Chapter 25: "Land of gods"- Part 13: "Brainwashing"

The part when Thedus laughed and replied:

'Every plan has some unintended mistakes. From here I know you are someone who does not dare to risk something you have to do when it is not certain that it will be safe, and is willing to use others to help you do it. How cunning you are. That's the 'safely collect EC' plan you're talking about, right?'

'Yes. Now I'm thinking about my next plan, including whom to use next to collect the remaining two. I am a person who always loves myself, so I always have to brainstorm to come up with plans without any gaps, to make myself benefit, and always have the upper hand without falling into an overwhelming situation'

'Sounds like what Linh said to Yelena, right? Well, it's not surprising since you're the one who manipulated her into saying those words. You did everything so perfectly and got what you wanted. Linh, Toan, and Yelena are just pawns in your hands.'

'Letting them slaughter each other is completely in my favor. I was the one who stayed one step ahead. In other words, I manipulated this play and just stood outside and witnessed the end as a director. You must have also noticed the EC's manipulation through Linh's unusual behavior while the others did not, since you are a god with a see-through eye. And you must have guessed what was going to happen when you got here.'

'Yes. But not all, the proof is that I didn't realize that the person pulling the strings behind was you until you revealed your face. You are truly admirable even as a human. I have a compliment for you because even I can't guess your intentions even though the play is over.'- Thedus marveled- 'But that's not what I need to worry about right now. What puzzled me is how you got Helius' Elemental Card?'

'Oh, you mean this?'- Hieu said, taking out a blue Elemental Card from the glass case- 'You said this was once owned by a god with the same background as you named Helius? Unfortunately, I haven't met him yet.'

'Where did you find it?'- Thedus asked again.

Hieu tilted his head to one side with a smile on his face as if he had a deal for Thedus, saying:

'You seem curious about how I got it, don't you? So let's make an exchange. I will answer you after answering the question I'm going to ask you now. It's fair, right?'

'Humans these days are very slier than they were. Setting the terms with God is like an insult, you know? Anyway, you are a mortal, and have acted to deceive Yelena, causing her to lose trust in the person named Toan, how can you guarantee that you will tell me the truth?'

'I'm just a lowly person, do you think I dare to surpass a god like you? I was ordered by Linh to kill Toan, so when Toan escaped death from a car accident and tried to call Yelena, I ended him with a shot in the stomach. I'm a murderer, but I'm also a man of keeping my word. Only after completing the task that Linh gave me, did I carry out my plan. First, I killed Toan with this gun, just two shots with two voices: 'Bang, bang!', then peeled off the skin of Toan's face like how I used to do with previous victims and used it to pretend to be him, trick Yelena into taking her Elemental Card. You see, I'd only lie if it was part of the plan. Do I look like a liar now? I don't need to lie to you. No plan, no trick, this is an exchange with no conspiracy. Please believe me.'

'You are quite intelligent, but also a savage murderer, and a fallen psycho. Who would take the dead man's facial skin and put it on his face to disguise himself as that person to carry out his plan? Your way is horrible. Even a mighty god like me is afraid of you.'

'To achieve my goal, I'm willing to do anything, as long as it's not out of my ability to do. To be honest, it is an important link in my plan. I have my own reasons. Without it, my plan won't work.' Hieu said confidently and arrogantly.

'Then let's go to the main business, what do you want to ask me?' - Thedus asked.

'OK. Can you tell me what happened 1000 years ago that caused you all to seal yourselves?'- Hieu asked bluntly.

'No way… how did you know that? It can't be... you're... a descendant of...one of the Guardians of the gods...?'

'No, no... I'm not a descendant of that accursed woman's minions. You are misunderstanding. How disappointed I am, you know? I've expected that you will guess who I am through those hints. Well... Let me introduce myself. I am a descendant of one of the members of the cult that worshipped the entity that once brought disaster upon mankind.'

'Damn it. Didn't I mishear?'

'No. You heard right. The God of Darkness, you remember?'

'Got it. About the Elemental Card, that war, the fact that we were sealed,..., you told me those as hints to let me guess who you truly are. But who can believe it true the first time they heard that?'

'Seeing your reaction, I realized it's surely my fault for not telling you earlier. But I have to say, you're goddamn right, Thedus.'

'Did your ancestors leave some words to you, including telling you to revive the God of Darkness and revive that 'secret cult', right?'

'Oh, the answer is absolutely correct. My ancestors also told me to root out you the demons, who overthrew the empire created by the Creator.'

'Shut up!'- Thedus cursed angrily- 'A dirty, wretched mortal like you must not offend the Goddess and us. The fact that you fools served the God of the Darkness, who brought disaster to the rest of the world is why the world hates you and considers you scum. The Goddess was too benevolent to let your ancestors and you - the 'seeds' of chaos and destruction, but still think you are playing a part in rebuilding the world according to the will of the God of Darkness- live in peace up to now.'

"Is that true?" Hieu asked.

'What?!'

'There are two problems with you. First, you know nothing about the idea of protecting our world, which I can understand and ignore, second, of course, about your telling us to have been living in peace for nearly 1,000 years. Do you think after that war, the Goddess would look at us living peacefully without doing anything? You should remember that before the war, she always saw us as a threat to that world.'

'Your presence is proof of that, isn't it?'

Hieu immediately hugged his stomach and laughed loudly, replying:

'Ridiculous. I am rather a witness to the bad deeds she did to other believers. She took what was most precious to them: their freedom, their memory of the good times his community members spent,...'

'Do you mean she brainwashed them?'

Hieu clapped his hands on his thighs to show his excitement, saying:

'Bingo! A completely correct answer. Do you know why I know everything? Thanks to the story of my great-grandfather who was one of the witnesses who witnessed the Goddess' crimes against the believers.'

'Do you want to know why my great-grandfather didn't lose his memory like other believers?'

'You think I need to know that?'

'You will, I believe.'

'So I have to say, you're goddamn right.'- Thedus laughed- 'Okay, so before talking about that, tell me what you heard from your ancestors, what he witnessed at that time. Maybe I'd spend some of my precious time listening and stringing together the clues from what you're about to say to judge if it's true.'

'It's nice to hear that you don't mind listening to me. First, let me recap what happened: The goddess did something to make the remnants of the community that served The god of darkness no longer a threat to the world she built. It's nothing more than a genocide...'

'Brainwashing campaign, right?'

'Yes, first, she used a spell called 'Erasing the memories' to brainwash everyone about the God of Darkness and the war between him and The Goddess, next, she implanted in their minds false memories that to be precise, are the memories she carefully selected and finally, she preserved in each person's mind the memory of events before they met him. Thus, her concern was resolved. The goddess could do that thanks to one of her agents who lured them to their own territory, a cave, where the goddess had been waiting for a while. She did that with everyone, except my great-grandfather, who wasn't there when she did her crime that day, to be precise, he went late.'

'Got it, so you were lucky enough to escape the brainwashing campaign by being late?'

'Right. If this action happened on the previous days, then maybe my great-grandfather would have been reprimanded by the members, because being late is taboo in the guild, and will face punishment according to the rules of the association. But on that day, that action saved him. That miracle happened must have been thanks to the gods who protected him, and wanted my great-grandfather to live so that one day he could expose Goddess's crimes, and avenge members who were killed or brainwashed because he has never gone late before.'

'You call it a 'miracle'? I see it as a lucky coincidence, nothing more, nothing less.'

'It depends on one's perspective, sir.'

'Understood. The same action, but if it happened before the brainwashing time, he would be seen as a criminal and punished as an example for other members, but on that day, that action becomes meaningful for saving his life. the same is true. If on that day, your great-grandfather did not come late, perhaps that day would be the end of that sect, the day when the remnants of the god of Darkness will no longer see the sun of their life, no who can denounce the Goddess and restore the lost community.

'So what did you learn from that?'

'Don't subjectively judge an event, action, etc., especially when those can determine your life, in the good or bad way. Am I right?'

'I'm glad you realize that.'

'So, besides your great-grandfather, who else escaped from that large-scale brainwashing campaign?'

'There was another man who was late, like my great-grandfather. They are close friends. Too bad he wasn't so lucky.'

'I see.'

'After having tracked down the site where she performed the brainwashing, the great-grandfather hid in a bush where there was a good view and watched from afar in awe, trepidation, and a little curiosity. After that, he had to hide that for the rest of his life with that horrifying memory, keeping that secret until his death. In his notes, he said that the number of people who were brainwashed by the Goddess was more than 1000 people.'- Hieu said.

'Impossible…?!- Thedus was taken aback.

'What he regrets the most is not being able to do anything when that tragedy happened and not being able to talk to anyone when the memories of most members of the community, including his close friends, are no more.'

'So what about the other's whereabouts?'

'Die shortly after being discovered, driven to death by traitors to his community, the Goddess' order.'

'Goddess' order?!'

'You can see her and ask her if I'm telling the truth or lying. Well, you can't see her now, can you? But there is still another way to verify this.'

'What do you mean?'

'You have to find out for yourself, you're a god. I just narrate the story and give suggestions, not telling you how to know the Goddess' place...'

There were quite a few vague and suspicious thoughts that suddenly appeared in Thedus' mind at this moment:

'Although I know to be careful, not to completely believe what he says, what he told me just now, I feel very convincing. If he is lying, I will feel the frequency of erratic fluctuations in his body or at least the manifestations outside the body, just a small gesture is enough to denounce him. If what he said is true, what should I do?'

'I guess you must be thinking how you wish you could meet the Goddess to confront her right now. I guess he and she lost touch a long time ago. Sorry, I can't be of any help. It's a tragedy indeed. You have been deceived for so long, so it must be very painful, right?" - Hieu said with a sarcastic voice.

'If I don't meet and listen to him talk about this, I don't know when I will know the truth, how long would I trust the Goddess blindly? Surely the goddess did it for a reason... So what is that? I wish I could meet and talk to the Goddess right now.'- Thedus continued to think in doubt, ignoring Hieu's words.

'Are you OK? Did I say something to offend you?'

'No. You didn't say anything to offend me. My fault. I got a little distracted. Go on. I won't let anything interrupt this conversation anymore.'

'Understood. I will.'- Hieu continued- 'That day, he and his friend were chased by the goddess' collaborator who betrayed the God of Darkness, after being discovered after witnessing everything. When they came up to the cliff, his friend rushed to fight the butcher while he fell off the cliff.'

'Looks like falling over the cliff saved his life. I guess he's still alive, but not with a healthy body.'

Seeing Thedus' cheerful expression as if he had correctly guessed the result of a football match, Hieu laughed and replied:

'That can be guessed by a normal person, don't say it as if it could make your reasoning difficult. It sounds ridiculous.'

'Hey you mortal, now you are really teasing me. Watch your mouth.'- Thedus grumbled, showing his narcissism.

'My fault. Just like you said, he was lucky to survive with a broken leg despite jumping from that height. '

'Then what happened to your great-grandfather?'

'Though he was lucky to escape him, he lived in seclusion to avoid the butcher's pursuit like a dog trying to escape from the people who wanted to capture it to stop it from barking. Since that time, he has always had to be in a wheelchair, unable to walk normally because his leg has been crippled, not to mention he is still half-paralyzed in old age after a stroke. For the rest of his life, he was still haunted by that day, always thinking that because of him, his friend was killed by the butcher, hoping to avenge the Goddess and especially, restore the community someday...'

'He seems to be too determined, doesn't he? The only survivor, who always cherishes great plans despite being traumatized in a body of weakness,... Sounds like our goddess is like a scary villain from your point of view, is it?'- Thedus said sarcastically.

'Correct. However, he is aware that saying and doing it are two completely different things because he knows it is quite difficult when most believers have lost their memories, not to mention his age not allowing him to do so and the inconvenience of moving, moreover, he spent a long time battling illness."

'So would your great-grandfather give up?'- Thedus asked.

'Of course not. Carrying a deep grudge, he wouldn't give up easily. He left a huge document with the message: 'You must find and destroy your Goddess at all costs to avenge him and the community that has been dissolved...' About the consequences after the war, he once wrote: '...In short, the defeat of the god of Darkness led to the downfall of an empire he led and ruled and also the decline of the community that worshiped him.'

'By the consistency of your words, you have gradually convinced me. Your great-grandfather in heaven must be very proud of his great-grandson for all you have done up until now.'

'Well, in his diary, he wrote that when the brainwashing started, you weren't there. Were you sealed before?'

'We were indeed sealed ten minutes after the war ended, there is no other way. But the Goddess never told us about this before, in fact…'

'Then why don't you guess the reason behind this?'

Thedus was surprised at that question from Hieu as if he knew something...