

The statue is of a lion with three pairs of wings, the front ones being the largest, the middle ones smaller, and the last ones the smallest.

Lastly, what catches my eye is the sky. Half of it is covered by something akin to a crystal sphere that seems to surround the planet high up in space. Even now, that wall is expanding very slowly.

Next to me is the Demigod whose copy my disciple and I fought, though much smaller. It is just a lion cub with small wings jumping around with four more lion cubs. The difference is that the others are a pale yellow color, while the one I know is a white color. That alone seems to be a reason the other cubs pick on it and punish it.

Even though it seems like play and the white lion doesn't even seem to realize it, he is getting played with much more roughly than they play with each other.

For a while, I stand nearby and watch it all.

Once they have had enough, the other lion cubs lift up and fly towards the city. The white one tries to follow them but only rises up into the air a few times, always falling back down to the ground. Still, in the end, it decides to walk and run. Though young, it is from a demigod bloodline, so it doesn't tire or get hurt easily.

I follow it across the hills, and closer to the city, we get onto the white cobbled road that then leads us right towards the gate with a beautifully carved huge arch made of crystal. The guards there are two tall men in shiny armor with helmets that have decorative wings on them. Both of them hold spears made entirely of wood, but the blade is giving off an unearthly light.

They give a deep bow to the small lion, which runs through the gate without stopping. Once it gets into the streets, common people shout and get out of the way, throwing themselves to the ground to bow to the young demigod.

The little lion doesn't notice, but as it is passing by, a little girl held by her mother reaches out a hand and just barely touches the fur of the passing lion with a happy laugh.

Her mother instantly looks at her in horror and starts screaming and crying. Her cries become louder as, out of the shadows, a presence steps out. It is the one that I felt the entire time the lion cubs were playing, standing nearby and keeping watch.

That presence is a strict-looking man in beautiful white and golden clothes. With his hands held behind his back, he looks down at the girl and then gives a nod.

Another presence moves ahead, a man wearing black and a wooden mask over his face. A wooden dagger appears in his hand as he shoos the mother away, grabs the arm of the young crying girl, and lifts the dagger into the air.

I catch up to the lion cub that stops a few times, curiously sniffing at the people, but not initiating an attempt at contact, and no one else dares to touch it. We pass through these circles of beautiful greenery filled with lakes, trees, and gardens, followed by circles with buildings, streets, and people.

The closer we are getting to the center, the taller it all becomes. There are taller trees and taller buildings, up until we stop near one of the gardens closer to the center.

I watch the lion cub looking at the tower that stretches high up with hundreds of smaller terraces filled with trees that dot its side. But the cub doesn't try to get close, it even seems scared. Instead, I follow it as it goes through the garden that is so big it feels more akin to a forest. It goes deeper into it, finding a mansion nestled below the tall tree.

Unlike previously, no one follows the cub anymore.

Next to me, Nerdthaniel appears, lifting the too wide brim of his wizard hat with his wizard staff. Of course, unlike my passive mode, he runs the active mode of Noumenon pupils.

For the most part, my eyes still resemble Preeminence Eyes. The part where these golden circles look like an ever changing swirling light trying to get from behind the irises is still there, but now, in active mode, my pupils are blue with a slightly lighter blue core. And when he moves his eyes, a slight blue "smoke" follows the pupils, lasting just a moment in the air before disappearing.

"What?" I ask him.

"The Vice Guildmaster is being annoying and wants to go to some meeting with other guilds. Want me to take over and go?"

"Hell no, you watch it here with me and gather as much information as possible. Let Assholethaniel take care of it."

"Are you sure? And stop staring into my eyes that much, it is creepy."

"Yes, I am sure, and it is different to see my eyes that way, a mirror doesn't do them justice. Just imagine, one day only one of a kind, eyes comparable to the Parallax eyes of that stalker."

"While I am excited at the thought, as you have heard-"

“Sure,” I interrupt him and begin to walk while he follows me.

Somewhere outside, Assholethaniel takes over the body.

We follow the lion cub that lowers itself and begins to sneak around, hiding behind the statues, fountains, and trees as it moves closer and closer to the mansion.

“What do you think?” I ask him while I try to mimic the lion, hiding behind the same objects. Nerdthaniel doesn't join us, just walking there out in the open.

“Taking into consideration the likely size of the World of Gods, and the fact the Demigod was a predecessor to a god and not a godking, this is likely just some smaller kingdom on the planet.”

“I thought the same,” I agree.

“Of course you did, I just said it,” he says.

That catches me off guard, and for a bit I stay out in the open before swiftly moving behind the tree where the lion cub is hiding as well.

“Well, whatever, stop complicating things,” I tell him. “I have a difficult time saying if this is pre-system war or during it, but what they seem to be building around it seems to hint at the war times. What do you think of that barrier thingy?”

“It is incredible. I have trouble finding any more accurate words for it.” His eyes are locked on the sky he sees through gaps between the tree branches.

“Yeah, same,” I say.

That causes his gaze to snap back to me. I sense him wanting to roll his eyes, but he holds himself back somehow.

Meanwhile, the lion cub makes its way through the front door and reaches the manor that is entirely empty, lacking any furniture, and the flooring and walls show claw marks on them.

The cub runs across the hallway, up the stairs, and then across the carpet. This is the only part with some furniture, and the closer we get to the end of the hallway, the more of it is here, and the less damage is around. There are nice carpets, paintings, statues, and decorations.

At the last door, the lion stops, sitting and letting out noises to let the person inside know its presence.

“Oh, you can come in, my dear,” a soft voice sounds from inside, and the cub pushes against the door, rushing in and jumping onto the lap of an old woman.

That woman wears a dress and looks underweight, with her face framed by straight gray hair. Still, she caresses the little lion cub while smiling, and her blind eyes look distant as she smiles.

“They were cruel to you again? Such fragile, fleeting things they are,” she says in a soft voice as the lion cub purrs on her lap.

“I agree with you, but it's not that. You are special, more so than your father. Your white fur is beautiful and not a sign of bad luck,” she says.

By mistake and without realizing its strength, the lion scratches her a few times, but her wounds just glow white and close almost instantly, without the lion realizing it.

“You are smart, unlike them, and you are doing a good job hiding it, my dear, but I ask of you to endure a few decades longer. Will you do that for me?”

The lion stops purring and looks at her, causing the woman to look back at it, though her milky eyes cannot see.

And the entire time I stand there terrified, unable to move at all. My submind is gone, leaving me alone.

Not once in my life have I felt a fear like this, as the woman smiles wider, giving a soft kiss at the top of the lion's head.

“Don't you worry about me. I’ve lived longer than enough, and I will gladly let Lady Death take me, but before then I have one more thing to do.” She lifts the lion cub and looks at it.

“My dear, why don't we leave a crack in that grand cage they are so proud of? Just a tiny flaw. As a quiet parting gift from an old woman.”

Only after a while does the little lion seem to realize it is a question and nod energetically, reaching out and licking the woman's face, who gives a chuckle.

But where the cub didn't realize it when it was so young, I can see that gaze in her eyes. A hatred so deep I haven't seen in any being, and that I don't think I will ever see again.