”I can’t do that, my love. The more time I let pass, the more dangerous it will become for us. I may grow strong and Zach may surpass me, but… there is no guarantee,” Deus said in a disdainful tone.
”You need to have some trust in your son, Deus,” Erza said with a little annoyed tone.
”I do. I do trust him. But… trusting is not going to make a miracle. Things won’t change with trust. If that was the case, then I wouldn’t be so hopeless right now,” Deus asserted. “Zach turned 8th today— although he is still seven by the cosmic calendar— but he still hasn’t awakened his soul powers. Even Zoe, who is barely one year old, has already awakened her soul powers.”
”….” Zach bit his lips after hearing that. ‘Deep down, I knew father thought of me as a failure. If I had awakened my soul powers at the right age, father wouldn’t have—’
”I am to blame,” Deus uttered. “When I saved Zach after his birth, his existence had become a threat to all the worlds and realm, so we had to seal his powers and let them grow under normal conditions where his body would slowly get used to them. However, that didn’t happen.”
After a brief pause, Deus continued, “Zach started devouring the powers and the sealing went wrong. And now, he is devouring his own soul powers, making him unable to awaken them.”
’Wait…’ Zach’s eyes widened after hearing that. ‘Devouring powers during the sealing? Is that why father lost his powers? I am responsible for making him weak?’
Zach was finding out the secrets he never knew. He used to think that he was weak because of the incompatibility between his body and soul, but the truth was something else.
’I still wouldn’t have awakened my soul powers if Ninia hadn’t…’ Zach felt indebted to Ninia for more than one reason. ‘I should reward her. But first…’
Zach glanced around and muttered, “I have to get out of his dream or whatever it is. Why am I seeing this? Who is responsible for making me see this?”
As time passed, Zach grew more and more impatient and infuriated, because if he was truly seeing a memory of 10 years ago from a different perspective, then soon, a disaster was going to occur.
’I take it back, this is not a dream or a memory, this is a… fucking nightmare…’
”I will have to finish everything as soon as possible, so Zach and Zoe can live a normal life,” Deus said calmly.
”I don’t know… I am worried about you…”
”The first impact occurred almost 80,000 years ago when those 12 insolent gods kicked you and your sister out of heaven, but there were no consequences of that impact because the higher gods forgave their actions and allowed it. But—”
”They didn’t allow it. They would never allow it.” Erza interrupted Deus and continued, “Aria and I had given our powers and authority to the 12 gods, and they were equally divided. So if they had to make a decision, they would need the votes in the majority. And since it was us who gave them that power, indirectly, it was us who got ourselves kicked. The higher gods simply did what they thought was right. They couldn’t bring us back because the decision was made using our powers.”
”I honestly don’t see any difference. Not saving someone is the same as killing them.” After a brief silence, Deus uttered, “This world is a messed up place where most would suffer. I have been to hell and heaven, and I can’t differentiate either of them. The order is messed up, and I want to break that, so this world can be a better and safer place for future generations. I don’t want them to suffer the same fate as we did.”
”But that’s the proof of what we are. We grow, we mature, and eventually, we become immune to what is around us.”
”Enough of this. There is no point talking about it. I have made up my mind, and you are not stopping me,” Deus declared. “Since the higher gods possess the power to undo the damage done by the Cosmic Impact, I will have to ask them to undo the damage of the second impact too.”
’According to Uncle Tis, there have been three Cosmic Impacts in the world. I didn’t know the first one occurred when mother and Aria were kicked out of the heavens. But Uncle Tis said that the first impact occurred when the higher god was killed; maybe that’s what the rest of the world believes? After all, no one knows the mother’s true identity.’
’But I wonder what caused the second and the third impact,’ Zach wondered curiously.
”The second impact occurred when I saved Zach. He wasn’t supposed to be born, or rather, stay alive, but I did what a father should do. And thus, the second impact occurred,” Deus stated with a proud face, seemingly showing that he didn’t and still doesn’t regret what he did.
”…!” Zach’s shock was visible on his face. “Why didn’t I realize this sooner? Uncle Tis said the second impact occurred 18 years ago, that’s when I was born. Father didn’t tell me much about my origin, but I slowly learned it after researching it. If the second impact occurred because of me…”
Zach clenched his fists and muttered, “How much blame do I deserve?”
”I will have to ask the high gods to undo the effect of the second Impact, so Zach doesn’t have to suffer in the future. But to meet the high gods, I will have to fight the 12 gods. I will have to slay them with my own hands and might as well take revenge for kicking you out of heaven,” Deus asserted in a solemn voice.