Unable to grasp the meaning behind Edavias words, Roel stared at her with a skeptical frown. Edavia sensed his gaze and paused her laughter.

Dont look at me like that. I am serious about this, though my interpretation might differ from yours. What I am referring to is a soul split.

Soul split?

To put it in another way, her soul had reached its limit. Having finally calmed down from her laughter, Edavia leaped down onto her chair and looked at Roel. Have you ever wondered why Sia is the Mother of All Life?

Isnt it because She is the creator and root of all Origin Attributes?

Thats part of the reason, but it isnt an accurate interpretation. Life comes in all forms, and there are plenty of beings who are incapable of harnessing an Origin Attribute. How would you reconcile that?

Well

Roel fell into deep thought. Putting aside the demonic beasts, there were plenty of animals and humans who werent able to step into transcendence and harness an Origin Attribute.

The answer is simpler than you think. Sia is, as Her title suggests, the Creator. If I have to draw an analogy, you can think of the world as an existence manifested by Sias spell.

I see Hold on; a spell?

It looks like you have already connected the dots. Fufufu. Your mind churns fast. Edavia clapped her hands as a compliment.

Roel slowly widened his eyes as a thought came to his mind.

The ironclad rule of the world: all spells come at a price. The price Sia had to pay for the creation of the world was Her soul.

Her soul?

The burden of sustaining the world is borne by Sias soul. I know this better than anyone else, being a Spiriteer myself. She might have restricted my freedom, but I have to admit that She is a noble existence worthy of being titled the Mother of All Life.

As Edavia recalled the past, the sinister smile on her face slowly receded to reveal a more tender expression. On the other hand, Roels heart jolted.

He couldnt even imagine just how difficult it was for a single entity to shoulder the burden of an entire world. If Sia wasnt worthy of being titled the Mother of All Life, no one was. However, he suddenly recalled Edavias conclusion and frowned.

You mentioned earlier that Sias soul has split. That means that

Mmhm. Her foolish love got the better of Her, Edavia said with a deep sigh before unraveling the mystery.

Sias soul was the foundation of the cosmic spell that created this world. As an almighty being, Sia had no trouble bearing the burden of the worlds creation. However, just like how seedlings blossomed under careful nurturing, the world slowly came to prosper.

The rapid population growth of the races exponentially increased the burden Sia had to bear. She was forced to descend upon the world and impart the Origin Attributes to the races so as to lessen Her burden in sustaining the world. She also eliminated the monsters that had gotten bloated from disproportionately consuming the worlds resources.

You are referring to the demonic beasts?

Thats right. The war between the saint beasts and the demonic beasts greatly reduced the burden of sustaining the world, while creating the conditions for the ancient races to rise to prominence. Ironically, that was also what eventually destroyed Sia, Edavia lamented.

!

Roel frowned at those words.

The destruction of the greedy demonic beasts and the dissemination of the Origin Attributes were both beneficial to the worlds allocation of resources. Yet, Edavia asserted that this was what resulted in Sias downfall.

Perplexed? Fufu. I would be too, because the answer is more foolish than you can imagine Kingmaker, under what circumstances can a person make the most logical decisions?

Id say its when a person is being rational.

Yes, I agree with that. What a pity that Sia was unable to do the same.

Edavia sighed yet again as her smile finally vanished. Under her explanation, Roel finally learned the true reason behind Sias departure.

Assuming that rationality was the key to making logical decisions, the next question to ask was what could potentially undermine ones rationality. There were many answers to this question, but most of them could be traced back to one thing: emotions.

Before Her descent, Sia had been an outsider watching the world, similar to a gamer engaging in a simulation. She would have been willing to do anything to ensure the smooth operation of Her created world.

But everything changed the moment she descended upon the world.

All of a sudden, the NPCs in the simulation transformed into vibrant living beings. In the war against the demonic beasts, She had found loyal subordinates, trusted aides, and close friends. Unknowingly, She had borne feelings for Her creations.

The problem was that history always repeated itself.

While the threat of the demonic beasts had disappeared, the races that had acquired the Origin Attributes swiftly developed and grew in numbers, resulting in an increased burden on Sias soul yet again. She began to approach Her limit, but despite being faced with the same problem as before, She couldnt make the same decision anymore.

War would have been an easy solution to the problem, but She couldnt do it, not as a mother. She loved all of the races, even Spiriteers who frightened Her. Fufu. What foolishness this is! Yet, thats also the reason I can never bring myself to hate Her, Edavia muttered as she looked into the darkness.

Roel fell silent. It was a long time later that Edavia finally snapped out of it again.

A mother who slowly withered because of Her maternal love. Thats probably the ending that befell Sia. You should have an inkling of the answers to your other questions now.

Are the Mother Goddess and the Savior the results of Sias soul split?

You can think of it that way. An existence like Sia wouldnt just disappear into thin air. A soul split is the most likely outcome I can think of. However, that is all the more reason you need to be exceptionally careful.

Why?

Roel was perplexed by Edavias remark. Before he could hear an answer, his body started to flicker once more like the garbled image on an old television box.

Looks like we dont have much time left. Fufu. I shall get straight to the point, then.

Looking at the anxious look on Roels face, Edavia did away with the suspense and revealed her conjecture with a sinister smile.

Assuming that a soul split did occur, why do you think the Savior and the Mother Goddess are antagonistic toward each other? Two entities split from the same origin dont necessarily share the same nature. Do you think there is a distinction between good and evil between them?

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Roels eyes widened in wariness. Edavia smiled at that sight.

Carefully think it through. Your life is at stake here. See you, my Kingmaker.

Their meeting finally concluded amidst the evil gods chuckles. Roels body vanished with a flicker, and his consciousness submerged into darkness.

!

It was already the following morning by the time Roel awoke from his sleep. The sun was as brilliant as ever, and a faint floral fragrance lingered in the room. He stared at the ceiling with dazed eyes for a moment before slowly getting up.

Edavias parting words were still drifting in his mind.

Should a soul be split into two, there was no way for both parts to be similar. If anything, they were likely to have polarized tendencies. This realization introduced quite a few thoughts into Roels mind.

However, he was so occupied with his thoughts that he didnt notice a pair of eyes staring at him from the shadows.