"…and then I realized I liked science…"
Lith was still explaining his past to his mother and sister.
The embarrassing childhood memories were finished and he was now talking about his high school ones.
The positions the three were in had changed with them shifting to the lounge room in the middle of the inner ring.
It was a grand hall with couches, TVs, and appeared like a luxurious modern house from Earth, with an added Victorian gothic touch.
Lith was lying on the couch, his legs propped up on the armrest. Lilith and Lucy were sitting on the couch opposite to him, sipping on tea and listening to his past as if they were his therapist.
"…also… it was only after I went into the STEM field did I realize I actually liked money and not science in particular. Sure, the theories and existential dread it gave were amazing, but I took computer science later on because I liked money," said Lith.
Lucy took a sip of her tea and put the cup down on the saucer in her hand. She interrupted and asked, "What's STEM and what do you mean by existential dread?"
"Ah well…" Lith scratched his head and went on to explain further what they meant.
By existential dread he meant the theories which were famous on Earth. Stuff such as entropy moving forwards at all times leading to various events.
"Very shortly, what I know of is: expansion accelerates, galaxies move apart faster; stars exhaust fuel, star formation ceases; red dwarf stars extinguish, last stellar remnants fade; black holes evaporate by letting out radiation; protons decay, matter disintegrates; heat death occurs and universe reaches maximum entropy…"
"…and eventually, the dark era arises and all matter is evenly distributed everywhere. After that, there's prolonged darkness and there's speculation stating that there could be rapid contraction and then expansion once again, leading to cyclical changes and creation of the universe again."
Lith summed up the years of scientific work given by various physicists and scientists really briefly.
Lilith and Lucy had no change in their expression. They were simply sipping on tea and nodded their heads, understanding everything.
Lith was surprised by their reactions and couldn't help but ask, "Did you guys even understand what I was saying?"
Both nodded their heads again.
"I've read those books stating proton decay and whatnot. They're available everywhere here, in case you don't know," said Lucy.
'Ah… right… this world has people from Earth,' thought Lith.
"Right, about those books. They've been made available by people from my past life's world. I don't know what's the reason, but there are a lot of people reincarnating here from Earth," Lith said.
Lilith put her teacup down on the saucer and a clinking sound grabbed everyone's attention.
"I think I know why."
"What?" Lith and Lucy looked at her in surprise.
Lilith didn't explain further and snapped her fingers, making a screen appear above the table between the two couches.
On the screen, a video played of an old man waving his flag. There was a word 'Destiny' written on that flag.
The old man muttered some words and the scene changed to a portal opening up in some other part of the world.
From it, a grayish mist, which Lilith pointed out was a soul, seeped out and flew to a random dead person's body.
Lith was thoroughly shocked by this and swiftly changed his position to sit straight.
He frowned and stared at the screen with a piercing gaze.
With a neutral expression on her face, as if it was an everyday thing, Lilith took a sip of her tea and said, "That old thing is the reason for so many reincarnations."
"That old man with the destiny flag?" Lith asked.
Lilith nodded. "It's not an old man, it's a spirit. The World Spirit, to be precise. It has no gender or sense of age and it takes the appearance of an old man to spite me."
"What…" Lith and Lucy both muttered.
Lilith put the cup and saucer down. She sighed and swiped her hand, making the scene on the screen change.
The World Spirit appeared again and it was roaming around the world, acting like a fortune teller and manipulating the reincarnated beings from Earth.
"That old thing hates mama," said Lilith softly. "Mama had only just ascended to Godhood at that time and this thing popped up in this world. It seemed like an enemy, so mama imprisoned it for a lot of years."
Lith's eyes twitched. 'How can you make such a mistake…'
Lilith continued, "It had been weakened quite a lot and the imprisonment was not a simple jail thing. It was being tortured too. So…"
'Yeah… No wonder that old man's so salty…' Lith and Lucy both thought internally.
Lilith spread her hands and shrugged lightly. "Nobody told me about it, so how was I supposed to know it wasn't an enemy? After all, at that time, I hadn't met any of your aunts and was staying with the Fenrir Clan here in the Vampire Continent. The then King was pursuing me, so I regarded everyone as my enemy."
"Fair enough…" Lith sighed and said. Lucy too nodded.
"It was only after I could feel someone's cries in my soul and a strange tremor did I understand the World Spirit is connected to me."
Lith rubbed his chin and pondered over this. 'So… Mom's ascended to Godhood and by doing so you get a free World Spirit?'
Lilith could tell what Lith was thinking.
She shook her head. "No, ascension to Godhood does not mean you get a World Spirit. The World Spirit manifests only when there's no Star Master in the world and if the world's will is strong enough to provide such a manifestation."
Lith didn't understand a single thing from this.
"Mom, dumb down your words, I can barely grasp anything," said Lucy.
Lilith shook her head and said, "It's irrelevant. Even if I tell you two about it, you're not getting a World Spirit for yourself. Unless you shift to some world that has no God in it and also is strong enough to have a powerful will."
Lucy tilted her head in confusion. "You said you ascended to Godhood, right mom?"
"Yes. Didn't I tell you before?" Lilith asked.
Lucy shook her head. "You only said things in bits and pieces. And I'm sure you said nothing to little brother."
"Baby's cultivation wasn't enough to know this," Lilith said flatly. "Now it is a different matter."
Lith looked at his mother with interest. "So you're saying you wouldn't have said those things if I wasn't a King Rank?"
Lilith shook her head. "Mama's sorry, but no. Some things can only be known after achieving a certain strength level."
Lith sighed and didn't comment on it. His mother had a fair point in this regard.
"So… How's Godhood?" Lith asked.
Lilith flashed a small smile. "Let's save the talks for later. We are still in the middle of uncovering your past."
Black lines formed on Lith's forehead.
Lucy chuckled and said, "Right… So little brother is from the world called Earth, yes?"
Lilith shook her head. "No, my dear. He's from this world. That was his past world."
"Hm?" Lith raised his eyebrow in surprise. "Do you not feel anything bad about this situation, mom? Like say…"
Lith stopped speaking and frowned. There were no proper words to describe his situation.
He was about to say he may have taken over the baby's soul which may belong to the former Lith, but this didn't seem right.
It basically meant he killed the previous Lith and took over him. Such a sensitive thing couldn't be said no matter what.
Lilith, noticing the saddened and confused flicker in Lith's eyes, sighed and said, "Lith…"
Lith was snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look at his mother.
Lilith looked back. She got up and walked over to him.
Bending down, Lilith held Lith's face and peered into his purple eyes with her own. "Look at mama. Look at mama's eyes."
Lith did as asked.
"These eyes, this hair…" Lilith held Lith's long hair and showed it to him. "…they're all something you inherited from me. It's physical proof that you're my child. Now… close your eyes."
Lith once again did as asked. He felt a warm sensation on his forehead and opening his eyes, saw his mother touching hers with his.
"Close your eyes and feel it," Lilith instructed.
Lith shut his eyes.
A warm sensation took over his body and in the vast expanse of darkness, a flicker of purple suddenly flashed.
Wondering what it could be, Lith tried to get closer to it, and he succeeded in doing so.
The flicker turned into flames, they were purple-silver in color.
The flames erupted as Lith gazed at them for a while and soon, he was enveloped by them.
The scene changed and Lith found himself in a vast expanse of grassland. The world around him was gray and black.
In this gray world, a crimson radiance suddenly erupted and looking at the source, Lith saw a crimson moon in the sky.
"Turn around," Lith held a gentle voice.
Turning around, Lith saw his mother's figure. She was the same as in real life, wearing a black regal gothic dress.
Lilith's gaze was calm and she said, "This is the soul, Lith. Yours, to be precise. And the me you're looking at right now… It's a strand of my soul I sent in yours."
Lith was silent and listened.
Lilith walked closer to Lith. "No intrusion can occur in one's soul, it is a sacred land. Not even Gods can come in this place."
Lilith was right in front of Lith. Her eyes locked with his. With utmost seriousness, she continued,
"But… I am here."
"Do you know what this means?"
Lith shook his head. He didn't.
Lilith smiled softly and held Lith's face. "This thing… my child… is the ultimate proof. If I wasn't your mother or if you weren't my child, I wouldn't have been able to come here."
"You are not just connected to me by blood, but with soul as well. If you weren't my child or had taken over him, this thing wouldn't have been possible. It is exactly because of these reasons that I never thought you were a reincarnated being."
Lilith's gentle expression then turned to a confused one. She let go of Lith and thought out of loud, "However… It's strange. Really strange. How come I didn't sense a soul appearing?"
"What?" Lith asked, speaking after a long time.
Lilith shook her head. "Let's get out. This place isn't right to talk. Your soul would take damage if I continue to be here."
With that, Lilith snapped her fingers and the two appeared back in the physical world.