The Ashen Keeper

Chapter 55

[Firekeeper POV]

"Teacher, do you believe in God?"

"What manner of question is this, child. Doth thou wish to ask me if God existed or if I worship God?"

"Just asking but I would like to know both if you can explain more. I mean Thor is a god and so is Ego. Now this 'Grandmaster' could also be a god."

Wanda was now eating as a form of resting from her training. Both Loki and Thor did not get lunch time due to them not needing it. They were 'gods' after all. She decided this after they decide to brag about how they were 'gods' and that Wanda was but a 'small human'.

"I do know God to exist but not in a form thou may be familiar with."

Wanda tilted her head looking confused at this.

"What I meant would be the fact that Gods did exist back in Lordran. Some created life. Others destroyed them. A few were worshipped while some were shunned and hunted. God is a word far too broad for us.

On Earth, people prayed to God for hope. In mine former home, however all beings pray to God not to gain hope but to kill others."

"To kill? Teacher, the gods in your world are a bit ... radical." The keeper smiled at her disciple's attempt to use another word for good and bad. She had learnt from her teachings it seems.

"Radical? Sure, I will have to agree with thee that they may go to extremes, but the gods merely reward their followers with miracles. Sometimes, they demand a sacrifice. Other times, they might be required to only pray.

I suggest thee to look at this as a form of transaction rather than a holy or sacred ritual. God for us is not a supreme being but just a higher lifeform. Can thou believe that there were beings who worshipped Selph and Falkor as gods."

"Those two? But, they are like children."

"And that is also another reason why some people do not wish to meet the gods they worshipped. They fear that the gods they worship will be different from the ones they made up in their minds."

"So, you are saying that nothing is perfect?"

"Yes, child. All beings evolve and improve day after day. Even the everlasting dragons who existed beyond creation itself are still learning new things to this day. Thou shall know the pain of perfection when thou become truly powerful.

There existed many beings who longed for perfection back in my homeland. They went mad in pursuit of it losing their original purposes.

Of course, there might be some who succeeded but they would be no different from dead. They would already know anything and everything that could happen."

"But wouldn't that be good? They can know everything and anything. They can look into the future as they wish and change the past to their desires."

"Wanda, true perfection means that they will have already experience everything to the point nothing is new to them. If thou do something fun over and over, it will eventually become boring.

The same goes for perfect beings. They have already experience everything existence itself has to offer to them. Anything is boring to them.

They have already experience future events that has yet to exist alongside the past too old to remember. They too, will eventually go mad or simply exist like the dead. Doth thou wish to be truly perfect?"

She shook her head.

"No. It sounds bad. I still want to experience many things. I wonder if someone have become perfect."

"The concept of perfection should always be perfect. A goal all pursues but a goal that none can ever achieve. But enough about perfection. Tis a matter not worth obsessing over. I heard that Thor will be fighting his final round to earn his freedom. We shall go watch him."

"So, will you leave Loki alone? Let's leave him alone."

She flicked her finger on Wanda's forehead which caused her to hold her forehead in pain. Faint tears were already coming out of her eyes.

"Loki is Thor's brother, my dear Wanda. Just as I do not tolerate the brothers leaving thee out, I do not wish for thee to tolerate the brothers out either. Get it, my dear disciple?" She truly did not wish to discriminate among her own disciples. She wishes for them to get along forever.

"Yes teacher, I was just joking." she pouted as her disciple look upon her.

"Yes, yes I know. Now, let us get moving. I do not wish to be late on my disciple's big day." She ignored the fact that it was she herself that sold her own disciple to slavery. It was the day he will regain his freedom if he wins.

She eventually got into the theater. She saw Loki beside the Grandmaster. He waved to show that he saw them. Wanda was sitting right beside her. In the ring, the grandmaster himself was narrating. The everlasting dragons were there with them too.

"Wow! Look at all of you. What a show, WHAT-A-NIGHT! Who's having fun? Please, I'm your host. Big round of applause for all of our undercard competitors... who died so gruesomely. Good sports. What a show! What a night! This is what you've come for and so have I."

"He sounds like a terrible person.", Wanda whispered. The keeper merely nodded in agreement.

"And now, without further ado... it's main event time!!

Making his first appearance, though he looks quite promising, got a couple of tricks up his sleeve. I'll say no more, see what you think. Ladies and gentlemen...I give to you...Lord of Thunder!"

The two dragons frowned at word 'Lord'. It was clear that they did not approve of the name.

Thor entered with his shaved head, trimmed beard, minimalist armor, covered in weapons. Two swords on his back, giant mace in one hand, spiked shield in the other.

"Watch out for his fingers. They make sparks." Wanda had a good laugh at that.

"Okay, this is it. Let's get ready to welcome this guy. Here he comes. He is a creature. What can we say about him? Well, he's unique. There's none like him. I feel a special connection with him."

Suddenly the floor beneath Thor's feet lowers. A slow, tension growing with the excitement of the crowd. The huge door slowly opens.

"He's undefeated. HE'S THE REIGNING...HE'S THE DEFENDING... Ladies and gentlemen... I give
you..."

She did not sense the entire planet due to the fact that it might be seen as rude by the Grandmaster who is the owner of the planet. She saw an acquaintance as the door was barged open.

"THE INCREDIBLE HULK!!"