My Soul card is a Reaper

According to the Reaper, those voices belonged to the gods who held the universal cosmic gem back when it was one.

Azzy was curious and the Reaper didn't stop him either. Hence, he was trying his best to separate those words and hear them one by one.

At the moment, he appeared to be hearing some part of the conversation between two gods.

One voice said, "It is dangerous to keep the gem with us, brother. Let's destroy it before the Protos race will have their hands on it."

The other voice replied with almost a roar, "There's no way I would let those filthy creatures claim this power. We will win this war, Hades."

"But, Brother Zeus, the Protos race beings are true immortals. They can't die and can't be destroyed. To defeat them, we can only either destroy the whole universe itself or completely absorb their power. And neither of them is viable as their energy is a poison to our divine energy."

"Hades, you underestimate us too much. So, what if they can't die? We also have an ally on our side who could just resurrect us back from the dead."

"Death, Time, Space, and Life will not take the sides, Brother. And Attis didn't have the power to resurrect true gods like us. At best, he can only resurrect the elder gods, and that too, at a slow pace."

"You aren't getting my point, Hades. I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about this…"

"The cosmic gem?"

"Yes, it also came from the source just like us. However, unlike us, it contained the power of life and death too. What if I fuse with it and gain its powers?"

"Are you crazy? Death and Space will not let you get away with it. Even the other gods and angels would oppose this plan."

"But, once I fuse with its power, my strength should be in the same league as those four beings. In theory, I could even create my own universe without those evil race beings or so whatever. Just think of the possibilities, Hades."

"Brother, this is madness…"

The conversation was cut off and then, another piece of conversation unrelated to the previous matter opened up before Azzy. This time, the voices were also different.

"Argh… I hate those unruly gods… Not only do they indulge in all kinds of sins but they expect the mortals to worship them. And what are we? Does the Celestial Empire think that Angels are their subordinates or something? We answer to no one."

"Calm down, Brother Michael. Father is watching…"

"Ah, I apologize, father for my outburst. Sigh… I wish I could give you a strong spirit to resurrect you in your physical form."

"Actually, it is possible to merge him with another soul, considering only a remnant of Father's soul is remaining."

"We have already tried it before, Samael. Even the soul of an elder god isn't enough for the merger."

"No, but, we have the Jewel of light, life, and death…"

"What are you suggesting, brother?"

"I have some pretty interesting news from the heavenly palace. Hephaestus had cut those cosmic gems into oval shapes before scattering them across the universe. However, the interesting part is that the remaining fragments of the cosmic gems were transformed into souls.

What if we use the gems we have here with us and transform them into souls before offering them to Father and resurrecting him?"

"Hmm, interesting idea, Samael… But, we don't know how."

"Well, leave the matter to me. I will find the solution somehow. But, I need those gems for a few experimentations"

"Alright, but be careful. Chronos isn't that kind…"

"Relax, brother. He is strong but not omnipotent. Not to mention, the Space has given us his word to not let Chronos or any other god step inside our domain without our permission while we guard 'Father'."

Followed by that, whispers of Samael were heard in Azzy's ears but this time, there was no one else in this conversation…

"Hehehehe, what a fool… does he think that I would have that piece of remnant soul to resurrect? I just want this light gem to myself. I will absorb this and be reborn as the Angel of Light. Hmm… let's see... Light-bringer… Yes… Lucifer… that is what people will call me from now onwards."

***

Then, the scenario probably shifted to some timeline in the nearby future based on the following conversation, although it appeared that the matter still involves the Angels, once again.

"I shouldn't have trusted you, Samael."

"Call me Lucifer, from now onwards, Brother Michael. And anyway, I won't go back on my word. You still have the life and death jewels. I will tell you how to transform them into souls."

***

Once again, the scenario of the audio shifted to the nearby future in the realm of Angels.

"Ho… a new archangel is being born out of the Jewel of Death just as I have expected. Now, I guess you cannot use our brother for the sacrifice…"

"Samael… how dare you trick me?"

"c'mon, cut me some slack, Brother Michael. I'm not omnipotent. I just have this theory in my mind and wasn't sure of it before. The cosmic gems have the same source as us, the four supreme beings, the evil Protos race, and those gods of the Celestial Empire.

I guess that's why an angel was born when we provide our life source as its feed during the creation.

Well, we still have the Jewel of Life."

"No, I wouldn't fall into your tricks anymore…"

"Your Wish, Brother Michael. But, I will tell you my theory. Whether you follow or not is up to you. Cut the Jewel of Life into the same way those unruly gods did. Then, combine those fragments and create a life out from it, then, cultivate the soul before fusing it with another cosmic gem and offering it to father."

"Do you take me for a retard? Where do I find the other cosmic gem?"

"Well, you can kill our youngest brother as soon as he was born. He might turn back into a cosmic gem. Not sure but if you think it's worth the risk, you can do it. However, since you don't like to break the code of our angels, then, find another one. There are 7 more out there. If you search diligently, you may find one.

Now, if you excuse me, I have to go and meet my dear friend, Hades, to see what he is up to, these days…"

*****

"Ha" "ha" "Ha" "ha"

Azzy opened his eyes abruptly while taking heavy breaths as if he had woken up from a nightmare. He was all sweaty.

His eyes then fell on his surroundings. Instead of a graveyard, he found himself in a room that appeared to be in some sort of hotel.

"Where am I?" He wondered out loud.

"You are in the city of Kroma, a place in the Arcana world." The Reaper's voice echoed in his head. After a brief pause, he added, "I bet you must have several questions in your head regarding those things you heard earlier."

As the cosmic gems have the power to resist Chronos or the vision of any god, the Reaper usually wouldn't be able to know what Azzy had earlier experienced.

However, after he comes out, those things will be registered in his brain. And the Reaper has unlimited access to Azzy's memory. In that way, he realized what happened with his host.

On the other hand, Azzy didn't know what to say. For some reason, he felt like those gems were trying to say him something but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

In the end, he let out a sigh and replied, "Forget it. We can talk about it later. I have more important things to do. By the way, while I was out, did the guardian god say anything?"

"Yeah, he gave the name, and then a teleportation that will take you straight to him but you won't like it."

"Who is it?" asked Azzy, feeling that it might be someone he knew from the past. But, who could it be? It's not someone from the Death clan, right?

The Reaper then answered without hiding anything, "Barton's most trusted friend. It's Uphiar, the sorcerer."

"Eh? Our theoretical combat teacher?" Azzy suddenly felt like a bomb exploded in his chest.