Guardians of Creation, Neo and Max, walked toward the New Pantheon Palace.

  What made this palace so unique was its towering height—so tall it seemed to dwarf even Mount Everest—and its vibrant colors that shimmered in the sky.

  As they entered the palace, Neo began talking about the history of the Guardians.

  "Unfortunately, the notice about your arrival was far too short. I didn’t have time to organize a parade in the City of the Gods," she said with a sigh. "But I suppose a formal welcome from the high gods will have to do."

  In Max’s mind, everything still felt new and surreal. The massive city beneath the palace, the dizzying height, and the clouds that seemed to replace the ground—it all felt like something out of a storybook.

  —This place… it’s like a world from a legend. You can feel the magic in the air.

  Neo glanced at him and smirked.

  "Let me guess. Half-god, half-human. You're thinking how magical this place is compared to your own pathetic world, and how you'd give anything to have been born here instead."

  Max froze in place, his face flushing with embarrassment.

  Thomas, seeing this, tried to comfort him. "Don’t take it personally. She talks like that to everyone."

  They stepped inside, where nobles dressed in medieval-style robes stood whispering among themselves.

  "They’re here."

  "Thomas... he’s so gorgeous."

  "I heard the Goddess of Fate is still looking for the Chosen One. Please let it be me."

  "Goddess of life! Answer me! I worship you!"

  "Hey, who’s that kid with them? He looks… human."

  "Why would the Guardians of Creation be walking around with someone like that?"

  Max quickly realized they were talking about him and felt incredibly out of place. Suddenly, Neo stopped and shouted.

  "Silence! This boy you're mocking was imprisoned by the New Empire for years. His appearance is because he’s half-human. I demand you stop whispering and show respect!"

  The hall immediately fell into a heavy silence.

  "Let’s keep moving.."

  They continued through a massive hallway with door after door stretching endlessly into the distance.

  "How is anyone supposed to find their way around here?" Max muttered.

  Neo replied nonchalantly, "You see, gods have a much higher memory capacity than humans. For us, it's simple."

  —Is that supposed to make me feel better?

  Emily, the Goddess of Life, leaned toward him with a gentle smile.

  "Don’t worry, I felt the same way at first. She treats everyone who looks remotely human the same way—not just you."

  After what felt like an eternity of walking, they finally reached a throne room. At the far end stood an enormous throne, upon which Neo promptly seated herself.

  She addressed the guards who had escorted them.

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  "You may leave now. And make sure no one tries to enter this room. If anyone comes in..."

  She paused, then smiled coldly.

  "Tell them whoever enters without my permission will face death—without reincarnation."

  "As you command, Your Highness. We’ll ensure no one disturbs you."

  Max was taken aback by her harshness, though by now, he wasn't too surprised.

  Neo leaned back on the throne and looked down at Max.

  "Now that we’re finally alone, tell me—Jahweh—where the hell have you been? We've been searching for you for millennia. Do you have any idea what I had to deal with while you were ‘dead’? Honestly, I think I did a better job than you."

  Max paused, then answered quietly.

  "I don’t really know. The truth is, I have no memory of my previous life."

  Neo narrowed her eyes. "I figured as much. But I’m not asking if you remember—I’m asking where you’ve been and why it took you so long to return. You're the one who created everything, and yet you disappear and leave all the responsibility on me? Do you know how many gods decided to go rogue after hearing you were dead? Don’t tell me you don’t remember anything. Not even a clue?"

  "I’m sorry, really. But I don’t have the answers. I want to know them as badly as you do. I mean… I don’t even know why the God of the End tried to kill me in the first place. Or what my power even does. I only used it once… and everything just happened. I didn’t try to control it."

  I see… Thomas!" she turned to him with a sarcastic tone. "

  "Yes, Neo?" he answered with a grin.

  "Are you sure he's Jahweh?

  "Most likely, yes. It could be that the reason he doesn’t have memories yet is because we haven’t had the" talk" with him yet."

  "You didn’t give him ‘the talk’? And now you're complaining he remembers nothing?"

  "You were too busy complaining over the divine phone lines about how unfair Jahweh is. I didn’t have time."

  Her expression darkened.

  "Guards!!"

  The doors creaked open, and the guards hesitated at the threshold.

  "Yes, Your Majesty?"

  "Take the boy and give him the standard tour we offer to visiting low-tier gods."

  "As you command."

  Meanwhile for Max, everything clicked in his mind—the conversation he heard Thomas having, and now this.

  Neo shot Max a cold glance.

  "What are you waiting for? Go with them."

  "I… I’m going."

  Max followed the guards down a corridor. She turned back to the other Guardians.

  Nea looked at the Guardians of Creation

  "Don’t think you’re off the hook. I need your help with something. If we don’t solve it soon, there won’t be a world left for you to protect

  ."

  Amber, the Goddess of Fate, furrowed her brow in frustration.

  ""NEO We’ve come all this way, only for Max to go on a damn tour

  "Don’t blame me! It was your job to do this before you arrived, not mine!"

  Max and the guards continued through countless doors and hallways until they reached a silver chamber. Strange runes were carved above the door. Inside was a windowless, metallic room filled with massive statues—and a glowing portal.

  Max stared at each statue in awe.

  "These statues… they look like they came straight from Ancient Greece."

  The guards approached a woman standing at the center of a crowd.

  "Clear the way—orders from Neo."

  The woman, tired-eyed, glanced at them. "What do you need?"

  "We were instructed by Neo herself to add this boy to your tour. History Goddess."

  "From Neo? Seriously? All this fuss just for a tour? It was already full, but I guess one more won't hurt."

  Max offered a shy smile. "Hey, I’m Max. Sorry for the trouble."

  "Yeah, whatever, kid. The tour’s starting now, so just don’t get in the way or something."

  —Why does she sound so depressed?

  She started walking. "Follow me."

  They all stepped through the portal—revealing a grand museum on the other side.

  As they walked, someone turned to Max, clearly curious.

  "You must be someone important if Neo personally assigned you here. Are you the child of a high god or something?"

  "Not really. I’m uh… well, I’m half-god, half-human. I was imprisoned by the New Empire for a while, so I guess Neo gave me this tour as a… sign of respect?"

  "Don’t worry, most of us here are just low-tier gods."

  "Sorry, I forgot—what are these ‘tiers’ about again?"

  The guy laughed. "Wow, you really were out of the loop. It just ranks the gods based on importance. The higher the rank, the more significant the god."

  "Ah, right. I remember now."

  The Goddess of History stopped near five massive statues.

  "Let’s start at the very beginning. Before Jahweh existed, there were five entities—mysterious, powerful beings. Each one controlled a force we still can't comprehend. Some believe one of them created Jahweh."

  Someone in the crowd raised a hand. "Then how do we know they’re real?"

  "We don’t. It’s still debated. But Jahweh himself told us this—he claimed that when he came into existence, that was the only thing he remembered. Anyway, not much is known about them, so let’s move on."

  Max lingered behind, staring at the statues. Everyone else walked ahead.

  " "Hey, buddy! You coming?" called the guy Max had spoken with, his voice pulling Max back to the present.

  But Max couldn’t tear his eyes away from the statues. They loomed over him, their cold stone faces almost mocking him. It was as if they were whispering—no, speaking directly to him. Each one seemed to pulse with a terrible secret, an ancient truth too dark to comprehend. His mind began to spin in a whirl of confusion and terror.

  Death.

  Betrayal.

  Vengeance.

  The words echoed in his head like a cursed chant, growing louder with every passing second. They sliced through him like a jagged knife to the chest. His heart pounded, his breath quickened. He could hear voices, muffled at first, then growing clearer—screams of agony, wails of lost souls, whispers that seemed to promise endless pain. Memories that weren’t his own began flooding his mind, each more horrifying than the last. He saw faces—strange faces—twisting in agony, hands reaching out for him, eyes full of betrayal and fear.

  "What’s… happening to me?" His voice was barely a whisper, trembling with confusion and dread

  .

  He staggered back, his knees giving out beneath him. His body shook violently as if it were trying to expel the horror that was seeping into his soul. His hands clutched at his ears in a futile attempt to block out the memories that were crashing through his mind, but it was no use. His face twisted, contorted not from physical pain, but from sheer terror.

  "Are you okay?"

  But Max was no longer there. His mind, his body, his very soul seemed to have shattered. The world around him blurred, and he felt himself sinking, falling—just as he had when he fought Sophia. The same overwhelming sense of darkness filled him, drowning him.

  He snapped back to reality, gasping for air, his stomach churning violently.

  "Y-yeah, I’m fine… Do you know where the restroom is?"

  "The… what?" The guy looked at him, puzzled by the strange question.

  Max couldn’t take it anymore. The weight of the memories, the pain, the terror—it was too much. His chest felt tight, suffocating. Without another word, he turned and sprinted out of the museum, his feet pounding on the floor as he rushed through door after door, desperate to escape the chaos in his mind. Panic gripped his chest like a vice. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think.

  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of running, he realized there were no restrooms. His desperation grew, his vision blurring as he stumbled towards the nearest window. Without hesitation, he leaned out and vomited, his body shaking violently with the release.

  When he finally stopped, panting and shaking, he wiped his face with his sleeve, trying to calm his racing heart.

  "What was that...? Could it be... one of Jahweh's memories? No... no, it doesn’t matter… I’m fine now… I’ll be fine..."

  He tried to convince himself, but deep down, he knew it wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

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