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Page 3866

“Soul division,” said Caster. “One becoming two. Or three. Or ten, even. Though that would be quite extreme. And then those can go off, blend and merge, twist and change. In fact, I would say it is even more likely for them to do so, once they’ve diminished the first time. They need to amass new strength. Or at least, that is my limited understanding of the rather opaque process.”

“...Did you ever go through that?”

“Me? No, of course not. I am an unchangeable monolith. Eternal.”

More bullshit.

“...Okay, fine. In truth, I do not know. Do you remember anything from before you were born?”

“I’m not sure that’s a fair comparison when you’re an ancient, reincarnating entity.”

“Perhaps.”

Hector waited.

“Or perhaps not.”

There it was. “Alright,” said Hector. “Let’s move on. You mentioned something about a monstrous wolf earlier.”

“Yes. The Eternal Hunter. As I understand, he has been dormant for many years, but as ever, he has returned. Reborn just the other day in the midst of the storm which has caused devastation around the world. That should tell you something about how dangerous he is.”

“And you think he’s coming after you?”

“Oh, I know he is.”

“What’s his problem with you, exactly?”

“Problem? As in, morally? I doubt he harbors such thoughts. He is a beast of instinct. And we simply have opposing natures. He was created for the Hunt. That is his life’s purpose; and as far as I know, none have ever swayed him from it.”

“It’s what he was created for?” said Hector. “How do you know that? And who created him?”

“We have been studying him for millennia, trying to discover a method of dealing with him permanently. In the beginning, it was just mayhem. No understanding or reasoning. Just war. Blood and death. But over time, we came to connect dots. The nature of his power, for example, has striking similarities to our own. It is quite likely, therefore, that he sources it from a similar place. Meaning his creator would also be one who is familiar to us: the God of All That is Not. The antithesis of not just us, but of existence itself.”

Damn, that was a lot to take in. Hector was trying to not get lost in the weeds here, but that name. The God of All That is Not. He recognized that one well enough.

That was another name for the Void. One of many.

Page 3865

Maybe all this stuff was just what Zirat wanted people to believe.

Or maybe just some of it was. Key parts. Stuff that would be difficult to pinpoint as false. Things that would swing the overall narrative in a more favorable direction for him while still allowing for deniability.

Yeah.

That seemed likely. And as much as Hector wanted to be able to trust these new aura reading senses of his, he didn’t think they guaranteed anything, especially with this guy’s own fortress-like aura around him.

But he supposed they could move on to another pressing topic. There was only one more line of questioning that Hector was curious about before they did. “...Is Skapa still alive?”

“I don’t believe so, no.”

“You don’t sound certain.”

“When it comes to him, I never have been.”

“How did he die?”

“My peers hunted him down. It took quite a long time, as I’ve heard the story told.”

“And you don’t think he... could’ve reincarnated, like you?”

“No. But as I said, with him, I’m never sure. Perhaps he secretly stole that from us, as well.” Caster’s expression twitched. “Excuse me. Replicated.”

Hmm. “...So if servant powers come from you guys, then where do your powers come from?”

“We are simply born with them.”

That sounded like bullshit.

“Heh. You doubt me?”

Hector didn’t feel like dancing around it. “Yeah. I do.”

Caster breathed half a laugh. “Fair enough. And while I was not lying, I will admit to being somewhat... loose with terms, perhaps. A very old habit, you see. Difficult to stop doing.”

“Loose how?”

“Well, after all, what actually constitutes one of us being ‘born?’ That is a rather murky concept, even for us.”

Hector also noticed that the man was still not using the term ‘Primordial,’ either, even though he was sure that’s what was being continually referred to here. Maybe that just wasn’t how they referred to themselves. A question for later, he supposed. “You don’t know how you’re born?”

“There is no set path to godhood,” said Caster. “Our origins are as varied as we ourselves are.”

“...How many of you are there?”

“Oh, I lost track long ago. Sometimes, we lose ourselves and blend together within the bowels of Chaos, and when we reemerge--if ever we do--it is as someone new. Not just a new incarnation like me, but an entirely new being with new values and motivations. And other times, the exact opposite occurs, instead. So a number can be quite difficult, you see.”

“What do you mean by the opposite occurring?”