Once Max and Nico had recovered a little, the ancient Darkling continued.
"While the three mortal species were each chosen by one of the Gods as their own, that did not sit well with the Gods whose aspects reflected aspects of nature or a less evolved species, and the jealousy grew within them.
That jealousy only grew and festered as they saw the innovation that the mortal species was capable of. The innovation that the humans spearheaded, the most curious creatures in the universe, then and always."
Max and Nico shared a laugh at those words. The old man wasn't wrong. All the humans needed was a hint of a direction, and they would go off on a tangent, creating entirely new technologies.