“The only thing this tells me was that the Demon God awakened earlier than was recorded in myth,” said Marie.

The two were standing in yet another mirage, and they were viewing history through the eyes of the Champion Solaris, who was cutting down demons like grass. There were weird rectangles that had words and numbers in the Champion’s vision, as well as what looked like a small map that informed him of the enemies and allies around him.

Solaris gestured, and a brilliant yellow light swept out, turning what looked like a few thousand flying demons — they looked like humans, but there was a bloody third eye on their forehead — into dust. He had cleared a giant pathway, but the demons soon blotted out the skies once more.

Below them, giant bodies of…well, ‘troops’ was too flattering for the disorganised fighting, but ‘rabble’ sounded too dismissive of the past. Aziz continued to assess the raging battle between the demons and the combined forces of humans and beastfolk, but he couldn’t exactly tell how this scene led Marie to that particular conclusion. Granted, the marshal was supremely talented in the ways of observation, studying and being a scholar, but coming up with such an analysis here was…off.

After spending another minute to look around and figure out why Marie said what she did, the colonel gave up. “Alright, wipe that smug smirk off your face and enlighten this uncouth fool about why you came to that conclusion.”

“Look, the myth we all learnt about was that the Demon God only awakened in the closing days of the war, right?” Marie said.

“That’s what you said in your lessons to the kids in Ark City, uh huh.” Aziz bobbed his head. “So, you were teaching them the wrong thing the whole time?”

Marie raised a fist, the corners of her lips twitching madly. Aziz could sense that she was getting…somewhat angry, to put it mildly. But before he could cool her down with copious flattery — not like that had ever worked — Bokensha, the old guide at their side, guffawed.

“And this is why the wrong parts continue to be passed down through the ages. But the young lady’s observation is incredibly astute. This is Champion Solaris’ memory of fighting the Demon God,” said the old man. “Marshal, what you taught was the cleaned version that had been spread by the now-destroyed Holy Temple.”

Aziz narrowed his eyes slightly. The Central Circle…the group worshipping the Human God had a role to play in this?

“Yes, the Holy Temple had a part in this…uh, misinformation campaign,” said the old man, his last words somewhat stilted. “There’s no need to look at me like that — anyone who came here with an ounce of their wits around them thought the exact same thing.”

“I-is that so?” Aziz scratched his chin.

Marie, however, glanced at the old man. “What can you tell us about this?”

“Why tell, when I can show?” Bokensha replied, a smile on his face. “The entry to this museum normally costs ten gold. My voice ain’t worth that much, no? Orb’s history and myths have been distorted, and whatever records of the true world have been destroyed with the Holy Temple.”

The marshal smiled sadly. “All this for what?”

“That is a question no one will ever be able to answer accurately. We can make educated guesses, but only the void beyond will ever know,” said the old man. “Even the great gods won’t have the answer.”

Aziz sucked in a breath. The old man had come very close to disparaging the great gods. It seemed that his advanced age had made him quite fearless.

“Not just that,” said the old man. “A seeker of truth cannot fear his destination, or he will just go around it.”

“You’ve seen this expression before too?” Aziz asked, pointing at his face. “I feel like I’m an open book in front of you.”

“I’m a Lord. I’ve lived longer than four of you combined,” Bokensha replied, pointing at Aziz. “There are rarely any faces that I haven’t seen, especially since I’ve been working here for over five decades.”

“Five?!” It was Marie’s turn to be surprised. “But you’re a…”

“An elite of Seireiden? A high and mighty Lord?” The old man smiled. “Never underestimate the old men and women of this world. The older they are…”

He chuckled.

Marie smiled, and then turned to the image. “So, the Demon God came into being in the middle of the war?”

“Yes. There are many memory fragments that take place in the middle of the war that show the Demon God fighting against his counterpart and the champions at the same time,” said the old man.

“At the same time…” Aziz shivered. “Does that mean that…”

“He is the strongest being on Orb,” said the old man. “And although it was true that demonkind had indeed run wild in the years before the Human God or the Demon God emerged, the latter’s appearance stopped the wanton massacres of civilians.”

“That’s a good thing, right?” Aziz asked. “So why did the war continue?”

“The reasons behind that,” said the old Lord, “remain a mystery to this day. I suspect only the great gods can tell us the answer, but seeing how Orb’s history has been this twisted…”

“They probably won’t tell us.” Marie completed Bokensha’s words sombrely.

“Yes. But we can tell that the First Extermination…no, the war preceding the First Extermination had three phases, from the legacies of the Cardinal Champions,” said the old man. “The first was a wanton slaughter by the demons. The second, a controlled war between the Human God and the Demon God, with the Cardinal Champions.”

The old man paused. “I’ll tell you about the third one in the next exhibit. Follow me.”

He ambled off — or rather, he floated off — Aziz could notice that the old man’s feet weren’t exactly touching the ground. The old man was either using an Engine, a Dynamo, or…he was on the verge of becoming a Paragon, capable of unsupported flight.

Somehow, Aziz had the feeling that his last hunch was the closest to the truth. The old man had this transcendental air around him, much like the Paragons he had met in the past few months. It was a trait of theirs…or rather, it was a product of their powers. Aziz still didn’t understand why Paragons were like that, but he and Marie had at least connected their personality to their powers.

Putting his thoughts aside, the colonel followed Marie and the old Lord into the next exhibit.