Would the Feathered Serpent weep for its offspring?
Salinger would not. The Death would only coldly weigh the value of his progeny, even personally killing those deemed unnecessary.
But Azik would. The Death Consul knelt before a familiar tombstone, silent, with only tears falling onto the barren grass before it.
A father was weeping for his lost child, though soon enough, he would forget it all once more.
Perhaps fate was such a cruel thing, never showing favor to the Death Consul.
And so, Azik continued to sink into the cycle of reincarnation. Time and again, he touched emotions that could be called beautiful. In these cycles, he had a family, children, friends... everything the Death Consul had once yearned for... only to lose them all soon after, with barely any memories left behind.
How long would such days continue?
How long could such a life endure?
The Death Consul in the dream did not know, nor did Azik outside the dream.
Until one day, the Death Consul, having lost his memories again, opened his eyes to find himself named Azik, a history professor at Khoy University.
Azik had no memories of his past. He instinctively longed to know what had happened before, yet, sensing his own abnormality... powers that did not belong to an ordinary person... he hesitated, afraid to explore that past, fearful of shattering his tranquil life.
Without any surprises, Azik would have lived this life quietly, as he had in past cycles, regaining all his memories just before the cycle's end, only to fall into a new one.
But an accident occurred. A new teacher named Jack Jones arrived at Khoy University, and a student named Klein Moretti became entangled in extraordinary events.
And so, fate changed. Azik made new friends, grew closer to a student he hadn't known well before, and cared for them as if they were his companions. In return, they helped him uncover traces of his past, even witnessing a miracle.
With Jack Jones's help, Azik saw his past child again. A corner of his sealed memories awoke at that moment, leaving him unable to escape any longer.
What followed far exceeded Azik's expectations. The existence of Jack Jones's mentor, Lucifer, completely altered Azik's fate.
When the dream version of himself met the past Death Consul, Azik felt a sudden daze, then a urge to laugh... not in mockery, but in joy.
So it was this moment.
Ah, of course it was this moment!
Sealed memories flooded back at that instant. Azik finally recalled everything... his life as Azik and his past as the Death Consul. The two cognitions merged into one, leaving him dazed but neither unfamiliar nor repelled.
The dream continued, unfolding just as Azik's memories dictated: from his repeated fusions of past memories, to the fall of the Numinous Episcopate, to the final scene before his soul's fusion... the worried gazes of Klein and two others, Lucifer's encouraging look, and Medici, with an impatient but earnest expression, saying, "Don't die; I don't want to deal with a crying kid."
The dream ended at that moment, everything fading into darkness. In the black night, Azik raised his eyes to meet the gaze of a massive Feathered Serpent before him. Its expression was no longer ignorant but carried a familiar gentleness.
"Long time no see, Death Consul."
Azik gazed warmly at the giant serpent, the lost part of himself... the soul of the Death Consul that had once struggled in agony.
Divinity was not fearsome, for divinity was also him, the once-ignorant divine puppet.
Perhaps its emotions were not as rich as his, but they were essentially no different.
Just as the divine puppet, before it had developed a self, would read those stories over and over again.
Though it had no emotions, though it did not understand those stories, it still yearned for those feelings.
Azik thought he somewhat understood why Adam, despite having only divinity, was so intent on saving this world.
Divinity, too, was born from his self... it was not something foreign but a shadow of the soul's essence.
"Long time no see, Azik."
The Feathered Serpent offered him a similarly gentle smile, though slightly stiff, perhaps from not having smiled in a long time.
"…Perhaps you'd like a hug?" Azik said, opening his arms to the giant serpent. In his human form, he was so small before it, yet the serpent affectionately lowered its head, letting itself fall into Azik's embrace.
"It's so cold out there. The Inverted Mausoleum is so cold. I want to go home, Azik."
The giant serpent spoke thus.
"Then come back!" Azik replied.
…
In the Inverted Mausoleum, under the tense gazes of those around him, Azik finally opened his eyes.
He seemed dazed, as if awakening from a long slumber, but soon, when his gaze met the worried eyes of Klein a few steps away, that daze was replaced by gentleness.
"Sorry for making you worry."
Azik offered them a slightly apologetic smile.
This undoubtedly brought relief to many. Alaric raised an eyebrow, looking at Azik and saying, "So, you're Azik now?"
"No, strictly speaking, I should be called Death Consul Azik." Azik smiled gently, shaking his head as he explained, "My two cognitions have merged into one. I am now both the Death Consul and Azik, though leaning more toward Azik, as the Death Consul had little sense of self, so Azik's personality is dominant."
"Sounds like good news," Alaric nodded. Though unsurprised by the outcome, he still felt relieved. Then, as if remembering something, he asked with interest, "So, next question... are you a King of Angels now?"
At this, Azik didn't answer immediately. Instead, the power of the Uniqueness emerged from him, resonating with the false Uniqueness within Alaric.
"I suppose I am indeed a King of Angels now," Azik said with a smile, visibly in good spirits.
"Great. My efforts to suppress your lousy father weren't in vain," Alaric nodded, satisfied.
At those words, Azik recalled that in the blurry dream, during fleeting moments, he had sensed something stirring deep within his soul, only to be forcefully suppressed by another power.
Azik looked at Alaric and said earnestly, "Thank you, Lucifer."
***
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