Chaldea existed in a temporal interstice, a gap in time. Despite this, it still had a sun and moon, as if the entire solar system had slipped into this temporal crevice.
Olga Marie was indulging in a rare moment of relaxation, basking in the sunlight.
The large windows blocked the chill outside, letting only warm sunlight stream through, bathing her in its glow.
If not for Morpheus incessantly reciting magical theory beside her, she thought this sunbathing would be even more pleasant.
"Can't you let me rest for a bit?" Olga Marie turned to ask, irritation flaring at the sight of the man. She had the urge to bite his shoulder until it bled.
"No way. You're busy with work during the day and sleep at night, so I can only teach you during the gaps between work and meals," Morpheus said, lightly tapping her head with his grimoire. "Listen up and absorb these magical theories. They'll be crucial in the future."
Olga Marie eyed him skeptically. "Why the rush? Why do I need to master these theories so quickly?"
Morpheus smiled but didn't answer.
Seeing he wouldn't explain, Olga Marie didn't press further. He always spoke openly when ready, so pushing now would yield nothing.
She turned back to the sun, letting its rays fall on her face and into her eyes.
Beside her, Morpheus continued reciting occult theories, focusing on the Golden Dawn system he knew best.
This system, encompassing astrology, Kabbalah, and more, poured into Olga Marie's mind as if the knowledge itself were alive, seeking her as its host.
Knowledge pursued the person, not the other way around. Olga Marie suddenly recalled this phrase.
Once absurd to her, it now felt strikingly true.
"By the way, where's Artemis?" She asked, unable to resist her curiosity despite herself. She wanted to know why the woman perpetually glued to Morpheus wasn't around.
"Though she's stabilized her state, she's still undergoing continuous creation. Her divine core is steadily advancing. Until she completes a full cycle of creation and destruction, she can't ensure she won't affect the real world."
"So, only after experiencing a complete creation and destruction can her divine core stabilize, allowing her to safely stay on Earth?"
"Smart girl. You got it in one."
Morpheus's smiling praise darkened Olga Marie's expression. His tone felt like he was commending a schoolchild.
Noting he'd spent most of the past few days resting in his room, she swallowed her mocking retorts. "How's your recovery?"
"Fully recovered. It won't affect the mission," Morpheus said with a smile, reassuring the concerned girl.
He had indeed recovered, the toxins cleared... mostly absorbed by Artemis. However, his body wasn't back to its original state. While 8=3 and 9=2, the supreme feminine and masculine, were distinct paths on the Tree of Life, they were equal in essence.
The Shiva he summoned previously paled in comparison to the Primordial Shakti this time. Shakti's power even encompassed Shiva's, representing the pinnacle of Hindu myth. The vast disparity left Morpheus's body overwhelmed with feminine energy.
Thus, despite appearing male, his aura carried a distinctly feminine quality.
From a distance, one might mistake him for a woman.
"Oh, I just thought of something," Olga Marie said, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "I recall 8=3 embodies the supreme feminine, including motherhood. So, even though you're male, does that mean you could… get pregnant?"
Morpheus froze, caught off guard by the precise jab at his current vulnerability.
Seeing his reaction, Olga Marie laughed, her mood lifting after days soured by Artemis's presence. "So, you can get pregnant!"
Morpheus forced a smile. In occultism, a man becoming pregnant wasn't impossible, especially with his body brimming with feminine energy. The capability was indeed there.
Unless he later invoked supreme masculine power to balance it.
Normally, this wouldn't be an issue. Steady progression to 8=3 would have prepared him to handle such power without side effects.
But to accelerate his growth and gain knowledge early, merging with such primal forces prematurely caused these side effects... normal, and a small price to pay.
After all, in Hindu doctrine, reaching the ultimate pinnacle meant uniting feminine and masculine selves.
Morpheus sighed inwardly.
No wonder the occult world danced on taboos. If he were a novelist instead of a magician, writing this would get him flamed by readers.
Thankfully, as a magician pursuing the mysteries, he didn't need to worry about such things.
What was a half-male, half-female form? If he'd chosen the Hindu path, he'd have embraced it without hesitation!
Fortunately, the Golden Dawn system spared him such complexities, which he appreciated.
…
The Lion King silently gazed at her holy lance, Rhongomyniad, her familiarity with the weapon growing, its capabilities expanding.
It held the power to rewrite the world!
Or rather, the power of creation!
She surveyed her surroundings... the phase she inhabited. Though smaller than her original world, it had grown significantly in recent days. Given time, it might rival Earth's size.
Raising Rhongomyniad, she aimed at the void. Countless runes spiraled around the lance, accelerating into a helix.
With a fierce throw, Rhongomyniad pierced the void, interacting with it. The slowly expanding world suddenly surged outward!
Mountains rose, waters converged into seas, grasses sprouted into forests and plains, beasts roamed, and birds soared. The world's vitality surged.
The Lion King grew curious. What story had Morpheus written based on her? Why did she still wield such power?
This development seemed to be shaping the world into a unique flat, circular realm!
If it continued, this land's expanse might surpass Earth's, perhaps even reaching the solar system's scale!
…
Goetia was troubled. Its interference with the future was faltering, its influence waning, as if something was stripping it away.
It had burned human history, amassing vast energy. Even if Chaldea destroyed the Singularities, it couldn't change the fact that Goetia could return to the planet's birth with that power. Yet, the future was being altered, as if a mighty force was rewriting time.
Goetia couldn't fathom why. The Lion King's persistence was one thing, but now an unknown adversary had emerged.
Why couldn't its future sight penetrate that era?
Goetia tapped a fraction of its vast energy... just one-millionth... elevating its future sight to a terrifying degree.
Then, it froze.
It saw the world's destruction and rebirth! Like a cosmic Big Bang, time flowed, then contracted into chaos and silence, forming an embryo before exploding again!
This was a world unlike the Reverse Side of the Planet, not born from a world egg or a cosmic transformation.
It was a universe born directly, then collapsing into destruction.
Amid this power, Goetia spotted a familiar figure... a silver-haired woman at the universe's center, yet illusory, tangible yet false, like a projection.
She wasn't in this universe but beyond it.
"Artemis?!" Goetia exclaimed, stunned to see the Greek Moon Goddess in its future sight.
Why her? She wasn't remarkable. In the Greek pantheon, only Zeus, unified with all Greek divine authorities, posed a threat. A mere Moon Goddess was beneath its notice.
Yet, the figure disrupting its future was Artemis. How?!
The universe quaked, and golden scriptures appeared in the void, spinning into lotus flowers.
From these lotuses, a bow emerged. Artemis's phantom grasped it, pulling an invisible string.
A radiant arrow shot forth, shattering the void!
Goetia's future sight collapsed, a searing pain piercing its eyes. It clutched them, finding gaping wounds oozing blood!
One arrow, crossing time and space, had wounded it. The injury, unhealable by its own power, would only mend once the arrow's energy fully dissipated.
"That was... a creation hymn, and those words… weren't they ancient Vedic? That arrow wasn't lunar power. It was infused with destruction, akin to Zeus's thunder... no, closer to Shiva's fire of annihilation."
Goetia's headache worsened. Failing to see the future was frustrating enough; seeing it only deepened its agitation.
What was happening? Human history was burned, humanity gone, faith extinguished... gods should have vanished!
Yet they persisted. The Lion King was one thing, but now a Greek Moon Goddess wielded Hindu divine power.
"Why can Artemis suddenly use Hindu powers, and the mightiest goddess's at that?" Goetia grew anxious. Its once-flawless plan now felt uncertain.
Could it still succeed?
Its proudest feat... returning to the ancient era to become the planet's first consciousness, its god, the god of the Reverse Side of the Planet, the sole deity... was it still possible?
If so, how could it explain what its future sight revealed?
Ultimately, Goetia pressed on with its plan. At this point, it had no retreat, no alternatives.
It had to reach the dawn of the planet to achieve its desires.
Just wait. Soon, I'll become the sole god, guiding humanity on the true path!
Goetia clenched its fist.
***
If you enjoyed this story, don't forget to drop 5 stars and your power stone. And if you want to read more than 70 chapters in advance, feel free to visit: pat reon . com / KangTL