[Side Story] GOD Talk (5)

And so, Judas Iscariot and I began the work of proving that I was the Son of God.

Judas followed me silently, never asking me a single thing. Surely... there must have been doubts, and since it was a grueling path, there must have been complaints, too. But the guy never showed even a hint of that.

I went around performing miracles, preaching faith in my Father, the one true God, and in me, His son. As I traveled so diligently, I eventually gained 12 disciples who followed me. One day, while the 14 of us—me, the 12 disciples, and Judas—were living and traveling together, Judas managed to scrape together five loaves of bread and two fish. After I prayed to the Father and shared them, we were able to feed a crowd of 5,000 people.

And then, the decisive moment: I brought a dead man back to life. Finally, I heard rumors that the Roman soldiers were on the move to capture me. Frightened by their movements, I hid in a mountain to find the courage I needed. Once inside the mountain, I sent everyone away and prayed to my Father, the Lord God. I fasted for 40 days. When I came down from the mountain, everyone seemed relieved.

My only brother... Judas Iscariot... Except for him.

He looked at me with eyes full of sorrow and then walked away. Despite the disciples trying to stop me, I immediately dragged my exhausted body out to find Judas. Somehow... I felt that if I let him go now, I would regret it.

He was sitting on a large rock halfway down the mountain, staring at the sky. Since it was deep into the night, long after the sunset had faded, only the stars in the night sky were visible.

"...Judas."

"You're here...? Are you... okay?"

"...Yeah. Who do you think I am?"

"The Son of God."

"Heh heh..."

"Did you feel something in my face?"

"Anger... and sadness..."

"Man... I really can't hide anything from you."

The voice of the guy grumbling in a sulky tone sounded strangely sad. After staring at the sky in silence for a while, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he asked me.

"..."

"...Are you going to die?"

"...!"

! How... how did he know?

"How did I know, you ask?"

"..."

"The halo that had been surrounding you... it's gone. Surely... that means something terrible is going to happen. Is this all your Father's will, too?"

No one... not even the disciples had noticed such a sign! He... with his strange intuition, seeing things only he could see...

"I just took a shot in the dark, but I guess I was right. Your face... your face has that 'last leaf' feeling, like you've given up on everything. It's the face of someone who has just given up on everything and is going to accept it all!"

"..."

In his agitated voice, I felt not just anger... but a heart that was genuinely worried for me.

"So tell me. Your death... did you agree to it, too?"

"...Yeah."

"Why? Is there some 'big picture' being painted where everything is completed by your death?"

"...Yeah."

"I should have told you to choose Jamie and Aria so you couldn't even start back then... talking about seeing halos, betting my future on you alone... I was just spouting nonsense. Damn it..."

!!!

He grabbed his own hair, blaming himself and grieving.

"Can't we... just give up and go back now...?"

"...I'm sorry."

"...What is it even worth... that you have to give up your own life for it?"

"...Because it's the final step to entering the true path of God."

"................................ God?"

"Yes. God. It's the final step to discarding this flesh and becoming a god."

"..."

"..."

Without an inch of retreat, our eyes locked in the void. He... perhaps overwhelmed by emotion, shed hot tears and bowed his head. Then, his shoulders trembled.

"....Hic... sob..."

"..."

"You... sob..."

"..."

I waited for him to calm down.

"Hey. Jesus."

"...Yeah."

"I'm asking you this as a friend. That death... did you voluntarily agree to it? Or was there another way..."

"...Shh."

"..."

I raised my right index finger to cover his mouth. He did the same, raising his hand to cover his own mouth. Because... the angels around me were glaring at him with the full intent to kill him.

"It's the path I chose. And... it's the path you helped create. If you won't ask anymore, will you nod?"

"..."

Seeing him nod, I took my hand away from my mouth.

"Good... I know your will. Then... I'll set the stage."

"...The stage?"

"Yes... you do your part. I'll set the rest of the stage."

"...What are you planning to do?"

"Hey! I'm your older brother, kid. I heard this from a blacksmith back in the day... they say in the East, there's a saying: 'Live with style, die with style.'"

"...Live with style, die with style? What does that mean?"

"Live coolly, and die coolly. You only live once, so live beautifully and die beautifully. That's what it means."

"Pwahahahaha! Yeah. Yeah... I got it."

Hearing our voices, the disciples came to find us. At their desperate insistence, I was helped by them and slowly descended the mountain first. And... I had no idea that he... was hated by everyone except me and my family. Until I died, was resurrected, and was reborn as a god...

Time passed, and I was entering the final climax of my life.

"The Last Supper is over... so go and spread my words."

Leaving the silence behind, I was holding the mass of the Last Supper. But... Judas was nowhere to be seen. Surely... just yesterday, he had been laughing and shouting with great vigor, saying, 'Hey! Your big brother will show you!'

As I looked around to find Judas, one of the disciples approached me and informed me of Judas's betrayal. What? Judas... betrayed me...?

It was an unbelievable reality. I thought he would watch over my end until the very last moment... Was it that he couldn't trust me anymore after the halo he saw around me disappeared?

I hid my despair and began to carry out my duty. Eventually, the Roman soldiers who came for me pushed the disciples aside and dragged me out... and after enduring countless tortures, I was finally sentenced to crucifixion.

Yeah... I've truly reached the end now... But... Judas, who was with me at my beginning... in the end, you're not here to see it through.

I was sadder that Judas wasn't by my side than I was about the approaching death. I finally climbed the hill, struggling as I carried the cross I was to be executed on. To fulfill my mission. I was nailed to the cross... and as time passed, I drew closer to death, but I hated that Judas still hadn't appeared.

So... I prayed to my Father, God, for all humans except Judas, and thanks to that, I, who had died, ascended to heaven. There was opposition from many gods, but my Father told them, "Then go and die yourselves," and passed the position of the Lord God to me. My Father, who had passed on the position, said He had things to do and chose the path of seclusion... and I, to finish things, was resurrected three days later as promised and went to find my disciples.

Amidst the reunion with the disciples I had found, I was able to hear news of Judas, whom I had forgotten in the complex relationships of the gods. It was... the news of Judas's death.

? He died?

Guided by the disciples, I headed to the place where he had died. And... surprisingly, the place was under the very rock where Judas had told me he would set the stage. Or, to be precise, a cave under that rock.

The disciples told me they couldn't move the rock because it was too heavy, and that they had heard someone say they saw Judas heading there the day before I died. I used my divine power to lift the rock and return it to its original position. And... creating light with my divine power, I passed through a narrow entrance barely wide enough for one adult man to enter and stepped into the cave...

I was speechless. This place, which should have been a wide square, was filled with the bodies of the high priests and their followers—the ones who had always slandered me and corrupted the temple with their dirty deeds—their heads all exploded, buried under rocks. And in front of the entrance, which was a staircase, a man with long black hair wearing crude armor... stood dead, pierced by a massive blade. It seemed he had blocked the entrance so they couldn't get out.

Just by the color of his long hair, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠knew it was Judas.

That was it... Judas had truly died.

In the face of an unbelievable reality... the moment I stroked the back of Judas's armor with trembling hands...

*Gurgle—*

Judas's body vanished before my eyes, engulfed in a black current with a gurgling sound.

!!!!!!!

And at Judas's feet, a piece of paper was lying there. I hurriedly picked it up and read it.

"You... damn it..."

I spat out profanities, forgetting even the dignity of a god. Everyone hated him...? Even the disciples...? Why?

Those last words kept circling in my head. After checking the whole paper, I lost my reason and tried to leave immediately, but due to the disciples' dissuasion and requests, I spent some time explaining what needed to be done, and after finishing, I left for the divine realm immediately.

Upon arriving in the divine realm, I went straight to Yama. If he... had died, he surely would have passed through Yama.

Pushing aside the messengers with my divine power, I approached Yama, who was sitting indifferently on a high throne, and immediately asked for his location.

"Hey! Yama! You would know where he is, right? I... I!!! I prayed!!! Except for Judas!!! I prayed excluding only Judas!!!!"

"...A truly immature brat has become the Lord God, and now he seems to have gone mad. Pull yourself together!"

*Snap—*

"Argh!"

I almost lost my senses from the flick on the forehead Yama gave me, infused with divine power, but my obsession to find him could never be overcome.

"Please, Yama! I beg you!"

"Who are you talking about? I cannot see the past unless they are dead."

"Oh... I see..."

Perhaps sensing the trembling in my voice, Yama sighed deeply and continued.

"Speak calmly."

"...He is..."

"Hmm... No such person has been found... Are you sure?"

"What?"

"It seems... he is not dead."

"How can that be!? I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠saw his body vanish with my own eyes!?"

I denied Yama's words that he didn't seem dead, having clearly confirmed that Judas had died right in front of me.

"Calm down! Why are your mood swings so severe! Has he influenced you that much...? A mere human?"

"A mere human, you say! He... he led me so I could become a god! He paved the way for me!"

"Just calm down and go back to the divine realm. I will try to look for him once."

"...If you find him, you must send him to me immediately! Understand?"

"Of course... since you came here and caused such a scene..."

"I... I'm sorry... I was in a rush..."

"Go now. By the way... according to what you said... he might... have no destiny."

As I was about to return, Yama expressed his stance on Judas to my ears.

"No... destiny?"

"Yes... he seems to be wandering around without a destiny written... I don't know when or how he will reach me."

"Ah..."

"Anyway... thanks to your sacrifice and prayers... at least in this dimension... men will not lose their power."

"....It was because a noble sacrifice followed."

"...Since he has no destiny, he must be living a life of quite a bit of suffering to survive in this dimension... If I find him... I will convey my gratitude."

"Thank you..."

"Then really, go now."

"Yeah..."

Reassured by Yama's words as he waved his hand, I turned my body toward the divine realm.

...And time passed...

Due to the actions of my Father, who had chosen the path of seclusion, all dimensions were affected by the energy overflowing from the divine realm, which consisted of many goddesses... except for this Earth dimension I prayed for, a gender-reversal phenomenon occurred in all dimensions.

While exploring the divine realm out of boredom, I was able to discover the Eden dimension through this mirror, which was a trace of my Father who had disappeared into seclusion. I was observing it with interest, and as time passed, I had forgotten the guy who finally appeared before my eyes with Yama's help, and I had driven him down a path that might lead to his death with my own hands. Just because I was obsessed with the Eden dimension.

...

'Alright... then everyone get some good rest today, and tomorrow...!'

Judas, who had gained strange abilities... was smiling with a happy, excited face. Are you that happy? Judas... I'm glad... at least...

-Wait a moment!-

As soon as Judas's words ended, a voice rang out from the mirror.

? What is it?