As the three deities gradually reached the deepest depths of the Underworld, the surrounding scenery began to change.
The distant, occasional whispers of departed souls slowly faded away as the three pressed deeper.
The black rock formations flanking the path grew taller, with heavy shadows hanging from the rock faces, enveloping the already gloomy Underworld in an even deeper gloom.
Aergia quickly realized that the darkness here was different from that of the rest of the Underworld.
It was not merely an absence of light.
Rather, it was a tangible, omnipresent divine power.
Sceneries that should have blurred with distance instead took on an inexplicable clarity within the dark.
Aergia could feel that every inch of space around them was wrapped in immensely ancient laws, as if this darkness had existed long before light was ever born into the world.
She unconsciously slowed her steps.
Walking at the very front, Hypnos noticed her oddity and turned his head slightly.
“What is it?”
“It is nothing, Your Highness.”
Aergia answered softly, gazing at the night that grew progressively deeper around them.
“I am merely curious, as this is my first time truly sensing the power of the domain of night.”
Hypnos glanced in the direction of her gaze.
“This is Mother Goddess's domain.”
His tone was flat, yet he uncharacteristically offered an extra explanation.
“Here, the night is not merely a phenomenon beneath the sky, but a primordial law that forms the world itself. What you see is only an infinitesimal fraction of it.”
Aergia nodded thoughtfully.
This was quite similar to her previous understanding of divine authority.
The God of Sleep was not called the ruler of sleep simply because he mastered divine spells that could induce sleep in living beings.
Rather, because he represented sleep itself, he naturally possessed the authority to cast all things into slumber.
And the night commanded by Nyx was clearly far more ancient and vast than sleep.
Aergia could feel that the godhead of Sloth within her body seemed even quieter than usual in this darkness.
However, before she could examine it closely, the path ahead gradually vanished.
Boundless darkness slowly spread open, and an ancient divine temple, seemingly condensed from the night itself, silently appeared before the three.
Hypnos paused, and Thanatos curbed the urgency on his face; both ancient deities lowered their heads slightly at the same time.
In the next moment, a calm and dignified voice echoed slowly from the deepest recesses of the darkness.
“Hypnos, Thanatos. How is it that you two have the time to visit me together today?”
Deep within the darkness, a tall, majestic figure slowly emerged.
Long black hair poured down like the night itself, gradually merging with the darkness beneath her feet. Her glistening white skin appeared exceptionally sacred against the deep backdrop of the night, while a pair of eyes that seemed embedded with countless stars quietly gazed at the three deities before her.
Nyx, the Goddess of the Night.
Aergia bowed her head slightly. This was her first time coming into such close contact with this ancient primordial god since her true birth.
Compared to Hypnos and Thanatos, hardly any noticeable fluctuations of divine power could be felt from Nyx.
Yet Aergia could clearly perceive that the entire darkness surrounding her at this moment actually belonged to the authority of the goddess before her.
It was a power far beyond the scope of her current understanding.
Here, Nyx had no need to deliberately unleash divine might, for the night itself was already enough to inspire awe in any living creature.
“Mother Goddess.”
Hypnos and Thanatos bowed in unison.
Aergia immediately stepped forward as well, respectfully bowing her head.
“Great Nyx, Goddess of the Night, thank you for your enduring protection.”
Nyx's gaze lingered briefly on the young goddess.
She was no stranger to Aergia.
Back then, it was Gaia herself who had brought that incomplete divine core to the domain of night and entrusted it to her.
However, compared to that time, the young goddess before her had clearly undergone considerable changes.
Nyx nodded gently, then looked back at her two divine sons.
“Speak.”
Her voice was utterly calm.
“Judging by your posture, I take it you are not merely here to offer greetings.”
Thanatos immediately raised his head.
“Mother Goddess, there is a matter I wish for you to decide.”
Nyx looked at him, gesturing for him to continue.
The young God of Death took a deep breath and began to briefly recount what had happened.
Thanatos spoke quite earnestly, especially when describing the birth of Cessation, even taking the initiative to mention how he had previously granted Aergia a wisp of his authority over death.
“Mother Goddess, there is clearly an extremely special connection between Aergia's godhead of Sloth and death.”
As the young God of Death reached this point, the admiration in his voice was hard to conceal.
“Not only can she soothe deceased souls, but now she can even use Cessation to directly affect the workings of life. If this continues to develop, those incomplete laws within the domain of death might gradually be filled out.”
Nyx listened in silence.
Yet Thanatos grew increasingly excited as he spoke.
“Therefore, I hope Mother Goddess will permit Aergia to leave the Temple of Sleep and officially become my subordinate deity from now on. Compared to remaining with Hypnos, she is clearly far better suited to follow me in fulfilling the divine portfolio of death.”
“Thanatos.”
The young God of Death turned his head.
“What?”
“Have you forgotten Aergia's achievements in the domain of sleep?”
“Of course I haven't.”
“Then why did you only mention death just now?”
“Because right now I am talking about death!”
“...”
The starlight in Nyx's eyes flickered faintly.
She had not expected that these twin gods—who usually fulfilled their respective divine portfolios independently and rarely squabbled over other matters—would actually come to her to dispute ownership of a newly born subordinate deity.
However, since the matter touched upon her past arrangement, Nyx naturally would not ignore it.
“Hypnos, speak your mind as well.”
Hearing this, the God of Sleep finally drew his attention back from his younger brother.
Compared to Thanatos, his account was far more concise.
Aergia's original divine portfolio was Sloth, which naturally aligned with the laws of sleep.
Back then, he allowed her to observe his authority over sleep and gave her those law fragments scattered along the margins of his domain to research precisely because she had discovered something worth further exploration within them.
Thereafter, Drowsiness was born.
As more laws were supplemented, initial Drowsiness gradually grew, eventually ascending into a complete godhead of Sleep Induction.
The changes brought about by Sleep Induction were now truly integrated into the operation of the entire sleep domain.
“I do not deny Aergia's achievements in the domain of death.”
Speaking up to this point, Hypnos slowly raised his eyes.
“However, that cannot be the reason she must leave the Temple of Sleep.”
Nyx nodded slightly.
Although sleep and death shared certain similarities, they ultimately belonged to two distinct systems of divine authority.
That Aergia achieved a breakthrough in one did not mean her development in the other had reached an end.
What was more, Sleep Induction's contribution to the sleep domain possessed an undeniably significant value as well.
However...
Nyx's gaze fell back onto Aergia.
She suddenly realized that what truly merited her attention might not be this dispute.
Rather, it was the young goddess herself.
“Aergia.”
“Yes, great Goddess of the Night.”
The young goddess immediately raised her head.
Nyx did not rush to ask whether she was willing to leave the Temple of Sleep, but instead slowly extended a hand.
“Step forward.”
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