The voice that asked was Sel's.
"What do you mean, who am I?.. I am your master, aren't I?" He replied
After a long silence, Sel glanced at the sky, where the clouds were tinged with hues of orange and deep purple, reflecting her inner turmoil. The gentle breeze that brushed against her skin mirrored the restless longing that threatened to unravel her every thought.
"You've been sleeping all this time? You always played clueless, but I never thought you'd see through me, not after everything I did to hide it." She smiled faintly.
He wondered, 'What is she talking about?' Uncertainty swirled inside him. 'Should I ask more, or let it go? Something feels off, but I do not want to push.'
Sel, wait. I need to explain."
"I know." Sel looked back at him with a smile.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" His confusion was evident.
After some time, Sel began to speak. "Well, you see, "
As Sel was about to explain, the ground shifted violently. Soil crumbled underfoot, and cold air enveloped them. The sky darkened as a sudden storm descended, causing the world to crack and tremble.
He looked up in panic to find the cause.
Sel looked up at the world, which kept cracking, her face full of disbelief. Her body stiffened as she took a cautious step back.
"This is unfathomable," she said, her voice a mix of awe and fear, revealing a depth of incredulity shaped by everything she had once believed to be certain.
He stared at Sel, panic rising. "Sel, what's happening?" he asked
"This shouldn't be happening right now... I should still have enough time," Sel said, still in shock.
Seeing this, he grabbed Sel and asked again, louder this time, "SEL! Why is this happening? Ex- "
Just as he was about to finish his sentence, a mysterious but powerful voice echoed through the entire world that Sel had created.
"You were careless, Selphyne, to think this could happen right at this moment."
Just as the voice said that, voices erupted from every direction, surrounding them with jeers and sneers.
"Careless," one whispered mockingly, a ghostly echo that sliced through the air. Others laughed boisterously, as if this tragedy were the highlight of some celestial farce. Their laughter cascaded across the world, varying in tone and texture; some deep and thunderous, others high-pitched and piercing.
It carried so much power and authority that he could no longer grasp the reality of what was happening; it was the sound of gods, divine yet terrifying, weighing down upon him with a force too great for any ordinary human to bear.
He fell to his knees, covering both his ears in agony from the voices that echoed through the world.
"No NO NO NO.. this can't be happening right now," sel said. Her charm and grace vanished, replaced by a face of disbelief and shock.
"SILENCE."
The mysterious voice that once spoke said again. Suddenly, the voices stopped laughing and went completely silent; not a single voice could be heard anymore.
"This far exceeded my expectations. To think someone like you could make such an error is comical, Selphyne... Or wait, should I call you 'sel'?" the voice said mockingly.
"Y-you.. what do you think you are doing?" Sel asked, trying to gather what was left of her composure."How dare y-" Just as she was about to finish, the voice cut in again.
"Don't play dumb with me, Selphyne, you know exactly why this is happening," the mysterious voice replied.
Sel clenched her fists and stared at the shivering boy, blood trailing from his ears. The shock and disbelief that had gripped her began to burn into anger at the voice—at the force that had driven her master to such a state. 'I can't let them do this to him,' she thought, the resolve growing inside her.
"Don't tell me you can still fight after all that has transpired so far," the voice said mockingly.
Just as the voice spoke, Sel saw the boy on the ground begin to move again. He trembled and collapsed to the ground again, yet his determination to rise was unmistakable. Blood seeped from his ears, eyes, nose, and mouth, leaving him coated in it as if submerged. Despite this, what most distinguished him was the resolve in his eyes. Though his body faltered under such overwhelming power, his mind remained resolute; physically defeated, he was mentally unwavering, focused on a purpose only he understood. Those were the eyes of someone unwilling to die even in the face of God's.
"How Pitiful, to think you would become a nameless mortal with no dignity left. Oh, how the mighty [Blur] has fallen." The mysterious voice said as it saw the boy struggling to stand on his two feet.
His eyes flickered after hearing what the voice said. Once again, he tried to move, trying, begging every fibre in his body to move. 'I need to move... move goddammit,' he thought, his teeth clenched and his fists tightening. Desperation surged through him, and his fingers dug into the earth beneath him, clawing at the dirt as though willing it to lend him strength. But his body didn't listen and continued to fail him. No matter what he did, his limbs remained unresponsive, locked in a futile struggle against the overwhelming force.
Sel's chest began to tighten as she saw this, and she gripped the fabric of her cloth on her chest; her teary eyes could no longer bear to see her master in such a condition. But behind those tears, a fierce resolve began to take root. Unbeknownst to the eyes around her, Sel was forming a vow, a desperate and dangerous decision that could alter their fate. Her forbidden ability whispered through her mind, a last resort she had sworn never to use, now seeming the only choice that could change the course of their destiny.
Sel knelt down beside him, moving her hand gently to his shoulders. Even though he had talked a big game moments ago, he couldn't even move against even the mere voice of a god, let alone their presence. His voice broke as he whispered, "Pa... thetic," the word escaping in a weak breath. Tears began to roll down his face, mixing with the blood already staining it. His face, once bloody, now bore the liquid weight of his tears, a reflection of his inner despair.
"Selphyne, give this nameless husk to us, and I promise he will be reborn into an existence free from the burdens of memory, where pain and sorrow cease to exist. Imagine him living like the gods, untouched by the trials that plague mortals, in a state of eternal peace and bliss. It is a gift as ancient as time itself, a promise of immortality, unencumbered by the weight of past mistakes or regrets. Offer him to us, and we assure you, he will reside in a realm beyond the reach of suffering, forever".
After some time, Sel began to speak. "If I hadn't interfered, would things still have turned out this way?" Sel said, her head lowered, her hand resting gently on the boy's shoulder. As the weight of recent events pressed upon her, Sel's internal struggle intensified, her thoughts caught between guilt and unwavering affection. "Was I truly in the wrong?" she questioned aloud, her voice trembling with uncertainty and regret. "Is it wrong to feel this way about someone? Are... my feelings wrong?" In this vulnerable moment, Sel wrestled with the consequences of her actions and the morality of her emotions, revealing an inner conflict between duty and personal longing that shaped her emotional decision.
"I do not care about your babble about your feelings. I asked a question, and I need an answer right now," the voice said irritably.
The world held its breath, the air thick with anticipation as if the storm clouds themselves had paused in their gathering, waiting for what would come next.
All the gods' attention was on Sel. They were waiting to hear what she had to say. A single tear began to stream down Sel's face; she didn't move or make a sound. She remained perfectly still, shoulders tense, while the world remained unmoving except for that silent tear.
"He is my one master, one whom I have sworn loyalty to even before the very concept of time was created. Do you think you Imbeciles could even dream of such an honour?" She said with a smirk
As she declared this, the world began to quiver with an intensity that matched her unwavering defiance.
"YOU-YOU DARE SPIT ON MY FACE?!!" The voice said violently as the world continued to tremble.
The voices of the other unknown gods echoed in the air, their collective anger at Sel's response growing louder with each passing moment. Accusations of insolence and regret over offering cooperation mingled together, creating a cacophony of disapproval that intensified the tension.
"I? Dare?" Sel said as she looked up to the sky. The voices began to stop talking one by one. "Do not get full of yourself and remember who it is you moron's are dealing with." As she said this, the single teardrop that was streaming down her face suddenly fell.
The ground beneath the boy and Sel began to glow, casting a bright light almost like the sun. The glow was not mere illumination; it radiated with an intensity that hummed through the air, as if alive. The colour was a fierce, regal gold, with streaks of fiery crimson running through it, adding a sense of urgency and power. The temperature around them spiked, heat searing into the ground and into the air.
Sel pressed her palm firmly against the earth, her eyes flashing as she activated something—her secret ability, which she had once thought useless. The very sound of the glow was like a distant thunder, a low rumble that spoke of storms yet to come.
"What is that?... to think she still had this much power, this isn't going as planned. I made a huge miscalculation. I never would have thought she would still have this much power."
"You made a miscalculation? HaHaHa... don't make me laugh. Don't think you all won't pay for this. My master is still far beyond your reach even in this mortal body, and you all will bear witness to it," Sel said mockingly.
"Your thrones will crumble, your names will fade from the lips of worshippers, and your divine halls will echo with emptiness. Remember this day, for it marks the beginning of your end."
"Dammit, STOP HER!" Just as the voice said this, the entire world was immediately filled with a bright light.
"Master, no [Blur], I hope we can meet soon once more, this time I will call you by your true name", she said as if looking directly at the 'Boy'.-