Beginning of a new story

"I did, but why are you asking me that?" Is he intending to say something? Mana… What does he mean, why did he ask that specifically from all questions?

"Well, so it happens that I kind of knew that you got surprised by my laugh. Do you know why I laughed?" While asking he looked at me with a small smirk right on his face, an old one, then I saw another thing on his face. He had a large scar on his cheek, something like a sword or just a black void itself. His eyes seemed almost white at this point, either he is blind or that's his natural color.

"I don't…" At this moment both of us sat before the table on a chair, a dark chair, a dark shelf. Almost all of the wood in the cabin was dark, everything besides the walls themselves. Another window was right next to the bookshelf, it was shining into the room in a nice fashion.

"Because God doesn't exist. That's a common misconception of those that are not bound to the world of power, to those that…" I stopped hearing him at that point, I am sure he wanted to go a lot further into it. But… That thought was just destructive. God… Doesn't exist? Then… What's with my mission? What's with all of that belief and confidence I built up until now. The god I wanted to serve, the god I wanted to help, and the one that helped me survive for so much time. If it weren't for me believing in him I probably wouldn't even have that conversation. "You seem quite disappointed, well, you may believe me or not." I don't want to believe him, but as much as I want god to exist… He actually didn't show me anything, he didn't talk to me, he didn't send a single sign, he didn't even try to tell me anything. God… Why would he exist then?

"No… I believe you, even though I shouldn't and don't want to. But it just makes sense for god not to exist. He didn't say anything, he didn't try to, he didn't even give me power or anything…" When I finished that sentence I took a glimpse of his face, he was once again smiling. But now not so happy, rather sorrow.

"You are quite a naive young man, but I suppose that in your mind there was no point in me lying, especially when I saved you." He stood up and looked at me while leaning against a wall of the cabin. Intrigue in his eyes. "And when it comes to your question, I asked about that because for the entirety of my life, as long as it is. I have never seen someone so powerless as you, I was powerless until I started learning mana back in the day…"

"Wait, I thought mana users all died." Was Estel incorrect? Or is he someone who was forgotten, but… How long ago did he have to be forgotten even for the books to not have him included. Or they thought he died? Has the world not changed ever since? That's… I don't know what I can say about this.

"They did, I am probably the last one still alive. Well, I haven't left this place for a very long time." After talking, he gasped loudly and his face went sour as well, he seemed sad. At least

"Why are you telling me this?" Why is he telling me something like that? It would be a secret more than something you would tell to a stranger.

"There is no point in not doing so, but if you insist. Well, I don't want mana to perish… If there won't be a single person learning mana… There probably won't be anyone in the future doing it. Learning mana from those old scrolls, decoding all of them without the help of someone who knows how to do it, would take more than a lifetime. Since I love mana, I don't want it to be something completely lost." Mana… What is it actually? He said that it would take a very long time to learn it, but what actually is it?

"Love mana?" I asked but it just made a great smile on his face, just exactly like it was with Estel. I know what he was about to do…

"You know about darkness, probably more than about mana. But the great problem is that the whole power of darkness wasn't even supposed to be wielded by humans…"

"And how do you know that? How can you say something like that even though you have nothing to back that statement." I had to interrupt him, it just doesn't make sense… I don't know why he is saying stuff like that. Why would I even believe him?

"Listen, why, you ask? Because there was no god, god never existed. The theories about that the world was black and the god then appeared, those stories about god creating the world are all false. How do I know that? Because mana is something far beyond what darkness is. Mana is alive, mana lives in the world. It's not like that darkness, an empty power, it can only corrupt people… I think you witnessed that yourself." He didn't seem to lie, I am not able to leave this place anyway. What will I do? I have nowhere to go, even beginning my search for the weapon may seem just too hard to do now. Maybe… I will stay here for some time.

"I did… But, I still don't understand anything. Ever since I got into that hell, and even before. I was only confused, ever since then I was only confused. Even what you just said was confusing… My friends died for me, I feel s*it about it." Once again he gasped loudly, with one hand putting his pointing finger and thumb on his eyebrow. He looked up to the ceiling without any reason.

"I am very old, older than many people and even demi-human beings as well. I lived through a lot by that time, but I have never seen something like you did at such a young age and somehow survive. Then even losing friends, everyone. Loved ones. That's something really rare to find in someone, that ability to somehow go through stuff like this. People call it… Maybe luck? Maybe perseverance?" He then went to the shelf. "I understand that you are so confused, I would also be if so many things happened to me at such a young age." Out of nowhere, he created a dark whip inside of his hand, not blue or any other thing. It was a dark whip. He winded up and threw an attack at me, I covered my face with my hands. The man was almost thrown into the air, at least that's what was supposed to happen if he didn't make a wall of mana behind himself. "Interesting, your body repels the dark, I actually never considered someone like you to exist. That just shows you how 'god' doesn't care." He took one of the books into his hands and started reading it. "Do you know why people believe in God?" He asked me while walking around with the book and glasses that appeared on his nose out of nowhere. He didn't even bother to look at me at this point and focused on the book more than on me.

"To help themselves?" I am not completely sure of what they actually need God for, he helped me and therefore may be others also need that, therefore they believe in that omniscient being.

"Somewhat correct, that's one thing, but the other is that people need to believe in something to survive. To live, they need something to believe in, because if they didn't have god, they would not have anything to actually live for. Love emotion and all that is just not always enough. And in cases such as you, it's just essential to survive. By the way, straying from the topic a little bit, but do you have a goal?" That question came completely out of nowhere, stunning me for a short second. I know the answer very well though.

"I want to change everything… You were talking about darkness corrupting people, and that is something I want to change. All those nobles, all those rich people that live only for power, they would even throw away their children because of weakness. If you are that old, it means you probably saw it as well." I then came to an assumption, something I have to tell him in a second. Something very important and may as well be something far beyond anything I had in my mind until now.

"As I just said, people need god to start something, to move, to live…"

"If there is no god… And people need it to live, which means that they also need someone to change. So I shall become a god myself." I interrupted him in the middle of his sentence, he wasn't expecting that. His eyes got wide and large, he was completely perplexed by what I just said. He started sweating but there was still a great smile on his face.

"You really are an interesting fella."