43 The blade is me (2)

Narrator POV:

"Why do birds fly?"

That was what the young man in front of Mikhael asked him. He could only see his back since he was not looking at him.

However, he could see the imprint of the passing of the years on his body that had grown from childhood to adulthood.

As well as the strange marks or scars in the form of cracks that spread across his body.

He stood still, looking into the infinite darkness that surrounded them, while he waited for the answer.

"Because they want to"

"Because they want to?..."

"Yes, because the first ever bird decided to try to fly in the sky, but ultimately failed, falling towards an inevitable doom. Yet, the other birds saw that and believed they could do better, fly higher, further."

Understanding what he meant by that question, Mikhael responded with what he believed.

Why did birds fly?

Some would answer that to survive, others, that it was what they chose. They flew because they wanted to fly.

He believed it was because they explored horizons beyond the known.

Some fly just to fall.

But there will be others who observe how they fell, those who remember and learn from it.

That desire will be transmitted to others. And one after another they will try to fly only to fall. Tens, thousands, hundreds of thousands would fall.

But someday, following that desire passed down for generations, carrying that knowledge gained through the sacrifice of their predecessors, without a doubt, one will fly.

Perhaps it will only fly a pitiful distance before also falling to its inevitable doom. But there will be others who will be encouraged by that small success.

For that little light at the end of the tunnel. And they will try to fly, just like the other pioneers of that path.

And if they can't, they will pass on that childish but beautiful dream to others. Someday, inevitably, his successors will soar through the sky to unimaginable heights.

No, even beyond the sky. Sailing in a sea of ​​stars with completely new horizons to reach.

That was a mentality that belonged only to beings with lifespans as short as the blink of an eye for other beings like gods.

That was a torch of will and knowledge that passed from hand to hand eternally, forward while illuminating the unknown more and more.

That was...

Humanity.

Well, this wasn't a literal question about birds. It was a metaphor in which people were replaced with birds and the sky with life.

In this, the uselessness of some actions was questioned, as well as whether people lived to survive or survived to live.

Why did people continue to live? Why did people continue to fight? Why did people keep going?

Well, probably it wasn't exactly like that, but he wasn't either a wise man or a philosopher to understand what they meant by that phrase. That role could be left in Aura's hands.

"...I see"

The young man did not let it be seen whether he was satisfied or not with that answer. His back was impassive, as he issued his second question.

"The fate of living beings, by whom should it be dictated?"

Mikhael contemplated the question as the face of a golden woman passed through his mind. And following the desire he once resonated with, he responded.

"By no one. Every person should have their own destiny in their own hands."

The only inevitable fate that people should be subject to was "choice." Each person chose the path they followed.

However, that could cause different paths to collide and some to stop because of it. But that was cause and effect, a consequence born of free will.

One that he saw as an equivalent exchange. As long as free will and karma existed, then he would be satisfied.

At least he knew something similar existed. Since he had asked Kurma out of curiosity if karma existed in Little Garden.

And she confirmed that existed.

"Karma" was one of the authorities that governed certain events in Little Garden to a certain extent.

Like the "luck" of Lady Luck or the "causality" of one of the members of Avatara, Siddhartha, the enlightened one.

Although as such, karma was rather "something commonly accepted as existing" thanks to the doctrine spread by various groups such as the Hindu pantheon or the Buddhists.

But that alone was enough, Little Garden observed the possibilities of the akashic records and materialized those that were "commonly believed."

So exactly how hell existed created by the biblical pantheon. Tartarus that was created by the Greeks. Niflheim that was created by the Norse. The House of Lies that was created by Zoroastrianism.

There was also the Naraka of the Hindus/Buddhists, a place of punishment based on the karma of the souls of mortals.

Curious about the answer, he asked something else.

And the gods, where will they be judged?

"That's a bold thought you have there, my dear knight...but I like it."

"To answer your question, most of gods don't go to places like that. Upon death, the gods will eventually revive from the beliefs that belong to them in human history."

"It would take centuries and sometimes even millennia but they would return sooner or later to Little Garden. That is one of the advantages they have for being connected to human history as mutual observers."

"This is why the last embryo, the final trials of humanity, are so feared by the gods. Because they are the only ones who can permanently eliminate a god by erasing them from human history."

"Beyond them, only a few things can completely "kill" a god. Like double-digit beings or someone holding some special "another cosmology."

"In the case of the latter, the god would still return, but as a new person completely different from the previous one. That is if some counterparts from outside of Little Garden do not take their places."

That had been one of the interesting conversations he had had with Kurma during his training.

Indeed, he could simply search through the knowledge given by Kurma and find that information little by little.

But what was the fun in that?

They both knew it, but in a tacit understanding, they didn't mention it.

The truth was that on the one hand, it wasn't bad to chat with a beautiful dragon lady. And on the other hand, he had no entertainment in that damned forest.

Unknown to Mikhael, Kurma on the other hand, also enjoyed the conversations with the endearing human.

Seeing someone who honestly just wanted to chat with her was refreshing. Rather, she found Mikhael's existence refreshing beyond measure.

Most people treated her in different ways. Some with fear and respect for her power as one of the beings at the top of Little Garden, creating barriers between them and her.

Other few with greed for that same power, those bastards were the worst for wanting to hide their desires from a creature like a pure-blooded dragon.

Others, beings at her level or close to it, with hidden intentions, intrigued or cautiously as was customary at the top of Little Garden. Where everyone fought both openly and hidden to go further.

Mikhael on the other hand, did not at all hide his emotions or intentions when he interacted with her. And even when she asked him why he didn't ask her for anything, no power, no weapon, nothing, he said something stupid like:

"What would be the point of it? I already have the system as a complement to help me on my path. Beyond that, I want to grow on my own and see where my legs take me."

The little one smiled as he rested his head on his hand, looking at her with those blue eyes that reminded her of the beautiful clear sky of Little Garden.

"I need to solve my spiritual problems by myself. Knowing you, you will give me something exaggerated that will only hinder my development in the end."

Kurma was amused both by the little one's audacity and by the fact that he had been completely right.

If he wanted something of her, he would at least already have some divine weapons for his self-defense.

"Also, I don't want our relationship to be reduced to something vulgar like just using and being used. You can take it as my arrogance or my foolish male self-esteem."

"But I want to reach that horizon with my own feet, see the same landscape as you, through the means that I obtained for myself, and finally chat face to face, at the same level"

She told him that it was impossible for humans to even reach the peak of 3 digits, much less her level. Even the greatest heroes stopped at that gate called the "divine domain".

Even if he already had the key to enter that domain in his hands, she believed that it would be difficult for him to reach that level as a human.

"Impossible? Humans once thought it was impossible to fly into the skies, yet they managed to do it. They thought it was impossible to reach the moon, but they still managed to do it. And I am sure that they will one day reach even more impressive heights."

A captivating gleam appeared in his eyes filled with admiration that seemed to come from his very soul.

One that she found sincerely adorable. But that disconcerted her briefly. Why did he speak of humanity as something foreign to him?

Maybe he didn't realize it because of the emotion of the moment, but she did. She made note of it, putting it together with other things that would catch her attention. Leading her to discover something later.

"Impossibility is just that, a height that has not yet been reached. And coincidentally, I trust in the strength of my limbs."

The dragoness laughed out loud with enjoyment as she encouraged him to try to achieve it. And they continued their conversation for a while longer until Adam dragged Mikhael away.

But that was a story for another time. Now returning to Mikhael, the voice, the young man, and the infinite darkness.

"Why not accept the fatality of reality, why try to escape the natural cycle of life and death?"

The third question rang out, snapping him out of his misguided and inappropriate thoughts about his boss.

"Because I am not some kind of enlightened being who disassociates himself from earthly suffering by accepting everything as it is. I am just another human. I am what I am."

There was no other answer. It was natural for humans to try to avoid unhappiness. In addition to surviving, what drove humans beyond a certain point was improving their living conditions.

He once tried to learn about Buddhism by chance, but beyond their solid mental states, he just saw it as another form of escapism.

"Yes, indeed, I am like that."

The young man whose back was turned turned around. Smiling with satisfaction at the answers. His body began to disappear in fragments of light little by little.

He did not believe that people lived to survive. Neither did he believe that destiny should be dictated by some superior being. He, too, was not looking for a transcendence that arose from leaving parts of himself behind.

"Anyway, I leave everything in your hands. For my last words...how about something like..."

His body disintegrated into particles. His relieved expression at being able to rest after decades of forging the damned thing until his body nearly collapsed.

"keep your head up and keep moving forward, and shape the imperfect world into the way you want!!!"

And with one last bold smile, his last words echoed after his disappearance.

(Did this guy really just hit me with a last lesson?.)

The corners of Mikhael's mouth twitched at the stupidity of his last other self. Then, the particles began to move.

And they floated toward Mikhael, merging with his body as his consciousness was drawn to a place within his heart.

***

Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was an endless starry sky. Mikhael was standing, in the middle of what seemed like a meadow with no end in sight.

"It's beautiful, right?."

Alerted to the presence of another person, he turned to see the stranger. A man was standing in front of him, admiring the view of the landscape next to him.

(Who is this?.)

Mikhael looked with bewilderment at the person in front of him who looked like a blatant copy of himself.

But unlike him, the man had long hair and golden eyes.

But what disconcerted him most was the presence of the man. An endless ocean. The brightest light. It was different from Kurma's presence which seemed like the world itself.

It was as if nature was compressed into human form. No, examining more clearly, he was underestimating the man.

It was rather an overwhelming presence that overshadowed even nature itself. Earth. Skies. Stars. Even the universe itself.

As if he confidently declared his existence to all creation. A terrifying will forged with a path made of divine blood.

Sweat dripped down his forehead, and for the first time, he cursed his intuition. Not only because he couldn't read the person in front of him and his intentions at all.

But because his stomach turned because of being able to intuitively feel his power. No, that was just his aura.

(So ​​this is Kurma's level...)

Unlike many, who would despair and sink in reverence when they saw the abyss and it looked back at them.

Only growing excitement and "hunger" could be seen in Mikhael's expression at being able to feel a vestige of what was probably the peak of Little Garden.

Resisting the discomfort, Mikhael smiled stiffly as he forced himself to remain composed and responded.

"Indeed, it is beautiful, but it is not polite to test people so blatantly."

"What makes you think it's a test?" The man placed his golden eyes on the young man in front of him.

Feeling amused to see how his face contorted from his pressure but he still maintained a minimum of composure so as not to lose consciousness.

Through clenched teeth, Mikhael responded. "If you were hostile I wouldn't even be breathing right now. I'm not stupid."

And he tried to move his leg little by little, while little by little his immense weight became bearable.

"Although I could just be playing with you? You know, bothering ants is fun sometimes."

A hint of malice in the man's expression. Something like disdain in his gaze directed towards the young man.

Mikhael couldn't tell the difference whether he was telling the truth or not. But he decided to put aside his confused mind and trust in his intuition that always led him to "victory"

Normally he wouldn't do something so crazy but he could feel it, if he didn't do it, it would leave a psychological shadow on him.

If he were in his full capacity, he could rationalize his situation. For example, the man in front of him was undoubtedly related to his origin.

But now he just wanted to "conquer" the wall that was slowly being built in his mind. And seeing that wall, he...

(All the strength. Every bit of it. Gather it together. And...)

He jumped it.

(Kick him)

The young man followed the instructions of his intuition perfectly as he launched a kick towards the mountain in front of him.

But...

'crash'

Looking at the young man who fell behind him breathing heavily after his kick passed through his body.

"You..."

The man's eyes narrowed in satisfaction. Removing the aura from him, he let the young man breathe for the first time in minutes.

"You pass"

Breathing heavily to ease his discomfort, Mikhael felt his rationality return. But instead of being afraid of the consequences, he smiled with satisfaction.

"You were going to be the first person to kick me in hundreds of years. But unfortunately, what you see here is just a message I left a long time ago before I died."

A projection of someone dead that crossed time and space to reach him. How monstrous. But that was precisely the power he was after.

Living an ordinary and simple life had stopped being an option since he learned that his world could be destroyed by some random battle of great existences.

Therefore, he threw the option of living in mediocrity out the window. And he aimed for the peak of existence.

"Still, no matter how much time passes, I will never get tired of this starry sky. When I see this, I understand little sun's deep desire to protect that place."

Little sun? A nickname like that being said with such affection...

No, it doesn't matter. The private life of the being in front of him did not concerned to him in the slightest...

Still...

Dead?.

What kind of thing could kill such being? Curiosity ate away at his heart. As well as a strange "hunger".

He hadn't noticed it before due to the circumstances. But his condition was strange. He felt strange things and vague whispers reached his ears.

He touched his forehead because of the headache he felt as he stood up from the ground. And looked at the man in front of him with a mixture of nerves and excitement.

Maybe now he could know who he was.

Why he had been blessed by the talent.

And why Kurma found him in the middle of nowhere when he was supposed to be reincarnated.

So many unknowns that were destroyed by the words of the man in front of him.

"First and last meeting..." The "man" moved his gaze from the stars to him, smiling at the end of his words. "My avatar."

...Excuse me, what?