Damien's father stood silently, staring into his son's eyes.
They were a beautiful purple color that reminded him of a long-lost love.
But at the moment, they didn't gleam with life like a human's eyes.
These were the dead eyes of a puppet, an object without free will.
He felt an unimaginable pain in his heart.
His own child…his own flesh and blood…
…couldn't face him without taking such measures?
He knew this day would come, the day when he met his son again after so many years. He was truly excited to see his growth and reunite with him, but it seemed his thinking was far too wishful.
The wrongs he'd committed in the past, regardless of the reasoning behind them, had lasting consequences that he'd need to slowly compensate for.
He sighed to himself.
In this situation, he didn't have any right to act fatherly.
Besides, he didn't have enough time for that.
"My name is Dante Void, and you probably don't need me to tell you our relation."
Damien nodded. It was good to finally know the name of the man who birthed him after 28 years of existence.
"There isn't too much I can tell you, as knowing too early will only harm you in the long run, but I will tell you everything I can."
Those were the words Damien didn't want to hear. The same bullshit that was always spouted. He hated people who withheld knowledge off such a flimsy personal judgement without taking into account his own desires.
However…
"The matters of God can only be handled by Gods."
Damien couldn't rebut that statement.
'Gods…'
These impossible existences that Damien could only fantasize about…his father was one of them?
Though it wasn't said outright, it was more than slightly implied. If Damien didn't understand this obvious nuance, his brain would've been utterly useless.
He shut off his extraneous thoughts and focused on Dante's words.
"Who I am, I cannot tell you quite yet. All you need to know is that I'm your father, and I would never abandon my own flesh and blood without reason."
Dante's eyes were incredibly solemn as he spoke.
"As for you, is there anything to say that you don't know? You are my son, the heir to my legacy, and the most gifted genius in the entirety of existence. There is no better descriptor for your talent than 'unparalleled under heaven.'"
He gazed at Damien in admiration. The young man didn't look older than 30, yet he already had such achievements.
The fluctuation of Spacetime, of Samsara, and even of something far more ethereal that even Dante himself couldn't place his finger on. With all of these combined, regardless of Damien's weak base level, his combat power was approaching the peak of 4th class.
A son like this was everything he could've ever asked for.
It was a shame that he couldn't preside over his growth.
"Countless years ago, I arrived in this universe to escape my enemies and coincidentally made my way to the planet known as Earth. Around 35 years ago, I met your mother."
"It was a happy life, living mundanely in a world where mana didn't even exist. It felt like I could throw away all my worries and live comfortably for once, unbothered by the innumerable problems waiting for me in the Heavenly World. Of course, this was merely wishful thinking, blissful ignorance that I consciously accepted."
"It didn't take long for my enemies to find me, and at that point, I was forced to leave."
"After all, a lower world can't even handle the aura of a single God. What would happen to it if multiple converged on its location at once?"
Dante looked down with a melancholic smile. "I really didn't want to leave. If I had a choice, I would have done everything in my power to stay with you and quietly protect the world as you grew. But time waits for no man, and my fate eventually caught up to me."
"I will not say it was a mistake to have you. Even though I haven't been present to watch you grow, I've been dearly awaiting our reunion for decades. However, it was a mistake to have you at that time. If I had been more conscious, I would've waited until I could give you a proper childhood before even considering parenthood."
"But just as I said before, fate is a cruel mistress."
He looked up at Damien, but found no response from the latter. He remained standing with the same utterly indifferent gaze as before.
Dante smiled wryly. He couldn't even see his son's emotions, wasn't this too cruel?
But his son was coping in the best way he knew how. Trying to stop him would only further ruin their relationship,
He needed to give the young man time.
Others, however, weren't willing to wait.
"The universe needed you, and you were birthed for that purpose. This is what I believe."
"You were born with a seed of destiny in your body, and throughout your life, I'm sure you've been entangled in the universe's fate whether consensually or not. It isn't a situation where you're forced to be the universe's hero, but you were one of many geniuses born into an era of heroes meant to save it from its destruction."
"Perhaps even my leaving was something the universe foresaw, for with my guidance, you wouldn't have lived a life that tied you to this universe. In a time of catastrophe, I could take you directly to the Heavenly World to save you, making your existence inconsequential to the universe's safety."
"But I guess I'm just rambling. I merely wish for you to understand that there were countless nuances behind your birth, things you will need to slowly unravel with time. Until then, I will answer as many questions as I can before I disappear."
"Disappear?" Damien questioned.
It was his first reaction since Dante began his speech.
Dante smiled regretfully. "Mm, despite the completeness of this form, it is but a projection I've sent to meet with you. A friend who reads the Tides of Fate gave me a location and a time. If not for him, I wouldn't have been able to contact you at all. This avatar will only last a few minutes before dispersing."
"And why is that?" Damien asked again.
Dante answered calmly. "For one, a God cannot exist in the lower universe in any form for too long. The universal law of the Heavenly World will strike us down if we try. As for the second reason…"
His expression turned solemn.
"I'm currently imprisoned by my enemies, and I cannot take any action that alerts them of my ability to stay connected with the outside world."
An explosion went off in Damien's mind. An unknown feeling broke free from the barrier of the Mind Prison and filled his brain.
'Imprisoned?'
That father that seemed so unreachable, the one who claimed himself a God whose mere aura was enough to destroy a planet…
That very same man was imprisoned and suppressed to a level where even a few minutes of conversation required him to risk his life…?
Suddenly, a portion of the raging chaos clouding Damien's thought process cleared up.
If Dante was risking so much just to come speak with him…
'…then the least I can do is hear him out.'
