Rebirth: Childhood friend of the heroine

Chapter 168- Memories(2)

Above all deities, two exist as the very concept of the beginning. The God of all creation, the ruler of the seven realms, the only being with access to the Akashic Records, and—my father—Aurikos.

The Curse's voice echoed with undeniable reverence as he spoke those words. At the same time, a colossal figure materialized before Alex.

The man was immense, his presence alone pressing down like an invisible weight. His upper body was wrapped in loose white robes that barely concealed his sculpted muscles. A trident rested firmly in his grip, gleaming with an aura of power beyond comprehension. His luminous green eyes locked onto Alex, and in that instant, Alex felt something creep into his very soul.

A visceral, suffocating dread.

He could not hold the man's gaze for long. He averted his eyes, his breath unsteady.

'What is this feeling...?'

[It's not truly your fear,] the Curse murmured. [It's mine.]

Alex inhaled sharply, finally understanding. The oppressive sensation he felt was not his own, but rather the Curse's deep-seated terror—an emotion so overwhelming that it bled into Alex himself.

As he exhaled, the illusion of Aurikos dissipated, vanishing like mist under sunlight. The Curse continued speaking, his voice tinged with a weighty solemnity.

[The Mother Goddess and the King of Gods were a couple—bound together since the dawn of existence. They do not meddle in the affairs of mortals or even immortals unless a war of truly devastating proportions arises. Their mere presence is enough to warp reality, tear dimensional fabrics, and destabilize entire realms.]

Alex nodded slowly, his mind piecing together why even the Gods of the Upper Realm feared these two.

"The Rulers of Existence…" he murmured, awed.

[Indeed.]

Alex furrowed his brows as another thought arose. "Then… does that mean all the Gods in the Upper Realm are their children?"

The Curse hesitated before answering.

[Yes... and no. While they are indeed their children, they were not born in the way mortals understand birth.]

Alex tilted his head. "Affairs?"

[No,] the Curse corrected his tone firm. [My parents have loved only each other since the beginning of time. The Gods of the Upper Realm were not born in the conventional sense but rather… separated from the essence of my father and mother. They are fragments, embodiments of their power, each tasked with governing an aspect of existence. They carry the divine essence of either Gaia or Aurikos, but none possess the essence of both.]

Alex narrowed his eyes. "Then what about you?" His tone lowered. "Why weren't you given a role as a God like your siblings?"

A long silence followed. The Curse did not answer immediately.

[...Because I am different,] he finally admitted, his voice quieter than before. [I am the only existence born from the direct union of the two Supreme Deities. The embodiment of their love, the sole being that carried both their essences. A child of unparalleled authority—above even the Upper Realm Gods.]

Alex fell silent, absorbing the weight of those words. His gaze flickered toward the lady rocking back and forth, humming a soft, peaceful tune. The melody… it was familiar.

And the way the man stood behind her, watching with gentle eyes, smiling…

A happy, peaceful family.

Yet, the Curse's voice grew heavy with something darker.

[They sacrificed much to bring me into existence—to create a successor who could continue their lineage. But… I was not what they had hoped for.]

The illusion of Aurikos flickered, his expression suddenly darkening as he took a step toward his wife. His voice, though an illusion, carried a real, looming presence.

"He is… harming you."

Alex's breath hitched. He turned toward the woman—and his eyes widened.

Near her breast, her skin darkened, its vitality draining away.

Yet, despite that, she smiled warmly. Her voice was soft, filled with an unshakable devotion.

"My child could never harm me."

[But she was wrong,] the Curse admitted, his tone bitter. [I was harming her. And because she was Mother Nature—the one who gave birth to countless worlds—I ended up devouring the life force of many planets.]

Alex's stomach twisted.

"You… swallowed planets through her?"

The Curse sighed.

[I couldn't help it. That is simply what I am—the one who devours.]

Alex hesitated before asking, "But… were you aware of what you were doing?"

Another silence. This one stretched longer than before.

[If I had known,] the Curse whispered, [I would have killed myself right there and then.]

Alex exhaled, sensing the raw sorrow in those words.

[But there is no point in dwelling on it now,] the Curse continued. [It was inevitable. I was consuming my mother from within, and countless innocent lives perished as a result. My father… could not bear it any longer. He decided to separate us. He told my mother that I was taken away to grow, but in truth, he later declared that I had been killed.]

Alex frowned. "Wait… growth? What kind of excuse was that?"

[My growth was… slow.] The Curse's voice carried a self-deprecating tone. [I spent two thousand years with my parents, yet I remained an infant.]

Alex blinked. No wonder the vision showed him wrapped in cloth.

[Father believed that showing me the outside world would teach me morality. But the moment he took me away from the Sanctuary, he handed me over to my siblings—the Upper Realm Gods.]

Alex's jaw clenched. He had heard from Andre and seen glimpses of memories—memories that revealed the Gods using the Curse as a weapon.

"So Aurikos doesn't know you're still alive?"

[No,] the Curse admitted. [Solaris and the others told him I lost control and had to be put down.]

Alex scowled. "But in truth, they used you to end their wars. And once they realized they couldn't control you anymore, they sealed your power, erased your memories, and forced you into different bodies to keep you hidden."

A grim silence followed.

[That… is correct,] the Curse confessed. [They cycled me through hosts, across different realms, keeping me contained. My memories locked away, my abilities shackled.]

[Until I met you.]

Alex inhaled sharply.

"I've been meaning to ask—why did you react to me? Why awaken now?"

[It's simple.] The Curse let out a chuckle, though it lacked any real amusement. [You were the only host who faced death repeatedly. Every time you felt true despair, I stirred.]

Alex scoffed, shaking his head. "So my reckless life as a contract killer actually helped you regain your senses, huh?"

[Precisely. That's why you were able to learn those Sword Arts from that fallen God.]

Alex's eyes widened. "Wait… Fallen God? You mean that old man?"

[Yes. He was once an immortal. Like Andre and a few others who were demoted after the war.]

"The war…" Alex muttered. "What exactly happened?"

[That's a story for another time. Right now, let's focus on you.]

Alex shrugged. He was curious, but he wouldn't press.

[After you died in your previous life, a deity chose to reincarnate you.]

Alex's breath hitched. "Right… I remember meeting someone at that time."

[That was the God of Death and Reincarnation. He guided your soul into this world—into a body meant to awaken me.]

Alex's eyes narrowed. "Why me?"

The answer hit him before the Curse could speak.

He remembered what that deity had told him.

[You recall it, don't you?] the Curse said. [The Deity asked you to kill whoever he commanded.]

Alex's eyes darkened.

At first, he thought the target might be Edric—an obstacle for the Gods.

But now…

"They want me to kill myself."

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[Indeed. They anticipated this. They knew that I would fully integrate with you one day, and when that happened, they would order you to end your own life.]

Alex fell silent.

His mind went numb.

So all this was a plan.

He was given the chance to reincarnate since they knew at some point Alex and the Curse would become one. And to get rid of the Curse, so it doesn't appear before Aurikos, they would order Alex to kill himself and suppress the Curse forever.

He could have never expected this.

"What the...hell..." He was so shocked that a smile formed on his face.

[There is nothing you could have done. At that point, I didn't care about you or anything that's why I didn't say anything.]

Alex heaved a sigh, "Now you do? Why?"

[...because I can relate to you.]

Alex brows frowned, but before he could have asked, the curse added,

[Seeing you despairing for your mother, I felt that my Curse of harming my mother had affected you...that's why, in both lives, you were devoid of familial warmth.]

Alex was rendered speechless. He didn't know if what he was saying was true or not. But it was a fact that he had never felt how it feels to have a family.

After remaining silent for a long time, and after returning to the bathroom, Alex asked,

"So...what should I do now?"

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A/N:- Thanks for reading.