"Since you have made it here, I trust the time has finally come…"
"...son."
Damien's mind exploded again. It seemed to be a regular occurrence when this man appeared.
Pitch-black hair and blue eyes deeper than any ocean, these features didn't reflect in the hologram unlike the last time they met, but the resemblance to Damien in his appearance and the undeniable link that connected them made his identity more than obvious, even without his words.
Dante Void.
Including his childhood, Damien had only met this man a handful of times, but the complex emotions he held towards him couldn't be ignored.
His father, his absentee father, yet a man who was forced to leave, not one who made a choice.
It was a lie to say Damien didn't have any grievances towards him. Regardless of how much he grew, the lack of a father figure in his life was something he always felt the impact of.
However, he was also a man with more than enough experience under his belt now. He couldn't just base his entire perception of the man on their personal relationship, and he couldn't disregard his struggles.
Besides, he already got rid of most of his negative feelings during their last meeting. The only thing separating them from rekindling their relationship was distance.
…and an opportunity for Damien to beat Dante's ass just once.
Nevertheless, Damien's shock was clear. The chaos of emotions he thought was long gone returned the second this man appeared before him, but he did his best to calm it down as fast as possible.
Those emotions didn't control him anymore.
"..."
He thought he was ready to speak, but it turned out he wasn't.
He didn't have the capability to call this man "father" yet, but he was past the point of using more disrespectful forms of address, so he was in quite the troublesome position.
"You are likely very confused by my existence, however, it is a shame that I cannot see the look on your face."
Damien's eyes widened.
"Wait, this is…"
"As you must have guessed, this is a mere projection. I have left several methods to contact you in the lower universe over the years, but only a select few have been imbued with my consciousness. This is not one of them."
"Phew…"
Damien sighed in relief. Luckily, he'd be able to avoid the awkward interactions he was expec–
"...though, depending on the situation, my consciousness might descend at any time."
"Keuk…!"
Damien nearly tripped on the air.
'My poor relief…'
"The state of this projection may have changed, but hopefully it is still near the treasures I have left for you. It was difficult to find a way to infiltrate the Planar Battlefield, but I can mostly trust that its laws would keep my possessions safe."
'Planar Battlefield…?'
It must've been the name of the place the Ancient Battlefield separated from.
"Nevertheless, as you have reached the isolated fragment of that place, you must have already reached a level nearing ascension. If so, there is something that must be done."
As Dante's projection continued talking, it became clear that unlike the one in the Celestial Realm that was created for the sole purpose of making contact with him, this one had a more definite reason.
And that reason became clear soon enough.
"There is a seal placed on your body."
Dante's projection raised its arm and pointed forward, somehow pinpointing the direct center of Damien's chest.
"There is a seed in your soul, something I never expected to see in a child born in the lower universe. But, it is clear that the blood of me and your mother flows through your veins."
Damien frowned as he continued listening.
"Space is not your affinity. It is an affinity you inherited from me, but it is not the law closest to you, the law that chose you as its inheritor."
Space…was not his affinity?
This was shocking information beyond any other.
Damien already figured that his spatial talent was inherited from his father, but what did it mean to say it wasn't his affinity?
Space was the thing he was closest to in this world. Despite how many powers and abilities he'd inherited and learned, he never stopped utilizing space and always prioritized it above all else.
For Dante to say it wasn't his affinity…well, it pissed Damien off severely.
Unfortunately, since this was only a projection, there was nothing he could do but listen to its justification.
"When you were born, I and your mother predicted that you would take both of our affinities. We were quite excited to see what a child of Space and Creation could become, as the combination of both affinities could lead to a talent never seen before."
"But we were wrong. Your birth was something neither of us predicted, and the circumstances behind it became so convoluted that they affected your embryo. Your previous affinities were disrupted, and the child that exited the womb was a creature the universe had never seen."
It sounded like an insult, but it really wasn't.
Dante was telling him what he already knew. He was a monster of untold proportions.
However, it didn't seem like Dante was talking about the Void.
The Void would not have chosen Damien because of his circumstances. It was indifferent to such things.
Its decision to house itself inside Damien's body and give him its acknowledgement must've been far more complex than just that.
Then…
'...the last affinity.'
The last affinity in his status window, which had remained an array of question marks for a very long time, and the second to last mystery along with his strange redacted title.
That was the affinity Dante was referring to.
"By no means was your power something we feared. Rather, regardless of its deviation from our expectations, it meant great things for you, so we had no plans to interfere."
"However…reality begged to differ. When you came out of the womb, not only did the Heavens attempt to strike you down, your body itself began to collapse, unable to handle its power in its infancy."
"The hospital could not explain your condition, and with your mother missing her memories, she was also worried to the point of physical sickness. To save you and your mother, I had no other choice."
'The Heavens…'
In the lower universe, the concept was known as Universal Law, but for even Dante to use the dated term, it must've been a far more esoteric power in the Heavenly World.
Damien heard about the natural disasters that raged through the world on his birthday. He never considered it related to himself, but he did joke about it several times when he was growing up.
He never expected it to be a targeted attack.
'With Earth being disconnected from the wider universe at that time, Universal Law didn't have much power. And if Dante used his power to combat the weakened Universal Law, it makes sense that natural disasters were the end of it.'
If the true Universal Law wanted to strike someone down, it wouldn't end so easily.
No, if that happened and Dante wasn't there, Earth might've been destroyed that day.
Damien continued to internalize Dante's words. He spoke more about the circumstances of his birth, the circumstances of his parents' fall, and all the circumstances that had remained hidden from him until now.
Until finally, he reached the critical topic.
"...and so, I sealed that power in your soul using the essence of Divinity that I had only recently begun to remember. This was also the event that led to my eventual discovery, and the reason I had to leave you behind."
The projection's eyes suddenly became serious.
"You have reached the grand stage. You are no longer the powerless child of the past, therefore, that seal has lost its use. You must have felt it already, haven't you? The power that has leaked with the seal's declining strength…"
"Damien, my son…that power is yours, and I shall not hinder your path any longer."
"That power is the Law of Destruction, and you are the sole inheritor of its will."
