Runes - A Tale Of The Abyss 46 Chapter 41 - Gods. Cosmos. Denial.

Something was talking, but all Griff could see was light. He didn't even know if he was in a large or small room.

He didn't answer and simply tried covering his eyes as the pain slowly became unbearable.

"Oh yes, I've been locked down here for a while, so I forgot it's not an easy feat to resist my mana. Well, it's to be expected from weaklings like you."

Slowly the light dimmed enough for Griff to raise his head and look around. It seemed that this was a small throne room. It was mostly undecorated, but the small throne in the center made up for it. A humanoid being was sitting on the throne, but hadn't moved since Griff came in.

"Come on, what's the wait. Approach me already you swine. I don't have all day."

"Hey! I have no damn idea who you are, but you'd expect some decency for a guest!"

"Ohoho? You expect me to act decent to you? Nice guts, brat."

Griff simply gritted his teeth in annoyance, and slowly started to walk towards the light source.

"Oh. Well, I'd expect at least this much from you. You can move under my suppressed mana. Well done."

"Just... shut up already... what the hell do you want."

"Ohohoho... are you not afraid that by talking to me like that you'd piss me off? I can end you where you stand human."

Griff finally realized his situation. This wasn't some laid back person with immense mana. No, it was simply an arrogant individual with the power to crush him. He was a fool to act like that. He shut up.

"Good, you can at least understand the situation. One point for that."

The figure's light suddenly vanished as torches around the circular throne room lit up, allowing Griff to take a good look at this person.

He was looking at a young, captivating woman with snow white skin and long, silky hair. Her eyes were closed. However, that wasn't the odd thing. This person had two feathery wings attached to her back.

"Well well, I see you've been captivated..."

The woman slightly smirked.

Griff shook his head, regaining his senses.

"What... are you?"

The girl who was sitting on the throne laughed heartily at that.

"Good question! I'm what you would call an Arch-Angel of Heaven, and I've been waiting for you, Griff. That's what you go by now, right?"

Griff slowly nodded.

"You must be wondering why I even bothered to bring you here. Well, you must have seen my power, but no matter how strong I am..."

She raised her hands... well, she tried.

Her hands were cuffed, and so were her legs.

"I can't leave. I'm bound by a Holy Relic by the Gods here."

Griff was simply looking in shock. He didn't understand... anything at this point.

"Oh my god you really don't know anything. Look, I was lucky enough to feel your mana right above my resting place. I used the rest of my active mana to pull you down here. No matter how much I hate to admit it, I can't escape here by myself... I need you."

"The heck... why would you even need me. It's s you say, I can't even use my magic properly. I don't even know what the hell it is!"

"AHHAHAHAHAHAHA! This is very amusing. You don't know how dangerous of an existence you are, do you?"

"..."

"You, a mortal, has been blessed...or cursed... it depends. Your magical attribute, it's called Contradiction Magic."

"Contr wait. How do you even know me, or my attribute."

"...I'll tell you a story. A short story... about how a hero was forcefully created. The gods that rule this world have long since been at odds with the opposing side. The reverse-side of the world governed by the Fallen Gods. Each century both sides would have to choose champions to defend their own territory. This was the birth of this worlds "heroes." However, the gods decided that it was not enough... this stalemate couldn't continue with the Fallen."

Griff was listening to this...story. It interested him, no doubt about that, but it was clear that it had something to do with him.

"The gods decided to forcefully extract the soul of an individual from a different existential plane and energize the soul... and reincarnate it. A soul that travels across plain bursts with magical power, after all, and they placed this soul into a small child, granting their blessings.

However, they forgot to take into account... that a being that isn't from this land is subjected to the Rejection of the Domain. A natural phenomenon that rejects any existence outside of this plane."

The girl? stopped to catch her breath, and continued.

"If it were only the Rejection of the Domain, the gods could forcefully intercept it with blessings for this artificial-hero to rise. However... the host they had chosen was apparently also a champion for the Fallen, imbedded with dark-mana. This child grew up as a man from another world, and fought. He fought till everything he came to know here also burnt... He lost everything, but was forced to fight in this chess game of the gods. And as he used the blessings of the gods... the soul inside him that was supposed to be destroyed laid dormant with the dark-mana circulating inside him. That was you, Griff... you are a... broken record piece of the gods. A mistake. Something that was never supposed to exist."

Griff had already fallen on his knees, clutching his head in pain. He didn't understand. He didn't want to understand. It was... impossible. He was just some normal brat who happened to use fire magic that emitted black flames, not... not this bullcrap. Griff held his head and screamed in pain as he tried to process all of this.

'This isn't real. I just received a hard blow by my opponent in my fight. I'll wake up any second now.'

"For the love of- just stand up. I'm not done yet. I... look kid, I know that it's hard to accept this, and that I'm just dumping this on you... but you have no choice too. Listen..."

She cleared her throat and continued.

"This artificial hero took his own life, surprising the gods, as he had been fed up with this chess board, and that was when you appeared. A soul that was forcefully sent into the depths of its own body. The moment you manifested. Both the fallen and the true mana inside your body clashed. It was a given that this would happen. Coupled by the Rejection of the Domain. Your unique magic was born. Contradiction Magic. The embodiment of the clash between the fallen and the gods of this realm. The reverse and normal. The good and evil. Your very existence contradicts this worlds laws."

The girl cleared her throat again and slightly smiled.

"And that is all I know about you! Being an Arch-Angel... well former, has it's perks you know."

Griff looked up at her in shock.

"I still don't... understand why you even brought me here..."

"Oh that!"

The girl grinned, both a horrifying and funny scene for Griff.

"I see this as a win-win situation to be honest. With your magic I can finally break these shackles... and in return I teach you about your past and how to use your magic. I've already completed half of this deal you know. Be a good kid and free me now, will you?"

"You. You talk a lot you know."

The girl bursted in a laughing fit.

"You know! You must be one of the only people out there to have the guts to say that. Is it because your mental age is so degraded or is it because you were simply born to be an idiot!"

Griff grit his teeth. This girl was getting on his nerves. Suddenly the girl's laughter stopped.

"Well. I tried asking kindly."

Suddenly the chains that had pulled him down there manifested around the girl, surrounding Griff.

"I tried being nice, you know... Just so you know, I would have killed you if I didn't need you right now."

Griff gulped, and lowered his arms. He was definitely not in a favorable situation...

Chapter end