Point-of-View: Sylvar Miirphys

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"What nonsense, likely an effort to cause conflict among the Elemental Sages, pay no heed to what he said," Spoke up Sant, before I could say anything.

"Yes...yes, of course, such a claim is preposterous," Replied Maie, after a brief moment of silence, letting out a laugh with a look of relief on her face.

Oh, man, talk about a close call-...

"Wait...now that I think about it, it does make some sense...some of the humans I have encountered, they speak in a similar fashion to how Sylvar does. That Kuro human mentioned the terms 'previous life'...could it be possible that-...?" Bell began to surmise, her eyes widening in realization, when suddenly, Sant raised his hand and a bright light emanated from it.

What the-...suddenly, Bell trailed off and both her and Maie's expressions eased off significantly. Huh? What did he just do...?

"Bell, Maie, I would like to speak with Sylvar alone, leave us be," Ordered Sant, the two of them nodding in response and leaving without any fuss.

Seriously, what just happened!?

"Uh, Lord Laus, what did you just-?" I began to ask.

"I will not break one of the taboos, nor will I allow anyone under my rule to do so. Therefore, I used my Divine Magic to erase their memories of Kuro's last remarks," He explained with a slight sigh, as he blasted me with hot water, loosening the webs restraining me.

"I see, and I get why you did it, but...aren't you running low on Divine Magic as it is?" I inquired, as I tore the net off me and stood up with a sigh of relief.

"Indeed, that cost me nearly a full fifth of my remaining divinity...if I were to cast a similar divine spell three or four times more, I will cease to exist," He responded.

"I know how important it is to not break the taboos, but if you cease to exist, there'll be no one to hold back the Elves, Fairies, Halflings and Dwarves from attacking the humans relentlessly and mercilessly," I pointed out.

"I am aware...but I cannot let Lord Samsara down, I swore to always uphold the rules and taboos he set for this world. On that subject, Sylvar...I must insist that you stop slipping into your human-like speech, now that the rest have been exposed to humans, they may make the connection, just as Bell nearly did," Warned Sant with a look of concern, "I will not be able to cast that memory erasure spell again, my remaining divinity is far too low as it is."

"I, uh-...I mean, understood, my lord. I shall make an effort not to draw any suspicion," I responded affirmatively.

"Please do. Alright, then, you may leave."

I was tempted to try and convince him to take a more aggressive approach against the humans, but I already knew that would be a futile effort, so what's the point?

I excused myself and went out the gates, heading back to the Elf forest with a sigh. I feel so worn out, even though I'm not at all tired, physically speaking. I'm just mentally drained. The situation in this world is starting to get way too messy for comfort.

Even if we can actually count on Abyss to leave us alone, the same can't be said for the humans under Belia's command, and that's-...

"Sylvar."

I was snapped out of my thoughts as Bell suddenly appeared in my path, walking out from behind a boulder. Had she been waiting for me?

"Bell...what can I do for you?" I responded, playing it cool...I probably don't need to though, since Sant wiped her memory of what Kuro said.

"Actually...there is something I need to ask you."

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Point-of-View: Sant A.C. Laus

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I am able to sense that the Elemental Sages are displeased by my decision to abstain from attacking the humans, but I have no choice...I must keep to my word to Lord Samsara, I shall never instigate any aggression towards anyone, regardless of what they have done.

Of course, I shall take defensive measures to keep those under me from getting slaughtered, but I cannot-...my thoughts were then interrupted as everything around was suddenly replaced by a bright white light, as far as the eye could see...this familiar, magnificent sight...I have not gazed upon this glorious majesty for many a century...

"It has been a while, Sant."

"L-lord Samsara! This is truly an honor!" I exclaimed in awe and joy.

"We do not have much time, I will only be able to keep you in my realm for a handful of minutes at most...my powers are greatly depleted," He stated, a sense of urgency in his tone.

"Yes, I felt it a few months ago...if I may ask, what happened, my lord?" I asked in concern.

"A taboo was broken so severely that I had no choice but to take action...it was my own fault for allowing it to spiral so, I ought to have put a stop to it immediately," He remarked bitterly.

"A taboo? Someone dared to break it?"

"Yes, you see, just like the Elf Sylvar, there were many humans in existence recently with the memories of their past lives intact. And it was not long before they revealed the truth about reincarnation and parallel worlds to all other humans, making it common knowledge," He explained.

"What-...tell me everything that happened, my lord," I beseeched him.

"Very well, though I shall keep it as brief as possible, as I already said, we do not have a lot of time..."

Lord Samsara then explained everything that had happened with the human nation known as The Valaque Empire and how the other nations had responded to their actions, as well as Belia's actions from the shadows, especially her 'Forbidden Zones' that she set up over two centuries ago.

And after the humans repelled the Vampire threat, Lord Samsara decided to finally punish the humans for breaking the taboo so severely, by altering their memories, after temporarily sealing Belia away as a seperate punishment for the taboos that she broke.

With the main instigators of breaking the taboo dead, namely Tirayze Valaque and Arturo Lagusa, Lord Samsara concluded that the next most responsible for it was Kuro Black. He punished him by creating an inverse clone of him and having it take his place...

"Unfortunately, that backfired on me, as Belia was able to recruit that artificial being before I could cease its existence and restore a small portion of my divinity," Said Lord Samsara, sounding displeased.

"My lord, if I may ask...why did you not simply alter Kuro's memories as well?" I inquired curiously.

"I attempted to...but I failed. You see, when he reincarnated, he requested to have a body that was already grown instead of starting over as an infant. Therefore, I constructed a body using my Divine Magic...now, ordinarily, it would have been an insignificant amount and have no real bearing or effect, but..."

But...?

"...but he was able to gain several unnatural increases in power, which inadvertently strengthened his spiritual being, to the point where even I could not affect him with my remaining, limited Divine Magic...of course, he cannot cast divine spells, nor does he possess any actual Divine Magic, but...because of the way he was created, his body is compatible with it."

"What? That cannot be, a mortal wielding Divine Magic is...," I trailed off incredulously.

"Indeed, it should not be possible, any ordinary mortals would die almost instantly if Divine Magic was injected into them. However, he is now more than strong enough to withstand it," Came the ominous reply.

"It is possible for him to acquire Divine Magic at all?" I asked warily.

"Unfortunately...it is. He is capable of absorbing the life forces of other beings, if he were to consume either yours or Belia's life forces...he could possibly acquire the ability to cast Divine Magic spells. He himself will be yet unaware of this...but it remains a possibility," He responded grimly.

"Hm...that is a rather frightening possibility," I muttered with a frown.

"Indeed, and the way things are going, the extinction of all life in this world is becoming a possibility. There are too many beings with far too high levels of power, and this world is a small one...any more significant ascensions in power could result in battles that destroy the very planet itself. And that brings me to why I've summoned you after all this time, Sant."

"Yes, my lord, I shall do anything you ask of me," I replied assuringly.

"What I want from you is simple...I need you to destroy both Belia and Kuro, for the sake of this world," He declared decidedly, "Disregard all the restrictions I have asked of you, including your true power, which Belia refers to as 'Demigod Mode'. And you may command those under you to attack the humans as you see fit...I am certain that they will be more than happy to do so."

"But my lord...are you certain? The full power you bestowed upon me is-," I began.

"Is only marginally stronger than Kuro Black's full power. Not to mention that Belia has far greater mastery over her power than you do over yours. But you can win, you have the Elemental Sages and many other powerful warriors from the races under your command...you have the power to defeat both of them. And I command you to do so, along with any others that are abnormally powerful. This world has lost far too many souls in a span of just three years...once you have completed this task, I will need you to maintain peace and ensure that life blossoms once again. Do you accept this task?" Concluded Lord Samsara, the last part stated more like a command than a request.

And my answer to that command is obvious, and I responded without so much as a shred of hesitation...

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