If that means murdering a lowly human, then so be it.

Theoktonos

I will kill you

Go on. Try me.

If you dare.

I'd do anything to see your corpse.

Come on then. Kill me.

I was planning to.

But, before you do, hear me out.

What do you gain?

If you kill me, what do you gain?

You're simply perpetuating a pointless cycle of death.

What's the point of killing me?

What do I gain? Satisfaction.

Cosmology/The Attack

The satisfaction of revenge.

The knowledge that my family is avenged.

Avenged? What even is revenge?

It's a stupid concept, is it not?

We're above it, are we not?

You can move past it.

Limiting your goals to a puny human? How pathetic.

I don't care what you are.

Like you said, I am a God. I'll do what I want.

I don't care how many mortal lives are lost.

I would tear The Cosmos to shreds if it meant killing you

&#x3C;p class=&#x22;ql-align-center&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;*&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;strong style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;THIS TEXT CONTAINS ELEMENTS THAT MAY BE DISTURBING&#x3C;/strong&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;.*&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p class=&#x22;ql-align-center&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;*&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;strong style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED&#x3C;/strong&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;.*&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;Once the ceremony had ended, I thought that the knot of regret in my stomach would loosen, even if it were only a bit. But, I was completely wrong. If anything, it was only tighter. Once most of the people attending had left, I went and sat down in front of the coffin.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;I&#x2019;m sorry. I&#x2019;m really sorry. Can you forgive me? I should have been there to stop you. Please don&#x2019;t hate me. Do you hate me?&#x201D; I muttered under my breath. As if he would actually hear me. I sighed audibly. This isn&#x2019;t getting me anywhere. &#x201C;May your soul rest peacefully in Elysium.&#x201D; I breathed.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;Elysium?&#x201D; A voice behind me said, too loud for what my ears had become accustomed to. I jumped. I turned to see&#x2026; that light-haired boy? &#x201C;What&#x2019;s Elysium?&#x201D;&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;Elysium is a place only the best of the best go after death. The bravest of the brave. The most admirable of the admirable. It is the ultimate paradise, crafted by the very hands of Hades himself.&#x201D; I explained, shaking off the initial shock.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;Do you believe that it exists?&#x201D; He pressed on.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;Don&#x2019;t you?&#x201D; I questioned.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;No, no I don&#x27;t. Or, well, I hope it doesn&#x2019;t.&#x201D; He remarked. This was quite puzzling.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;And why is that?&#x201D; I retorted, turning back to look at the coffin.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;Even if it&#x2019;s a &#x2018;paradise&#x2019;, even that would get boring after an eternity, would it not?&#x201D;&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;Being bored isn&#x2019;t the point. Being in the esteemed and praised lands, hand-crafted by the gods that rule over us all&#x2026; doesn&#x2019;t it seem&#x2026; amazing?&#x201D; I looked up into the clouds, still grey and heavy with rain.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;Not really. It&#x2019;s the opposite. I hate it when something that I cannot reach is so close. It&#x2019;s&#x2026; claustrophobic.&#x201D; He explained. There was a silence, only broken by the pitter-patter of raindrops on the soil.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;That kind of talk is what gets you sent to Tartarus.&#x201D; I said, chuckling a bit.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;Well, there&#x27;s another thing. If I step out of line, whilst playing a game they created and that I&#x2019;m forced to play, why should I be the one punished for it?&#x201D; He quizzed. I didn&#x2019;t agree, but I could see where he was coming from.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;You should really be grateful and indebted to them for your very existence, so you may as well be subservient and worship them. Would you slander the one that made you?&#x201D; I asked, to no response. &#x201C;By the way,&#x201D; I remarked, turning around once again to look at him closely. &#x201C;who are you?&#x201D;&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;Oh!&#x201D; He said, laughing a bit, only just realised he hadn&#x2019;t introduced himself. He offered me his hand in a polite greeting. &#x201C;Nothos is my name. And you must be Theoktonos?&#x201D; I nodded.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;Don&#x2019;t mean to sound disrespectful, but are you related to Iroas in any way?&#x201D; My throat seized up when I said &#x2018;Iroas&#x2019;.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;Oh, no. I&#x2019;ve never met him. I&#x2019;m here to tell you something important that you must know before heading back to The Guards of Anthropotita&#x2019;s main station.&#x201D; He said. He had intrigued me now.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;What is it?&#x201D; I asked, getting up from the wet, damp floor.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;Recently the Warriors of Polemistes were attacked by two devils. Thankfully, we were able to defeat them, but at the cost of some of our lives, and the destruction of our homebase. So, under some money that your instructor, Stereotita had bribed our instructor with on a prior occasion, she had bought a few nights for us to stay at yours.&#x201D; He explained. That was surprising. And so soon compared to the dungeon incident? &#x201C;Also, a quick heads up, my teammates are quite loud and annoying most of the time. I&#x2019;ll introduce, or more likely pinpoint who to try to avoid once you return, if that&#x27;s fine by you, of course.&#x201D; He continued. I nodded my head once again. They couldn&#x2019;t possibly be worse than Tachytita, right?&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;They were. Three of them, all girls, a couple years older than me, one with jet black hair with red outlines, green eyes and pale skin, another, seemingly the oldest with dark, frilly hair and vibrant, brown eyes were bickering. Bickering so loud it was impossible to block out, or to try and focus on anything else. I couldn&#x2019;t even tell what they were arguing about, for the god&#x2019;s sake. The third girl, quite obviously the youngest yet around the same age as me, if not older than me with short, blonde hair and saturated golden eyes, was trying, almost unsuccessfully, to diffuse the situation. It had been around ten minutes, but it had felt more akin to an hour. Yelling threats to&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;I&#x2019;ll pull your toenails off!&#x201D;&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;I&#x2019;ll bite your head off!&#x201D;&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;I&#x2019;ll feed you to a demon!&#x201D;&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;I&#x2019;ll shove your own foot down your throat!&#x201D; And so on, and so forth. You get the gist. I sat there in the corner of the room, just waiting for it to end. When, all of a sudden&#x2026;&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x201C;ALL OF YOU, SHUT UP!&#x201D; Tachytita stormed into the room, anger booming with each footstep. &#x201C;I&#x2019;M TRYING TO GET SOME REST, AND YOU SHOUTING LIKE MADWOMEN ISN&#x2019;T THE BEST LULABY, IS IT?&#x201D; She never failed to amaze me in how ignorant she was in the lack of self-consciousness. Just walking in and shouting at complete strangers, there&#x2019;s something I would never do. The bickering stopped momentarily, as all three looked up at the fuming Tachytita. &#x201C;Your instructor is calling for you, anyway. You would know that if you weren&#x2019;t so damn loud!&#x201D; She moaned. &#x201C;Not the yellow-haired girl, though. Just the two loudmouths.&#x201D; She concluded, before storming away from the door. They got up, muttering and complaining under their breaths. As they walked out, they slammed the door behind them.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;THUD.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;I exhaled deeply. Didn&#x2019;t think I would be grateful to Tachytita about anything outside the battlegrounds, but here we are. I looked up again, and inadvertently locked eyes with the golden-haired girl. Never mind, I am not thankful. I&#x2019;m stuck in a room, alone with someone I don&#x2019;t even know the name of.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;Perfect.&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x2014;---------------------------------------------TO BE CONTINUED&#x2014;-------------------------------------------&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;Author&#x2019;s note: There is another chapter gone! A lot of setup for the arc to come, so stay tuned!&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;P.S Like and follow the page to keep your life!&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;span style=&#x22;background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&#x22;&#x3E;P.S.S Rate the chapter and the arc /10!&#x3C;/span&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;

&#x3C;p&#x3E;A man wielding an abrupt azure blade walks away from the now collapsed palace. A smirk on his face.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;

Pantheon