"What?"

Cedric’s face went blank because, really, what was this drivel that Seo-yeon was suddenly spewing?

"Think about it," she said. "There is an answer for everything that happens in the world. Nothing is a coincidence. Why do you think you have such a strong bond? Why do you think there is a God after you?"

With every word, Cedric’s eyes widened and the gears in his head began to turn with a grinding speed.

"You, Min-jun, are a member of their royal family."

Cedric blinked.

’I’m a member of the royal family? The same family the Gods originated from?’

He couldn’t believe it.

But... rather than dismiss it as mere delusion, he grew lost in contemplation. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that what Seo-yeon was saying was close to the truth. Nothing happened without a cause. And this explained why he had such strong abilities.

This also provided a reason as to why the gods would be interested in someone like him in the first place.

Still, Cedric was stunned.

"I don’t understand..." he muttered in a confused daze.

He really couldn’t understand how this was possible. He was born on Earth, so how was he part of a royal lineage?

Seo-yeon sighed.

"There are so many things that you may not be able to understand at the moment." She spoke softly as she brushed a stray hair from her face. "I do not know what you already know about the Gods, and I’m not sure what level of information you can withstand at the moment due to the laws of causality."

She studied his face intently, searching for any sign of mental strain. "I’ll try to answer what I’m supposed to, but please, tell me when you feel that the strain is more than you can bear, okay?"

Cedric nodded.

She pouted and insisted, "Promise me."

Cedric met her gaze and sighed exasperatedly. "I promise."

Seo-yeon smiled and looked away. A distant expression settled on her face as she raised both hands, staring at them like a book. "Currently, the Feathered multiverse is made up of seven realms. Or at least it used to be."

Her tone grew sorrowful as she continued. "Two of those realms were destroyed, so there’s... there’s now just five realms left."

’Two of the realms were destroyed?’

Cedric was aware there were seven realms in existence. But he was not aware that two of those realms were now gone. How did they fall?

"These realms all revolve around each other. No, I think the more accurate description is that they all revolve around the central realm, which is called the Cradle. It is otherwise known as the birthplace of the Gods."

The birthplace of the Gods?

’Actually, when I think of it, the name makes sense. The realm of the father, the King, is called the Cradle. And all the other members of the royal family who owned realms also originated and lived there. So, in a way, it is the birthplace of the Gods.’

Cedric nodded slowly as Seo-yeon continued her explanation.

"These realms all belonged to a really powerful family who were the royal family. While the King ruled the Cradle, the Queen had her own realm where she was the Goddess. That realm is what you know as Earth."

What?

Earth?

Seo-yeon turned to see Cedric pale as chalk. She chuckled and pulled her legs up, resting her head on her knees as she watched his reaction.

"You look surprised," she observed with a playful glint in her eyes.

"Well, that’s because I am," Cedric managed to stammer.

Who would have thought that the mundane world he left behind was actually a divine territory that belonged to the queen?

"Don’t ask me why Earth is basically the way it is, without magic and all of that," Seo-yeon said, waving a dismissive hand. "When you get stronger, you can find out why without having to worry about your head popping off."

’I was actually about to ask that. I find it strange, really.’ Cedric mused, his curiosity piqued despite the danger.

"Anyway," Seo-yeon continued. "The Queen had six children. Out of the six, only the first five had realms. The last boy did not. This God without a realm is the one whom you’ve come to now know as the God of Unearned Misfortune. He is the God of Lost Rites and Stolen Desires. He is also the Deity of Recompense and Just Usurpation.

"As you might have already figured out, he is the one who brought the Lords here."

’So I was right...’ Cedric mused, his mind racing to connect the pieces. ’But for what reason?’

Up until this moment, Cedric did not feel any pain in his head. Maybe it was because he knew most of this information already, and maybe it was because he had advanced to Grade Three and was privy to a little more weight than before. Regardless, he was curious.

But rather than answering his unasked question, Seo-yeon grew solemn. "A long time ago, something happened between the Royal Family and this sibling. I can’t say what right now, but know that this betrayal was significant enough to shake the foundations of all the realms and collapse the laws of order. Causality changed and hardened. The Causality we have today came into being, and so many new laws were forged in the aftermath. All caused by this sibling."

’Huh?

Cedric suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Causality was what governed everything in the world now. It was the reason why it was very difficult even for an overpowered Grade Two to kill a Grade Four. It was the reason for the restriction that one could not access certain information grades above them without suffering causal consequences. It was also the reason why a Grade One or Two could not use the bridge to go to the second ring.

And so much more.

All these laws were an aftermath and did not exist before? Just how powerful and treacherous was this God, and just what happened for the aftermath to bring about this Causality?

Oblivious to his thoughts, Seo-yeon gazed out at the horizon. "After the betrayal, the worlds changed, especially the Cradle. As time went by, the people who worshipped the Gods either grew up or died. But the problem was that the new generation could not learn about them. If they tried to, they would die. This is the reason why this generation of Dominants and the people in the Cradle do not know much about the Gods, only that they exist."