‎A few days had passed, and there was no good news that had happened, only bad and devastating news. The last report they got was that there were only four remaining nations in Central Neva that hadn’t fallen to the demons excluding the Holy Nation. However, there were good things that had happened in the Holy Nation, and one of them was the final shipping of the Mana Stones that Erlina and Carrion had promised had finally arrived.

‎Isador was unable to sleep because he was worried about his older sister, Visika. However, last night there was a carriage that entered the Holy Nation, and inside the carriage was Visika, on her own, running away from the grasp of Nemu and his followers. It was another good news, but it was something trivial that it didn’t affect their survival chances.

Rasmus had been isolating himself because he wanted to understand the power within him. Nobody entered his room, not even Aris or Rullein because they respected his request to be left alone. He wanted to trace the power within him through meditation, which was clearing his mind and only focused on what was within him.

“You’re not going to tell me what the hell happened to you ever since you left us?” Videl’s voice could be heard from behind Rasmus, who was sitting on crossed legs on the floor.

Rasmus slowly opened his eyes, his eyes glowed with the draconic pupils, but then they turned back to normal in an instant. He knew the only one who didn’t care about his need for solitude was no other than the devil himself. He wasn’t bothered, and he also knew that Videl would confront him sooner or later.

“You can ask Aris or Rullein about this matter, why bother asks me?” Rasmus asked, looking over his shoulder at Videl pouring himself a full glass of expensive wine.

“I did, but none of them were saying a word about it. Their lips were tightly sealed, you know?” Videl smiled as he swirled the glass of wine and whiffed it before he took a sip of the wine. “Aren’t you proud? Two powerful beings are so loyal to you that they would keep a secret even without having you to tell them to,” he glanced at Rasmus with his glowing dark red eyes and a smirk on his face.

Rasmus didn’t say a word and tried to concentrate on his meditation again, but suddenly a glass of wine was floating in front of him. He stared at it for a moment before he took it and knew there was no point of ignoring the devil when he wanted something because the devil would bother him nonstop.

“You just came back, and you didn’t even take a moment for your oldest friend?” Videl arched his brows, leaning against the wall as he kept swirling the glass of wine. “Well, if I have two gorgeous women like those two, I wouldn’t even bother to care for you,” he stared into Rasmus’ eyes with a smug look on his face.

“What do you want to know,” Rasmus said as he put his glass on the table and pulled the chair to sit on. “You want to know what’s inside me or do you want to know about this cult thing that I found?” He asked with a cold expression.

Videl grinned widely as he approached Rasmus and then sat on top of the table, crossing his legs and staring down at Ramsus with such excitement in his glowing red eyes. On the other hand, Rasmus could see that Videl might have also grown stronger because Videl’s presence reminded him of when he was brought into hell by him, and it gave him a similar feeling.

“Everything, my friend…” Videl leaned down, his face right in front of Rasmus.

Rasmus didn’t hide a single thing from Videl, he explained what he encountered, experienced, and knew to him. Unlike explaining things to humans or even Aris or Rullein, Rasmus didn’t need to repeat his words to make Videl understand because Videl was an intelligent being that required no detailed explanation. Talking to Videl was similar to transferring Rasmus’s memories into Videl’s.

“What a fucked up world that He made, don’t you think so?” Videl chuckled and then took a sip of his wine. “Satan is here, the traces of the angels are here, and they all knew about both of us and why we were here. Another stage made for us so we could entertain Him…” He suppressed his laugh by pressing his left hand on his lips.

Rasmus was unbothered by what Videl said because he already grasped that far about this whole situation. However, there was something that bothered him more than anything, and Videl could see it in Rasmus’ eyes because he had known Rasmus for far too long, long enough that Videl had read through Rasmus’ past as Kyros from the moment Kyros climbed his way up.

“What?” Videl asked, placing his glass of wine on the table.

“I don’t understand why God placed me in this body that possessed such power. Something otherworldly that even it’s a mystery, a myth to the Orthias race. Why God gave me this body when I could use this body to make us win the bet?” Rasmus asked as he stared into Videl’s eyes with his brows furrowed.

“No, I don’t think you understand…” Videl jumped down from the table and walked toward the window. “God loves to give fairness to every being and their existences. However, that fairness sometimes didn’t seem to be fair at all,” he muttered, crossing his arms and leaning his left shoulder against the wall, staring out the window.

“Your days were numbered, Rasmus,” Videl glanced at Rasmus.

Rasmus furrowed his brows when Videl used the past tense on that revelation.

“When you came to this world, possessing Rasmus’ body, you were a week away from passing away if you didn’t make a move. I was forbidden by God to tell you that nor was I allowed to encourage you, to help you to move forward. You were meant to die in that week,” Videl said with a cold expression that slowly turned into a mischievous smirk.

Rasmus remembered his conversation with Aris about fate, and he already grasped that fate wasn’t playing a huge part in life. It also reminded what Videl said earlier that God’s fairness could be seen as unfair to other beings.

“You’re telling me, God’s fairness is this? I could possess this body that hid a powerful and otherworldly power within this body if only I could survive?” Rasmus asked, trying to affirm his conclusion.

“I know you’re too smart for this complex conversation,” Videl turned toward Rasmus, leaning his back against the wall. “Yes, is it fair? Only God knows, but for me, for Satan, for everyone in this world, is it fair? Fuck no,” he laughed quietly.

Rasmus had deep knowledge and understanding of religions back when he was still Kyros from Earth. Every religion taught that God was fair to all beings, the most just omnipotent being. However, in the eyes of the demons, the evil, the beings made of fire, and others that came from similar lore, they were treated more harshly, a single sin equal to banishment from the heavens while humans received many chances to redeem themselves by repenting while those other beings were given none.

“Funny, right?” Videl stared into Rasmus’ eyes with a stoic expression, knowing that Rasmus had understood what he was trying to say to him. “Satan was banished from heaven and came down to the world of the living to test the humans. I was banished down to Hell to torture all beings while at the same time being imprisoned for eternity for not wanting to kneel to humans. Lucifer was banished for rebellion for injustice. We were wrongly treated the moment humans were created,” he explained, and yet there was no resentment or hatred in his voice or in his eyes.

Rasmus stared into Videl’s eyes and he knew why Videl and the other beings that were equal to Videl were dissatisfied with God’s treatment. He knew that Videl and those beings had the knowledge to understand what was right and wrong, knowing all the risk and consequences of their actions would be banishment. However, they were all created with ego, the same thing that caused them to lose their place in heaven. On the other hand, he would argue why creating beings with an ego when God knew they would feel dissatisfied. Was it a test? A failed product?

“Don’t try to probe the mind of God, Rasmus,” Videl stared right into Rasmus’ soul, knowing what was inside Rasmus’ head. “You’ll never be able to, never,” he warned with a cold expression.

Rasmus’ mind suddenly erased all the deep thoughts he was having when Videl warned him.

“Do you know what will happen if you tried to probe the mind of God?” Videl asked as he approached Rasmus and then pulled the chair, sitting beside Rasmus. “You’ll end up like all of us, banished. You passed the first test, to survive from dying. You passed the second test, to not show arrogance or confident after knowing the truth. Now this might be the third test, to stop questioning God,” he said with an unreadable expression.

Rasmus nodded with understanding, listening to Videl’s warning because he knew if he dared to take another step forward, divine intervention would happen. If Videl didn’t pointed it out, he might have made both of them lose the bet with God.

“You are strong enough to provoke God’s attention. Don’t…” Videl said with a serious expression.

Rasmus had listened to countless words coming out of Videl’s mouth, especially God. However, in this moment, Videl’s words when he mentioned God made Rasmus realize that he was nothing, not even a speck of dust in the universe. Rasmus knew that, but he never understood the scale of it until Videl said those warnings to him.

“I understand,” Rasmus nodded.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep