“You see, I was fatally injured…. By whom? Doesn't really matter right now.”

“It would… broaden your horizons too much.” Fenrir said mysteriously, it also seemed he was trying to hide some slight ridicule.

Returning to the matter at hand, the wolf stayed quiet, seemingly searching for his next words.

“Well, let me first teach you the ways to become a god.”

“The first and most common one is pretty simple…just kill the previous god and you will inherit their power, that’s how I became a god myself.”

“Pretty simple right?”

A chill ran down Aegon’s spine. [Killing a god uh?]

It all sounded so easy when Fenrir said it but he instinctively knew the weight behind those words, the weight behind that arrogance.

“The second and most boring one is directly inheriting the power from the previous god, that’s your case.”

Looking at the measly human below with his ever expanding expression of confusion, interest, curiosity… Fenrir felt he needed to elaborate a bit more, sooner rather than later.

“When I say inherit, I don't mean you will suddenly become as strong as I was. You will become a representation of the concept of chaos… oh wait, I haven't talked about that either...” After raising its paws to its head and taking a few seconds to rearrange his thoughts he resumed his explanation.

“So being a god isn't just a fancy title you throw around, it actually has an impact on the world around you. For example, I am the God of Chaos right? My existence influences everyone in the universe, if I didn't exist people wouldn't have coherent personalities at all. There wouldn’t be any disagreements, no one could try something new, no one could say or do anything that might offend someone else…you get the picture, everyone would be reduced to standing there, simply existing.”

A question popped into Aegon’s mind as soon as he understood the consequences of what Fenrir was saying, but he was promptly told the answer before he even had to ask.

“But before you worry, because of the third way there can never not be a god. If a god dies by themselves and has not passed their inheritance to anyone, a person or beast at random that is born in that same moment will become its successor, you could say they are chosen by the heavens.”

Aegon placed a hand over his forehead and closed his eyes in reflection. [Why is this so complicated?]

“Going back to that “a god is a representation of a concept” thing, being alive or not isn't the only way you influence the universe, in another example…”

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Fenrir lifted one of his paws, the sound of rattling chains being dragged across the stone floor assaulted Aegon’s ears.

“These chains right here, they don't really have much to them apart from being nigh unbreakable, but they represent something, they represent a restrain on chaotic impulses. And what do you think that does to the people of this world?”

Aegon pondered on how to answer, it seemed obvious but he feared it was a trick question, in the end he probingly answered. ”Uh, they have a more civilized behavior?”

Fenrir looked Aegon in the eye with a serious expression for more than a few seconds to the point it made the young man deeply uncomfortable and unable to keep looking.

The beast raised its snout in an arrogant manner and looked down at the human with new levels of contempt. ”Your ability to disappoint me is impressive… that’s the worst answer you could have given, if you answered that it made them happy it would be better than that.”

“No, they become slightly tamer, slightly meaker, in a way they become a different version of themselves.”

Seeing that Aegon understood, or at least appeared to, Fenrir moved on.

“As for the inheritance, it's pretty simple. I will give you my bloodline and that will take care of any talent problems you might have had, it won't make your journey faster but it guarantees that you won't stop halfway just because you hit a bottleneck. It will also give you some neat abilities that you will discover down the line.”

After stopping a few more moments to rearrange his thoughts and making sure he didn't forget to mention anything he asked. ”So, any questions?”

Aegon didn't need to ponder for long. ”Why are you shackled?”

At that moment, deep in Fenrir's red eyes flashed a burning hatred which Aegon couldn’t notice.

“Long story short, the God of Wisdom agrees with you that these things make people more civilized and since the Life Bearer happens to be his wife it was a losing battle.”

[Will It happen to me too?] Aegon weighed his options, pondering if it was worth asking Fenrir about it, but in the end he decided against it. [It happened to him, why would I be the exception?]

Taking the silence as there being no more questions, Fenrir started the process of passing on his inheritance.

His right paw lifted from the ground bringing with it the clanking of metal, as the paw neared Fenrir’s forehead a bright red light filled the cave, temporarily blinding Aegon.

As he gradually regained his vision and refocused his eyes he noticed that there was nothing where Fenrir’s head had been, he looked around and noticed he couldn't see the wolf at all until he looked ahead of him at the ground level.

There he found an average looking man with unkempt pitch black hair and beard wearing ragged clothes, he was tempted to think this wasn't the same grandiose beast that was just in front of him moments ago but the now much smaller shackles on the man’s arms and legs and especially those deep red eyes left no doubt in his mind.

Fenrir smiled seeing Aegon’s reaction to his human body.

“It's still me.”

With an imposing manner Fenrir took step after step in his direction and as he got closer Aegon could make out a small, almost imperceptible drop of blood floating above Fenrir’s fingertip.

When the two men were finally face to face, only an arm’s reach away, Fenrir smiled the most honest smile Aegon had ever seen, a smile that carried a hint of every emotion, almost in perfect balance, yet Aegon felt that loneliness took precedence above all others. But before he could think much of it, Fenrir extended his arm, pressed his fingertip into Aegon’s temple and the young man fainted.

As Aegon was fading he heard Fenrir’s voice. ”I’m sorry kid….”