Chapter 41: The Beginning & The End

"Hello, everyone. It's been a while hasn't it?" 

Giovanni was all smiles standing on the altar. 

Kelz and Zagon immediately moved in front ready to fight. 

"Oh? Is that okay? Are you allowed to shed blood in this sacred place?" 

Giovanni spoke while keeping his smile. 

"Shut up! How did you even get in here?!" 

"The same way you did, Zagon. I walked." 

Veins started bulging in Zagon's head. 

"Lord Octivinus said we defeated you…." 

Kelz was scanning Giovanni from head to toe. She couldn't put her finger on it but something about him was different. 

"You did." 

Giovanni walked to the edge of the altar and sat down. 

"I was utterly defeated by the two of you. I still get chills remembering fighting two beasts like you. But then I think to myself…." 

He lay on his side and rested his head onto his palm. 

"Aren't I amazing for pushing you guys so hard?" 

He started laughing in a relaxed manner. 

(Why is he so nonchalant?) 

(Maybe because he's confident he can beat us now?) 

(Are you saying he got stronger?!) 

(Well, it has been two weeks.) 

"You two don't need to speak telepathically." 

Giovanni interrupted the twins' conversation. He smirked at them. 

"Don't be afraid. Share with the class." 

"This guy is mocking us!" 

"Now, now. Don't get so upset. It's a joke, a joke." 

Giovanni waved his hand up and down, gesturing Zagon to calm down. 

"Giovanni." 

Raphael stepped out in front of the twins. 

"How are you alive?" 

Giovanni looked at Raphael in silence for a bit before frowning. 

"We're reunited after an intense and emotional battle, and instead of being glad I'm alive you're treating me like vermin." 

He turned his back to them. 

"Oh, Goddess. Why are my kids so heartless?" 

Giovanni's words caused the siblings' faces to light up. His speech pattern, body language, and attitude were all too familiar. 

"Did you get your memories back?" 

Raphael asked the question on everyone's mind. 

"Pretty much." 

Giovanni answered with his back still facing them. 

"That's—" 

Elated the siblings moved towards Giovanni, but were stopped by Raphael blocking them with his hand. 

"Since when?" 

Raphael asked while narrowing his eyes. 

"After I was blasted off the island by the two of them." 

Giovanni sat up and kept his back turned to them. 

"You did good stopping them from coming towards me, Raphael. My memory has returned, but that doesn't mean I'll automatically revert to my old self. Not only that, I did some stuff that shouldn't be overlooked. Overall, you're thinking like a General. Those are my thoughts as Gustav Fernandez." 

He stared at the statues of the Phoenix and the Serpent. 

"Unfortunately, Gustav is dead. He's been dead for decades. I only carried the moniker to mock his legacy." 

"Then are you saying you're throwing away your old life?" 

"In a sense. I mean I'm young now. However, I'm not giving up anything I own." 

He looked back at them with a fierce glare. 

"That includes my children." 

Raphael flinched in front of his gaze. He locked eyes with him before looking away. 

"My apologies, General." 

Raphael's voice had genuine fear in it. Giovanni looked at him for a bit before smiling. 

"Don't be so afraid, I was just teasing you a bit." 

He started laughing while Raphael was looking at the ground. He stopped laughing and turned his back to them again. He once again stared at the statues. 

"If you're wondering how I'm alive, I can tell you. It's quite an interesting story." 

Let's rewind time to when Giovanni was sent flying after getting blasted by the twins' final attack. He was sent flying by their devastating combo. His chest was burst open exposing his ribs and organs. His body cut through the air and flew outside of the island. He started plummeting thousands of feet towards the ground. 

(Hey, abomination.) 

As his consciousness faded in and out, a voice rang in his head. 

(Do you want to live?) 

Giovanni didn't respond and only smiled. 

(I see…You're satisfied with this kind of death. Well, I admit this is a hell of way to die, but don't you have unfinished business?) 

At that moment, memories started flooding Giovanni's mind. These were decades worth of memories coming at him all at once. His head throbbed and he lost consciousness. 

 "I don't know why he has to be so aggressive all the time. What if he had broken the kid's mind?" 

He heard a voice while his eyes were closed. 

"Then again, an abomination like this wouldn't be broken so easy." 

He opened his eyes and sluggishly sat up. Before him was a golden throne with craving of dragons on it and azure gems embedded inside. Sitting on it was a figure Giovanni was unable to recognize. Only thing he knew was that it had a feminine body line. 

"Are you awake, Blood Devil?" 

The entity spoke to him with a feminine voice and tone. 

"I take it you're the Serpent Tiama?" 

Giovanni stood up. 

"Oh? You're not even a bit surprised or startled?" 

"I've gone through so many things since coming here, there's not much that can surprise me now." 

He started examining himself. His body was without a scratch. 

"Then why do you think I'm the Serpent?" 

"I've heard the voice of the Phoenix before and you seem like an entity on a similar level. So the only thing that came to my mind was his wife, Tiama. Also, I can't imagine a random god appearing now." 

The entity laughed. 

"I'm liking you more and more." 

They crossed their legs and leaned back in their throne. 

"That's right, I'm the Serpent Tiama. Although, that's just my identity in this world anyway." 

"This world?" 

"We'll get into that later." 

Tiama pointed at Giovanni. 

"Aren't you curious as to where you are or why you're here?" 

"Aren't I dead? Isn't this the afterlife?" 

"Nope. You're not dead but you're about to be. As for this place, it's merely a sub space I created to have a talk. I can't descend in your world so I brought you here. Oh, the reason you can't process my appearance is because I'm too great for your mind to understand." 

"…You're quite the boastful one, aren't you?" 

Giovanni sat back on the ground. 

"So, is this one of those things where time flows differently here from the outside world?" 

"Pretty much." 

"So we have all the time in the world? Great, then can you tell me why we're here?" 

"You have no fear huh?" 

Tiama laughed again. 

"My husband asked you if you wished to live? I'm merely asking you the same question." 

"You returned my memory so I would remember those dear to me, you wanted to give me the will to live again. So you're really asking if you succeed." 

Giovanni smirked. 

"My answer depends on what you want from me." 

"Alright, fair enough. Then let's start by asking a question." 

Giovanni nodded. 

"Do you like to fight?" 

"Do I like to fight? Ma'am, did you not see me declare war on your people for the hell of it?" 

"That's the younger you. I'm asking the current you, with all your memories and experiences intact, do you still love to fight?" 

"Of course, but it has to be a good challenge. It can't be a one-sided fight where either side doesn't have a chance. It's a plus if the opponent is using skills I've never seen before. Otherwise, it would just be a chore." 

"So you don't fight more than necessary?" 

"That's right." 

Tiama nodded. 

"Then, what is this question you've been trying to answer for years? And why did you change so much after finding the answer?" 

"You already know." 

"I just want to hear you describe it." 

Despite being incapable of processing her face, Giovanni could tell she was grinning. He sighed. 

"The question is a simple yet complicated one." 

A memory of him accidentally stepping on a bug flashed in his mind. The bug had stopped moving and was flattened on the ground. He watched the bug until ants came and tore it apart. 

"What is death?…That's the original question I was obsessed with." 

"That question led to a series of questions that controlled your life." 

Giovanni nodded. 

"I couldn't accept the simple definition as the end of a life. I wanted to know what it was, why it was a thing, were there ways to avoid it, why do people fear it while some don't. I spent years pondering as a child." 

"But everything changed when you experienced a human death." 

"It was my mother's murder." 

He had a look of profundity in his eyes. 

"She never tried to save her own life but welcomed death in an attempt to save me. That's when I began to ask myself, why was her death acceptable for her but not mine? Why did she value my life more than hers?" 

"And that's when your question evolved to the one that haunted you for years." 

Giovanni nodded. 

"….What is the purpose of my life?" 

This question had crafted the path Giovanni Delgado walked for the rest of his life. 

"My mother gave up her life for mine, so was there some big purpose to my life? Is there a reason why I must live despite so many people mourning her death? Despite her absence plunging my father into insanity? Was my life that valuable?" 

"Why didn't you think your mother sacrificed herself for you because she loved you?" 

"You saw my memories. I couldn't understand such a concept when I was younger. My mind is different from others. Although, it's not like I didn't consider it, I was already obsessed, so I couldn't accept that. I started to search for answers and figured out the best way to understand life is to be close to death." 

"That's why you accepted everything your father did to you, and why you couldn't live in peace when you were adopted by kind people." 

"I kind of feel bad about how things turned out back then." 

Giovanni let out a wry laugh. He continued after a bit. 

"I killed a lot of people in the Cartel War. Oh, I made sure to kill only those related to the enemy, so it's not like I killed innocent people." 

"But you showed no mercy and didn't discriminate. Women, children, elderly, the sick, even those who retired." 

"Yeah, and I did my job as a soldier. Anyway, thanks to that war I was able to experience all kinds of death and final moments. Those were very insightful and got me thinking. However, I still wasn't able to get an answer. After I was locked up and released on a pardon, I was sent to battlefields all over the world. It was fun for a bit. I fought all kinds of people and saw all kinds of death. Heard countless last words, saw people betray loved ones to live a little longer, saw people selflessly sacrifice themselves. I met people who risked their lives for money, their country; revenge, their loved ones, or for the thrill." 

He showed a smile. 

"I met a little boy protecting his mother's rotting corpses from hungry dogs. I watched him push himself to the brink of death to protect someone already dead just because he didn't want to leave them. I helped him out on a whim and buried his mother for him. I watched him cry over her grave for hours before taking him away. He would've definitely died there if I didn't." 

"Why did you help him?" 

"Probably because he had the same name as my father. It was just a whim though. I later met a young girl and did the same with her, also a whim." 

He chuckled a bit. 

"I found my answer a couple of years later. It wasn't a big event or anything." 

Giovanni remembered the scene of him standing in a field covered with corpses. The setting sun reflected in the puddles of blood around him. Giovanni silently stared at the bodies and his face reflecting in the blood. 

"I see." 

He softly muttered. 

"This is all there is to my life, nothing more, nothing less." 

He lifted his gun and placed it at his temple. 

"My life had no meaning." 

He said to Tiama. 

"I just existed to cause destruction and death. I had nothing more to offer. I was a broken person who was destined to die in a ditch….That was the answer I got." 

Tiama stared at him in silence for a bit before speaking. 

"Why didn't you pull the trigger?" 

"My eldest son and daughter were nearby. My world had come crashing down and I wanted to end it all, but when I saw how frantic they were, how much it hurt them to see me put a gun at my temple…Me, someone who only gave them a little attention and basic needs, someone who showed them horrific scenes every day, they desperately tried to stop someone like that from leaving them alone." 

He showed Tiama a bright smile. 

"I couldn't help but want to keep living. I had no purpose and my life was meaningless, so I decided to give it meaning and purpose. I decided to live for family. That's the difference between the current me and the younger me." 

Tiama slowly started clapping. 

"You said your life had no meaning but you lived an interesting one. Your mind is also intriguing. You're strong, determined, and very talented for war." 

"Ma'am, I don't know if you and your husband have an open marriage or something, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't flirt with me so openly. I don't want to be turned into a bug and get stepped on." 

Tiama burst out laughing. 

"And you have the balls to joke with an entity of my level." 

She pointed at him. 

"Giovanni, I want you to be the Guardian of my people." 

"Do you mean like a Lord?" 

"No, the Lord will lead their people. I want you to protect them from outside threat and guide the Lord on the path to survival." 

"Do you mean I would be above the Lord?" 

"In rank, yes. However, you won't be granted any powers beyond what you have. You'll have to get stronger on your own which shouldn't be a problem. Also, you'll need to survive the fall yourself and heal from there. You just need to focus all essence into defense and you'll be alright…Maybe. But don't worry, we will hide your body from others until you do as a courtesy." 

"…Then what are the benefits for me?" 

"Immortality." 

"Don't want it." 

"Not only for you, but your family; both blood and adoptive." 

Giovanni's eyes widened. 

"Wait, are you saying—" 

"This includes your father, your adoptive parents, their descendants. Hor them, they can be killed, but only by you. So they'll just stay young forever until they're ready to pass." 

"Descendants too?! Are you mad? You're about to create a second immortal race? That could lead to so much chaos and mayhem in the future." 

"That's why as Guardian you'll keep everyone in check. Besides, if things get too out of hand we'll just destroy all the bloodlines. We're gods, remember?" 

"What if my family declines?" 

"Then they can die as a normal. I won't force it on anyone." 

"...." 

"So do you accept?" 

"One more question." 

"Go ahead." 

"If I take this position, will I be going up against the majority of the world? That's the only reason why I think you need my help. You know this island will be dragged into a conflict that can easily destroy them and want me to help." 

"It's as you say." 

Giovanni grinned. 

"Then I'm in. I can lead this country into battle against the rest of the world? That's the most exciting thing ever!" 

"You're quite sick in the head if that makes you excited, which makes you perfect for the job." 

Tiama stood up and approached Giovanni. She stretched her hand out to him. Giovanni looked at it and shook it. 

"?!" 

The moment he did, a vast amount of information started flowing into his head. It instantly felt like his mind was splitting. 

"Oh, I forgot to mention. As Guardian you'll gain some information of the true state of the world and the multiverse your world is in by extension…Oh, you're not listening." 

Giovanni was slouched on the ground still holding her hand. 

"And just like that, I became Guardian. I crashed into the earth and was forced to slowly rebuild my body from scratch and heal up. It took almost two weeks. When my strength was recovered, I jumped from below and landed on this island. So anyway, I'm your boss. Any questions?" 

"...." 

All Giovanni got from everyone was pure silence and confusion.