Chapter 04: Heaven Never Belonged to Us
Let me tell you a story**
After humanity learned what divinity was, a true approach to God thanks to the **Divine Stream** and its waters capable of granting absolute power, the world changed forever.
At first, people formed **small communities**, united by what they believed was a **sacred gift**. They laughed and danced under the moon, prayed fervently during the day. **Always thanking God.**
The first to discover the miracle **had no intention of keeping it to themselves**. They shared it with everyone, because they believed that this was the will of our creator.
Time, however, would show them how **naive** they were.
Why can anyone approach God...?
Questions began to flutter through the air, poisoned whispers that slowly turned into **screams of hate**.
Why should the criminal, the heretic, the sinner, consume the divine gift...?
Aren't **only the chosen ones** worthy of being by his side?
Over time, access to the **Divine Stream** was restricted. It was no longer for everyone, **only some** could drink from its waters.
Why? —you might ask.
If it's still not clear to you, the answer is simple: **those who made the most noise achieved their goal.**
*"Only the true children of God can drink his blood and eat his flesh."*
Beautiful phrase, isn't it?
From that moment on, the stream **went from being free for everyone to becoming an exclusive privilege of a few**.
And **how it was decided who was worthy**... well, that's the fun part.
Some claimed that **God himself had descended from heaven, looked into their eyes and bestowed divine luminosity upon them.** Others claimed to be **direct descendants of the Son of God.** But the most pathetic... **the most disgusting**, were those who simply **declared that the stream was rightfully theirs.**
Ha... **idiotic dogs.**
Those who managed to obtain "permission" to drink from the stream **enjoyed constant ecstasy**. Day after day, night after night, **they drowned in pleasure**.
Yes, you heard right... **ecstasy.**
Sex, greed… **absolute power.**
**All.**
### **Where did the beautiful customs go?**
Where are the **songs**? The **prayers**? The **mutual aid**?
Now any **bastard** thought he was God.
Curious, isn't it?
The simple idea that people could **part oceans, summon fire with their hands and come out unscathed, control reality itself**… ha, it would take me a lifetime to explain all the nonsense that was seen back then.
—What? You're asking about immortality?
What a pain.
You're someone with **too many doubts and too much free time**, right?
Well, listen carefully because **I'm only going to say it once**.
—Such a thing as immortality… **NO.**
There you have your answer.
There has never been anyone with such ability. Never.
The **fools** believed that, like the Son of God, if they ever died, they would rise from the dead on the **third day**.
**Idiots.**
Just as greed **blinded many**, pride **clouded their judgment**.
—I'll tell you bluntly: **YOU ARE NOT GOD. YOU ARE NOTHING. NOTHING! JUST ANOTHER STUPID MAN!**
That's the normal part.
I'm summarizing **years, decades... millennia, maybe**.
—Do you think I'm an encyclopedia?
But the **really interesting** thing happened next.
Those who believed they had the **right to decide who drank and who didn't**... **started doing questionable things**.
No, wait.
**My mistake.**
**INHUMAN.**
Have you heard the story?
After **the Immortal** was removed from the place where he attempted suicide, the **Divine Stream began to be "purified"**.
Well, when **divinity began to slip through their fingers**, the "Sons of God", **in their desperation… acted**.
They could not allow themselves to lose their connection with God.
Sorry if I change some words, but it's better to tell you my way.
**THEY COULDN'T STOP BEING GODS!**
That's the phrase.
**Fucking two-faced sons of bitches.**
Pray to God. **Of course!**
Ask for forgiveness. **Of course!**
*"I am a child of God who took the wrong path and now I repent..."*
What? What are you saying, father? Do you want me to prove my love?
—Blood? Is that what you want...?
Haha… **can you believe it?**
The bastards **came to that absurd conclusion**.
Let me ask you something.
Should animals be slaughtered?
Should women and girls be raped to give birth to a new savior?
A baby deserves to die to satisfy your stupidity...?
**THIS IS WHY GOD DOESN'T LISTEN TO YOU!**
Nothing worked.
And if you ask me… **I'm glad.**
I hope those bastards **suffer in hell**.
What? You want to know what happened to the Immortal?
As I told you, **someone pulled it out of the stream** in a "noble" and "solidary" gesture.
Who would have thought that this person **really wanted to help him**.
He was not a "Son of God." **No.**
He was an ordinary person. **Like you.**
Still… it didn't take long for him to open his mouth.
Hey, can I tell you something? A guy was in the creek with his body torn apart… I have no idea how long he had been there. Poor guy…
**Paranoia took hold of the people.**
Someone heard that and for some reason **came to the conclusion that the Immortal was the key to everything.**
As?
Yeah.
**I don't know either.**
I guess when you desperately search for answers, you **find them**… or, in this case, you **make them up**.
But… **he got it right.**
**They broke into the home of the poor bastard who was guarding the Immortal.**
AND...
**You already know what happened.**
**They ate him alive.**
**They mutilated him.**
And, as if that weren't enough, **they kept the remains that were left of him... as if they were simple food.**
The place was **largely abandoned**.
Do you think it was because of guilt?
Ha… **I think it was because of greed.**
Imagine this: **having a part of God's power with you.**
Do you know what I would do in that case?
**Get out of here right now.**
Tell me… do you know Novara?
Bah, **nevermind**.
That guy managed to **rescue a small part of the Immortal**.
I was planning to give him a decent burial.
**But he didn't.**
Would you judge me if I told you I understand?
Come on… **who in their right mind would bury a piece of meat the size of a fingernail?**
He saved it.
He **took care of it**.
As if he **understood the danger**… or how cruel it would be to **abandon him**.
And so it went. **From generation to generation.**
To this day.
Niel Novara and Nanatori Novara.
The **last descendants** of that guy.
One of them **has the Immortal's shard**.
How do I know?
You tell me.
Yes... **Niel Novara knows how to hide his steps.**
Surely he has already **eaten the flesh of the Immortal**…
**But I don't believe it.**
If he had done that, **he wouldn't need to hide.**
Finding that piece of the Immortal is **the most important thing from the moment you are born**.
Idiots.
Tell me something. **Just one thing.**
One so simple that even a **child could answer it**.
—Why should the descendants of the Sons of God find the "remains" of the Immortal?
That...?
Were we born with the power to be **the new gods**?
To be immortal?
**Oh really?**
You know that our longevity can reach up to **hundreds of years**, right?
**We don't need it.**
My father…
Although, on second thought, maybe it would be **more appropriate to call him grandfather**.
She had me when she was **396 years old**.
-That?
Did you think the story of the Immortal was recent?
**PLEASE…**
Anyway, his words **were always etched in my head**.
*"The enlightened ones are those whom God chose to be the just and noble judges on Earth…"*
*"No one is allowed to look down on us, only up, with admiration and devotion."*
*"IT'S THE WORD OF GOD, remember it... LYE KURO!"*
Years.
**Years and years** putting up with that **bastard bastard.**
*"Illuminated this… illuminated that…"*
**Shut the fuck up!**
Although... you have to admit it.
**I liked the part about being above others.**
You can't imagine the **benefits** it brought.
Tell me…
Do you like any woman in particular?
Yeah?
Well.
**I've probably already slept with her.**
Do you like any material objects? Money? Jewelry? Property?
Of course I have it.
So tell me...
**Why the hell would I look for the Immortal?**
**I have no reason.**
That **I would like to say**…
Call it what you want.
The **old bastard**'s voice echoed in my head with every step I took.
—I think he cursed me.
One day, my eyes fell on **a decrepit old man**.
Nothing strange.
Ordinary people **get sick, grow old, and die**.
But…
—Why couldn't I stop looking at him?
Because...?
Curiosity **got the better of me.**
He was admitted to a hospital in the city.
—How do I know?
Obviously. **I followed him.**
—Why the hell couldn't I stop looking at him?
Then, **his bootlicker spoke**.
—Mr. Novara, are you sure?
And there was the answer.
**Novara.**
The old man's trembling voice came through.
—Bring Dyr… I need to talk to him one last time.
Ah… **interesting.**
—My daughter… is she here too? Nanatori… is she here?
—He'll be here in a few minutes.
**Perfect.**
I repeated it to myself.
**It was PERFECT!**
I just had to wait for the **"miss"**.
Could I have attacked Novara at that moment?
Of course.
But when you've lived as long as I have, you know when someone is days away from dying.
My age?
**127 years.**
I look great, don't I?
I told you… **longevity.**
Dying in peace is **boring**.
Life needs **excitement**, you know?
Die fighting like the greats?
Die with those you love?
**BORED!**
But to die in **despair**...
**HOW DELIGHTFUL!**
That's when people **show the most sincere emotion.**
**Fear.**
Sweet.
**And delicious fear.**
And who would have thought that that day…
**the first to arrive would be a brat.**
**Messy hair.**
**Slim.**
**Dirty.**
Disgusting.
She looked like **Magdalena** from crying so much.
It wasn't even worth getting close to.
But then…
**I finally saw her.**
**Nanatori!**
Needless to say, **I picked it up and ran with it**.
Far.
Quite far from the city.
How did he know she had the Immortal's flesh?
Tell me…
**Do you think I cared?**
I wanted something.
Something that would generate **real terror**.
And tell me, **what better way to do it than taking Novara between your legs…**
**…while her daughter understood that ALL of this was her fault?**
**Everything was perfect.**
Until **that dirty brat came along and ruined everything.**
He hit me.
**I WASN'T GOING TO LET HIM DO IT!**
I slammed it into the ground.
Again and again.
**But tell me…**
**Why was that bastard capable of hurting me?**
How the hell did he send me flying **like I was an old rag**?
The answer came like a **whiplash to the mind**.
**THE DAMN ONE OF NOVARA GAVE THE FLESH OF THE IMMORTAL TO A BRAT!**
His **inexperience was clear**.
But…
**Wow, his power was amazing!**
Now I understand.
**Now I know why everyone wanted the Immortal's flesh…**
**ALL THAT POWER COULD BE MINE!**
The building we were fighting in **collapsed**.
And if you wonder…
No. **It wasn't my fault.**
**I didn't do anything.**
**That idiot did it all.**
Ah…
He also **killed Nanatori**.
Is that detail important?
Mmm… **I don't think so.**
I got up **before the brat** and went back to the kids.
The **descendants of the Sons of God**.
So you don't get confused.
Imagine **seeing the great Lye Kuro so injured**…
Yeah.
I said *imagine*.
We had **a lot of regeneration**, so it was like **nothing ever happened.**
Could I have searched for the brat's body?
Maybe.
But like I told you, I was **just about to tell the guys**.
Until I was in front of them…
**Arrogant bastards.**
**I don't like them.**
Wait…
Wait…
**Why the hell should I share this knowledge with them?**
**Fuck them.**
I said **anything that came to mind**.
It's not even important to remember.
Oh no, wait… **it is worth it.**
—Novara died.
Everyone's faces were **shocked**.
I didn't say anything else.
**I just left.**
I went for **what was mine.**
And without a doubt, luck **was on my side**.
There it was.
**The brat.**
I was talking to **a girl**…
Wait.
—Is that… Nanatori?
He is crying.
Well, **it might help him apologize.**
...
...
**WHY IS NANATORI ALIVE?**
The question **hit my head over and over again**.
It didn't matter.
The important thing was to **make it clear who was the authority here.**
**I destroyed the brat physically and mentally**.
Meanwhile, the **young lady** watched in terror what was happening.
**Exquisite.**
**The battle was mine!**
**MINE!**
So…
**Why is the brat outdoing me?!**
Me?
**TO ME, A GOD!**
My body…
**My body reacts against my will.**
No.
No, no, no, no!
**I can do it! I can win!**
Once I **kill you**, I'll know.
I'll understand.
**I will know why Nanatori is still alive.**
...
But it didn't happen.
**Everything I did… was in vain.**
The **brat**...
**He became my executioner.**
**He ripped every limb from my body.**
My screams…
**They were terrifying.**
And he…
—What was he doing?
**Nothing.**
—What did his expression say?
**Nothing.**
**NOTHING!**
**HE THROWN ME OUT LIKE I WAS A DAMN STREET DOG!**
In my **final moments**, I had an **epiphany**.
Nanatori…
**Is she still alive?**
I saw her **die**.
I saw **his shattered skull**.
So…
**Damn brat…**
—Are you…?
—Did you manage to replicate the Son of God's feat with Nanatori?
...
...
**DID YOU MAKE HER IMMORTAL!?**
**THE POWER WAS WITHIN MY FINGERTIPS!**
I cursed.
**I cursed every second of life I had left.**
Every beat was a **reminder of my humiliation**.
Every breath, a **slap in the face**.
**Damn!**
Is this all?
Is this my grand finale?
**Is the fate of a fallen god to wallow in his own blood like a dying dog?**
No.
**I don't accept it!**
But my body **doesn't respond**.
My limbs are **gone**.
My vision **gets blurry**.
The darkness **devours me**.
The cold... **the cold is unbearable**.
It's not fear.
It's not pain.
It's disgusting.
**DISGUST!**
Disgust of this useless body that cannot move!
Disgust of this world that spits me out like garbage!
Disgusting that brat who stole everything from me!
But above all...
**I'm disgusted with myself!**
Every breath is an insult.
Every sigh, a curse.
—Do you think God will open the doors to paradise for me?
...
...
Yeah.
**Not even hell would want me.**