Provoking a powerful enemy is never a wise thing to do. While sometimes, it might make them act rashly or carelessly, it also causes them to stop holding back. Seeing Ifrit's clenching fists made me realize that perhaps I made a mistake. I quickly grabbed my sword with both hands and prepared myself for a merciless attack. To my surprise, however, Ifrit merely sighed and relaxed again.

"It's been a long time since I've heard that name. Why are you telling me this, Eddie? Why didn't you just keep such a discovery to yourself? I know who I am. I didn't need you to tell me." He was suddenly talking calmly again. It scared me. An emotional man might fight harder, but is often predictable and leaves logic and strategies behind, but as it seemed, this wouldn't be Ifrit's case.

"I just thought you should stop pretending to be someone you're not," I answered, not sure what his reaction would be.

"Pretending? I did no such thing. Takia no longer exists. My people, my kingdom, my bloodline, all of that is gone. There is no need to still use that name."

"Let me guess, you lost your home due to the flames and now you blame me for causing it, right? I'm used to hearing this."

"It wasn't the flames. Takia died a very long time ago. Do you not remember what you did to it?"

I searched through my memories, but there was nothing specific that would come to my mind.

"I didn't publish it. It was a terrible story. Is that what you want to blame me for?"

"No. You see, it doesn't matter if a story is published or not. It doesn't even have to be read. All it needs to do is to exist. But you deleted the story. All the pages were gone with just a few clicks. Now, I want to know, what do you think happens to a world when you discard it in such a way?"

I shrugged. "Beats me. But it couldn't be too bad if you're still here."

"Too bad? How is it possible that every reaction you offer seems to be more and more arrogant? You didn't even think. You just assumed that it wasn't 'bad' because a single person survived. Well, let me tell you then. If you delete a world you created, if you truly erase all evidence of its existence, it starts to disappear. One day, a massive ring of darkness appeared around our whole kingdom. And with each passing day, it was shrinking more and more. A few weeks later, random parts of the world started disappearing, vanishing into nothing but black puddles on the ground. Those people, my dear subjects, turned to me for a solution. I tried with all the power I had to stop the kingdom from falling apart, but nothing could prevent such destruction. In the end, it was only I who survived. I spent three days in a single room in the palace. There was nowhere else to go anymore. And then, the borders of the worlds shattered. You killed yourself and thus allowed those with skills to open gateways to other places. Theoretically, I should thank you for not letting me die along with my kingdom."

"Look, that's all very nice, but I didn't know what I was causing. For me, it was just some written text. It had little value. If I knew what it would cause, I would never..."

"Yes, yes, I'm sure you would never do that. See, and that is the problem of you Gods. All of you cause so much suffering, and then only make excuses. None of you knows what you are doing, and that is simply wrong. You hold our lives in your hands, and you don't even realise it."

"Why the plural? Are you trying to tell me there are other Gods than me here? Because I'm pretty sure that most of my stories are just my own creations."

"Ah, once again, that arrogance. You consider yourself the only God. Yet in the grand scheme of things, you are as numerous as grains of sand. Don't tell me that you never wondered if other authors from your original world would perhaps also be Gods of their own creations?"

My mouth flew open when I heard that. It was true that up until now, I never even considered such a possibility. With all the artists that existed back home, it would mean that we were a species of Gods, creating thousands of worlds on a practically daily basis.

"Hmm... Judging by your expression, you know very little. In that case, let me enlighten you. Your world is full of artists. Each creates their worlds, just like this one, for example. But then tell me, what happens if someone from... let's say Nordan, writes a book?"

"Wait! Don't tell me that they too are..."

"Gods? Yes. Even artists of your worlds are Gods of their creations. Now, of course, entering one's world is complicated, but not impossible. And their creations spawn new Gods, who create other worlds with their Gods, and so on. The cycle is endless. But let me open your eyes just a little bit more, Edward. Have you ever considered, that you are nothing more than a character in a story?"

Chills ran down my spine. What he was saying here was absolutely crazy, but somehow made perfect sense. Would I even know if I was one?

"Nothing to say? Well, that is understandable. Let that sink in while I continue, if I may. You see, the cycle of creation goes both ways. You have a creator. Your creator has a creator. The creator of the creator of your creator has someone who made them as well. All of those creators can go all their lives, not knowing if they are the protagonists, villains, side characters, or perhaps just random citizens. They do not know if their lives are their own, or just stories written by a creative mind. Now, isn't that terrifying? Where exactly does the story end and the free will begins?"

I didn't know what to say. Was there really such a complex scheme of everything? "So... you mean that this all might as well be..."

"Just someone's story? Yes. A passionate storyteller and hooked readers, observing our lives while we suffer through whatever they throw at us. Does that sound like a good existence to you? Do you really want to live with the knowledge that your life might not even be your own?"

"Why are you telling me all of this? Doesn't the same apply to you? Aren't you too just a pawn in someone's story then?"

"Maybe. But you see, there is a difference between you and me. Tell me, Edward, if by any chance you manage to kill me and obtain your Divine Creativity back, what will you do?"

"Restore this world. Save it. Even restore Takia. Fix all of the mistakes I had made," I said without thinking.

"Ah, I see. Truly a noble cause indeed, but one that still seems to be out of your reach. You see, such a great act of creation, or in this case, re-creation requires you to fully master the Divine Creativity. And somebody with a head full of dark emotions, such as yourself, will never harness enough strength to reconstruct what has been lost."

"Dark emotions? What are you talking about? I finally feel free of them. No longer am I full of doubts, self-hatred, or fear. I have found clarity."

"Clarity? Have you seen yourself? You have literally changed your own appearance. You consider yourself so guilty, so tainted, so much of a monster, that your Divine Creativity altered how you look. Just as a man freezing to death would feel warmer shortly before dying, so do you feel like you have found clarity, while in reality, you are on the brink of a mental breakdown."

"You're wrong! And even if you were right, that doesn't mean I would leave Divine Creativity to you! I'll reclaim it and eventually find a way to fix things. That is the only way!"

"Is it? Or are you simply blind to see other ways?"

"Other ways? You're telling me that you have a better plan? To change this world to your image?"

"No, not anymore. I have to say, before I decided to become a God, I was not as kind-hearted as you. I wanted to control the world with all that power. But you were different. From the very beginning, you never wanted to use it selfishly. In that sense, you are very noble, even more so than me. But your overall goal is still arrogant and self-centred when compared to mine."

"Oh really? Is this the part of the story where you tell me your diabolical plan, like some idiotic villain who spills all the beans?"

"Diabolical? Villain? You see me from such a wrong perspective. First of all, I do not wish to tell you my plans to show off but to persuade you that there is no 'final battle' necessary. I wish to show you the error of your ways, not through emotions, but via arguments. After all, we are both civilized adults, no? Gods even. We should be able to discuss things."

"I doubt that what you're about to say will change my mind, but go ahead, shoot."

"Alright then. First of all, allow me to show you where you're wrong. You see, even if you kill me, you will not get your powers back. I no longer have them. Some time ago, I figured out what the multiverse is made of. Between all the worlds, no matter by who they were created, there is Void. It's a place full of madness. Think of it as... an aquarium. A massive aquarium. And every world ever created is accessible through that place. But Divine Creativity only gives power in its own world. For example, it would be useless in your original world, where you were born. But there is an even greater power. The creatures living in the Void possess it." He snapped his fingers. A leather book with golden corners and a large golden symbol of fire in the middle of its cover appeared above his hand, floating. "These things are called Secrets. They are grimoires that travel through the Void, from one world to another. My kindhearted, void-born ally retrieved this for me, in exchange for the Divine Creativity I possessed. With it, he will be able to do as he wants with this world, and I will have power strong enough to visit other worlds and help them.

"So that's your plan?! You're handing this place off to some crazy alien creature?!"

"No. I am not handing it over. I am sacrificing it. By leaving this world behind, I will be able to go to every one of those other worlds. There, I will use the Secrets' power to pull in the Gods of those worlds into their own creations and slay them. And I will keep on doing this for an eternity. I will be going from world to world, killing their Gods. No longer will the people of those realms be the puppets of some creative children. They will be free, with no one but themselves to pull their strings."

"But you said yourself that there are tons of worlds being born each day. You can't save them all."

"No, I cannot. And I am aware of that. But with the eternal life granted by those grimoires, I will be able to keep trying and trying until the Void itself collapses. I will liberate thousands, no, millions of worlds."

This was all hard for me to understand. The whole idea of all those worlds and Gods was making my head spin.

"So think about it again. If we fight, you will suffer. Your friends will suffer. And if you win, you will achieve nothing. Divine Creativity will be lost to you, and this world will slowly die. But if you surrender here and now, I will kill you quickly and painlessly. Your friends will be spared and free to spend their last moments as they wish. And while this world will indeed die, many other realms will be saved by your sacrifice. You will be their hero, and I will make sure to tell everyone the story of the price you paid for their freedom."

"Quick and painless death, huh?"

"Yes, I can promise you that."

"Just like the one you gave Jack's daughter?"

"Well... if you wish so, then yes. It was indeed painless for her."

"Or his wife? Or those dead in Sunwalley? Those who accidentally got shards of Divine Creativity and were murdered by you? Or my comrades, slaughtered one after another before you even bothered to do all this talking?"

"I can see where you are going with this. But you have to understand my reasoning. I am trying to save trillions, quadrillions, and even more. A few dead scoundrels in a saloon, a dead wife and kid, those don't matter. There will always be those that will have to die. But through their deaths, so many more will live. No matter how hard you try, you can't save them all. Not everyone can have a happy ending. After all, you rarely wrote them yourself. But please, most importantly, calm yourself. We are Gods doing business now. There is no room for emotions."

"No room for emotions? See, and that is all wrong! You are a terrible person, just like me. But the difference is that I can see it. I have killed many more than you, but never willingly. And never for my own goal!"

"Really? Tell me then, what happy ending did you give Jack?"

This was it, my final straw. I was gripping my sword so hard it hurt my hand.

"I'm done talking to you. By killing you, I will do a great service to my worlds and all those others!"

"You are foolish. I already told you, you will not get your Divine Creativity back."

"I don't care!!! I will at least let this world die peacefully and with dignity! Not leave it as some void-born's plaything! I AM the God of this world. And unlike you, poser, I will protect my creation to the bitter end!!"

"Ah... As you wish then. Bitter it shall be." He stood up from his throne, followed by the dragons. "Fulgur, time to play."