Reincarnated as a Duck: A beast progression litrpg isekai

Chapter 296 285: Anger of Pollux

Origin Titans were deathless, accursed by the very Beginning of Everything. Many thought it was their right—even boundless purpose—while most eras thought of them as mysterious and majestic pieces who were alive and ongoing like laws of the cosmos and all the realms in existence and beyond it. Some even didn't think they existed in the first place.

It wasn't about Life or Death, or similar high principles of the universe. Some dared to call them Dao, but such subjects had long passed for many planets and cultures.

Origin Titans had long disappeared from the eyes of men, demons, and a myriad of other races. Awareness and ideas touched upon quite a few private and toxic traits, for many of them were hiding behind the screens of chaos and dread.

There was a fact that Divides parted stuff apart. What came afterward was the final destination, a new goal, or simply a way onwards. A different way, that is.

"You see," Pollux continued after setting his eyes on a task ahead of him. That was Murai, who didn't like what he had said. "There are events that many could do, yet even more people and beings can't fathom what it is like to live in this perpetual cycling force. I call them minor characters, so…. are you a minor character?"

"Shit…" Murai reckoned and briefly shook his head to see if his head was even on his shoulder. It was. "Here I thought this wouldn't get worse, but it did. You don't live my life, Titan! You would never do it!"

"Yes, I guess that goes without saying. But guess what? There are those who will do it without hesitation because that's in their best interest. Is it in your interest, too? No, but it is fine. It is bad. It is terrible. We are all terrible, until we are not, yes?"

"Huh?" Murai gazed at him and felt like an idiot.

"For example, there have been instances where Pantheons sounded adequate and merged with what was good and nice about races and powers pertaining to the cosmos. Many kids wished for more of that, calling for Titans to appear and help them with their steps and pedestals, and to make cool statues. Silly ideas, apart from the statues. I made one, and that was it. Anyway, it was a good time and era, but hearts change, egos grow, and mouths growl. There is no further definition of what brings eras together. They tend to fall apart. The heart of the issue is not supposed to be endless, but I am certainly inadequate to call your attention to it, let alone teach you or preach about it. After all… I can barely count anymore, but aren't hundreds of pieces within you?"

"I get it." Murai nodded, growing confident in this talk, so he walked onto the edge of the shield and almost fell down. He was a couple of meters before Pollux, with his beard dangling closer, and distant eyes looking at him.

"I don't suppose you believe what I am trying to say and accomplish, little creature."

"You want me dead or gone—that's not happening, by the way!"

"Oh, I wasn't saying that. I was suggesting departing and letting rotting to take place."

"Ha!" Murai laughed at such silliness and fluffed his chest and straightened his beak. "You reek of it… Yet you protect and fix nothing."

"Ah, this is an issue. It seems hate reaps you apart, which is fine. Who it is isn't important, for I am myself. Still am, and I plan to be. Nevertheless, my head commands and words worry me. You should listen to me, whether you hate me or detest what I stand for."

"Of course, I am not trusting you. Who do you think I am?!"

"Likewise, reckoning this kind of voice heeds special attention. You are in my forge. Speak frankly, will ya?"

"F-frankly?! With you?"

"Or should I toss you out of the Void and call your shot meaningless? I suppose if you got here in one piece, bearing fruit and seed, something nice is happening. What, however, is not in my head and eyes. It… is late, or distant, or I don't see it properly. Odd, that is. It feels nice to be surprised and see something for the first time. You have no idea how much joy it brings me! To see it unfold while not knowing what's next. Shame I won't step out of my pathway for you. Never again."

"..." Murai judged him and never knew such old big shots could be so… talkative.

"Now, you can laugh." Pollux clearly taunted him with this message, but Murai wasn't having any of this.

"Your kind gets on my nerves a lot, and you don't even know how much! Why are you here, you lofty, stepped-overgrown giant, and what does it make sense for you? I take it that you knew we would show up, considering the talk of Battleworld and Levandis. You can and will touch Reality whenever your kind likes, since that's oh so much like you all! And I know a thing here and there. You also know about me… what I did, and what I make, don't you?"

"Obviously. Still, I had no idea about time, for time is specific and distant to me. That one portal in the warehouse hasn't been exactly active either, so don't take your time and thoughts for granted. Take the truth out, question it, and ask yourself what gains and ideas are there for you to grasp. I may live carelessly, but even I have my reasons for existence." Pollux said, shrugging in seeming boredom.

"Listen, you—"

"By the way, nice clothes. I can't see a single sensible idea in mixing birds and demons with wear, but it has a nice style. I must say, it suits the soul." Pollux added, leaning to take a better look. His words were all over the place, and his natural nod and appreciation were bordering on aggressive nodding and satisfaction by not being alone.

Murai felt distracted by all that beard and beads in the way, while that face and eyes weren't one bit calm or inviting.

"You are now in a Temple of the previous Sungod, right? Levandis of…who knows what, is my current... plaything? Client? That is a wrong term, but I don't care to be shackled, or being played with behind the scenes, or out in the open. It isn't as if anything is done to me, or against me, since what can even do it? It doesn't matter, right? Very few things do, frankly, yet here I am, in my corner of existence, and I bother no one. So tell me, is something bothering you about this, or is it about what I have done?"

"You judgmental fool…" Murai thinly reckoned and noticed how Pollux's mood, beard, and eyes flinched.

"Well, it isn't cheap, or fake, and I know what it can bring. Mind you, nothing has ever been orderly out there. Nothing. You. Them. She. He. Whatever is pronounced or beings there is and will be."

"Yet you could be shameless and shackled as long as you are willing or eras are unwilling, aye? You make excuses for being capable or incapable of creation and change, but in the end, you are all just husks of existence and what once was. I can't father this existence. I can't see the point, but I run and run and run. Oh, and run. Blindly. Sometimes, even with vigor and friends. All for it to end in one way or another, because every End brings me no joy. It is Death. I bring it, yet live it. It's painful." Murai called his bullshit out and didn't like where this conversation was turning.

He was also at fault, but he didn't want to admit it as their prudent and chaotic conversations reached a crescendo.

"Theoretically, faults of many sides fall on everyone. Including your shoulders, falling on them hurts the earth and under. Space is big. You can't expect to feel righteous in the Chaos like this, yet it is a dreamy sustenance for certainty. Well, no. That is wrong. It's how things work in practice, or ideas, as I can see, it has never worked so far for you. But it gets close really quickly until it shakes and falls into the abyss. I call it nothing. You can blame many for what has happened, be that here, there, or to you, to her, to me—you get me—but no guesses or pleadings will change a thing. Change comes from within, not from actions that speak and desire eternity."

"Hmph!" Murai stomped the ground, feeling every speck of his patience overwhelming and leaving his side. Such a wordy effort from Pollux went as he expected, and he wasn't surprised this freak talked like this. Murai didn't like this person and wondered what the hell would happen if he pushed it further.

Death, he knew.

Every damned Origin Titan was the same. Uncanny. Uncaring about distant points, but each sounded lofty and full of distant past eras, as if they knew everything there is. They should be uncaring about facing Reality. Theirs had passed, for they are like statues, remembering and still showing what they were about, but the cosmos didn't care for them anymore.

They were like Gods in that regard, though still far away from their true terms and standing. They weren't inherently wrong in playfulness and ideology of existence, as everything had a right to exist. They embodied what went further, into distances or histories they ought never to remember.

"Forget it. I am not caring enough about you to get angry. Not after what you have done to us, you jerk!" Murai turned back, playing by his rules, and ignored this asshole. He walked away, though it was impossible to get far in a few moments. He sat aside, his back to Pollux, which created quite an awkward atmosphere.

Lisa watched and heard everything they said, identified multiple points of interest, and merged her mind with the memories she kept close.

A talk about the Beginning of Everything was within her perception. After all, she had already started this point with Murai after the Resonance and their updated bargaining connection. It was still shaky, yet that was to be expected. Lisa was still playing around with words and actions, whilst a much worse reality was present right before her.

Besides that stuff, there were the Origin Titans, who implied even more apparent topics within her than what Murai showed and told before, and she was no better. They both left some stuff out for their own good. Unfortunately, that could be wrong; Lisa was never certain what he didn't know or truly feared, especially when he was playing an angry, sitting duck.

Only one of them was familiar and twisting her plays. She didn't know what Origin Titans could even do for him, or where they came from, but she knew what they implied and what they meant to her.

Why Murai called him out with such fierceness and frustration was indeed like him. In fact, most of their conversation gave her a massive headache, or it was simply because of Pollux, who was so darn close and cocky towards her that it clashed with her interests. That could count for something dangerous and meaningful, for she could use it.

"It's my turn now, so turn around, little beast," Pollux said, uncaring about his willingness to see his truth or point.

"Don't care. You don't either." Murai played this game the hard way and sat on the shield.

Pollux seemed perplexed by his reaction, but he was also somewhat understanding of his objective and fears of his kind. He found the sitting duck interesting, and considering that hoodie, there were wonderful additions to what this era was showing. After all, he witnessed Murai's soul and saw him for that, plus magic, and quite a peculiar mix of elemental stuff.

There were pondering methods of gathering information, and someone old and weird needed no further context to realize the truth. He was fine with any truth, even if it could twist and turn upside down any minute.

Murai didn't budge.

Sighing, Pollux gave up on him and looked at Lisa. "Then the little ghost will do until this angry mutation calms down."

"What? Me?! I don't want to have anything to do with this," Lisa questionably pointed to herself. "I don't want to misjudge a deed, let alone understand what is going on with you."

"You are dishonest like a Peavil."

"Who is that, or... what?"

"You shouldn't want to know that."

"Than—"

"We have reached some minor combustion with your little friend over there. I suppose talking to the other problem is also fair, so here we go. Imagine that: two little creatures walk to my forge and do what? Hate me for that? That's weird." Pollux said, then moved closer to Lisa, who backed up until she hit the wall. She should go through it if she wanted to escape.

Too bad. The content of the Endless Sky was tough, and she wasn't an overpowered little ghost before this being.

"Isn't this a reward room in the Temple? What is even happening?" she whimpered in hurt pride by channeling quite a different topic from Murai.

"Do you want a simple or a long answer?" Pollux waved his hand and pointed two fingers at her. He secured his right hand under his chin and waited for fun.

"Simple one."

"An easy one, then?"

"Wait a second!" Lisa fought back and hesitated. "Easy isn't always simple... so what are you trying to do? What is the origin of this temple? Am I wrong for it, or stupid?"

"Ay, I suppose this is a tough idea for you. What you went through wasn't really a thing. The only line I can see is thorny and rather peculiar. On the Surface, stuff happens and changes all the time. Gods don't even know it, but they sure as hell fear it with their little kingdoms and corners. Not that I blame them. Over the Sky, certain plays have established a foundation for cracking a couple of things apart and dealing with a couple of things at a time. It is silly. It is playful, but not alone. There are dozens of other lines, dear heartfell."

"No one calls me that."

"Yet you change your face and words on a whim of your desires. Some stuff should remain as is, but you won't."

"Stop it..."

"What?"

"Stop touching my soul!" Lisa shouted, angry and frustrated at this hegemon.

"No one stops a Titan," Pollux said seriously and snickered. Beside him, a loud pair of feet stood up and walked aside, one wing pointing to him.

"You won't bully a thing under my watch!" Murai argued without looking at him.

"Now. Now. This is getting out of hand." Pollux joked around and leaned against his tough chair, which wasn't as comfortable as he liked. It was for work and not for such rare events, so it shouldn't be comforting.

This gave him enough room, but before he knew it, Murai was done being a grudgeful duck. Lisa jerked her head at him, surprised he got ahead of her and placed his little feet beside him and her.

"You see, ghost, there are always some shamblings over every little thing, or large goals for better ones. Things fit in this little fella are incomparable, and he is like a walking disaster. I suppose it is fine for both of you."

"Will you explain shit or not? If not, we will leave with such gladness, you won't ever find it anywhere else!" Murai argued and felt that Pollux understood there was no other way around it.

So he talked. "This portal path led to me because of a perpetual senseless situation. Why? Where? I don't suppose many would visit me, but when they do, it is for something or someone special. Reason? Hell if I know. Cause? Maybe it is to get power or get better? What is it this time around, you dare to ask and question me as if I stole something from you? Oh, but I did. Wait, uh, they could also die. Should I juggle my hammer and guess the truth?"

"Surface? Sky? What kind of Sky? What Divine Kingdom is responsible for this mess!?" Lisa said firmly, realizing that his words and Murai's conversation had messed with her ideas more than she thought. She was late. Too late to get to the bottom of this madness.

"A silly little girl—Vermillion is her name, I attest—intervened with thorns and double-edged blades. Alongside her is Lordis, and… well, that's pretty much it, but he is a fine fella with too many responsibilities and pains nowadays. According to the paths I know, Ip'ur Mountain is on the other side of that little portal. It is a graveyard of a fallen titan and a battlefield of a former Sun God. Anyone who has a decent head knows such reasons. Right. Right. You are aware but fearful, and unaware that things have changed and that you are no longer who you think you are. You are being played, you little weak vi..." Pollux nodded to himself just when Lisa flew ahead and approached his face.

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"You big shot, eh?"

"Are you finally listening?"

"You are an awful, insensible fool for having such a big brain."

"Heard that. Done more. Also, that Old One had better insults. Maybe you should listen to him more, or reconsider your life. It is a thing, you see. Why change who one is and will be? Keep bashing like this, and you won't be you anymore."

Another lesson that Lisa hated with a passion. She lost the follow-up and hastened her anger even this close to an actual Origin Titan.

"Godwing, you are called? Is it a Tittle?"

"Mine very own name, the one called Lisa."

"Hm. Levandis. What of her?" Lisa went straight to her point, rather than devolve into a pit that was her ego and Pollux's taunting meanings.

"Her, yes? You see, the Gods of the Battleworld are peculiar, and the sole reason you ended up in this place wasn't about luck. It was about effort and multiple Gods that pushed you to this edge, or maybe you did? Both of you? You walked and got to the Battleworld in one form or pact, and that's it. Got it? There are no vast reasons since every path leads to somewhere, and who leads, sees the ways, or care bout the streets is not me. It's you, them, and whatever else there is."

"Shit. I don't think I need to listen to this nonsense," Lisa shook her head. "Why are we here? Not how... but where it will end us? Can we even play with this place and you?"

"Oh, why ask? You already had. Why? Why? So many incredulous ponderings for such souls. No wonder you have died so many times and haven't felt a change. You've cursed yourself." Pollux's face turned sour and wonderful at the same time. It was truly weird how the contorting and dense clusters of his skin and muscles worked.

Normally, Lisa would turn even more sour and furious, but she could no longer do that. She calmed down instead and contemplated while floating in the space. "This situation devolved to all hells imaginable."

"Oh, dear. Not just hells. Battleworld was supposed to be your grave."

"Just a space. No grave."

"Oh, that is... truly some claim. Arrogant. Vicious. Likewise, there is no end to this curiosity, so that is splendid. I love how it sounds. Your time won't come, dear."

"That's not my point. Also, kindly shut off your tongue, or I won't have any more words for you."

"You speak as if a choice is here, waiting, changing. There is, but not in the way you would expect. You do it because you need it. Me? I would live just fine without your presence and even sing songs of my people. You won't."

"Shut off..." Lisa muttered and backed away, though very slowly, because she couldn't attempt the same thing Murai had, given their innate differences.

"Why be curious? I do not follow the pretexts and desires of no temple. I wished for it, but I can't. I advise and watch the Battleworld and its following cycle as many do, so I suppose this can be considered a reward room. Hence, I am supposed to give you something. What? Whatever it is, I am giving it, so what will it be? Did that little spirit call it something specific? This conversation has already delved into plenty of lows I am keen on. Heights, on the other swing...."

"Never mind them." Lisa sighed and understood how this whole situation had moved her assumptions. A complete and utter mess wasn't up to her to solve. It would happen either way, since their whole journey aimed at Pollux.

Mindarch allowed it and must have known about it either way, so it was either him… or Pollux was the most absolute problem in her imagination. Doubts could increase it, or worsen everything. Lisa judged it too much and realized how everything unfolded without her control. It just happened because she put Murai down on this path and Levandis Temple when she had no choice. It was more out of convenience and because the Encounter marked him as prey. That's it. She was also at fault, and lashing at this Titan wouldn't solve anything.

"Gods... This and that. Is there a way out?"

"Perhaps not. It is a bit strange, wouldn't you say so? Way in or out. It is not mandatory, but you are panicky. Getting right is another thing. Realize it. I do my work here, so feel free to choose a suitable weapon or objects within your power levels. This very Titan devises it, so there is no need to be sorry. Oh, and we are outside of the rules, but even then, don't be greedy. It is not advised," Pollux waved his left hands around, gesturing to the furnace, the anvil, and the shelves in many portions of his humble forge.

There were varieties of large weaponry, as well as tools meant for normal races. They were generally easier to make because of less material complexity and bulk.

Of course, what goes on with regard to Godwing Titan's forging methods had unfathomable means. Lisa counted at least a dozen cosmic-tier items and even more half-baked tools in the middle of the making.

And that included the world being halted so they could live, breathe, and have this conversation. A lot more was hidden in plain view.

"Mere toys... The world won't adapt. We would be sinners if it did." Lisa said.

"Yes, but there is a skill I have gained with Timeless. It's worth having some passion for the dullness of everlasting, so I am a fairly excellent craftsman, who, fortunately for his mind, can't see my finest work in action. It is no shame. Truly. It would have meant I see what I lack, so I don't watch. It is clever… so take it as a lesson. Don't question everything and accept the worse for less worst stuff. It is truly poetic. I learned it after—" Pollux then laughed, uncaring about their irritated and hilarious faces.

"RALLY!?? This bullshit again," Murai quacked, turning his neck around and joining their conversation. "Then how the fuck are you getting those materials, styles, foreign equipment, and things you require? Let alone anything else, you are suspicious. Not fearful. You are a jester stuck without purpose and fear the others, aren't you?"

Pollux changed his face for the first time and squeezed his fists.

"Hmmm..." He hummed, and the air's tension leveled the space. Lisa flew down to join Murai on the ground, where both dropped like broken trees.

"You... fucker." Lisa whispered to Murai. "I say to mind this fucking business, hadn't I? That titan is dangerous, so don't anger him."

"You think?! This talk can't escape my eyes, you stupid,"

"Like your—"

"Hey. Calm down with it, you two," Pollux said, clapped, and stood up, towering over them like a sentient tribunal. "Your arguments bore me. I sell things, by the way. I have business and devious followers, and that alone is fine with me. It's just not the best kind of deal in the grand scheme of things, and my work tends to follow procedures and years' worth of effort. It is fair, unlike you."

Neither of them listened.

Pollux excused himself and then pointed to his anvil. "See that? It's a masterpiece that has been unyielding for three whole Chaos Cycles. A hard thing indeed, but it is weird. I don't even know what I touch or vow to do. It is forgettable. Fleeting. Not stupid. It is devious and advious, as well as continuous as my life. I don't even know what I make it for."

"You are wasting so much time talking about bullshit... and doing stuff, all for nothing. So much for the Titans. What a shame for them to fall into obscurity," Murai snickered, turning his head back to the ground, though his lying body wasn't very encouraging.

"Are you in a hurry? I would advise compassion and responsibility rather than judging me as them. I am not them."

"Why?" This time, Lisa talked. "Aren't you a Godwing Titan? A figure that helped Pantheons build foundations and devise specific sorts of Divinities according to heaps of Divides? Both, right? A being that ran and hid because of changed godhoods that befall epochs themselves? Your eras have passed, so don't joke. You are a mere traveler hating all the work that comes with your status."

"Godwing is... me," Pollux said tearfully and sat back down. "Ay. This truth hurts. Many lies and work hide in there, in words, everywhere. Many do it. Many hides... expecting the comeback war to happen, but who is judging this time, if the tribunal and Above are fragmented and expanding so quickly and nowhere. It is old. I don't think you dare to even think or imagine it, but you can't. I can. Your souls and time are trying to live to fulfillment and start it again, yet to be met with the hostility of the hope and desires is to live all over again. And for what? Where? It is just not fair. How could it be fulfilling? It isn't reasonable. There hasn't been a speck of fairness in the spacetime in all of its creation."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Lisa asserted and almost cursed him like Murai.

"Second chances are your wishes. Don't joke about it. It makes suffering bearable and ends unseen. That is what I can see. I am curious and unseen myself."

Lisa grimaced, unwilling to listen to this nonsense, but she took it in her mind regardless of Murai's quacks and Pollux's obvious anxiety. From eyes to face, his skin wrinkled, and his mood and Authority changed.

There was room for improvement, and he described some very nasty information and the reality of his matters.

All in all, he was explaining his perspective and manners to them and hoped they would listen.

Which wasn't easy in itself, but was that all, or even fine?

An endless ego was truly terrifying.

"Vermillion, eh?" Murai asked if he had caught this word right.

"Just a mere line," Pollux added, thinking this God was inconsequential but weirdly involved and willing to go well beyond her casual means and life. It was a fine, yet never-ending fine.

"Who isn't a mere line, then?" Murai asked, and even Lisa joined.

"Can you watch everything, you scornful fool? Like... with the things Murai talked about? The starts and curses and ideas that race and worlds guide?"

"Oh, joined and loud. How perplexing and complicated you two are when working together. Both thoughtful but hateful and not even adjacent. Funny, that is. But... do you wish to hear that point? My life, that is. My purpose!?" Pollux asked, still heaven deep in his Authority.

If he wanted to talk, he could. Why not? If not, no holdings would stop him, let alone shake his mind or responsibilities.

He should be free, not weighed down by mere ants. In fact, he could get out of this space and time if he ever wished for it, though his desire would then disappear like a fickle flame met with the Void. The universe held no escape. None would find escaping Titans reasonable, but quite a few figures would be angry and question what was right and false.

It would also make such a funny sign for the rest; Pollux didn't want to see it happen. He was just so fed up with everything for so freaking long, it was fine to stay gone! To sit on his ass, estimating time and watching eras shift and turn, was a fun position with unique twists. It kept flowing on, unending, albeit with dozens of times as many interruptions as would otherwise be healthy.

Briefly, yet with a surprising affection, he sized Lisa up about his past and ideas. It wasn't a gift one would want to see or devote one's attention to. However, Lisa wasn't comfortable with his subtext and hated his guts for her reasons. But even though she felt it was right to change her mind because Murai was there, listening and judging her, it still felt heavy.

They were the Primordials. They called themselves by many names and acted as the first beings to land upon the lands of creation. They followed nothing conventional. There were Titans, makers of the first runes and magic, who pretty much marked the epochs into order and chaos and created races and demons as a whole. Some of that was false; she knew at least that much, for history was deeper than mere realms and aspects of cosmos and demons.

It all started somewhere, and before that, where or what was there?

It was a common historical fact that secrets pertaining to all Epochs were sacred and untouchable. Nothing and nobody would see to it, but every era within changed the status of the cosmos ever so slightly, either by powerful beings, reasons, or religions.

They were all curious, bad yet powerful, and seeking everything more than the previous generations.

It went on, spanning worlds, and then cosmic sectors that assembled constellations, and then galaxies. Endless and boundless, the number of stories within this throbbing topic made Lisa's mind hurt again.

Maybe such worlds and stories even Pollux forgot, or their meaning and point became too large to bear, or too insignificant.

Were there a couple of dozen of them in total? Hundreds of Primordials sounded like an awful lot of shitheads, but they too could die for some reasons. It might not be up to them, for there were rumors that anything could seize the binding of space and become one in charge. It wasn't even about much time. Generations could live and die and change, and the universe would go on until the next fateful era.

Lisa listened attentively to what Pollux wished to do, gain, or push at them, while Murai took many of his words with less attention. He was still pissed off, so that was that.

Pollux was a Titan of his name, and his words were heavy and quite surprising, unless emotions troubled the answers or pushed the questions in an unfortunate direction.

Pollux shifted his attention several times and added a couple of hints and trivial information about Pantheons, which made his life miserable, or why this world and many others shouldn't bear with their existence. There were excuses, of course, but they were acceptable since they were partly true.

This went on for almost two hours until a chance occurred. It was about another visitor, who flew with force and surprise under the warehouse's door.

It was Lorry, and to no one's surprise, he was flying in absolute dismay, knowing that he had almost died because of Razmund, Ceila, Lookish, and saw through that shitty space. A deep fatigue was hiding within his Soul Flames, but even he didn't know every single secret and decency about this plot and grace.

He was told of them, however, and that was one of his few sins he knew Lisa was bound to see. The Origin Titan resting on his chair spooked his soul and flames alike, and this was supposed to be a partner in crime?! Right within the perception of Lavandis, his main Lady in crime?

"Wh-what's what?" Lorry cluttered his teeth, watching the ungodly large being resembling a half-naked homeless man. He conversed with, shed a tear for, laughed at, or showed anger toward two very weird beings.

Of course, they did not surprise Lorry. He had more interesting questions ahead as he flew to Pollux, who reclaimed his large anxiety and made the space less threatening.

Pollux frowned at the annoying skull, pointing his finger at Lorry and, since he didn't find it necessary, clasped the air again.

In a moment, the cluttering, screaming skull flew to his palm, where it appeared like a tiny little blemish. Soon, Lorry was resting between two massive and stone-cold fingers, bearing a weight of his will, sins, and screams.

"I can pin you to smithereens. No one will care. No one will detest it. Not a word will come of those eyes, or you will. You will regret ever caring about Levandis." Pollux said, giving Lorry an unending stream of nightmares.

"Hey, let him go," Lisa said coldly after reclaiming a large chunk of her mind and wits. She pleaded for Lorry's sake, but also for what she wanted to do to him personally.

"Oh, Lisa?!" Lorry screeched at her, hoping she was alright.

"He doesn't deserve to die such a measly death. There are hundreds of better ideas. In fact, he could live on and see Levandis moan in regret. Hmph! I can't wait for that to happen."

"Oh, I am sure he would live forever if that's a wish to die for. Of all things, a skull. Ghost? And..." Pollux said, flicking Lorry far away.

"Duck," Lisa answered, pointing to Murai, who was still bothered by the entire event and didn't want to speak to Pollux.

"Duck?" Pollux found that world lacking compared to everything he stood for and knew about the vast cosmos. "I don't like the name."

"Welcome to my world..." Murai said with a tearful mood. "I mean, this hoodie wouldn't fit just anything, right? Chickens are different. I am not a bird!"

Pollux agreed without a single doubt and let Lorry free. With that, Pollux turned his attention to Lisa, since Murai was unwilling to go beyond his boundaries. He was becoming more and more annoyed by them, and wasn't he also in a hurry? What were they doing here in the first place? No matter what, he wished to end it all so he could focus on his route and not die like an idiot.

What else did he have other than that soon-to-be blade down his neck? From the Encounter filled with troubles to being a Challenger in these Gates that Lisa took for strange safety, there was also that cursed God Trial and its petty punishment of Lordis, along with some other freaky reasons mixed in with the rest.

As bad as it sounded, Pollux turned out to be a dramatic turning point. He told them a fair bit about the Battleworld and the problems Lisa and Murai had. For example, he believed the nuanced power of Boosts was rather endearing and a fine concept since, once gained, nothing was wrong with them. One still had to think about choices and what they accepted, which meant Evolutions in Murai's specific case, followed by magic. For that one, he was certain he wasn't willing to test the unknown waters and rather focused on what he understood. Blades and swords were fine, and that, according to Pollux, meant a far quicker journey ahead of his feathers.

He didn't talk much about Anatidaes besides his opinion on Murai as a whole, which was unfortunate. Not that Murai wasn't complaining. Lisa wasn't done talking to Pollux, who had watched this world since the passing of the Old World, and didn't hate speaking at length about it.

There were more lessons than crude facts, and Lisa sort of knew about most of them in one form or another because Pollux wasn't as interested in those who ran this world. Hence, the topic shifted to personal issues they found intriguing.

Weeks ago, Murai argued with Pakutan, the God of Pain, and was cursed with a God Trial. If not silly and forced, Pollux wasn't sure what it was after hearing such a stretchy juncture. Gods were stupid for it, or just one of them was. Either way, he didn't think they were making too big a mistake. He believed Murai could take it whole if it comes down to breaking boundaries. He even alleged this world was made for it, which Murai took with grudging silence.

Murai could only laugh at himself for trying… well, arguing against anything this Titan thought, since he didn't detest Gods as long as they wouldn't meddle with his pacts and plans. Which is to say, this entire world was inappropriate for that. They clearly left their bed on the wrong foot and knew no Titan was lurking in their gardens.

No words about Pakutan Blessings arrived, and the entire form of Boost was broken. At least that was Pollux's concern, while the Somalis Tower Sub-Dungeon turned out to be a historical site. However, it was where every bad problem formed, and Murai's life changed like fate.

It wasn't even everything. Murai reasoned that all of this started when a Devil Fox kidnapped his egg and stashed it in the cursed cave, which was part of that dungeon.

When Murai thought about it, wasn't that kind of weird? A lot had changed later, and things had gotten worse, even though he had grown stronger and evolved. What was the best of any of that? What ifs were sparse, crude views, yet he was still alive.

Murai was an old soul and adapted to many odd worlds. He had Lisa to thank for empowering this one, as an eccentric hunting watch came with the Blessed System, which Pollux thought was the most fun one he had ever seen. Neither of them knew why the Titan thought so. The main part was still in Murai's head. His soul. His abundance of willpower and memories stemming well beyond the endless horizons.

How tough was even Level 50 God Trial? No one could tell, so was it worth the effort if he had a rough strength to engage with fodder soldiers at that Level? What about true talents at that Level, or even higher ones? What of Rain, whom he met in the Redglory Forest, and with whom he shared his first proper conversation? One of his feathers waited there, in that forest, even if it was hazy and uncertain. Rain was a Blessed as well, and seemed inviting even when he battled Murai when he was nothing but a little duckling.

And Rain lost.

Not that long had passed, and Murai had already walked far from that little duck. He had no clues about that Trial waiting for him simply because he overstepped those shitty, forced boundaries a long time ago. Maybe even from the very start, it was insignificant to him. Pollux kept reminding him of that, telling his back he ought to fix his own mistakes because no one would do it for his kind.

He sort of wanted to do it, but how to tell this Titan to shut the fuck up because it wasn't working?!

But what was? His circumstances weren't the norm, so he should get stable and fall back to the right spot. Pollux suggested it a couple of times, or meant it as a way to overcome his limitations.

Either way, that was a part Murai wasn't confident about. Maybe he should show off his own ways and how mistaken these Gods were about him.

Like him, Lisa neglected his God Trial. It was fine; there was nothing proper about it since it was a time-based event, and they had enough time since Murai was ridiculous, and no discussions would change that. Especially this one, with Godwing Titan talking to them as if he needed it more than they did.

Pollux kept saying this feeble situation sounded silly and unnecessary.

Murai wasn't sure if he implied his Cursed Living, or if his whole existence was marked by those Gods and other matters. Suggestions weren't optimistic; his brief life as this duck was compromised, and his magic, or the entire mix, which wasn't even walking on this world for a long time, felt wrong like this Titan.

Maybe there was no problem at all, contrary to one foolish, mistaken, and sad goddess chosen as the Afterlife.

Maybe all this time, Murai was the one meant to rise to his feet and give his soul a beating to understand this duck was better than he thought. Better than any God had ever feared or believed.