Chapter 153: Before The First Being

Kyros and Calaminus had always wondered why he had three souls. But, unfortunately, Hyperion didn't give him the chance to ask any questions and just bestowed the power and gave vague advice.

But now, Kyros was talking to one of the Fallen whose name he bears! This was the chance.

Kyriachos thought for a bit and decided to word his answer properly.

"Calaminus saw wrong. Or rather, he remembered wrong. He is no longer a God. So he couldn't understand even if he looked back in his memory. There weren't three beings born that day. There was one."

"One? But why did he saw three?"

"You are trying to understand eternity with your mortal understanding. You think this vision takes place in your soul, right? The answer is that it is in your soul, but it is also somewhere else. You are witnessing something within your soul, but this place is not in your soul. The laws of matter change for gods. You are both in two places at the same time. When Calaminus saw three, he actually saw one. A trinity."

"Three souls. Calaminus saw three souls! The three souls in me!" Kyros realized it.

"Correct. And it makes sense. You were forcibly created. You have Corruption and Divinity in you." Kyriachos explained.

The concept of Corruption and Divinity was already discussed by Calaminus during his two-year lesson.

The power that Gods of all sorts had were generally referred to as their 'Divinity.' The Fallen would have 'Corruption.' When a cultivator tries to pursue or learn either a Divinity or a Corruption, they tread on that God or Fallen's Code.

The Age of the Heretics had Greater Gods and Fallen that walked on both Divinity and Corruption, creating a great imbalance. Gods only had Divinities, and Fallen only had Corruption. But the mortal beings that the Gods created in their Divinity, such as the Sprite, the Elves, the Angels, soon intermingled with the monstrosities crafted from the Fallen in Corruption.

Calaminus explained how angels married devils and produced humans.

He gave romantic shoujo-esq stories of how elves mingled with the Fanged races to produce the Vampires.

There were even Greater Gods who fell in love with the sons of Corruption and birthed Dragons.

He gave many other stories that encompassed all cliche genres, from the harem to the reverse harem to the darker tails of stealing the girl or boy from their lovers. 

Calaminus detailed how more and more races appeared as time passed. The sons and daughters born from these unions produced the numerous races that Kyros knew of.

Each race was capable at treading on the Code of either Divinity or Corruption, depending on their heritage. And that led the Gods and Fallen to interfere and create a grand seal that ended the Age of Heretics.

"Those three were my souls? It contained Divinity and Corruption. But what dies my third soul contain?" Kyros marveled at the implication of his three souls.

"Don't ask me. The Battle Against End is that horrifying. Right now, anything regarding that process is sealed. Calaminus even took part in that process."

"He took part in it?! He said that many gods tried to stop and kill the three Nephilims!"

"He doesn't remember. But he was part of the process of creating the Nephilim. How do you think you reached this time even though you were born back after the Age of Heretics?"

Kyros was amazed at Kyriachos's revelation. Calaminus was actually involved in his birth and didn't even know!

"It's not surprising. You'd think that Calaminus, being the God of Time, would be among the first of the Ancient Gods, right? But he's not actually that strong. Hyperion and I are classified in the same category. Ancient Gods and Fallen like us are called Beings that Are. Calaminus and many other Ancient Gods, including Ancient God Fate, belong to a class called Beings that Has Come. But your parents and those that have the power to change the memory of beings on Calaminus level and even distort mine are known as Beings that Were. These Beings were present even before the First Being came to be."

"Before the first being? Talking to you feels like going on a psychedelic mind trip across time itself." Kyros scratched his head.

"It's a concept that you can't comprehend because it transcends all science and limitations you are born and live in. Time itself isn't linear for us. We live across multiple points in time. And who knows, if you do survive, you may soon find your other selves in the past and in the future. So you need to be that much to fight End anyway."

Kyros felt his head hurt. He was trying to understand it, but as these things exceeded what common knowledge can achieve, his attempts at figuring this out only led to a headache.

"Don't bother figuring these things out. The smarter you are, the more stupid you will be when trying to understand it."

"Alright. Are there any existing Beings that Were now?" Kyros changed the subject. If there was anyone who could answer his questions about End and his Destiny, it would be these powerful beings.

"None. They have moved on to a place that even I cannot reach even if you free me."

"What if there are two of your kind? What if you and Hyperion were to work together."

"It'll probably be a miracle if you find another living Being that Are that is as alive as I am. Soter, Vasilius, Tyranus, and Hyperion are already dead. Don't put your hopes up even though you met Hyperion. They are really dead. As dead as humans can be when you cut off their heads. Whatever means you found to reach out to them are things prepared by the Beings that Were. Of course, meeting me was because I pulled you in when I sensed the darkness. I'm awesome, you know."

Kyros rolled his eyes.

"What about my parents? Who are they?"

"It's not that I won't tell you. But I can't. Your parents are Beings that Were. They sort distorted even my attempts in trying to retain that memory."

"Then what do you know?"

"I know that your father and mother exist. I know they sealed me here. I have certain guesses as to what they can achieve. But other than that, I don't know anything about them. In fact, no one can. Not anymore. Ever since they began their plot to fight End, it's impossible even to know them."

"Why?"

"I am not sure. Think about it this way. You have seen Calaminus, who is Time itself. Yet, he is even weaker than me. You have met Hyperion, who cut creation and divided creation, and the great me, who is the cause of darkness. A Being that Were is much stronger than us. After all, they created us. And they have powers that define grander things. If they choose to hide something from us, we can't really do anything."

"I guess it was too much to ask. Then can you at least tell me who End is? And who is Beginning?"

"Those two are even more complicated! If I can't say anything useful about your mom and dad. How much more those two!" Kyriachos complained.