Eric was now watching the bicolor sky he got used to during these past three months. This image inspired him to the concept of a battle between good and evil. Personally, he didn’t believe in those terms but used them just for practicality and ease of communication.

This idea was useful in the context of religion, but, in his opinion, it lacked in the practical sense.

Infact, during his Earthly life, there weren’t evil monsters causing suffering to people.

Equally, there wasn’t a law-abiding hero defeating the monster in order to save the world. On Earth, the same person could interchangeably be a monster and a hero, depending on the situation.

It was usual to hear that history is written by the winners.

History brought with it propaganda and influenced the minds of the populace.

The principal logical trick that State education and propaganda tried achieving every day was, in fact, the mix-up of the State principles with right and the enemy’s with evil.

He was lucky enough to resist enough that brainwashing to be able to survive in the less advanced but more honest world of Ouroboros.

Just arrived there, he instantly confirmed it in his mind.

*Power is everything! * The healing powers of the court magicians saved his life, and the potential future strengths of the Heroes gave him and his past comrades the right to receive such preferential treatment.

From the most fundamental point of view, every conflict in opinion could be represented by the battle between two different and incompatible interests.

War and violence were just the most definite means to solve a conflict where words weren’t enough to solve the problem.

With that, it was clear that the real distinction it was necessary to make wasn’t between good and evil, woman and man, black and white like he ironically heard say in the past.

The most significant difference was between the powerful and the powerless. Ethics, morals, right, and wrong were instantly canceled by enough power.

*The same thing happened with Cain. *

He was still curious about the reason behind Cain’s actions.

*Through betrayal, he achieved victory against the powerless Rubra’s parents. Then became powerless against the venom he had ingested and died that way. But why? Why? *

As if noticing he couldn’t find the last piece to the puzzle he was trying to complete, Eric remembered the bone-chilling roar he heard when Rubra cut Cain’s head.

That dangerous sound gave even more urgency to his thirst for knowledge. His eyes were lost indefinitely in the sky, still observing using the underground hoblò present in Rubra’s cave.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

*I have to know before departing! *

His curiosity had the best of him, and he resolved to check Cain’s house before leaving the Cinder Forest. That’s right, almost three months elapsed since his reincarnation. Today he would start traveling toward Panville together with Rubra. Both were well rested, and she wanted to avenge his past death almost more than himself. What remembered him his why were the regular nightmares recently accompanied by sweeter dreams that had as a protagonist his favorite Phoenix. In the beginning, he thought that she mainly felt indebted to him. The cause was the determining role he had in the revenge of her parents. Though watching more attentively her face, he didn’t perceive a sense of guilt, but intense anger and desire to return the pain he had to suffer in the past. A light smile bloomed on his face, remembering that cute and serious face.

*I’ll leave her to check the luggage for the last time. Meanwhile, I’ll try to find the last piece of the puzzle! *

While thinking that, he found himself on the surface, in front of the artificial lake whose level was visibly lower than one week ago.

*I’m sorry to undervalue the importance of your past invention! *

In his mind was the face of Rubra’s dad. Rubra told many stories about her parents, so he slowly managed to create mental images of their faces.

*She always exaggerates, saying they could understand themselves even without speaking. Wouldn’t that be too convenient?! *

His train of thought entertained him until he arrived in front of Cain’s house. The house was dark and full of dust. From the thickness of that aged snow, he hypothesized that this kind of neglect was probably going on for at least one hundred years. Instantaneously he noted mentally the probable relationship, between the external and psychological mess in Cain’s mind. The only exception to that state of apparent abandon was the security system that blocked the entry door to the point that he had to literally burn it down using his powers. Most clearly, he determined the will in Cain to protect or hide something inside the house. Advancing slowly, ready for any hidden trap, he arrived safely at the end of the main corridor of the house. In that place, he found two very different doors, one in front of the other. On the left was a small, old dark wood door. It seemed to be out of place, considering the mythical taste for luxury the dragon race had. It was less than two meters tall and seemed on the point of rotting from one moment to the other. On the opposite side of the corridor was a giant gate: high tens of times more than the old door and wide five times more. The care behind the creation of that door was intelligible. Between height and width seemed present the golden ratio. The color of the door was white with golden decorations. *Wow! *

His thoughts caused his mouth to instinctively open or vice versa. Be it as it may, Eric acknowledged that doorstep as the finest piece of art he had seen since his arrival on Ouroboros. Initially, he was mainly drawn in by the dense and minuscule geometric golden decorations present on the door, maintained as if it was created yesterday. A second after, he created a small flame from his hand in order to admire it better. Then, he started recognizing patterns in the golden scene.

*A dragon, water, fire, wind, and earth. *

He identified the desire of the artist(Cain) as self-celebratory. What he didn’t notice was that the perspective lines were directed toward a part of the door. A part he didn’t light adequately. The door didn’t simply show a dragon in control of the four fundamental mana types but positioned centered a pair of red wings with a tiara over them. Again his curiosity attracted him to the last door, but the security system tried to stop him again. As a tribute to the beauty of that perfect door, he decided to create a hole through the wall instead of damaging the creation he had just appreciated. He was inside the most important room of the house. This time used way more power to light the place as if daylight started filling it to the brim.

*Bingo! *

In the middle of the room, he saw something definitely interesting, something that looked like the last piece of the puzzle to him!