For instance, "kindness," or "filial piety"… things like that.

Julia looked at the races of this era, initially always complaining whenever she saw Modoh, but her gaze turned gentle and warm.

Modoh vaguely felt that Julia was somewhat different.

"Do you like this era?"

"They're just brainless muscular oafs, what's there to like or dislike?"

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Time still moved forward, and in this era, people looked at the stars.

Astrology was born from this, making every major race suddenly realize that knowing the future ahead of time is the key to victory.

In this era, Modoh called it the "Era of Starlight."

Things born in the past never disappeared but continued to thrive more and more. In these successive births, even though life born in each era keeps annihilating, there remain thousands of races in this world, and even countless sub-species formed by serendipity.

The world became more prosperous than ever.

However, in the era following the Era of Starlight, something happened.

When Modoh and Julia noticed, it seemed to be already too late.

"Ominous" was born.

Yes, it was "born."

They quickly understood the nature of this power—after recognizing the World Tree in the second era, every era, every race had been trying to analyze, destroy, or take control of the World Tree.

The two were long accustomed to such things; after all, they couldn't actually destroy it.

At least not yet.

But they got one thing wrong.

That is, every race was born from the World Tree, from this perspective, every race shares the same origin with the World Tree. And the birth of the ominous was not from those remaining races, but from those that had been annihilated, vanished without a trace in history.

It was their Curse against the World Tree.

"Great World Tree! Since you created us, why bestow such cruel fate upon us? If the endpoint of birth is destined to be destruction, are our efforts and struggles all meaningless?"

It was the blood and tears of races on the brink of annihilation.

Life pondering life itself, exploring world truths, the soul's ultimate questioning to the great creative force—the World Tree.

The ominous eroded the World Tree.

Modoh and Julia, after disappearing for thousands of years, truly appeared before humanity for the first time. The two joined forces, using the wisdom of each major race, preserved things, and the power they naturally possessed to banish the ominous. They succeeded.

But they were indeed too late.

The World Tree vanished from the world, shattered completely.

"Perhaps the very reason we exist is to guard the World Tree." Julia concluded.

"But we've already failed."

After a moment of silence, Julia seemed to have made a decision: "Since that's the case, let us shoulder the World Tree's mission. I will create new life, continue the World Tree's journey. Modoh, you should do the same."

Modoh refused.

And so, the two beings, who felt as if they'd always been together yet never really were, embarked on different paths.

Julia began creating life. Initially, she was very inexperienced; her creations were not even as good as those from the World Tree in the first era, but she indeed continued creating. Meanwhile, Modoh still roamed the actual world—for now, Julia's creation of races was already known by humanity, and she began to be called "God" by life forms.

As for Modoh, his footprints covered the world. He spent many years, perhaps a thousand or even ten thousand, finding one fragment of the World Tree after another, then he decomposed, reconstructed these fragments… condensing the remaining special "properties" of the World Tree, eventually forming a World Tree sapling.

He found Julia: "Julia, as long as we replant the World Tree, the world will return to its original process. You don't need to keep creating life."

Yet Julia showed Modoh a disappointed expression: "Modoh, how can you be so cold-blooded—haven't you realized, the World Tree is wrong?"

"Wrong?"

"It creates life without guiding it, resulting in being swallowed by life's resentment, just like we see in each major race, stronger individuals protect and guide weaker ones, imparting knowledge and experience, like parents and children—the World Tree, having created life, should guide it. Without doing this, even if you replant it, it'll only repeat the same mistake."

Modoh didn't understand.

How can it repeat the same mistake?

Last time, they didn't notice the existence of the ominous; this time, knowing the ominous exists, they can prepare before its birth, can destroy or banish it beforehand… how can it repeat the same mistake?

He felt unfamiliar with his former partner; he vaguely saw something different in her, as if she was enveloped by some light. He seemed able to hear the races created by her, their prayers and worship, their devotion to her.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.