Everything before my eyes came to a halt. I saw the grim-faced, mask-like Gods—their faces twisted, devoid of emotion, filled only with rage. The fury to kill the Wraithlord saturated the world.
"Do you think I was wrong, Ethan Zhang?"
Mother Goddess Nuwa turned her head, her gaze softening slightly. I shook my head, unsure how to answer her question, but I still managed a smile.
"You are his mother, aren't you? No matter what, your child will always be your child. Nothing he does can change that fact. Perhaps, as a new mother, you don't know how to get along with him, or how to guide him. But everything began with you—it should end with you."
Mother Goddess Nuwa turned her head away woodenly, and the memory before my eyes began to move again.
One by one, the towering Gods stood, their massive bodies trampling the earth and reaching toward the blue sky. They possessed endless power, enough to destroy everything. Yet the Wraithlord stood before them, his face grim, eyes burning with anger—no fear, only rage.
"I will not hand my mother over to you."
This was the Wraithlord's first words to the Gods. With a furious roar, the Gods attacked. The earth instantly turned to ash, mountains and rivers collapsed, magma surged from the depths—the world shattered by their wrath as the Wraithlord fought them repeatedly.
But to the Gods' astonishment, no matter what methods they used, they could not kill the Wraithlord. He fell again and again, yet each time he stood before them once more. His gaze shifted from rage to mockery, and as their battle raged, his power grew even stronger.
With a thunderous crack, the Wraithlord twisted off the head of one of the Gods. He stood beneath the storm-dark sky, clutching the severed head, roaring in triumph like a beast. The Gods around him were stunned.
This being called human had somehow surpassed the power of the Gods. The battle continued, and as each colossal God fell, their bodies became mountains, oceans, and forests. The world, once shattered by divine power, brimmed with new life, more vibrant than before.
All this was caused by the power released from the bodies of the Gods after their deaths. As the Wraithlord fought with increasing frenzy, the number of Gods dwindled. Eventually, they abandoned this world and retreated, while the Wraithlord's power reached unprecedented heights, surpassing even the Gods.
Witnessing all this, Mother Goddess Nuwa was at a loss. She did not understand what had happened or why the child she created possessed such overwhelming power.
The Wraithlord's wife, Loraine Locke, witnessed it all as well. Possessing greater intelligence than the Wraithlord, she seemed to understand how his power had come to be.
"It is love, Nuwa. He wants to protect his mother."
At Loraine Locke's words, Mother Goddess Nuwa was stunned. She did not understand what Loraine meant by love, for the Gods had no emotions and could not comprehend such feelings.
Victorious, the Wraithlord returned to Mother Goddess Nuwa, embracing her and his now-pregnant wife, Loraine Locke, in excitement. The madness in his eyes slowly faded, as if he had finally found the meaning of existence. The Wraithlord, who once ignored and scorned the world, seemed to have awakened.
The Wraithlord curbed his temper and no longer destroyed what displeased him. The first child of the Wraithlord and Loraine Locke was born.
With the sound of a newborn's cry, Mother Goddess Nuwa quietly watched the incredible scene before her. Life was born unaided, without her power or any outside force. Meanwhile, the world continued to expand, filled with boundless vitality from the power of the fallen Gods.
The world became radiant, and under the power of the Gods, more and more life was born upon this land.
The Wraithlord no longer restrained Mother Goddess Nuwa. The whole family gathered around her, their faces radiant with happiness. Their first child was named Emperor God, symbolizing a gift from the heavens, as the name was chosen under the influence of the Gods' power.
Their second child was soon born, arriving on a morning of fiery red clouds, as if the world itself was set aflame. In this world, fire always brought unexpected vitality, so their second child, a girl, was named Sylvia Yan.
As a father, the Wraithlord grew increasingly gentle, teaching his two children everything Mother Goddess Nuwa had once taught him. Eventually, their third child was born. The world was now teeming with life, and all manner of strange creatures and plants appeared. The third child was named Phantom Sage, as the world seemed like an illusion, brimming with vitality—the birth of these three children symbolized the essence of the world itself.
All five family members respected Mother Goddess Nuwa, gathering around her as they roamed this boundless world. When they tired of one place, they moved on, for the world was vast and full of things they had never seen. Smiles lit up everyone's faces.
For Mother Goddess Nuwa, all of this was happiness, yet she could never truly understand it. She watched everything with an expressionless face, not even knowing why she traveled with them.
The eldest son, Emperor God, was much like the Wraithlord in his youth—ill-tempered, yet meticulous. He did everything step by step, never skipping any detail, always working to build order.
The second daughter, Sylvia Yan, was naturally optimistic, lively, and full of energy. She was clever and always bursting with new ideas. Whenever she learned something new, she would extract its essence, showing her intelligence and agility.
The youngest son loved tinkering with strange things, always transforming one thing into another. His creations were artistic, revealing unprecedented new sights.
The three children's mother, Loraine Locke, was a woman of wisdom. Though each child was unique and mischievous, she supported their ideas and actions. The Wraithlord, meanwhile, continued his daily enjoyment of food and drink, living happily with his wife, children, and Mother Goddess Nuwa.
This happy life lasted a long time. None of the five grew old or died; they could always rely on each other as they journeyed through the world. Yet Mother Goddess Nuwa seemed to tire of it all.
Everything in the world developed according to the wishes of the family of five. Yet the Gods, still watching from afar, were unwilling to let the Wraithlord and his family continue, for every world has its own laws, and the Wraithlord's actions defied them.
Where there is light, there must be shadow. Beneath this sunlit, vibrant world lay another scene—dark, lifeless, and ruined, filled only with drifting dust. This place was called Hell.
Gradually, because of the Wraithlord's family, Hell grew ravenous. Their defiance of the world's laws triggered self-devouring—Hell emerged, endlessly consuming the world above, never tiring, never sated.
The Gods could not bear to watch the world they created be destroyed. Besides the Wraithlord's family, countless lives existed. But the family had gravely violated the world's laws, and the Gods, powerless against the Wraithlord, could do nothing.
After long observation, the Gods seemed to finally find the Wraithlord's weakness: love, a human trait. It was love that made the Wraithlord powerful enough to defeat the Gods alone.
One morning, the family went hunting. One of the Gods transformed into a beast, lurking in the forest, and finally approached Mother Goddess Nuwa. They revealed their plan: the Wraithlord's only weakness was love, so they wanted Nuwa to help distract him and capture his wife and children.
Without hesitation, Mother Goddess Nuwa agreed, knowing the land she had built was nearing collapse. Someday, the gaping mouth of Hell would devour the earth and sky, consuming all creation.
I stared blankly at all this, grief and anger rising within me. I looked at Mother Goddess Nuwa beside me; she still showed not a trace of emotion on her face.
Perhaps it is too difficult for you Gods to understand love. Maybe you never will.
Mother Goddess Nuwa nodded slightly, and everything before my eyes began to flow once more.
One day, Mother Goddess Nuwa said there was a multicolored stone at the edge of the sky—the Heaven-Mending Stone she once used to repair the heavens. She hoped the Wraithlord would retrieve it so she could make something for her three children. The Wraithlord happily bid his family goodbye and set out for the place Nuwa described.
Loraine Locke and the three children were delighted, looking forward to the gifts Mother Goddess Nuwa would make from the Heaven-Mending Stone. But their happiness was short-lived; soon after the Wraithlord left, the Gods descended from the sky.
Loraine Locke had little power, but the three children of the Wraithlord were extraordinarily strong. When the Gods tried to capture them, the children fought back.
But the difference in power was overwhelming. The Wraithlord's wife and children were captured by the Gods, and so the tragedy began.