There were still many questions in my mind—where exactly had the Gods gone after leaving Earth? And after their departure, did the power balance in this world really remain the way they intended?
To calm my curiosity, I asked Historia about the remaining two Epochs. Historia said, "Alright Master, I'll tell you about the two remaining Epochs." After that, she began explaining.
Historia said that at the end of The Epoch of Divine Schism, when the Gods left Earth, a new age began afterward called the Third Epoch. It is also known as The Relic or The Epoch of Echoes. Historia added that this is the very era in which we are living—like strangers completely distant from the true mystery of this world.
Hearing this, I asked in surprise, "Oh! So is this the very Epoch we're living in?"
To that Historia replied, "Yes Master," and then she began describing the terrifying depths of this age.
According to Historia, at the beginning of this Epoch not only did the Gods leave Earth, but many Earth creatures were also sealed into the Underworld. Moreover, many magical and medicinal plants from Earth were either taken away by the Gods or completely destroyed.
Not only that—at the start of this age many kingdoms arose, and wars for dominance broke out among them. Because of these wars, famine and strange diseases began spreading in many kingdoms. Forced by desperation, the kings of those states began constructing Holy Temples for the Gods so they could pray and ask for help to prevent their downfall. But some kingdoms became so hopeless that they began worshipping Evil Deities instead of Gods.
Then Historia mentioned a horrifying story recorded in the books of legends. She said that once a kingdom built a massive ship. After that, the kingdom filled that ship with its criminals. It included rapists, murderers, and even those who had merely stolen food from the royal granary. Even revolutionaries and philosophers who raised their voices against authority were not spared.
In the end, that entire ship was sealed and sent sailing away from Earth toward Spirit Land. Historia explained that this was a massacre-like sacrifice so that the Evil Deities dwelling in Spirit Land would accept the offering and help that kingdom.
After hearing this terrifying story, I realized something deeply—if these stories are true, then calling the time I'm living in the Golden Era of this Epoch wouldn't be wrong. Even though there are still many things in this world that cannot be understood or stopped, at least we are not in an age where ships full of humans are sacrificed.
But then I asked Historia, "Historia, what exactly is this Spirit Land?"
The answer came from Den. He calmly said, "Oh, Spirit Land is the place where our Heater lives."
Looking at Den, I said, "Oh, I see… so that's Spirit Land, the place Heater belongs to."
Den replied, "Jona, you still don't fully understand the Underworld, that's why you don't know what it really is."
Hearing that, I fell silent.
But for me, one biggest mystery still remained—the Fourth Epoch.
So I asked Historia one last question, "Historia, now start telling me about the Fourth Epoch."
She nodded and said, "Of course Master."
Then Historia began,
"The Fourth Epoch… which is known as The Flux Epoch or The Epoch of the Cursed Eclipse."
I was startled hearing that name. The Cursed Eclipse? Why such a strange name? Would the world face some massive calamity in this epoch?
Then Historia revealed something shocking. She said this epoch is not a separate era that will come or has passed—it is actually a sub-epoch that occurs within our current Third Epoch, The Relic.
She continued,
"This is not a standing epoch. It actually appears once every 1,000 years within the Third Epoch and lasts about 30 to 35 years."
Then she repeated what I had already heard from Den earlier. She said,
"During this time, two extremely powerful individuals are born on Earth. The first is the Demon Lord. After his arrival, instability spreads through the world, global peace collapses, and wars erupt everywhere. But then a time comes when a Hero is born to face that Demon Lord."
"After that, a catastrophic war takes place between the Hero and the Demon Lord, and in the end the Hero kills the Demon Lord and restores World Order. And this cycle repeats every 1,000 years to show the world how good triumphs over evil. And Master, this entire game is orchestrated by the Gods."
As soon as Historia finished speaking, silence filled the room. The Gods had trapped the world in an endless loop where every thousand years thousands of lives are sacrificed just to teach a "lesson."
After learning all this about the Fourth Epoch, I sank into deep thought. The Gods' method of maintaining world order was truly strange and complicated. In a way, it was a means of keeping their legacy alive. But I shouldn't look at this information from only one perspective—perhaps there are many deeper reasons behind it.
I've read such mythological stories in the religious texts of my own world too, like Lord Rama slaying Ravana or Lord Krishna ending his own uncle Kansa. But the reality and rules of this world are different, so I must examine everything here from every possible angle.
I turned to Historia and asked, "Historia, do you have any more information related to this?"
She replied in a tired voice, "Master, I don't have more information right now, but I promise I'll gather more clues for you."
Hearing that, I walked thoughtfully toward my table. I opened an empty notebook kept there and tore out two pages. I handed them to Historia. She looked at me, clearly confused about what I intended.
Getting straight to the point, I said,
"Historia, do one thing. Using these two papers, make a 'paper knife' for me so I can use my Paper Hardening ability on it."
Historia nodded and began skillfully folding the papers in a strange way. Den watched carefully with his red eyes, surprised at what she was doing. Within seconds, Historia had crafted a perfect paper knife.
I took the knife in my hand. Even though it was made of paper, it looked completely real. I slowly began channeling my Thunder-attribute Aurum into it. Within moments, that ordinary piece of paper had transformed into a deadly weapon. Its edge was now no less sharp than steel.
To test my power, I tossed a few sheets into the air and with a single swift motion of the knife sliced them into many fine pieces. Seeing this, my joy knew no bounds. I was extremely excited at my success.
With that excitement I turned toward Historia and said,
"Historia! Did you see what I just did?"
But the moment I looked at her, I froze. Historia, exhausted from today's ritual, training, and all the information, had fallen into deep sleep while sitting in my study chair. Now the room held only the glow of Den's eyes and the quiet night breeze entering through the window. I had no other choice—it seemed tonight Historia would spend the night in my room. Alright then… so be it.
Year 514 — April 18
The day Historia becomes an official Paragon and a Royal Knight of the Virangna Vahini regiment…
and Jona, who has begun to learn about this world.