The Heavenly Tale - Nameless God's

Extra Chapter: Faith

To understand something, let's take a step back and look at something from another point of view.

Hell is always dark and has a terrifying aura. Its red soil hides many caves, behind mountains, under valleys, or underground. Usually the holes are always filled by demons or ghosts, there are rarely empty holes. Therefore, Hell is not a good hiding place. Especially if faced with a creature of Hell who actually knows the land where it is, then it is impossible to hide.

This phrase can apply to both creatures that are in a cave simultaneously. The first creature of his body was embedded into a rock in the cave wall. His form resembled a male human figure with a stocky body and striking eyes. If only his current condition was not being embedded in the stone, then he would look gallant. But he was nothing more than miserable, his body drenched in blood and wounds, and although his face was rather attractive, dust and soil covered almost most of his face. The other creature in red was striking. His black hair that was deliberately unraveled fluttered as if it was being blown by the wind with a tempest. There were no defects in his body like in any other creature.

"Blessed. I found an empty place for you so you wouldn't have to endure the shame of a lifetime if someone found you." The man in red said. He is none other than the Red Spirit. Apparently he was the one who managed to break the phrase above.

The man before him looked furious, but he could not move as his body was embedded in the rock. "I'll kill you after this."

The Red Spirit whistled. "All demons and ghosts say that. Butwhat? I'm still alive."

"Dirty monster!" The man then growled furiously.

The Red Spirit stood up in a relaxed manner while folding his hands in front of his chest. "I may be a dirty monster, but I'm stronger than you. You've eaten big, should be enough strength to survive long and rule over a larger territory. Seeing you defeated by me alone is already very embarrassing, Mr. Slander."

Hearing his name being mentioned, the man looked uncomfortable. He himself apparently knew very well who he was; lord of Slander, the devil who was allowed to escape to Earth by Heaven to give terror to man. He was a powerful figure, he was sure Heaven knew that when deciding to let go. He had already eaten a big meal while on Earth, although not as much as the Catastrophe, which partied the most, but the results of his party were also enough to carry out an invasion of other lands. But what happened to him now was beyond his shadow, and he was extremely irritated.

"What do you want?" Slander said a moment later. "I can give you what you want, instead you have to let me go."

The Red Spirit seemed to say 'oh' and nodded his head slowly. His movements were more seen as a sense of comfort. "You dare challenge me? Do you have any idea how many bets I've made from demons? You want to fight my luck?"

Slander sneers. "You've got a lot of things, why you still need something from me is beyond my comprehension."

"Oh, that," The Red Spirit exclaimed. "I want to ask for a little of your ability. You're the closest I can reach, so I come to you. It's a pity that I didn't find any Heavenly energy in the past, so I have to utilize your demonic energy. It just so happened that you were the only one I knew I needed, so I came to you. Are you ready?"

Slander laughed hearing this. "What abilities does the Red Spirit seek from me? You've been so respected all over Hell, you've stolen so much power from demons and ghosts. What else do you need?"

A small smile adorned the Red Spirit's face as he replied, "I want to ask for the ability to change your form."

Laughter instantly disappeared from the mouth of Slander and she choked. His face paled and his eyes widened. Even for a few moments his body was stiff. "Have you lost your mind?"

"No. Why would I lose my mind if I wanted your power?" The Red Spirit returned. "Look, I have to come down to Earth to do something. But I really am a monster, a human being will only end up not being able to see me at all, or see me in my true form. My business requires me to use a form that can interact with them, but with my form, how can anyone believe? Your ability is very useful, Mr. Slander, I witnessed it myself on Judgment Day. I need that power. If you want to give it to me, I'll be very grateful and I promise to let you go. And that's not all of it."

The Red Spirit paused for a moment to give a dramatic impression. "You know the mountain to the north where a ghost general lives? He has an army big enough for a ghost, and his men are loyal to his leader. I conquered that place a while ago. If you're willing, I'll give you that mountain in exchange for your strength."

Wagering between demons often takes place in the land of Hell, fighting over territory, food, or power. Some famous demons were very happy to bet and fight to exalt his name. Because they are people who are engaged in dark science, the demons do a gamble full of strategy. Anyone cannot easily trust a promise or a gift given by the devil, because the devil is filled with ingenuity, they will not want to lose, he said, and if they are the kind of demons who are masterful fraudsters then all their promises and gifts are fake. This was within the natural instincts of the demons.

Mr. Slander knew he had to be careful, but he also believed that he was still able to conquer various regions of Hell even without the ability to change his form. His strength is not only that, and even if he loses his ability to change his form, he is still the master of Slander, one of the 4 great calamities that destroy the Earth. He remains feared and famous.

"What about the ghost general?" Slander said a moment later.

"The general? You wanted it? Of course, you can take the ghost general."

Slander was silent for a moment. He was tempted, yet he was still considering it in his head. "What do you need my powers for?"

"I've explained it to you, but I can't say any further. Simply put, I need your strength to come down to Earth and interact with humans" replied the Red Spirit.

"You said you were looking for demonic energy because you couldn't find Heaven's energy. Do you mean to do the same thing you did to me if you find any of the inhabitants of Heaven?" Slander asked back.

"Yes. But with Heaven, I don't have to make an offer like the one I gave you. They are much simpler" replied the Red Spirit.

The slander remained silent again for a while. "I don't understand. Which side are you on? And what are you? Why do you dare to challenge and wreak havoc in two worlds? Isn't that you the monster that managed to ascend to Heaven and return alive? We high-leveled demons are repeatedly confused by your actions. You prey on demons and ghosts, but also slaughter Heaven's army and break down those walls. I can't guess, and we demons don't have the same voice. So we can't clearly describe your relationship with Hell or the devil."

The Red Spirit looked stunned at the words of Slander, also dissolved in his mind before answering. "I am not part of any world, but suppose that I am more comfortable living in Hell than in Heaven. You demons are my food source, and Hell is my home. Heaven is a place that is not in line with me, and the inhabitants of Heaven make me sick. So here I am."

"Do you personally hate Heaven and decide to stay in Hell?"

"My relationship with Heaven is very complicated" said the Red Spirit. "For Heaven, I am a symbol of heresy. Heaven won't accept that, so why would I visit him if it wasn't for screwing up? At least for now, I have no reason to visit Heaven."

"Are we not all lost?" Slander.

"Oh yes, but I'm different. I worship a god."

The eyes of Slander are widened. "You worship a god? Then why don't you run to Heaven? They will accept you!"

The Red Spirit shook his head with a smile. "That's what they can't accept. To worship another god other than the one they called the Allfather was the most commendable act. My God is one of the many gods in Heaven. To me, there is no god but my god. You know how Heaven and the gods respond? They're jealous. To me who worshipped a god, who was neither himself nor their Allfather, the gods were jealous and Heaven was angry. I am a symbol of the jealousy of the gods who can no longer be worshipped and have lost their followers for the sake of their Allfather. I am an insult to the gods. How can a monster worship a god? It was very embarrassing for Heaven, so after all I and Heaven will always be hostile. But me and my gods are not the same as my relationship with Heaven."

For a moment Slander frowned and dissolved in his mind. He was long silent and looked very at ease considering something. Then he said, "So. I thought you were a creature with the intention of ruling one or both worlds. You seem to be just like all of us. I get it now. You are indeed the source of misguidance."

The Red Spirit still looked at him casually and folded his hands in front of his chest. "So, once you know who I am, do you accept my offer?"

Slander closed his eyes again and sighed softly. "alright. Do what you want and keep your promise."

The Red Spirit seemed to be smiling with satisfaction. He did what he wanted, then released Slander and directed it to the mountain in the north, according to his promise. Thus he descended to Earth.

His conversation with the Slander earlier made him smile all the way. He is not a person who likes to talk about himself, but he will answer everything that is within his limits. He did not mind telling something as long as it was a thing he knew, and as far as his capacity could tell. He also did not mind telling anyone, as long as one asked, be it the inhabitants of Heaven, Hell, or Earth, all of them would he answer. It was just that all this time, no one dared to ask him, so he never said anything. He also preferred to do things on his own, so he had a striking mysterious impression.

A monster like himself was indeed a figure dyed in darkness, but he had a privilege. As he said before, he worshipped a god. Devils or ghosts in Hell also worship a leader and they will follow that leader faithfully. But they are both beings from Hell, in contrast to the Red Spirit who worships the figure of a god in Heaven. They are different worlds, different in nature, something that is fundamentally different. Nonetheless, it did not stop him from worshipping the god.

That's why Heaven hates it. Heaven could not accept the existence of any other god besides the Allfather, and they had already annihilated all the evidence about the story of the gods in its heyday. At least they tried hard. Heaven does not allow a god to be worshipped, other than the Allfather. But when there is a person or a group of people who worship a god, the god is not wrong.

The question is how a person or group of people find the existence of the god. If one could say, Heaven and the gods themselves had a role to play here, because they most likely did not manage to exterminate all the evidence about the story of the gods, so that something or someone found it, and made him a godly figure. But still, this person or group of people were also guilty of submitting their trust to the Allfather. Therefore even if the form of the god they worship is true, they will still receive punishment from Heaven.

Then, what made things complicated was that the person who worshipped this god was a monster. How can a monster worship a god? Heaven and Hell are very contradictory, the inhabitants are hostile, then what makes the creatures of Hell worship gods in Heaven?

Furthermore, since this matter was Heaven inexcusable, they wanted to punish this monster. But the true monsters are beings of Hell, Heaven cannot punish them as they punish the human soul. All Heaven can do is face to face with the monster and kill it or injure it. But this Red Spirit, he was a powerful monster. Who does not know his name? He's shaking up two worlds. And just now, the Red Spirit defeated the Lord of Slander, one of the four great calamities that were inflicted upon men. Doesn't that prove that he's actually very strong?

The Red Spirit knew one of the reasons why, although he was strong, he was not appointed by Heaven to be a calamity that descended upon the Earth. He was convinced even though he had no proof, that Heaven considered himself too unruly, unlike other demons who were easily given the lure and arranged, that it was impossible to control, because Heaven was certain how powerful even a demon they remained inferior to Heaven. Not with the Red Spirit having his own way, so Heaven can not expect to 'use it' like other demons. At least that's what he knows. Another reason, he could have guessed that Heaven was already too disgusted with him and refused to deal with him, but he could only guess.

Talking about him not being designated as a catastrophe that came down to Earth by Heaven does not mean he cannot go to Earth. After all from the beginning he had no business with Earth, so he came with as he pleased without making a mess. Armed with the strength he had gained from the previous Slander, when his feet stepped on the earth he immediately took the figure of a fatherly old man.

He walked in one corner of the city. At that time, several years had passed since Judgment Day, and man had begun to build his world again. The Red Spirit entered the stationery shop. The building is not so big, but the merchandise is a lot. He's headed to the cashier's desk.

"Do you have any red paper?" The Red Spirit asked.

The cashier standing behind the counter was a thin boy with brown skin and a long nose, probably a teenager. "Yes. How much do you need, sir?"

"How much do you have?"

"Um, I'll check for a minute" the man excused me from his presence. When he came back, he said, "We have a lot. Red itself has three cardboard boxes. How much do you need?"

"Three boxes."

The teenager suddenly gawked. "That's three rolls?" He opened his eyes.

"No, three boxes."

The teenager seemed worried for a moment. "Um.. okay, I'll get you. Do um, you need me to deliver it?"

"No, thank you."

"Uh, okay." The man disappeared again and returned with the boxes and ropes. He tied the boxes so they could be carried like bags.

"How is the sale in this store?"

"Uh, I think good. I only worked part-time here three days ago, so I don't know exactly. But every day there are buyers coming" replied the teenager.

The Red Spirit smiled. "Have you ever met someone who bought this much?"

The teenager shook his head strongly with widened eyes. "I've never met a buyer like you, sir. I once served people who bought a wide variety of items such as school supplies, drawing tools, or a few reams of paper, but I never met someone who bought something in this large quantity. If I may know, what would you do with this much red wax paper, sir?" She asked.

"Oh I'm preparing a surprise" replied the Red Spirit.

"Oh, for your wife?"

"Is that how you call love your whole life? Wife?"

"Oh, um. I mean, if it's a man then..."

"Oh no, no, no, she's a girl." The Red Spirit immediately cut off the clumsy-looking teenager from feeling guilty.

The teenager sighed softly. "Then I think so, wife, or lover. Or maybe a child? I heard there was a father who loved his daughter very much and considered them to be the love of his whole life."

The Red Spirit muttered for a moment while nodding. "Obviously he's not my son" he said later.

"Then it may be your wife or lover" said the teenager.

"Why don't you call him a god? If you love her so much and she's the only one in your life?" The Red Spirit said a few seconds later.

The teenager seemed worried for a moment. He even stopped tying the rope. "Um. God created us, so we must honor God by doing everything to glorify Him. Not so with man, we cannot worship or glorify man." The teenager stopped for a moment. "At least that's what my parents taught me."

"Then he is a god to me" replied the Red Spirit.

The teenager gave him a glimpse. Her smile was warm and childish. "You must love him very much" he said.

"really so. I'm even sure our feelings are reciprocated."

The teenager finished by tying up his cardboard. He processed the transaction and the Red Spirit took the money out of his jacket pocket for the right amount according to his bill. The teenager gave the cardboard, 1 cardboard by himself and 2 cardboard tied to 1. He thanked her, then the Red Spirit walked away from the cashier.

"Oh, sir, can I ask you something?" The teenager suddenly said. The Red Spirit stopped his steps and turned his head with a smile. "If he really is a God to you, how can you be so sure if he loves you too?"

The smile on the face of the Red Spirit widened. "Why are you asking me? The answer is within yourself. It's called faith." After answering so, he walked out of the shop.