A shiver ran down my back.
—His-Histor...! Like the sixth god of the Threedial! —I stammered, barely able to pronounce the name.
—I'm glad you recognize me —he replied, slightly tilting his head—. Although I'm not the sixth... I'm the first.
—But... if Edgar is the first, Lin the second... and Polen the third...
The instant I pronounced those words I noticed how his eyes sharpened, a subtle shadow crossed his face... gaining more brightness with each word I uttered.
And when he spoke, it seemed he was throwing daggers.
—The order you know is nothing more than a popularity contest. Goddesses like Luckyes is only popular for giving luck, and gods like Naelith are rarely prayed to since no one thinks about what could have been.
I didn't know what to respond. I felt my thoughts dissolving, that every idea I had of the world twisted in his presence.
His eyes softened... but his eyelids didn't. I was still trembling. I wanted to focus on his gaze, to decipher that strange hesitation.
As if he had just realized, he turned, giving me his back, and said:
—You called Edgar. But I was the one who answered. —he confirmed, taking a step forward.
—Why you...? —I asked, trembling.
He turned toward me. Returning that hateful smile.
—Because I'm the only one who still listens —he said—. And I heard you.
The air between us became dense, charged with an invisible pressure. He no longer seemed like a child. Not entirely. There was something immense, barely contained in that small body.
Upon hearing those words, my knees began to tremble, and as an automatic act, I knelt before him... with my face buried in the mud.
—Please... I need your knowledge. My sister is lost. My friend died. I'm not very devout... but I implore you to help me.
That child squatted down, and gently caressed my head with a reassuring gesture.
—I would love to help you, but I cannot solve your problems.
His words shattered my mind. With my hands on the ground, I began to grab the wet mud, clinging to it, feeling the impotence they caused me.
Was that all?
Not even a god could save me?
I thought as a dark mist took form, extending like a hand that took me by the neck without permission.
—However, I can give you the power for you to do it yourself.
I raised my face from that darkness, feeling how the brightness of his body reflected in my eyes.
—H-how?
With a delicate touch, he cleaned the mud from my face, dragging it to the floor.
—With the ego body —he said, showing a smile with closed eyes.
—The power I grant you will not be free, Marl Stimson Tial —said Histor, with solemnity—. In exchange, from now on, you will be my champion. The Champion of god.
I felt a warmth fill my throat, and without a hint of doubt.
—Yes... I accept any condition. Just... help me.
A twisted smile formed on his face. Then, Histor gently placed his hand on my head. A divine heat ran through my skull, followed by an intense light that burst from his palm, enveloping me like a hurricane of energy.
My body began to shine, as if thousands of threads of fire danced under my skin. My hair rose, floating in the air, and its color darkened until becoming living ink. My eyes, once pink, transformed into two deep blue abysses.
I felt light, as if gravity had lost interest in me. Stronger, more agile... free.
—This is the Ego Body, the power I grant you.
He pointed to the necklace on my neck. I didn't remember having it on... but now I felt how it burned, vibrating strongly.
A reddish dust began to filter through the fissure of the stone. The grayish exterior broke, revealing a crimson gem that took its place.
—That object will be the receptacle of your new strength. When you say "Goodbye, Ego Body", the power will leave your body... and you will return to being just you.
The tone of his words was a whisper in the wind, soft and reassuring. I felt how an unknown peace enveloped me, undoing every knot of tension in my body.
My eyelids became heavy. Consciousness slipped between my fingers, and my thoughts dissolved like smoke in the darkness of rest.
Histor observed me as I fell to the ground, asleep, with a serene smile on my face.
—Did you carry so much stress? —he murmured, caressing my head with the same tenderness with which one caresses a faithful dog.
An amused smile curved on his face. He blinked slowly, like someone saying goodbye to an exhausting day.
—I think that was enough for today... Rest, tomorrow you will have a new opportunity.