God—an existence Basil had always refused to believe. There were more records about them than the happenings in the Age of Chaos, but Basil never treated any of them seriously.
As an exceptional Mage who knew well what he could achieve in the future, he refused to call an existence that only did what he had also been able to do in his past life a God.
It might be easier to accept the concept of God if he were a civilian, however he was not. Unlike civilians, who could do nothing extraordinary, he, as a Mage could do things that the civilians considered miraculous.
He could make water out of nowhere, he could make a snowfall in a specific place, he could produce lightning, he could split mountains—he could do almost everything what people claimed only a God could do.
He knew that those records about Gods (myths) told many other heaven defying things Gods could do, but everyone knew that stories tend to get exaggerated. It was not wrong to think that half of the stories were utter nonsense.
Could someone like Basil, who was good at doing what the "Gods" could do accept Gods? Of course not!
This is the reason why none of the Mages adopted a religion. Because if they did, they would no longer an in improving Mage, but a growing God as they were similar to the "God" people believed.
One could imagine how surprised Basil was when a family member of his—his mother said something about God. He was so baffled, he doubted his mother had indeed mentioned God in front of him.
"This is nonsense..."
"You know that it is not, my son." Maya stared straight into Basil's eyes. "I don't know why you are vehemently denying their existence, but I assure you, Gods do exist, and we serve one of them."
"Mother..."
Basil gritted his teeth in disbelief at the development of the situation. He knew he was just denying the fact that Gods did exist; the Guide itself had even confirmed that they did exist, and they stayed in the Heavenly Throne.
Still, accepting something he didn't like—being under someone's control—was not something easy to do. Gods were described as omnipotent beings who held human's lives in their hand—Basil couldn't accept that nonsense.
He, who tried his best to act independently without anyone forcing him to do something, would never accept that there was some being who could overwrite his whole life.
Of course, he realized he couldn't shut his eyes forever from the truth the world had unveiled to him. What he had gone through—his reincarnation was not something a Mage could do ... It was something that was claimed only Gods could do, and it did happen.
His mother had also said about the Divine Artefact in him; he was sure his mother was referring to the Guide or the Fragment inside him. The Fragment was a part of the Tablet of Truth—an undoubtedly a Divine Artefact.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtGiven the evidence he had, denying the existence of the Gods any longer would be equal to running away from reality.
"Why... Why did the God told you to talk to me?"
"Because, she wanted me to die peacefully."
"Is looking at my face can make you feel better?"
"Definitely."
Basil sighed softly at his mother's sure answer, then turned his head towards the seven Priests who were coming his way hesitantly. He took out seven blunt weapons out of his Spatial Ring, then sent the weapons towards them with [Master of Weapons].
Smack! Smack!
Basil threw the seven Priests away from him and his mother, before keeping them down with the weapons he had sent. The Priests were freaked out of their mind once again as they couldn't see or figure out what was holding down their body.
"I want to ask you something. Do you know a child named Iliana Pacifer?"
"Iliana? Of course, I know that lass! She is—"
"Your disciple?"
Maya tilted her head faintly then looked at Basil in wonder at his interruption. "Have you, by any chance, met each other?"
"Yes. According to her, we are even dating now."
"Ah, that lass is really the type to do something selfish like that. Fufufu."
Maya covered her mouth as she laughed, and Basil could once again see the hole in her hand. He had been avoiding looking at it as he didn't want to get himself angered, but now that he had seen it again, his great urge to kill the Priests resurfaced.
"Calm down, my son." Maya touched Basil's cheek. "Being able to speak with you is already enough for me—you don't have to do anything else. Even though I will die, I am happy for I can meet my son."
"Do you love me?"
Maya looked at Basil as if she was offended before responding him. "Of course! Why wouldn't I? What kind of a mother doesn't love her child?!"
"Then, why didn't you ever call me by my name? Why did you never tell me that I have someone who loves me? Why ... Did you leave me alone?"
Basil's frown turned heavier the more he spoke; he couldn't believe he became emotional. Iliana had even answered his questions, and he understood his mother's reason for doing it.
'However still, I feel the need to hear it from the person herself. I need to know why you treated someone's daughter better than your own son.'
Maya merely smiled sadly as she stared into Basil's golden eyes. Her son's gaze was so deep and profound, she couldn't believe that she had really given birth to such an outstanding individual.
She didn't know what her son had gone through nor did she know what kind of burden her son was carrying, however she knew he was her son. Therefore, she felt the need to explain herself.
"What exactly Iliana told you about?" Maya raised her hand, then cupped Basil's cheek. "Let me hear her story, Basil, my son."
Basil's eyes glinted the moment his mother called his name, but the light sank down as fast as it came. Maya smiled bitterly at that as she understood what it meant—it's too late.
Basil recounted about what Iliana had told him—about how Maya had taken Iliana under her wings, and how she had been hiding herself in Randalvine for 5 years—and Maya listened to his recount attentively.
"So, that's what she is going with..." Maya sighed as she looked at Basil bitterly. "I guess that's for the best—I honestly would do that if that means I could stay with the person I love."
"I don't like staying in the dark. I abhor deceit, so please tell me the truth." Basil looked at his mother intently.
Unfortunately, his mother didn't have any intention to tell him as she shook her head and sighed.
Basil's face turned sour—he was genuinely disappointed with his mother—but when his mother touched his Pacifer Seal, his eyes immediately widened in surprise.
"This is..."
"I won't tell you much, for you will figure out everything soon. When that time comes, please make a good choice." Maya smiled. "This is my first and last present for you as a mother, and I hope it can help you in your endeavor."
"Are you going to make me a Maha Dmitra?"
Maya giggled at Basil's question, then said, "You are more special than a Maha Dmitra—you are the Fated Child! What I am doing is passing down my legacy to you ... I hope with this, you can bring Pacifer Clan back to its feet."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmMaya closed his eyes as her Pacifer Seal shone brighter than ever, and Basil also did the same as informations and knowledge about how to use Pacifer Seal were poured into his head.
As Basil's Seal shone brighter, Maya's Seal kept losing its luster. Her face turned pale in each passing second, and when Basil opened his eyes, she could barely maintain her consciousness.
"I—I can't tell much about our clan to you ... I don't want to affect the future more than this, so you have to figure out the rest by yourself. Come to our clan, and they will tell you everything."
Basil silently looked at his mother, whose breath was no longer as steady as before. His connection with her was getting weaker, but he felt closer to her than ever.
"You have learned... Everything about how to utilize your Seal, but don't—don't you ever contact our God while you are still in the Empire's reach. They hate us to their core, and many of us have fallen in their hands. I want you to live, so—"
"I understand."
"Good. I have a good son." Maya tried to laugh, but she ended up making a painful smile. "Take care of that lass too... She, after all, will definitely do the same for you."
"I will."
Maya smiled sweetly as her vision turned cloudy, and Basil grasped her hand on his cheek warmly. Her hand had lost its power, and it was getting colder in each passing moment.
Basil could feel his connection with his mother was getting fainter, and his ability to affect the reality was getting weaker. As his mother's eyes were trying to track where he was, he put his right hand on her mother's forehead.
"Your soul shall receive my utmost protection."
Basil's Pacifer Seal shone brighter than ever as a profound aura surrounded his entire existence. He was performing something he had learnt from the knowledge his mother gave him for the purpose of lessening his mother's suffering.
The Pacifer Seal on his mother's forehead slowly disintegrated in each passing second as if it was absorbed by his palm, and his mother's breath turned steadier the fainter the Seal on her forehead became.
"Basil... You can't... Let me... Face... The..."
Maya tried to say something, but she didn't get to complete her sentence. She had lost her Pacifer Seal, and her body immediately fell to the ground as Basil couldn't hold her any longer.
Basil had completely lost his ability to affect the reality, so the Priests also had nothing to hold them down anymore. As soon as they noticed it, they immediately ran towards Maya, nailed her back to the cross, and proceed with her execution.
Driven by terror, they didn't even register how motionless she had become as they immediately burned her along with the cross. They watched her burning while laughing, thinking that they had succeeded in killing the Witch.
Basil looked at his mother's burning body coldly. He was glad he had made a quick decision to kill his mother in advance—it would be painful to watch his mother go through that torture.
He managed to let his mother die peacefully.
His vision warped after some time as he returned to the current era.