In elementary school, we had a lesson on planarian regeneration.
It wasn’t exactly fun or inspiring. We sliced up worms that looked like little eraser shavings and stared at the wriggling pieces. What were we supposed to learn?
Why did we have to do it? Planarian regeneration was already a well-known fact. Why repeat what had been done countless times before?
My heart pounded fiercely.
If I die, for whatever reason, I’ll wake up in Mother God’s faction... just like that?
How...
No, focus. Keep reading. Understand the full picture before jumping to conclusions.
I needed more information before letting my mind run wild with speculation. I had to read every word in this strange ‘Notebook’, every story my future self deemed important enough to share, regardless of the consequences. Only then could I truly understand the mess I was in.
I double-checked my status window, just to be sure, and there it was—a brand new trait. One I’d definitely never seen before.
Unique Traits: [Miracle of the Silver Tongue], [The Whole World Is Beneath One’s Self], [???], [System User], [I Record, Therefore I Exist.]
“…Since when did that get there?” I mumbled, my eyes drawn to the word ‘record’. It had to be linked to the God of Records somehow. Curiosity got the best of me, so I pulled up the trait’s description.
Thud!
The book slipped from my trembling hands, crashing to the stone floor with a dull thud.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I was completely stunned, my brain struggling to process what I’d just read.
Obliteration?
Wait, the System has dead zones?
I always figured it was this omniscient, ever-present entity that was hardwired into my very soul. But it turns out, it’s more like a satellite with spotty coverage.
Those words stopped me dead in my tracks.
…Not Fabio?
The thought raced through my mind, sending a jolt of panic through my body. I mean, sure, I wasn’t really Fabio. I was just some random transmigrator who’d possessed his body.
Like hell I’d accept a blessing from a traitor!
Who knows what kind of crazy shit might happen if I did?
Besides, if anyone’s record is a chaotic mess, it’s gotta be mine.
I’m the one who hijacked this body, after all. A typical record is probably a nice, linear timeline, but mine must be...different. Like someone took a pair of rusty scissors and just spliced in a whole new perspective right in the middle.
“...Are you really going to kill Athanas?”
“He’s a threat to the entire world, Fabio. A terrifying murderer who must be stopped before he destroys more lives. Eliminating him before he commits any further atrocities is the only path to preserving order.”
He doesn't realize how close he came to being in danger, since he doesn't remember what happened...
“…I don't want to talk about this right now,” I said, getting up from my seat with a heavy heart. "The important thing is that you're awake and safe now, Athanas. Go get the Blessing of Healing. Your eyes are all bloodshot. I need to be alone with my thoughts for a bit.”
What do you mean by an ‘intrusion’?
Was there really an intruder in the prayer room? The mere thought made my blood run cold.
That can’t be right. What about Athanas?
I quickly glanced at him, my eyes frantically searching for any hint of concern on his face.. But his expression remained perfectly composed, not a flicker of worry crossing his features.
In polytheistic belief systems, even the most powerful gods tremble at the thought of being overthrown.
Look at the Greek gods for example. Cronus, the mighty Titan, was so consumed by the fear of his own offspring rising up against him that he resorted to swallowing them whole. And Zeus, the thunderbolt-wielding lord of Olympus himself, was haunted by the constant worry that someday, an even mightier being would emerge to claim his place.
A chill slithered down my spine as I stared at the wax tablet in Callister’s hand. This felt like that horror movie trope – you know, where the creepy doll you swore you destroyed mysteriously reappears. Except this wasn’t a doll, it was that damn wax tablet. And it was back.