[A/N: Idia is the name of the planet and the consciousness tasked with grooming the new Gods. It's gender neutral, so I will refer to it as her despite its male appearance. So you will see a lot of Idia in this chapter, but bear with me. It ends with the chapter. Thank you!]
It felt like a dream. One moment he was seated amidst a million dead souls, howling in anguish and resentment. The next moment, he was in a familiar garden located at the core of the planet.
However, the once lush underground garden, which served as a playground for him and his younger siblings, had been reduced to a withered wasteland. Idia—the mighty oak tree with ten million roots connecting to all parts of the planet—was not spared this nasty fate.
The world tree that had stood for five thousand years was in its final hours of life.
"What did you do?" Damian remained seated, his once frail figure bustling with life after consuming the souls of millions.
His long black hair, graced with green streaks, cascaded down his shoulders, dragging against the dirt as he remained seated.
There was no response. Instead, from the mighty oak tree, a human form emerged—a fragile old man whose lower half was fused within the world tree. He looked tired and exhausted, yet wore the warm smile a grandfather would always show when seeing his grandchild.
Seeing this old man, Damian's cold gaze softened. His memories blended with reality as he recalled how he and his siblings used to run around this massive underground garden while this old man—who occasionally took the form of an old woman—simply observed them with a smile.
There was a time when this world was still in formation. Before humans, elves, dwarves, and beastfolk were created, only they and Idia existed. To Damian and his siblings, Idia was both father and mother.
"Little demon, the Beyond is not an entity you can defeat. At least, not like this." Idia chuckled bitterly, causing Damian's eyes to narrow once again.
The universe is an ever-evolving entity beyond the understanding of gods. Every ten thousand years, a god vein is created—conscious planets built to nurture the next generation of gods. Each new god vein is formed with the intent of correcting the flaws of previous deities and mortals, who eventually perish when their god vein runs dry and becomes a dead world.
For deities who are aware of this cycle, it is simply the natural exhaustion of their lifespans, and they bow out with grace.
It wouldn't be outrageous to claim the universe was experimenting in its attempt to create perfection. Unfortunately, in its bid for perfection, it left behind a trail of dead worlds harboring the corpses of deities and mortals, forgotten and abandoned.
That was until one deity decided to stop playing by the rules and give the universe the middle finger.
She was a young deity who slaughtered her siblings and stole their authority. From then on, she went on to consume god vein after god vein, recruiting deities as she moved. Weaker deities served as scouts, merely alerting her whenever they discovered a new god vein.
Over time, the Beyond grew into a realm lord—a being capable of carving out territory for itself in the boundless expanse of the universe. She was an existence no ordinary deity could handle.
Idia was bound to face her someday, but it had hoped that day would come later. Even when the outer deities arrived, Idia believed it would still take another three thousand years before the Beyond reached them.
Because there was time, Idia kept the Beyond's existence a secret, fearing that knowledge of it might push her children down a similar dark path.
"But now I see that only by walking that path do you have a chance to protect your home."
Idia exhaled loudly after the explanation. It seemed she had expended a great deal of energy speaking. Her situation was far more dire than Damian had believed.
"What did you do?" Damian asked again, ignoring her words.
He was more concerned with how he could be sitting here peacefully while a planet-consuming creature threatened to swallow them whole—and how Idia had lost her power so rapidly.
"I gave up my existence so that you may have a second chance, but this time with the knowledge you possess today…"
"I will send you back to a time when your brothers are still young and weak enough for you to slay and consume. You must make their authority yours!"
"Only a greater darkness can defeat a lesser one, and I know you better than anyone in the universe. You have the potential to become the greatest darkness—a darkness that will shield our home from all evil!"
Damian's fists clenched tightly, though his visage remained guarded. It was no small thing to tell a man he must kill his siblings and steal their power to save his people. Yet that was not his greatest concern.
What troubled him most was the price of this second chance.
After their first death, Idia had expended most of her energy to gather their scattered consciousness and trigger their rebirth. It was what led to her decline, and they had always known there would be no third chance after that.
If this was the same…
"There is no Idia without you. Reconsider!"
Damian lowered his head and spoke decisively. The weight of responsibility descended instantly. The burden of slaying his own flesh and blood was something he had never imagined carrying. And now, losing Idia herself to this war?
All for what?
To be left alone?
Is surviving really that important?
"Can't we all just die fighting with our heads held high?"
"Must we play the politics of heaven and soil our righteous hearts just to live?!"
Damian raised his head to meet Idia's gaze, but all he found was quiet resolve. His words were like water poured onto a boulder.
A waste.
"Little demon, where is home?"
"Here, of course!" Damian blurted out.
Pa!
The room fell silent. Damian's head tilted to the side, a red bruise forming on his cheek. His hand slowly rose to touch it as memories surfaced—days when Idia would whip them for being young and foolish.
"Father, Am I being foolish again?" he asked with a small smile instead of anger.
Idia let out an exhausted sigh and nodded. "Think, child. Do you truly believe land is valuable?"
"Even without this crisis, this planet will run dry five thousand years from now. When that happens—when all you have left is your people and the vast universe—where do you think home will be?"
The scenario was uncomfortable, but it was a reality Damian would face one day. Though troubled, he did not avoid it.
"Anywhere we choose to settle," Damian replied.
"Exactly." Idia nodded. "Planet Idia's resources are not unique. Other god veins have existed before it. But our inheritance, culture, and people are unique. They are proof of our existence—a proof that must never be lost, no matter what!"
Buzz!
Idia's words weighed heavily on Damian's heart because he knew she was right. When the outer gods arrived, they brought their people—monsters of races he had never seen before.
Despite losing their homes, they invaded Idia, carved out territory, and built a new one. It was only because they had settled in the Arthadal continent that Damian had been able to wipe them out with his army.
Idia was telling him to kill his siblings, steal their authority, and live like the Beyond—roaming the universe with his people in search of a new planet to leech from.
"Planet Idia will live on without me, but I cannot live without it. My time with you and your brothers has always been borrowed. It was bound to end someday. It simply came sooner than expected."
"For Idia, I offer my life. For Idia, your brothers must offer theirs. And for the sake of Idia, you must offer your heart and conscience. You must become a monster to scare monsters away."
"Little demon, can I entrust you with the future of Idia?"
Hong Long!
Pain surfaced on Damian's face as he saw the resolve in Idia's eyes. A once loving and gentle entity had been driven to ask for the murder of her own children.
"If my domain had not been shattered in that battle, I could have prevented this tragedy!" Damian's shoulders slumped as his voice cracked.
If only he had conserved his strength. If only he had held out longer. Idia would not have been forced into such a desperate decision.
"Can I entrust you with the future of Idia?!" Idia's voice sharpened.
"Yes—yes, Father!"
Damian cupped his fists and bowed deeply. If he was in pain, how could Idia not be suffering even more? He would not make her final moments harder.
Only after hearing his answer did Idia sigh in relief. The smile returned to her face as tears welled in her eyes. With a flick of her fingers, green energy burst forth from her body and surged through the room.
In an instant, the dying garden was restored to its former glory.
"There is not much time left. She will find us soon," Idia said, her voice heavy with sorrow and regret.
Hundreds of bright green magic arrays appeared almost instantly, stacking in complex order until they formed a massive dome that sealed Damian within.
"Time magic?" Damian immediately sensed the nature of the spell.
In five thousand years, he had encountered only a handful of mortals with affinity for this extraordinary element—and none had ever been truly threatening. It always seemed as though the universe cursed those unlucky enough to wield a five-star element.
"PUNY DEITY, DID YOU THINK YOU COULD HIDE FROM ME FOR LONG?!"
Buzz!
The underground garden shook violently beneath the Beyond's deafening voice. Though they stood at the planet's core, the sky suddenly became visible, even through the depths of the soil. The massive crimson eye descended, narrowed and filled with curiosity as it peered at them.
"SO THIS IS THE BEST THE UNIVERSE CAN DO TO DEFEND AGAINST ME?"
The Beyond sounded amused rather than concerned.
"DO YOU THINK THROWING EVERYTHING IN THIS REALM BACK A THOUSAND YEARS WILL CHANGE TODAY'S OUTCOME?"
"DELUSIONAL!"
Sending them back a thousand years would only delay the inevitable. This was not the universe's first attempt to resist her. It had even created false god veins to lure her away.
Over the millennia, the Beyond had grown patient—unperturbed by divine tricks.
"In a thousand years, you will fall to the greatest darkness to ever grace this universe!" Idia replied coldly.
At the same time, a similar array— just a thousands of times larger—appeared around planet Idia.
"FOOLISH!"
"THE COSMOS BENDS TO NO ONE!"
But the Beyond's words were met with mocking laughter.
"Ignorant!" Idia scolded.
"Mortals die. Deities die. Stars die. Even the cosmos you covet will cease to exist one day!"
"ONLY DEATH IS ABSOLUTE!"
Buzz!
The array expanded again, covering Idia's entire solar system.
This time, the Beyond did not respond. Her massive eye narrowed as she studied Damian with quiet deliberation. Moments later, the cosmos lit up once more as power converged around the crimson eye.
"IN THAT CASE, ALLOW ME TO PLUCK THIS FLOWER BEFORE IT BLOOMS!"
This time Damian refused to sit still any longer. His head snapped up as he roared.
"INSUFFERABLE ROGUE! DO YOU REALLY THINK I HAVE NO MEANS OF DEALING WITH YOU?!"
Emerald light exploded from his eyes.
If he were still lacking energy, he would not dare. But now, he possessed enough power to summon his ancestral beginning undying body sealed deep within the underworld. How dare this creature threaten his mother in his presence?!
"FOOL, DIE!"
With little to no time before Idia's array would activate, the Beyond unleashed a half-formed rainbow beam aimed straight at Damian. Space twisted and turned violently as the beams traveled through the heavens with malicious intent.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! FRAUD! TASTE MY FINGER TODAY! I'LL GIVE YOU MY FIST NEXT TIME WE MEET!"
HONG LONG!
The world trembled as Damian's undying body manifested. A megalithic bone hand emerged from the gates of hell, black chains snapping as it stretched its index finger toward the beam.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The collision split planet Idia in two. Mortals, mages, and sorcerers alike exploded into blood mist across the universe. This time, no one was spared.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Damian's laughter shook the planet as bright green light erupted from Idia's core and spread outward.
"PUNY GOD! YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE ME A SECOND TIME!" the Beyond snarled, fury finally showing.
Only now did Damian's confidence begin to irritate her.
"YOUR NEXT ENCOUNTER WITH DEATH WILL BE YOUR LAST! IDIA, BEAR ME WITNESS!"
Damian's laughter never ceased amid the chaos.