Seeing Eldrian''sck of agreement, the deity sighed. Truly, never had they been so exasperated with a single person. They understood Eldrian''s reluctance to ept the statement as is, but one moderate sess meant littlepared to all the grand failures before.


    And the recent event hadn''t even gone smoothly. If it had, he wouldn''t be here with another''s soul—absorbed into his own. A truly reckless action, but it seemed that no adverse effects woulde from it. Perhaps only a few memory problems for the next few days.


    Arguing would be a waste of time. Besides, not all things that would result from that catalyst event would be bad. And Eldrian had shown some growth ever since the Diades incident.


    That incident wasn''t entirely his fault, either. A legendary devil had ced her eyes upon him. There was little he could do to avoid falling for her trap.


    Ever since then he hadid low, trying to prepare himself and wary of using spirit magic and his auras. So much that he refused to touch them. This meant he wouldn''t improve his control, which was a problem, but it would also stop more explosive events from happening. Until he was forced into using them again, leading to an even grander event than before.


    He couldn''t hide, not unless he was willing to actually hide away from the battle. Clearly, he would not. Thus, he had to learn how to control his hidden abilities.


    "Regardless, we advice that you do not ask about the nature of mana. We won''t answer such questions until you are ready to handle what knowing would bring."


    ''I guess that''s fair...'' Eldrian pondered for a moment, happy that he did not need to endure what he would consider a needless lecture. He was learning, perhaps only a bit too slowly.


    As for what to ask, he had no idea. He had so many theories, so many unknowns, so many fears—too many questions. But recalling how he had ended up here, one question took precedent over all the others.


    "Is... Is Vivian''s father safe?"


    "We might be a god in this world, but we are only an AI. Our capabilities are not endless, and there are over a thousand billion beings with souls in the world. Millions pass on each second. It would be impossible for us to follow all these souls while maintaining the entire cosmos."


    "Then... Can you find out?" Eldrian rephrased his question, hoping for a more positive reply.


    "That we can do, but it will take some time and we cannot do anything while here. Do you know which god this person followed?"


    Eldrian felt ashamed. He could only guess. He first jumped to Dioktis, the god of war. But recalling his early days with the old veteran, he had been a family man. Doing his duty to protect those he loved. It was entirely possible he followed Asteria in his heart. But Asteria was the god of life, fertility, and nts. Eldrian didn''t even know if there was a better god—one representing family or love, perhaps?


    "I can''t be certain, but I think it would be between Dioktis or Asteria. Or perhaps there is a god for families? It could also likely be a god of love?"


    "So he was a father fighting to protect; at least that what you are basing this off... I''ll ask Asteria, Dioktis, Uvdione, and Esther to search their domains. I assume you asked for a reason."


    Eldrian nodded, feeling regretful at histeness in acting once again. "He was under a lich''s torment for a long time."


    "The lich with which you have merged your soul?"


    "The lich whose soul I absorbed." Eldrian rified.


    "Indeed, it seems you understand what you did." The deity looked at Eldrian with motherly concern. If his will was strong, then the bacsh would not be too terrible.


    Eldrian showed no regret, and they feared he might go down a dark path. While it would help in theing days, it might turn him to the side of chaos.


    This time, his reason had been understandable, but to go so far. He had opened the gates. Going so far again would be easier next time. And the time after that...


    As with most things rting to power. The more you relied on it, the more you lusted after it. One way to contain this lust was to avoid contact, as Eldrian had done with his auras out of fear. But it was not a true solution. When the time came, he would fail and rely on it... And he would fall.


    "I know this is the path that the devils went through, and what they do is unforgivable. But there is a difference between punishing those who deserve it and torturing the innocent." Eldrian said, rifying his stance. He had noticed the deity''s pause and could easily summarize why.


    "Are you saying that no devil is innocent?" Gaia questioned, attempting to gauge how wide Eldrian''s floodgates were opened.


    "I''m not sure. I often wonder about that... But if they ever consumed another''s soul, then they certainly aren''t." Eldrian answered resolutely. He had thought about this for a long time ande to his own answer on this. He would draw a clear line and anyone past it would receive no forgiveness.


    "If you are firm, then it should be fine." GAIA paused for a moment. That Eldrian was willing to doubt reduced their concern. It showed he would not stick to this belief if new information was toe up, which meant he could still change and that he could still close the gates. For now, at least.


    After a brief pause, the deity indicated for Eldrian to ask his other questions. "We are certain you have many other questions left. As we said before, we shall answer what we consider appropriate."


    ''What should I ask now?'' Eldrian wondered, thinking of all the things he had questioned. "I assume I can''t ask what mana actually is? If it is some sort of exotic matter or simply a different phase of matter that phases into and out of reality? This will all be a no go?"


    "You assume correctly. Besides, the answers would be tooplicated for you to understand without first diving deeper into science and mastering a higher level of education than high school."


    ''Well, don''t hold your punches.'' This was the first time someone actually brought up him dropping out of uni. Normally, Eldrian wouldn''t care. But basically, GAIA had just said he was too dumb to understand the answer to his biggest question.


    Certainly not a pleasant thing to have a god, a god of creation at that, indirectly suggest


    "Alright, then... Can I ask what XP actually is and does? I found I can''t separate mageia, lifeforce, and XP. So I use them synonymously. Would this be a problem?"


    "It should not, as long as you understand synonyms do not mean the same thing as each other. They are simr, but not the same."


    "Yeah, I know that. At times, one term will fit better than the others..." Going on to exin how he had ssified and rationalized the three terms, Eldrian asked if there were any faults in his logic.


    "Your understanding is quite urate. Mageia -your own term- is a verb; the action of connecting with mana is your definition. Lifeforce is a noun, it is a person''s innate connection with the unseen, with mana, and all things magical. This includes life itself, which truly is a wonder...


    "It might be better to define mageia as the act of essing your lifeforce with the purpose of connecting and controlling mana. As for XP, it represents the amount of lifeforce."


    Eldrian nodded, d that he had been on the right track. This made the earlier remark sting less. He wasn''t dumb, he just hadn''t had the time to learn what was required to understand the answers. "Is it possible to use XP, or lifeforce, as fuel for magic? I remember I once did, so it must be possible."


    AN: Remember to vote andment if you are enjoying the story.