Chapter 488: Heaven

The erection didn’t go away.

Julian sat back down on the floor, legs crossed loosely beneath him. His trousers itched slightly, but he ignored the discomfort. Instead, he stared blankly at the wooden wall across the room, trying to push away the lingering heat in his blood.

Moments passed.

Then—soft footsteps. Hesitant. Barely audible.

The door creaked open again.

Annie stepped inside, slower this time, holding a plate in her hands. A simple meal—some bread, a bit of vegetable and meat.

Julian didn’t speak. He just watched.

Her eyes flicked to him, then to the floor, then to the blanket now discarded beside him. She said nothing about it. Her face was composed—too composed. The kind of calmness people wore when they were holding something back.

She approached him and crouched down to place the plate near his feet.

"There," she said softly, without meeting his gaze. "Eat before it gets cold."

He tilted his head, watching her the way a predator might watch prey that wandered too close to the den. Her fingers lingered on the edge of the plate a moment longer than needed. Her hands trembled—only slightly, but Julian noticed.

He always noticed.

"Thanks, mother," he said, deliberately using the word again.

She flinched, almost unnoticeably, then stood.

Julian let the silence stretch.

"You’re quiet now," he added, his voice calm but layered with that same faint amusement he always wore when he saw a weakness.

"I thought you might be hungry," she replied, her voice thin, controlled.

Julian’s smile curled at the edge. His cock hadn’t softened.

And judging by the way she avoided looking at his lap, she

knew.

But that was not what was running through his mind.

"Mother," he said softly, breaking the silence. "Who are the gods that have cursed us?"

Annie’s eyes widened in surprise. The sudden shift from awkward tension to something so serious caught her completely off guard. She paused, blinking rapidly as if trying to gather her thoughts from the whirlwind.

But—unexpectedly—it also seemed to lighten the mood.

She moved closer, sitting gently on the edge of the bed.

"Dear Rael," she began, her voice low but steady. "You know how everything has a beginning, right?"

Julian nodded, watching her closely. There was a softness in her tone now, a calmness that almost soothed the heavy air between them.

"Yes," she continued, "just like that, everything—

everything

—also came from something. And that something..."

Her eyes became distant, thoughtful. "...are the supreme beings. The gods who watch over us all."

Julian raised an eyebrow, a spark of interest lighting his gaze. For the first time since this strange, weird transformation began, he felt genuinely curious.

Annie caught that flicker of curiosity and smiled faintly, the earlier embarrassment fading from her face.

"It’s hard to explain," she admitted. "They are beyond us, beyond understanding. Some say they are merciful, some say they are cruel. But when the gods curse you, their will is absolute."

Annie took a slow breath, readying herself for the weight of the tale she was about to tell.

"These supreme beings," she began, "vowed among themselves never to overstep one another’s boundaries. To respect the delicate balance of creation, preservation and destruction." She paused, as if searching for the right words to capture such grandeur.

"They sought to build a utopia—a holy realm where everything was perfect, eternal and unchanging. That utopia," she continued, her voice softening with reverence, "is what we call Heaven, or the gods’ lands."

Julian listened intently, his brow furrowing in concentration. He knew of the Authority of Death. Of Creation. Of Preservation. He had even been slain by Death himself. But

this

—this talk of a perfect heaven, god’s land—this was new.

"Utopia..." he murmured. Then, after a pause, "But Mother, why did they curse us? How could our ancestors offend such beings?"

Annie looked at him, her smile tinged with sorrow and pride both. She gave a small nod, then spoke again.

"Because our ancestors were not ordinary, Rael. We... were once one of the greatest families in the Gods’ Land. A lineage blessed beyond measure. We were powerful—so powerful, in fact, that we stood just beneath the Supreme Beings themselves. Below them... but above everyone else. Titans among immortals."

Julian’s eyes widened. "How powerful?" he asked, his curiosity spiking.

"Very powerful... The stronger a divine family, the more mortal universes they are allowed to oversee," Annie explained.

"And our family? During its prime, it held dominion over a hundred trillion mortal worlds. A hundred trillion, Rael. Do you understand the scale of that? Entire galaxies bowed to our will. Civilizations rose and fell by the flick of our ancestor’s hand. Our words shaped reality."

(Mortal world refers to every world aside from the God’s land. Even the one with mages, cultivators, swordsman etc.)

She paused, her fingers unconsciously curling on her lap.

"But power... power breeds arrogance. And arrogance... invites punishment."

Annie took a deep breath, the history of countless years pressing down on her.

"What actually happened mother..." Julian pressed gently.

She looked at him hesitantly, unsure if to go on or stop. "We... overstepped our boundaries. We tried touching what was not ours to claim."

"What do you mean, Mother?"

Annie remained silent, struggling to find words that could capture their ancestors’ betrayal without drowning young Rael in despair.

Julian, sensing the gravity of what she was about to reveal, took a step forward. He placed his hands on her shoulders, firm and reassuring.

"Mother," he said softly but with unwavering conviction, "this is important. Tomorrow, I will be tested as a breeder. If the heavens allow, I will become one. But to carry this burden, I need to know my past—our past. I need to understand what we have done, so I can face the future."

Annie’s eyes softened, touched by his resolve. She nodded slowly, gathering strength to unveil the truth that had shaped their cursed fate.

"The head of our family, at that time," she began softly, "fell into a one-sided love... not with just any goddess, but with the Mistress of the Heavens—the wife of the Supreme Being of Creation himself."