"Why are you not affected by my presence?"
At her question, William did not respond immediately. Instead, he allowed a brief silence to settle between them as he searched within himself for a suitable answer.
The truth was, he did not possess a definite explanation. The only plausible reason he could think of was the existence of his unique physique.
He also understood that what seemed extraordinary to mortals of Aris might not hold the same significance in the eyes of a goddess.
To Xythia, such a detail might be trivial, or worse, it might reveal more than he intended. Thus, he chose his words carefully and did not intend to tell her that he had a divine physique.
After a moment of contemplation, he slowly raised his head and spoke in a calm, measured tone. "I do not have a definite answer, but I speculate that it is because I carry a physique that is... somewhat special."
The moment his answer was completed, the golden scale suspended between William and Xythia reacted. Its balance shifted, and it leaned toward William’s side. It was a clear indication that his answer held more value than the answer that Xythia had given him earlier.
William observed the movement of the scale without any sign of panic. He already understood the nature of this exchange. The imbalance could be corrected later, provided he asked questions of sufficient value. What mattered was that, by the end of their interaction, the scale returned to equilibrium.
Recognizing this as an opportunity, he did not hesitate.
"Tell me everything about the curse placed on my mother and Aunt Samantha."
He delibrately phrased it in this way, because there was a chance that the curse did not belong to xythia, if he asked her that ’why did she curse his mother and aunt’ then she would simply deny it and it would be useless, William had no idea when the exchange of questions would end so he decided to ask the important stuff first and keep less usefull knowledge for later.
William also realised that this was a good opportunity to ask questions that the system either denied him or claimed to have no idea about.
His gaze remained fixed on Xythia; anticipation was quietly building within him.
Upon hearing his question, Xythia smiled faintly. The question was not unexpected, in fact she had been waiting for him to ask this.
"The curse placed upon those two women," she began, her voice steady and composed, "is a form of blasphemy curse. Such curses cannot be cast by ordinary beings. Only those who have reached the level of a deity or higher are capable of invoking them, not the insignificant ants that exist within this realm, but beings on the level of gods."
She paused briefly, allowing her words to settle before continuing.
"A blasphemy curse is imposed when a devotee fails to uphold a promise made to a deity. In such cases, the deity in question may choose to punish the offender... or may choose to overlook the transgression."
Her expression remained calm as she went on about the curse.
"The particular curse affecting your family did not originate in their own generation. It was the consequence of a broken promise to a diety made several generations earlier by one of their ancestors.
The deity who issued the curse initially chose the mother of those two women as the vessel to bear the burden and repay the debt."
William’s brows furrowed slightly, but he remained silent, allowing her to continue.
"However," Xythia added, her tone shifting ever so slightly, "an external intervention altered the course of events. A third entity—one whose existence surpasses even that of the deity who cast this curse—interfered. As a result, the blasphemy curse was transferred to the embryo of their mother."
"Due to specific celestial alignments within the higher domains, the embryo of their mother split into two, leading to a twin birth. Consequently, the curse itself divided as well, binding itself to both individuals."
William’s expression tightened as he processed the implications, but before he could speak, Xythia concluded with a faint smile.
"The curse does not belong to me. As for the identities of the entities involved... I will not reveal them unless you wish to lose your hearing the moment their names are spoken."
As her explanation came to an end, the scale reacted once more. This time, the shift was significant, the weight tilting heavily toward Xythia’s side.
William grimaced slightly. The sheer value of the information she had provided far exceeded his previous answer. It also confirmed something unsettling: his family was entangled with forces far beyond his current understanding.
The uneasy sensation he had been feeling ever since activating the Oracle of Pandemonium had not faded. If anything, it seemed to grow more pronounced. For a fleeting moment, a troubling thought crossed his mind.
What if that sense of danger was directly connected to this revelation? What if he had already drawn the attention of something far beyond his reach?
Yet, he quickly reasoned that if such an entity truly intended to eliminate him, he would not be standing here contemplating possibilities.
Suppressing his unease, he focused on the present. The answers he needed would come through careful questioning.
Now, it was Xythia’s turn.
She observed him for a moment before a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Tell me," she said, her voice carrying a subtle curiosity, "about the energy you used to protect your mother and... your woman from my pressure."
At her question, William’s mood soured for two reasons, first was that he would have to dwell on the existence of the variance energy, and second was how the goddess knew that Tamsya was his woman. Why was there no privacy here?
How did she know?
Was there truly no privacy in the presence of a goddess?
Pushing aside his irritation, William carefully considered his response. He could not afford to reveal too much. Certain truths had to remain hidden, no matter the circumstances.
After a brief internal discussion with the system, he finally spoke.
"That energy originates from a world that is no longer alive," he said slowly. "It is ruled by flux and possesses the ability to render mana-based spells ineffective. It is not something that is known or understood within this realm... and that is all I can disclose."
As his answer settled, Xythia’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The information intrigued her, yet it provided no concrete understanding.
The mention of "flux" did not correspond to anything within her knowledge. She could not determine whether it referred to a deity, a concept, or something entirely different from her imagination.
What captured her attention the most was the idea of a dead world... and an energy capable of nullifying mana.
For the first time, she felt a trace of regret, her smile wore off.
She had underestimated this mortal.
Agreeing to an oath under the name of the universe had limited her options. The third condition in particular prevented her from using any form of force or charm to extract further details.
Her expression shifted subtly, revealing a hint of annoyance.
Meanwhile, the scale adjusted once again. Although it still leaned slightly in her favor, the gap had narrowed.
William remained composed as he observed the change. Without wasting time, he proceeded with his next question.
"How can a mortal kill a god?"