Chapter 71.2

Phae raised his eyebrows in amusement. "I didn't dream anything," he said, "but I can see what you're going to say, seeing you like this."

"I have a feeling that this world is becoming more and more complete," said Thenis, her expression gentle and serene.

"I think that if we were to disappear," Thenis said, "the people would be free to live their own lives, without fear or obligation. They would be able to think for themselves and make their own choices. They would be truly free."

"It is almost time for us to leave. The age of the gods is coming to an end. The process may not be so comfortable, and the ending...is not very clear. We may disappear, or we may become one of them."

She paused for a moment, as if considering the matter carefully. "I am more inclined to the latter."

The God of Light tilted his head, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he looked out at the endless clouds beyond the temple. "Sounds good to me," he said.

Thenis smiled. "I knew you would agree."

He leaned against the pillar and idly gazed at the clouds for a while, then suddenly looked at Thenis and asked, "Is this why you have not given Melo the godhead?"

Thenis shrugged. "Yes," she said. "At first, I thought he was too small and thin, and he grew slowly. I was afraid that the process of obtaining the godhead would be too painful for him, so I wanted to wait until he was older.

"But after I created humans, I had this dream. I don't know when that day will come, but I think it's better to let him go.

"It would be too painful for a child as young as him to endure the torment of obtaining the godhead, only to suffer the fall of the godhead or even disappear completely later."

Phae raised an eyebrow. "Please," he said with an expression of disbelief. "The 'so big kid' you mentioned looks only a few years younger than me."

Thenis gave him a withering look. "Show some decorum," she said. "Calculate your actual age, dear brother. Melo is just a child, and those kneeling at the bottom of the mountain are all children."

Thenis smiled. "He is still a child in my eyes," she said. "And I don't want him to suffer."

Phaer clutched his cheek, wincing in pain.

Thenis frowned. "What is the matter?"

Phae snorted. "It hurts like a toothache."

"Go away," Thenis said, slapping his arm in exasperation. "Don't fight in front of me."

The God of Light straightened his back, his muscles rippling beneath his golden skin. He began to roll away, but he stopped after only two steps. His eyes narrowed as he turned to Thenis, who was still scowling at him.

"I have always felt that the way you raise these 'children' is not right," he said in a voice that was both playful and challenging.

"They are not made of glass, so if you want to hit them, just hit them! If you are feeling too tender-hearted, I don't mind being the executor. I haven't fought a war in a long time, and my hands are getting itchy."

Thenis stared at her younger brother for a moment, her eyes blazing with anger. She ignored her glorious goddess image and kicked him with all her might.

The young and handsome God of Light was sent flying off the top of the mountain, his body tumbling through the air.

______

Kevin watched the scene unfold with a cold expression. He had never forgotten what had happened that day.

He had preserved the memory of that day for thousands of years, and now he was finally going to show it to Mello. He tossed the memory out into the open, and it unceremoniously peeled itself open for Melo to see.

Kevin was stingy with people like Melo, and only gave him the words of Thenis explaining why he was not given the godhead, before taking back the memory.

In his opinion, there was nothing special about the explanation of Melo's godhood. It was just a simple sentence, spoken out of a gentle goddess' love and intolerance for her "child".

He did not expect to be cared for. But the so-called "child" of the family could not let go of it all his life.

Kevin's voice was cold as he spoke. "Have you finished looking over? Was it worth your death and living for thousands of years? If Thenis could have predicted more and more specifically, if she knew that the gods had fallen, she would probably be a little sad. She wants to protect you wholeheartedly, after all."

Melo had not spoken since he had recalled that memory. He stood there straight, his shoulders pressed against the ice wall. His skin was bloodless white from the lack of sunlight all year round, like lifeless frost and snow.

With Kevin's arrow stuck in his body and a mask covering his face, he remained motionless, as if trapped in the vortex of the past and could never come out again.

"I... I don't know," he murmured softly, sounding a little dazed.

His voice trailed off, and he closed his eyes. "I never thought it would be like this... I thought..."

Melo shook his head. "I was just frightened by the mirror island. I was so scared that I turned into a dead end and got into a dead end. I felt terrible when I saw all the gods. When they looked at me and laughed and teased me, I always felt like they were looking at a pet that could be amusing. I didn't think...never did..."

Kevin stared at him for a moment, his eyes cold and hard. "Stop making excuses," he said. "I'm not Thenis, who is soft-hearted, and I'm not the good old Faesar. Your words mean nothing to me. You never thought about that, did you?"

He sneered, and tapped the ground with his toes. "You keep saying that you are frightened by the mirror island, but do you know what the mirror island means?

"Although it is used to correct the mistakes of the gods, it never means destruction, but growth and rebirth. How could Faesa's character create a place that represents destruction?"

Melo lowered his head, his expression one of deep regret. "I don't know," he said softly. "I was just so scared. I thought they were going to kill me by putting me in the mirror island."