Chapter 1012: The Truth About Suffering

"You wanna know why suffering exists?" Said the Creator, their lips pressed flat and their tone far detached from their words. "Why does your world have to suffer a mother like Nerva, and the countless gods puppeteering mortals like slaves? Well then, answer me this. What would you like to see first? A world without suffering or a world without gods?"

Without waiting for an answer, the Creator waved its hands, and the scenery around them changed at once. Glistening dust of all shades swirled through the abyss of suspended space–awaiting its orders, awaiting its fate.

"Let me demonstrate–’the why’." In the blink of an eye, Raven found himself held in the palm of a distant cosmic being, surrounded by the luster of cosmic dust and distant galaxies. Amidst lay the world of Atlaris, far in the distance like a star, dazzling with the different hues of its earth. "Your world suffers, and thus it evolves itself. Reaching greater heights, for without suffering..."

The world grew dark once more, but color returned to the hero’s surroundings just a moment later. This time, however, both he and the glaring eyes of the Creator, far off in the distance, were looking at a desolate rock with frays of golden lights suspended around it. Slowly losing their luster, the lights were well on their way to dying.

"This world’s gods decided to slice suffering from the lives of their pupils. Making it easier for them to achieve their goals, as the lack of any challenge made it impossible for them to fail any undertaking." The invisible hand of the Creator moved Raven closer to the dying rock, moving him at a rate greater than the speed of light.

His mind struggled for a spell before his senses returned to him, laying bare before him the flaw of a world with no mortal suffering. The people on land were staring into the skies, their hands outstretched, their eyes glum, and their jaws wide open. A few notes of crying reached Raven’s ears, making him look at the gods watching as their followers were turned into mindless drones with no ambition and no need to do anything at all.

"This is the cost of perfection, little demigod. Why do anything when everything is possible the moment you can think of it? No desire left unfulfilled, no need left unmet. The very essence of mortal lives is to suffer and rise above their suffering; else–what else can they do but await the end of their mortality with a mind fully sated and no demon chasing them to reach for their desires and dreams?"

Though the words of the Creator rang in his head, said ’demigod’, he merely watched as the gods of this world wept for the dull souls left in their cradle. Despite the distance, he could see within the eyes of the people an iron-like coldness, almost as if it wasn’t humans he was looking at, but rather automatons with no soul nor purpose.

"See enough?" The Creator’s fingers closed around Raven’s body, once more readying him to show another world far detached from his own. Sheathed within those fingers, Raven was at a loss, unable to retaliate against the Creator’s argument for suffering, and yet deep within his very soul, he couldn’t help but want something else to be the case.

"Why, Nerva? Why her out of these numerous gods who care for their people?" He asked, still clenched within the grip of the Cosmic entity.

"Why her?" His voice echoed within his grip, ringing in the hero’s ears. Even a chuckle made its way in, rousing some anger right as it spoke to him. "Admittedly, she’s a stubborn goddess. Always has been. Daughter of a distant god whose name and thoughts are long forgotten; she is the master of her choices, as are any of her world’s dwellers. To control her actions and to prevent her from birthing her world would be no different than a stranger barring a couple from bearing children between themselves. Besides, a goddess like her bears children of iron vigor. Like a hammer on hot steel, their soul can cut through all adversaries, even their own heartless mother."

"Nobody needs to be that strong. There had to have been a better way, a better god to watch over our world."

"You’re looking for perfection again; nothing is perfect, little demi-god. Everything is as flawed as it can and should be." With that response, the Creator opened his fist, revealing to Raven another glimpse of a world. Devoid of gods and faith, the cosmic rock was smoldering every inch of its surface. People were alive, but depravity was rampant. "A world where God’s existence was never in question. These people knew that a god ruled over them, but upon their abandonment, their lives forked in many ways."

"You’re telling me a godless world can only burn, is that it?" The hero asked, visibly unconvinced by the Creator’s insinuation.

The entity’s distant eyes flicked from afar, staring at the hero for a spell before answering him at last.

"There lies a world where they believe in the Cosmic coincidence. They believe that they live because of random chance. Do you know what they believe in? Most believe in nothing, not even themselves; others believe themselves gods and do whatever they please, as the rest just don’t believe in anything and simply watch–waiting for someone else to stop them. Now imagine if they were given a god who could inflict punishment on those tyrants? Would the others still wish to be godless, or would they beg and pray for an impartial judge to be anointed?"

The words ’impartial judge ’ reminded Raven of another who went by the same.

"The demon lord goes by that name."

"A creation of a god, so it’s all the same in the end."

The hero clicked his tongue at the Creator’s words, but there was little he could say. The time for him to wake up was upon them, but in a flash, as they were back inside that white room of ever-expanding horizon, he found himself staring straight ahead at the Creator with his hand extended.

"You may hate me as much as you’d like, Raven, but all I can do is record your world’s progress." Using its free hand to adjust its tie again, it smiled just a touch. "I am but a memory of him left behind. The real boss? Only he knows what he has planned for Atlaris."

Reluctant as he was, Raven shook the entity’s hand and squeezed.

"So you’re not him, just a memory of him? A seer?" It nodded, smiling yet again.

As their hands retreated, however, the entity spoke its final piece, though it knew that the new demigod would not remember their interaction upon waking.

"You will be a fine replacement for your mother one day..." and so this dream finally came to an end.