"So, what do you think? Do you accept the mission?"
"Yes!" Damien replied decisively, his gaze fixed on Thaumiel.
Thaumiel's eyes sparkled with excitement as a wide grin spread across his face. "You've made the right choice!"
Damien's expression shifted to one of confusion. "What would have happened if I hadn't accepted the mission?"
With a casual shrug and arms outstretched, Thaumiel responded, "Well, for starters, you'd be stuck here with me for eternity, and trust me, you'd feel incredibly lonely!"
Damien's lips twitched in disbelief. "So you're saying that if I didn't accept the mission, I'd be trapped here indefinitely? Can't you just send my soul back to the river of reincarnation or whatever it's called?"
Thaumiel chuckled lightly, shaking his head as his wild purple hair danced behind him. "No can do! I'm only allowed to pluck one soul from the river of reincarnation every ten thousand years, unless there's a crisis that requires sending apostles for specific tasks. Plus, I don't have my own Divine Domain; this Chaos Hall is just a boundary between this Universe and the Void. It took quite a toll on me to pull your soul from your world to here. If you refuse the mission, you'll have to wait another ten thousand years before returning to the river of reincarnation!"
His tone was calm and almost playful as he explained it all to Damien.
As Thaumiel spoke, Damien's expression darkened further. It dawned on him that since arriving in this place, he had no real choice but to comply with Thaumiel's demands.
That means from the very beginning since coming here, he'd had no real choice at all.
After all, he wasn't like Thaumiel or Kaelos, both cosmic beings for whom time held little meaning.
For them, ten thousand years might feel like a short nap; they are unaffected by time's passage.
In contrast, Damien was merely human; even an hour spent in one place felt torturous to him.
The thought of enduring ten thousand years in this godforsaken void, where silence reigned and scenery consisted solely of distant stars, was enough to drive anyone mad.
He looked up at Thaumiel again, who wore that same bright smile. It made Damien question whether this being truly embodied chaos and destruction because his demeanor seemed so at odds with such an identity.
Thaumiel was like an onion with countless layers; deciphering his thoughts felt impossible and it was precisely these kinds of individuals who were most dangerous.
Taking a deep breath and forcing a chuckle through gritted teeth, Damien said, "I see I'm completely under your control; I can't make my own choices!"
Thaumiel simply shrugged in response.
"Now that I've accepted the mission," Damien continued while rubbing his nose thoughtfully, "how exactly will I arrive in Elysium Prime? Are you just going to toss me there?"
Thaumiel shook his finger playfully and replied, "First things first,I need to give you a new body! Your previous mortal form was simply garbage, even garbage has more qualities than you, yours is just too disgusting."
Damien's face twitched in response. "Do you have to be so blunt? Besides, my body is in decent shape! I used to go to the gym; you can't say it's worse than garbage!"
Thaumiel's eyes flickered with disdain. "In the eyes of mortals, your body might seem fine, but before a god like me? I can only say it disgusts me. That's why I didn't just yank your physical form away!"
Damien's lips twitched again, but this time he held his tongue. Arguing with Thaumiel felt pointless; the guy seemed like a professional at provoking anger.
"It seems one reason you were kicked out of the Celestial Pantheon is that mouth of yours!" Damien muttered under his breath.
Pfttt!
A suppressed laugh escaped Kaelos once more.
"Eh!" Thaumiel looked momentarily speechless upon hearing Damien's remark. He shot a glare at Kaelos before shaking his head.
"You have two choices for your new body," he began, turning his back to Damien with his hands clasped behind him.
Damien immediately adopted a serious expression as he listened intently.
"First," Thaumiel raised one finger, "you can transfer your soul into a dead body in Elysium Prime but you'll lose all memories of that body!"
"Second," he continued, "I can create a new body for you. However, you'll land randomly in Elysium Prime without any guarantees for your safety, you could end up in a monster-infested area or even inside a volcano or ocean!"
Damien wore an expression of helplessness. "You're a god! Can't you make this easier for me?"
"Nope!" Thaumiel shook his finger dismissively. "Which option will you choose: the first or the second?"
Silence enveloped Damien as he contemplated Thaumiel's words. He lowered his head and thought hard.
Thaumiel turned around to observe Damien deep in thought and smiled. Although he could hear Damien's thoughts, he wanted him to speak; after all, it had been hundreds of thousands of years since he'd had an actual conversation with someone other than Kaelos.
"What an interesting lad!" Thaumiel rubbed his chin and chuckled softly while keeping his gaze on Damien.
Damien's mind was racing with countless thoughts. Thaumiel had presented him with two choices, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
The first option involved being reborn in a dead body on Elysium Prime. While the specifics were random, there were potential upsides, he could find himself in the body of a very strong individual, making his new life significantly easier.
On the flip side, he might end up in the body of a beggar. Regardless of the circumstances, he would at least have an identity to work with.
However, this choice came with significant drawbacks: he would have no memories of his new life or body, which could put him at serious risk.
For instance, if luck favored him and he was reborn into someone powerful,perhaps even the head of a prominent family, he would still lack their memories and skills, rendering him vulnerable.
If someone greedy recognized his situation, they could easily exploit it and make his life miserable. Ultimately, for Damien, the disadvantages seemed to outweigh any potential benefits; it wasn't a safe choice.
The second option offered a different path: Thaumiel would create an entirely new body for him. This came with several advantages; for one, he could craft his own identity without much difficulty in a world like Elysium Prime. He could simply claim to be from a remote village that had been slaughtered by bandits,no one would pry too deeply into that story.
Another benefit was that he wouldn't be tied to any specific location upon arrival; as Thaumiel mentioned, he might land anywhere, from a volcano to the middle of the ocean.
It felt like playing the lottery: if he landed in a favorable spot, he'd hit the jackpot; if not… well, luck had never been on his side before.
Still, Damien believed that Thaumiel wouldn't throw him into immediate danger since completing his mission depended on him surviving.
While this second option carried its own risks similar to the first one, its advantages were clear. He would be born anew, shedding his previous miserable existence like old skin while retaining only his soul.
With these thoughts swirling in his head, Damien looked up at Thaumiel, who wore an expectant expression.
"So have you made your decision?" Thaumiel asked.
"You already know my decision!" Damien replied with an eye roll.
"I'll take the new body."
A wide, genuine smile spread across Thaumiel's face.
"Excellent" he smirked, his eyes glinting with cosmic satisfaction.
"Let's begin".