"That slap was unnecessary, though," I grumbled, rubbing the reddish spot that had formed on my neck from the impact.

  ?

  Kael clasped his hands behind his back as he continued walking forward, observing the entirety of the forest around him.

  ?

  "You still cling to the illusion of your friends; it does more harm than good."

  ?

  He turned around, facing me. "If they cared about you, they'd be here by now. I don't know how many times I'll have to tell you this."

  ?

  I gulped, a small warmth enveloping my body. My gaze darted to the ground as I clenched my fists. "I want you to help me, but... I don't know if..." I found myself trailing off.

  ?

  Kael approached me, leaning down so that we were face-to-face. "If what, Silas?"

  ?

  I slowly looked up at him, my gut churning as I spoke. "What if I want to be my own person?"

  ?

  Upon hearing this question, Kael laughed out loud. "Like the feeble boy who'd do work for his father, cry himself to sleep, and possess the agency of dogshit?"

  ?

  I felt Kael's hand run through my hair. "That's the illusion you're trying to break. You think Umby didn't tell me about your little monologue?"

  ?

  I rolled my eyes, looking behind me. The Umbridge was standing between a few trees, giving the two of us a passive expression as if the entity didn't know what was happening.

  ?

  "C'mon!"

  ?

  The Umbridge sighed before speaking in an ethereal voice. "Kael requested that he know everything you say; it's a benefit of our past connection."

  ?

  I looked back at Kael. "Do you know about privacy?" My hands moved out, shoving him back before folding them over my chest.

  ?

  Kael didn't attack or retaliate. He simply raised his hands as his casual smirk reappeared on his face. "It's because I don't want you getting hurt, Silas. This world, your actions, they have consequences. A little birdie told me you even exacted war against the deities themselves?"

  ?

  "Umbridge here told me they don't care about my existence; they wouldn't bother dealing with me."

  ?

  Hearing this, Kael continued walking. "Khorvath once told me that it takes a lot to make a deity angry; I'm not surprised a cream-puff like you failed to make a dent in Mother Nature's side."

  ?

  "S-She can get angry?" I felt a trail of goosebumps wash over me.

  ?

  "Legend says that after the cataclysm, Mother Nature blamed humans for what Khorvath did, so She sent forth a mighty famine."

  ?

  "Y-you were there, weren't you? Is that true?"

  ?

  Kael shook his head, scoffing. "There was already famine and destruction following the cataclysm, so She had no need to intervene to begin with. It was only after the Mother Nature church was re-established that She was able to fix the world to an extent."

  ?

  I couldn't help but chuckle in a deprecating manner. "So as long as we have churches, Mother Nature won't get pissed at anything?"

  ?

  The elven man laughed. "Maybe that's so. But even if half the world worshipped Khorvath, He'd still seek forth chaos and violence—that's how He always was."

  ?

  Kael paused, lips parting as he ran a hand down his chin. "At least before he met my mother."

  ?

  "Your mother? Didn't she write that book you showed me?"

  ?

  Kael shook his head. "No, it's simply stories she collected from her culture and legends she heard as a child. Her name was Bella Foster, princess of the Adligon Clans."

  ?

  "Adligon Clans..." I felt an immense rush of familiarity upon hearing the name. "I-isn't that where Helena's father was from?"

  ?

  He clicked his tongue, nodding. "Correct."

  ?

  "Now!" Kael abruptly clapped his hands, his form expanding. I watched as the bronze-colored skin of his stomach split open like a book, revealing his ribs and internal organs. A pair of goat-like horns protruded from his head, curling in a spiral fashion. With a low growl, he extended his hand towards me, prompting me to take it.

  ?

  "W-what the..." I stumbled back, blood running cold.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  ?

  Noticing my reaction, Kael rolled his eyes, groaning in a dual-tone voice. "Once you advance to Order 7 and become a Titan, you begin to achieve a Titan body. When you're a demi-god, this form is complete."

  ?

  He spun around, giggling like a little girl. "Don't I look nice?"

  ?

  "You... do kinda look cool," I replied sheepishly, hands diving into my pockets.

  ?

  "After you digest your Harbinger potion, you'll begin to see a few changes."

  ?

  Kael suddenly picked me up, hoisting me onto his back. In a burst of movement, Kael propelled himself forward, the trees and foliage of the forest appearing as a blur on either end of me as Kael ran with superhuman speed. I held on for dear life, burying my head into his back.

  ?

  I could only curse under my breath until the running came to a stop. When I raised my head to look around, we now stood in a desolate clearing. There were little to no trees around us, only dead stumps and trunks that branched upwards with leaves that bore no leaves. The ground below was soil-less, composed of stone that had been cracked from the weather and the passage of time.

  ?

  Kael dropped me to my feet before transforming back. He dusted his hands off and stepped forward, looking around. After a moment, he looked back at me with a small smile.

  ?

  "My father once took me here when I was very young to teach me a lesson. Back then, I was also like you... a derp lacking half of the things needed to be great."

  ?

  "What could he have taught you in this place?" I looked around, noticing the vacancy and desolate nature of the area.

  ?

  Kael's tone suddenly turned reminiscent as he replied in a soft voice. "My first lesson."

  ?

  At this moment, Kael snapped his fingers. The ground beneath both of us began to tremble violently. I watched as stone pillars were erected from the ground, extending upwards at equal height. They forced a large circle around us. Within the cracks of the stone under our feet, illusory and chaotic crimson energy bubbled up like boiling water, circling and gathering in a particular spot.

  ?

  I watched with wide eyes as the chaotic energy took the form of something quite ordinary—a fluffy rabbit with large eyes, munching on a leafy green plant with berries on its branches.

  ?

  Kael slowly approached the rabbit, careful not to startle it. He knelt down, running a hand through its fluffy white fur.

  ?

  "It's adorable, isn't it? That's the same thing my father called his pet dragon."

  ?

  "Y-you're father had a dragon?—"

  ?

  "But that's not important at the moment," Kael interrupted.

  ?

  He stood back up, walking over to me. "Notice the rabbit, allow its appearance to seep into your body."

  ?

  Kael slowly placed a hand on my back, rubbing it in circles. His hand slowly drifted up, intertwining with the roots of my black hair. He dove deeper, massaging my scalp directly. The tips of his fingers erupted with crimson flames that didn't burn or scar, but they gave alternate effects.

  ?

  Suddenly, a clear portrayal of the rabbit appeared in my mind. It sat in the center of the pillars, munching on the leafy plant. As this picture remained in my head, Kael leaned in, breath brushing against my ears.

  ?

  "I believe you remember the scroll you read after consuming your Order 8 potion, correct?"

  ?

  "O-only a little..."

  ?

  My vision abruptly blurred, the illusory scroll appearing before me. It contained the list of abilities I currently had, including vivid descriptions.

  ?

  "Read it for me," Kael's voice was soft as he gave the command.

  ?

  "U-uhm... I can use Chaos Instinct; it can kind of make people go crazy for a while. I also have an aura that can scare and intimidate people, the power of the Blood Moon Charm that can heal both mental and physical wounds, and... the ability to... cause and predict small apocalyptic scenarios by reciting a certain phrase."

  ?

  "Yes! That last ability, I want you to use it on our furry little friend here."

  ?

  I felt my blood run cold, breath hitching. "W-what?"

  ?

  Kael's eyes flickered as he released his grip on me. He stepped back and gestured to the rabbit sitting idly in front of me.

  ?

  "Is this lesson just me killing this creature?" I felt my expression twitch, a maelstrom of unwanted emotions coursing through me.

  ?

  "No, it's something more. Recall what Cosette told you about... violence."

  ?

  The image of the boy with goggles surfaced in my mind, how he had laughed and thrown snowballs at me. It wasn't a violent act, but he was having fun doing it. The boy had said that not all fighting or violence is necessarily so.

  ?

  "But... this is an innocent creature, a damn rabbit that's just... eating a plant."

  ?

  Kael shook his head, chortling under his breath. "What if I told you that the rabbit here contains a plague, and it stole that leafy green from a starving family, and that plague it carried killed all the cattle and livestock the family has?"

  ?

  "W-what..." I stepped back from the rabbit. "Why haven't we been infected yet?"

  ?

  "We're spiritually invisible to the creature, you see. In this area, we are pure apocalyptic energy."

  ?

  "Pure apocalyptic energy?" I turned to look at Kael with a perplexed expression.

  ?

  Kael bent down, running a hand through the cracks of the earth beneath his feet. "Khorvath walked here, infecting this place with His spiritual aura. Anyone of a different pathway would surely suffer negative effects, but due to our unique status—having the same pathway as Him—we're an exception; we're something this place embraces."

  ?

  He looked back at the rabbit and smiled. "Now, defeat the plague and seal the rabbit away."

  ?

  I noticed changes occurring in the rabbit's body. Its body suddenly expanded and contracted like it had a massive heartbeat encompassing its entire body. The rabbits' eyes turned crimson red, looking in my direction. Its skin split open, revealing terrifying pathogens that came in the form of small, writhing insects and maggots.

  ?

  The ground beneath us began to sprout with pale-white mushrooms that emanated an aura of rot and destruction. A few trees in the area have already begun to dissipate, their leaves turning brown and wilting away.

  ?

  "Damn it." I gritted my teeth, closing my eyes.

  ?

  The image resounded in my mind, echoing its previous form. I opened my mouth, a strange buzzing sensation accumulating under my tongue as I habitually spouted the word.

  ?

  "Die."

  ?

  In that instant, all surrounding effects and sensations ceased in less than a second. The rabbit's body, previously chaotic and destructive, shrank back and turned into a small, writhing ball of tentacles and organic material. The tentacles were black and red in color, warping and moving slowly.

  ?

  I opened my eyes, wincing as I looked around—everything had returned to normal.

  ?

  Kael spun around in a complete circle, marveling at the surrounding area with a look of pure bliss and accomplishment. He ruffled my black hair and wolf-whistled.

  ?

  "You didn't hesitate like usual; you saved all of Clifton and the rest of the world."

  ?

  "W-was that plague... really that deadly?" I asked.

  ?

  Kael nodded. "Yep. It was a copy of the one primarily seen after the cataclysm. Us Apocalypse seekers can't actually bring forth plagues, as that's the dominion of the Vitality pathway, which governs all biological processes, but Khorvath's sheer power and residual aura were enough to cause calamities and chaos even after His death."

  ?

  "So... that's the lesson, saving the world from a deadly rabbit plague?" I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

  ?

  "No, it was your lack of hesitancy. Back in that room with those men who wanted to kill you due to how you looked, it was scary, wasn't it? You were terrified to fight, yet you did."

  ?

  "Didn't you... Provoke me with images of my father?"

  ?

  Kael looked at me for a short period of time before responding. "I did, Silas. That was all the proof I needed that your past still clings to you. You still flinch when you hear his name or see him. That night you tried to kill him, didn't it feel good for a little while after?"

  ?

  I reflected on his words for a moment, a recollection of the night replaying vividly in my mind. "I was sick of this lifestyle of mine... being the loser, the sore thumb that organized papers and did what he wanted without asking myself if I could change things."

  ?

  Kael nodded. "And what did you change today?"

  ?

  "Well..." I felt a small smile form on my face. "I helped you and everyone else by killing that deadly rabbit and preventing the disease from spreading."

  ?

  Kael clicked his tongue in approval, ruffling my hair again. "Good, good. What you did today was violent, but it was for the greater good. Like Cosette said, not all violence is for a bad purpose. Not every weapon meant to shed blood has to shed blood."

  ?

  "Wait... so Khorvath taught you that? I'd thought he'd kill that rabbit for the hell of it."

  ?

  The crimson-haired man scoffed. "While He was quite eccentric with His mannerisms and ideology, He isn't a brute at full force. He's smart, can spout wisdom, and He was also a great father to me, and a good husband to my mother."

  ?

  Kael turned back around, facing the forest behind us. He slowly walked forward, gesturing for me to follow him. "I can feel you've already digested your potion a little; that's a good thing.

  ?

  "You acted with violence, but you didn't do harm."