The revelation was so shocking that Leonidas had forgotten that he was being eaten by a mask just a few moments prior, and he had no intention to relive the moment, especially when he was face-to-face with his Elemental Parent.

Leonidas didn’t know whose body he was in, but he was sure it was another god. After all, why would Bloom, the Great Mother of Birth herself, call a mortal ’Dear’

’Leonidas’ moved forward, still silent, eyes fixed on the Great Mother’s belly. The closer he got to her, the more the air felt alive, as if being supercharged with lightning.

’He’ stopped right in front of Bloom’s chair.

"Many times I have told you that Ruren isn’t my favourite. I don’t even like the kid; the only reason he’s allowed up here is because you fancy him."

’He’ clicked his tongue in distaste, but Leonidas could feel the warmth in the gesture.

Who the hell is this Ruren? Dude is loved by two gods. Holy!

Whose memory was he in? Who was the anonymous god that had Bloom’s fancy? Why was he seeing this? What had happened to his body back in the real world? What era was he in?

Leonidas had a plethora of questions, yet not a single answer. It was frustrating, but probably also necessary, because while knowledge was power, it was also doom.

Some information is simply not meant for mortal minds.

Bloom raised her hand and pointed at ’Him,’ her long nails stabbing into ’Leonidas’s’ chest.

"RIght, I’m sure you don’t, on that note, who is this dearest eavesdropper?"

Leonidas’s heart dropped at the mere implications behind her words, but Bloom continued, "Is he perchance your..."

’He’ grabbed her fingers, caressing them softly. "Yes, he is ours and that bastard Peace’s..."

Leonidas didn’t hear the rest. His ears were ringing, warning signs flashing in his mind, a relentless storm of fear.

They know I’m watching them? Aren’t the gods dead? Isn’t this just a vision? What, what, what the hell is happening?

His spiralling thoughts were cut off by Bloom’s sweet voice. She stepped forward, chair swaying lightly behind her. She stepped into ’his’ personal space, hands wrapping sweetly around ’his’ neck, but to Leonidas, it was all but a death sentence.

"How nice to finally meet you, dearest. I’m Bloom, though you already know that."

Her smile widened, chills crawling over Leonidas’s spine, and even the original owner of the body shivered slightly.

"But you must know, no matter how important you are, sweetie, you mustn’t eavesdrop on others’ conversations. Now what must your punishment be?"

Bloom rubbed her hand against ’his’ cheek, emerald eyes glassy.

She shouldn’t be able to do anything...right? She’s dead, yes, dead!

The thought brought little comfort to Leonidas. If she could sense his existence in a vision, why wouldn’t she be able to harm him?

Bloom’s next words chilled Leonidas, as if he had been dumped in a frigid bath.

"You mustn’t think I can’t punish you just because I’m dead, darling. Never forget that, dead or alive, I am and will always be a god. As for your punishment..."

The chills he had been feeling intensified, but a rather unexpected development occurred.

’He’ slapped her hand away, even though Leonidas hadn’t done anything, which meant that the original owner of the body had.

"Ruren is about to come, you don’t want to act like this in front of your favourite disciple, do you?"

Leonidas could no longer make sense of what was happening; the scale was simply above what his mind could comprehend. What he did understand was that he had been saved by the body, the supposed lover of Bloom.

With a simple wave of ’his’ hand, the world burst apart, realm cracking under pressure. Leonidas saw Bloom smiling sweetly at him, and then the world cracked.

"GAHHH!"

Laboured breathing. Sweat clinging to his entire body. Leonidas was definitely not in good shape, despite the fact that nothing had happened to him.

He lay like that for a long moment...multiple long moments, trying to collect himself. The strain of witnessing a god’s power was not something his mind could fathom. Had he been there for another second, he would have combusted.

Leonidas opened his eyes, only to be met with a mesmerizing sight comparable to the realm he had just been in. A massive sea of silver and gold hung above his head, as if the sky had turned into an ocean.

Trees hung upside down, floating as if gravity didn’t exist.

He was in his phosphene space.

How...?

At this point, Leonidas didn’t think anything was impossible. A dead god had sensed him in a vision, two impossibilities, and apparently, she could harm him, too. Three impossibilities.

He chuckled, a laugh so hollow, so desperate, even he felt pity at the sound of it.

How pathetic.

Standing Leonidas was about to walk to the center, but was assailed by a plethora of flying objects.

One. Two. Three, and the continued, too many to count, each displaying a message. He glanced at them, the same as his status panels, a gold display with silver text etched into it.

His eyes wandered over them, turning darker with each message. At the last one, his face turned ashen, blood and life draining from him.

[You have gained a Manifest, Savior]

That was the first message Leonidas saw. Despite his previous words, he was finding it especially hard to believe it.

To understand what a Manifest was, one had to understand how ranks worked.

The first rank, Enlightened, would give one the ability to see Insenium and harness it, while also awakening their Edict and Source Element. That was on top of the general body, mind, and soul enhancement that came with each rank.

The second rank, Superus, awakened a healing factor, enhancing the already massive healing factor, while also amplifying the potency of everything awakened at the first rank.

Then there was the third rank, Vis, and it was at this rank that one gained a Manifest—an Edict that gained sentience and became alive.

Completely deserved, especially after all that pain I went through.

But that was not the end.

[You have gained a Nexus for your future Realm, Sanctum of Sacrifice]

[You have gained Shroud of Sacrifice]

[Four core concepts make up a being: intelligence, will, memory, and soul. Acquisition of Shroud of Sacrifice has awakened the Memory of Sacrifice, Bane of the Gods.]

[Fear Sacrifice, Bane of the Gods]

[Admire Sacrifice, Herald of the Unseen]

[Hail Sacrifice, Eldest of the 27]

[Welcome back, Heir of Sacrifice]