There were many things that I had been surprised by today, but this thing was actually the most surprising.
After all, this certainly wasnât what I had been expecting to see.
The small ball of energy that was formed did have some defining features that showed what it was, but it was hard to believe that this was what those features were making it seem.
If these defining features were right, then it was even harder to believe that this thing was that.
It just didnât have the aura that one would expect it to have.
"I can see the way that youâre looking at me. You really arenât sparing any thoughts for this old birdâs feelings."
An awkward look appeared on my face when I heard this before I gave a cough to calm myself down and said, "Well, you should know why Iâm like this. Itâs just a little hard to believe that youâre like this."
"Ha, ha, I donât blame you for that, but itâs a long story. Are you willing to listen to this old birdâs story?"
Even if it didnât say this, I would have asked about it. So in the end, there was no hesitation from me as I nodded in agreement.
"First, I just want to say that the god that I serve is dead."
"Huh..." A stunned tone filled my voice when I heard this.
This was something that I had guessed earlier, but it really was a different feeling when this godâs messenger actually confirmed it.
A god could actually die...that was quite the shocking revelation.
However, that also gave a bit of insight into why the gods would be doing all that they did to fight against the forces of Destruction. It wasnât just because it was their duty, it was also because their lives were at stake.
This was something that I had figured would be the case, but it was hard to confirm this since I never had confirmation that gods could die.
Still, it wasnât as if I would stop fighting against the forces of Destruction or that I would be doing anything different now that I had this information. The reason that I was fighting against the forces of Destruction in the first place was all because of the people that I wanted to protect.
It wasnât as if knowing this would change any of that.
"My condolences. I donât know if this is something that happened recently or if..." I trailed off after saying this.
The small ball of energy gave a chuckle before saying, "Donât worry about it, this is something that happened a long time ago. This is something that happened all the way when the God of Destruction was first sealed."
I gave a slow nod as I digested this information.
It wasnât as if it was that surprising since the gods had taken the matter with the God of Destruction very seriously. It was only natural that something like this had happened in the past.
"Then are you still a godâs messenger?" I slowly asked this question in response.
"The title of godâs messenger doesnât disappear if the god that I serve disappears since Iâm still blessed with their power. Until their power disappears, that is when I lose my title."
I fell into deep thought the moment that I heard this since there was quite a bit of information that was in this sentence.
The key thing was the last part about losing that title.
If one put it in different words, it would mean that this godâs messenger was close to losing their title. It meant that it would only be a matter of time before this godâs messenger lost all their power.
"What have you been using your power on?" I asked after a long silence.
With another chuckle, the godâs messenger said, "Isnât it obvious by now? Youâve already connected the dots, so is there a need for me to give you an answer?"
A wry smile crept onto my lips, but indeed there was no need for the godâs messenger to give a concrete answer since I had already guessed it.
It was the reason why this kingdom was blessed with good fortune.
The godâs messenger continued by saying, "Itâs because Iâve scattered my essence across this land that itâs like this."
"But why are you doing this?" I couldnât help asking when I heard this.
The godâs messenger gave a sigh before saying, "This is part of the contract that I formed with the founder of this kingdom. He was the one that I contracted with and the one that I made that promise to guard this kingdom. Thatâs why I have scattered my essence all across this land."
"Still, that doesnât mean that you should be disappearing just because you did this. You should be able to recover from this, shouldnât you?"
After all, that was the essence of what kind of legendary beast this was.
Just a single look at the defining features made it very clear that this godâs messenger was a phoenix.
Phoenixes were creatures that would be able to continuously recover by generating new flames. As such, it wouldnât really make sense that this godâs messenger would be running out of power like this.
Even if they were running out of divine power.
"You have no idea just how much power it takes to bless this land, itâs far more than an old bird like me can supply."
"Then if you just stop blessing this land, wouldnât you be able to recover?"
"Perhaps, but thatâs not how it will be."
My brows knitted the moment that I heard this, but I didnât say anything to try and convince the godâs messenger out of this. After all, I could hear the firm tone that was in their voice.
Even if I wanted to say something, it wasnât as if they would listen to me.
As such, all I could do was ask, "Why did you want to see me?"