A deathly silence hung over the strange void.
Lynch kept his eyes closed, puffing quietly on his pipe. In the darkness, only a tiny point of fire flickered on and off, like a lantern on a ship that could capsize at any moment in a storm.
After an unknowable time, the figure made of starlight seemed to reach a decision. Her intent arrived, calm and rippleless, much like the endless night:
“There are differences, but the essence is roughly the same. That is how all of us woke up.”
“So, the emergence of Soul Severers is inherently paving the way for the revival of the gods?” Lynch sighed and nodded. “The old mother hopes her daughter can wake up smoothly as well, so that little performance just now was merely to test if I have value to be exploited—if I can carry her all the way to the end of this journey?”
“You might as well put it more bluntly: it is a conspiracy. That’s right—when a God-chosen reclaims the final exclusive divine authority and reaches the limit of mortals, we awaken from the deepest depths of that God-chosen’s will.” The goddess’s intent responded faintly, “I was indeed testing your loyalty and capability just now. Reaching the finish line is not easy. So far, there have been five failed attempts, and I do not trust you, because you—”
“Hey, in my hometown, cutting off mid-sentence like that would get you mailed razor blades.” Lynch rolled his eyes and pressed further. “Once you wake up, what happens to the God-chosen?”
“A mortal soul cannot withstand even a ten-thousandth of the supreme will’s radiance. The moment we awaken, your will dissipates completely.”
“Complete dissipation... as in total obliteration of body and soul?”
“...” Nyx, the Goddess of the Night, fell silent once more. Moments later, she answered softly, “It’s not nearly that simple.”
“Hmm?”
“This process has already been successfully repeated twelve times, yet the mortal world has never recorded any trace of it. It’s normal for written records not to exist, but there aren't even rumors. A clever person like you never suspected why?”
Lynch bit down hard on his pipe.
He had assumed the Churches of the Major Gods had deliberately erased all evidence of the process, but judging by her attitude, that clearly wasn't the reason.
“Dissipation means total vanishing. What is destroyed is not just form and mind; every trace of your existence will be wiped clean. In that moment, the supreme will washes away everything about the God-chosen. Past, present, future—the God-chosen has never existed, at least in the cognition of mortal life.”
Phoooh— Lynch let out a long trail of smoke, leaning back against the chair to gaze into the darkness overhead.
“I have answered your question, so what now? What do you have to say?”
“Oh.”
“???” A distinct ripple echoed through his mind, carrying an even clearer wave of confusion. “What do you mean by that?”
“Literally, it just means I get it.” Lynch asked back calmly, “Otherwise, what reaction were you expecting? Fly into a rage? Roll on the ground wailing like a baby? Curse the heavens and swear vengeance? Look, I’ve been through big things before. I’m not about to throw a tantrum that doesn't fit my age or intelligence. Besides, in all honesty, I don't see what the big deal is. You should be able to sense that this isn't just an excuse.”
“...”
“Someone once said that all gifts of fate have already been secretly priced, and I’ve never doubted the truth of that line. There’s no such thing as unearned love in this world; rewards are always bound to sacrifice. You mentioned earlier that I didn't use the word ‘conspiracy.’ I avoided it on purpose because I don't feel your actions deserve to be vilified. It’s not a conspiracy—at most, it’s a transaction. You made your secrets accessible to living beings, teaching them to follow in your footsteps. You gave mortals the most powerful weapon to combat the mystery, benefiting countless lives beyond measure. So even if you stand to profit from it, you’ve earned that right. Whether a benefactor gains something in return is never a reason for the beneficiary to be ungrateful, let alone turn to hatred.”
“...”
“However, that only holds true for living beings as a whole. In my eyes, the only thing worthy of criticism in what you do is that it’s unfair to those God-chosen. Though a sound-minded adult should naturally consider the cost and motive upon receiving a gift, those who fail to do so suffer from what my hometown calls ‘being blinded by greed,’ so they bear responsibility for their own end. Even so, you still deceived them and exploited their trust. Heh, this kind of concealment, or outright deception, is what’s truly unacceptable. Am I wrong, Aunt Nyx?”
“...You are not wrong. But I do not understand. Since you knew it was merely a test and that you certainly would not die, why did you expose that you had discovered her deceit—that she wants to use your existence to resurrect herself?” Goddess Nyx asked eerily. “Although using mortal familial affection to understand the ties between gods is laughable, it still offers some reference. You cannot possibly believe that the ‘old mother’ you speak of would still allow you to wake up alive after you exposed her? Or do you think that because this is only a dream and you have Luna’s protection, I am helpless against you?”
“See? You’ve already exposed the fact that she isn't colluding with you, Aunt Nyx.” Lynch slowly blew out a breath of smoke and chuckled. “Besides, haven't you misunderstood something? When did I ever say she lied to me?”
“???”
“For certain reasons, she did conceal many things from me, but right from the start, she almost explicitly made it clear that something was off—badly off. Otherwise, it’s not like I’m the all-knowing Yog-Sothoth. How could I have guessed so accurately and nailed the answer straight away? So she actually never lied to me. She warned me multiple times, even if she didn't state it outright. Furthermore, she laid the power of choice before me: I didn't need to consider her favors to me; I could completely ignore my identity as a God-chosen and live out my life as an ordinary Soul Severer until I died, or until I was swallowed by the mystery. I chose this path myself. She didn't choose it for me.”
This silence lasted extraordinarily long—so long that Lynch almost drifted off to sleep—before the goddess’s voice reached his mind once more: “So you already knew everything, yet you still chose to keep walking forward to help her? You want to sacrifice everything you have to resurrect her?”
“Huh? No, I’m not some fanatical believer. Wait... don't tell me there really was a precedent like that among the chosen of you twelve gods? Someone who learned the truth but still willingly sacrificed themselves?” Seeing the goddess decline to answer, Lynch sighed. “So there really was. Well, I’m not that noble. Though I tend to get reckless and risk my life when pushed into a corner, I’m not about to sacrifice myself for some illusory faith.”
“Then why...”
“Before I embarked on this path, she gave me a promise that she had another way to avoid the bad ending. I would inherit the divine authority of the red moon, while she would have another outcome. Of course, to an ordinary person, that might sound like a pretext or deception to keep me under control, but I don't think so. She had countless ways to make me trust her without going through all this trouble. Since she chose such a convoluted method, I’d rather believe she’s just a convoluted person at heart. As I’ve said repeatedly, once I choose to trust someone, I don't flip back and forth.”
“What if your trust is misplaced?”
“It was my choice, after all. I’ll accept the outcome with peace of mind.”
Lynch had finally succeeded in leaving a goddess thoroughly bewildered: “Then what on earth did you want to discuss today?”
“One is to lay my cards on the table so the old mother can rest easy, saving you from constantly targeting me in the future.” Lynch frowned slightly, his expression suddenly turning serious. “The other is that I want to ask: what method will she actually use to avoid the worst-case scenario?”
“Hmm?”
“Or rather... does a solution where everyone wins really exist? If I ultimately walk toward immortality, what about her? Where will her destiny lead?”
Rate on N.U.
