The High Queen Ixa was standing right in front of me in all her glory. And I really mean standing. No levitation. A very rare sight because of how tall and thin she was.

- Does this answer more of your questions? Or at least gives you some clues? - she asked, smiling at me.

It was still this annoying grin.

I wanted to say no because I was unable to put it all together. Ixa was dead. I saw her dead body. I was able to examine her with my keen eyes. There was no way she could survive.

- I would take your silence as a no, but you can't really speak right now. So I'm just gonna assume I made you more confused than before - she told me.

"You could use your mind to speak to me", I said in my thoughts, trying to form a connection, so we could really talk, but my efforts were strongly blocked.

- Oh no, no, no! - she wagged her finger. - That we are saving for the last delicious moment. First I need you to understand everything.

"Why? Why not?", I kept asking myself, only more confused.

I started to try to use my powers, but the 'Telekinesis' was firmly blocked by unbelievably strong psionic powers surrounding me. I didn't have any mana, nor Ki. I couldn't heal myself either. The only thing working seemed to be the self-healing powers.

- Where were we? - she asked. - Oh right. You were still confused about who I really am, and we stopped on this form. I have to say, that I kinda like it. It was a good reminder of how it is to lead an empire of fools.

A giggle left her mouth.

- But let's take another step further. The step that will make you understand at least a little bit of it all - she said, and then morphed again.

This time I was more ready for the shape the creature assumed. It was pretty much the only possibility if Ixa was really dead, but at that time I felt like everything could happen. That's how confused I was.

The head became smaller, shaped kinda like the infinity symbol, with a row of calloused protrusions coming from the back of the head to the front, slowly getting smaller before reaching the nose in form of two small holes. A bit higher were two eyes with intensively blue irises. It was The Great One.

"How?! Why?!", I screamed in my head.

- This is how I used to look back in the day when it all started - he informed me. - Then I turned into this.

His form morphed into Hope.

- Just so I could become this - he continued changing into Ixa. - And finally, evolve into this.

He, once again, became me.historical

- It's time for the big revelation, Peter. Are you ready? - the other me smiled at the real me. - I bet you can't wait, just like me. Ha ha!

I was so angry, that even the stupid laughter was making them flip. I was basically boiling inside, as I couldn't really do anything but listen. And I did want to listen. I was curious about what the hell was going on. What was the truth behind all of this stupid facade? The facade, for which so many people I cared about, paid with their lives.

- It starts with the creator, and us. His sons. Blessed with power, and tasked with populating the multiverse he made himself. Working tirelessly, to follow his orders. Creating creatures like you. Stupid, foolish, weak, pathetic. And yet you were the ones whom he wished to give the seeds from the world tree, not us - he paused, moving his jaw in a way that I immediately knew he was angry.

Even after all those years, he seemed to be holding a grudge.

- Kinda like I told you, except for the lies I added. You see, it was me who raised the rebellion. Stealing the seeds from the tree, which were supposed to end in hands of the likes of you. I build an army led by my brothers. I was smarter than them. I was supposed to lead from the back, while they fought at the frontlines. The fools almost believed me - he chuckled to himself. - But there were a few who saw through it, and I was exiled because of refusing to join them in battle. I knew they couldn't win, they could only keep him busy for a long time.

I was very furious. To the point, it blinded my logical thinking. At the moment, I just wanted to beat him up to death. The words he was speaking didn't really matter.

- Unfortunately, it wasn't the only piece of bad news. My father cursed me. He forbid me from ever using the saplings, so the ones I stole were useless to me.

This information briefly brought me back from my fury to reality. "But I saw him use it? How? This doesn't make sense!", I thought to myself.

- It probably makes you wonder, because you saw me use it, but I never did. We will return to that eventually - he informed me. - First, though, I have to tell you about the war. It's still going on, and it's a more recent thing than it might sound. After all, I started creating the Bahumdabars' empire shortly after. I only did one thing before, something that changed me forever. I discovered a way to consume the minds of others, so I started preying on the poor minions, working tirelessly to grant power to my brothers. It would never grant me the victory I wished for, so I stopped after turning into the being you know as Hope.

He smiled yet again.

- I still had some seeds and could use them to do something else. Something which would allow me to get the power I needed. For that, though, I needed a faithful servant. A fool that would do my bidding. I was almost as happy as now when I found one. And his name was Yashasvee'mies.

He giggled.