[: Daniel POV :]
“The Sacred Treasure has been passed down from our ancestors and guarded for millions of years by our race,”
Sun explained with a sense of proudness.
“By now, you would understand what I’m about to say next.” Sun smiled knowingly.
Hearing his words, I gulped nervously, anticipating the gravity of his words.
“The reward that will be given to you from the quest would no doubt be the Sacred Treasure,” Sun added.
The idea that the reward would be a Sacred Treasure, safeguarded for millions of years, never crossed my mind. I
t was undoubtedly special to them, yet they were offering it to me as a reward, a decision perhaps agreed upon by all the Demonian Kings.
All of a sudden, a black crystallized seed materialized between Sun’s hands.
As I gazed at the seed, its beauty struck me.
Simultaneously, I felt an incredible power emanating from the Black Seed.
Even my bloodline was suppressed and it even reacted to the Black Seed.
It felt as if the power contained within the Black Seed was thousands of times more powerful than my own existence.
It was a peculiar sensation.
However, considering a race where every single one of them could easily destroy a planet, the volume of such power was not out of reach.
“You must have felt the power contained inside the seed,”
Sun said, a smile playing on his lips as he observed my reaction.
“Yeah, it feels incredibly enormous, and I don’t know what kind of energy it has…”
I muttered, my gaze fixed on the black seed.
I could sense its tremendous power, but the nature of that power was mysterious to me. I
t was my first time seeing the seed up close, and I could even perceive a black, ghostly gas emitting from it.
Despite that, to the naked eye, it appeared to be just a simple black seed.
It certainly wasn’t mana, nor was it cursed.
“What you just said was right,”
Sun nodded in agreement, acknowledging the facts of my words.
“It holds a powerful energy, and that’s the source of all of our powers,” he explained.
“At the same time, even we, who originated from this seed, weren’t able to discover just what kind of powers it holds,”
Sun continued a hint of cluelessness in his explanation.
“But what we do know is the fact…the seed was obtained the moment our first ancestor, Eve, committed a sin,”
Sun explained, his expression shifting as though he was about to reveal a taboo existence.
“Eve… committed a sin…?”
I repeated his words, and the more I delved into their history, the more shocked I became.
It felt like the knowledge I was gaining was something I shouldn’t know, yet here I am.
“That’s right,” Sun nodded his head.
“We aren’t sure whether this was the truth,” he said, pausing briefly.
“But,” he hesitated, as though reluctant to continue.
“Just tell him, Sun. There’s no point in keeping the truth when we’re about to go soon,” Red declared with a firm tone.
“Red is right. It has been millions of years, and it’s about time we reveal the truth before the truth buries us,” Elos explained.
“It’s about time we should be freed from this heavy truth, Sun,” Grid added.
Upon hearing the words from his fellow brothers, Sun took a deep breath before unveiling a horrifying truth.
“Just like what I had said. It’s been millions of years since we had been guarding this sacred treasure, so, the truth might distort, but the truth is…the black seed you’re seeing is what was obtained… after Eve… ate the Forbidden Fruit,” Sun exclaimed.
The moment Sun declared, I felt like there was a loud smack of noise that echoed within my ears.
The Forbidden Fruit that the Demonians were cursed into… and the Forbidden Fruit that Eve…ate.
It felt like there was a connection between them, and I never thought they would be related to one another.
Could the reason behind why they were cursed into a fruit have something to do with the fact that Eve ate the forbidden fruit?
At the same time, my heart was pumping.
The matter of Eve is something far beyond my grasp, yet I was learning a part about her.
“That is all we know about the story, and this seed represents the power of the Forbidden Fruit eaten by Eve,” Sun added.
“So… this seed would be my reward?”
I questioned nervously while looking at the seed.
“That’s right, this seed would be the reward,” Sun answered.
“Are you sure… about rewarding me with such treasure?” I questioned once more.
“Our race had been wiped out, and if the four of us left, there would be no one to guard or even inherit the black seed,” Sun said.
“In order to avoid the seed falling into the hands of the unworthy one, the four of us have agreed that there would be no one better than you to receive this reward,”
He answered with conviction in his eyes.
Even the other Demonian Kings were nodding their heads.
“Hence, Daniel, please accept the reward,”
Sun pleaded with a sincere tone, his eyes reflecting a mix of gratitude and anticipation.
“Alright… then, I wouldn’t hesitate,” I responded.
The Black Seed as though having its own presence, immediately responded, floating towards me.
“I’m glad that our sacred treasure can finally be given to a worthy one,”
Sun said, his expression a blend of relief and contentment.
“But… how do I use the seed…?”
I questioned as I was uncertain about the seed’s features.
The Black Seed, while captivating, held an impenetrable aura, leaving me clueless about its use.
Should I consume it, or was there another way to harness its power?
“About that, we have no idea…”
Sun admitted, a hint of awkwardness in his tone.
“All we know is that our power originates from this seed, and those who possess it will wield tremendous power,”
He explained, a touch of frustration underscoring his words.
“But we are clueless on how the seed should be used,”
He added, his admission of ignorance mingled with a lingering regret.
“If only we had known how to use the seed, perhaps our fate wouldn’t have led to annihilation,”
Sun confessed, reflecting on past regrets.
“But it’s too late for regret. Now that our sacred treasure is in safe hands, we can finally go in peace,”
He concluded, his smile conveying both closure and acceptance.
All of a sudden, their bodies began fading away, and I knew that it was time for them to go.
“Well, it seems like we have to go,” Sun said, a touch of melancholy in his voice.
“Finally… we can rest,” Red declared, his words carrying a weight of exhaustion and relief.
“Sigh, I never thought this day would come,” Elos confessed, a mix of nostalgia and resignation colouring his tone.
“If I had known this would happen, I should have been more greedy,” Grid joked, injecting a moment of levity into the bittersweet farewell.
As they began to fade away, I felt a profound sense of gratitude toward the Demonian Kings.
Throughout their fading existence, I maintained a respectful silence, watching each Demonian King disappear from existence.
The first to depart was Red.
“Well, see ya, kid, and I hope your future unfolds as you envision it.”
I will and I will make it happen.
Next was Elos.
“Take care, Daniel. If circumstances had allowed us to meet millions of years ago, perhaps we could have been good friends, journeying throughout the universe.”
Perhaps we could.
Afterwards was Grid.
“Even though you’re strong, don’t hold yourself back. Be more greedy,” Grid encouraged, leaving behind a parting jest.
Oh I won’t.
Finally, only Sun remained.
He gazed at me with a mix of seriousness and friendship, offering his last words and advice.
“Daniel…” He called out, the weight of his words settling in the air.
“When the time comes… you have to choose a side,”
He declared before he vanished, and eventually, all four Demonian Kings were gone, leaving me alone with the mysterious Black Seed.
At the same time, once the Demonian Kings were gone, the realm around me began cracking like mirrors.
It formed a web of fractures before I found myself back at the Holy Templar with the Black Seed now resting in my hand.
“Forbidden Fruit… Eve… Main Challenge… and a side,”
I repeated the keywords that Sun had imparted.
Though I wasn’t entirely sure about the importance of choosing a side, I roughly understood what all it was about.
If a formidable race like the Demonian Race, capable of effortlessly erasing galaxies, could be eradicated, it suggested the existence of adversaries of unimaginable power.
Only then did I realise the insignificant of my current self.
It seemed almost comical.
Just when I believed I had upgraded my strength to new heights, the revelation of even more powerful enemies appeared.
The Apocalypse had yet to even happen, and yet, threats were surpassing my current capabilities.
In the face of this truth, I laughed.
Even so, regardless of that, whether they were gods themselves, I won’t hesitate or stop killing my way even if a god was before me.