" It seems as if everyone knows who I was and what I've done except for me. If I've done things that are worth atoning for, then I'd like to know exactly what they were. What did I do and why is everyone scared of me? "
You ask the Valghul. The Valghul's face then suddenly turns emotionless and cold as it answers you in an ominous tone.
" During the highest point in your pursuit for power, your name was synonymous with Death. Rivaled only by my Lord, the name of Abbadon struck fear into the hearts of Gods and men alike. Many of the Omniverse's most powerful men fell by your hand until mortal men became too weak to fight you, then you began killing Gods. All of this was done in the pursuit of becoming the most powerful mortal that ever lived in order to achieve your goal, and the only being ever known to defeat you was The One. "
You find it hard to believe but as you look back at the Valghul, you can tell that it's telling the truth.
It sounds like I was a monster… a monster in pursuit of power for some reason. Maybe that's why The One erased my memory… to kill my ambition for power.
The Valghul reads your thoughts and chimes in.
" That could also be why The One gave you another life in a universe outside of this one as well. You may be known as Abbadon across the Omniverse, but in the universe that The One had you born into less than a century ago, you are known as something different. You have lived a completely separate life and have faced different experiences compared to what you have faced as Abbadon, and therefore you are a completely changed person. Everything, even down to characteristics like your gender in your second life could potentially be different from who you used to be in the Omniverse, but there is one thing that I know about your second life for certain. In your second life that The One has given you, you are powerless. You are no stronger than any regular mortal could be, and therefore you have learned in your second life to empathize with his creation and see existence from a more humble perspective. "
" But why? "
You speak up and ask the Valghul.
" Why even give me a second chance after everything that I've done? I should've been held responsible for my actions and at least faced the same fate as what I've inflicted on others. It doesn't matter what my goal was. There's no excuse for what I did if I killed all of those people and Gods like you said. "
The Valghul smirks as it responds to you in a surprised tone.
" No excuse…? You're saying that your goal didn't matter…? It appears that The One was successful in changing you. The One may have wanted this for you, but we didn't. My Lord and I watched you go to the extremes that you did in order to achieve your goal. We admired the raw power that you possessed and your willingness to use it. It was a pity to see that you failed against The One and the great Tale of Abbadon ended the way that it did. "
You begin to feel a wave of sorrow wash over you, but you can't figure out what's causing it. It's like your mind doesn't remember who you were but your heart does. You think hard on what the Valghul just told you and you come to a realization.
Monsters aren't born, they're made. What exactly happened to turn me into this monster that everyone feared?
The Valghul then gets up from the booth and adjusts its clothes as it continues to speak to you.
" Before I tell you the more sensitive information, I'd like to do something for you. "
The Valghul then walks over to Tom as he's still frozen, holding The Holy Omniverse Transcript, and takes the book from his hands. The book unlocks automatically once it's in the Valghul's possession, but the Valghul doesn't open it. Instead, the Valghul pauses for a moment as it inspects the book before returning to the booth, holding the book out for you to take it.
" Here. Take this as a token of my esteem. With this book, my Lord could harness the power of everything and nothing simultaneously. However, my Lord wishes for you to keep it instead because he sees a far greater potential with it in your hands. We hope that you appreciate our honesty and the lengths we are willing to go in order to have you on our side. "
You take the book from the Valghul and the book locks again in your hands.
Is the Valghul really willing to give me The Holy Omniverse Transcript to gain my trust? Am I really that powerful to the point that The None sees it as better in my hands than his? At least it seems like the Valghul doesn't intend on killing me for it like last time.
The Valghul then sits back down at the booth across from you and puts its elbows on the table as it leans forward. It speaks to you in an eager tone and its demonic voice gives you chills again.
" So would you like to know what set you on the path of power and why you strived to achieve it long ago? "
You nervously lean forward in the booth and nod your head subtly, but before the Valghul can tell you, you hear a familiar voice behind you instead.
" Stop. "
You turn around in the booth to see Noeh standing in the entrance to the cafe with a look of fear and nervousness on his face. He's wearing an orange robe and orange blindfold just like you saw him wearing back in Sovarohm, and he speaks in a foreboding tone.
" The demon tells you these things because it intends on turning you back into the old Abbadon that my father tried so desperately to change. "
The Valghul grins from ear to ear as its rotten eyes lock onto Noeh in a predatory manner. Then it speaks in an ominous tone.
" And so the God of Knowledge appears… right on time. "
This must've been the Valghul's plan all along. To draw out a God in a physical form so it could kill them.
Noeh speaks to you in an assured but foreboding tone.
" I understand that taking a physical form here means certain death, but it's a sacrifice that I must make in order to ensure that this demon doesn't twist you back into who you once were. "
The Valghul interrupts Noeh's warning by taunting him.
" It's said that you wear a blindfold when taking a physical form because any mortal that looks into your eyes will face the raw power of your godly domains within their minds. Remind me… What are your domains again, Noeh? Knowledge… Wisdom… Logic… and… what was your fourth and final domain as God? "
Noeh doesn't respond to the Valghul and instead pleads with you in a serious tone.
" Whatever happens next, don't let the demon change you. My father is not perfect and has made many mistakes in the past. Helping you recover from your past wasn't one of them. I hope that you'll remember the second life that he's given you- "
The Valghul suddenly vanishes and reappears behind Noeh in an instant and forces Noeh's arm behind his back, violently ripping it out of its socket. Noeh screams in pain as they both then suddenly appear next to the table in the blink of an eye and it grabs Noeh by the back of his neck with its other hand.
" Answer me, puny God. "
The Valghul says into Noeh's ear from behind him before slamming Noeh's head on the table in front of you. You can hear a crushing sound as the right side of Noeh's skull shatters upon impact. The Valghul holds Noeh's head down onto the table, face towards you, and you can see Noeh's broken face flatten onto the table as he speaks in a terrified crying voice with an unhinged jaw.
" Memories! The fourth… Memories… "
The Valghul cackles as it slowly crushes Noeh against the table more and more while talking to him.
" Ah, how convenient. That's exactly what Abbadon is missing, isn't it? Memories. "
The Valghul then lets go of Noeh's arm and claws off Noeh's blindfold, tearing a chunk of flesh and bone out of Noeh's head with it, revealing Noeh's eyes to you. Blood pours out of the claw mark that was just gashed in Noeh's head and the eye socket of the eye that's crushed as Noeh's corpse goes limp on the table. You're disgusted by the obscene and gory display on the table in front of you and you're frozen in fear as Noeh's blood that's running from his head reaches the edge of the table and starts dripping onto your lap. The smell of blood is awful and you see that the Valghul has taken on a more beastly and demonic form like the one that you saw when it killed Aatu. The Valghul growls demonically at you as it speaks.
" Look, Abbadon! Look into the eyes of this pitiful dead God and you will see the truth of your past! "
This can't be happening… Noeh's dead right in front of me and I'm sure he's going to suffer the Bite of Abrogation next…
Your heart is pounding and you can barely breathe as you reluctantly look into Noeh's eyes. His eyes are a beautiful blue, and you feel like you can see the cosmos within them. As you gaze into the eyes of Noeh's corpse, you can feel your perception begin to shift as you're taken into a dream-state within your mind.
Within this dream, you can see four orbs floating before you in an infinite space, each one with a different name that you already know in your heart… each one representing a pivotal moment in your past that led to your eventual imprisonment into The Light.
The First Orb: LOVE
The Second: LIFE
The Third: LOSS
The Fourth and Final Orb: LEGEND
You suddenly snap into the first orb and you begin to see the environment transform around you. While the environment is changing, your vision shifts into a colorless black and white and you mentally prepare to watch this memory play out in front of you. It's almost like you'll be living it again from your perspective, but you're also conscious that it's only a memory at the same time. Your heart feels an unexplainable sense of familiarity as the environment fully takes its form around you and you find it strange how you can still feel everything physically as if you're actually there, also feeling the same emotions that you felt back then.
Looking into Noeh's eyes has dilated your perception of time and put you completely in a trance. The only way out of it now is to relive these important memories that you've lost.
I'm about to experience the very real memories that everyone has been trying to keep from me. Am I prepared to face the truth about my past?