The rant continued, God asked them more questions until they finished explaining how they got there.
"So you weren't afraid of the message under the statistics and decided to die for the city, huh... Incredible, not even I expected such loyalty and altruism."
"Silly Nala, you're not perfect!" God exclaimed between laughs, as if sharing a private joke. "You thought they would lose 100 years by retreating due to fear and egoism! Hahaha!
The second bet is unexpectedly mine, who would have thought? They even won being level 7 hahaha take that!"
He turned to Elio, his face suddenly serious despite his bright eyes. "Well, my new 'Von', tell me... do you have your priorities straight? What do you fight for?"
Elio took a moment to consider the question. The answer should be simple: the city, of course.
He fought to save everyone, to honor his father's memory and all those who had sacrificed themselves... right?
But Cassandra's image appeared in his mind, followed by the memory of all betrayals, old and new. Even when he was younger, when the city wasn't in crisis, he had suffered at the hands of an immature Varick.
Was it worth it?
A voice inside insisted that yes, that in the end what mattered was to forgive... Right? He fought for the city... right?
"Well?" God insisted, his gaze penetrating despite his unkempt appearance.
"For my mother," Elio finally responded.
"Your mom? Hahaha!" God's laughter resonated in the chamber, but Elio didn't yield.
"Our city, yes," he continued, his voice firm. "But it has disappointed me... Still, there are people I care about in it: my friends, my siblings, and my mother. My family."
"Ok, ok," God waved his hands, his enthusiasm renewed. "If it's family, it's fine. Now I can tell you about some things and give you a new piece of information. The more deposits you overcome, the more information I can give you... for example, this isn't very useful but..."
Elio and his companions exchanged looks.
Suddenly, the genesis book and the diary made more sense: they were full of seemingly irrelevant information because they were probably transcriptions of similar conversations.
"This isn't very useful right now either, but your book is special for being Von, you know?" God continued, absently flipping through the book. "Although you must overcome more levels or they'll take away the title as soon as your friends surpass your level...
"The elements are the demons' power base," he continued, his tired eyes shining with ancient knowledge. "Let's say they use magic similar to ours but theirs is softer and ours harder, though I don't expect you to understand that..."
Suddenly, his tone became more serious, almost paternal.
"You must advance, Elio. You must take control of the world or she will devour us all and keep it all for herself."
His eyes fixed on Elio with intensity. "You have just over 898 years left. Seems like a lot for you, I know, but don't be overconfident, you won't have much left at the end."
Micah and Zara exchanged worried looks. Who was "she"? Why 898 years?
"Don't let yourself rot like Fath by taking too many potions," God warned, a shadow crossing his face. "Some mature badly, but show that little girl otherwise, that human selfishness isn't a determining trait, that they aren't inherently egoist and evil..."
He moved toward the statue, his gestures becoming more hurried.
"In this statue you'll get the new advantages, the victory is permanent so this place is yours forever, but it has no barrier... That small blue sphere is for the city's statue, it will give you a nice surprise... Also here is your book."
His voice became faster.
"Try to reach level 10 to reduce the possibility of losing all challengers next time. Well, level 10 is hard, maybe at least nine. The summons will help a lot, it's almost cheating."
The group could feel something changing in the air, as if time itself was compressing around them.
"Well, I'd like to chat more but time's up, I'm going..."
God began to fade, but suddenly seemed to remember something crucial. His eyes opened with alarm.
"Ah right! Oops!" The urgency in his voice was palpable.
"I think I took too much of your time. There was another reason I forgot about being level 10 before coming here, besides overcoming the difficulty we thought defeating the king would have..."
The color left his face as he looked toward the chamber's shadows.
"He won't be long in coming. There's one in each deposit, it can't go through the crystal like you, so it'll be better if you use the best-known tactic in a battle like the one coming..."
"RUN!"