Chapter 418 - The Big Picture

"The King of Heaven's rebirth is special. He may remember his past, but not one of us— neither mortals nor deities are allowed to aid him." 

Kazehaya Gin then glared at the direction of the cavern as he flipped his middle finger, shocking Fredek. "Damn it! I'm so angry! We we're so naïve to think that the Black God did everything he did to hurt my brother as revenge for imprisonment! He had planned everything from the start that lavender bastard!" 

L-Lavender bastard? Fredek knew the Wind God was cussing at Czernobog but couldn't connect the color to the dark deity. He'd just pretend he didn't hear that. 

In any case, Gin didn't explain anymore as he turned his attention back to Perun. Right at this moment, he was recalling that last moment he was able to still talk to the Black God back in the Celestial Plane before his so-called "rebellion and banishment." 

"Stribog, you should stop being so wild and free. In the future, you will have a big responsibility in your hand," the lavender bastard told him enigmatically before chaos ensured. 

Gin didn't understand the meaning then, but he understood it now. Since Perun's out, there's no other choice but for him to ascend and take over temporarily. He placed a hand on the side of his temple as a headache started. 

"When Ali comes back, make her ignore the fight outside and come to find me first," Gin ordered. "We need to discuss something before she deals with her mother. Perun won't have any memories when he reincarnates. We need to plan around Rod's law to protect him." 

"My Lord, if… if he doesn't remember what will happen?" Perun's existence was vital. His mere existence keep the rest of the deities in line— most especially those with malice and greed. 

"Then he will live and die as a normal human— well at least I think so. He will soon enter the cycle of death and rebirth. All we can do is wait until he remembers his divine existence and ascend to the Celestial Plane on his own." Gin scratched his head, hesitating to tell him what was inevitable, but told him in the end. "It means I have to ascend immediately after."

Fredek looked grim at the last part of Gin's words. "Does the princess really need to kill her own mother?"

This time, Gin too looked conflicted. "Instead of killing, I'd rather call it freeing her instead," he answered, and they fell into silence again. "Do you know what the meaning of real catastrophe is?"

"The destruction of the world?" Fredek answered, but the look Gin gave him told him that it was wrong. 

"It's the destruction of the balance. It's when the good and evil collides," Gin answered as he looked back at Perun again. "Now the symbol of good— the white god has been sullied, the Celestial Plane will be thrown into chaos since the king will have to stay among the mortals. That is catastrophe. Shitara was the one who caused this. The miasma she stabbed in my brother's ċhėst is connected to her. It's why my brother lingers. When she's… defeated, the two of them will go to the cycle and be reborn." 

Gin let out another frustrated sigh followed by grumbling. "Rod, you're such a jerkazoid from hell. You're worse than Czernobog."

"Er…"Fredek frowned worriedly. 

"What?" Gin asked seeing as he was concerned. 

"Isn't it… uhm… blasphemous to speak about the Creator God like that?" Fredek really worried. It was known that anyone regardless of him being mortal or god would be struck by lightning if he badmouthed the creator. 

Gin looked unconcerned, however. He even waved his hand as if to tell him it was nothing. "He can't hear us or do anything outside an established law at the moment. Aside from the rules he had instituted before handing out everything to my brother, there's nothing he can do."

"The creator doesn't care?"

Gin shook his head. "Rod has disappeared mysteriously after telling my brother to marry that crazy Fanya. The details are not clear but if I remember correctly, he has descended to the mortal world," he said, shocking Fredek. 

"R-Returner to Ancestry?" 

Rod was a Returner to Ancestry? 

But Gin shook his head. "Father's body and consciousness already dispersed. What descended from heaven were his powers."

"Then…" If they were able to find the holder of Rod's blessing then they could still turn things around. They could remove the miasma that tainted Perun. 

Again, Gin shook his head. "If Rod is on our side, this wouldn't have happened in the first place. There's no use looking for him. Besides…"

His voice trailed off and Fredek inclined his head to wait for him to continue. 

"Besides, as I said before Czernobog couldn't have done this without Rod's blessing," Gin said softly. "He was the mastermind of everything. In order for us to not be suspicious and to continue believing that what we're dealing with were only Czernobog and Fanya, he conveniently disappeared, erasing parts of our memories as well— even my brother's."

"Memories?" The King of Heaven also lost his memories? But, no. Perun was a Returner to Ancestry with his memories intact. 

"I'm sure my brother told you his story, right? It's also in the books anyway," Gin began and then snorted. "Hasn't it occurred to you that it's very strange that although Perun has children with Fanya, he can only remember Raiden and not his other son?"

"That's…" Fredek was speechless. The Wind God was correct. Actually, if it weren't for the King telling him his story, he wouldn't even know that the one he brought to the mortal plane for sanctuary was more than one child. 

"After Fanya was executed, we lost memories of Raiden's brother— or sister. At the beginning, I thought Rod did that to protect the children from their mother, but it seems it's not the case. As to exactly why, we will never know. Since my brother's power is greater than ours he was able to at least remember he had twins with his ex-wife and that they chose to be mortals."

Fredek noticed a change in the other's aura. Stribog was still angry, but his resignation was more than his frustration. 

"Go wait for Ali," Gin ordered and Fredek immediately left. 

As soon as he was alone, Gin narrowed his eyes as he felt a familiar aura nearby. "How long are you planning to hide there?" he called out, and after several seconds of silence, a figure stepped in the cave. 

Only then did Gin glance at the entrance with a glare. "No wonder I, Kresnik, Perun, and Alencica were all born in the same era— it's your work isn't it?" His biting voice echoed in the tent as a young woman stood before him with an apologetic expression. "Why aren't you speaking Goddess of Fate, Dolya?"