Chapter 16: Myths and Cult Leaders
"How the fuck do you have a Totem?"
"Hello to you too. Please come in."
Leonel wanted to rebuke the brat for his sharp tongue but realised that his language wasn't exactly kid-friendly. He followed Zeke inside to the living room where the other three were waiting for him. They sat down and then...then there was awkward silence.
Nobody knew how to start. Katherine and Alexi were feeling anxious with a side of giddy because they were sitting across from their idol, Mad Immortal. Cass and Zeke didn't know how to feel about their supposed great-grandfather if he even was that. And finally, Leonel was confused. It had been only 24 hours since he had met the boys and he had seen things that shouldn't be possible. He, the great Mad Immortal, a pioneer of the Federation was shocked by two brats who had just awakened.
Seeing this was going nowhere, Zeke said, "So...you think that we are your descendants?"
"I don't think. I know that you are my descendants. I can feel the Life Sigils in your blood. And they are not weak either. The purity of my bloodline flowing inside you still surprises me. It's as if you are my direct descendants, my own sons."
Everybody could hear the undescribable tone in his voice but they still had to be sure.
"Can you prove it?"
"Yes, I can. Pardon me."
He took off his vest and unbuttoned his shirt. His body was filled with streamlined muscles. His eyes started glowing in a verdant green and an intricate symbol appeared on his left chest. The symbol also glowed in the same green as his eyes.
The blood in Cass and Zeke's veins started flowing faster and they felt their mana come to life. Literally. It transformed into Life Attribute mana and rushed to their hearts. They felt as if they were taking a relaxing hot bath and the same symbol gradually formed on their left chest. They could feel that they and Leonel were connected. It was a connection of blood.
Leonel stopped whatever he was doing and smiled with joy. The symbols dimmed before sinking back inside their bodies. Leonel buttoned his shirt and wore his vest again. He looked at the boys confidently.
"Now do you believe me?"
"Yeah, we do. But we still don't know your intentions. We still don't know what you want with us."
Leonel looked at Zeke with a raised eyebrow. This brat was far too cautious. But, it wasn't a bad thing. He could see that he had many secrets and it was better to be cautious than not. He knew what he had to do to convince them that he had no ill intentions.
"I, Leonel Vitali, take an oath in the System's name that I have no ill intentions against any individuals in this room. I am just here for my family. Should any individuals in this room share any of their secrets with me, I will keep them till I die. Should I unintentionally or intentionally try to disclose them, the memories of those secrets will be erased from my mind and soul."
A contract materialised between them and was divided into five parts. A part sunk into each of their foreheads.
"Now, will somebody tell me what the hell is going on? It wasn't that clear yesterday, but after I activated your Life Sigils, I sensed it. Your life aura is unlike anything that I have ever felt before. It feels primal, and ancient yet it has the...invigorating freshness of a seed that just sprouted.
Not to mention your life force, its innate wards are so strong that I couldn't even take a glimpse. And that's not even the most surprising part. In just 24 hours, you somehow gained a Totem. A bloody Totem. Even I don't have one."
Zeke considered if it was safe to tell Leonel their secrets. He was their blood and he had already taken the oath. He shared his thoughts with the others and they agreed with him. They then told Leonel everything. Zeke's memory of another timeline, their bloodlines, their evolution, how they achieved it, etc. They didn't spare any details.
The more Leonel heard their story, the more dumbfounded he got. He looked at the boys with surprise and pride. These two had managed to evolve into natural predators. Natural predators of the frigging Angel and Demon races.
"So that explains your weird life aura and the wards protecting your life forces. You're bloody Primogenitors. I've only heard some legends about them. But even then, I've never heard of something like a race having two Primogenitors.
"So...Can you tell us what you meant by us gaining a Totem? What is Totem? And why were you so surprised that we had one?"
"First, you need to understand what Myths are. Myths are similar to System Achievements. They are both recognition by the System but they are completely different leagues. System Achievements are somewhat personal. They are the System's recognition of your efforts and you are then rewarded for it.
Myths, on the other hand, are the Universe's recognition of your actions. When your actions influence sufficient individuals on a universal scale, the Universe records that achievement as a Myth. One definition of the word 'myth' is a widely held but false belief or idea. When your actions influence sufficient individuals on a universal scale, the Universe records that achievement as a Myth.
Even though it was involuntary, your mere existence made the Angel and Demon races shudder in fear. You have no idea about the impact you boys had on the frontlines. I got the news after I left yesterday. Every C Grade and below Angel and Demon fainted from fear. After that, it was a massacre.
We killed about 75% of all the Angels and Demons on the frontlines and captured the rest as slaves. We haven't had a victory like this in the history of the Federation. That reminds me, if you want some for your experiments, just tell me. I can get you about 20% of the slaves that we captured."
"Really?"
Zeke's eyes brightened with a glint filled with madness at the thought. So many subjects. The things he could do with them. Leonel saw that and thought, 'What a vicious brat. All he sees are test subjects for his research. A born mad scientist. Heh, I like it. He reminds me of myself when I was young. Maybe, we need someone like him if we want to save our planet.'
Leonel stopped his inner monologue and continued.
"Each Myth is unique and has a special meaning. Your Myth, Twin Arbiters of Equibrilium is all about balance. You fused two bloodlines that are completely opposite to each other. You created a new race but you also destroyed that very race.
You are the first...Gemini Primogenitors. Your very existence revolves around duality. The brains and the brawns, the light and the dark...the sane and the insane, no offence. And it's not fixed who's who. You balance each other. In my opinion, you will be each other's greatest nemesis and greatest allies, true harbingers of cosmic balance. I just realised that we're getting off the topic here.
Anyways, after one creates their first Myth, the System rewards them with a skill. The names may differ but their effect is the same, unlocking the FAITH stat and gathering and condensing other's beliefs into Faith. But it's not easy to gather those beliefs let alone purify and condense them into Faith.
Thats why the skill needs a beacon, to concentrate them. So, these skills create a Faith Totem or just Totem for short for their owners. The Totems on your bodies act as antennae for those beliefs and a container for all your condensed Faith. The more people revere you, the more Faith you can condense.
People can even use the images, paintings, etc of your Totem to worship and pray to you."
"So basically, we're cult leaders now."
"... That's another way to see this but yeah. You are now cult leaders. Congratulations."
[All hail the Cult of Duality. Maybe, just maybe I could really become a God of Bullshitting. It would be perfect for tricking others into joining my cult. Maybe I should consider creating a cult. Having minions would be helpful. I'll talk to you guys later. I have a cult to create and people to trick.]
"Yeah, I don't think that's a very good idea. I'll pass. Those obsessive perverted freaks give me the jitters."
"So will you waste this opportunity?"
"I never said that. I don't need a cult for Faith. I already have people who revere me even if they don't know it's me they are revering."
"Huh?"
"Jie jie jie. I have a pla-"
"What are you doing?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, what's with the jie jie jie? Do you think that you are some evil old man in an Eastern fantasy? Come on Zeke, grow up."
"Yo-yo-you. Shut up. You always ruin my moments."
"Idiot."
"You know what? I'm still a kid and I will act immature because I have every right to do so. So I won't tell you my plan. I'll directly go to Alessio and even he won't tell you anything."
"Oh yeah, why won't he?"
"Because Rosaria will tell him not to. Toodles."
"Zeke sto-"
"Jie jie jie."
Zeke then left in a hurry. Honestly, Katherine and Alexi were relieved to see Zeke acting childishly and they trusted him and his plans.
And they were right. Six months later, he shook up the whole Federation.
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Author's Note:
Hey guys, I hope you like the novel.
The official art will take some time because, one, I don't know any illustrators. And two, I am broke. But I would love to see your fan art. Who knows, maybe I'll choose the official art from them.
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