‎Serena was staring at the sky and letting the rain pour, drenching her whole body and the white silk robe that she wore. She could sense it, the agony, pain, and suffering from every raindrop that hit her face.

‎”The memories of their souls imprinted in each raindrop…” Serena muttered to herself until suddenly a lightning struck right in front of her, splitting the tree in half as the shrapnel cut her robe and skin.

‎Serena noticed a presence behind her, and when she turned around, Rasmus was there with an umbrella. She gave him a smile as all the cuts on her body and face from the shrapnel began to heal up. She decided to approach him, taking refuge under the umbrella.

‎”Do you know what happened to the souls that are taken by those demons?” Serena asked as she stared at the tree that got struck by the lightning.

‎”Hell?” Rasmus raised his brows, staring at the tree as well.

‎”If they’re not saved, then yes, eventually they will be trapped in hell. But right now, they’re being devoured in a unique realm called The Pot, at least what we called it in hell,” Serena answered as she looked down at her torn robe. “It’s like a grinder, but instead of a literal grinder, it’s their fear, nightmare, and trauma that are slowly crushing them,” she explained as she crossed her arms.

‎”Everyone?” Rasmus asked and looked at Serena.

‎”Everyone, even an innocent child will be tortured in The Pot. It’s tragic, don’t you think? To let innocent lives die and be condemned to hell just because their souls have been corrupted by demons,” Serena looked at Rasmus with a soft smile on her face.

‎”You’re only telling half of the whole story. I don’t think God is that petty,” Rasmus said as he listened to the rain that became heavier. “I remember in religions back on Earth, most of the souls would go to heaven after their sins got washed in hell. There’s no proof of those sayings, but there’s no reason to say they were lying since I also have no proof in denying them,” he pointed out as he tilted the umbrella back a little so he could see how heavy the rain would be.

‎Serena’s silence and amazement slowly turned into laughter that was oddly similar to how the sky rumbled. She exhaled deeply, trying to regain her composure.

‎”I forgot you were a scholar before. And yes, you’re right about that. They’ll be embraced by God and place them in heaven eventually. However, don’t you find it contradicting? If humans made sins, and then they died and went to hell, but then in the end they would go to heaven, wouldn’t that be unfair for the ones who didn’t sin? Just like what I said earlier, even an innocent child would end up in hell not because of their sins, but because they were devoured by The Pot,” Serena asked, staring at Rasmus with her eyes narrowed.

‎Rasmus stood there silently while Serena was waiting for him to answer. Serena wanted to test how much he understood God that even she herself failed to see. She knew that Rasmus was a man of logic, beyond reality, a man with a mind that was almost equal to divine beings like angels and demons.

‎”No, I think that’s the most logical solution,” Rasmus answered without any doubt in his words.

‎”Logical?” Serena scoffed, leaning her head back with an intrigued expression. “How is that logical? I don’t even think that’s logical in any way,” she raised her brows, staring at Rasmus.

‎”Sin is like a plague, a virus. If a human catches a cold and high fever, they would suffer from cold weather or temperature. If heaven is a place with cold weather, if sinners went to heaven, no matter how heaven feels comfortable, blissful, and peaceful, they would suffer, just like someone who caught cold to deal with cold weather,” Rasmus said as he looked at Serena. “So what the body do to get rid of the virus? The body will turn hot, a fever for killing the virus, just like hell to wash off the sin. Once they were no longer sick or have any sin, cold weather or heaven would feel comfortable to them,” he explained as he looked at the distance.

‎”Is it fair? Is it tragic? I don’t really mind then at all. But is it logical? Yes, I do believe it is logical for them to be treated that way,” Rasmus answered without any doubt on his face or his words.

‎Serena shook her head, staring at Rasmus with both fascination and fear because of his ability to see it that way. She took a deep breath and exhaled deeply before she decided to ask the final question.

‎”And do you think it’s logical for me to be punished in hell for eternity? I’m condemned to hell, to be tortured for eternity just because I didn’t follow order. Videl, Satan, and those fallen beings are punished for their arrogance. Me? I’m just a human, just like you, just like Adam, just like anyone else here, but I’m being punished just like those beings while other humans are given many chances to repent, I got none of it,” Serena said, staring at the distance with a calm and relaxed expression.

‎”I can’t answer that, and I don’t think it is logical either,” Rasmus answered, remembering what Videl had warned him about trying to understand the mind of God. “You don’t need to ask me that question, Lilith. I’m aware,” he said as he looked at the rain that grew heavier.

‎Serena smiled as she nodded, her smile meant to show her gratitude. She once again felt seen by him, and it was something special because nobody had ever seen her, nobody, not even the whole universe and beyond. She was punished, banished, abandoned, despised, and forgotten, and yet this man was the reason why she was here, in the world of the living, a wish she had never expected to come true.

‎”But I know one thing,” Rasmus paused to look at Serena. “You’re here now, among the living, and I promised you freedom. But the thing that you should notice is that if God said that you would be punished for eternity, you wouldn’t be here by now. So, if I have to answer your question logically, this might be a logical answer, to let you be free after you endured everything,” he explained as he took a deep breath and exhaled deeply.

‎Serena stared at Rasmus, slowly feeling the tears pricking under her eyes. She suddenly moved closed, standing in front of Rasmus, slowly placing her hands on his chest, looking up at him with teary eyes.

‎”Your words are dangerous…” Serena said as she scoffed, blinking her tears away. “I was meant to love Adam, but I never did and never wanted to. I always thought that I didn’t need a man until this moment,” she smiled softly as she brushed the dust off Rasmus’ shoulders.

‎”Perhaps all you need is a friend. It doesn’t have to be a man,” Rasmus looked Serena in the eyes.

‎”I stand corrected,” Serena chuckled as she nodded with understanding. “Thank you, Rasmus… no… Kyros, for being a friend,” she leaned in and kissed Rasmus’ cheek as her hand cupped his other cheek.

‎Serena slowly pulled away and slowly regained her composure and was back to becoming Serena, rather than Lilith. She slowly took a few steps back until she was no longer protected by the umbrella, letting the water pour on her. Rasmus on the other hand nodded and then left her alone because she wanted to be alone and process everything from a different perspective.

‎Once Serena knew there was nobody around, she looked up at the sky, staring at the sun that was blocked by the dark thunderous clouds. Her eyes closed and muttered something until suddenly the rain stopped and the dark clouds slowly dispersed. The sunlight began to give its warmth, bathing her face and her cold body.

‎”You heard me…” Serena slowly opened her eyes, staring directly into the sun. “Of course you are. You always do, listening and watching, nothing more,” she scoffed before she walked toward the tree that had been split in half by the lightning.

‎Serena placed her hand on the tree’s bark, using her divine power to heal the tree. The bark that got split in half suddenly healed, making the tree have two barks instead of one, creating an even unique and beautiful tree than it used to be.

‎”Just because I disobeyed you once, that didn’t make me evil. Just because I didn’t want to kneel in front of Adam, that didn’t mean I would make others kneel before me. You gave everyone human free will, and yet I was the only one you condemned without letting me prove that I could become a better human,” Serena muttered as she stared at the tree that had been fully healed by her power. “And I will show you just that,” she looked up at the sky with a cold and serious expression.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep