Chapter 558: Origin

'Silence, ignorance, weakness; am I strong, am I weak. Who am I?' background faded into a [span]paisible [/span]scape of white and spots of black. Stomach turning screams halted, the bone-crushing pressure vanished, a spot of red floated in the weightless sphere. 

'Awaken!' echoed a voice, '-the death element hasn't been awakened yet.' 

'I know, I'm weak, there's no way the element will be strong as it was before.'

'Wrong, the time is nigh, a singular rule separates the chosen from the norm. Not luck, not fate, not ability nor aptitude, tis sufferance. Those who are weak know what it means to be strong, those who are poor know the real worth of a fortune, those who've lost all, know the real meaning of gain. You, Heir to the God of Death, have been around the scale of fortune and misfortune. Weakness to strength to the loss of a friend, family, friend, child – being poor, starving for days, and living off the spoil of wars. Forced into cannibalism, nearly dying at the hands of a poison well. The past, the present, and the future, all reflect one thing; the misfortune carried by the heir of death is tremendous. Struggle, fight, and most importantly, rise to a higher plane. The fight will eventually lead to thy downfall. Tell me, art thee willing to sacrifice everything, when the time comes, to allow the world, and time in of itself, to survive, does thee vow?'

"Who are you?"

"Some know me as the all-creating god, some the all-destroying devil. Space, air, time, from the ants on the soil to the birds in the sky. The planets to the meteorites, I'm all and all is me."

"Who are you?"

"Persistent. I'm nothing, just a name, just a thought, an idea, a being without birth and death, one excused from the rules of reality – Kronos's heir made strides, attempting to see and contact me. My name, my title, Origin, the creator of creation, the point where all come in life and leave to death."

"Scifer wanted an audience, you already knew, didn't you?"

"Right. I have no form, no concept of what is good or bad, the balance of life and death has been left for my offspring to handle. Creation and Death, they maintain the order, gods, and demons; angels and ghouls, they perform the same. The world will go down the path of destruction, tis the test of how the next world will be made. In all sense of the word, Origin or not, my job has always been to watch. Everything needed to change. The course is there, available for the chosen to take."

"Why am I here then?"

"Simple; the death-element broke. You fought fire with fire, revoking life to redo thy birth and take away the misfortune. I admit it was my doing for such a limiter. I watched, I've seen, I've sensed, the experiences, the relations, all you built – having them crumble… it must be sad, painful, regretful. How am I to judge, how am I to say what is right and wrong. Staxius Haggard, words are sometimes more powerful than actions. Tell me, what is it you want, what will you do, what will happen to the world?"

"I don't know. The answer to said question is convoluted. Humanity could end today or tomorrow, a plague, a war, an unfortunate accident. The possibility of when the world is annihilated is endless. I was given the will of Scifer to find and uncover the mystery of Origin. I suppose there was nothing more to it, the all-watching being of above, an entity beyond creation and death, the very foundation of reality, the core to eternity. I'll say one thing, the fate of the world is on the humans themselves. What happens is on them, if death is the path, then death shall come, if life is at the end of the tunnel, then so be it. My role in maintaining the peace has long outlasted its welcome. Controlling a continent for the sake of peace; for the sake of some worthless relations. There is more to the world than meets the eyes, the continent of Marinda. I don't have any proof to back up my claims… said land was the first host to the gods, the advancement in magic and eventual growth to now, tell me, were you waiting to create the perfect human?" 

"Correct," the translucent tone sighed, "-Creation was able to produce a new reality from your excess of power. How does it feel, to be the foundation of a realm similar to the one you reside in?"

"No idea and I don't care. It was the payment, and I paid. The question now is, Origin, I understand the concept of good and evil doesn't apply to thee. I know why."

"Know what?" 

"The truth. When I referred to you creating the perfect human, the evolution of mages, the start that is Marinda, it all adds up. Someone must have planned it; someone must have had a greater plan in mind. Not like I knew it from the start, it adds up now, Origin. The truth is, you wanted a host, a perfect vessel, someone who rules over life and death. Your true form, isn't that right, Origin?"

"Who would have thought. Yes, I wanted a strong body to inherit part of my conscience. It's been too long, so long many can't even imagine the length it has been. As the foundation of everything, I don't know how I was, who I am, and how I will be. All is in the hands of the earthlings, their gods, and so forth. I watch, stand in the sideline, move from ant to bird, bear, plants, fish, to the very mana – the boredom I feel… it's annoying."

"Origin!" cried he, "-you brought me here for a reason. I care not for what it is, I know one thing – the burden of many people rests on my shoulders. Avenge deaths, take control of people, caring for those I love, it's all-encompassing and troublesome. My element buckled under the pressure, I was weak, am still weak. The world is too big to rule over, I've had it. My time spent on the realm you so admired was torturous, the fleeting moments of happiness were swiftly taken away. I worked to create an empire to destroy the very world… it all seems pointless."

"Staxius Haggard, why do you speak so openly?"

"Simple, I've met Creation, Lord Death, made Creation's heir my son, and more. Meeting Origin itself doesn't feel any more than another day at work. Henceforth, I'll extend the same offer to you, Origin. Remove the shackles binding my element; in return, I'll grant you a place in my conscience. Bind yourself to my soul, break it, reforge it, I don't care. Push comes to shove, once I eventually acquired Creation's symbol, you'd have to step it and taken my body. Quite the act, who cares about good and evil. As long as we have a mutual understanding, I can put my trust in you."

"Quit the lies," said it, "-no way a human would give up his very soul for something so pathetic."

"Listen, take all of me, I don't care. As far as I look at it, the only answer I find is my death. People, friends, heck, even now, there's a girl who made quite a show, getting her soul stolen. What am I supposed to do, I'm weak, heir to death or not, the repercussions are worst than the actual strength."

"…"

"Why are you silent?"

"I'm at a loss, heir to death, former god of death. You've lost divinity, the ascension crumbled into naught but a vampire with an affinity of magic."

"The Supreme God is on a rampage, awakening titans and fiends of old. Tis what lord death said, the balance has been toppled. The foundation of reality isn't a matter of care." 

"Are you suggesting I forsake my duties?" 

"Correct," he smiled, "-forsake the duties of carrying the burden of everything. The way I look at it, the foundation has served its purpose. Multiple pillars have been erected to support additional laws. There's no reason to be bound by a never-ending show as a bystander" 

"True, no one even knows of my existence. As far as the world is concerned, Creation is the real founder, I'm naught but…" 

"-reason enough!" he interjected strongly. 

"Staxius Haggard, do you understand what you're requesting. Extending a hand means giving most of what you have, my consciousness could easily rival and replace thee."

"So what? just means you have a vessel for personal use. I'm honestly done. I thought I got stronger… my attempts in trying to save those closest to me ended in naught. Override my very being, I grant the permission." 

The endless scape of white marred by black trembled, the color bloomed into a lovely meadow of flowers and green trees. The blue sky shone brighter than ever before, the sun, of which was an unnatural pinkish hue, added more sweetness to the surrounding. The body landed firmly, a whiff of the wind carrying the fragrance of the flowers gave a cleansing feeling. Warm tinges of heat on the skin, the relaxing caresses from the all-encompassing breeze, an unreal sight.

"A nice place, is it not?" said the same voice as before. A slender figure climbed the gently sloped hill with a straw hat and a light-blue dress. 

"Origin?" asked he squinting through the bright path.

"Correct," said it, "-also," a snap later, "-I'm a man as well." The straw hat changed into a normal cap in addition to a t-shirt and shorts. 

"It doesn't matter," said he, "-man, woman, who cares."

"Good answer," he moved to a standoffish tree, "-Any questions?"

"Not really," he smiled, "-I know. You've decided, haven't you?" 

"Yes," staring the blue sky, "-this place is my recreation of an idyllic landscape. The creative vision is limited, when I think of beauty, I think of nature. How about you?" he glanced over.

"When I think of beauty, experience comes to mind. An old building that has stood strong over many years. A charred battlefield – it's beautiful, everything is weirdly enough. Honestly," breathing deep, "-this being my resting place doesn't seem too bad. It's truly beautiful."

"Staxius Haggard," said the fair-skin man, "-I've decided. I'll accept your offer."

"Good to hear," he sighed, '-I guess this is the end for me. Origin's going to take over my body, soul, and mind. Feels rather unpleasant… forsaking my responsibilities and carrying into a never-ending scenic world. Death can be quite pleasant…'

"Don't jump to conclusion," said it.

"Excuse me?" the brows knitted, "-what ever do you mean?" 

"Let me explain. Most of my powers are used as the foundation; there's nothing more to it. Thanks to that, my consciousness is allowed to wander around without goal nor drawback. In the context of your world, I can't use magic, I can't fight, and I can't help. What I carry is knowledge, and that's all. I've experienced the start to the eventual end."

"I get it. Merging with me will most definitely break my conscience, maybe my soul and even my very existence."

"Yes, the risk is too much. Believe me, I want to escape this never-changing scape of boredom."

"Well," he held out a hand, "-I'm a man of my word. I said I would give my vessel, and here it is. Break it, I don't care. I'll accept the risk and more. What I want, is a mutual understanding, I want to trust you, for that, you need to trust me."

"I don't understand, why go through so much trouble?"

"Because," he smiled, "-deep down, I'm an idiot." 

"Not that I get it, but," he held out a hand, "-I accept your offer, Igna Haggard. May we merge as one, may we be the same in mind and in soul. I, Origin, give my all to you."

"And I, Igna Haggard, accept and give my all to thee, Origin." 

Hand in hand, the imaginary world shattered, "-thank you, I'm grateful."

"It's been a good existence," the eyes shut, "-farewell."