“Eat this.”
She opened the basket.
It had fruits, sandwiches, jam.
The usual picnic setup.
The woman—
“Mother.” She corrected him.
“Can you stop reading my mind?
“And I thought Neo’s mother— my mother was a human?”
“The reincarnation that gave birth to you was a human.”
She continued.
“Stop talking like you aren’t Neo Hargraves when you haven’t awakened your complete memories.”
“If you can read my mind you should know I’m—”
“You don’t know everything Neo.
“The knowledge you have gives you an edge over others, but it doesn’t make you omniscient.”
Neo had a hard time processing everything that was happening.
‘Lets get the facts straight.’
‘I’m Neo Hargraves and my mother is some kind of powerful being?’
“Not ‘some kind’ of powerful being. I’m someone you know. My maiden name is Persephone.”
Neo froze.
“…Persephone, the Goddess of Spring and Vegetation?”
“Yes.”
She let out a smug smile when she saw his stunned expression.
“You can praise me more, you know. No need to feel embarrassed.”
A sigh escaped Neo’s lips.
She really didn’t feel like a Goddess.
“I’m sure ‘my’ parents were both human. Even brother said the same.”
“We were humans. Those reincarnations were at least.”
Before he could ask what she meant by reincarnations, she added,
“Let’s not talk about those sad topics. I’ve met my son after so long. I want to know about him.”
“….”
Neo did not understand why Persephone was sure he was Neo Hargraves.
She should be able to read his memories and know he was someone from a bygone era.
He was a transmigrator.
He stole her son’s body.
“You want to know about me?”
Neo pursed his life.
“I have been training since the day I awakened my God Blood….”
He told her everything from the moment he woke up in Neo Hargraves’ body.
How many times he died.
How many times he nearly went insane from Darkness.
How he struggled to keep up with geniuses who had been training since childhood.
Persephone smiled.
She listened to him.
Neo felt the burden over his heart lighten as he spoke for hours.
“Good work. You’ve worked hard. I’m proud of you.”
“…”
Those words made him choke up.
Neo struggled to hold back his tears.
He didn’t understand why he was acting like this.
“It’s okay to cry.”
Neo did not cry.
He chuckled.
“I’m too old to cry like a baby.”
A smile blossomed on his face.
“Besides, the training was not difficult. I liked it.
“It’s the proof I’m becoming stronger.
“That’s how I’ll reach my dream and surpass everyone. Be it the Hero, the Godking, or Father.”
“Oh my, you want to surpass your father? Those are some big dreams.”
She teased him.
They continued to talk.
Persephone kept asking him questions about his life.
“Is there a girl who is showing interest in my handsome son….”
“Why are you so thin? Are they not feeding you…”
Neo was an orphan in his last life.
He wondered if this was how parents talked to their children.
It was nice.
Before long, Persephone figure started to become transparent.
She was fading away.
“It’s time for you to return to your world.”
The unknown power wrapped around Neo.
Knowing he was about to leave, he asked the question on his mind.
“Will I meet you again? Not your reincarnation, but you.”
He did not understand why she was undergoing reincarnations.
Those reincarnations lived and died like normal humans.
They had no knowledge or memories of being a God.
But the Persephone in front of his eyes was different.
“Yes.”
Neo stiffened.
She was lying.
He understood it instinctively.
Suddenly, Neo recalled the future he had read in the novel.
The Gods would fall.
Then, his father and mother —
“Neo.”
Her words cut through the ominous thoughts threating to drown him.
“Your father and I’ve lived a long life.
“You don’t need to worry about us.
“Live for yourself and be happy. That’s all we want.”
“Wait! At least tell me why you are undergoing reincarnations! I might be able to help—”
Neo woke up in the hall of Sphinx’s lair.
“Dammit.”
He did not revive himself.
Persephone sent him away.
“Why won’t you answer me?”
It was obvious.
A Demigod like him was too weak to help the Gods.
Whatever was happening, Persephone did not want to involve him and put him in danger.
“Neo Hargraves?”
The Sphinx called out to him warily.
“What happened to you in the fourth vision? You took a lot of time.”
“…”
Neo exhaled.
He needed to focus on the task in front of him.
He stared at the Sphinx.
The fourth vision….
Who was the man in the fourth vision?
Neo was half-convinced it was himself.
However, the Sphinx confirmed he did not exist in the Akashic Records.
The Records could not know his future, since he did not exist in the pre-recorded timeline.
“It was my future, I think. But is that even possible?”
The Sphinx did not answer immediately.
It pondered over his words.
After Neo’s revival, the threat of Elizabeth disappeared, and it could think more calmly.
“It might be a parallel world or a fake future created to target your fears. We can never know.”
Neo smiled bitterly.
Whatever it was, the Akashic Record showed him a nasty vision.
Neo stood up and sat on the seat.
The Sphinx looked at him curiously.
“What is it, Inheritor of Death? The visions have ended.
“They should’ve taught you about the emotions. Since you have your answers, you can leave.”
Neo took a breath and spoke,
“Quella would choose me.”
“….?”
“I wouldn’t need to kill Anna, because I’ll make sure Vanessa never dies.
“I’ll propose to her before she leave, and stay with her forever.”
“….”
The Sphinx stared at Neo in surprise.
He was answering the questions it had asked.
“Both of them were wrong.”
Neo exhaled.
“Those are the answers to your three questions. Ask the fourth question now.”
“Pfft—”
The Sphinx covered its mouth.
Its shoulders shook.
It tried to stop the chuckles from bursting out and failed miserably.
“Ahahahahah! What’s up with those answers!?”
The Sphinx held its stomach.
It laughed.
It laughed hard.
“You answers make zero sense!”
“Are they wrong?”
“No, and that’s why I can’t stop laughing!”
There was no definite answer to the questions.
In fact, every answer, whatever it maybe, was correct.
Remaining silent was the only wrong answer.
The test was easy.
Still, the Sphinx never saw anyone give a ‘correct’ answer.
No one had ever come out of vision and answered.
They all remained silent.
…
The visions were the answer to question of Darkness users like Neo.
It taught them about emotions by showing them scenarios they never encountered, by showing them cruel choices that demanded one to choose between a rational choice and an emotionally driven choice.
The question whether Dios was right or Kronos served the same purpose.
Logically Melione had to be held accountable for the Apocalypse, but Dios driven by his emotions took her side.
Every vision showed extreme scenarios for similar purpose.
However, there was a side effect to them.
People immersed too much in the visions.
It wouldn’t have been weird for Neo to think he was Silas and not Neo after he spending eighty years as him.
Immersion.
It destroyed the sense of self of those who lived in the vision for decades.
Sphinx asked provocative questions to check if the person’s sense of self was still alive.
It questioned Neo if Quella would choose him or Silas.
Neo could not answer the question back then.
Because, as Silas he did not want Quella to choose Neo, and as Neo he did not want her to choose Silas.
He had become immersed in the fake persona of ‘Silas’.
The same thing happened with anyone who took the test.
This was why they never answered Sphinx’s question.
However, Neo did the impossible.
He gave answers.
His sense of self overpowered the eighty years of Silas, five years of Orcus, and thirty years of Dios.
He maintained his ego.
That was the only reason he could answer.
“Now, I’m curios. What did the fourth vision show you?
“Before the fourth vision, you couldn’t answer a single question,” said the Sphinx.
“Is that the fourth question?”
“Yes, it is. I might as well satisfy my curiosity since it’s clear you’ll answer the original fourth question easily.”