Questions And Questions

"Release you?" Raymond squinted his eyes in suspicion. Why was a god trapped inside his own statue?

More importantly, who sealed him inside the statue? It didn't seem like a good idea to release someone who was sealed.

'Wait… he said he died early! Does that mean he is a ghost now? And someone trapped his soul inside because he was haunting people?'

Somehow, Raymond reached that ridiculous conclusion— must have been the result of reading too many ghost stories when he was a kid.

[Yes, young man! I have been sealed inside this statue of mine for far too long. It's about time I enter the cycle of reincarnation. So, how about it? Release me from my seal and I will make your training a thousandfold easier.]

'Ease my training by a thousandfold?' Why did it sound like a devil enticing an innocent boy to sell his soul with flowery words?

A chill went up his spine as he repeated those words inside his mind. Was the so-called WindGod trying to take over his body on the pretext of helping?

"Do you seriously expect me to believe your words just like that?" Raymond raised his brows at the unmoving statue. "I don't know anything about you or… your intentions. What if you tried to possess my body after releasing you from that… seal or whatever?"

[Hmm…? Are you accusing me of deceiving you, young man? Bear in mind that I am a god from the orthodox path. I will never do such a thing.]

"Am I supposed to take your word for it?" Raymond was pissed off by his words. If he was such a morally upright person, why did he fool Vivian into committing a crime?

"Do you know a girl by the name Vivian?" Raymond asked, hoping to find the reason behind WindGod's trickery.

[No, who is that?] Galanor replied innocently.

"Tch, you turned her whole tribe against her, and yet you have no idea about what you did! You don't sound like a nice guy at all." Raymond sneered. "She is the one that you tricked into attacking your statue and it almost cost her life!"

[Huh? When did that happen? Ohh, wait…! Are you talking about that green-haired lass?] Galanor asked as if he was having trouble remembering Vivian.

"Yes, she is the one. She was forced to live alone at the edge of the forest because she listened to you."

[Aiya! I had no idea, young man. I am deeply sorry for what happened to her.] Galanor's voice turned melancholic as he continued. [Although I used to be a god once, I am nothing but a shell of my former self now. I can only sense a few metres outside of this chamber in my current state. I had no idea that poor girl went through all of that because of me. I am ashamed…]

Raymond listened carefully to find any hint of dishonesty in his words. However, the WindGod appeared to genuinely feel guilty about the blunder he had caused.

"Why did you talk to her alone and no one else until now?" He asked after deliberating over the WindGod's words, though, this time Raymond's voice was far from being suspicious— there was only curiosity.

[Sigh. Looking at you I can safely say that it had a lot to do with you.]

"Hmmm? What do you mean?" Raymond asked, slightly puzzled.

[Young man, do you believe in fate?] Galanor questioned instead of answering.

"No…?" Raymond didn't believe in such things at first but mulling over the recent few events in his life, he wasn't quick to dismiss the notion of something as vague as fate controlling the world.

[Ignorant, I see…] It almost felt like Galanor was shaking his head. [No matter, I too was like you in my younger years, you will learn eventually. There is no need to hurry with these things. Now, as for your question, I can sense my fate and see who is connected with my life as an extension.]

[You see, that night I was startled awake when a thread of fate changed and connected with my own, and when I looked at who was responsible for the sudden change, a young woman was crying outside this chamber...]

Galanor had a hard time remembering that night as it was more than a decade ago. He was merely a remnant piece of long dead and forgotten god's soul; he was always on the verge of dissipating into nothingness, as such the World Tree had put him in a deep state of sleep in order to keep him from disappearing.

[It must have been my desperation to escape from this seal and reunite with the significant part of my soul that I hastily reached out to her without confirming if she had a direct impact on my fate. Sigh, I was wrong. She was stopped by her people before she could destroy the seal and escorted out of the chamber.] Galanor sighed wistfully.

[I had no clue as to what happened to her afterwards,] Galanor admitted his shortcomings. [But now that I have you in my presence, it is safe to say that her fate changed that night and became intertwined with yours who had a connection with me. Young man, I believe I was fated to be released from this seal by your hands!]

"Uh? I am going to dumb it down, correct me if I am wrong." Raymond was frowning hard by the time the WindGod was done explaining himself. Half of what he said went over his head.

"So, you were fated to be released by me and Vivian's fate changed the night she was rejected by the World Tree and became one with mine. You mistook her connection with me and thought she was the one who was supposed to give you freedom?"

[Young man, you have a talent for understating things,] Galanor chuckled, thinking how the youngster in front of him was shrugging off the matter of changing someone's fate as if it was nothing.

[Although what you said seems impossible, that's what truly happened. I had no ill intentions towards your Apostle.]

[Had I known it would cause her such sorrow, I wouldn't have reached out to her… then again, if I hadn't reached out to her, she wouldn't have been expelled and become your Apostle. Urgh, this is confusing even for someone like me.] Galanor groaned. He always found these things related to fate confusing.

If it wasn't for his ability to have a glimpse of his fate, he would have stayed far away from anything related to it.

"Okay, You weren't deliberate when that happened. Let's not talk about this." Raymond quickly changed the subject. It was starting to feel like he was talking with his drunk grandfather.

"If you were so desperate, why didn't you call me as soon as I entered this chamber? Why wait till now when I am alone?" Raymond couldn't help but ask doubtfully.

[Haha, good question. It does seem suspicious, doesn't it?] Galanor guffawed. [When a piece of your soul is separated, you cannot enter the cycle of reincarnation until and unless you heal your soul or reunite with your lost piece. If you can't do it in time, the lost piece will dissipate into nothingness, never to be found again. Unfortunately, I am that lost piece. The only reason I am still intact is because of being confined in this statue and the World Tree puts me in a state of deep sleep in order to sustain my existence.]

[I was recovering after the last fiasco or else I wouldn't have waited till now.]

"Hmm? Then wouldn't you disappear if I let you out of there?" Raymond asked.

[That would be true if it was anyone else… Since you have an Apostle that must mean you are at least a demigod, am I correct?] Galanor asked.

"Yes."

[As I thought, you are eligible to perform the ritual to reunite me with my original soul.]