Extra Chapter: The First Promise (Part 1)

{"We met by the Moonlight Lillies… at a moonlit night where you first saw my emotionless face and I saw your gentle expression and soothing smile… If only I can allow myself to return to that very moment… I would show you that your words and kindness… have changed even I whose heart was known to be an immovable stone."}

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A long time ago… This reality became the target of the monsters that devoured the Original World from which everything originated.

"F-Father! B-behind us!!!"

"I-It's the monsters! Run!!!"

"KYAAAUUU!!!"

Here in this world, exists a strange being amongst the sparse human settlements that are frequently attacked by the said monsters.

"…Come forth."

"GUAGH! KA-GAAA!!!"

"…Primordial Blood Oath."

These monsters are incomprehensibly chaotic beings of the void… Monsters beyond human imagination the feeds on their mind's imbalance and abounds at places with no order or morality.

"Eeeekkk!"

*Ka-shik!*

"…Hide behind your cattle. I'll deal with them."

"Y-Y-Yes!"

Humanity called them as "Malignances".

"Leave… Go on and meet up with your tribe."

"Y-Y-Yes! T-T-Thank you greatly, Divine Spirit!"

"…"

To protect these fragile beings called humans, beings born from humanity's desperation and desires came into existence. Beings given form by humanity's thoughts from the seemingly non-living essence of reality… beings who are the remnants of the Original World.

"W-who was that, father?"

"That is a Divine Spirit… we are lucky that he is near when those Malignances appeared."

"Divine Spirit…"

"They are powerful beings. Strong enough to defeat those monsters that roam our lands… If you meet someone like that, bow down and listen well to what they have to say. It's for our good that they seek to destroy those monsters so we can live in safety."

"So, that is a Divine Spirit…?"

At the cradle of civilization, a place not unlike the Original World's Fertile Crescent of the middle east, a father and son who were grazing their cattle was attacked by Malignances but was saved shortly by this so-called Divine Spirit. After defeating some who are the nearest from the mortals, he ordered the two humans to leave quickly with their livestock as he brought out a weapon. A spear whose blade is painted red and emanates a power unrivalled except by its wielder.

"Now then…"

"Urgh?!"

"Gwargh?!"

"…to end your filthy lives."

This Divine Spirit is called Law. The eldest of the Spirits and one who is considered by both humans and his fellow spirits to be the strongest of them all. And anyone who knows him well calls him using a single moniker…

"Wait, father… Why do you know him?"

"His title has been passed down from our ancestors… I will never forget the day when like you today, I and your grandfather was saved by him while we're travelling…"

"What is that title…?"

"…The Being of Immovable Principles."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Too cold…"

Today, I roamed around the steppes of the central continent to seek and destroy the Malignances that has been materializing and attacking the settlements of the humans nearby. By nightfall, I found myself settling at an abandoned tent to regain my strength that I've been using up since I came down to the world.

"…"

It was also my choice to not fight by night since I learned recently that humans use the night's silence to rest from their day's labors and activities. Perhaps they aren't as robust as I am that they need to rest for half of a day's time.

"I was given something like this before… They call it cornbread if I recall…"

It has been over a millennium since humanity developed beyond dwelling in caves with tight, family-centered groups and began to settle somewhere alongside people who does not share their bloodline. Because of that, their differences began to appear as they lived together with other people and Malignances has used that negativity that they release to materialize themselves.

Because of that, my directive to dispose Malignances has become more arduous and I decided to leave my Subspace to properly execute my job.

"…Sunrise. Time to continue on."

I am Law. A remnant of the Original World that was destroyed by Malignances and was shattered into innumerable universes that are called "Realities". These realities mirror the Original World with a few differences in every shattered piece. For this reality, the difference will eventually show itself sooner or later. Thus, my existence here is for one reason alone.

Decide if this world must be destroyed as a failure or protect it as the perfected form of the ruined Original World.

"Divine Spirit…"

"Praise be to yours…"

"Stand up. I am only passing by. Return to your work and don't revere me."

Though beings like me have powers and robustness that cannot be matched by humans, we are not gods. We are ordered not to declare ourselves as gods. Because that very action… is the one principle that I have been ordered to enforce amongst all of us who existed because of humanity's ideals and beliefs.

"GRUOHHH!!!"

"R-R-RUN!!!"

"GET AWAY! GET AWAY!"

"WAARGHH!!!"

"Come forth, Primordial Blood Oath..."

Every day passes by as I do the same thing that I must do. I rest to allow myself to recover and the humans to have a sound sleep. At sunrise, I search for Malignances and defeat them on the spot. I roam around the continent, searching for these beings that appear in the settlements of humans and dispose of them.

A cycle of things. One of the most basic forms of the thought that gave birth to my material existence. One thing leads to another, and it all comes back to return to its source.

The First Principle… the Law of Beginnings and Ends.

"This place is… greener."

I used to only roam around the desert and steppes of the central continent where human settlements are usually split apart from each other and very inclusive of its inhabitants. However, I noticed that as I started to head to the south, incidences of abandoned or wiped-out human settlements increased. The appearance of Malignances that are stronger became greater and greater as well.

With that in mind, I thought about heading towards the north, seeking an answer about why these things happen and why things are seemingly more peaceful at that direction.

My journey brought me closer to a land whose plains are filled with farming fields of grain and grasslands with abundant cattle and sheep.

"These animals are healthy… I think I can rest by here today."

I went towards a herd of wild cows and knelt near one whose udders seem plump and bountiful.

"There, there…"

"Mooo…!"

I formed a cup using my hands and with my thumbs, gently squeezed the cow's udders to take some of its fresh and warm milk.

"…This tastes better than the desert camel's milk."

I kept on drinking the milk straight from the cow's teats until I felt that my physical body was appeased. With that, I walked towards the front of the cow and looked at its eyes that seemed a bit distressed from what I did.

"For your patience and kindness towards me, I shall bless you with a bountiful womb. Give birth to healthy and delightful bullocks and may they nurture civilizations to come…"

"Moo…"

After giving my blessing, I went away from the herd and continued on towards the road leading towards a nearby village.

"Good morning! Come on, darling. Greet him too."

"H-huh?"

"Mornin' Nice day for fishing ain't it? Hu hah!"

"Uh… yeah…"

As I entered the village, I was greeted by a woman who has a basket of dirty clothes and her husband who has a fishing pole slung over his shoulder and a wide smile on his face who was strangely cheerful.

"Get back here!"

"You can't catch me! I will never be tag's it!"

"…"

"Good morning!"

"Y-yeah… good morning too."

I looked around and surely enough, this isn't like the human settlements that I went to before. Here, instead of being revered or feared by the humans, I was treated as if I am just like anyone.

"Hey there, Mr. Spirit!"

"Huh?"

"Want something to fill your belly before you go and fight out there?"

As a Spirit, my physical body is physiologically the same as a human's. It has all of its organs and components and functions the same as theirs'. But it doesn't have the same weakness of needing sustenance or frequent rest. As far as I know, I haven't actually felt hungry or thirsty before. The times when I would actually choose to eat or drink something was only due to my curiosity about their taste or the feeling of consuming them into my body.

Thus, when I was offered by a woman in the village to enter her house and dine with her family was something that I was surprised that I actually accepted.

"What… is this?"

"Hm? That is mama's mushroom and rabbit stew! It's very delicious and it fills your tummy quickly!"

"Mushroom and rabbit stew…"

I took the wooden spoon and scooped some to my mouth to taste it.

"Well, well… How is it, Mr. Spirit?"

"…It's good. I haven't eaten anything like this before."

"Mmm…! Mama! Mama! Did you hear what Mr. Spirit said?!"

"Yes, sweetie. I do. Come on, you go and eat as well and don't bother our honored guest."

"Mm! May the guardian spirit bless our food!"

After his mother placed a grilled corn in front of the child, I heard something that I haven't heard before.

"Guardian spirit?"

"Oh! Are you a friend of the guardian spirit, Mr. Spirit?"

"N-no… I am new to this land, and I haven't heard about a guardian spirit from these parts before."

"Ah! I can't believe that someone who hasn't met our beloved guardian before still exists… You must've really come from a far-away place, have you not, Mr. Spirit?"

"It took me 621 sunsets to come here from where I usually fought at… So, I guess it do is far."

"621 sunsets… I see."

The woman took the empty bowl where I ate from and placed there a piece of sheepskin parchment that has strange symbols and words.

"The Guardian Spirit of the Great Plains is the spirit who unified the settlements of humans in this continent. Through her, villages and towns who used to have conflicting people and Spirit patrons lived in harmony together with one goal in mind, Everlasting peace and mutual prosperity."

"…"

She read the words in their own language and after looking at her finger that pointed at each of the words, I instantly learned their written language and made sense of the rest of the things in the parchment.

"She is a Guardian who achieved peace with no bloodshed and prosperity with no sacrifices. She is our unifying Guardian Spirit, and we send our thanks to her in everything that we do everyday to honor her achievement of bringing us a safe and bountiful life."

"I see…"

I now know why things are more peaceful in here and Malignances are practically non-existent… Unlike in the central continent and the southern desert where human life is hard and conflicts usually arise due to their lack of resources or partners in copulation, this land is bountiful and peaceful.

"I thank you for letting me dine under your roof. I greatly appreciate this kindness… Can you and your son show me your foreheads so I can give you my blessings?"

"A-Ah! There is no need for that!"

"But…"

"Your presence and time are already enough of a thanks for us, Mr. Spirit. We don't need you to give us your sigil of protection or strength anymore as a thanks."

Ever since I came to this world to do my directive, I've been helped by many humans and animals to learn more about their kind or get through some days when I feel alone.

"…My principle will not allow me to do such a thing."

"W-What was that, Mr. Spirit?"

"I'll be back before sunset. I will surely repay your kindness."

Not wasting a moment to look at the woman's surprised expression, I left their house and went towards the nearby forest.

"An eye for an eye… A kindness for a kindness…"

The Second Principle… The Law of Equivalent Exchange.

"Pyon, pyon…"

"-!"

"Kyiii!!!"

I have always practiced the principles that I have been brought into existence with. These are noble truths, rules of divine equity and ways of existing with no faults.

"A rabbit and some mushrooms… An equal repayment."

I am the embodiment of these Laws and Principles. It will be hypocritical of me to not follow the very things that gave birth to me.

"M-Mr. Spirit…"

"I have returned with my own kindness to repay yours'."

"T-Thank you…"

"No… I must be the one who should thank you."

"Wow! Mama! Let's make another stew!"

"O-okay… let's do just that so your papa can have some as well once he comes back."

"Mm! Thank you for hunting and gathering the ingredients, Mr. Spirit! May the Guardian Spirit bless you!"

"…"

As I left the village behind before the sun sank below the horizon, I remembered something because of that woman and her son.

"Last time… the woman who declined my blessing was…"

It was during a local war between two towns which also caused an influx of strong Malignances. During the short cessation of hostilities, I was finally able to rest and was offered shelter and food by a widow.

I stayed under her roof for a while. During that time, she didn't deny me any food or forcefully woke me up whenever I rested. I didn't understand the reason for her kindness back then, but once the war broke out again and I had to leave to fight the monsters that will come out because of all the bloodshed, I offered her a sigil of protection, so she won't be harmed by the battle, but she denied it.

I decided later on to bring her some grain from the battlefield to repay her kindness, but after I disposed the Malignances and got some grain from the destroyed camp of one of the sides, I went back to her house, only to discover that it was already destroyed and she was inside, with her clothes ripped into shreds and her legs parted from each other and has traces of her assailants' misdeeds.

"…I apologize that I didn't come in the right time."

That day, I found it lawful to simply watch as the monster that they allowed to exist because of their crimes, tear them into shreds, crush them under its heel and eat them while they are still alive, before I finished its filthy existence.

Back at the present, I looked back at the village and stared at the woman who is now enjoying her dinner with her husband and son… Somehow… I felt something in my chest whenever I remember that widow and see her at the place of this woman.

"Humans… I have always known that they are fragile beings in comparison to a Spirit like me… It is normal for them to die. It is normal for them to suffer misfortune or face justice for their misdeeds. They are mortals… so it is obvious that they will die sooner or later…"

And yet… what is this feeling in my chest? Why do I feel like that… this fragility of theirs… is not normal?

"Come forth, Primordial Blood Oath…"

From my Divine Armory, I took out my spear and held it tightly as I continued to watch the family who is unaware that I can see them from a far hilltop.

"I will stay here until I get an answer… or this feeling subsides…"

"Kaa! Kaa!"

While my whole attention is directed to the family, a large crow suddenly flew past me and with its claws, took my spear and flew high up quickly.

"W-Wait! My spear!"

"Kaa! Kaa!"

"Why is that crow-?! Ah! I promise that I'll be back!"

"Kaa! Kaa!"

I ran behind the flying crow and with no intention to injure the innocent animal, tried to reach out for my weapon instead of flying next to it and wrestle the spear out of its feet. However, the bird was clever as it kept on retracting its feet nearer to its body or flying a bit higher to keep it out of my reach.

"Kaa!"

"Oh no!"

As it arrived near a dense forest, it threw my spear away and tossed it to a tree which I hurriedly ran towards to regain my weapon.

"Hyehehehe!"

"A fox?!"

The spear fell from a branch and was quickly taken away by a fox who bit it with its mouth and ran away further into the forest after seeing me.

"This forest is…"

"Hyehehehe!!!"

After I jumped past a thick shrub, I saw about a hundred or so foxes running alongside me and the one who took my weapon. Because of this, I had a hunch about this place.

"…Hah!"

"What are those foxes doing…?"

The fox and I arrived at a clearing and there, it let go of my spear before running away. With no intention to go after it because my weapon is already off its possession, I simply outstretched my hand to take it back to my hold which made me stagger back slightly because of its weight that may have injured the animals earlier if I did it before.

"This place… seems to be an old battlefield."

The dense forest in a place that doesn't have a local river or a mountain spring is an unusual sight. But if the ground is healthy enough… this amount of overgrowth and shrubs will only appear in places where humans died en masse.

"BUAUAUAUAUAA!"

"KYEKYEKYEKYE!"

"GYAUG!"

Suddenly, three high-level Malignances appeared and surrounded me from all possible exit points. A low-voiced one has a body of a giant and a single eye on its forehead, the one laughing maniacally has a scrawny body with a strangely shaped genital hanging from its crotch and the last one is the typical abomination that is basically a huge mass of body fat with misshapen arms and several eyes surrounding its exterior.

"Heed my call, Primordial Blood Oath."

With my orders, the spear's blade began to glow from its reddish crimson color into a pure golden sheen and emitted a sound as if it is being repeatedly vibrated.

"BUWAU!"

"HIYEEE!"

"KYAG!"

The three monsters all attacked at the same time and pressed their combined masses into a single charge attack that is meant to crush me.

"I've fought against mud crabs much frightening than you three."

"KUWAU-?!"

"HYEEE-?!"

"GYUG-?!!"

I did nothing but to touch my spear's blade to the ground and all three stood still as if… no, as time literally stopped under my command.

"Malignances that has already lived for a hundred years… Very strong and is prideful enough to attack someone who exists solely to dispose of them."

I looked at the three and after seeing their disgusting appearances, clasped my hands to wiped them off in one swoop.

""

"""-!"""

Even though I stopped time, as half-spiritual, half-physical beings, they were able to sense my power although none of them can do anything about it.

""

"""-!!!"""

They can't even sound a whimper or painful growl as my spell emitted a very bright light around us and after it rescinded, only their chopped up remains floated around the suspended time frame.

"Return to Order, Primordial Blood Oath."

I removed the spear from touching the ground and time flowed normally again. With that, the pieces of the now dead monsters flew in all kinds of directions and due to my distance, caused me to be splattered with their blood.

"Fuu… I knew that I shouldn't conclude everything. There are simply no perfect places or people. Even this paradise of that Guardian Spirit has its flaws…"

"I'll take that as correction, Esteemed Guest."

"…"

I have somehow already sensed the person who suddenly appeared behind me and replied to my musing.

"You are… new here. I am glad that you've already done the job that I should have done in here before you came!"

"…"

"Umm… Are you alright? You're not even responding."

It wasn't that I didn't want to respond… It's more about how I can't respond easily.

"Hehe… Are you shy? Don't worry, I won't pry you of anything if you don't want to."

"Who…"

Because… this being in front of me was someone that I haven't met before yet… felt very familiar to me…

"Who? "Who" what?

"Who are you…?"

That night, as the bright full moon peered through the clouds into the clearing of the forest that at one side, is clean and orderly, and on the other side, is stained with the blood of monsters and is littered with their remains, a poignant memory of mine was first made.

"My name is Love. And I am the Guardian Spirit of this land."

"…"

"How about you? Who are you, Stranger Spirit?"

By the Moonlight Lillies that bloomed just for that night, we exchanged names as I was entranced by your gentle expression and soothing smile… and you felt pity to the me who was bathed in blood and carried an immovable, expressionless face.

"My name is Law."

"I see. The rumored eldest spirit who lives to hunt these monsters have finally come to our land. This is a great honor!"

"Tell me…"

"Hrm?"

And there, for the first time since I came into being, a statement came out of my mouth which is pushed by a sense of desperation in my chest.

"How… can I have a smile like yours?"

That night, I who was feared and revered far and wide because of my martial strength, wanted to do something other than what I was intended to do.