It sounded unbelievable… but it was true.
Thousands of years ago, a group widely known as the Cult of Darkness sought to dominate this world and the worlds outside it by utilizing a strange power.
This power was known as Dark Magic.
Dark Magic had the power to nullify and corrode anything, making it supreme. It was a widely coveted power, but also dangerous.
The Cult of Darkness sought to use this power to take over everything. However, a certain follower of good would not allow it.
The Priestess of Light, also known as Ciel, was chosen by the very universe to stop them. She was given the laws of nature, as well as the understanding of hidden things.
Using these gifts bestowed upon her by the world's will, she was able to save everyone and defeat all those who desired world domination. In exchange for her life, of course.
Unfortunately… even that hadn't been enough.
Merlin, the leader of the Cult, had found a way to preserve his Soul using this evil Magic. If she had left the world without any protection, it was bound to suffer at Merlin's hands.
As a result, using the last of her power, she sent herself into the stream of time and ignited a process of Reincarnation.
Out of time and out of energy, she was not able to properly control the Reincarnation and so ended up being born in this era… where the damage had already been done, with the world already plunged into chaos.
That was the tragic history of this world.
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'It's totally different from my reality. That's crazy.'
Just how different were things in other branches?
I understood that different worlds meant different events and that with small modifications, bigger changes were bound to happen—thus creating a ripple effect that would spread out and completely alter events that would have otherwise happened.
As I digested everything Neron told me, more questions popped up in my mind. One of those was about the identity of my doppelganger in this world.
'No. Now isn't the time. I'll let Neron keep talking.'
"After thousands of years of peace and relative progress… there finally came the dark point of humanity." Neron said, his eyes narrowed in slight hesitance.
"Oh? Is that why you are all on edge and—"
"No. This happened over five hundred years ago. It was the birth of the monster that would completely change this world."
'Five hundred years ago? Monster? Could he mean…?!' My eyes widened as he stared deeply into them with his dark irises.
"Lewis Griffith, the Deranged Sage, was born."
Deranged Sage? That was ridiculous! Just how much history changed?
"We know very little about his past. We know he grew up in a rural community and he attended Ainzlark Academy, rapidly growing in power and influence. Even though he was Inept, he kept surprising everyone with his research and scientific progress."
Everything Neron said seemed to tally with my actions in the past. What exactly was so wrong with it?
"However, Lewis Griffith suddenly changed one day. He was discovered to be delving into Dark Magic, killing people and using them for research purposes."
Okay… now things were getting a bit out of hand.
"He was so obsessed with Magic that the lengths he went to had no limits. He made so many horrible creations and committed so many terrible acts…"
Hearing about the evils that I had wrought on this world felt strange. I knew this guy wasn't me, yet why did I feel a little pain in my chest?
"Ciel believes that this was due to Merlin's interference. He must have come into contact with Lewis at some point and corrupted him. That's how Lewis was able to quickly develop Magic, as well as propound so many Magical breakthroughs."
"So, what happened to him? Was he stopped?"
Neron shook his head at my question, sighing slowly.
"Lewis Griffith must have known of the limits he had with an Inept body. He would have eventually grown old and died—there was no way around it. As a result, he did the unthinkable in his lifetime…" I suddenly felt a chill all over my body.
"He figured out the trick to Reincarnation Magic."
My eyes bulged almost as instantly as Neron said it.
'He figured it out? That's insane!'
I was Reincarnated due to Neron's interference in my world, but this guy actually Reincarnated intentionally?
"The world celebrated his demise and we used what we could in his research to further improve our Magic and civilization. How were we supposed to know he would return as the child of the most influential Duke Household in the Eastern Continent."
'Ah, I see…'
"The Leonard Ducal Household had both Magical Power and Political Authority. They were the perfect target for a parasite like Lewis to feed on. Thus, he reincarnated as the baby, Jared Leonard, and began his rise to power."
Neron further explained their history to me.
As Jared increased in strength, he was able to take over the entire Eastern continent and quickly spread his influence to the other Nations in the world.
He took over the Western Region pretty easily, considering one of his major allies was an influential figure there. She was able to swiftly launch a coup, driving the original King from the throne.
"Jane Ursula took over the Fairy Kingdom from Beruel, nearly killing him in the process."
Neron told me how Beruel had managed to escape and how he found him before Jane Ursula's army caught up to him.
It was shocking that Jane would turn over to the side of evil like that. Sure, this world was warped, but the only reason she performed the coup in my world was for the welfare of her people.
Even that had changed.
"What of the Elven Kingdom? What became of it?"
I wanted to know if this world's version of Emilia ever had a connection with Lewis or Jared. If so, what became of the whole saga?
"That… is another tragic tale."
